Tags: African Disco

Review: A 10" featuring the finest that highlife has to offer, Crentsil was a figurehead of Ghanian music during the 70s and 80s who was introduced to highlife music at the turn of the 90s - a combination of pop, jazz, disco, and funk. 'Obi Baa Wiase' and 'Sika Be Ba' are two tracks with a close-knit message of gratitude, hope and faith between them, with the former being the staple track of Crentsil's long career after being played at weddings, festivals, and live concerts by local bands. A pair of incredible tracks produced by Charles Amoah utilising limited equipment to create an authentic party atmosphere, jovial flutes and plucky strings are the accompaniment to A.B. Entsils's proclamation of joy - put this on at the party and the room are sure to start moving.

Review: Bongo Joe and Sofa Records' third instalment of the Maghreb K7 Club Disco Single series dives deep into Algeria's vibrant 1980s scene, offering four tracks that shine a light on the region's overlooked gems. The A-side is led by two irresistible pop-boogie-funk tracks from Khaled Barkat: 'Galouli Enshara' and 'Zourini'. Self-taught and self-produced in 1983, Barkat's music was a hit at the time but got overshadowed by the rising tide of rai. His dynamic collaboration with Yazid Fentazi, Redouane Ayoub, and Mhenni Benlala resulted in a sound that blends infectious grooves with local flair. Now, for the first time, these tracks are on vinyl, offering fresh ears the chance to rediscover a key player in Algeria's pop history. Cheb Tati takes over on the B-side with 'Dub El Hammam', a heavyweight dub number that showcases his range as a rai vocalist. Tati was flown to London in 1989 to work with dub pioneer Denis Bovell, and this track is a standout from their sessions, merging the pulsating rhythms of reggae with a distinctly North African flavour. Closing out the release is the Kabyle band Asif, whose only known recording, 'Tafsut', serves as a fitting finale. Formed by three brothers in Lille during the late 70s, this beautifully crafted pop-boogie track captures the band's unique sound, bringing a sense of nostalgia and triumph to the collection.

Review: The new sublabel, La Sirenetta will be celebrating the vibrant Italian Afro scene of the late 80s while aiming to elevate World Music for today's dance clubs. This initiative focuses on unearthing and reissuing hidden gems from their extensive analog collections, spanning regions from Martinique to the Ivory Coast and Nigeria to Haiti. The first release features two tracks that encapsulate this vision: 'La Danza Della Giungla' on Side-1 and 'Quella E Una Bambola' on Side-2. Both tracks are expertly edited to ensure they resonate on contemporary dance floors, presenting them in high-quality, collectible 12" formats. With this launch, La Sirenetta promises to enchant collectors and DJs alike, laying the groundwork for a series of releases designed to invigorate Afro and world music scenes.

Review: Faze Action's Afro series hits a fourth and final volume with Zeke Manyika and Faze Action themselves at the helm of two new singles. The vibes on this one take their cues from Afro Latin and Balearic worlds with opener 'Maswera' bringing nice open-air festival sounds, rich horn work and expressive drum funk. Manyika's chants are the icing on the cake for this one. Then comes a nice dubbed-out remix of 'Rugare' by Faze Action with lively disco drums and loose-limbed percussion. The original on the flip is a more straight-up and dazzling disco cut while a paired back instrumental of 'Maswera' closes things down in style. Timeless Afro bombs for sure.

Review: Longtime fans of Vive La Musique's impressive ability to both catalog old and release new music will find much to love in this one. Here they home in on South African composer and bass player Sipho Gumede's 'Something to Say', a stunning six-tracker flaunting the musician's distinctive blend of Afro-boogie with an 80s-style montage feel. Warm, inviting and dreamy, tracks like 'Bayabizana' and 'Something To Say' are sexual and freeing dirges, as suitable for long-haul flights and penthouse cocktails as they are for shouting about new love from the rooftops.

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.

Review: South African funk outfit Stimela, named after the Zulu word for locomotive, formed out of the ashes of bandleader Ray Phri's previous band, The Cannibals, and soon became an institution in their homeland. Five albums deep in 1986, they also released the astounding Rewind EP, which now gets faithfully reissued by Mr Bongo for a fresh audience. Every track on here is a winner, from the epic, proggy groove of 'I Love You' to the low slung, synth-rich funky angles of 'Shaka Doo Ba'. You won't regret copping this slab of wax, trust us.

Review: A strong, strong showing from Duca Bianco after a period of relative dormancy, teaming up with Manchester's Talking Drums for a musical culture clash with maximum impact. The four tracks see a wide palate of influences being mixed up, from the cheeky Afrobeat shuffle of 'Monkey Key' to the 80s electropop of 'Voice Of Omicron' and the Nico-esque vocal delivery on Balearic groover 'Dolce Julia'. This is an EP with lots of surprises, tons of originality and musical confidence brimming over its edges.