Juno Recommends International May 2018

Review: Charlie Kingue Soppo, known simply as Charly Kingson, is a legend of afro-funk who managed to shake the entire continent up with his infamous 1978 LP, Born In Africa. Often forgotten when conversations turn to Afro-dance, and the likes of Tony Allen or Fela Kuti, he has been an incredible source of inspiration to many musicians exploring the funkier side of jazz-dance, and this album itself goes way beyond any traditional notion of tropical discotheque. In fact, tracks like "Makakane Masu" verge on the soulful and the poppy, while "Born In African" itself is a funky groover for the dancefloor. All in all, this is an album which was dying for a re-release, and now you can enjoy it courtesy of the wonderful Africa Seven outlet. Boom!

Review: Israel's infamous Tvsia Abarbanel, a Goddess in her own right, is back on our charts thanks to the ever-impressive Fortuna Records, and the label have once again dug up an impossibly rare independent recording from the 1970s that has rarely ever been seen or smelled by even the most addicted of diggers. Much like the other 1970 recording they reissued back in 2012, Eastern Soul is Abarbanel attempting to mix traditional Yemenite sounds jazz, funk and soul, resulting in a veritablely singular sound throughout. The opening "Wings Of Love" is a moody jazz track made for the dancefloor, but our favourite is the B1, "Yahlel Hawa", an incredible display of traditional Israeli percussion, iconic singing, and the American jazz influence that just ties it all together.These won't last long. Recommended.

Review: Bosq, also known as The Whiskey Baron, returns to Ubiquity with his third studio LP for the label, an outlet that has been going strong since '93 thanks to Michael and Jody McFadin. With Bosq, the worldly and the outernational should always be expected, with Love & Resistance providing exactly those two things throughout. With this being a mother of an album, spanning eleven beautiful dance tracks from the deepest and farthest corners of the world, it's sort of difficult to boil it down to one category. However, what we can say is that if you're into classy disco and boogie vibes with a subtle Brazilian edge, then Bosq is your man! Recommended!

Review: Seminal cosmic afro record from 1976, this Mancuso staple regularly passes hands for triple figures and has been bootlegged (badly) many times over the years. Here we find the deeply spiritual and reasonably prolific troupe in all their glory. Mystic, restrained, paced and laced with an insistent almost hypnotic Buddhist mantra. "Anambra River" takes us six years closer to the floating crystal city of Budatan, shire of West Heaven with a Morricone sense of drama and emotion. Unleash your inner hippie.

Review: Tamrat Kebede's Mombasa Roots is a project with a timeless edge and an inimitable Afro-roots vibe that is simply irreplaceable and downright irrefutable by any sort of music lover. Whether you are or are not into this delightful blend of tropical disco, tunes like "Karibishe" and "Mezea Tu" are almost impossible not to dance to, or at least appreciate. "Kasha Langu" is more appropriate to the true lovers of Afrobeat, thanks to its slow, seductive sway, while "What Is It That You Want" unleashes some fiery disco-boogie, and "My Everything" showers the room with yet more disco glitter, the sexiest of sorts.

Review: Between the mid 1970s and the late 1980s, Cameroonian duo J.M Tim and Foty recorded a string of killer Afro-funk albums. This superb compilation from Africa Seven shines a light on the best of the duo's early work, with each of the ten tracks recorded between 1977 and '79. There's much to set the pulse racing throughout, from the crunchy Clavinets, punchy horns and heavy grooves of opener "Douala By Night" and the rubbery disco-funk of "More and More", to the swirling, celebratory vocals, sun-kissed guitars and dazzling analogue synth solos of "Ale". Elsewhere, check the Bee Gees-in-Cameroon flex of "Funky Boogie Love" and "I Love Youande", a breezy affair with a touch of country-funk swing and an a sublime bass guitar riff.

Review: Back in the late 1960s, underground magazine Source helped increase interest in avant-garde music by bundling together a record and an arty, printed publication. Some 50 years on, Swiss project FLEE is attempting something similar. They say that each edition will combine a long-playing record exploring a specific musical genre or movement with a beautifully presented, screen-printed "journal" containing essays from experts in the field. Issue one focuses on Kenyan Benga music. On one side of the record you'll find a trio of classic cuts from pioneers of the style. A trio of contemporary producers offers modern interpretations on the flip, with Africaine 808's killer re-edit of "Aryango Maggy" by Migori Superstars standing out. Brilliant stuff, all told.

Review: Belgium based composer, poet and multi-instrumentalist Denis Mpunga formed Eko Kuango in the early '80s. A unique fusion of African rhythms, jazz, subtle synth arrangements with an eastern flavour; they managed to introduce a strong sense of poetry - both musically and lyrically. The band garnered a reasonable following from numerous concerts played during their career, but remained little known except by a few music aficionados around the globe. Now with a newfound interest in their work, Libreville Records is proud to offer the remastered four tracks from the original EP, plus some bonus additions from their 'lost' recording sessions with renowned arranger Arnould Massart.

Review: Nu-wave afrobeat swingers, Jaribu Afrobeat Arkestra, touch back down on Masamichi Ishikawa's Soul Garden, and they have arrived just in time for what we hope to be a blazing hot summer of joyful Fela vibes. In fact, these guys have cited Kuti as their main inspiration - which is always a good thing, in our opinion - and the title track "Bomb" is clearly of that ilk, unleashing a driving bass surrounded by wild chanting and a little disco sensibility. On the flipside, "Panama" provides a deeper, cooler edge that's much more in line with Kuti's work alongside the Afrika 70 band, with booming horns guiding the jazzed-out percussion. LUSH!

Review: Together, Cyril Yeterian and Cyril Bondi is Cyril Cyril, a Geneva-based duo with their own unique brand of mind-altering global fusion. That much is clear from this debut 7", which delivers thrills and spills in spades. Check first "Colosse De Rhodes", where spoken and improvised vocals rise above a psychedelic backing track rich in meandering Bontempi organ solos, restless banjo chords, and incessant, off-kilter African percussion. The flipside cut, "Sayyara", is equally inspired, with the two Cyrils brilliantly layering up swamp funk guitar solos, held-note organ chords, gentle Turkish rhythms and woozy atmospherics.

Review: Chicago meets Austin via Mexico, Dos Santos and Money Chicha pair up for a unique 45" that rattles and shakes with both acts heavy, intense Latin spirit. "Undercover" is the fiery side of this limited slab of scarlet wax with its yearning lyrics, insistent percussion and swooning organs that build up into a heady frenzy on the breakdown while "Martes Negro" mystifies with more of an eastern twang and shimmering blues guitars. Two bands, two sides, one killer piece of custom artwork from Artuor Fresan and only 500 pressed. You know what to do.

Review: Maya Deren was an avant-garde American filmmaker with a sideline in field recordings. During the early 1950s, she traveled to Haiti to investigate the country's notorious voodoo religion, in the process getting some of the first recordings of traditional songs and tribal chants. While Elektra Records released some of these in 1953, it took until 1980 for the full set to be come out. Wisely, Psychic Sounds has licensed that album, Divine Horsemen - The Voodoo Gods of Haiti, for this superb reissue. As you'd expect, the recordings are on the fuzzy side, but hugely atmospheric. Densely percussive and rich in chanted vocals, with the humid stickiness of local wildlife audible in the background, they feel like essential echoes of a now distant past.