Sofrito - Haiti Direct ep

 Hypnotic Carnival rhythms, DIY electro and Compas experiments from Haiti

Claudette & Ti Pierre£s 1979 version of the folk song ë Zanmi Camarade jumps straight out of leftfield. Haunting vocals are accompanied by a heavy drum machine and arpeggiated synth backing for a Kraftwerk-in-Port-au-Prince vibe. Stockholm£s Tropical Treats crew give the track the subtle edit treatment, bringing out the bass and rounding off the sound.Ti Marcelës rugged, hypnotic Rara track ëNan Point La Vieë is dominated by the single-note ëVaksin bamboo flute • natures sub-bass • and comes to life with Siwoës one-take drum machine update, a serious carnival mover. 

On the B-side the Ibo Combo cover Coupe Cloue£s evergreen ëMateau, adding beautiful horn arrangements to the acoustic original for a masterclass in the Mini Jazz sound. Les Loups Noirs offer up ëPile ou Face£ (heads or tails), an unhinged slice of psychedelic compas, replete with swirling organs, screeching vocals and a heavy bassline. Link

Wayne Mc Guie & Sounds Of Joy ( 1970)

Holy Grail” of Toronto Funk! In 1967 Kingston-born musician Jo-Jo Bennett, then living in Toronto, sent word to Jamaica: Jo-Jo needed a band. Wayne quickly responded to the call, moving from Montego Bay to Toronto that year. Possessed with an intensifying vision, in the winter of 1969, Wayne assembled a stellar cast of musical friends and Studio One vets to begin the sessions for the Sounds of Joy album, recorded during off-hours at Art Snider£s Sound Canada Recording Centre. Wayne was 23 at the time.

Twelve musicians are credited on the LP sleeve including Alton Ellis, Ike Bennett, Everton Paul, and Lloyd Delpratt; others, including Jackie Mittoo, are rumored to have sat in. Of the 10 songs, six were McGhie originals, and as the material moved from funk, to soul, to reggae/R&B crossover, it is Wayne£s pure and soulful voice that sets the tone. Although the band started to gig in support of the album, Birchmount did nothing to promote it. Months later, an accidental fire at the pressing planet destroyed all remaining copies of the record. The album was lost, never to be repressed. The Sounds Of Joy was gone and forgotten. Link

East New York Ensemble de Music - At The Helm (Folkways Records, 1974/2010)

 The East New York Ensemble was a group with a broad range of musical and cultural ideas. We are particularly concerned musically with modulating from one groovy layer of polyrhythmic textures and colors to another,î writes member Bilal Abdurahman in the liner notes accompanying the album. Listeners will encounter music from an eclectic mix of cultures, including an improvisation based on a Turkish religious melody and the composition ™Sunflower,î which features an ancient reed instrument given to Abdurahman by a villager in Pusan, Korea. At the Helm, The East New York Ensembles only album, showcases a variety of musicians demonstrating a variety of multicultural influences. Link