hello to johannesburg. thor rixon is a versatile musician from south africa who seamlessly blends different styles, genres, collaborations and tempos to a unique fingerprint of his work. always driving and uplifitng with bold atmospheres and little details, each track a story stuck in your head. either eerie or euphoric, always like the shadow of a memory, indistinguishable from the rest. baie dankie, thor

strut presents the brand new album an angel fell from cosmic jazz travellers the pyramids, led by saxophonist idris ackamoor. produced by malcolm catto of the heliocentrics, the album was recorded during an intense week at quatermass studios in london. some of the many highlights include the poignant title track depicting a fallen angel in purgatory, outrage and grief on the powerful, hard hitting soliloquy for michael brown and the lilting, beautiful album closer, sunset. the pyramids originally came together in 1972 at antioch college, yellow springs, ohio where teachers included renowned pianist, cecil taylor. after forming in paris and embarking on a cultural odyssey across africa, the group recorded three independent albums,‘lalibela (1973), king of kings (1974) and birth/speed/merging (1976) and became renowned for their striking live shows, mixing percussive, spiritual and space-age jazz with performance theatre and dance.

forget public enemy! check nation of islam’s minister mohammad yusuf ali (aka prince buster) talkover rock steady cuts of louis farrakhan’s 1958 calypso manifesto “a white man’s heaven. recorded in kingston ja. 1967. explicit lyrics. exclusive reissue. pressing on red coloured 10 inch vinyl. taken from the forthcoming cd “africa - islam – revolution” (esr cd 01)

finnitus 7-inch time! finnitus edits #3 is yet another serving of incredibly dodgy bargain bin tracks trimmed into submission and ready for the floor. side a s klabb & babb is a space disco heater, while side b s eroding in africa is your standard below-par bony m-esque afro flirt, made into something you can dance to.

over the course of the last decade, black pepper label boss jose manuel has proved to be one of electronic music s finest contemporary alchemists, conjuring percussive, intoxicating and otherworldly musical treats for such labels as tusk wax, kinfolk, kill the dj, optimo trax and music for dreams. the genius of manuel s productions lies in the italian s ability to conjure cracking cosmic compositions out of a diverse range of global rhythms, instruments and influences. rarely has this been more evident than on his debut release for nunorthernsoul, a four-track serving of dancefloor mysticism that puts mind-altering rhythms and saucer-eyed instrumentation front and centre. track, for example, the light and dreamy wrapped sumptuous balearic synthesizer chords and melodies around gentle hand percussion and drifting zambian vocals on the sublime journey in lusaka followed by the feverish, trance-inducing african rhythms, delay-laden chants, psychedelic acid lines and jangling jew s harp motifs of intense opener journey in lusanda , a ritualistic afro-cosmic onslaught ripe for peak-time plays. if the ep opener is all about being flat on your back and staring skywards, the follow up is all about druggy, heads down sweatiness! manuel s deep love of indian music is explored on journey in mumbai , where exotic sitar lines, fluttering clarinets and echoing, densely layered female vocals rise above a thick, tabla-fired groove. it s naturally hugely evocative and atmospheric - a fine dose of emotion-rich spirituality capable of inducing hallucinations in the straightest of listeners. to complete the ep, our hero travels even further east for journey in osaka , a fittingly percussive exploration of japanese music s past and present that also includes audible nods towards the poly-rhythmic drums of west africa. it s a superb combination of traditional instrumentation, 21st century electronics, heavyweight rhythms and mood-enhancing melodic flourishes. like the rest of the journeys in...ep, it s both hugely alluring and impeccably produced

ace mid 1980s bullwackies album w/ revised track listing (w/ download code)

two brand new, dance floor tested reworks by label boss and classic music company recording artist eli escobar.

dieser rough guide untersucht die rauschhaften psychedelia- einflüsse auf die salsa-musik, von den verzerrten tropischen gitarren-klängen der sechziger- und siebzigerjahre zu topaktuellen bands, die heute mit den eigenartigen, aber wundervollen psychedelischen sounds experimentieren. die limitierte vinyl-lp erscheint inklusive downloadcode.

songs about the unity of sudan, peace between muslims and christians and the fate of war orphans, backed by grooves equally taking influence from arabic sounds, american funk as well as neighboring ethiopia. kamal keila was among the first artist we met in sudan during our two trips to khartoum and omdurman last year. he is one of the key figures of the sudanese jazz scene that was a vital part of the musical culture in sudan from the mid 1960s until the islamist revolution in the late 1980s. when we meet kamal he luckily presented us with two mold covered studio reels. each tape included five tracks. one with english lyrics and another with arabic ones. musically you can hear the influence of neighboring ethiopia much more than on other sudanese recordings of the time, as well as references to fela and american funk and soul. his lyrics, at least when he sings in english which gave him more freedom from censorship, are very political. a brave statement in the political climate of sudan of the last decades, preaching for the unity of sudan, peace between muslims and christians and singing the blues about the fate of war orphans called shmasha. a note inside one of the boxes specified the track titles, durations and the fact that the sessions were recorded on the 12th of august 1992. both sessions stand as a hearable testament how kamal keila stuck to a sound aesthetic from decades ago, while incorporating current events into his lyrics. kamal keilas album is the first in a series of releases covering the sudanese jazz scene on habibi funk. be on the lookout for albums by the scorpions and sharhabeel coming soon.

seriously dope 4 track disco edits ep. first up is jaz. the south carolina native is at the top of the disco edits game, with records out on universal cave, rotating souls, and passport to paradise. “the end�” is a 90bpm monster. easily suited for lovers of balearic, one of those rare slow tracks that can really rock a dance floor. the patchouli brothers are up and comers from toronto, with a 12” on basic fingers, “cheat, lie, kill, die�” is a mid tempo stomper. a versatile track easily blended with disco or house, and a hook so catchy, crowds are singing along before the end of the track. will martin opens up the b-side with pure fire. “rock me again” is the transformation of a 2 minute james brown production into 7 and a half minutes of dance floor ecstasy. martin is known for lo-fi house, with releases on 2mr, dolly, argot, and supply records. studebaker hawk closes us out with the b-boy jam, “say africa”. breaks for days, and even a heavy guitar solo. this track is for lovers of deep disco, classic hip hop, and afrobeat. limited run so don t sleep on this one!

the 2011 album from stephen marley as double vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

born in munich, sebastian schnitzenbaumer aka belp partially grew up on the seychelles islands off the coast of east africa. educated in classical piano, those two gravitational poles, european and african influences, became the basis for his musical development. having travelled extensively with a closer connection to london over the years, belp kept his base in munich, becoming part of a small alternative scene questioning the predominantly rich and posh surface of the city. blending jazz, dub and noise, an emphasis on darkness in his broken beat oriented works evolved as a reaction to a rather hedonistic society preferring warm and uplifting sounds.

hello sailor recordings 5th release features two edits by tom noble and label s captain renata do valle. on this collaboration we navigate through west africa, exploring sounds from cameroonian singer marthe zambo - alu and nigerian musician sonny okosuns - my ancestors . these edits are subtle works and an homage to these artists, keeping the music true to its originals. do valle often likes to explore african sounds on her hs releases which are a big influence on brazilian music, it s origins and roots. tom noble is an avid collector, selector, producer and the man behind the great superior elevation records in ny

nubian quadrant ep sees dutch producer philou reaching for that sweet spot between afro and electro to produce three pulsing new tracks for byrd out. as philou says, -all good music ultimately comes from africa-, and true to his african roots, the ep was part recorded in malawi. with his tracks being picked up by the likes of erol alkan and eats everything, this ep is sure to provide the rhythmic backdrop to the summer. if you imagine the driving force of fela kuti matched with the acid sqwelch of phuture, you re part of the way there. it s dancefloor sunshine on vinyl. mastered by the legendary noel summerville, artwork by g.s-l studio.

first official reissue of the extremely rare full-length album by lagos-based bandleader shina williams. clean copies of the original currently sell for up to £500. the record was born in 1979 when shina put biddy wright, fred fisher, saliu alabi, prince bola, tutu shoronmu, tunde willimas and several other decorated nigerian musicians – who played with the likes of fela kuti, sjob movement, sonny okoson, king bucknor amongst others – together to record. the result is ‘african dances’, a timeless fusion of afrobeat, electronics, boogie and disco. includes his most well-known song, ‘agboju logun’ that williams knew was ground breaking – “i want to show the whole wide world that africa is alive with modern musicians to reckon with anywhere,”. this album version is a different mix to the two-track 12” that came out under on earthworks, rough trade in 1984. official mr bongo reissue. replica original artwork. licensed direct from shina williams.

off the back of the recent gumba fire compilation, soundway selects more sure-fire disco burners: a 4-track, dancefloor-orientated ep drawing from the heads label out of south africa.

the very best of enya on double vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

release #17 in mr bongo’s africa 45 series.

nobody less than adriano celentano producer detto mariano plus his drummer gianni dall aglio recorded this previously unreleased italian psychedelic, erotic, horror movie soundtrack in 1976! all in all 46 mega dope tracks on 2 lp s. ranging between deep, dreamy and funky psych tunes. 1.5 million hits on the movie on youtube! classic in italy. be sure this 500 copies limited edition will be sold out soon. hq collector edition. side a & b are the original songs as used in the movie. side c & d are the uncut long versions of the best tracks as produced in the studio in 1976.

a native of the caribbean coast of colombia, abelardo carbono achieved legendary status in his country’s storied ranks of musical icons by combining the homegrown sounds of cumbia with the chiming guitars of west african soukous, enormously popular with the local tropical sound systems, and drenching the whole thing in his off-kilter, surreal and slightly psychedelic sensibility.
with the exception of a well-received compilation of songs from his 1980s heyday, carbono has been rarely heard from outside the sweaty dancehalls he still commands in his hometown of barranquilla. now, names you can trust has welcomed the reclusive guitarist and singer back to the vinyl format with a simmering afro-carib beast of a cut, recorded with the assistance of will -quantic- holland on rhythm guitar and mario galeano frente cumbiero, ondatropica on keys and in conjunction with lucas silva of palenque records & polen records. it’s a true cross-generational and international collaboration that is uniquely possible via colombia. the first release of this expansive & power packed studio session is a cover of vallenato pioneer guillermo buitrago’s la piña madura. this updated take veers heavily towards africa on a rock solid foundation of bass and drums, with abelardo’s trademark guitar and quirky vocals leading the way.

following her 1959 appearance in the anti-apartheid film come back, africa south african native miriam makeba vaulted into the international spotlight, fell under the tutelage of harry belafonte, and moved to new york city in 1960 where she immediately became a massive recording sensation. this lp collects some of that brilliant early material that launched her career and made her one of the most beloved voices of the 20th century. all tracks recorded 1957 - 1962.

z records continues its commitment to unearthing the obscure and long forgotten tracks from the last 40 years through the ever-popular under the influence series. following on from red greg, paul phillips, james glass, nick the record and sean p it’s now the turn of one of the scenes most respected live disco acts and renowned dj’s, faze action.

since the early aughts, alan abrahams aka portable has been producing records for labels like perlon, live at robert johnson, k7, and süd electronic. with his new band project “ranger”, the releases as bodycode and portable and his very own label khoikhoi to be launched this summer, the south africa born alan abrahams is an artist in-between genres. “a life without notifications” is now here, marking his first release for dial records.

lumberjacks in hell welcomes deep house vet andy compton and shamrock for a trip into plush disco, laid back funk and more besides. bunny chow was reportedly recorded in south africa, and features the vocal talents of asli on a number of the tracks. you can certainly hear the afro influence creeping into the simmering groove of the title track, while aslis vocals shine through the clearest on the downtempo tones of everything is gravy. nifanyeje is another warm trip through afro disco replete with noodling guitar lines and a crisp drum machine beat, while roga mziki ends the record on a high note with a final blast of that infectious, sunkissed sound the pair have clearly mastered on their musical adventure

genre busting south african jazz and kwaito meets cuba (chucho valdez), brazil (flora purim), cameroon (brice wassy) and drum n bass (bristol). first time on vinyl, remastered sound, new liner notes, exclusive track, gatefold with printed inners.

la’s kidgusto sets out to light up dance floors worldwide spanning influences from south america to west africa and beyond on boogieburg’s sixth vinyl release. kidgusto is joined by acclaimed guest collaborators jungle fire (nacional records and colemine records) as well as dc’s the harry bells band and la vocalist, by way of colombia, caro cobo.

back in the day, french pianist, composer and all-round jazz superstar jean-françois quiévreux, a.k.a. jef gilson, was up there alongside the likes of peers john coltrane, oscar peterson, and sun ra. in a fitting homage to the decades worth of sublime music, and his sad passing away in 2012, french quarter palm unit have released a lively, honest tribute, upbeat and contemporary re-interpretative vision of his legacy

highlife throws a curveball for its next release with a piece of kwaito from south africas dj call me. a track sweeter than irn bru, we first stumbled across marry me on the radio by the new york dj, sadaf. after a quick search, we found it on youtube with over a million views, only to discover it had been track of the summer(s) back in south africa at the start of the decade. almost a searching for sugarman moment. the track wasn’t available to buy in any kind of format, and so began an elaborate quest to track down the artist via his defunct facebook page. after many an unanswered email and a couple of years persistence, we finally managed to track down a manager still in touch with dj call me, and we’re now involved in some regular whatsapp exchanges with the man himself. after showing it to a select group of dj pals, it began to show up on the id of music facebook group, courtesy of plays by the likes of axel boman, hunee & kornel kovacs. last summer, auntie flo and andrew played at a wedding in beirut and this track got such a massive reaction that weve been dying to share it with you ever since

‘pat thomas introduces marijata’ is a seminal ghanian album that fuses highlife, reggae, folk, funk and soul, from legendary vocalist pat thomas. originally released in 1976 on gapophone records. ‘marijata’ was a group made up of three members – kofi ‘electric’ addison on drums, bob fischlan on organ and nat osmanu on guitar, hailing from ghana. pat thomas career began in 1969 with the ‘broadway dance band’, leaving a year later to join the ‘uhuru dance band’. he then played with ebo taylor’s ‘blue monks’ and finally formed the ‘sweet beans’ in 1973 where he really made his name. the group released ‘false lover’ in 1974, split and then reformed as marijata, releasing ‘marijata’ (also available on mr bongo) and this album, ‘pat thomas introduces marijata’. thomas career spans more than 50 years and he still tours regularly across the world. replica original artwork, official mr bongo reissue. licensed from gapophone records courtesy of george prah.

the magnetic buzz riddim brings us back to the jamaican early dancehall days where heavy rub a dub riddims used to rule the dance. fruits records studio band the 18th parallel travelled to jamaica and teamed up with reggae greatest bass player robbie shakespeare from famous duet sly & robbie to build the explosive and powerful magnetic buzz riddim. sylvan white, famous for hit songs like africans unite or mountain top recorded in the early 80s, comes back in the business after years off the scene with his beautiful song mother nature. then follows an experimental dub mixed by spanish wizard roberto sánchez featuring robbie’s crazy lead bass line. b side shows for the first time on vinyl record young promising artist from rockfort earth warrior followed by the sweet voice of veteran singer delroy melody whos famous for hit songs from 1980 like ease up the pressure and natty dread she want. heavy maxi 12inch record paying tribute to the early 80s jamaican reggae!

the magnetic buzz riddim brings us back to the jamaican early dancehall days where heavy rub a dub riddims used to rule the dance. fruits records studio band the 18th parallel travelled to jamaica and teamed up with reggae greatest bass player robbie shakespeare – from famous duet sly & robbie – to build the explosive and powerful magnetic buzz riddim. sylvan white, famous for hit songs like africans unite or mountain top recorded in the early 80’s, comes back in the business after years off the scene with his beautiful song mother nature. then follows an experimental dub mixed by spanish wizard roberto sánchez featuring robbie’s crazy lead bass line. b side shows for the first time on vinyl record young promising artist from rockfort earth warrior followed by the sweet voice of veteran singer delroy melody whos famous for hit songs from 1980 like ease up the pressure and natty dread she want. heavy maxi 12inch record paying tribute to the early 80’s jamaican reggae!

gqom oh! records presents “the originators”, a five track ep respresenting the past, the present and the future of gqom - the thunderous club sound from durban, south africa. the vinyl ep includes a download code with 4 additional tracks.

2018 repress - this ep is a dedication to the amsterdam based alkebulan project. philou and villy are both members of this project, the project brings artists from africa & african diaspora together. the alkebulan project is on a mission to change the perception of africa an it s citizens.

kwaito 12 inch featuring two forgotten bass-heavy cuts from south africa in the early 90s. vanonyana lava by volcano is a sought after tune right now (so difficult to get an original copy!) while the beat gangsters are a new introduction (to us) from okapis vaults. tip! hot on the heels the labels debut release burnin beat, johannesburg-based afrosynth records second release is a 12inch of two bass-heavy cuts of obscure 90s kwaito from south africa.

since 2002 dj phast has an established track record in the hip hop scene, as a former itf champion and performing at various venues, together with das efx, mop, smif n wessun, krs one, etc., he has time and time again proven his musical and technical know-how. after years of banging out dope powerful productions and working with a wide array of european artists, the time has finally arrived for him to release his debut album. this record will guide you through the realm of strong southern blues and express its depths of today‘s modern stated black music. so you can expect a grand taste of the blues scene, but without losing the classic charismatic hip hop sample sound elements. be prepared for the rugged & thorough arrival of the creature from the black lagoon!!

2lp gatefold, incl dl card , there are some records that manage to sound both of a time and utterly timeless and bon voyage organisation s jungle? quelle jungle? (a nod to supertramp s crisis? what crisis?) is one of those albums. its silken-smooth production, irresistible grooves, funk-tinged guitars, lush soundscapes and general glowing presence could easily lead one to believe that have dug up a lost disco gem from the 1970s. however, behind the disco-pop gleam lies eerie dystopian sci-fi ruminations of a futuristic bent and tones that can often feel as french as they do asian or african. this sort of cross-continental exploration is an expansion on bvo s previous two eps, the man behind the organisation, adrien durand, says. -i tried to continue the musical expedition between dystopian science-fiction haunted africa - plus haitian vaudou on -soleil dieu- - and futuristic asia. addressing, in a double entendre manner, some of the political issues that i am sensitive to.- in fact the jungle in question in the album s title is a metaphorical one and one that creates a vast series of environments for durand to explore such subjects as world trade, utopian ideals and themes of idols, as well as of time and communication. however, one will need to speak french to decipher such explorations, as well as shake off the natural impulse to move with every glorious beat on its 13 tracks, of which are moved along by maud nadal and agathe bonitzer s golden vocals.

rudy returns to faze action records with an all-new collection of atmospheric and evocative tropical sounds. last august saw the release of the by nature ep that encapsulated the steamy and exotic textures of the balearic sound. this time, midnight safari takes up where on the beaches of formentera, where the last ep left us. this time setting sail on a midnight safari with marimba s and chugging rhythms underpinning sophisticated piano melodies. following this we drop anchor and appreciate the evening breeze of in the air with its haunting cello, endless drifting arpeggio s and tropical percussion with a hint of north africa. reach backless points the way squarely to the dance floor with chunky drums and synth bass, synth hooks galore and that piano solo that launches into starry evening skies. it s back down to earth with the settled quiet bass guitar harmonics of windchimes before heading into the more soulful and synth melodic territory of solar plex.

celebrating toto’s 40th anniversary with this collection of remastered classics plus 3 new tracks. the double vinyl is housed in a gatefold sleeve with download code included.

ep3: mov clsr is the third and final piece in a trilogy of releases, exploring the libraries of spaceks recent hard drives. encompassing house, footwork, techno, garage and broken beat the legendary vocalist and producer has amassed a wealth of tracks created mostly on iphone and ipad. south london to the core yet globally inspired, his off kilter swing and free flowing approach to music has always set him apart from the pack. from his work with j.dilla (eve/dollar) to his collaboration with mark pritchard as one half of africa hitech, steve spaceks creative output has always been a million miles ahead.

back in print by popular demand, strut bring back the debut compilation by sofrito aka djs hugo mendez and frankie francis
- limited reissue of debut sofrito compilation lp from 2011
- mighty shadow ‘dat soca boat’ subsequently used on malibu tv ad in 2012
- includes exclusive edits of tracks by victor uwaifo and safohene djeni
- cover and package artwork by lewis heriz
for fans of:
fela kuti, orlando julius, quantic, mighty sparrow, lord kitchener, nyboma, franco, nemours jean-baptiste, analog africa, soundway, fania records, invisible city, gilles peterson

the kalita sound is becoming more clearly defined with each release, as the london-based label continues to mine the rich history of overlooked disco, funk and soul from america and africa. darryl douglas inc. originally released -holding on- in 1981, and when you listen to it it s no wonder that second hand copies used to fetch dizzying prices. it s a perfect get down jam that no doubt used to delight switched on diggers with money to burn, but a track this perfectly crafted for good times should never be confined to the ivory tower of the collectors. -jesus is the light- is the original b side, a slower devotional soul cut with gospel undertones.

a timeless compilation for the lovers of deep underground house music. all of the productions are kind of magic and have been supplied world-wide by fine artists from: estonia, south-africa, germany and iceland. deep inspiration show records proudly presents its 1st vinyl release: the various inspirations wax sampler a compilation that comes up with 5 master pieces from 4 different countries. a1 is by neuronphase from estonia. hes smashing here a deep detroit inspired house track right at ya and has already released two great records on serie limitee. a2 is a slow atmospheric bomb by ìdeep sentimentsî from johannesburg/ south-africa. he s definitely someone who has a name in his country when it comes to deep underground music. it was definitely about time for his first release on wax! b1 comes up by marco nega from germany who isn’t new into game too. he already released on labels like bu-mako, batti batti, altered moods recordings, underground quality and many more. be prepared for a raw but lush sounding romantic profound track. just the way we love it! b2 is by viktor birgiss from iceland. the main guy behind ìlagaffe talesî delivers a timeless piece of house music with jazzy influences. this one definitely deserves a place on wax! b3 and the last track on this special compilation is by roberto bronco from germany. a short but dope sounding infinite track that could last forever! he released his 2nd album some time ago on lemon grass music. this is a limited compilation. only 300 copies world-wide!

for the past 15 years the tanzanian megalopolis of dar es salaam has had one of the most exciting underground electronic music scenes in east africa. a constellation of micro-scenes from mchiriku, sebene and segere all the way to its latest mutation of singeli that finally after years of lurking in the underground has exploded into the mainstream and taken over bongo flava as the music of choice amongst tanzania s youth. born in the sprawling working class neighborhoods of tandale and manzese, singeli s signature sound consists of fast paced frantic loops interlocking with each other, with influences from zanzibars tarab music all the way to south african afro-house coupled with mc s who often spit satirical lyrics about the challenges facing tanzania s youth, from police corruption to the complications of dating girls when you are broke. if there is one studio that stands out amongst the hundreds that dot dar es salaam s musical landscape it is sisso records. centered around producers, bwax, sisso, bampa pana and yung keyz morento and mc s dogo niga and makavelli, they were early pioneers of the singeli sound. whilst some singeli artists have begun fusing their music with more traditional tanzanian hip hop, sisso have remained uncompromising in their sound, always raw, fast with a punk diy aesthetic that can at times verge on noise and gabber, to produce a spell binding music that is like no other sound system culture in the region.

zwei funky disco-soul-klassiker von gwen mccrae von 1981 (atlantic records) in ihren extended versions erstmals gemeinsam auf einer 12” vinyl: “keep the fire burning”, im original von willie hutch, sowie “funky sensation”, oft gesampled, u.a. von africa bambaaataa, ghostface killah und ll cool j.

erst vor gut anderthalb jahren startete die erste staffel von »stranger things« bei netflix, trotzdem hat die us-amerikanische science-fiction-mysteryserie um mike, will, dustin, lucas und elfi bereits kultstatus erreicht. das gilt auch für den soundtrack, der nun anfang 2018 auf vinyl erhältlich ist: »stranger things: music from netflix series« kombiniert kurze ausschnitte, dialoge etc. mit songs aus der serie. dazu gehören klassiker wie »should i stay or should i go« von the clash, the polices »every breath you take«, joy divisions »atmosphere«, »time after time« von cyndi lauper, »rock you like a hurricane« von den scorpions und viele mehr.

alan abrahams aka portable aka bodycode is an artist very much defined by his past and his journey from south africa to paris via berlin and lisbon has seen him develop into a critically acclaimed producer, singer and video artist working with some of the biggest players in house and techno. part of his constant drive to evolve and challenge himself, this autumn abrahams launches new project ranger, teaming up with london label waella s choice for the debut release. the five tracks on portable presents ranger are a delicate mélange of jazz , soul and electronic and one of abraham s most explicit nods to his south african roots. on the a-side, the ep makes a steady start with bazokonwaba accompanied by a lullaby from south african a capella group korus, hailing from the small township of mbekweni in the western cape. they also feature heavily on the ep s most exuberant moment in nomaliso - already a favourite in esa s recent boiler room - and the more languid b-side opener indaba with a choir of cowbells all harmonizing in unison. reset and vessel provide a self-reflective conclusion to the ep, holding their own as instrumentals with cameroonian bass player stan on bass and parisian saxophonist chisneg lending a hand on the latter. early support from tama sumo, lakuti, gilles peterson, rinse fm, esa, stamp the wax, dimensions recordings

after living in africa, south america, then london, ohes first made a name in paris by playing analog lives with the dynamiterie crew, first as they resident artist and then as the new artistic director of their new label. it is while playing live in the french city of pau that he met behzad & amarou. they shared the same views on the perception of music, thus created a particular affinity. after this event, they chose to collaborate under the boa moniker (behzad ¹ ohes- amarou), and invited him to release his new ep on bear records. in this first ep, ohes moves between a slightly dystopic robotic house, sharp discoid grooves and melancholic exoticism. this new adventure present a rich diversity in these four personal tracks, influenced by his numerous travels.

this 2xlp album, europa, is dedicated to and inspired by events in 2015 & 2016, which saw the spectre of global crisis come knocking at europes doorstep. during this time, more than a million migrants and refugees fled their homes in the middle east, northern africa, sub-saharan africa and other conflict ravaged areas in search of a better life. for many, hopes of a future for themselves and their families lay in continental europe.

four tracks of stunning french disco in a wide range of styles: from 80 s afrobeat to underground canadian cosmic groove, here is another bullet from the parisian gang!
a1/ guehi jean pantalon s craqué guéhi jean is a key figure of ivorian music and many of his records mixing funk, jazz and afrobeat are sought after nowadays. having left africa in order to make it in france, he recorded this digital afrobeat hit in paris, then went back to his native country where he died in 2012. despite his talent, guéhi jean didn t get the recognition he deserved.
a2/ michel conte & cie s magoshan a disco anthem composed for quebec cultists wearing flares, or the main theme from an obscure series? anyway it is time to acclaim magoshan s pulsing come back on the dancefloor!
b1/ jean-michel gascuel s dominus this french composer who collaborated with pierre schaeffer was also a great lyricist working for the likes of vivian vee or suzy andrews, and a fashion designer. with its latin touch, this track is a little ufo standing out of the rest of his french productions, so let us be blessed by dominus domine dominarum.
b2/michel robidoux les planètes this track by composer michel robidoux featured on a kidisk with a book called -visitons les planètes avec goldorak- and was released in canada in 1980. this incredible space jam was chosen as a macaroon for this new ep – our tribute to an amazing composer who wrote more than 325 songs and even collaborated with leonard cohen.