Favorite France Vinyl & CDs

Review: Fusion five-piece Aldorande are no fustians when it comes to full-length LPs. These self-styled groove adventurers remain radically open to the sound, thanks to their stylistic touchstone, 70s funk, and its diachronic conduction of future styles. Recorded on tape in a top Parisian studio, their third record Trois brims with trifect textures, bold phrasing, and soaring choral waves. Mathieu Edouard's precise drumming is glued to the spot by Erwan Loeffel's plaited percussion, all the while Laurent Guillet's fingertips and Florian Pellissier's splayed hands make the best uses of Fender Rhodes, axe and Minimoog.

Review: Brazilian artist Lucas Arruda, is fast becoming a regarded figure in the Latin scene. 'Ominira' is his latest long player that once again, finds a home on the French label Favorite Recordings. An album full of rich sounding musical textures that cross boundaries and bridge many genres such as Latin, soul, house, jazz and pop. The vibrant summer jams 'The Bravest Heart' and 'Novos Planos' are A-side standouts that will surely excite veteran and new listeners alike, who are into World music. '4:28' and 'The Mountain' start the second side with some catchy instrumentals that give off memorable beachy 70s vibes. ' Projecoes' closes the album with one of the most soulful performances of the album. All and all, you have a wonderful sounding jazzy grooved piece that ups the expectation of what a Latin jazz album can be. Cafe Del Mar approved!

Review: Favorite Records take us direct to the source: a disco gem of holy grail proportions, Sunshine is Byron's only album, OG copies go for over L500 and it's chock-a-block with dancefloor gold. From the in-your-face physicality of "Galaxy" or the planet-kicking line dance feels of "Space Cowboy" by way of the ultimate 80s sleaze synth boogie of "Heart To Heart Sensation", this was Byron in his prime with so much promise and latent funk, and led to one of disco's ultimate bombs "Dance To The Music". Essential.

Review: Eagle eyed diggers might have spotted Camarao Orkestra's excellent Nacao Africa 12" single dropping last year on Favorite Recordings. Now the promise of that single has been followed up with this wonderful album - a scintillating blend of Latin jazz, funk, samba, Afrobeat and much more besides. The playing is second to none, not least the gorgeous Rhodes on "Dia De Verao", and the energy pivots nimbly across these seven tracks to make for a varied but cohesive listen. Uptempo "Guerreiro Yoruba" is an infectious stomper, while "Copacabana" captures a cool 70s funk vibe that wouldn't sound out of place on a Rufus & Chaka Khan record. With the title track bringing the perfect laid back party flavour too, there's a lot to savour on this album, not least while the sun is shining.

Review: This time last year, French combo Cotonete joined forces with Brazilian singer Di Melo to deliver what became one of the sleeper hits of last summer - the Latin disco/jazz-funk fusion of "A.E.I.O.U.". Here they continue their partnership with a first collaborative full length. It's a quietly impressive outing, with Di Melo's distinctive vocals rising above cuts that variously doff a cap to sultry Brazilian disco-funk, Azymuth-esque jazz-funk, soundtrack-friendly cinematic soundscapes, Astrud Gilberto style sweetness and humid salsa-funk (standout "Kilario (2019 Version)". It's a warm, loose and hazy set that feels authentically South American despite its Parisian roots.

Review: Esperanto is widely heralded as a Venezuelan jazz-Ffsion masterpiece. It was first released in 1980 and is a real collector's item that is hard to find an expensive. French label Favourite now presents a first ever reissue of the eponymous LP that was recorded in Caracas by a number of talented musicians. It has strong Latin and funk overtones. Squelchy synth sounds and is a must-have for anyone interested in this fine fusion sound. The band started off playing jam sessions that grew ever more refined to the point that they eventually lay down this enduring masterclass.

Review: Charles Maurice shows off his digging skills once again with a collection of tunes that does exactly what it says on the tin. He delves into the album oriented rock archives of countries as far and wide as France, the United Kingdom and Venezuela to come up eight rare and hidden gems. The series started back in 2015 and still makes for essential listening now with gems like 'Don't Take It Away' by Westside - a love song about a new relationship, recorded in Minnesota and mastered on Sunset Bld. Sugar Cane's 'What You Do To Me' is another loved up gem with real romance in the chords.

Review: It would be fair to say that Twylyte '81 aren't exactly one of the better-known soul-jazz acts of the boogie era. In fact, the Frank Jones, Jnr-helmed act released just one album, "The First Coming", in 1981. It's near impossible to find original copies, so France's Favorite Recordings has done the decent thing and offered up this fully licensed reissue. It's a terrific album all told, with the trio offering up a killer mixture of soulful jazz tracks, effervescent jazz-funk numbers, disco-tinged dancefloor cuts and the kind of heart-achingly good slow jams that tend to get overlooked by DJs when they acquire albums of this sort.

Review: Favorite Recordings founder Charles Maurice - initially better-known by his production alias Pascal Rioux - has long been regarded as a dusty-fingered crate digger, so his new compilation series, Fusion Global Sounds, is hotly anticipated. He says it will be an outlet for jazz-funk and fusion tracks of the 1970s and early '80s, mostly made by artists in different parts of the world whose fame never spread further than their own local scenes. You'll find numerous highlights on the series' debut, from the breezy, morning-fresh loveliness of Renato Anselmi's 'Hello Mr Acuvis' and the sun-soaked, afternoon shuffle of The 1960 Band's 'Keep That Same Old Feeling', to the dream pop-influenced sparkle of Otoshakers' 'Simpere Tu' and the righteous dancefloor hedonism of Sundance's 'Buster'.

Review: As he has done three times before, Gallic crate digger Charles Maurice has dipped into his vast record collection and offered up a killer selection of French disco-boogie sounds. The 13 assembled tracks are mostly obscure and uniformly superb, making picking individual highlights an infuriatingly tricky task. Our favourites change daily, but we're currently enjoying the tropical disco brilliance of Dwight Druick's cover of "Georgy Peorgy (Disco Version)", the synth-sporting electrofunk cheeriness of Serge Delisle's "Germaine (Remix)", the thrusting P-funk hustle of Acayouman's "Funk Around" and the near Balearic warmth of "Braziliana" by Aries. As the old expression (sort of) goes, Maurice has once again delivered all killer and no filler.

Review: Favorite Recordings returns with the second edition of its compilation series: Fusion Global Sounds. Comprising eight rare and hidden tracks produced between 1976 and 1984 in various parts of the world, this hot-off-the-plate comp delivers a mighty-fine array of dynamic, soul-feeding jazz, soul, disco, jazz and funk delicacies. As a fine collector of jazz-funk and fusion for many years, curator Charles Maurice can be credited for sourcing the ingredients for and cooking up this fine spread of forgotten entrees, this time brought together by a common Brazilian influence.

Review: For nearly a decade and three albums, Voilaaa has carved out a distinct niche, blending African rhythms with Disco dancefloor vibes and funky arrangements. Their Afro-Tropical journey, led by producer Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart, has produced hits like 'On te l'avait dit', 'Spies Are Watching Me', and 'Ben Bene La', along with global tours and festival appearances. Collaborations with artists such as Lass, Pat Kalla, Sir Jean, Ayuune Sule, Rama Traore, and Fouley Badiaga have been a hallmark, with Badiaga making a notable return on two tracks of their latest album. With C'est tout, Voilaaa sticks to their winning formula while infusing Latin and Caribbean elements, inspired by Hovart's travels in South America. Introduced with the spring release of a maxi single, this album delivers one hit after another. Tracks like 'Fache' featuring Pat Kalla showcase their signature sound: energetic Afrobeat horns, woozy chords, and funky clavinet licks over a dub disco-meets-Afro-boogie groove. The album's 14 tracks are largely composed by Hovart, with standout covers like Ebo Taylor's 'Love and Death' featuring Joao Selva's vocals and a unique rendition of Jamiroquai's 'Too Young to Die' with Olivya (Dowdelin).

Review: Favorite Recordings presents Voiciii, the third album by Voilaaa - the nom de plume of Bruno 'Patchworks' Hovart. It features guest vocalists such as Pat Kalla and Lass who he has worked with previously, but also new ones such as David Walters, Rama Traore and Ayuune Suule. There's also the addition of saxophonist Boris Pokora. The LP is a tribute to major artists of influential African sounds, such as Fela Kuti and Manu Dibango: from the empowering groove of 'Women Can Do', the late night boogie-down antics with a message on 'Water Get No Enemy' to the spiritual life music of LYMYE-A' - a delightful album from start to finish.