Search results: Florence

Review: A hugely exciting and thoroughly danceable new 7" from Florence Adooni, blowing any other artist who could even remotely hope to stake a worthy claim to contemporary highlife out of the park. Following up her debut single 'Fo Yelle' on Philophon, the Ghanaian Frafra Soul singer returns backed by an eight-member troupe, made up of young talents from the highlife scene of Kumasi, Ghana. 'Uh Ah Song' and its inverse counterpart 'Otoma Da Naba' are slick, clean and joyous daytime jaunts, with the former track lyrically meditating on familial and childhood themes while effortlessly pinning down a difficult-to-maintain-for-most uptempo highlife backbeat and improv. The B-side, meanwhile, pays tribute to the supreme terrestrial creator central to Adooni's native Frafra community, and centres on a heptatonic electronic, nigh acid riff and lo-fi texture with a "je ne sais qoui" that, in our view, renders it the tune of the year so far.

Review: The Florence label is back with more of its high grade funk here with the eponymous artist or artists behind another healthy dose on this new 7". 'Dancing' is a raw sound with slapping drum hits and plenty of noodling synth lines that elevate the whole thing next to big horns. But the icing on the cake is of course the raw vocal lead that is offset by some more sooth female coos. A more funky and bouncy break is the foundation of the flipside joint 'Be My Baby' with its alluring vocals and raw 60s aesthetic serving to get you up on your toes.

Review: Florence is back on their own self titled label for a fifth outing that once again brings hardcore funk groves laden with great samples. 'Get Down' is raw and driving with hard hits and bouncing bass all delivered in a lo-fi style under guttural vocals. 'Dirty' is more sleazy and low slung with a more seductive vocal sound and plenty of modern synth lines next to the authentic rhythm section sounds. Whoever is behind this project sure knows how to cook up the funky goods and then some.

Review: Florence Adooni's relationship with Philophon goes back some time. She was the voice of Guy One's group and featured on his hit 'Estre' while she also provided vocals for Jimi Tenor's club classic 'Vocalize My Luv'. Under her own name, she has also dropped a series of top albums that have earned her the title of "the queen of Frafra-Gospel". This super sweet 45rpm typifies that sound with shakers and hand clapping, acoustic guitars and earthy drum sounds. 'Yinne' is upbeat and sunny and rich in melody and 'Fo Yelle' is much more heartfelt and introspective. Both are great.

Review: Once falling prey to the tendency for rare records to be heavily priced up and thus rendered inaccessible to buyers on the secondhand market, Florence Miller's 'I'm Just A Lonely Girl/The Groove I'm In' now sees a long-awaited reissue via its original label P&P. Very little about Miller is known, save for her involvement in the label run by Peter Brown, on which just two records were ever released. But these two cuts - one of which is more lonesome and serene, and the other skewed towards bombast - are eternal testaments to her talent, and have become sought-after staples of the Northern Soul scene.

Review: The fourth EP from Florence on their own Florence label is simply entitled 'Funk.' And that is what we get in two different variations on this limited 45rpm' There is an old swing feel to the opener which has vocals that Elvis would be proud of. 'Bossa Nova Baby' is lovely and hard-hitting with hand claps and steel drums adding fuel. On the backside is 'I Got You' which is a more sweet soul sound driven by funky brass and prickly bass motifs. Two golden oldies for sure.

Review: Philophon is a Berlin-based label run by Max Weissenfeldt. Part of Philophon is the Tonstudio Bluetenring in Kreuzberg, operated by Benjamin 'Stibbo' Spitzmueller. The label's essential motivation is to support any form of local culture with reason, freedom and ludic drive. North-Ghanaian singer Guy One presents his first international release here. He promises what his name is saying: he is the number one artist of Frafra music, named after his people. "Everything You Do, You Do For Yourself" is a driving Highlife rhythm and his only song having a phrase in English. "Estre" features one of the leading voices of Frafra-Gospel named Florence Adooni. She interweaves perfectly with the horn arrangements by Weissenfeldt and the drummer. Washington's Hailu Mergia, San Francisco's Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids and the legendary Scandinavian producer Jimi Tenor have also released on the label over the last year too.

Review: In recent years we've become accustomed to Jimi Tenor flitting between off-kilter jazz, Afro-soul and - most recently via a Freestyleman collaboration - oddball house. 'Mysteria', his latest single, recalls the easy-going vocal numbers that marked out his years on Warp Records in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Not quite lounge, synth-pop, deep boogie or jazz-funk but rather something in between, the song features a typical lead vocal from Finland's greatest export bar Teemu Pukki, some seriously squelchy bass, and plenty of retro-futurist charm. Arguably even better is 'Vocalize My Love', a kind of jumpy Afro-dancehall number featuring analogue bass, hot-stepping drums and superb vocals courtesy of Florence Addoni and Lizzy Amaliyenga.