Tags: Zouk

Review: DJ Hunee afro monster gets an official repress for Hot Casa in France. Calling it massive would bit an understatement.

Review: While he's been offering up some sizzling solo albums of late, French DJ/producer GUTS is still arguably better known as the seasoned selector behind the excellent "Beach Diggin'" compilations. Here he offers up another compilation, this time showcasing tried-and-tested tracks that have been rocking his DJ sets for the last few years. Mostly focused around club-friendly global sounds past and present, the 17-track selection is full of little known killers, overlooked dancefloor workouts and forgotten gems. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the horn-sporting boogie-zouk bounce of Evasion 85's "Van La Ka Vante" and the cheeky "Rappers Delight" re-write "Bon Tempos" by Equipe Radio Cidade, to the sparkling Afro-disco heat of Eko Roosevelt Louis' "Tondoho Mba" and the righteous Afro-Brazilian drum workout that is Alma Luma's "Princesa Isabel".

Review: Inspired by his own experiences growing up in apartheid-era South Africa and his travels through music, Esa Williams has put together a compilation of contemporary electronic music from around the world. "Amandla: Music To The People" is well worth your attention and contains some genuine gems. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the percussive, chant-along sweatiness of Penny Penny's "Shilungu" and the loved-up, pitched-down dreaminess of Alaska's "Accuse (Instrumental)", to the sweet, life-affirming cheeriness of Os Panteras' "Melo Do Anjo (Outro Edit)" and the thrusting, Italo-disco style dancefloor masculinity of Masalo's "Yera". Esa's own late '80s style pitched-down South African house jam "Pantsula Traxx" is also superb.

Review: A while back, Africaine 808's DJ Nomad contacted Favorite Recordings' chief Pascal Rioux about a killer track he'd been given some years back - an obscure, previously CD-R only fusion of modern Gwo-ka and Zouk by Esnard Boisdur entitled "Mizik Bel". Rioux was excited by what he heard and agreed that the track should come out on vinyl, accompanied by a fresh rework by Nomad and Dirk Leyers as Africaine 808. Boisdur's original version (side A) is rhythmically dense but also cheery and life affirming, with celebratory chorus vocals and 80s zouk style synth lines subtly rising above a busy, all-action groove. Arguably even better is the sub-heavy Africaine 808 mix, which brilliantly re-imagines the track as a tasty chunk of tropical house/disco-zouk fusion.

Review: Melodies International is a real favourite label here at Juno HQ, headed up famously by Floating Points and finds including Mafalda. The third volume of their Melodies record Club is as good as anything the label has put out to date: it features a trio of jazz cuts selected by the one and only Hunee. First is Digital Justice's 'Theme From "It's All Gone Pearshaped"', a 13 minute live jam packed with synth action. On the flip is a spiritual piece from harpist Dorothy Ashby and Frantz Tuernal's 'Koultans'. Says Hunee, "these three distinct pieces of music tap into different layers of my memory."

Review: Labels Hot Mule and Secousse have teamed up to deliver something special: a killer EP of "lost gems from the golden era of Zouk and Gwo-Ka" in Guadeloupe (that's 1985 to '92, fact fans). The four tracks showcased here were performed and produced by an artist whose fame in Guadeloupe sadly never spread any further, Max Rambhojan. The A-side boasts two versions of the rather brilliant and suitably cheery "Tou't Jou Pa Min'm": the jaunty, sun-kissed, whistle-sporting 1986 original mix, and Rambhojan's heavily electronic, synthesizer-heavy, calypso-tinged 1992 re-make of his biggest local hit. Over on side B you'll find the bubby dub bass, sparse synths and flute solos of the decidedly tropical "Cecilia" and a suitably breezy, sunset-ready gem entitled "On Jou Matin".

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: In the summer of 2018, Strut offered up a compilation that mined the extensive back catalogue of Disques Debs International, a Guadeloupe-based label that showcased the finest music to come out of the French-speaking Caribbean between 1950 and 2000. While that set focused on material released between 1960 and '72, this belated sequel showcases cuts featured on Henri Debs' legendary imprint between 1973 and '81. The musical palette is therefore even brighter, breezier and more sun-kissed, offering up cuts that touch on mambo, rumba, Zouk, tropical disco, reggae and the kind of cross-cultural fusions that belie easy categorization. As you'd expect from Strut, the selections are spot on and the re-mastered sound superb. In other words, it's another must-have release from Quinton Scott's imprint.

Review: Duca Bianco is back with one of its special various artists' releases, and a mighty fine one it is too. This one finds four guest producers all with their finest studio tools sharpened and ready for action. Two of the artists are well known but use new alias - one is Israeli synth and psyche wizards Red Axes who work their magic as Der Sexa on 'Gabi Plane' and another is Beauty & The Beat party man Cedric Woo as CW. He gets nice and twisted here while the other two cuts - one from Italo king Franz Scala who builds slow new wave funk, and one from Manchester's renowned edit kings Talking Drums who offer some lovely leftfield madness on 'DMNB', all make for crucial listening.

Review: For the last decade, John Gomez and Nick The Record's freewheeling Tangent parties have proved popular in London, offering dancers the chance to shake their stuff to a wide selection of superb (and normally insanely rare) records over a high quality soundsystem. The pair's first Tangent compilation, which arrives via Mr Bongo, naturally offers a superb reflection of their approach and is packed with must-have cuts. For proof, check the proto-house era dubbed-out boogie of King B's 'Love Is Crazy', the sun-splashed Brazilian gorgeousness of 'Laberinto' by PERIKAS, the spaced-out headiness of Hidrogenese's 'La Carta Era Muy Larga (Dub)', the heavy batacuda business of 'Nira Gongo' by Conjuto Baluartes' and the dub disco-flecked, deep house brilliance of LTA's 'What Comes To Ya'.

Review: The freshest 12" Balearic vinyl release on the block comes courtesy of Discotecas, a label who prefer to home in on underground house and Balearic edits. The release features four tracks: 'Move', 'Like Syrup', 'Take It' and 'Always Forever', all of which are essentially lost vestiges of well-known songs. Some parts are genuine edits, sometimes they aren't and instead function as made-from-scratch imitations, but that's part of the art. Whether or not they're built on wholly original samples is superfluous - as long as the tracks pique the brain's deja-vu receptors, as they do with, their slap-basses, clavey shakers, and sultry beachside vocals, then we're good.

Review: To celebrate ten years of one of London's most loved underground club nights, Tangent, Mr Bongo are thrilled to launch this new compilation series. Crafted by its two residents, John Gomez and Nick the Record, it aims to transmit a taste of Tangent's spirit: a party rooted in inclusivity and open-mindedness, whose name captures the spontaneous switches in musical direction that are a defining element of their nights. For the compilation, the pair have cherry-picked a selection of their prized, rare and dancefloor-ready tracks from around the globe, that have soundtracked the past decade of parties. Spanning live-recorded disco, Brazilian boogie and weighty lovers' rock, this selection of rare sonic meats is a prized procuring, the consistent quality of which you likely won't be able to track down in many other contexts.

Review: The Shaketown series returns with Caribbean Shaketown EP, an energetic blend of zouk classics, each track reimagined with a vibrant twist. Noema and Magic Jams guide this release, continuing the legacy of Noema's celebrated edit of Ata Kak's 'Daa Nyinaa'. The EP is a rhythmic journey across four tracks, each radiating warmth and life, making it a perfect addition to any Balearic-leaning set. 'Zisou (Magic Jams' Dub Edit)' kicks things off with smooth percussion and layered synths that simmer beneath the surface, giving just enough room for the bassline to shine. The magic continues with 'Soleil Choco (Magic Jams' Extended Club Remix)', blending deep grooves with expansive melodies to create a sun-drenched anthem, the type that transports you straight to the beach at twilight. On the flip, Noema's 'Love Energy' edit slows the pace slightly, balancing nostalgic vocals with dreamy pads, maintaining that irresistible pull towards the dancefloor. Closing things out is 'Cha Cha (Magic Jams' Rondo Edit)', a joyous, percussion-led workout that weaves playful rhythms with a Caribbean flair. Proceeds from this EP will support the Love and Hope Music School in Haiti, adding a heartwarming layer to this already exceptional release. Four tracks that deliver both musically and ethically, ensuring Caribbean Shaketown stands as a must-have for lovers of Balearic beats and zouk-inspired grooves.

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: David Walters's new album Soul Tropical on French label Heavenly Sweetness is perfectly titled. It is a lush collection of soul so tropical you feel as if you're dancing deep in a steamy jungle as the music uplifts and truly nourishes. It draws on his family heritage in the West Indies and finds David once again singing about this famous string of sun-kissed islands across 13 joyful cuts. These are tracks with rich arrangements and plenty of world instruments making a fusion of disco, zouk, Caribbean, Afrobeat and funk that make a lasting impression. An essential album as summer approaches.

Review: Strut introduces the highly anticipated third volume in the Disques Debs International series, diving deeper into the archives of one of the greatest French Caribbean labels, Disques Debs, based in Guadeloupe. Founded by Henri Debs in the late 1950s, the Debs studio naturally doubled as a record label and ran for over 50 years, releasing more than 300 7" singles and 200 LPs, cementing it as one of the foremost record labels to prize Caribbean music history. Not just limited to Guadeloupean musicians but also Martinicians and Parisians, the likes of Jocelyn Mocka, Mariz, Dominique Parol, Christian Yeye and Alex Rosa make this a thixotropic record, mercurial and restless as it is rooted in forms of zouk, biguine, gwoka and, of course, the nascent electronica. This third volume flaunts the label's dynamic latter-day period, as it interpreted the analog electronic dreams of the 1980s.

Review: In 1977, Gaye Mody Camara, a young Soninke raised in Mali's Kayes region, settled in France to found his own empire modelled psychically after the great Soninko empire. Initially selling wax, kola nuts and other goods in his Parisian outlets, he rapidly started distributing cassette tapes and eventually producing a multitude of recordings for his own label, Camara Production. Crossing paths and collaborating over the next four decades with legendary artists, griots and industry moguls like Boncana Maiga and Jean-Philippe Rykiel, Camara became one of the great independent music producers of his generation, and a pillar of the Parisian Soninke diaspora. Released in close collaboration with Camara and with the assistance of Daouda N'diaye, one of A.P.S' (Association pour la Promotion de la langue et de la culture Soninke) historical members, this selection of songs and accompanying notes aim to shed a light on an intricate culture and its modern music, unjustifiably unknown outside of West Africa and the various diasporas around the world.

Review: The Off The Radar label very much got itself on the radar with its first offering of timeless edits. After that Brazilian focussed 12" comes a hand-stamped slab of wax with an Afro and funk twist. It is again by label heads Biga and Mirko Casalini 'Freaky' gets things underway with a strident groove and big bass licks topped with some sumptuous strings. 'Uptown' brings dazzling disco grooves and big synth energy under a lush vocal while 'Afrikasem' takes you to the Southern hemisphere in an instant with its Afro percussion and big beat brilliance. 'Stop' is another fine fusion of worldwide disco sounds.

Review: Oliver N'Goma was a Gabonese Afro-zouk and soukous singer and guitarist whosadly passed away in 2010, leaving a handful of albums and singles as his musical legacy. His debut album Bane is one of the highest selling African albums of all time and this Best Of collects songs taken from that and other releases, all hand picked by the artist himself a few years before his death. For the very first time, this compilation is now available on vinyl - so, what are you waiting for?!