Juno Recommends International September 2018

Review: On this fine EP from the Sterns Edits camp, Ben Gomori and SMBD (AKA Gilles Peterson favourite Simbad) take it in turns to rework cuts from 1980s Nigerian star Segun Adewale. On the A-side, Gomori gets to work on "Atewo-Lara Ka Tepa Mo'se", wrapping Adewale's original vocals and glistening juju guitar solos over a rolling, Ron Trent style Afro-deep house groove. It's super-sweet and wonderfully summery, suggesting we'll be hearing it in more than a few DJ sets over the next few months. Simbad, meanwhile, serves up two versions of "Ojo Je": a hustling, polyrhythmic disco excursion (the "SMBD '85 Raw Disco Mix") and a far deeper and more trippy excursion rich in warm sub-bass, reverb and delay-laden vocal snippets and ricocheting synthesizer motifs (the superior "Rascal Dub").

Review: Analog Africa's superb Limited Dance Edition series reaches volume nine via a fine collection of cuts from Ghanian bandleader Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, who spent the early 1980s fusing highlife and funk sounds with spacey electronics, wild synth lines and righteous vocals. It's all fire, of course, though the Highlife-funk flex of opener "The Message" and deliciously summery, jazz guitar-laden Afro-Caribbean workout "Simigwa Soca" are probably our pick of the bunch. Elsewhere, "Akoko Ba" is a driving, solo-laden workout rich in dueling horns and highlife guitars, while "Burkina Faso" is a sublime experiment in P-funk, Ghanaian style. In a word: essential.

Review: Two premium Latin funk documents on one limited 45, Mr Bongo deliver once again: Marcos Valle needs no introduction to Brazilian music enthusiasts. "Mentira" is a self-cover as Valle takes his 69 classic "Mentira Carioca" and develops the dynamic with a vocal style that's highly reminiscent of Donovan. Flip for Toni Tornado's Black Rio anthem "Me Libertei". Fusing sleazy rock n roll with jazzy Latin soul, madly this is the first time it's ever graced a 45!

Review: Despite being based in the frequently snowy surroundings of Malmo, Sweden, El Hijo De La Cumbia is one of the hottest producers of "nu-cumbia" around. "Genero Genero", his first full-length for ten years, is said to be the product of a decade spent "travelling the world, learning and absorbing new styles and rhythms". These varied influences and inspirations can be heard throughout the LP, which supplements his usual nu-cumbia rhythms and vocals with sounds and instrumentation more often found in tango, reggae, Afro-jazz and heavy dub releases. It's a blend that makes for alluring and entertaining listening, suggesting the album will hold up to many repeat listens.

Review: The latest essential missive on San Francisco-based Cumbia label Discos Mas comes from a previously unheard artist: confirmed vintage drum machine and fuzzy psych-guitar lover Pancrudo. The producer's vinyl debut, which has been pressed in limited numbers on gorgeous marbled vinyl, includes two impressively retro-futurist workouts. Check first languid and decidedly psychedelic A-side "Pulsatron", a hip-hop tempo kaleidoscopic dream that sounds like Harry Nillson after a few too many swigs of liquid acid and a fistful of hallucinatory chili peppers. Pancrudo returns to his cumbia roots on flipside "Maestro Del Kiosco", which wraps wonderfully fuzzy, boogaloo-era guitars round a shuffling rhythm track.

Review: Ali Farka Toure rose to prominence - in the West at least - for his 1990s collaborations with Ry Cooder. By that point, he was already an established star in his home country of Mali, renowned as the leading exponent of "Mali Blues". Here, one of his most sought-after albums, a self-titled set from 1977, is given the reissue treatment. It remains a fine album, with Ali Farka Toure's distinctive blend of finger picking Malian blues guitar and evocative vocals providing a focal point throughout. A handful of cuts also come laden with sharp, Celtic-influenced strings, which only serve to enhance the majesty of Farka Toure's heartfelt vocals and trademark blues guitar.

Review: Blistering freshness from Sisso Studio, Tanzania; Poaa marks the start of a series of LPs from the Dar Es Salaam HQ all based around the vital emergence of hyper dance. This one comes from scene leading light Bamba Pana and hits with a heavy, insistent, hypnotic energetic fusion of electronic elements and traditional Tanzanian styles that's not dissimilar to the work of Nkisi or the emergent Shangaan Electro. Unabashed, raw and physical, sensations range from the double time hardcore style "Biti Three" to the sudden highlife twists on "Baria" via the bleep insanity of "Kusini". Singular.