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

Nenor & Eyal Rob - What Are You Waiting For?

Journeying to Accra, Ghana, where they were asked to lecture and DJ, Nenor & Eyal Rob (a.k.a Rabo & Snob) brought some recording equipment and some basic beats and asked around for some local talent; ELi A Free was highly recommended by a mutual friend and was invited to the hotel room, where they set up a makeshift studio and recorded the foundations of ‘What Are You Waiting For?’

ELi's soulful vocals and conscious lyrics perfectly matched the duo’s raw and organic productions. Once returning home, Nenor & Eyal started working on the music, adding percussion they brought from Ghana, live drums and more from Nenor’s vast collection of analogue and quirky gear.

The outcome is ‘What Are You Waiting For?, a four-track EP featuring two originals and two remixes. “It is a call to all who live under the sun to participate in bringing forth the change this old world so badly needs.“ ELi A Free adds about the lyrical content.

The Rabo & Snob remix of the title track sees the production duo return with a remix that strips the original to a hypnotic, dubby and raw club tune – with a faster tempo and heavy bass.

LTJ X-perience is a veteran Italian producer who is played regularly by essential tastemakers all over the globe. His solid, steady-pace style perfectly complements ‘Pick & Choose’.

Tracklist:
1. What Are You Waiting For?
2. Pick & Choose
3. What Are You Waiting For? (Rabo & Snob Remix)
4. Pick & Choose (LTJ X-Perience Remix)

VA - Mr Bongo Record Club, Vol. 6 (Deluxe)

Curating and ordering the tracks for a Mr Bongo Record Club is always special. You’re reminded of the feelings you had when sitting at home with a cassette player on pause trying to compile the perfect mixtape to impress the latest object of your affection, or that friend with whom you share a musical kinship and spark off each other’s latest discoveries. Hearing old tracks for the first time or diving into the most upfront selections keeps the fires burning and passions alight.

Here, for volume six, we present recent finds and treasured classics from Brazil, Sweden, the USA, South Africa, Portugal, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada. We have included selections by the Brazilian rising star Dora Morelenbaum as well as from heritage-Brazilian musicians and vocalists Haréton Salvanini, Copa 7, and Mirna. There’s also the wonderful Brazilian-not-Brazilian take of 'Ye Me Le' by Hazel Scott And The Braza Brasil, plus sublime gospel from the New York Community Choir. We’ve picked disco and soul rarities by General Lee and Ash Soul, Inc., and for the first time on vinyl, an incredible psych-pop song by the illustrious Matthew Tavares. There are cuts from some of our favourite contemporary Swedish musicians, Sven Wunder and Dina Ögon too. This compilation is packed full of gems that are plucked from differing times and spaces, but somehow all gel together beautifully. We hope you love them too.

Tracklist:
1. Dora Morelenbaum – Japao
2. The New York Community Choir – I'll Keep My Light In My Window
3. General Lee – Pleasure
4. The Drive – Africa Bossa
5. Chiemi Eri – Okosa-Bushi
6. Manny Corchado & His Orchestra – Pow Wow
7. Sven Wunder – Easy Going
8. Dina Ögon – Bakom Glaset
9. Vee Gees – Talkin
10. Mave & Dave – Do You Really Want My Love
11. Hazel Scott & The Braza Brasil – Ye Me Le
12. Inês Soares – Um Amor Para Toda A Vida
13. Hareton Salvanini – Estrada
14. Copa 7 – Copa Sete No Samba
15. Mirna – A Volta
16. Dina Ögon – Tombola 94
17. I Do You Love
18. Ash Soul, Inc. – I Do Love You
19. Ponderosa Twins Plus One – Bound
20. Matty – Blood
21. Shira Small – Eternal Life

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)

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)

VA - Part of Deeppa, Vol. 1

Get ready for this summer's most excellent compilation, "Part Of DEEPPA"! We've put together nine mind-blowing tracks from our native and new talent that have become part of our musical philosophy. It's all about the funky deep house vibe, bro!

"Part Of DEEPPA" will take you on a wild ride of non-stop beats and dope melodies. We've carefully balanced the mix with hot and cool tracks, giving you the perfect blend of energetic bangers and smooth grooves. Whether you're throwin' a party, hittin' the beach, or just chillin' under the blazing sun, this compilation is your ultimate jam, dude.

You can cop this compilation in digital format from all the big dogs in the game - Spotify, Apple Music, Beatport and more. It's all at your fingertips, bro! Stream it, download it, and add it to your playlists - it's gonna be your summer soundtrack, no doubt.

When the summer sun hits its peak, let "Part Of DEEPPA" be your ultimate ride. Let those basslines drop, those melodies take you higher, and let the music be the fuel to your epic summer adventures. Are you ready to be part of DEEPPA?

Tracklist:
1. Darryl Baalki – Cherry Finns
2. Third Attempt – Sky Is The Limit
3. Jehan – Control
4. Scruscru – High Flyer (feat S Timoshenko)
5. Saint Paul – Magic Flute
6. DFRA – Jazz Is Revolutionary
7. Paul Cut – Free Your Mind
8. The Aquatic People – My Soul (Spaced Out mix)
9. Wearing Shoes – We Met For Real

Secret Night Gang - Belongs on a Place Called Earth

Manchester jazz-funkers, Secret Night Gang return with their sophomore album “Belongs on a Place Called Earth”, due for release on Digital, CD & 12” vinyl formats on 23rd June 2023 via Brownswood Recordings. “Belongs on a Place Called Earth” is a record birthed from the emotional rollercoaster the world collectively faced over the past few years, as a result of the pandemic.

A time which cultivated self-reflection and profound life questions leading to an evolution for the Manchester natives. This new record is undeniably a fresh & bold new sound, with the leading purpose of permeating hope & light through their music. In continued strength to strength, Secret Night Gang are carving their own lane across the British jazz & street soul scene and this upcoming album, is set to take them to new heights.

Tracklist:
1. Respect Me
2. Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings
3. One and Only
4. Never Ever
5. Find a Way
6. When Will the Sun Rise Again
7. Do for You
8. Out of My Head
9. Every Nation
10. Things Will Work Out

*Bonus (Secret Night Gang - When Will the Sun Rise Again (Live at TRC))

Tigerbalm - Nina EP

Coming off a run of singles and an LP on Ubiquity Records, UK DJ/Producer Tigerbalm (aka Rose Robinson) brings her vibrant global sound to the RNT catalog with the Nina EP. Of the two original songs that grace the A side, Nina is a pulsing boogie affair with driving percussion, catchy chants and punctuating sax, and Sisters is shows a more balearic side of tropical with African guitar work and lilting soulful vocals. The B-side sees two distinct remix takes on the title track, the first by RNT regular Elado who bumps up the tempo for a stomping acidic club mix, and Voilaaa who transforms the song into a driving and authentic classic Zouk arrangement. Grab this tiger!

Tracklist:
1. Nina
2. Sisters
3. Nina (Elado Remix)
4. Nina (Voilaaa Remix)

VA - A Change Gonn' Come

This year's compilation is dedicated to Mahsa Amini and the protest movement her tragic death has caused. We mean to make a contribution to support the situation of women in Iran by donating all revenues to the 'Center For Human Rigts In Iran' (www.iranhumanrights.org)

The works of long-familiar label associates as well as fresh fellows of Blaq Numbers from all over the globe compile yet another grand collection of sounds covering a broad spectrum from laidback jazzy vibes to glowing house and italo vibes. This one is spiked with 4-to-the-floor crackers and electro disco sensations.

Massive thanks go out to all the artists contributing their music ♡

Tracklist:
1. Poly Poly – Manigod (feat Valentina Oefele)
2. George John – Pillow Fort
3. F.D.M – One Way (feat Postnegative)
4. Vicmari – Circus
5. Albert Vogt – Pack It Up (Produced By Steve Martin)
6. Karya – Don't Stop
7. Local DJ – Yo Ha Han
8. Moff & Tarkin – Tupperware
9. Funken Wavetropi – Trippin' On Cheese
10. Real Velour – Look What You've Done
11. The Chord Memory Club – Kohlrabi Bells
12. Lydia Eisenblatter – Sign
13. DJ Detox – Verdant Dawn
14. Scruscru & Mike Fot – Aloe