MORE AFRICAN RECORDS YOU NEED....

The African re-issues just keep coming which is good news for your wallet, unless you are a purist AND have unlimited dough to drop on obscure gems....

Soundway release the second LP from Ghanian singer Rob. 'Make It Fast, Make It Slow' is a Afro/Psych/Funk diggers dream. The title track appeared on the Ghana Soundz compilation. Afrobeats, tripped out production, oddball percussion, yup!

Segun Okeji's 'I Like Woman' follows closely in Fela's footsteps. One long track on each side. Originally released in 1978. I have an earlier re-issue that is on Soul Patrol as well. This is supposed to be limited to 500 copies. Afro heat, indeed! "Everybody say feelings!"

Academy Records and Voodoo Frank are back with another insanely rare 45. Some folks out there may be familiar with The Apostles 'Black Is Beautiful' LP. Same funky feel, though the lyrics are sung in their native language, instead of English. Dopeness!

ROB

SEGUN OKEJI

THE APOSTLES

ALL AVAILABLE AT DUSTYGROOVE

CONTEMPORARY GROOVES ON SOUNDWAY: BATIDA!

The first-ever contemporary recording on Soundway – but a set that's still got firm roots in the 70s African scene that's usually represented by the label! Batida is the brainchild of Portuguese DJ Mpula – who brings together samples from older Angolan recordings with contemporary beats and rhythms – often in a blend that's got the quick-stepping sort of pace you'd hear in favela grooves from the Brazilian scene – yet which comes across completely differently, thanks to the rich array of acoustic elements in the original recordings! There's loads of sweet guitar lines that rifle through the music – and the set also features guest contributions from contemporary MCs and producers.

Cop it on LP at Dusty Groove!

Aqui Los Bravos – The Best Of Michi Sarmiento Y Su Combo Bravo 1967 to 1977

Colombian dancefloor stormers from Michi Sarmiento Y Su Combo Bravo – stellar guaguancos, descargas and cumbias from the late 60s and the heart of the 70s – compiled with the utmost love by Roberto Gyemant, Quantic and Miles Cleret! Soundway's forays into Colombian music to date – the Cartagena and Colombia compilations have been impeccable – and this more focused set, devoted to the work of Sarmiento & combo is just as wonderful. There's a rawness and an intensity to the performances that generates intense heat throughout. Amazing stuff released outside of South America for the first time! 16 tracks on 2LPs

SOUNDWAY

LIFTED FROM DUSTYGROOVE

THE WORLD ENDS: Afro Rock & Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria

The World Ends is the latest title from Soundway Records showcasing a wave of guitar driven and psychedelic groups that sprung up in Nigeria during the early 1970s. Featuring 32 electrifying and funk laden grooves, this is the sound of a generation attempting to pick up the pieces after the devastation of the Nigerian civil war.

Spread over 2 CDs and 2 triple gatefold LPs, this bumper collection is brimming with youthful exuberance, fuzzed out guitar and cosmic organ vibes and owes much to the psychedelic sounds of Jim Morrison, Santana, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and James Brown.

As the summer of love was blossoming in London and San Francisco, Nigeria was imploding into civil war. Also known as the Biafran war of 1967, it was a grisly conflict taking over three million lives yet at the same time as the country was being pulled apart there was a new world beginning. The tracks featured represent a forgotten chapter in Nigeria’s musical history when the youth threw their varied morsels into the pot from hard rock to psychedelic soul when guitars were cherished instruments, symbolic of a new movement, when highlife and Afrobeat played second fiddle to ‘the beat’. FROM SOUNDWAY RECORDS SITE: SEE MORE