we are very much excited to support this re-issue, credited by jacob f. desvarieux, a composer and also well known as the guitarist of kassav - the only-one band which continually embodies the word zouk- for last few decades. a1 is the tune showing us psychedelic guitar phrases fused together with wobbling heavy synthesizer. you’d better hurry to get the copy for this song, since this is just simply a killer. besides it, a2 is also a tropical danceable tune with moving bass and impressive vocoder chorus, makes everyone literally -emotional- on the floor. kuniyuki joins with more deep spacey re-edit on the b side, probably we need few words to describe this man in our bio because of his right craftsmanship. following re-issue could be expected from us in near future. grab one and find yourself in caribbean exotica!

pl007 is the beginning of a duo with praymond and thomas murphy. it all started by setting up a temporary music studio in an old farm made of stones in the french countryside during the heat wave of summer 2016 in france first, plug a microphone and start recording a couple of dry leafs crunched with gentle hands and mixed with the sound of ice cubes tingling at the bottom of a pastis glass add to this some brushes played on a newspaper and fingers banging on the edge of a kalimba, then finally, build around with your drum machines and analog synths. the result is a classy brand a alternative minimal techno, mixing acoustic rhythmics and relentless swing. none of the tracks were designed for massive big room type techno with big drops and never ending build ups but more for human size bounding experiences and never ending after partys. both slow burning tracks have in common a introspective quality, specially les cailloux but both tracks remain solar in essence.cadillac has a more gold tooth & chains attitude to it and could remind the listener (if he ever had the experience) of being on the run in a get away car, stepping on the gas, crossing the desert with an open roof top after robbing our dear financial institutions

elusive rec head honcho, slavaki, claims back the label-reigns for the next instalment of signature elusive quality material. the ep comes in shape of a 180g vinyl limited to 300 numbered copies and is moments away from becoming a collectors item, not to mention that it is being made available well ahead of a digital release. dont sleep on it! 4 track offering is compiled of entirely new material that exhibits slavakis constantly evolving sound and is bound to pleasantly surprise both the fans of his sold out debut lp and the new audience alike. the opening in circles is a pulsating experimental minimal groove that miraculously resolves into a lush sonorous landscape. sunday rain takes the listeners on a wondrous aural trip-out while masterfully wrapping them around a solid, yet understated dub carcass. escalator picks up with contagious bass line which is guaranteed to make the dancefloors move. the ep culminates in vinyl-only dub wonder herb. the track is immediately danceable, heavily mulch-layered, politically poignant and benefits from the bottomless depth of vocals. this is slavakis way of thanking every single one of us who are supporting the vinyl format and a sure way to make your sets stand out in the sea of uniform mixes compiled of digitally available content. from the start the track bubbles with positive vibrations and touches the listeners in those most hard to reach places. not least due to advanced mixing and mastering technique insuring that stereo signal gets a unique multidimensional feel to it. the message is simple, its more than a perfectionism, its a disease! just play is slavakis way of making sure that no matter which format you chose, you will find something special to help you surpass those who are not prepared to dig deep enough. with a range of new material this wide and quality of production and execution this high elusive028 is not only the disease but the cure as well. hear it and get infected!

the first inner shift encounter with ewan jansen was several years ago on a pair of test pressings, from mike grant of moods and grooves. the label hadn t even begun yet, but ewan created a huge impression and wasn t to be forgotten by them later. ffwd to 2016/17, enter: return to hyperbola. the first track in, you get a good tech house/deep house vibe called docking lane , fully equipped with lovely atmospheres, a driving kick and intelligent chords. next is bulkhead, mainly defined by a full-sounding, broken beat rhythm and expressive keyboards. b1 is deceleration , another 4-4 deep house number, but witha subtle quirkiness and over all moody feel. on the b2 is perspex, featuring a funky bass, nice pads and elevating keyboard part. dont miss out, ewan never fails to impress.

chicago basement trax follows up from an amazing jordan fields release solidifying it s legendary status with another home town hero: mr. vincent floyd! check out this re-issue of a highly sought after 1995 ep originally on relief records no less! looking for that good old feeling get this in your hands. nothing but pure chicago grooves covering the styles you love from the time period.

with a wall-to-wall 21st century freshness, light years past any concept of vogue, or any linear genre lines, norwegian quartet rohey deliver music that bristles with energy and honesty, that grooves with the best funk, that has deep soul roots while keeping an eye on the broad expanse of a golden future. lead vocalist rohey taalah brings all the emotional complexity you would expect of a classic jazz or soul singer (and can withstand comparison with any with ease). ivan blomqvist s keys play a dual role of laying down old school sonics, while bringing a retrofuturistic hyper-urban tone (akin to british idm), while kristian b. jacobsen (bass) and henrik lødøen (drums) create a jazz-soul-funk hybrid rhythm section that ducks and weaves with supreme artfulness.
rohey have toured extensively throughout scandinavia, taking in just about every major jazz festival along the way. with the release of “a million things” on jazzland recordings in early 2017, their path can be expected to take them ever further: music this good can t be kept secret for long. “a million things” performs a balancing act that most pop artists have forgotten in these days of studio micro-editing: how to write and play a song with full and sincere conviction, while enjoying an artful expressiveness without making things unnecessarily difficult for the audience. this has been borne out by their nomination for best single at the scandinavian soul awards in 2015.

a split release by two rotterdam artists from the same part of town.

limited vinyl in custom hand-stamped sleeve. finally we get to the release stage of this epic production run. (term not taken lightly) belting tripped out goodness with initial pelter dogness, intimately immersive and stunningly constrained into a sub plunging landscape kalender days gets built on a solid jacking proper chunky as anything heads down roller of a foundation

two floor-smashing highlights from the gnarliest corner of the spectral sound library get a welcome reissue on the first limited addendum 12” to the dope jams nyc volume 1: 2005-2012 compilation. first up is futuristic acid banger “poison dart” by 2 am/fm, the double-headed beast of ann arbor’s d’marc cantu and james t. cotton. beginning with an eerie synth coiling endlessly around a shuffling, anxious beat, the track unexpectedly blasts off with one of the nastiest acid basslines since “washing machine.” commanding, otherworldly, and freaky to the core. on the flip, cotton flies solo and tosses listeners headfirst into his chaotic and terrifying “bizarre carnival.” pounding kicks, blown-out bass and frenzied synths relentlessly collide with one another, creating an endless nightmare of a world on the verge of machine-induced annihilation.

rihanna’s 2012 album unapologetic back on 180 gram double vinyl. housed in a gatefold sleeve. incl diamonds !

the new testament of funk is back to preach the new funk! it’s been a while but now is the time to get the groove again. after the success of the last ntof-samplers many believers were waiting for new stuff. there you go! henry storch and chrispop took their time to compile a sampler for all you funkers, groovers and hip cats. ntof vol. 6 delivers previously unreleased tracks such as „in control“ by sons of time or „where do we go from here“ by the mighty mocambos feat. lee fields and exclusive remixes of andy cooper’s „chasing the funk“ and „get up & get it“ by reiner witzel & datfunk. so just like the former ntof the new testament of funk vol. 6 contains the hottest tunes you can get. amen!

in 2014, k’valentine linked up with javotti media, a label owned by hip hop star talib kweli, and began to work on her third mixtape, million dollar baby. million dollar baby finds k’valentine rhyming over tracks that are new as well as her versions of existing hits, giving the listener a well rounded perspective of a young lady that can lyrically spar with the best of them. you can also find k’valentine’s contributions to the world of music on javotti media’s mixtape, the cathedral, which placed k in the company of esteemed artists such as big k.r.i.t. joell ortiz, curren$y, niko is and more. in 2015 k was featured on the joint album from talib kweli and 9th wonder, indie 500 and in 2016 she was featured on the latest javotti media’s mixtape, awful people are great at parties, with production from some of the top names in the game including kaytranada, hi tek and the late great j dilla. k’valentine’s love for music has given her a calling, and she is here to answer that call. the music she makes is not just wonderful for the listener, but has also been her therapy to get through life’s trying times.as beautiful as she is talented, her experience is valuable and her voice is needed. her debut album, here for a reason, is now set to be released. experience k’valentine and enjoy!
the vinyl release includes a download code.

wunderschönes neo-soul-debütalbum des jungen londoner kollektivs retrospective for love um sänger/mc/produzent david shorty aus sizilien und co-vokalistin leslie phillips aus paris. ansprechende melodien und reime treffen auf eine entspannte stratosphäre aus hiphop, soul und jazz, perfekt elektronisch ausproduziert nach heutigen standards. für fans von bilal, d angelo, the roots.

new orleans’ grammy-nominated hot 8 brass band release their fifth lp, ‘on the spot’. in true hot 8 style, this album pairs hard-hitting, heart-on-sleeve sentiment with party-fuelling beats, hooks and grooves, raw funk and charismatic hip hop vocals mix with big easy jazz elegance. expect unshakable horn riffs and bubbling bass as the record transports you right into the centre of an electrifying hot 8 party crowd.
the double vinyl release includes a download code.

the como mamas sind della daniels, ester mae wilbourne und angelia taylor, ein gospel trio aus como, mississippi. ihr erstes album -get an understanding- war ein all-a capella-liebling unter vielen gospel-fans. hier nun eine neue 7- single mit zwei tracks aus ihrem bevorstehenden neuen album, das im mai erscheinen wird.

summer 2017 arrives early thanks to the grinning and beaming dilemma001 from the inimitable sonikku. get yourself propped up poolside for this one because its seriously bumpin’. four super fun mixes of some seriously cherished noughties rnb bangers.

more demented, brain-damaging turkish electro-saz & synth drums galore by the mighty derdiyoklar duo, originally released in 1984! anadolu pop doesn t get weirder than this! these two turkish guys armed with electro-saz, guitar, drums and synthetizers were hitting the turkish market in germany where they lived, playing their sets of traditional flavoured electro-folk in weddings and circumcision feasts for turkish emigrants in germany. that crazy is the story, that crazy is their sound!!!

for fans of marc almond .... go back to the 80ties

7 years on, fred p drops installment 2 of the incredible adventures of captain p, subtitled escapism, a constant stream of consciousness that takes you on a journey into a dimension of sound. eu pressing.

nice price deal !!! exchange (red) is the first e.p. in a series of 3. it comes in red vinyl and uv-varnished covers

robo arigo is an extraordinary multi-instrumentalist from nigeria’s ogun state. a founding member of pogo ltd, he played bass, guitar and organ on both their albums and plays all kinds of instruments, including cowbell, on sexy thing too. one listen to the record, however, (and a quick look at the back of the cover), and it’s pretty clear that playing bass is where robo’s heart lay. especially when he gets to slap it.

incl tucillo, jonny & travis remixes

the legendary west end records kick off 2017 with the a brand new re-edits series inviting like-minded producers with an underground thirst and a deep understanding of house & disco culture to collaborate on a very special project. first up, wolf music man medlar, applying his dancefloor know-how to west end’s rich archive of classic disco and boogie. hand picking four personal favourites, medlar reworks them perfectly for current club sets. picking out dub sections and skilfully reworking & extending them proving exactly why medlar has been such a draw to labels like delusions of grandeur and for discos only. “i put these edits together for myself and a few friends to play in our dj sets. west end was one of the key stepping stones to what would later become house music and for many is the definitive sound of early 80s new york. i d argue that it s aged better than any other label of that era and if you re relatively new to the label or know it inside out, the catalogue can likely still provide something new.” these four sublime new edits from medlar showcase his passion for digging deep, knowledge of house history and skills as a producer.

mark rae is the man behind one of the key uk music movements of the last 25 years. as a founder of the shop fat city records and the label grand central, mark worked with some of the worlds biggest artists going on to earn several platinumm discs with his work as one half of the highly respected production duo rae & christian. this project is a worlds first autobiography and album, the release is packaged as a gatefold 10 inch which opens out to the book held within. the 40 000 word book covers the author mark rae s journey through the music industry. it follows the creation and dissolution of fat city and grand central records, rae & christian and yesking. the underground club scenes of manchester, gang wars, success, failure, working with bobby womack, jay z and the pharcyde. the project has been supported by whosampled, dj magazine, vice and the tate modern. the artwork is exceptional featuring an historical montage throughout the inner gatefold sleeve. the music features guest vocals from tony d who was a big influence in the original grand central records sound, soul king pete simpson, multi instrumentalist shawn lee and kate rogers.

the lord of the flies has awoken ! ancient demons wielding new technology to bend the will of the weak towards the decadance of the dance. beelzedubs arrives, like the prophetic, sonic alarm of the forthcoming apocalypse, and urges us to get down for the devil ! yes, these are household names in uk dancefloor destruction, but the rules of these darkest of arts means they must operate under cover of night summoning the most powerful modern clubbery, forged in purgatory, played in paradise !

hailing from japan, iori wakasa is a name that has been gathering a great deal of hype over the past few years - and with good reason. having built up his skills as a majorly talented dj in tokyo spinning a wide range of sounds and styles, his reputation continues to grow at pace thanks to a string of amazing releases on labels such as highgrade and wirsindeins in recent years - not to mention strong support by some of the scenes biggest names. here he proves what all the fuss is about - a stunning three track ep on steve bugs dessous recordings. be there starts things off right - uber deep vibes throughout, with bubbling synths and spacey effects, all tied together by a hypnotic chandler-esque rhythm track. give me continues the vibe, deep and jazzy chords punctuate the shuffling rhythm and trippy vocal samples add a layer of wonkiness that will see this get a lot of attention. feel it dizzy strips things down a notch, a bass heavy dancefloor filler with dubbed out percussion, effects and vocals snippets. a triumphant ep from iori wakasa - truly one to watch.

ant plates vinyl only ventures continue unabated, taking a break from the yse saint laur ant releases and turning to minus the majors instead. whether its just plate in another one of his guises or not is unclear, but the music certainly fits in with the more exploratory, downtempo nature of previous vinyl only releases. he looked is an especially funky number that revolves around crafty beats and warm moog-esque synth ripples. things get more broken on jizz jazz, and then drongo manages to go even further out to sea in its quest for the perfect balance between funk and freakiness.

the new york-based (u)nity is made up of michael valeanu, axel tosca laugart, chris smith, max cudworth and amaury acosta. they formed the band in 2006 as a project to explore afro-cuban jazz, funk, soul and contemporary electronica. they say they ve been influenced by everyone from chucho valdes to art blakey to led zeppelin to kendrick lamar, and you can definitely hear all of that in this jawdropping work. guarapachanga is special in that it was the first song written by the band back in their days as music students at the new school. it s derived from the style known as guarapachangeo the most advanced form of cuban rumba, heavily improvisational and based on very complex rhythms and melodies. on this recording, (u)nity is graced with a guest performance by grammy award winner pedrito martinez, a master rumbero, one of the greatest conga players ever, an innovator who has left a permanent mark on cuban music. martinez is also a priest in the yoruba religion and a historian of cuban culture. over its eight and a half minutes, guarapachanga twists and turns and journeys through a mind bending array of different tempos and modes, from latin jazz to hip hop, ultimately ending with a trippy ambient soundscape. the whole thing is overlaid with free spirited melody, soul and the afro-cuban essence that is the bands lifeblood. the white-hot live playing gives it the feel of the best early-morning jam session, yet it packs a sonic punch that will make it sound incredible on a good sound system in the hands of adventurous djs in the world-beat or spiritual-house vein. if you didnt know guarapachanga was a contemporary work you might mistake it for a loft classic, yet it s also as fresh and exciting as anything you ll hear this year.

hear, hear! get ready for some cyberfunkadelic minimal with a blend of house.

here it is, a reissue treatment for one of the most sought after nigerian boogie albums. so groovy, so good. afro-boogie lovers, you just got served! tip!

the rat pack – wer kennt sie nicht? diese rasselbande hollywoods, vor denen ab den 50ern weder whiskey noch weiber sicher war? frank sinatra, dean martin, sammy davis jr. waren die hauptakteure des rat packs. sie spielten in filmen zusammen – und sie sangen hits wie what kind of fool i am, i get a kick out of you, i’ve got you under my skin, memories are made of this, love and marriage und viele mehr. die größten hits des rat packs jetzt auf vinyl!

madhouse number 2 sees kerri dropping his 4 track panic ep on us, released in 1992 the whole record sounds amazing today - as fresh as ever! driving, funky, stripped back and with that trademark kc drum programming get on up kicks things off with an intoxicating mix of all the above and some loopy, dubbed out sax.. this one is pure heads down late night business! insomnia again utilises some choice samples the eagle eared among you will no doubt spot, paired with epic piano stabs and a cavernous kick-drum, slamming! flip the record over for something wrong , a solid grooving, gospel-esque monster that hits hard, classic! finishing out the ep is the amazing love is over , undoubtedly inspired by the garage and zanzibar with it s nod to some classic cult killer disco jams that form the basis of the track, looping, raw and moving hard, one for the heads! rarely do you get such a well rounded ep of different versatile flavours, exactly the reason why kerri is rightfully a legend in dance music. essential stuff indeed. this is the one of the first of a series of official madhouse / kerri chandler reissues for 2017. every title has been remastered by kerri chandler himself, from all original sources and each reissue has been legitimately released in full conjunction with kerri and madhouse records. and, as if that wasn t enough, all the reissues will be coming in the classic madhouse records house bag. snoozing not advised!

welcome to season five of the jazz jousters sessions. after four years of non stop album releases we thought we d take a few months time out to think and work out what we would do next this season. we decided to attempt another locations series since we are yet to take on some of the locations many of you have suggested via our updates pages and emails. so here we go...
mjm would like to present locations: usa, the vinyl and cassette edition as we continue to explore the sounds, influences and styles of jazz music in different regions of the world.
in this session we hear the result of each jouster as they each chose one or more jazz musicians from the united states and began to work with that sound and come up with an instrumental in their own style, just like in season four. however there was a twist, this time they were challenged to focus on jazz between the years of 1960 to 1969. see what you think of the outcome...

voyage animé is a mental and spiritual trip dedicated to house music. with deep resorts to funk, disco and garage, this 4-track record invites the listener to wander in different atmospheres and places.

pavement und preston school of industry gründungsmitglied scott kanneberg aka spiral stairs veröffentlicht ein neues album auf domino records! es sind nun acht jahre vergangen, seit scott kannberg, seines zeichens gründungsmitglied der legendären pavement, sein solo-album the real feel veröffentlichte. in der zwischenzeit ist vieles passiert. von einer gefeierten pavement reunion bis hin zum ausbau seines familienlebens in australien war alles dabei. jetzt meldet sich der gitarrist als spiral stairs mit einem neuen album zurück. “doris & the daggers” wird es heißen und zehn rock songs enthalten. am schlagzeug sitzt justin peroff (broken social scene), am bass hat sich matt harris eingefunden, der schon seit der gemeinsamen band preston school of industry mit kannberg musiziert. als gastsänger sind matt berninger (the national) und kevin drew (broken social scene) mit dabei. scott kannberg über sein zweites album: “i guess i’ve been writing songs for a while now. i like hearing echoes of things i love in the music that i make. writing music doesn’t come easy to me - it’s hard to write a song that’s good. but our memories slowly escape us as we get older, and in songs you kind of relive those moments, the things that matter.”

mihai popoviciu has carved out a reputation for being one of the most innovative producers of electronic music active in europe today. the man from romania has established himself both as a highly respected producer releasing on labels such as highgrade, international gigolo and dessous and as a killer dj performing all over the world. fiction is his 4th release on poker flat recordings, and delivers four distinct flavours to sink your teeth into. i should is a slinky groover, with a slippery, evolving bassline, tight, funky percussion and a sultry female vocal. working just as effectively early in a set as a peak time moment, its bound to get rinsed in the coming months. twisted is a little harder - a straighter beat signals a more heads down approach, and the bassline is sure to trigger some dancefloor scenes wherever it gets played. next up is title track fiction which perhaps makes a reference to mihai’s background, with fragments of eastern european melodies woven into the beautiful synth work, all tied together over a spacey yet driving rhythm track. last but by no means least is interconnected - a straight up deep bomb with echoes of classic chicago deep and acidic house in its warm and sensual vibe.

the 99th release on moon harbour comes from one of the label s new school heroes, namely uk artist waff. he serves up a brace of brilliant tunes that get complemented by a fine remix from label regular butch. in recent times, waff has really established himself as one of the beacons of main room house and techno around the world. from standout sets at key ibiza clubs to gigs at fabric, london via big underground hits on labels like drumcode and hot creations, he is a real man of the moment.

out of the south american continent colombian producer duo uron appears for the first time on black brook limited. two tracks of the original and three remix versions completes the ep. the tack titles hiperion and leda are multiple terms. one of saturn s moons is called hyperion and one of jupiter is called leda. we don t know for sure if there is an intended meaning to their sound involved. what we listened to is what you get now. pure energetic techno, signal sounds, heavy drums. the upcoming ep contains more than 30 minutes quality music. responsible for the two remixes is greek producer endlec. hyperion and leda are also two terms leading into the world of greek myths. is it the bridge to endlec while travelling through space your soundtrack should be the 9 minutes groover of leda - repressed mind & escape to mars remix is the perfect piece to float.

boogie café black s next outing gives you reworks of some stone cold classics from undisputed truth and james brown and mrs shaw, on side a, -mannmademusic- brings the deep disco house vibe with reworks of undisputed truth and james brown. flip it over for some marlena-inspired slinky business. jank s version is slow and dirty, while the mannmademusic remix takes it up a notch so you can take it to the dancefloor. early support from neil diablo, noel watson, rahaan, john morales, dj nature and deli g.

become a slave to dresvn’s groove & get seduced by irresistible house pulses - hats off to dresvn & crew

d edges cultured off shoot olga is back with a new ep, radiolarian, from german-bulgarian stefan goldmann. again it is a perfectly well sculpted ep with deep and sleek lines that get right into your head. the man behind it is the co-owner of the excellent macro label and for more than fifteen years has released intricate house and techno sounds. he is a deep thinker and master of hi-fidelity sound design and intricate grooves, so is perfect for this label. radiolarian is first and is seven sublime minutes of tunnelling techno rippled with neon melodies and firefly like pads that burrow into your brain. it is a high tempo and high impact track but a subtle one that works its magic slowly. building to a number of peaks, it then pulls back and the whole thing starts again. on the flip, streams is freaky and unhinged, with weird synth sounds making for a trippy atmospheres as minimal beats roll below. perfectly detailed so as to work on both head as well as heel, it rounds out another fine ep.

timmo follows up his debut drumcode release we beat on with a brand new 4-tracker packed to the rafters with his own unique blend of techno. his productions are getting plays from the likes of adam beyer, joseph capriati and richie hawtin amongst others, 2017 is set to be his biggest year yet. timmo s unique sound has captured the eyes and ears of many highly revered techno djs around the world and his system release is a stark reminder of exactly why this is. intensify is a big room record that is set to do some real damage on dancefloors worldwide. this peak time tool thumps through 7 minutes of power, dragging you in and throwing you out the other side as the track rolls on. the maze is an example of his excellent production, with his use of synths on a level that some producers take years to hone. system is a haunting track, authentic four-to-the-floor techno that screams in to top gear right from the off. the release closes with the more groove and bass line laden together . one of those tracks that is guaranteed to get stuck in your head

in 1979, emma dorgu decided it was time to act. he’d torn up the lagos live scene with the thermometers and conquered the airwaves with the single, ‘world people’. but there were injustices afoot, not just in nigeria, but in south africa and zimbabwe and across the continent as well, and he felt that something needed to be done. roverman was his politicized call to action. blackman akeeb kareem lent him the instruments and let him rehearse in his sitting room. dorgu sets his stall out early in the reggae-tinged ‘free my people’ calling for freedom for south africa, freedom for zimbabwe, indeed, freedom for all. thankfully political injustice hadn’t rid emma completely of his urge to get on down. the new york ghetto funk of ‘roverman’ and ‘loving’ and the straighthead boogie of ‘afro fever’ leaven the message with a funky beat and an irresistible pull towards the dancefloor. on roverman emma dorgu has achieved that that rarest of beats, an album that challenges your mind while it speaks to your feet. protest music has never sounded so funky.
(peter moore)

everything that is the imagination, alternate or otherwise. often thought of as crazy or weird . your west friends would like to welcome you to their new vinyl imprint. a label that hopes to fill your record bags (as well as your hearts) with that dope shit you yearn for. up first are two friends and collaborators medlar & ishmael with four rhythm tracks that heavily utilise the cowbell, amongst other things, to get the juices flowing. perfect for your next shubs. look out for more records straight out of se15 peckham. incubated in rye wax, pressed for you and yours. have a good time, all the time.

what can you expect? take the best fusion-band ever (chick coreas return to forever), some james brown funk, synth-fun like tangerine dream and even a bit of hardrock, and youre getting close. this is zappa, the flemish zappa: cool,funny, sad, difficult,no record for those who love the traditional verse-chorus-verse, and so probably as uncommercial as it can get

nitai hershkovits is a pianist and composer based in ny. mostly known from collaborating with renowned bassist avishai cohen in the studio and on tour. combining the classical and jazz worlds with singer-songwriting elements, nitas compositions and playing are simple with a twist of complexity.

it’s hard to get a handle on nigerian musicians nash dodoo, charlie cuul and jonas caulley. in 1980 they released an album of face-melting gospel boogie as the bml chapels. and in the same year, calling themselves the beta yama group, they put out free love, a belated love letter to san francisco’s summer of love and an album altogether focused on more worldly concerns. free love is a small slice of haight-ashbury transported to the polygram studios in lagos. ‘te revoir’ is mamas and papas jamming with sergeant pepper’s beatles. ‘free love’ offers a respectful nod towards je t’aime-era serge gainsbourg. sure, ‘revolution’ gets hard and funky and ‘rain’ flirts briefly with a calypso reggae sound, but the majority of the album is cheesecloth and flowers in your hair. insanely rare – and worth buying for the freaky cover art alone – free love is a funky, reverb heavy call for love, peace and sweet, sweet loving. what more could you want from an album?
(peter moore)

how do you follow up a stone-cold afro funk classic like village boogie? simple. gather together some of the hottest players in nigeria, take them down to the phonodisk studios in ijebu igbo and let them loose on a bunch dancefloor fillers you spent the last four years ‘road testing’ in kaduna. and don’t forget to get lady franka and mariam pledge in on backing vocals. those girls know how to fire up a party. it helps, of course, if you’re steve ‘dudu’ black. steve had a god-given knack for writing combustible dance tunes and the contacts in the industry to get the likes of willy nfor, willy roy and felix lebarty to make them explode. from the opening track, ‘osasuima’, the heat never stops. on ‘no stopping me now’ and ‘ololufe/ stay the night’, it’s almost too hot to handle. polished in a studio in london while musical youth recorded pass the dutchie in the next room, happy birthday to u is the gift that keeps on giving – an irresistible blend of highlife, afro beat and afro funk that is guaranteed to start a party on any dance floor.
(peter moore)