A Selection of Songs to represent Arabic Musical History of the 1970s and 1980s.

Merci à Habibi Funk pour ces pépites so FunkyGrooves!

Habibi Funk is dedicated to re-releasing a style of music that historically never existed as a musical genre. We use the term to describe a certain sound that we like from the countries of the Arab world. The songs we chose were created in places quite far from another and under very different circumstances. Some were written and recorded during war times, others in exile. Despite the differences we think there is a musical connection between them. Essentially, we are interested in the musical endeavors, in which artists from the Arab world mixed local and regional influences with musical interests that came from outside of the region. Even though the name suggests it’s all about funk music, our focus is more than just that. Often these influences might be inspired from Western popular music such as soul, pop and rock but it’s not limited to that either. Some of our favorite records are best described as Arabic zouk (a genre originating from the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe) like Mallek Mohamed’s music, Algerian coladera (a popular musical style from the Cape Verdean islands) or Lebanese AOR, which means the process of musical influences displayed on this compilation was much more versatile than just taking Western music as a blueprint and translating it with a local accent. The compilation features 15 different artists. Some you might already know thru Habibi Funk’s releases like Fadoul, Ahmed Malek, Dalton or Al Massrieen, while others are meant as an introduction to artists like Kamal Keila, Sharhabeel Ahmed, Attarazat Addahabia & Mallek Mohamed who will all release full length albums on Habibi Funk in 2018.

Un génie de la musique. Un label mythique. Le son des années 70. Un Pure Chef d'oeuvre.

Superbe album pour ce chanteur soudanais, dont vous obtiendrez plus d'infos ici (en anglais) :

https://thevinylfactory.com/news/habibi-funk-sudan-jazz-kamal-keila-muslims-and-christians-2xlp/

Bless.

Fabuleuse série de compiles explorant le patrimoine musical de 5 pays africains, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Sénégal, Mali et Guinée, principalement dans les 70's. Bless.

The legendary accordionist from Barranquilla in Colombia. 

Musica Colombiana para el Mundo. Bailar Caballeros.

Analog Africa 7 - Anibal Velasquez y Su Conjunto - Mambo Loco

Anibal Velasquez y Su Conjunto - Mambo Loco (CD/2xLP) Analog Africa n°7, 2010-04-12 Having built its reputation on releasing long-forgotten gems from 70's Africa, especially Benin (including two releases by Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou), Analog Africa is moving its focus to another continent altogether.

http://www.parisdjs.com

American jam band formed in 1994 in New Orleans, Louisiana and originally called Galactic Prophylactic. Their music mix hip hop, electronic, world music, rock, blues and jazz. The band is currently: Stanton Moore (drums), Robert Mercurio (bass), Ben Ellman (saxophone/harmonica), Richard Vogel (keyboards), Jeff Raines (guitar)

Tracklist:

Vol 1
01 Mookraj Sahadeo - Marijuana
02 Claude Denjean And Synthesizer - Kiss This
03 Andromeda - Andromeda
04 Don Sebesky - Water Brother
05 Orchestra Cometa - Obstinacy
06 John Keating - I Feel The Earth Move
07 Adam Best - I'm A Man
08 Cecil Wary - Fugue To Cuba
09 Gianni Marchetti - Chierichetti E Diavoletti (From "Top Crack")
10 John Neptune, Arakawa Band - Bamboo

Vol 2
01 Christian Bruhn - Wetten, Dass...? (Dance Mix)
02 Alain Goraguer - Un Homme Traqué (Part 2)
03 Funk Masters - Love Money
04 Jacques Denjean - Psychomaniac
05 Teddy Lasry - Los Angeles
06 Leo Muller - You Said a Bad Word
07 Babe Ruth - The Mexican (Música Incidental "Per Qualche Dollaro In Piu")
08 Garnegy & Maties - Soupapes
09 Harry Stoneham - Move In

Vol 3
01 Emphasis - Dr. Bonnie Mr. Clyde
02 Cedric Brooks, The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari - Rockfort Rock
03 Gianni Mazza - Cross-Way
04 Al “Man” Muntzie And The Embraceables - We Are Steady Rockin'
05 Jack Hendrix Tchikbaams - Rythmofeeling
06 Roger Simard - Mary Mary
07 Assa'd Khoury - Al Ghaba
08 Claude Thomain Et Son Orchestre - Shaker Man
09 J.O.B. Orquestra - Only Faith and Hope
10 Juan Demonio - Es Cana

Obcure compile, parue sur un obscure label, avec une playlist qui se balade entre funk, reggae, easy-listening et library... Bless!

Attention rareté!

Un Grand Architècte du Groove, auteur, compositeur, chef d'orchestre, directeur musical et musicien multi-instrumentiste. Son apport à la musique est trop méconnu du grand public mais pas des musiciens.

Nombreux sont ceux qui ont découvert ou affirmé leur personnalité musicale après avoir été à son "école" et notamment Etienne MBappé, Paco Sery, Assitan Dembélé, Michel Alibo, Jean-Pierre Como... (cf Music In Africa)

Excellente BO, réeditée ici par Jazzman en 2010, de Boris Gardiner, bassiste, chanteur et compositueur de Kingston, à la carrière bien remplie. Parfois clairement reggae, normal, on s'approche aussi régulièrement du funk et de la soul. Bless.

 César's Salad ‎– The Latin Beat

When the unique percussionist Cesar Granados and his latin-jazz quartet play only three things count: groove, groove and more groove! On "The Latin Beat" Cesar's Salad play a selection of their favourite Latin and Brazilian jazz tunes from the likes of Mongo Santamaria, Weldon Irvine Jr, Marcos Valle, Gil Fuller and more.

Cesar Granados (congas, vocals) from Panama City is one of Europe's leading percussionists. He is joined by Jo Junghanss (piano) who lives and works in New York City, Jerker Kluge (bass) and Hajo von Hadeln (drums), who have played together as a rhythm-section for years and are the foundation for this band.

César’s Salad ‎– The Latin Beat Vol.2

The « Man from Panama » is back in action again – and even harder-hitting now! Percussion master Cesar Granados is back - burning every bit as hard as on Volume 1, and we dare say: burning even harder.

Cesar Granados and his group are in top form throughout – serving up a blend of afro-cuban grooves and 60s soul and jazz influences that few other artists of our time could deliver in such an energetic and dynamic manner.
Listen to the complex, highly intriguing rhythms and the great interplay of this fantastic percussion and drum section, delivering a groove that burns mightily across all tracks.

Titles include the classics Watermelon Man, Song for my Father and A Night in Tunisia, as well as new compositions like Yenyeré, The Man from Panama, La Serpiente and Pushing Space.
In addition to his mighty Conga grooves, Cesar contributes infectious vocals on three tunes (Yenyeré, The Man from Panama and El Dynamico and delivers two outstanding timbales solos!

Allez, on va se faire l'intégrale, ou quasi, du catalogue Fraykers Revenge : des compiles sorties de nulle part, qui se regroupent principalement autour de 3 grands themes : les films de kung-fu, les films de gangsters, et les pornos. Bref, principalement du bon gros funk, mais pas que. Je vais les poster par ordre alphabétique, sinon je vais jamais m'y retrouver... Les qualités d'encodage sont parfois pas top, mais pas facile de trouver mieux... Bless !

“Released by Octopus in 1973 & now available for the first time on vinyl on Spettro

“Bass Modulations” is a record included in many “hip hop breakbeats” charts and it pays specific attention on bass – as title – and percussions.
Composers are Antonino Scuderi, who worked on 2 tracks, ‘Overtime’, with low frequencies and a primitive drum machine, and ‘Range in’, one of the most strange track of this compilation, Roberto Conrado, Roman composer, already member of Gli Apostoli in the 60s, and Piero Romano Montanari, Roman, scores’ author (long-lasting collaboration with cult director Joe D’Amato), bass player and session-musician for many Italian pop stars as Renato Zero, Ivan Graziani, Pino Daniele, Sergio Caputo and Claudio Baglioni, just to name a few.
“Bass Modulation” is an easy listening collection of tracks, with no experimental fit and lot of funky hooks and 70s rhythms and dynamics. ‘Likewise’ is a groovy gem, led by guitar, bass and synth; ‘Pledge’ hangs between light psych and flutes, while ‘Properly’ is another little masterpiece of this record, full of fuzz guitar and afro percussions. Just let the groove overwhelm you, every track is devoted to bass modulations.”

Destruction by the Nkengas originally hit streets in 1973, overflowing with heavy Afro-beat, Afro-rock, and gritty highlife. Few copies were pressed, and today it can take months of searching to find a copy of this coveted gem. It came about during Osita Osadebe and His Nigeria Sound Makers's UK tour. Financial hardship led members of the Nigeria Sound Makers to break off and form another group while in London, the Nkengas.

Next, the Nkengas were introduced to Jamaican born Sonny Roberts, well known in London for his Orbitone record store and label. After the recording sessions, the band returned to Nigeria and became known as the Ikenga Super Stars of Africa, finding much success in West Africa. Despite their later popularity, the heights of funky rawness in this early effort were seldom duplicated.

Reissue by Secret Stash Records in 2013.

Secret Stash is a Minneapolis based label centered around 60's and 70's Soul, Funk, African & Latin records. Big Up!

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.

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

Broasted Or Fried: Latin Breakbeats, Basslines & Boogaloo (2000, Harmless)

Freak Off: Latin Breakbeats, Basslines & Boogaloo (2001, Harmless)

 Brown Sugar: Latin Breakbeats, Basslines & Boogaloo (2002, Harmless)

Des pépites Latin. Classic All-Stars. Afro-Cuban, Descarga, Boogaloo & Latin Jazz.

Le tout réuni par le Label Anglais Harmless.

« Personne n'oserait aujourd'hui contester la valeur du regretté Ray Charles dans l'histoire des musiques populaires américaines. Créateur d'un idiome culturel majeur, la Soul-Music, il symbolise à lui seul l'émancipation religieuse de la communauté noire au tournant des années 60. En détournant les codes et rites des Negro-Spirituals, le «Genius» a bousculé l'une des formes d'expression séculaires de l'Amérique profonde. Il ne faudrait cependant pas réduire la genèse de la Soul-Music à ce brillant symbole de résistance et de courage artistique... Bien avant que l'esprit frondeur de quelques instrumentistes audacieux ne redessine les contours du paysage sonore outre-Atlantique, les germes de cette quête identitaire nourrissaient déjà les répertoires sacrés et profanes. Il suffit d'écouter le blues de Blind Willie Johnson en 1928, les mots scandés du révérend Benny Campbell en 1938 ou l'humeur rock de Roy Brown en 1950, pour comprendre que la Soul-Music existait déjà dans le vocabulaire des orateurs d'antan. Grâce aux recherches encyclopédiques du musicien, dessinateur, photographe et auteur, Bruno Blum, ces évidentes racines de l'âme noire rejaillissent à travers une sélection de 72 titres réunis dans le coffret «Roots of Soul» (Frémeaux & Associés) qui met en lumière la puissance émotionnelle du peuple noir durant la première moitié du XXème siècle. Si cette anthologie Soul donne du relief à des classiques universels comme «Please, Please, Please» de James Brown, «These arms of mine» d'Otis Redding ou «Stubborn kind of fellow» de Marvin Gaye, il est plaisant de se plonger dans un patrimoine méconnu grâce aux archives dépoussiérées de Louis Jordan, Dinah Washington ou Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Au-delà de l'intérêt musicologique, ces œuvres parfaitement restaurées narrent le combat de valeureux interprètes au service de causes justes et dignes : le respect, l'égalité, le partage... »
Par Joe FARMER – « L’EPOPEE DES MUSIQUES NOIRES » RFI

Bless.

En 2009, Frente Cumbiero a invité le légendaire producteur de dub Mad Professor à Bogotá, dans le cadre du projet Incubator du British Council, dans le but de mener une rencontre sonore entre cumbia et dub. Pendant 3 jours et sous la direction de Mad Professor et de son fils Joe Ariwa, divers projets ont été enregistrés dans les studios de la Faculté des Arts de l'Université Javeriana pour être traités sous l'esthétique dub. En plus d'enregistrer des compositions originales de Frente Cumbiero, une partie importante du projet visait à rassembler des musiciens clés de la scène de Bogota pour improviser et créer ensemble en studio.

Big Up Vampi Soul!

Funky Afro-Jazz, Soul & Afro-Highlife

Nigeria in the 1970s had one of the biggest recording industries on the continent as well as one of the most diverse. The fusion of African rhythms and culture with jazz, funk, soul and rock was an Africa wide phenomenon but nowhere was it more prolific and active than the cities and dance floors of Nigeria. These twelve rarities highlight how the Afro – Sound influenced all areas of the music scene and how it progressed throughout a very creative and energetic decade. From Funky Afro-Jazz, Soul & Afro-Highlife to big, Dance Floor Afro-Beat Nigeria led the way in West Africa at the time.

L'album culte du chef d'orchestre belge Nico Gomez (Joseph van het Groenewoud)

Born of a Dutch father and a South American mother, Nico Gomez, he spent his entire youth in Curaçao in the Antilles. Later, with his family, he moved to Cuba and stayed in most of the other islands of the Caribbean Sea. Passionate musician and already a skilled guitarist, he soon became familiar with the typical rhythms of those regions, thus accumulating an uncommon experience in South American music.
Rich in these notions, he arrived in Europe and settled in Holland and Belgium, where his musical career took place. As a guitarist and as a singer he was part of numerous Dutch-Belgian orchestras in his first years of activity; later on he formed a typical orchestra of nine elements which soon became one of the most appreciated by the public of those countries.
In the musical environment he is also highly appreciated as a composer and arranger; in addition to his work for the orchestra of Chakachas.

Plusieurs Rééditions :
P-Vine Records (2001)
Lupita Records (2005)
Mr Bongo (2013)

Hot Casa Records present Togo Soul 70 (Selected Rare Togolese Recordings from 1971 to 1981)

A treasure-trove of rare and unusual recordings mostly recorded in Lomé during the 70’s, a fusion of traditional voodoo chants, raw soul and Afro jazz. Finding these tracks and their rights holders hasn’t become any easier even after few trips all over this west African country bordered by Ghana, Benin & Burkina Faso.

Hot Casa Records decided to select 13 tracks, a snapshot of some hundreds of rare and often forgotten tapes from the most prolific, professional and exciting phase of the country’s recording history, including international stars like Bella Bellow (who even performed to Maracana stadium in Brazil), or Roger Damawuzan, compared as the James Brown from Lomé, and forgotten tapes and brilliant songs in Mina, Kabyié and Fon languages. Many of the tracks featured here are peppered with innovation and experimentation highlighting how diverse the music scene in Togo was at the time, even if the political context influenced their creation.

West-African styles and American Funk. Body Music, Afro Funk's 1975 LP, was recorded and released in London, England.

The band was comprised mostly of West-African expatriates residing there. At the time, the city was host to a vibrant African music scene. The massive success of Osibisa created a swarm of young bands trying to use London as a launching pad for international stardom. Unfortunately, Afro Funk did not find the success they were looking for and Body Music became their only album. The deep funk grooves and driving afrobeat rhythms featured on this rare LP have made it a desired addition to record collections around the world.

After its small private press release in London on "Kabana Records," Body Music was also released in extremely limited quantites by Kojo Asare's Chairman Records in Ghana. Despite the well crafted mix of various West-African styles and American funk, without the support of a label and no major touring it quickly faded into obscurity. Today copies rarely surface.

Psychedelic Afro-Beat, Latin, Hip-Hop, Soundtrack Music, Funky Beat...

Killah Soundz!

Ocote Soul Sounds is Martin Pena (Antibalas) & Adrian Quesada (Grupo Fantasma, Brownout) and their extended musical family spanning from Austin to New York to Washington DC to Sao Paulo.

Check It Out Now!

Ocote Soul Sounds & Adrian Quesada :

El Niño Y El Sol (Aire Sol Records/ Eighteenth Street Loung Music, 2004)

The Alchemist Manifesto (Eighteenth Street Loung Music, 2008)

Coconut Rock (Eighteenth Street Loung Music, 2009)

Ocote Soul Sounds :

Taurus (Eighteenth Street Loung Music, 2011)

Psychadelic Afro-Rock & Fuzz Funk In 1970s Nigeria.

Ginger Baker first visited Nigeria in 1970 at a time when local rock music was just finding its feet. By then the sound of Jimi Hendrix & bands like Santana had started to seep in to the mainly soul-based sets of a handful of young bands playing western influenced pop. Recognising the talent of bands like Cluster International and The Afro-Collection, Baker toured Europe & America with some of their musicians with his new band Airforce & Salt. Back in Nigeria in 1972 and exposed to the world of progressive and psychedelic rock at its peak, Joni Haastrup started his Mono-Mono band & Berkley Jones, Laolo Akins & Mike Odumosu set up BLO. The craze that followed hit the youth and student population of Nigeria hard – mixing fuzz guitar & heavy, African rhythms with elements of Led Zeppelin, Traffic & the Chambers Brothers. 15 of the best LP and 45 cuts of the scene are available here for the first time in 30 years.

Underground 70's Disco Funk from Lagos Nigeria. Big Up Soundway!

The Funk & Disco Capital of West Africa from 1974-79. More nightclubs, bars, spots and dance-floors than any place along the coast from Dakar all the way to Kinshasa. The only 24 track recording studio in the same stretch with more DJs & imported American LPs and 45s than any of it’s neighbours.
Soundway presents 9 slabs of rhythm from a time when Saturday and Sunday nights in Lagos City were for looking good and going out. All of them vital musical feathers in the Lagos DJ bow alongside the latest Brass Construction, BT Express & James Brown imports that were hot off the plane.