Brooklyn vinyl

You can always depend on Freestyle to unearth and nurture the finest of funk's fringes, and The Shaolin Afronauts are a fine example of this great A&R. Sounding like they've just emerged from a Nigerian township circa 1970, but actually coming from Australia in the 21st century, their dedication to the Afro soul, Cuban funk and experimental jazz of the past four decades is commendably authentic. Pretty prolific, too: their debut album Flight Of The Ancients only came our way last year but yet they've already followed it up with an equally captivating, spiritually swinging sophomore that blasts, parps and fires its way into your brain. Conjuring the vibes of Fela Kuti, Sun Ra, Tony Allen and even dashes of Roy Ayers, this is one expansive long player.

Ennio Styles, Mukatsuku Records Chart, Craig Charles Funk And Soul, Pat Les Stache (Cabana Disco), Mehdi, Juno Recommends Broken Beat Nu Jazz, Afro Beat Foundation, Freestyle Records