Canopy Vinyl & CDs

Review: Joi N'Juno joins the Lisbon-based label Canopy, which says it deals in "Sub-Saharan synth swagger" with a brilliantly fresh new album packed with Afro disco and funk bombs. The first single 'Samemala' has already been getting plenty of plays on more heady and adventurous dancefloors and other cuts like 'Moky Danza' bring loose-limbed funk, 'The Wake Up Song' has a copy bassline that works you into a frenzy and generally the mix of synths, instrumentation and drum machines is impossible not to love. A colourful album full of charm, then.

Review: For their first full-length reissue, Canopy Records brings new life to Oppressor, a rare 1987 album by Nigerian artist Myke Moul. Long a cult favourite due to its genre-blending style and hard-to-find status, this remastered edition corrects past audio issues and gives the album the sound quality it always deserved. From the opening notes of the title track, Oppressor sets a tone that's both breezy and politically aware, a mid-tempo groove riding on synth-reggae rhythms with a soulful message woven in. The album, shaped in part by reggae icon Majek Fashek and later reimagined in France with a roster of versatile session players, stands out for its seamless mix of styles: island-leaning reggae, glossy boogie, and moments that feel like they could have soundtracked a Mediterranean sunset. "Shadows in the Rain" dips into an 80s synth-funk groove, while "Heading for the Top" is a shimmering, bass-forward boogie cut, setting the tone for a collection that flits back and forth between reggae, funk and boogie.