winning release with uplifting afro grooves, made of tribal percussions, catchy basslines and a detailed melody!

reggae

a collection of rare funky songs from africa on double vinyl.

only vinyl 1. originally released in 1982 on the short-lived lyncell records imprint, bbe music is excited to present the brilliant and ultra-rare album ‘african sunset’ by south african band kabasa.

a collection of undergrouind african funk and disco hits from 1977 to 1982.

originally released in 1982 on the short-lived lyncell records imprint, bbe music is excited to present the brilliant and ultra-rare album ‘african sunset’ by south african band kabasa.

2019 repress! 1980s west african disco crossover from the international soleil band from guinee, west africa.

nina hagen band und unbehagen als doppel-vinyl im klappcover.

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.

double vinyl in gatefold sleeve with 24 page lp-size booklet and download code for high quality wav / mp3 files.
a great compilation can open the gate to another world. who knew that some of the most exciting afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small west african country of benin? once analog africa released the first african scream contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear, gut-busting yelps, lethally welldrilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.
ten years on, intrepid crate-digger samy ben redjeb unveils a new treasuretrove of vodoun-inspired afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. right from the laceratingly raw guitar fanfare which kicks off les sympathics’ pile-driving opener, it’s clear that african scream contest ii is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor. and just as you’re trying to get off the canvas after this one-punch knock out, an irresistible afro-ska romp with a more than subliminal echo of the batman theme puts you right back there. ignace de souza and the melody aces’ “asaw fofor- would’ve been a killer instrumental but once you’ve factored in the improbably-rich-to-the-point-of-being-nat-king-cole-influenced lead vocal, it’s a total revelation.

ltds 2018 repress - super djata is one of boldest and most exciting orchestras in the history of african modern music, if not one of africas greatest and most unsung ensembles. led by the late great zani diabaté, super djata band de bamako stands proud as one of west africas fiercest orchestras, with only a handful of releases and many tremendous gigs given over the last forty years.

strut present the first ever new international studio album by one of the all-time great african big bands, orchestre les mangelepa. “last band standing” is out now! comprising congolese musicians who settled in kenya, les mangelepa helped drive the east african evolutionary spur of one of the greatest musical artforms, african rumba, during the 1970s.

jt delivers two classic deep house remixes here. one main mix that will be prefect for the deep crowd, as well as one beautiful stripped down mix. both mixes feature saxophonist joe cohen of jazz mafia (sf) and the record also includes a matthew bandy remix!!

strut introduces a pioneering new compilation a dancefloor in ndola, curated by revered east african dj, kampire.

soundway records present kenya special: selected east african recordings from the 1970s & 80s - a treasure-trove of rare and unusual recordings from east africa

soundway return once more to the caribbean and are proud to present ifetaya by black truth rhythm band, originally released in 1976. led by the charismatic oluko imo, ifetaya was the only release from the afro-centric trinidadian band and is re-issued here for the first time on cd. whereas most of their peers at the time were looking to the funk of the usa & james brown for inspiration,black truth rhythm band looked to africa, fusing rhythms from africa & the west indies with elements of jazz, funk, calypsoand soul. ifetayo was to be the only release from black truth rhythm band but imo continued his music and love of african rhythms, going onto record with fela kuti in 1988 and later on perform with members of felas egypt 80 band.

this nyc house master piece was originally released in 1990. ben cenac aka dream 2 science released this african influenced house lp under his push/pull moniker. it sounds somewhere in between the nyc band no smoke (koro koro) and the dream 2 sciences signature sound. original copies are rare!

vol. 2

repress

african music that will move your mind to this special combination of highlife, funk and jazz.

an double vinyl anthology, featuring 24 essential tracks from influentail british producer dennis bovell.

official kalita reissue of the 1989 kwaito classic saturday fever from south african band jivaro.

double vinyl in gatefold sleeve

compilation of latin styles in classic west african dance music in high quality hj manner

reissue of the 1971 album by south african band humphrey.

official mr bongo reissue of the 1982 album from south african band marumo.

previously unreleased 4th album from west african six-piece band kapingbdi, remastered from the original master tapes.

revolutionary and evolutionary sounds from the 2 congos on double vinyl with download code included.

bongo joes 45s series continues, presenting for the first time music from the past. this fifth single focusses on legendary algerian kabyle rock band abranis founded in 1967. the band pioneered the fusion of chaabi (traditional) music with 60s-70s western rock, proudly singing in their own berber kabyle language while wearing hippy rockers outfits. their shows in deeply influenced by pan-arabism conservative algeria were often cancelled by governors and the band once was arrested by the police, generating riots. they kept on playing and recording until mid 90s. this 45 presents two majors tracks from the band: chenar le blues, released in 1977, was a big hit on algerian national radio. the bands response to the doors. avehri, released in 1983, shows the band s obsession with merging different music styles with the north african tradition. this one goes strangely reggae.

the story of smuggler brothers starts in palermo, the principal town of sicily, in late 2011. founded by three friends, musicians active in the fertile underground music scene of the city, the band aims to experiment new artistic directions, combining a diverse set of influences ranging from italian soundtracks and library music from the 60s and 70s to african-american music, with groove as the core essence of the band. from the initial nucleus, the band evolved soon into a 8-pieces combo

the 80s italo disco /proto-house classic ‘mbo theme’ by the mighty klein & mbo, repressed! comes with an heavy (and unheard) south african version on the flip. huge tip! the mbo theme (1983) has been a dance floor favorite since decades, created by mario boncaldo and tony carrasco - the legendary italian/us duo klein & mbo. the track got support in nyc and chicago by greats as larry levan, frankie knuckles and ron hardy.
the rare version on the flip is created by a south-african band called warrior. rush hour explain how they came across the track: “we bumped into this version on a south african record digging trip. it took us a few months to realize the scarcity of this version. ian osrin, a well respected engineer in south-africa who was involved in many 80ties and 90ties bubblegum, kwaito and south african disco records, explained us about music distribution in south africa during apartheid.

third part of the black mans pride series from soul jazz, entitled none shall escape the judgement of the almighty. the heavyweight double vinyl includes a download code.

fresh from bringing us two incredible volumes of ‘a journey into deep jazz’ and providing an introduction to black saint & soul note records on bbe, if music’s jean-claude joins forces with victor kiswell for new compilation, ‘world jazz grooves’. pressing on triple 180 gram vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve.

ltd repress! for their first afro-brazilian compilation the german jazz & milk label teamed up with tahira, one of sao paulo s most active djs andmusiccollectors. levanta poeira (afro-brazilian music & rhythms from 1976 - 2016) highlights a few of his favourite dj pearls and encompasses brazil s various regional musical styles influenced by african and amerindian forms. while most foreign music lovers tend to approach brazilian music by having american music genres such as jazz, soul, funk, disco as a reference, tahira s personal wish was to showcase the rich musical roots and facets of his country by featuring carefully selected artists and bands from the past 4 decades. most of these tracks will be made available on vinyl for the very first time with a highlight certainly being tahira s -a toda menina baiana- remix (vinyl-only) of one of brazil s absolute musical heroes, gilberto gil.

heavy afro boogie 12- by cameroonian-born singer dick dickson. 2nd release of beaumonde.. keep an eye on this label! . he was clearly aiming for the us funk sound in fashion at the time when he recorded in the pocket in 1986.the session took place in togo and had band members come from congo, cameroon and the french west indies making the music of in the pocket an outstanding rendezvous between electrified-boogie and african influenced groove. with the help of régine féline’s sensual voice, melodic synth pads and distinctive slap bass, in the pocket grabs you instantly. totally overlooked upon its release, beaumonde felt that dick dickson’s unique offering deserved a second chance.

giovanni damico keeps amazing things coming and takes it with this release on the mighty label kalakuta soul records to the next level. joining forces with the mighty gabriele spagnuolo and francesco di domenico on guitars and saxophone, the italian boogie doctor brings to life three filthy stompers inspired by amazing artists from the african continent who have shaped what we now call (dance) music. to felas people is one of three stompers delivered for this joint teaming up with mr. villy odili - lead singer of the amazing nigerian band villy and the extreme volumes - whos precise lyrics and drifty voice joins forces with a charging afrobeat rhythm hailing from giovanni damicos bad ass laboratory. afro stomp and baba on the other side come with the most furious drums and bassline one could ever imagine accompanied by a celestial instrumentation that hits the mind, the soul and the hips.

following afrobeat makers vol.1 (sold out), comet is pleased to announce the second volume of the afrobeat makers collection, due for release in june this year: the tony allen’ original afrobeat patterns revisited by few of the best international dj/producers, with among them: doctor l (paris), thiago franca (sao paulo), mps pilot (amsterdam), or gnowee (paris) tony allen has spread afrobeat to the corners of the globe, a perfect synthesis of tradition and sophistication – his various collaborations with great artists from all genres and styles are a truly proof of his openness. doctor l, paris based music producer, is a sound activist going through the musical galaxies, fusioning from 80’s punk rock, to hip-hop, electronica and afrobeat ... in 2000, already on comet records, he brought lagos afrobeat towards the third millennium with the album black voices by tony allen, and even send it to the moon, with his other project, psyco on da bus. since 2002, dj/producer mps pilot (nl) has immersed himself in the cutting-edge tropical bass scene. in every possible direction and slippage between all different genres, mps pilot maps the crosspollination and divergence of contemporary music. he performed on 3 continents, both in remote desert or major festivals. thiago franca is a producer, musician and saxophonist from são paulo arts scene, this year with his power afro-punk trio meta meta, they released for the first time in europe (mais um discos -uk), their debut album metal metal. thiago is meanwhile developping his african rooted solo outfit, sambanzo, and was also in criolo’s touring band for two years, where he met tony allen, which led to two collaborations on the the afrobeat makers and meta meta’ albums.

the chisa years: 1965–1975 (rare and unreleased) is a compilation album by south african jazz trumpeter hugh masekela. the album consists of 14 rare or forgotten tracks recorded by stewart levine and hugh masekela from 1965 to 1975 when they ran their own chisa records label. thom jurek of allmusic wrote “in sum, there isn’t a weak moment on this entire collection. it’s appeal is wide and deep and one can only hope this is the first of many volumes of this material to appear. bbe records has done a stellar job in making this slab available.” dan nishimoto of the prefix magazine stated “the compilation focuses on masekela’s original idea of “african american music.” from the early experiments of the zulus (a group featuring m’bulu) in mixing doo-wop, rhythm & blues and south african gospel and the mbaqanga/”grazing in the grass”-style work of the generically named johannesburg street band to the clearly fela-influenced ojah (masekela’s band in the mid-’70s, consisting of players from ghana and nigeria) and the readyfor-primetime belting of m’bulu, each track reveals a multi-pronged effort to find and challenge the notion(s) of how african and american cultural forms could interact.”

for the past two years, flee has been working on its first issue entitled benga music – a signature genre from kenya. conceived as an attempt to document a kenyan timeless music genre – benga – this issue is also a visual and audial tribute to the heritage of east african music. approaching this musical genre with a new and innovative perspective, the first release of flee features a vinyl compilation and a printed journal. faithful to the local essence of the genre while transcending unproductive nostalgia, the two objects ensure that the vibrant traditional roots of the benga movement interact with a contemporary approach. to make this initiative possible, we joined forces with celebrated kenyan journalists, ondiso madete and emmanuel mwendwa, and collaborated with renowned international specialists such as douglas paterson. this great team work translated into a well-documented manuscript, with exciting articles, exclusive authentic photos of the era and creative present-day illustrations celebrating the genre. accompanying the journal, the record tells a surprising story, starting with the pioneers of benga (daniel owino misiani, george ramogi and the migori superstars) and concluding with the modern respectful re-interpretations of nik weston, jaakko eino kalevi, and africaine 808, blowing the dust of the original scores.

note: import release - limited repress - comes with digital download code and a 16 pages silkscreen printed journal with articles in english and french.

sterns edits returns after their well received and recently repressed amadou balake excursions, this time with ben gomori turning his hand to guinea for a third instalment in the series of re-works from the sterns music catalogue of african gems. balla et ses balladins were one of guinea s national orchestras formed as a result of the newly elected president, sekou toures authenticite policy of the early 1960s, which sought to promote guinea s cultural identity following independence from france in 1958. gomori takes the scalpel to two cuts recorded during their years on the state-run syliphone label, making good use of bandleader balla s lively trumpet playing. the gently haunting nyo is taken on a stomping slo-mo chug with a head-nodding bassline and stuttering fx creating a shimmering effect on the tropical guitars, while the rousing horns of wilikabo are laid over with rasping synth bass for a punchy juxtaposition. sterns edits is an official collaboration between african music stalwarts sterns music and london s ben gomori.

unique soul jazz records’ record store day seven-inch box set which brings together a stunning five-single/ ten track selection of mind-blowingly groovy selection of african, latin, jazz and funk music from the congo. absolutely killer and essential tracks (mostly unknown) from the masters of the vibrant congo scene in the 1960s – featuring the groups franco & ok jazz, rock-a-mambo, african jazz, african fiesta and more. roots african meets dizzy gillespie, james brown, ray barretto & more. the bomb! this unique box-set edition is only available as a one-off pressing especially for record store day 2018.

san francisco in the late 1960. the hotbed of psychedelic and rock culture. the dead, joplin, jefferson airplane and a host of others all gaining mainstream acceptance for their acid tinged work. but the city and the surrounding bay area had so much more going for them. a liberal political outlook and a large african american and latino population, meant that musical and cultural reference points were wider and more easily assimilated there than (almost) anywhere else in the united states. two of the biggest groups to emerge from this scene were santana and sly and the family stone, with their melting pots of sound that took in jazz, soul, rock and latin influence. for a while they were two of the biggest acts in the united states and scores of local bands tried to follow in their footsteps. they were hard acts to follow and very few got to the stage of making a 45, never mind a whole lp. one of the best to do just that were leon’s creation, whose debut lp “this is the beginning” acid jazz are reissuing here. a native of san francisco leon patillo led the group, whose multi racial line-up echoed that of his heroes on the local scene. self contained and gigging locally they made their debut album at the tiny studio 10 who also custom pressed the album in extremely limited numbers the music is a perfect blend of acid soul, mixed with hippie sentiments that will get you dancing on the uptempo numbers such as the title track, ‘back roads’ – with its glorious harmonies and the soaring ‘power’. more thoughtful numbers such as ‘until you were gone’ or ‘love’ will touch your soul. so impressed was carlos santana that he eventually asked leon to join his band.

bawrut has had an amazing couple of years. since kicking our label off back in 2015 with the modern acid classic ciquita (12inches of which will now set you back silly money on discogs), the madrid-based producer has gone from strength to strength. last year saw him tear down sets at sonar and farr festivals, drop a feted new ep on hard fist records, and have his music soundtrack numerous adverts for fabric events. other djs have been quick to show their appreciation, and bawrut’s unique appeal can be seen in how far and wide across the spectrum his music has featured. optimo, avalon emerson, patrick topping, jackmaster, artwork, andrew weatherall and many more have all supported heavily. were proud to kickstart bawrut’s 2018 with 4x4, a brand new ep of typically leftfield bangers. these four tracks come on like a whirlwind journey through a bawrut dj set, with something for every time of the night. ghettoscar fuses african chants with burbling acid, building the kind of goodtime dancefloor warmth bawrut is famed for. more cowbell does exactly what you’d expect, giving djs a glorious, cowbell-powered disco bomb that fuses the spirit of incredible bongo band with classic nyc house. i hear voices is a crazy ride, with an expertly cut up vocal sample repurposed into a weird, descending riff that’s quite unlike anything else out there. throw in bawrut’s trademark kitbag of carnival whistles, rattling latin percussion and a creeping acid line that works itself up into a soul-salving joy and youve got a modern classic on your hands. finally, lead track three sounds is probably bawruts biggest moment to date, a peak time jacking techno monster built from the most minimal of elements - drums, claps, a one note bass squelch and a tom drum gone wild. bawrut takes this tom sound and treats it like a 303, pushing far off the rails, working it up and up, twisting it through pitch and frequency like a man possessed, raising its pressure til it tears off the roof. theres no one else making techno quite like it - and you can expect dancefloors to be going crazy to the mania of three sounds throughout 2018 so there you have it - four more missives from the wizard of madrid. play em loud.

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!

favorite recordings proudly presents combattant, first ep by pat kalla produced by bruno patchworks hovart. pat kalla is a musician, singer and storyteller. patrice of his birth name, in tribute to the great lumumba! lover of words, french language, and music of course. born in lyon, from a cameroonian father, musician and political activist, and a french and literary mother, he explores from his childhood the soul, the slam, the funk and the art of telling stories, life being a great one. after years of touring alongside many bands (conte & soul, legend of eboa king, mento cloub, voilaaa sound system), and several acclaimed titles on the two albums by voilaaa, he comes back with this project to put a bit of primordial lightness in a rainy world: a tribute to the african culture in honor of a father with sawa origins, the tribe from the people of makossa. jojo ngallé, moni bilé, pain, manu dibango, franco, rochereau, kabasele, fela, françois nkotti & the black style, all these legends vinyls have turned on the family turntable and the collection has whetted the child s appetite. through this new trip, he revisits styles that are sometimes little known to western audiences, such as high-life, makossa, angolan music, afrobeat, afro-disco and others. we could talk about franc cfa, we could talk about jacques foccart, but we will rather dance, because -the dancer seems naive, but his feet must be connected with earth to understand history backed by the super mojo disco, a hyperactive band from lyon with deep groove and positive energy, pat kalla offers us an anti-crisis project, where swaying and feel-good humor is mandatory! an album soon in the crates, beware cest medicament

mix righteous fuzz guitar, bad-ass keyboards and ecstatic african rhythms and what have you got? celebration by aktion - a slab of of heavy afro-funk-pysch-rock from the hardest working band in 70s nigeria.