robert dreweks >never been in africa< plus follow-up remix ep (musique unique #009 + 010) as limited double-vinyl for a special price!

soundway releases new compilation of rare 1980s south african ‘bubblegum’ & boogie
in 1980s black south africa a local form of pop music evolved as the disco boom died down and slowly mutated. it was often ubiquitously described as bubblegum - usually stripped-down and lo-fi with a predominance of synths, keyboards and drum-machines and overlaid with the kind of deeply soulful trademark vocals and harmonies that south african music is famous for. compilers miles cleret (soundway) and dj okapi (afrosynth records) present a selection of 18 rare, handpicked 1980s cuts that highlight the period that nestles in between the ‘70s (where american-influenced jazz, funk and soul bumped shoulders with local mbaqanga) and the ‘90s when kwaito and eventually house-music ruled the dancefloors of urban south africa.

für diesen africa seven trip machen wir eine reise nach 1979. funky disco music war ekos dritte lp. es ist mit dem sound, den die bei africa seven haben, verbunden, und nach so vielen jahren haben sie eko endlich in kamerun gefunden und ihn davon überzeugt, dass eine neuauflage definitiv notwendig ist. die lp eröffnet mit dem hellen und erhebenden disco-swing-juwel und titeltrack funky disco music-. punchy hörner, afro-rhythmen und vicky edimo s funky bass treiben diesen groover an, bevor sich das album in die jazz-funk-disco-hymne ndolo embe mulemadolo vertieft. in anlehnung an das zeitalter paris 1979 une chanson sans paroles ist ein französischer power-pop-tune der auf afro swing trifft.

this time you will enjoy the dancefloor forró-rhythms from pernambuco-brazil..

awesome cameroonian afro disco album from pasteur lappé. officially re-issued by africa seven.

late 80s south african dance floor winners only! selected by dj okapi and antal, the compilation holds tracks by jivaro, the hard workers, ayobayo band, s.y.b. & many more. this is the sharp electronic music that fuelled the local pantsula dances during the 80s and 90s . a must have for fans of bubblegum and kwaito music. top tip! the 12 tracks selected for pantsula! come from a very unique, very different time and place. they represent the birth of electronic dance music in south africa, through the songs of one particular independent label from the time: music team. the sound represents the culmination of the bubblegum era, when south africa’s disco artists outgrew their american influences and forged an increasingly electronic and ‘local’ pop sound.

hamad kalkaba and his golden sounds 1974 - 1975- i remember the day clearly. i was searching for treasures in a record shop in yaoundé, the capital city of cameroon, when suddenly i came across a 7-inch record with a picture of a young man wearing a traditional hat and bearing the marks of several imposing vertical scars on the side of his face, carved when he was just a boy as a reminder of his heritage in the musgum tribe of the northern part of the country.

one of the most pivotal figures in the history of malian music is sorry bamba. his work spans five decades and his music bridges the gap between mali s cultural traditions and new the music which arose from the musical cross overs which occurred in mali s post-colonial period. bamba was born in 1938 in mopti. this is dissected by both the niger and bani rivers and known for its rich cultural diversity. bamba s father was a distinguished veteran of emperor samory toure s military and a nobleman in malian society, however, this meant young sorry was forbidden to make music, as under the nation s caste system, music was an art form reserved for the griots.
in 1977 sorry produced his second lp for the paris based sonafric group. long out of print africa seven is pleased to be re-issuing the lp. the re-issue benefits from extensive restoration and re-mastering to a spectral analysis level, bringing and polishing long lost and distorted sounds.
check out african seven for further re-issues of sorry bamba third and first lp.

professor rhythm is the production moniker of south african music man thami mdluli. throughout the 1980’s, mdluli was member of chart-topping groups taboo and cjb, playing bubblegum pop to stadiums. mdluli became an in-demand producer for influential artists (like sox and sensations, among many others) and in-house producer for important record companies like eric frisch and tusk. during the early ’80s, mdluli projects usually featured an instrumental dance track. these hot instrumentals became rather popular. fans demanded to hear more of these backing tracks without vocals, he says, so mdluli began to make solo instrumental albums in 1985 as professor rhythm. he got the name before the recordings began, from fans, and positive momentum from audiences and other musicians drove him to invest himself in a full-on solo project. it was the era just before the end of apartheid and house music hadn’t taken over yet. there wasn’t instrumental electronic music yet in south africa. as the ’80s came to a close, that was about to change.

our hero, jo tongo (born joseph ekambi tongo mpondo) was born and raised in douala cameroon. in 1964 he headed off to paris to begin pharmaceutical studies. somewhere along the way the music in his soul eventually won out and he embarked on a life of music. in the latest of our series of funk experimentals lps we dig for the funk. not necessarily the artists greatest hits but most definitely the funkiest ear benders. we proudly compile together tracks from 1968 to 3 new brand new exclusive tracks from present day 2017. and yes, they all have the funk. in spades.

back available as a limited vinyl edition (500 only) for the first time since 1985. featuring key players like bernie worrell, bill laswell, mory kanté and herbie hancock ! manu dibango needs little introduction, born in cameroon in 1933, manu developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk, and traditional cameroonian music. he’s definitely among the best known african artists outside of africa. collaborations were numerous and include top acts like fela kuti, herbie hancock, bill laswell, sly & robbie, don cherry and bernie worrell. in addition to selling hundreds of thousands of copies of the albums he recorded, he played such huge venues as yankee stadium and madison square garden.

tafi allstars is a collaborative recording project between optimo music artists thomas lea clarke (mr tc) and conal blake (whilst) and members of the tafi cultural institute of tafi atome, ghana. after having previously visited tafi atome to take part in the music of the volta region study tours that are organised by tci in collaboration with green door studio, clarke and blake secured funding from creative scotland to travel back to tafi in november 2016 to record a mini-album of tracks that blend the rhythms and melodies of traditional borborbor and agbadza drumming forms and ewe songwriting with electronic instrumentation and dub recording techniques.

the electrifying final album from cameroons legendary los camaroes, available on lp for the first time since 1979. recorded live to two track at the mango bar in yaounde, resurrection los was the last collaboration between bandleader jean gabari and groundbreaking guitarist messi martin. deluxe lp reissue features notes on the history of the band by original keyboardist mbambo johnny cosmos simon, plus all new interviews with producer nicolas mongue and engineer emmanuel guyssot.

2lp gatefold + insert + mp3 dl code
in 1988, on the eve of a two decade civil war, somalia s authoritarian ruler siad barre launched punishing air strikes on the north of the country, known today as somaliland, in response to agitations for independence. the bombing leveled the entire city. barre targeted radio hargeisa to prevent any kind of central communication system that could organize a resistance. with the attack imminent, a few brave radio operators and dedicated vanguards of somali culture knew the archives, containing over half a century of somali music had to be preserved. thousands upon thousands of cassette tapes and master reels were quickly removed from the soon-to-be targeted buildings. they were dispersed to neighboring countries like djibouti and ethiopia, and buried deep under the ground to withstand even the most powerful airstrikes.

the latest dig from best record italy s eternal mission to release the finest roman musical manna features noted jazz man pino presti taking on manu dibango s eternal party jam soul makossa. presti s interpretation uses oodles of gleaming 80s synths in place of the original traditional instrumentation, but fear not as the iconic brass section remains a real-world force, and sounds mighty fresh with it. following up that cover is a sumptuous version of aint no sunshine which is aimed square at the heartstrings of the most balearic cruisers. i call your name / come back to me gets even smoother, the vocals capturing mediterranean getaway romance to perfection

collection of recordings from one of tanzania’s most revered but short-lived bands of the 1970s, sunburst. covering their entire output from 1973 to 1976, this first retrospective features music from their 45 rpm singles on moto moto and tfc label, as well as their sole album, “ave africa”, and an unreleased radio session recorded in tanzania in 1973.
this release comprises of the double vinyl and a copy of the cd version, which contains extra tracks.

zara mcfarlane, eine der essentiellsten neuentdeckungen des uk-soul/jazz, meldet sich mit einer limitierten heavyweight-10inch als vorbote zu ihrem neuen album zur³ck. in kollaboration mit dem gefeierten drummer und produzenten moses boyd reinterpretiert zara den meilenstein all africa aus dem album we insist!- des legendõren us-jazzmusikers max roach, einem 1960er statement zur schwarzen b³rgerrechtsbewegung.

we are proud to announce our 6th release in the limited dance edition serie, this time with our very first 12- maxi single by anthony emrold phillip better known as -bro. valentino”. the side a, stay up zimbabwe is a legendary shango / orisha / calypso tune from 1979 that invaded the carnival season in trinidad and tobago, filling the lips and boots of everyone, singing and marching to its infectious chorus. bro. valentino again stunned the world with ah wo (band new revolution), a year later with a tune that championed the new mood of the islands and the new-found fame of the caribbean, no doubt spurned on by the very grenadian revolution, a year earlier. these refreshing caribbean calypso afro tunes, which have been constantly played during our dj sets, will come in a wonderful silk-screen printed cover and turquoise colored vinyl. limited to 1500 copies.

say you love me wasn’t “om” alec khaoli’s first solo recording but the 1985 ep solidified the bass player and songwriter’s standing as one of south africa’s most consistently innovative pop auteurs. he built a career on ubiquitous rock, pop and soul hits with groundbreaking bands like the beaters, harari and umoja. but khaoli’s seemingly endless fountain of music continued outside these ensembles, where he usually played bass and contributed songwriting and vocals.

pop makossa - the invasive dance beat of cameroon 1976–1984 the pop makossa adventure started in 2009, when analog africa founder samy ben redjeb first travelled to cameroon to make an initial assessment of the countrys musical situation. he returned with enough tracks for an explosive compilation highlighting the period when funk and disco sounds began to infiltrate the makossa style popular throughout cameroon.
double vinyl in gatefold sleeve, includes download code, 20 pages lp size booklet and 30x30cm poster.

in 1975, tony allen recorded his debut album, jealousy, the first of three made with afrika 70 and produced by fela kuti. jealousy is according to many still the highlight of his 4 solo-albums, featuring 2 afro-beat gems jealousy and hustler. recorded at decca s 16 track abule-oja studio in lagos, nigeria. originally released on soundworkshop records in 1975

launched in early 2015 by a collective of crate diggers, afro music-heads and vinyl- buying obsessives, africa seven s aim is to spread the love and knowledge for african music in all its forms. in the wake of this effort, afrosonique vol.1 is the ideal first instalment of a series of compilations bridging african tracks from the 70s and 80s with the most talented artists of today into a remix and re-edit series.

awesome tapes from africa continues to unearth must-hear gems for a wider audience with its reissue of south african bubblegum music stars umoja s 1988 ep 707. huge tip!

following on from the pasteur lappe compilation “african funk experimentals” lp, we are really pleased to be re-visiting pasteur with a repress of his second album from 1979, “na man pass man”.

limited edition 180 gram vinyl in gatefold sleeve, includes download code and 60x30cm poster.
in early 1978, vincent ahehehinnou left the orchestre poly-rythmo de cotonou without explanation. he had been one of their principal vocalist since 1968 and had helped transform them from a hard-charging nightclubband into a musical powerhouse and africa-wide sensation. by the end of 1977, after an explosive performance at the pan-african arts and culture festival (festac77) in lagos, the band had reached the very pinnacle of their success.
for nearly forty years, the reasons behind vincent’s sudden departure have remained a mystery. until now. in an interview included with analog africa’s new reissue of best woman – vincent’s first post-poly-rythmo album, which has been out-of-print for close to four decades and nearly impossible to find outside west africa – the great singer finally breaks his silence. he didn’t leave … he was pushed.

golden edition repress. double vinyl in gatefold sleeve with download code and 2 new digital tracks.

in 1976, fela anikulapo kuti & afrika 70 released a total of 8 albums including the hit zombie. at the time of their height, tony allen, fela s drummer, decided to release a follow-up album to jealousy. progress was the result of a series of studio sessions, featuring fela himself with a tenor solo on the title-track. the b-side contains the dancefloor filler “afro disco beat”. . today, comet proudly presents the 2nd release of the tony allen & africa 70 (disco afro series): featuring remastered original versions of “afro disco beat” and remixes by africaine 808 & mexican institute of sound. africaine 808, the berlin-based duo of dirk leyers and dj nomad (hans reuschl), have been challenging the norm with their distinctive flavor of west african bass, rhythms and samples mixed into moreish disco and house tracks. camilo lara, known as the mexican institute of sound is a musician, remixer, producer, dj and label manager for casete records in mexico, which has distributed albums from artists such as radiohead, bjork, jamie xx and nick cave

awa poulo is a singer of peulh origin from dilly commune, mali, near the border with mauritania. largely pastoral and often nomadic, peulh- (or fula-) speaking peoples are found from senegal to ethiopia but predominate in the sahel region of west africa.
the vinyl lp includes a download code.

>i take my guitar and strum and sing some tings and blow peoples mind. but i aint trying to do anybodys music. im doing what i feel< - shadow when it came out in 1984 the far-out album sweet sweet dreams by trinidad & tobagos shadow (aka winston bailey) was described as way ahead of its time. undeservedly it was panned by critics and, unable to reach markets, disappeared into the dusty record collections of a few music aficionados. now, more than three decades later that cosmic dance-floor ufo is about to take off again, change all that and set the record straight. remastered and cut by frank meritt at the carvery the album is truly a masterpiece.

african scream contest’ is the third release by the analog africa label. the project initially took off in august 2005 when label owner and vinyl collector samy ben redjeb arrived in cotonou, benin, “without any special expectations, just hoping to lay my hands on few good records - what i found in the process cannot really be described in words-. this first trip was followed by eight more to the region. thirty months and few thousand records later analog africa proudly presents this 14-track compilation. redjeb conducted 16 interviews in various cities in benin and togo with artists, producers and sound engineers to reconstruct the history of the 70s music scene for the 44 pages booklet which also features many rare photographs directly received from the artists. delve into the forgotten raw and psychedelic afro sounds from 70s benin and togo and experience the african scream contest. very, very limited copies in, and this might notcome in anymore.... tip!

tony allen & africa 70 disco afro reedits series featuring remastered original versions and super disco afro reedits tracks by mad rey and monsieur scott. in 1975, tony allen recorded his debut album, jealousy, the first of three made with africa 70 and produced by fela kuti. jealousy is according to many still the highlight of his 4 solo-albums, featuring 2 afro-beat gems jealousy and hustler

2nd face , hot triple track vinyl

noleian reusse and jamal moss team up again as africans with mainframes for “faces of africa” ep. think early ibadan or smile records b-sides of murky excursions in tribal and techno!

four remixes from the youth stand up! album that was released on autonomous africa late in 2015 by jd twitch, midland, auntie flo and general ludd. youth stand up! is a collaborative recording project between glasgos green door studio, lebeha drumming center in hopkins, belize, and the tafi cultural institute based in tafi atome, ghana. all proceeds will go to tafi cultural institute, tafi atome, ghana and lebeha drumming center, hopkins, belize.

the two previously-unreleased tracks build on katapila s international oeuvre significantly, painting a broader picture of what the iconoclastic road warrior dj-producer has been doing the past few years: making his own kind of electronic music that s both deeply personal and wildly international. the multi-layered vocal madness on the original mix of katapilas song trotro gives way to the previously-unreleased kotulo. check!

vinyl-wiederveröffentlichung des manfred mann’s earthband-klassikers von 1983 als 180g-vinyl-edition. mit chris thompson und trevor rabin sind beliebte manfred mann’s earthband-mitglieder an diesen album beteiligt, mit sting (“demolition man”) und bob marley (“redemption song”) covert man nicht weniger populäre künstler. kernstück ist die fast 10-minütige “africa suite”, in der manfred mann die eigenkompositionen “brothers and sisters of africa”, “to bantustan?”, “koze kobenini?” und “brothers and sisters of azania” zu einer großen rock-komposition zusammenführt.

space echo - the mystery behind the “cosmic sound” of cabo verde finally revealed! in the spring of 1968 a cargo ship was preparing to leave the port of baltimore with an important shipment of musical instruments. its final destination was rio de janeiro, where the emse exhibition (exposição mundial do son eletrônico) was going to be held

check out the songs -umthakati- & -safa saphela-...never heard library music productions from the early 80 s recorded in jo burg and showcasing dance-floor friendly music from different regions of south africa.

next up on africa seven is the second edition of our -african funk experimentals- lps. with these we took some of our favourite african artists, choose the most funky we can find and then put together a compilation of their choicest and funkiest tracks. of course that may not be their most popular or best selling tracks..., but that s just fine. we are digging for the funk.

africa is not a country. we in the west often refer to african music but what is that exactly? it could be myriad, almost unimaginably different forms of music that bear little relation to each other, as after all africa is a vast continent that is larger than the united states, australia and the whole of europe combined. these four tracks showcase some of those different forms of music from across the continent. there is some cosmic synth drenched proto-house, an afro-beat call to arms, a hypnotic juju workout and a rough and ready, relentless lo fi west african banger. all proceeds will go to human rights justice group, nigeria.

4 years in the making, in partnership with teranga beat the current leading label for senegalese music, analog africa proudly offer an insight into the musical adventures that were taking place in the major senegalese cities during the 60s and 70s. this compilation, reflects the unique fusions of funk, mbalax, cuban son and mandigue guitar sounds that transformed dakar into west africa’s most vibrant city.
the double vinyl release comes in a gatefold sleeve and includes a download code.

release #11 in mr bongos africa 45 series.

der nigerianische musiker fela kuti gilt als begründer des afrobeat. das label knitting factory legt nun verschiedene werke aus dem backcatalogue als vinyl-edition vor. *roforofo fight* ist 180g schwer

der nigerianische musiker fela kuti gilt als begründer des -afrobeat-. das label knitting factory legt nun verschiedene werke aus dem backcatalogue als vinyl-edition vor. -na poi- ist 180g schwer und mit einem download-code ausgestattet. 1971 aufgenommen, ist dieses album maßgeblich von einer reise fela kutis in die usa beeinflusst. dort traf er sich mit musikern wie the last poets, james brown und sly stone. die drei langen stücke sind von einem sich endlos wiederholenden percussion-getriebenen funk geprägt, wie man ihn in den usa von bands wie parliament und funkadelic kennt. das phantastische schlagzeug-spiel von tony allen ist dabei ebenso maßgeblich, wie die prägnanten bläser-sätze.

youth stand up! is a collaborative recording project between glasgows green door studio, lebeha drumming center in hopkins, belize, and the tafi cultural institute based in tafi atome, ghana. the results of the collaboration are this nine track album released on autonomous africa. all proceeds from the youth stand up! album sales will be split between tuteme band, belize and tafi cultural institute’s fund to build their recording studio and cultural centre. there will be two 12inches released in late 2015 / early 2016 featuring remixes of tracks from the album by jd twitch, midland, auntie flo and hodge. the 12inches will eau also include an additional bonus track recorded at the original sessions.

remastered reissue, originally released in 1976 on french disques espérance label.

die vorliegende 12inch maxi beinhaltet vier stücke der bekannten reggae-künstler anthony johnson, jah thomas, barrington levy und rod taylor. mit insgesamt über 20 minuten spielzeit ein echter leckerbissen für alle reggae-fans!

we are happy to announce the first in an occasional series of fully licensed 12inch releases on autonomous africa exploring the influence of music from africa across the globe.