Burkinabe Dance Music of the 70's.
Amadou Traoré (1944 –2014), better known as Amadou Balaké, was a popular singer from Burkina Fasso. During his career, which lasted over 50 years, Balaké recorded and performed in different parts of West Africa as well as New York and Paris. In the early 21st century, he was a member of Senegalese salsa band Africando. His music combined different traditions from his home country, primarily Dioula (Mandé) and Mossi, as well as Afro-Cuban music.

Rythmes mandingues, Soukous, Salsa, Funk & Afrobeat

 Marijata ‎– This Is Marijata (Mr Bongo, 2017)

During the mid-1970s Louis Vincent and his group released several soul singles for the Ohio based Hook-Up record label. They were the only group to record for the small independent imprint during the period from 1973 to around 1976 and its likely that each record was originally released with extremely limited availability, making each of the titles really collectable and not widely known.

Germany’s Tramp record label have lovingly put together this great little collection from The Silky Vincent Group’s short history for the Hook-Up record label. Each of the 8-tracks adds something special with either female or male vocalists fronting the individual pieces, adding a varied yet cohesive feel throughout the album. The mid-paced soulful grooves are laced with gospel roots and a funk edged rhythm, with the female backing group lifting the overall sound dynamic.

Of the 8 tracks from The Silky Vincent Group, ‘Get Down For Your Action’, ‘Breezing’, ‘Dance’ and ‘Changed Man’ are probably the most highly sought after titles from their recording period.

Check this out. You won’t be disappointed.

(Mark Jones, UKvibe.org)

Bless !

Free Jazz, Funk, Afrobeat & Spoken Word with Afro & Carribean Rhythm !

The album was recorded over two days in Meudon, France, with guests Keziah Jones, Joseph Bowie (Defunkt) and vibraphonist David Neerman. During the sessions, 20 songs were recorded live in the studio with no overdubs.

El Rego is a true legend of African Soul Music.

Here for the first time on album are 12 of his greatest recordings from the late '60s and early '70s hand-picked by Daptone Records. Afro-Soul collector/DJ Frank Gossner had spent years combing West Africa tracking down 45s by Theophile Do Rego (aka El Rego) before nally meeting him face to face in his home in Benin. The music of El Rego varies astoundingly in style and rhythm: traditional rhythms of Benin played with modern instruments, John Lee Hooker-esque blues, Fela Kuti inspired afro-beat, afro-cuban claves, and straight-up James Brown style funk.

Afrobeat from Comet Records, made in Paris. Big Up!

"The Afrorockerz est le groupe de Julien Raulet , guitariste de Fanga. Sa rencontre avec la chanteuse ivoirienne Ruth Tafebe donne un premier album The Holy Warriors, dans lequel on retrouve Tony Allen, maître du groove Chief Udoh Essiet (ancien percussionniste de Fela), Amayo leader scénique d’Antibalas et Asa la voie soul nigériane.
La planète afrobeat est ainsi frappée par un ouragan sonore, le combo distillant une nouvelle exploration de ses rives musicales sous la houlette bienveillante du label parisien Comet Records.
Héritiers des rythmes issus de l’ardeur inspirée et transpirants de l’indétrônable Fela, ils se font apôtres d’un renouveau du genre, relevé par autant d’incursions dans les profondeurs abyssales de l’électronique du rock, et opèrent ainsi une entrée fracassante sur des rivages désormais consacrés." www.mainsdoeuvres.org

Le 2ème album de Karl Hector & The Malcouns, toujours chez Now-Again Records.

Fusion Afro-Space-Rock-Kraut-Funk... from Germany. Big Up!

"Now-Again nous emmène cette fois pour un voyage funk aux couleurs africaines commencé dans le sud du Sahara et enregistré en Allemagne. Sahara Swing est porté par les excellents musiciens de Poets Of Rhythm et Whitefield Brothers ayant rapportés dans leur Munich natal les influences de l'Est autant que de l'Ouest Africain. Le résultat est une aventure au coeur des polyrythmies de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, de l'Afrobeat de Fela Kuti, de la musique Ethiopienne de Mulatu Astatke, du jazz sud-africain de Hugh Masekela, des expérimentations de Sun Ra et de Can, et du groove de James Brown. Cet album n'a pourtant rien d'un disque de musique du monde, c'est un album reflétant le monde". Cultura.com

(Le Volume 3 est déjà sur le site )

Voici les 4 autres volumes de la série Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International orchestré de main de maître par le collectif français Paris DJs qui à l'origine partageait gratuitement la musique sur internet.

Une mine d'or de mix (bientot sur le site). Epoque révolue.

We take over! 

Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International Vol.1: Dis Is Good For You (2012)

Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International Vol.2: We Are The Fire Inside Your Mind (2013)

Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International Vol.4: Have You Ever Been To Electric Afroland? (2013)

Tropical Grooves & Afrofunk International Vol.5: A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand (2014)

"Essential garage Zamrock/soul/funk: the first official reissue of the celebrated band's one and only album. "The musical style that became known as Zamrock came to embody the economic despair that followed the 1973-1974 oil crisis, which flung Zambia into recession and exacerbated a wide range of social tensions. Much of Zamrock also captured the controversy of wider politics in Africa and the world. Perhaps the finest example of this is Black Power by The Peace." - The Guardian. The Boyfriends, from Kitwe's Chamboli Mine Township, supplied the founding members for Zamrock's most famous band, WITCH, and kick started one of Zamrock's best bands, Peace. Their sole Zamrock entry, Black Power, recorded at Malachite Film Studio circa 1973/4 and issued circa 1975, sounds like nothing else in the Zamrock canon: a lost message drifiting from the flower power era, imbued with a fiery Zambian voice."

Réedition par Now-Again en 2016 de cet album à la frontière entre Zamrock, psyché, Highlife et Afrobeat... Bless.

Encore deux superbes compiles, consacrées à l'inépuisable catalogue Nigérian des 70's... Bless.

Excellente compile, parue sur le label français Oriki. Bless. 

Excellent groupe frenchy, dans la plus pure tradition Kutiesque. Voici la presentation du groupe qu'on trouve sur leur site :

L'AFRO SOCIAL CLUB, c'est un groupe d'Afrobeat associant des rythmiques hypnotiques à de puissantes lignes de cuivre. L'afrobeat est le noyau de son répertoire de compositions principalement instrumentales, mais le groupe a pu tendre l'oreille vers d'autres influences, comme le Highlife, la musique éthiopienne ou bien le Trip Hop.

Unique album pour ce groupe du Ghana, de l'afrobeat bien-sûr, mais aussi du reggae, des ballades, du high-life...Bless.

Pour finir notre petit tour japonais, voici Naoito, qui joue de tous les instruments sur cet excellent album d'afrobeat, excepté le sax et les claviers... Bless !

Un petit tour au pays du soleil levant aujourd'hui, avec d'abord ce nouvel album d'Ajate, ce combo de 10 zicos qui mélangent de l'afrobeat et des instruments traditionnels japonais. Leur premier opus est ici :

Ajate ‎- Abrada (180g, 2017) - FunkyGrooves

AJATE - Okamin (from the Abrada album - 180GLP01) Premier album de ce super groupe japonais, dont voici une mini chronique...

http://funkygrooves.canalblog.com

Bless.

Petit groupe d'afrobeat finlandais... Bless.

Vraiment un excellent album paru il y a peu, dont voici la petite prez parue sur le bandcamp du sieur :

Producer and bassist Huw Marc Bennett presents ‘Tresilian Bay’, a new project that draws from artists such as Tim Maia, Augustus Pablo and Idris Muhammed as much as the jazz scene and community he has found in south-east London. The languid, sultry sound fuses both modern and vintage, travelling from South London electronica, to Brazillian groove, Nigerian Afrobeat and Ghanaian Highlife along with a streak of Welsh psychedelia.

Bless.

Unique album là encore pour ce groupe Beninois, réédité cette année par Acid Jazz UK. Bless.

Superbe album, l'unique pour ce groupe camerounais basé au Nigéria, réédité ici par Superfly Records en 2014. Bless.