Jazz /
African Rhythms & Blues
Classic and sought after afro jazz. Essential and hard to find album with tons of true killer afro funk breaks: First reissue of original debut LP by African jazz band “Mombasa” led by Lou Blackburn and recorded 1975 at Cornet studio in a Cologne. One of the really shining recordings in the genre - deep spiritual jazz with pulsating african rhythms, funk bass and heavy brass, including nice DJ-spins “Nairobi”, “Kenia” and “Shango”, comes with original cover artwork. Some used to call it “a strip…
Long Time Ago
Azumah was the coming together of a group of talented young dancer-musicians from Soweto (South Africa) with musician and instrument-maker Smiles Mandla Makama of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland). Long Time Ago is the surprising and enticing, resultant album from 1985, recorded in the house of theatre stalwarts Des and Dawn Lindberg in Johannesburg. Produced by David Marks (3rd Ear Music, Hidden Years Music Archive Project), Des Lindberg and Smiles Makama, this album takes us back to a priceless mu…
Star Feminine Band
Through all of these songs, each of the Star Feminine Band members brings their own inspiration. André composes all their songs. He admits: “They bring their ideas. The dream of these girls is to become international stars. They must show the importance of women throughout the world. Speak of Africa, accomplish great missions around the values of women. They talk about female genital mutilation, abuse and violence against girls. We want to include these subjects in the political debate in Beni…
La Locura de Machuca 1975-1980
La Locura de Machuca is the story of one man’s bizarre odyssey into Colombia’s coastal music underground, and the wild, hypnotic sounds he helped bring up to the surface. One night in 1975, a successful tax lawyer named Rafael Machuca had his mind blown in Barranquilla’s ‘Plaza de los Musicos’. Overnight he went from a high ranking position in the Columbian revenue authority to visionary production guru of the newly formed record label that bore his name, Discos Machuca, and for the next six yea…
Ravissante Baby
Rare funk & Avant-Garde soul from a seven years old kid singer featuring the best of French and Cameroonian musicians diaspora, recorded in Paris in 1977. The album contains two nicely dramatic tracks: “Look Up in the sky (Negro nature)” is a stretched funk groove with psyche synth by Michel Morose, bubbling bassline by the great Victor Edimo, the famous Toto Guillaume on guitar, and a brilliant poetic song by Francis The Great, who at that time studied in Menilmontant (Paris). “Ravissante Baby …
Free The People
Reissue of this long lost funky Afrobeat/Reggae classic from 1978. For fans of Fela Kuti, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Segun Bucknor. The year is 1978 and one hot thing from the musical underground is Reggae music from Jamaica, the USA or the UK, where most of the acts had musicians of Caribbean descent. Reggae had the groove, the rebel spirit, and the relaxed attitude all in one, to enchant a big part of the world’s inhabitants. And while at least Jamaica as a relatively poor and so-called "Third Wo…
Anthony 'Reebop' Kwaku Bah
Killer 1973 Solo album from the percussionist of kraut band Can. A boiling cauldron of polyrhythmic grooves and jazz improvisations with a strong early 70ies prog touch, haunting Exotica jazz passages with “jungle” feel. For fans of Osibisa, Fela, Ginger Baker Airforce, Miles Davis… all around 1969 to 1973 This is the 1973 solo album by Ghanaian percussionist Anthony Kwaku Bah, who was given the nickname „Reebop“ by American jazz legend Dizzie Gillespie. He passed away early at the age of 39 in…
Armitage Road
**Seminal Spiritual Jazz from South Africa, 1970. Officially licensed and remastered re-issue**. With a unique sound founded on a persuasive mix of American and African jazz, Armitage Road, originally released in 1970, was the only studio recording released by South Africa’s Heshoo Beshoo Group. As a highly prized collector’s item, a re-issue and re-appraisal of this lost gem from the apartheid era has been long overdue. Heshoo Beshoo loosely translates from the inter-tribal lingo of the townshi…
African Rhythms 1970-1982
**Feature a 12” sized 4pp booklet featuring rare photos and a comprehensive interview with Plunky Branch within liner notes by Chris Menist** Strut present a comprehensive 3LP compilation of the seminal Oneness Of Juju, led by Plunky J. Branch. Tracing their career from the band’s earliest work in 1970 with South African exiled jazzman Ndikho Xaba in San Francisco, the compilation covers the band’s journey to New York’s loft jazz scene, forming Juju and releasing two landmark albums of hard-hitt…
Nigeria's Afrobeat - IV
Involving the combination of elements of West African musical styles with American funk and jazz influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms and percussion, Afrobeat was popularized by multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti who is responsible for pioneering the style both within and outside Nigeria.Soundohm is glad to bring you 'Nigeria's Afrobeat', a series of bundles offering a perspective on the musical tapestry that composed the Nigerian Afrobeat scene be…
Nigeria's Afrobeat - III
Involving the combination of elements of West African musical styles with American funk and jazz influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms and percussion, Afrobeat was popularized by multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti who is responsible for pioneering the style both within and outside Nigeria.Soundohm is glad to bring you 'Nigeria's Afrobeat', a series of bundles offering a perspective on the musical tapestry that composed the Nigerian Afrobeat scene be…
Nigeria's Afrobeat - II
Involving the combination of elements of West African musical styles with American funk and jazz influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms and percussion, Afrobeat was popularized by multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti who is responsible for pioneering the style both within and outside Nigeria.Soundohm is glad to bring you 'Nigeria's Afrobeat', a series of bundles offering a perspective on the musical tapestry that composed the Nigerian Afrobeat scene be…
Nigeria's Afrobeat - I
Involving the combination of elements of West African musical styles with American funk and jazz influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms and percussion, Afrobeat was popularized by multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti who is responsible for pioneering the style both within and outside Nigeria.Soundohm is glad to bring you 'Nigeria's Afrobeat', a series of bundles offering a perspective on the musical tapestry that composed the Nigerian Afrobeat scene be…
Banko Woman
For over forty years, the Apostles of Aba have stood as the jewel in the crown of the music scene in Eastern Nigeria. Since their formation in 1973, the band has turned out memorable performances in a variety of styles including rock, soul, funk, pop and reggae. Even today, the Apostles continue to thrill audiences in their hometown of Aba with dazzling shows. Cultures of Soul is proud to present one of the Apostles’ more obscure—yet relentlessly funky recordings: Banko Woman, originally release…
Moving World
In 1974, a brash young designer called Augustus Kerry Taylor had an idea. He'd gather together the hottest musicians in Ghana and record an album of the heaviest and funkiest sounds coming out of America. And this time, he wouldn't just design the cover, like he'd done with Fela Kuti, he'd even release it on his new label, Emporium, as well. Local Accra legends Joe Wellington, Jagger Botchway, Leslie Addy, Officer Toro, Oko Ringo, Soldier and Steve answered the call. They were christened the Kel…
La'ila
Akwassa were among the best Afro-Beat bands coming from Nigeria. They released La'ila in 1975 and were one of the early Nigerian Funk bands to get an album out. They were related to the Heads Funk Band and most members were part of both bands. They managed to release two albums as Akwassa. Their debut La'ila came out on a well known Afro-Beat label Afrodisia Records. Akwassa were originally a duo made of Felix Day (guitar and vocals) and Kevin Coburn (organ, synthesizer and vocals). Felix Day is…
Hard World
Hard World is the first of three albums released by Heads Funk Band and it's one of the most rare LPs coming from Nigeria. What we have here is a pure, well crafted Afro-Funk. Heads Funk Band is related to Akwassa, where both are two exceptional bands with the same members, but co-existed simultaneously featuring Felix Odey (Feladey) on guitar and Eddie Offeyi on drums. The original forming duo of Akwassa was Felix Day / Feladey (guitar, vocals) and Kevin Coburn (keyboards, synths, vocals), who …
Groove The Funk
Groove the Funk is a essential and influencal early Afro-Funk LPs from 1975. The album was released in Nigeria and the whole LP is really something excitingly special, carrying a unique style of fuzz guitar and keyboard with ecstasy rhythms that can be experienced only from the heart of Africa. Nigeria had a rich musical history with a variety of bands that were playing their unique Afro-Funk with incredible rhythms. In Aktion's case thanks to one of the best drummers of that time, Ben Alaka. Sa…
Son Of January 15
Segun Bucknor was one of the most important figures in the Nigerian music scene of the 70s, despite having only a brief career with his afrobeat unit which in 1972 released this superb album of which originals usually not turn up at any price. A reissue like this on Jet Records therefore is long overdue to enable every woman and man with a fondness for African popular music of the 70s to take a closer listen to this gem and fall in love immediately. What do we get to listen here?
Well, the album…
Sweet Funk Music
Who said that all Nigerian afrobeat from the 70s was dark and though provoking with a melancholic edge despite the ongoing powerful grooves and a more or less political message denouncing the the methods of the country’s leaders to increase their own wealth and power while the simple people suffer. Well, this 1978 album by bandleader Thony Shorby Nyenwi proves this idea wrong. What we have here is a sacredly rare gem, fetching 300 € for a copy in playable condition. A crown jewel of Nigerian afr…