Review: Dynamite Cuts have pulled out another classic from the Afro-jazz canon here. It's one of the many gems from the catalogue of The Last Poets and was sampled by some big hip-hop artists back in the day including The Jungle Brothers. The original track is some ten minutes long but here it has been edited down to a short and sharp for minutes for an exclusive 7" pressing. Soon as you drop the needle you will be hypnotised by the saxophone and vocals as the energetic groove lifts you up and away.
Review: Lawson Jr'Music is based in Montreal in Canada and is a drummer, singer and music composer who has played all over the world since a young age. He brings a distinctive Afro vibe to his take on hip hop as demonstrated by this masterful new cut on BSide/Lawson Entertainment. 'Let It Go' is defined by its screwy bass down low and the echoing hits up top. Aside from that I'd an empty but atmospheric cut with yearning vocals and melancholic chords. The flispide instrumental allows the slick production to shine.
Review: You could easily think this was a dusty reissue of a long-lost Afro classic. But no, it is not. Instead, it is new music from Loboko, a new group created from the rich musical melting pot that is New York City featuring young Congolese vocalist and guitar talent, Yohni Djungu Sungu, plus Soukouss-Stars associate and top bassist Ngouma Lokito. This is their debut recording and surely the first of many that will be built of jam sessions. It is traditional Congolese music with a modern twist but plenty of guitar-driven sounds from African soukous with Caribbean inspirations, Loboko's unique take on the ethnic Baluba rhythm, and elements drawn from the seben style. Utterly intoxicating.
Review: Beastie Boy Mike D Edit has decided to rework Malian artists Idrissa Soumaoro and L'Eclipse De L'I.J.A. and their track 'Nissodia' - from the 1978 album Le Tioko-Tioko - for this new one on Brighton label Mr Bongo, the second time it has landed on the label, having previously been on The Original Sound Of Mali in 2017 Both tunes are pumping, full flavour Afro jams with screeching melodies and big, jangling, angular guitars all powered by funky beats. Each one is guaranteed to light up any cultured dancefloor.
Review: Les Abranis are a pioneering Algerian band known for having mixed up traditional Berber music with Western rock, folk, disco and funk. At the same time they never lost sight of their Kabyle heritage and as such really made a mark on the Maghrebi music scene all across the world from Algeria to France. This new collection Amazigh Freedom Rock 1973-1983 comes five years after Chenar le Blues / Avehri and is a deep dive into the band's discography. It spans everything from their early garage-rock experimentations to lush orchestrations and North African fusion gems from the 1980s.
Review: The music of this unique quartet explores the roots of African music while embracing its newest possibilities. Featuring Malian singer Rokia Traore and griot Mamah Diabate, alongside Stefano Pilia (Afterhours, Massimo Volume), their collaboration merges with Gambian griot Jabel Kanuteh, a kora virtuoso, and percussionist Marco Zanotti. The fusion of Malian and Gambian rhythms with Italian influences creates a fresh new sound that blends the ancient and the modern. The music weaves jazz, rock and folk with a number of experimental digressions but never at the expense of an underlying groove and high-fidelity sense of musicianship that connects diverse cultural identities.
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