VA - Can You Feel It? Vol.4: Modern Soul, Disco & Boogie 1976-85

Tramp Records' Can You Feel It series, which here reaches its fourth instalment, has always been one of the more reliable sources of obscure, hard-to-find modern soul and boogie, with many tracks plucked from the vaults of tiny labels or private press releases. Naturally the selections this time round are spot on and will be unfamiliar to all but a handful of dedicated diggers. Highlights include (but are in no way limited to) the flash-fried, solo-heavy psych-funk of Vantage Point's 'All Night', the disco rush of Keith lowery's 'Super Dude', the low-slung, War-esque brilliance of 'You Shake 'Em Things' by Synod, the horn-heavy jauntiness of Street Life 80's 'Steps On A Cloud', and the killer boogie-funk badness of Ditto Memo's 'Upside Down'.

Tracklist:
1. Matter of Taste - Step by Step
2. Vantage Point - All Night
3. Kim McCrae - I'm Feeling It Too
4. Frankie Staton - Bi-Centennial (feat. Speckled Rainbow)
5. Kathy Lowery - Super Dude
6. Royal Touch - What Am I Gonna Do Baby
7. Synod - You Shake Them Things
8. Pat Carpenter - Love You Use to Be so Easy
9. Swankk - If It Takes All Night
10. Ocean Orchestra - Skinflint
11. Street Life '80 - Steps on a Cloud
12. Jackie Berns - I Still Love You
13. Tory Wynter - Real True Voices
14. Chatham - I'll Be Good to You
15. Dalton Reed - Giving on into Love
16. Panama Gold - Gettin' Lucky

Papa Yankson - Party Time

Kalita are proud to present the first ever reissue of Papa Yankson’s highly sought-after 1989 disco-infused highlife masterpiece 'Party Time'! Showcasing the late Ghanaian superstar at his very best, ‘Party Time’ encapsulates the blending of deep, rhythmic West African highlife with synthesizers and electronic styles that had exploded during the decade. Now, thirty-five years after initial release, and with original copies having reached grail status on the second-hand collector’s scene, Kalita brings this phenomenal record back to life, with extensive liner notes and never-before-seen photos detailing Papa Yankson’s musical career.

A recipient of the Grand Medal of Ghana for his contribution to Ghanaian music, Papa Yankson was a key member of C.K. Mann’s Carousel Seven outfit during the 1970s, releasing joint albums together on the infamous Essiebons label to great success.

However, it was at the end of the following decade that Papa released ‘Party Time’, highlighting his forward-thinking musical style with its numerous hypnotic and driving up-tempo disco-soaked highlife cuts. Originally released in a small run on the short-lived Marriot Promotion label, the album features the standouts ‘Wonma Yenko Po’ and ‘Mumumde’, each showcasing deep highlife melodies, heavy drum patterns and phenomenal horn performances from the ingenious Sammy Lartey Jr on saxophone and Nana Asare on trumpet to boot.

With original copies selling for eye-watering amounts on the rare occasion that they come up for sale, the time is ripe for Kalita to celebrate this true Ghanaian 80’s grail, accompanied by liner notes and never-before-seen contemporary photos of Papa Yankson. 

Tracklist:
1. Wonma Yenko Po
2. Mumumde
3. Yaa Yaa Nkoba
4. Dofo Bi Afre
5. Odo Ye Wu
6. Me Bo Me Zanku Daa

VA - Tokyo Crossover Night 2023 (Shuya Okino’s Unreleased Tracks)

All songs are previously unreleased! Compilation release in conjunction with the popular radio program "TOKYO CROSSOVER RADIO". The latest collection of original, re-edited, cover, and remix works for Shuya Okino's diverse projects. Jazz, house, disco, R&B, boogie, and broken beats are all covered to color the Tokyo nights!

Tracklist:
1. Kyoto Jazz Massive – The Mask (Aartek Jets remix)
2. Kyoto Jazz Massive – Get It Together (Shuya Okino & ROOT SOUL remix)
3. Kyoto Jazz Sextet – Still In Love (feat. Navasha Daya)
4. Kyoto Jazz Quartet – Transcend Me
5. Echoes Of A New Dawn Orchestra – Substream
6. Kyoto Jazz Massive – This Feeling (Mochi Men remix)
7. Root Soul – Feeling Good (feat. Leon King - Shuya Okino Re-Edit)
8. Miomatic – Step Into Our Life (Shuya Okino re-edit)
9. Shuya Okino – Shine Feat. Diviniti (feat. Diviniti - Root Soul Boogie remix with Soki Kimura)
10. Shuya Okino – The Light (feat. Ruth Koleva)

*Bonus (Kyoto Jazz Massive live in the Brownswood Basement)

Kaidi Tatham - The Only Way

First Word Records is very proud to welcome the return of the inimitable Kaidi Tatham, with his 5th album for us, entitled 'The Only Way'.

Kaidi Tatham is a legendary multi-instrumentalist born in the Midlands and based in Belfast. Established as one of the original creators of the Broken Beat sound, he is a virtuoso on the keys and a true innovator in sound production.

A deeply prolific artist, this is Kaidi's 5th solo album under his own name, following on from 'Don't Rush The Process' (2022), 'An Insight To All Minds' (2021), 'It's A World Before You' (2018), and 'In Search Of Hope' (re-pressed in 2020), all released on First Word, along with several EPs from 2017 onwards.

'The Only Way' is the latest chapter in Kaidi's entirely unique explorations into sound. 11 tracks touching on bruk, funk, jazz, mid-tempo hip hop and hyper-energetic Brazilian flavours, all thrown into a melting pot that's difficult to define, but all containing Kaidi's unmistakable sonic signature. The epic opener 'Reason We're Here' starts the album softly, before switching midway into KT's trademark synth-lead bruk boogie, to set the scene of what's to come. Lead track 'The Only Way' sees the return of Philly MC Uhmeer (Jazzy Jeff's son), his third collab with Kaidi and a timely celebratory track about this thing called Hip Hop, in its 50th year. 'Feels Like I'm On My Own' is a statement within itself, starting off as a jazz-funk jam, before switching to breakneck Brazilian choro, in the only way Kaidi can, with 'It's On' on a similar vein. 'Fricassee' is some heads down dancery business, and there are more guests with Tiran Kayhatu appearing on 'Alien @$^%' and Matt Lord on the super energetic album closer 'Not Suffering'.

Kaidi Tatham continues to grow on his already impressive catalogue, a body of work that falls within the cracks of jazz and dance music, exemplifying modern British black brilliance; uncompromising, innovative, groundbreaking, intricately sophisticated and deeply funky. His fanbase expands on every release and it's no surprise that that fanbase includes a diverse set of peers such as Madlib ("ahead of his time"), Gilles Peterson ("a key part of an entire movement") and K15 ("a limitless source of inspiration") to name just a few of the many influenced by Kaidi's sound.

About Kaidi Tatham....

Over the years, Kaidi Tatham's musical prowess has graced numerous projects, from the likes of DJ Jazzy Jeff, Andrew Ashong, The Herbaliser and longtime accomplice, Dego, in addition to session and remix work for artists such as Mulatu Astatke, Slum Village, Marcos Valle, Amy Winehouse, Soul II Soul, Nubya Garcia, Cody Currie and Leroy Burgess, along with First Word label mates Eric Lau, Children of Zeus, Allysha Joy and Darkhouse Family.

Kaidi is also a revered DJ known for rocking parties globally, whilst his solo catalogue spans tons of EPs and releases for labels such as Dego's 2000 Black, Alex Nut's Eglo Records and Theo Parrish's Sound Signature, along with an array of aliases, including Agent K, Shokazulu, Blakai, Da One Away and Likwid Biskit, the last two with another First Word label-mate, IG Culture (New Sector Movements / LCSM / CoOp Presents), to name but a few. 

Tracklist:
1. Reason We're Here
2. The Most Wanted Puffin (Lukey Dukey)
3. Interlude Criss Ting
4. The Only Way (feat. Uhmeer)
5. Windus Mc'Guntus
6. Confidence With Attitude
7. Feels Like I'm On My Own
8. Fricassee
9. Alien @$^% (feat. Trian Kayhatu)
10. It's On
11. Not Suffering (feat. Matt Lord)

Kofi Ayivor - Adzagli (Jungle Funk)

Kalita are excited to announce the first ever re-release of ‘Adzagli (Jungle Funk)’ and ‘A Song For You (Ayawa)’, two phenomenal pieces of West African disco from Amsterdam’s Kofi Ayivor. Selected from his sought-after Nigerian 1981 self-titled debut album ‘Kofi’, at last these two recordings see the light of day once more via a loud-cut remastered 12” single. In addition, Kalita enlists fellow Amsterdam resident, DJ and producer Mendel to create his own remix of each recording, using the original multitrack session tapes to rework both for the modern-day dancefloor.

After having experienced life travelling with E.T. Mensah, as a percussionist for Afro rock supergroup Osibisa, and then as producer for Brit funk band Hi-Tension, in 1980 Kofi decided it was time to release his own solo album. With his own release, he could showcase his skills as a master drummer, combining these with the prevailing disco sound that had by this time taken over Western and West African airwaves. As he recalls, ‘all this time, especially on Osibisa's United States tour, I began to critically examine the difference between our native African music and the element of it that had been incorporated into popular Western music. And so my search began to find a modern African sound’.

Kofi was joined on both recordings by various musical superstars of the time, including Osibisa members Kiki Gyan and Jake Sollo, Eddy Grant on guitar and Theadora Ifudu on improvised backing vocals, and in 1981 the album was released on CBS’ Nigerian imprint. Unfortunately, without a touring sponsor and much label support the record soon faded into obscurity, and the record was lost.

Now, forty years later and with original copies highly sought-after and selling for triple figures on the second-hand market, Kalita unearth this masterpiece once more, accompanied by two remixes courtesy of Mendel. 

Tracklist:
1. Adzagli (Jungle Funk) (Mendel Mix)
2. Adzagli (Jungle Funk)
3. A Song For You (Ayawa) (Mendel Mix)
4. A Song For You (Ayawa)

Valique - Adventures in Acid Boogie, Vol. 3

Following the first two successful volumes, Valique is finally back with the third volume of Adventures in Acid Boogie! As expected this release is full of various styles, from deep house to boogie and nu disco vibes, all under the unique style of our beloved Valique.

First remix is Valique’s take on one of Bulgaria’s funkiest bands, Dj Macron & the Palos Santos. Dime Amor is transformed to a deep acid electro boogie track, genius arrangement and flare.

Following up is a deep house take on another favourite from Bulgaria, Koka Mass Jazz and their Play The Game that features US based Tiffany Blu on the vocals. Next up is his remix transformation on Afrodisia track from Funky Destination. This time with a deep boogie and Balearic vibe.

Fourth and fifth tracks of the release is another remix Valique made for Dj Marcon & The Palos Santos. Here he remixes their latest track A Journey South, presented in two versions, the first is an organic interlude jam working like an intro while the second version is reaching deeper into electro and tech orientated with super dirty bass and groovy guitars cooked with a touch of psychedelia.

Next remix on the track list is for UK’s Smoove & Turrell feat. Izo FitzRoy and his refreshed take on You’re Gone. The songs is transformed into a boogie acid, disco house groove kicking up the bpm! Last but not least is Valique’s balearic remix on Timewarp inc’s Disco Girls. With simple words this release is a full filled with strong beats and grooves made with a dance floor concept!

Tracklist:
1. Dj Marcon & The Palo Santos - Dime Amor (Valique Remix)
2. Koka Mass Jazz - Play the Game (Valique Remix)
3. Funky Destination - Afrodisia (Valique Remix)
4. Dj Marcon & The Palo Santos - A Journey South (Valique Intermission)
5. Dj Marcon & The Palo Santos - A Journey South (Valique Deeper South Remix)
6. Smoove & Turrell - You're Gone (Valique 2023 Refreshed Dub)
7. Timewarp inc - Discogirls (Valique Sunrise Version)

The Lahaar - The Lahaar

Drawing inspiration from the depths of late 70's NYC proto-rap disco instrumentals, Nigerian boogie, Jamaican dub and modern jazzy house - The Lahaar is a Trans-Tasman collaboration between Julien Dyne, Horatio Luna and Surprise Chef's Lachlan Stuckey, featuring Mara TK and Toby Laing on vocals.

The EP embarks on a 5-track rollercoaster - kicking off with “Doin’ It”, fast-paced jazz-funk peppered with marimba and organ riffs, balanced out by the siren vocals of Mara TK.

“Step 2” suddenly brakes and swerves into cruise mode, repurposing the trumpets and dub echoes - picking up tempo in the soulful melancholia of “Work Work Work”. In the last two tracks the organs and guitars make a frenetic comeback by way of disco-house, ending with a nod to 70s cop movie funk.

Tracklist:
1. Doin' It
2. Step 2
3. Work Work Work
4. Super (Kiki)
5. Chase Scene, Part 1