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

VA - Mocambo Funk 45's

 

This unique compilation spotlights the best tracks of Mocambo Records' scarce 7 inch vinyl releases that took the deep funk scene by storm in summer 2006. The original 7inches 45-1002 to 45-1011 are long out-of-print. Along with the labels own productions (Mocambo Allstars, The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band and Gizelle Smith), the first releases host new recordings by obscure English groups like The Delta Rhythm Section, The Sound Stylistics and the supreme Vinylizor Productions team (Jay Glover, Gary Crockett & Dominic Glover), together with unreleased tracks by all time greats such as the James Taylor Quartet and Speedometer.  Not only the fact that all of the recordings were previously unreleased gems, but it was also the way in which the 7" singles were released, that made the records desireable collector's items in their own right. While it would have been possible to sell a 1000 copies of each, the label decided to stick with the charm of obscure and forgotten Funk 45s by pressing no more than 300 copies of each release.Manufactured at a private pressing plant in Germany, the records not only delivered the sound of rare Funk 45s, but also the look and of course, the quantity. One of the Delta Rhythm Section's 7 inches did not even reach the amount of copies that had been licenced because the stamp broke before the whole edition could be finished. The selection of tunes included in this compilation is a broad variety of styles in the genre of funk. Link

Meridian Brothers Y Grupo Renacimiento - La Policia 7'' (Colombia, 2018)

 

As the year end approaches, it’s great to see heat just being delivered daily. This one is about a month old, but needs to be heard, so here we go! NYC Trust continue their tradition of doing things their own way, and delivering their own heat and unique sounds to the masses. This record is a tribute to the 1970’s sounds of Salsa Colombiana from the maestro Eblis Alvarez. Two tracks of unmistakably great salsa with rhythms that grab you by your arms and straight to the dance floor. The A, “La Policía” tells the story crooked/ dirty cops in Bogotá first hand. Not just great to move to, but an up close account of what really goes on. The flip, “Poema del Salsero Resentido” translated to “Tale Of A Bitter Salsero”, throws out the situation of the salsa scene in Bogotá. Link

Colman Brothers (Wah Wah 45, 2011)

Brothers Matt and Andrew Colman have become something of a force to be reckoned with on the international jazz scene. Their eponymous debut, released on Wah Wah 45s in 2011 caused quite a stir, highlighting as it did not only the duo’s flair on trombone and trumpet/flugelhorn respectively, but also their ear for producing contemporary dance floor jazz that pays respect to originators like Dizzy Gillespie, Peter Herbolzheimer and Francy Bolland, as well as today’s more electronic inspired producers – although no one does it quite like the Colmans. Check the dancefloor Jazz numbers 'Another Brother' & 'El Nino'. Link