VA - Heavenly Sweetness 15th Anniversary - Tropical

Tracklist:
1. Camille Soprann Hildevert - Soprann aux Antilles
2. Les vikings de la Guadeloupe - Ambiance Vikings
3. David Walters - Mama
4. Milton - Mizik Nou
5. K.O.G & The Zongo Brigade - Suro Nipa
6. Michel Alibo - Fou, jaloux
7. Edmony Krater, Zepiss - Tijan
8. David Walters - Kryé Mwen
9. Ramon Pyrme, Jean-Claude Cornely - Vacance Union
10. Edmony Krater - An ba jouk
11. Souleance - Feliz
12. Coco, Fabert - Ban di fwan
13. Anthony Joseph - Neckbone
14. Guts, Akemis Carrera - San Lázaro
15. Edmony Krater - Météw Byen
16. Max Labor - Mama Says
17. Les vikings de la Guadeloupe - Ka nou pé fé
18. Roger Raspail, Anthony Joseph - Kalypso ka
19. Guts - Kenke Corner
20. Pat Kalla, Le Super Mojo - Belle Terre
21. David Walters, Vincent Segal, Ballaké Sissoko, Roger Raspail - Papa Kossa
22. Anthony Joseph, Brother Resistance - Dealings
23. David Walters - Soul Tropical
24. Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band - Vero
25. Pat Kalla, Le Super Mojo, Lieutenant Nicholson, DjeuhDjoah - Il fait beau sous la pluie

VA - Heavenly Sweetness 15th Anniversary - Jazz

Tracklist:
1. Doug Hammond – We People
2. Guts & Florian Pellissier – Estrellas
3. Anthony Joseph – Calling England Home
4. Florian Pellissier Quintet – Coup De Foudre a Thessalonique
5. Octet De Dreux – Doorstep
6. The John Betsch Society – Ode To Ethiopia
7. L?on Phal & Lorine Chia – Something Inside
8. Abraham Reunion – Tryin' Times
9. Laurent Bardainne, Tigre D'Eau Douce & Bertrand Belin – Oiseau
10. Florian Pellissier Quintet – Bijou Voyou Caillou (feat Arthur H)
11. Kham Meslien – Ta Confiance
12. Laurent Bardainne & Tigre D'Eau Douce – La Vie, La Vie, La Vie
13. Arnaud Dolmen – On Dimanch Maten
14. Laurent Bardainne & Tigre D'Eau Douce – Porsche 944
15. The Rongetz Foundation – Gogo Soul (feat Gregory Porter)
16. Cotonete & Leron Thomas – Day In Day Out
17. David Walters – Pa Le (feat Ibrahim Maalouf)
18. David Walters – Sam Cook Di (feat Vincent Segal)
19. Erick Cosaque – Guadeloupe, Ile De Mes Amours
20. Guts – Friends (Bonus Track)
21. Cotonete – Isaac Washington
22. Leon Phal – Fuck Yeah
23. Gin Tonic Orchestra – Do You Have?

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 - If Music Presents: You Need This: If Music Is 20 compiled by Jean​-​Claude

Celebrating two decades of IF Music's scrupulous curation through its record shop, a thriving website, album reissues and compilations in collaboration with BBE Music, parties and radio shows, “IF Music Presents You Need This: 20 years” is a 9 track, double vinyl LP beautifully put together by Jean-Claude.

Coming, as it does, as the 9th release in the “You Need This” series of compilations curated by Jean-Claude, this album features music that ranges from 1980 (Christine Schaller's spectacular “Fidji”) to exclusive tracks from the likes of Emanative & Liz Elensky (‘Fall Into Me’) and Tenderlonious (‘Dennison Point’) which both bring us up to the present day.

It is Jean-Claude's remarkable ear for music that, as with all the previous “You Need This” releases, creates a wonderfully coherent journey through the decades across the four sides of this masterpiece of a compilation album.

As mentioned earlier “You Need This: 20 Years” will be released as a double LP pressed on 180 gramme heavy vinyl, cut at 45rpm and on digital. Whether this starts, adds or completes your collection of Jean-Claude's “You Need This” series of compilations, “20 Years” is a must-have and indeed, you really do need this!

Tracklist:
1. Tamar Osborn - Sunday Sea Improvisation
2. Christine Schaller - Fidji
3. Emanative;Liz Elensky - Fall In To Me
4. Atilla Engin Group - Turkish Showbiz
5. Tenderlonious - Dennison Point
6. Sylvain Kassap - Adelie (For Lady D.)
7. Ola Szmidt - We Are Not Invisible
8. Greetje Bijma Kwintet - Big Kalimba
9. Sarathy Korwar - At the Speed of Light

Eparapo - Take To The Streets

Wah Wah 45s are proud to present the full debut album from Afrobeat supergroup Eparapo. Having come together during the unprecedented events of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, and despite being a project born from the privations of lockdown, their music is ultimately an expression of hope, resilience & resurgence.

The word “eparapo” means “join forces” in Yoruba, the language of Afrobeat. It’s also the title of a track by the late, great Tony Allen - drummer for Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti and lifelong friend and mentor of our very own “Afrobeat Ambassador”, Dele Sosimi. Not only did Tony help to invent Afrobeat, he always looked for ways to push the boundaries, never content with recreating what had gone before but constantly expanding and developing the genre. This project hopes to pay homage to his legacy, and that of Fela Kuti himself. Its aim is to innovate, fuse and diversify while still retaining the essence of the music.

The force behind Eparapo is bassist, composer & producer Suman Joshi. He has been a member of Dele Sosimi’s Afrobeat Orchestra for nearly a decade and has performed on stage with the likes of Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Ginger Baker & Laura Mvula. He is also bassist with UK jazz ensemble Collocutor and fusion project Cubafrobeat.

“The Eparapo project was conceived during a time of lockdowns & government scandals. The music that makes up this album was written and recorded against a backdrop of societal upheaval, culture wars and rising wealth inequality. With little scrutiny or resistance from the mainstream media, our human and democratic rights were being eroded and our institutions debased. Even our right to protest is now under threat. This is a call to action, an expression of frustration & anger at what our nation has become. It’s saying that enough is enough, it’s time to join forces and make our voices heard. It’s time to take to the streets.” Suman Joshi

The title track is an epic eleven minute musical representation of this frustration and anger, where the musicians really let loose and allow their voices to be heard. As the only instrumental track on the album it acts as a call to action that is central to this body of work. Featured vocalists on the album are Fela Kuti disciple and Wah Wah 45s artist Dele Sosimi, who appears on the singles Black Lives Matter, From London To Lagos and Who Invented Back & White? as well as a more recent recording, Follow The Money; and London based, Ghanaian born master percussionist and vocalist Afla Sackey, who takes lead vocals on the mournful yet somehow hopeful Beautiful City.

The rest of the group comprises of highly rated UK jazz vocalist Sahra Gure; saxophonist, composer, producer and bandleader of the renowned forward thinking jazz outfit Collocutor, Tamar Osborn; keyboard player, producer and front man for Lokkhi Terra and Cubafrobeat, Kishon Khan; one of the UK’s finest and most in demand trumpeters, Graeme Flowers, who has played with Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter and many more; trombonist for Bellowhead and mainstay of Dele’s Afrobeat Orchestra, Justin Thurgur; and finally drummer for Steamdown and Sons of Kemet, as well as the man behind the Nache project, Eddie Wakili Hick.

Tracklist:
1. Follow the Money (feat. Dele Sosimi)
2. Who Invented Black and White? (feat. Dele Sosimi)
3. My Beautiful City (feat. Afla Sackey)
4. From London to Lagos (feat. Dele Sosimi)
5. Take to the Streets
6. Black Lives Matter (feat. Dele Sosimi)

J-Zone - Intoxicated Skull

The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series was created by Madlib and Egon over the course of the Pandemic, and was a chance to give their creative friends the ability to stretch out and indulge in whatever type of music they wanted for release on the label.

The music had to be great and able to be presented as a stand alone album – like the best “Music Library” releases of the past, on labels like Italy’s Sermi, Germany’s Bruton, France’s MP2000 and the UK’s DeWolfe. And, like those albums, it had to work as easy, one-stop clearance for background cues in film and television production and, as producers have been indulging since the 1990s, for sampling.

The series contains 12 releases by DJ Muggs, Karriem Riggins, J-Zone, the Heliocentrics’ Malcolm Catto and Jake Ferguson, JJ Whitefield of Karl Hector/Whitefield Brothers/Poets of Rhythm, Motif Alumni and Music Research Library, Mario Luciano of Polyphonic Music Library, Henkel, Gabriel Rowland of Los Yesterdays, Dan Hastie and Terin Ector of Orgone, Dan Ubick and Joe Harrison

The albums will be released on the Madlib Invazion Bandcamp on the first Friday of each month over the course of one year. Listen, ponder, repeat.

Tracklist:
1. Shiva Strut
2. Shirley Got Bigger
3. Orange Forever
4. Nasty Popcorn Ceiling
5. Side Eye
6. Calgon
7. Truck Stop
8. Gangsta Boogie
9. Mr. Mean
10. Seebourg
11. Nitro
12. Du Jazz March
13. Intoxicated Skull
14. Lil' Mallet
15. Oyster Sammich
16. The Bastard Tambourine

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

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)

Jonny Wickham - Terra Boa

My influences for the music on this record were so sprawling, that there had to be some elements (apart from my brilliant band) to hold it all together as one cohesive sound. So fundamentally this is my love letter to the many beautiful Afro Brazilian rhythms that I have studied over the past few years.‘Terra Boa’ is Portuguese for ‘Good earth’. In respect to the vibrant and fertile musical landscape of Brazil. Good earth which nourished the growth of my own unique musical branches from strong and deep roots. The grooves are heavily influenced by Afro Brazilian rhythmic traditions, which along with contemporary jazz harmony and improvisation, form the backbone of the music. The conceptual unification of the music on the album was derived from the Japanese aesthetic concept of Wabi-Sabi. In traditional Japanese aesthetics, Wabi-Sabi is a world view centred on the acceptance of transience and imperfection and the appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes. This is exemplified by Enso ̄, a circle that is hand-drawn in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes with ink to express a moment when the mind is free to let the body create. These seven dimensions of Wabi-Sabi, Fukinsei (asymmetry; irregularity), Kanso (simplicity), Koko (basic; weathered), Shizen (without pretence; natural), Yugen (subtly profound grace), Datsuzoku (freedom), and Seijaku (tranquility), gave me an idea of balance when composing the seven studio tracks.

Tracklist:

1. Mono No Aware

2. Herimbau

3. Neon Muse

4. Uncanny Valley Intro

5. Uncanny Vally

6. Space and Time

7. Terra Boa

8. Millennium Seagull 

credits

Pedro Ricardo - Un Nuevo Amanecer

Barcelona record label Canela En Surco is proud to present Un Nuevo Amanecer (A New Dawn), the debut collaborative LP by rising star Pedro Ricardo and candombe broken beat maestro Damián Botigue.

Four long years in the making, this album is born out of the friendship between the two artists. After meeting at a Canela En Surco party in Barcelona, they began hanging out, listening to folk and jazz fusion records. They also began experimenting with new forms of expression based on returning to their roots (Pedro is originally from Portugal, Damián an Argentine raised in Galicia). Un Nuevo Amanecer is a journey between two worlds.

Pedro and Damián gathered a group of friends in Damián’s home studio in the Poble Sec neighborhood of Barcelona with the sole desire to have fun, but the end result is a timeless masterpiece. A record that progressively increases in intensity, going from the cosmic, cinematic folk of “Como El Viento” and “Atlantico” to the Latin fusion of “Un Nuevo Amanecer” and “Sem Dizer” on the A-side.

The album reaches its maximum intensity on the B-side of the record with two 140 BPM love letters to the 70’s Latin jazz-funk “Juntos y a Distancia” and “Cerca de Mi” plus the Bossa Nova meets Candombe jam “Mar de Fora”

Pedro Ricardo's recently acclaimed debut LP on Soundway Records (2023) as well as Damián’s solo efforts in broken beat fused with Latin rhythms as Karmasound have both garnered DJ support from Gilles Peterson, John Gómez and Mafalda, among many others. This album marks the first appearance of the two musicians together and, as the title indicates, heralds a new path in the fusion of traditional music with a contemporary vision.

Tracklist:
1. Un Nuevo Amanecer
2. Como El Viento
3. Atlántico
4. Sem Dizer
5. Juntos y a distancia
6. Mar de Fora
7. Cerca de Mi

Dele Sosimi & The Estuary 21 - The Confluence

Afrobeat ambassador Dele Sosimi’s new album 'The Confluence' has been recorded and produced with Essex musician Sam Duckworth, aka Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly; and a team of specially assembled musicians under the banner of “The Estuary 21” - with the name of the nearby river and the year, being a clue to future Confluence projects. Recorded over a multitude of sessions in 2021, this new set of songs flow with the sounds of Afrobeat, jazz, and worldly pop, and feelings of freedom, strength, and collaborative dynamism as a balm for life changing events.

Dele and Sam were introduced at Felabration 2012, the annual commemoration of the music of Fela Kuti, and promised to work together in the near future. With many live collaborations, at Afrobeat Vibration, Kentish Town Forum and lots of hanging out and mutual love, nearly ten years passed before the two musicians connected in Sam’s hometown of Southend-On-Sea in a post-lockdown creative boom, recording the album over a burst of week-long sessions in 2021. The Estuary 21 band is completed by Callum Green (The Sleeping Souls, GCWCF), Philip Van Den Brandeler (Pocket Dragon, GCWCF), Pete Fraser (The Pogues, Field Music), Afla Sackey (Afla Sackey & Afrik Bawantu, Ibibio Sound Machine), Aby Dosunmu (Dele Sosimi), Sam Ewens (Myles Sanko) with special guest appearances from Sam Eagle and Essex percussion legend, Snowboy.

Born in Hackney, East London, but soon to return to his parents’ native Nigeria at the age of four, Dele Sosimi was schooled and raised in Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s commune (which he now refers to as his university of life). After Fela’s passing in 1997, Dele went on to focus on developing his solo career and, honing his creative talents, and with much patience on his part, carved out his own Afrobeat crown. His last album, ‘You No Fit Touch Am’ (2015), was a critical success with Songlines writing “Afrobeat will never die so long as Dele’s around”, Clash declaring it “blistering Afro-funk from a true legend”, The Quietus calling it “so fresh, while staying true to the template”, and David Hutcheon’s four star Mojo review said it was “a deeper, moodier collection than other Shrine veterans have released lately”.

A veteran at 36 years old, Sam Duckworth has been releasing music as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly for half of his life. A catalogue that includes four top 40 singles, two top 40 albums (including the gold certified ‘Chronicles of A Bohemian Teenager’ that recently celebrated its 15th anniversary), a German club number 1 single and collaborations with artists ranging from Shy FX, Baaba Maal, Lily Allen and Jehst. Recently, Duckworth produced Benjamin Frances Leftwich’s album ‘To Carry A Whale’ and has been working on the forthcoming album by Kate Nash.

Album ‘Dele Sosimi & The Estuary 21’ is set for release on 7th April 2023 on LP and digital. The band play live at London’s Jazz Cafe on the same date with tickets available now. 

Tracklist:
1. Ẹ Si M'ẹ̀dọ̀ (feat. Lizzy Dosunmu)
2. Mo Ṣe B'ọ́lá Tán (feat. Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly)
3. Ride out the Storm
4. Open Up (feat. Sam Eagle & Snowboy)
5. Òtítọ́ Ti Jáde
6. Orí Mi

VA - Ecuatoriana - El Universo Paralelo de Polibio Mayorga 1969-1981 (Analog Africa No.37)

On 12 February 1949 an angry mob stormed into the centre of the Ecuadorian capital of Quito, burning the offices of the city’s main newspaper and its oldest radio station to the ground. 

On that tragic day Radio Quito had just broadcast a local adaptation of H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds. The novel – first published in 1898 and famously adapted into a radio series by Orson Welles – is one of the earliest stories to depict a conflict between mankind and a hostile race of extra-terrestrials. The large audience - not understanding that it was pure fiction - believed that intergalactic intelligence had invaded the country as all hell broke loose. Thousands began running the streets of Quito looking for shelter, chaos broke out, causing a deadly stampede. People blamed the broadcaster for the tragedy, formed a dense crowd and stormed Radio Quito, setting it ablaze. Several musicians, who were there performing, were killed.


In the decades after the second world war, outer space was on everyone’s mind and the ‘space race’ of the 1950s and 60s not only produced groundbreaking efforts to launch artificial satellites, send space probes to Mars and land a human on the moon, it also had a huge impact on the movie and music industry which was taking advantage of the world's fascination with space voyages and lunar missions to create instruments capable of mimicking imaginary interstellar sounds. These synthesised space effects that captivated the imagination of a whole generation of young Ecuadoreans coincided with a period in which workers and musicians from the provinces started flocking to Quito and to the commercial port of Guayaquil, some hoping to find regular work, others looking to break into the musical big leagues by getting hired by one of the prestigious urban radio station. These artists brought riches of rhythms to the major Ecuadorian cities who would soon witness the explosion of what would be known as “Andean Cumbia”.

That fusion, of tropical electronics mixed in with Andean melodies and lyrics describing the cruel reality of migrant workers, achieved massive success. And so while budding Ecuadorian UFOlogy lead to widespread extraterrestrial sightings, Ecuadorian musicians began released various albums consisting of traditional music combined with synthesisers in order to bring their traditional music into the space age. One of these musicians is Polibio Mayorga who had travelled 160km from his hometown of Chisalata to Quito where he showcased his talent as he championed the art of modernising his region’s ancestral rhythms - Huaynito, Sanjuanito, Albazo and many others - using the latest in electronic instruments.

After 4 years with Los Locos del Ritmo, one of Ecuador’s most popular bands, Polibio joined Fadisa (Fabrica De Discos S.A) in 1973 as a solo musician and songwriter before becoming their musical director a year later. While there he would team up with saxophonist extraordinaire Olmedo Torres, and for 10 years they would compose and arrange hits, not only for themselves but also for their fellow artists in the Fadisa family. Although Fadisa had countless labels in their roster, the jewel in their crown was Rondador and it was on that imprint that Polibio would release “Ponchito de Colores” and his famous album “La Farra Está Aquí”. With their novel use of Moog synthesiser, both became huge hit records and were broadcast constantly by Cosmopolita and Marañón de Quito – the two major radio stations of the capital. This led to a surge of interest in Andean cumbia, and the subsequent record sales helped to revive the country’s flagging music industry, turning Polibio into Ecuador’s most influential musician. 

Polibio has never considered his music to be “tropical psychedelia” - although he thinks it would make a good name for a band. He has the sense of humour of a genius and the ability to make anyone laugh, yet he remains discreet, eloquent and humble … but as a musician he is daring and visionary, with an intrepid, vigorous style almost impossible to imitate. More than perhaps any of his peers, Polibio Mayorga established a unique place for himself at the vanguard of tropical music. 

Tracklist:
1. Junior Y Su Equipo - America Índia
2. Eduardo Morales y Su Requinto - Muevase Vecina
3. Polibio Mayorga - Pañuelo De Seda
4. Polibio y Su Vibrafono - Altas Horas
5. Los Locos del Ritmo - Llorona
6. Alcibiades y Su Banda - Haciendo Bomba
7. Olmedo Torres y Polibio Mayorga - Mi Paisa
8. Polibio Mayorga y Su Conjunto - Culebrita Dormida
9. Orti e Mayorga y Chiriboga - Muñequita Blanca
10. Olmedo Torres y Polibio Mayorga - Unita Mas
11. Alcibiades y Su Banda - Bomba de Pobres
12. Olmedo Torres y Los Gatos - Don Alfoncito
13. Polibio Mayorga - Ferrocarril
14. Orti e Mayorga y Chiriboga - Di Que Me Amas
15. Conjunto La Jorga - La Perra Vida
16. Polibio Mayorga y Su Conjunto - Cumbia Totorana

Marijus Aleksa - As They Are

Throughout his remarkable international career, Lithuanian drummer & producer Marijus Aleksa has established himself as a bonafide shaman of rhythm. From making his debut at the Vilnius Jazz Festival at the tender age of thirteen, he has grown into a stage partner of some of the world’s most celebrated stars (such as Keyon Harold, Grammy award winner Bill Laurance, Joe Armon Jones, Ashley Henry, Dennis Rollins, China Moses, Ben Marc, Anthony Joseph, Femi Temowo, Oscar Jerome). An ambitious drummer and percussionist, he relies on his technical prowess and visionary endeavours. Through his work as a heralded band leader, session musician and solo artist, his music is not unlike the works by the abstract expressionist painters: rich in colour, vivid, intuitive and hypnotising, traversing musical maps by blending the worlds of jazz, rock, world and electronic club music.

With the concept of collage forming a central theme of the record, 23 people from different parts of the world (Lithuania / USA / UK / Cuba) each contributed to the creative flow of the musical creation, forming a rich sonic tapestry - formed of 3 years of recording and re-editing jam sessions, creating a spellbind final piece constructed from smaller pieces that in the first instance may have seemed incompatible. This sensibility was also applied to the track titles, which were created by segmenting common phrases and reforming them. The artwork was also created by Japanese collage artist Mt.Chills.

Tracklist:
1. Thing(s)
2. It
3. Push Back (feat. Ka Boukie)
4. Do
5. Is
6. As They Are
7. Always Now
8. See (feat. Yelfris Valdes)
9. Be
10. Guided By Sensations
11. The Right
12. &

MANDAKIL - SOKARIS

Tracklist:
1. Highlands
2. Malick
3. Bembe
4. The Shelter (interlude)
5. Sokaris
6. Indecis
7. Coolslang
8. Couvre Feu (interlude)
9. Bouba
10. 28/12 (outro)
11. Malick (Bonus track)

VA - Perú Selvático - Sonic Expedition Into The Peruvian Amazon 1972-1986

Less than a hundred miles inland from the capital city of Lima lies the great Peruvian jungle, an untamed land of impenetrable forests and endless winding rivers. In its isolated cities, cut off from the fashions of the capital, a unique style of music began to develop, inspired equally by the sounds of the surrounding forests, the roll of the mighty Amazon and Ucayali Rivers, and the rhythms of cumbia picked up from distant stations on transistor radios. With the arrival of electricity, a new generation of young musicians started plugging in their guitars and trading in their accordions for synthesizers: Amazonian cumbia was born.

Powered by fast-paced timbale rhythms, driven by spidery, treble-damaged guitar lines, and drenched in bright splashes of organ, Amazonian cumbia was like a hyperactive distant cousin of surf music crossed with an all-night dance party in the heart of the forest. While many of the genre’s greatest tracks were instrumental, and others were simple celebrations of life in the jungle, the goal of every song was to keep the party going.

Radio stations in Lima remained unaware of the new electric sounds emanating from the jungle, but a handful of pioneering record producers ventured over the mountain passes to the cities of Tarapoto, Moyobamba, Pucallpa – even Iquitos, a city reachable only by boat or plane – and lured dozens of bands to the recording studios of the capital to lay down their best tracks. Although many became local hits, few were ever heard outside the Amazonian region... until now.

With eighteen tracks from some of the greatest names in Amazonian cumbia, Perú Selvatico is both the improbable soundtrack to a beach party on a banks of the Amazon and a psychedelic safari into the sylvan mysteries of the Peruvian jungle. 

Tracklist:
1. Los Royal's de Pucallpa – Descarga Royal
2. Sonido Verde de Moyobamba – La Cervecita
3. Los Zheros – Selva Virgen
4. Grupo Siglo XX de Rioja – Moyobambina
5. Los Invasores de Progreso – Humo En La Selva
6. Los Cisnes – La Hamaca
7. Fresa Juvenil de Tarapoto – Cumbion Universal
8. Los Rangers de Tingo Maria – La Trochita
9. Los Invasores de Progreso – La Bola Buche
10. Ranil y Su Conjunto Tropical – Bailando En El Infinito
11. Los Cisnes – Safari En La Selva
12. Ranil y Su Conjunto Tropical – Baila Bonito
13. Los Zheros – Alibaba
14. Fresa Juvenil de Tarapoto – La Palmerita
15. Sonido Verde de Moyobamba – Recordando A Aguaytia
16. Grupo Siglo XX de Rioja – El Pasito De Miriam
17. Los Cisnes – Rio Mar
18. Los Zheros – La Uñita

Sonido Verde de Moyobamba - Sonido Verde De Moyobamba

Formed in 1980 by guitar prodigy Leonardo Vela Rodriguez, Sonido Verde de Moyobamba created some of the hardest, craziest Cumbia to emerge from the Peruvian jungle. With distorted, surf-addled guitar facing off against lysergic organ and hyperactive tropical rhythms, Sonido Verde conjured the organic sound of the dense forests surrounding their hometown while riding their dance-party grooves to dizzying psychedelic peaks.

Compiled by Analog Africa, Sonido Verde de Moyobamba presents eight ultra-rare tracks of guitar and organ madness drawn from the band's five albums recorded for Discos Universal between 1981 and 1987. Pressed on Sun Yellow colored vinyl, housed in a screen-printed jacket and strictly limited to 2000 copies, Sonido Verde is a definitive trip into the heart of the jungle.

Tracklist:
1. Melancolia
2. El Limoncito
3. La Longuita
4. La Danza Del Vampiro
5. Zarzamora
6. Alegria Verde
7. Maria Esther
8. El Borracho

Various Artists - Batov Records Artists 2

For all of our dear fans out there, we’re thrilled to announce another release - the Batov Records Artists Compilation (VOL 2)! This one is a celebration of our artists; featuring a hand-picked tracklist from our selector-in-chief DJ Kobayashi.

We’re blessed with a fantastic roster here at the label, so narrowing it down to 10 tracks wasn’t easy, but we think this is a great collection and is just what Batov Records is all about!

The compilation features some of the hottest artists on the scene at the moment, including Shotnez, Sababa 5, Wax Machine, Shay Hazan, Şatellites, Romano, and more

The release date is also timed to coincide with a day of zero fees for artists on the Bandcamp platform, so this is another great way to show your support for your favorite artists!

Tracklist:
1. Shotnez - Contagious
2. Wax Machine - Face of All
3. Sababa 5 - Banga
4. Shay Hazan - Afrobeatz
5. Satellites - Hudayda
6. Kolonel Djafaar - Bactrian Camel
7. Romano - Fella Juicy
8. Cloud Of I - Sail Away
9. S H I R A N - Adamaa
10. Ayala (IT) - Fuse

Sandman Project - Hamsa (Remixes)

Batov Records revisit Sandman Project’s “Hamsa”, a standout and indeed addictively catchy track in their catalog that fused Ethiopian jazz with West African psychedelic rock, with four brand new remixes destined to battle for attention in DJs’ crates from a global array of Batov’s friends and family.

UK producer, drummer, and DJ, Emanative aka Nick Woodmansey, the artist behind critically acclaimed albums for the likes of Brownswood and Jazzman Records, transforms the original into hard grooving jazz jam, recording (and playing) the drums himself and inviting long-time collaborator and queen of keys, Jessica Lauren, to add her magic touch to proceedings and lay down a majestic Farfisa solo. Vince Vella provides the finishing touch, with an Afro-Latin kick, on congas, udu drums, and other percussion instruments.

Japanese producer and DJ, Koichi Sakai, long-based in London, where he participated heavily in the city’s strong Afrobeat and dub & reggae scenes, whilst studying and producing his own incredible electronic material, collaborating with the likes of celebrated Ghanaian percussionist and band leader Afla Sackey on Olindo Records. With great subtlety, Sakai transforms “Hamsa” into a mid-tempo house groove with lush synth chords.

Rounding off the package, Woxow, Italian DJ, producer, and boss of 45s label, Little Beat More, deftly transforms “Hamsa” into a dub meets boom bap odyssey perfect for losing yourself in for hours on a loop, whilst fellow Batov label mate Ayala gently recalibrates the track for maximum dancefloor effectiveness. With a touch of extra bass here and there and a steady rhythm that will tease and entice the most discerning of dancefloors.

With these four remixes, Batov Records give “Hamsa” the second lease of life it deserves and highlights the creative potential of Sandman Project, whetting the appetite for new songs. Moreover, the assembled remixes highlight a wide variety of talented producers with a keen ear for merging seemingly disparate sounds and are a credit to Batov Records’ curatorial instincts. 

1. Hamsa (Koichi Sakai Remix)
2. Hamsa (Woxow Remix)
3. Hamsa (Emanative Rework)
4. Hamsa (Ayala's Rhythm Mix)

T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Singles & Eps

Tracklist:
1. Noude Ma Gnin Tche De Me
2. Gendamou Na Wili We Gnannin
3. Azon De Ma Gnin Kpevi
4. Mi Si Ba To
5. Houwe Towe Houn
6. Koutome
7. Agnon Depke
8. Zizi
9. Kou Nawo
10. Ahouli Vou Yeli