Founded DJ and producer Deni-Shain, the man responsible for killer comps "Space Echo" and "Pop Makossa", Atangana Records is the logical follow-up to more than 20 years of travels, constantly on the lookout for new artists and music around the world. As a “tropicalist globetrotter”, in this new project Deni-Shain, in partnership with Thomas Vicente, co-owner of the French restaurant “Le Verre Volé”, aims to dig, reproduce & transmit cross-cultural music, usually unreachable and/or less known by the public.
The goal is simple: share the love of music and to rediscover the pleasure of voicings, percussions and sadly forgotten harmonies, whether you find yourself in a jam packed club or the intimacy of your home.
Atangana’s first release heads into the Caribbean, handing the diggers the most in demand Haitian grail "Divizion" by singer Fedia Laguerre. Originally released in 1981, this first 12" comes with a remix by Voilaaa and an instrumental cut exclusively based on the additional work by the French afro-collective. In its original form, "Divizion's" plangent horns, cool keys and politicized lyrics create a powerful yet melancholy sound that pairs raw soul with body moving groove. Taking the controls, Favorite favourites Voilaaa twist the arrangement and up the ante with an extended mix made for DJs and dancers. Bounding in bonus beats territories, Voilaaa also offer a stripped back and sparse variant created from their additional material.

STAFF COMMENTS

Sil says: Tropical world music of the highest caliber. Feel good, warm and organic. Blissful sounds from Laguerre to kick off your weekend. 'Divizion' is already pretty dancefloor friendly but if you want the real deal head for the B side where you will encounter a mega remix that will tots turn heads. Defo a winner.

Following in the footsteps of psych-funk pioneers Baris Manço, Selda Bağcan and Erkin Koray, Dutch group Altin Gün (‘Golden Day’) kick open the doors of perception with a hefty set of frazzled nuggets for Bongo Joe. 
On their debut album "On", the band show what happens when you trace a line between Turkish folk songs which were passed on from generation to generation on the one hand and a dirty blend of funk rhythms, wah-wah guitars and analogue organs on the other. The Amsterdammers who come from various backgrounds (Turkish but also Indonesian and Dutch) comfortably create their work in the adventurous no-man’s land that exists between these two worlds. Sticking a saz into the mains socket, our tripped out troubadours harness the far out sounds of mid seventies Turkey, which even today sounds rich, danceable and (alright then!) heavily mind bending.
Though Manço, Bağcan and Koray have all influenced Altin Gün, but their foremost inspiration is Neşet Ertaş, a Turkish folk musician whose musical legacy is invaluable. Many of the songs he wrote have become standards in Turkey, national treasures which are cherished up until the present day. Altin Gün retain the lyrical and thematic structure of Ertaş’s songs, though they often alter their time signatures and add fuzzy bass sounds, sweltering organ sounds and raw saz riffs. Ertaş wrote the majority of the songs on the album even if these are hardly recognisable after all the work Altin Gün have done on them. The songs have universal themes such as love, death, desire and destiny. It is touching music that makes you want to move and massages your soul all at once. Music that sounds familiar but different. Music that’s deeply emotional even for someone who doesn’t speak a word of Turkish.
Let Altin Gün open that door for you and get ready to indulge in their fresh and beautiful sound.

Hawaii's foremost musicological crew continue to do the tourist board's job for them, offering yet another incentive to visit the Pacific paradise. Digging further into the fruitful back catalogue of local funk troupe Aura, Aloha Got Soul give us a wicked white label boasting the moody and groovy instrumental "Let Me Say Dis About Dat" and the disco stomper "No Beginning, No End". Tune into the A-side for cop show guitar riffs, blaring brass (think Bernard Wright's 'Spinin') and a ceaseless funk groove. Rugged, muscular but super cool, this cut has all the qualities of a TV cop who doesn't play by the rules, but gets the job done. Over on the flip we're in roller skates and hot pants territory with the disco-funk frolic "No Beginning, No End", a masterpiece of walking bass, killer clavs and handclaps which finally spirals into psychedelic brilliance. Right on.

Vintage Voudou open their account with a dapper reissue of this rare Nigerian / Ghanaian funk record, which includes the beefy dancefloor jam “African Soul Power” which you might have heard getting spins in the clubs...
Much like our own Matt Ward, Fela Kuti was a superstitious kind of chap and believed the identical twins of Basa Basa to possess magical powers, bringing luck and prosperity. Fela co-produced their first LP, and played on their second. But the wondrous powers of the Nyaku twins from Ghana reached their summit on their third album, which Basa Basa recorded with producer and multi-instrumentalist Themba “T-Fire” Matebese in Nigeria. This collaboration resulted in the bewitching “Homowo” album, which combines the earthy mood of the twins and the
futuristic vision of Themba Matebese with the hot and sweaty Afro-disco sound of Lagos, where the album was recorded. From the blue title track “Homowo” to the afro disco floor burner “African Soul Power”, the album makes a consistent listen. Props to Amsterdam DJ collective and vinyl shop Vintage Voudou for making this highly sought-after LP available again after almost four decades.

FORMAT INFORMATION

LP Info: Including poster + extensive liner notes...

This offering by Berlin-based, world-influenced label Disco Halal presents three tracks that result from the collaboration between the Brazilian DJs and producers Selvagem and Carrot Green (who've previously combined for releases on BIS Inc, Universal Cave, Hello Sailor, Barefoot Beats, Brazilian Shakedown and Magic Movement).

Exploring local melodies from the 1960s and 70s, they built tracks that turn those sounds into some sort of exotic house beasts, only with that tropical flavour.

The A-side brings 'Vandre', a throbbing 126bpm track carried by a lovely guitar and singalong vocals by one of Brazil's most iconic protest singers. The package is complete with the remix by the ever growing Italian duo Marvin & Guy, who kept the hypnotic aura with their lush minimal sounds.

This black magic-blessed EP continues on the flip with 'Dengo', a slow Balearic house burner based on a candomble chant that, along with the flute, cowbell, and clapping, will put the crowd under its spell. Finally 'Ossain''s killer strings, psyched-out vocals and percussive breakdowns wrap up this South American addition to the Disco Halal family.

Outernational Sounds launch a new 45 series in lavish fashion here with this super groovy, totally tripped out early seventies funk bomb by Muhavishla Ravi Hatchud and The Indo Jazz Following. Within the sumptuous royal purple sleeve art lies a limber fusion funk workout, all Mingus double bass licks, ghostly organ tones and GI backbeats, all topped by Ravi's ramped up sitar, buzzing and bristling with electric energy. Numbered and limited, these will fly!

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Eastern spiced, lightly psyched funk here on Outernational Sounds, led by the electric Sitar licks of Muhavishla Ravi Hatchud. If you're riding Khruangbin's groove train but wanna dip into their inspirations, you should probably start here.

On the 50th anniversary of the band's inception at an event in Harlem, NY to commemorate Malcolm X's birthday on 19 May 1968, influential spoken word artists, poets and commentators The Last Poets are set to make a glorious and relevant return with their first album in over 20 years, 'Understand What Black Is'. Produced by Ben Lamdin (Nostaglia 77) and Brighton legend Prince Fatty, whose speciality is traditional reggae and dub production's, 'Understand What Black Is' is a ten-track album which speaks of a revolutionary struggle defined by both race and identity, that has never sounded more relevant. Released on Studio Rockers, there will also be an accompanying single featuring remixes of the title track "Understand What Black Is" by Mala (South London collective Digital Mystikz) and UK Dance music innovators Dego and Kaidi. Throughout the last 20 years, the band have remained largely on hiatus. But their influence could still be felt with their tracks being sampled by The Notorious B.I.G, NWA, A Tribe Called Quest, Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg. Umar has recorded various solo albums and featured on Common and Kanye West's Grammy Nominated 'The Corner'. Abiodun appeared on the Red Hot Organization's album, Stolen Moments which was named "Album of the Year" by Time. He also conducts weekly open house poetry readings, where he constructively critiques upcoming poets, helping to nurture them. He has also conducted classes at Columbia University, where he teaches creative writing. The album acts as a body of work between individual members each speaking of their own personal journeys but feeding into the much larger narrative of struggle and oppression, alongside a fervent hunger for social change. These are struggles and tests of personal resolve that have directly shaped and moulded the bands' unique sound over the course of an impressive 50 years, and their powerful and influential commentary remains as relevant as ever.

When pianist and composer Moses Taiwa Molelekwa died in February 2001, fans and fellow musicians alike were swept away by grief. He was so young – not yet 30 – and had shown such musical promise.
Genes and Spirits was his second album, released a year before his death. While the composer’s voice and pianist’s touch are instantly recognisable from his debut, Finding One’s Self, the ideas underlying the music mark a conscious step into the unknown: what he called “finding a range of rhythmic alternatives,” inspired by the rhythmic complexity he was hearing in both pan-African music and the New Music he had been exploring in Europe; and by the possibilities of electronic club music – jungle in London, and kwaito in Soweto.
Inspired like many of his musical age-mates by the optimism of the post-liberation 1990s in South Africa, Taiwa crafted what he described as ragga with a kalimba groove; Tswana vocals over a programmed drum
track; a duet with Chucho Valdez and more, across eleven tracks combining the talents of multiple South African and world musicians, including Valdez, Flora Purim and Cameroonian drummer Brice Wassy. With Genes and Spirits, Molelekwa was stepping into the kind of genre-busting territory we associate today with players such as Robert Glasper, but he was doing it almost a decade earlier: asserting a new jazz identity that was young, popular and African. This re-release also includes one additional track, Wa Mpona, recorded for, but omitted from, the original release.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Currently killing it for the Piccadilly Jazz Club, this is an overlooked masterpiece of modern jazz. Released in 2000, a year before the South African pianists’ untimely death, “Genes And Spirits” marries the African jazz stylings of Dollar Brand or Hugh Masekela with jungle, soul, kwaito and hip hop, sounding like a lost studio session between Brand, Masekela, Hancock, Larry Heard and Goldie. Sublime!

A cosmic, phased-out percussion adventure by Shimshon Miel, a lone-wolf hippie from Tel-Aviv who experimented with hallucinogenic psych-folk, and self-released his only album in 1977. Fortuna Records reissues two of the album's killer cuts for the very first time, alongside a late-night club edit by Kalbata. Expect extra trippy percussion soundscapes layered on top of a thumping bass guitar in wild 70's style stereo action. Kalbata's remix is a straight up voodoo ritual, adding much needed 808 subs to the jacked-up original.

For the best part of two decades now, South London Afro-Dub dons Soothsayers have been preaching their politically charged good vibrations to a growing and loyal fan base. 

Having recently filled London’s Jazz Caf to much acclaim, and in anticipation of their new album, "Tradition", out on Wah Wah 45s in June, Soothsayers unleash the second single to be taken from it. It’s a double header of sorts that shows the band’s knack of reinterpreting a cover version or two for the dance floor. "Sleepwalking" is a take on Fela Kuti’s 1971 classic "Black Man’s Cry". It’s a chant of frustration aimed at disenfranchisement from the process and features Afrobeat Ambassador Dele Sosimi on guest vocal duties.
It questions if we are sleepwalking into the abyss, and is a revolutionary song about taking power back into our own hands!
Although it’s challenging to do justice to a Bob Marley cover, on "Natural Mystic" Soothsayers cradle the spirit of the originator and turn it upside down, transforming the familiar into a journey back to Africa via their trademark groove. Spiritual jazz flutes and percussion combine with the floating vocals of the mighty Cornel Campbell, while the song’s main melody is emphatically reproduced by Soothsayers horn section to stunning effect.

Souvenir is an album by one of the most promising and talented music makers from today's Japanese underground scene: VIDEOTAPEMUSIC.
Videotapemusic is a young music and video producer from Tokyo who uses old Japanese and Asian VHS tapes collected in dusty recycle shops and closed rental video stores as raw material for his sampling work and video production, creating a singular and highly unique musical world that has created waves on the Japanese scene since 2009. Starting out strong with three self-released albums, followed by two albums on Japanese label Kakubarhythm and a collaboration 12" on EM Records, "Souvenir" is now the first Videotapemusic album released outside of Japan, available as a limited 180g heavyweight vinyl LP edition, and in digital format. The LP comes with a download card. The eight tracks in "Souvenir" also feature the cream of the crop from the current Japanese scene: Beipana on steel guitar, MC.sirafu on steel pan, saxophonists Satomi Endo, Satoru Takeshima and Kaoru Masuda, trumpetistsTaichiro Kawasaki and Makoto Takahashi, DJ Eskimo, guitarist Yuichi Ushioda, percussionist and hand sonic player Hajime Matsushita, keyboardist Yu Arauchi, Videotapemusic on pianica and vocalists Sansuke Yamada, Toshihiko Ikeda and Ryu Tsuruoka. Dive into a world of musical delight and discover today's best music from Japan!

Another on point project from Berlin's creative record store hub OYE! Following a sun soaked day on a trip to Tel Aviv, OYE counter culturist Delfonic wandered into an intriguing spot called Kuli Alma. Coincidentally Berlin based Tel Avivian Moscoman was playing at the club that very afternoon. Call it fate, call it afternoon drinking, call it sun stroke - whatever the reason, after a mind-blowing track dropped, he asked Moscoman about its origin, and not so long after, Disco Halal was born. This fresh label dedicated to Middle eastern and Oriental sounds, is gonna hit us with a string of originals and edits from artists such as Acid Arab, Memhet Aslan, Red Axes, Naduve, Autarkic and Moscoman himself, so make room in your collection! Volume 1 features a trio of edits alive with those hypnotic and psychedelic touches which are so central to middle eastern music. Acid Arab kick us off with the blistering electro-tech and 303 sequences of "Le Gaz Qui Fait Rire", a mindbending collision of tradional folk violins and vocals with all out club filth! On the flip Autrakic calms things down a little with the bordeline Balearic dub of "Palgey", a lilting lullaby with a touch of synth strings which could only come from the coast of North Africa. Last but not least, Mehmet Aslan drops "Yasadim", a beefed up house rework of a traditional Turkrock groove which balances a thumping bottom end with the high register strumming of the Baglama Saz. Exotic, inventive and addictive, Disco Halal looks set to make an instant impression on the dance music world.

After a chance, boozey meeting between OYE's Delfonic and Berlin based Tel Avivian Mowscoman back in the latter's home town, the excellent Disco Halal came into being with a sell out compilation EP. Now the dust has settled, the hookah begins to bubble for volume two. This time round, Moscoman is joined by two leaders of the Israeli new school, the infamous Red Axes and Whiskey Disco affiliates Rabo & Snob, alongside a fresh face on the production scene, Sofia's Kmtr. Moscoman takes the lead with "Machintosh", a rolling, rattling percussion number topped with chanted vocals and see-sawing fiddle and mangled synth. Red Axes make the most of their moment in the spotlight, delivering the show stealing "Hamathil", a dubby groover in the vein of "Iko Iko", complete with didgerido sequences, chanted vocals and handclaps. When you chuck in the killer percussion, low slung bass groove and occasional burst of screaching guitar, you've got all the ingredients for a winning track. Rabo & Snob take us further into wonky cosmic territory on the flip, getting low, slow and funky on "Hilbeh", a bass and clav led groover that'd have me throwing the strangest shapes you've ever seen in no time. Proggy synths reach for the stars while occasional blasts of breathy female vocal coo away, paving the way for a deep and dirty acid line. Last but not least, Kmtr makes his wax debut with "Sorarim", a syrup disco stomper which slowly builds into an all guns blazing, orchestral funk number perfect for at least a thousand and one Arabian nights! Yalla!

Blazing a Habibi House trail through dusty desert sands and sunbaked lands, Disco Halal return with another fragrant serving of spiced dancefloor flavours from the near East. Basel's Mehmet Aslan opens proceedings with a trance inducing dervish right in line with his globetrotting DJ sets or new label Fleeting Wax. The traditional sounds of zurna and davul fill the club with the energy of a bustling bazaar while rattling percussion, fizzing electronics and regimented machine drums. Recent Golf Channel signings and Tel Aviv cold wave stalwarts Autarkic take control for A2 cut "Zaffa", synchronising a growling bassline and solid kick under the massive folk vocal for a dark and dusky basement winner. Over on the flip, Naduve takes things deep and immersive with the saz and woodflute vibes of "Jose's A Star". Set to a lopsided, undulating rhythm, this melodic portion of dancefloor exotica should win over the psyche freaks and Balearic beards in equal measures. It falls to Dogu Civcik to bring the set to a close and the producer keeps quality sky high with the stripped back, cinematic and emotive "Mitrin". This groovesome treatment of a jazzy folk cut fits more into the Western Tradition, bringing to mind recent downbeat cut ups by the likes of Ptaki and HNNY and closes the set on a high. Yalla!