Perfect French pop from actress, singer and Serge Gainsbourg muse Brigitte Bardot.

Great compilation, featuring classic Marilyn songs including “I Wann Be Loved By You”, “Some Like It Hot” and “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend”.

Rock solid and timeless selection of reggae classics from Wagram here. Featuring a who's who of JA talent alongside THAT lovers rock collab between Gregory Isaacs and Simply Red and the chart topping Sister Nancy anthem. We go right back to 1971, with a variety of moods and styles explored. From the feel good stomper of Toots' "54-46 Was My Number" to more dancehall flavoured offerings from Max Romeo, and to the riotous dread of Black Uhuru. This is a wonderfully varied and ridiculously strong collection of hits! And look at the price tag! A no brainer surely...

Continuing their 'Wanted' series those fine folks at Wagram pop the top off a fire hydrant and bring the heat to the street, getting us wild - block party style. Taking a survey of all things funky, the label let us have it with red hot heaters from the likes The Fatback Band, Ray Camacho , T-Connection and Little Beaver and outta sight obscurities from Uncle Louie, Billy Garner and 87th Off Broadway. For any disco jocks looking to inject a little grit into their mirror ball shimmer, I'd suggest you pay some attention to The Philly Armada Orchestra's tight version of "For The Love Of Money" or King Floyd's original version of the Fern Kinney fave "Baby Let Me Kiss You". Wonderfully pressed and beautifully presented in collaboration with acclaimed British photographer Chris Steel-Perkins, this is an excellent addition to any well rounded collection.

The always affordable Wanted series returns this week with another set of beautifully presented, expertly selected comps covering a variety of genres. This edition takes a look at all things D I S C O, giving us a whole load of heat, mostly from the funier end of the mirror ball galaxy. Love Committee's dramatic and driving "Just As Long As I Got You" gets us off on the good foot, before glittering winners from A Taste Of Honey, Charo and Zebra show off the range of the movement - from the sequins of Studio 54 to the downtown block parties. On the flip Loose Joints treat us to THE outsider disco anthem before funk and jazz dons James Brown and Bob James drop a little 4/4 on our asses.

The always affordable Wanted series returns this week with another set of beautifully presented, expertly selected comps covering a variety of genres. Here we have a set of overlooked and under the radar Hip Hop heaters including the lyricism and flow of De La Soul, Bubba Sparxxx and RZA & GZA from Wu Tang Clan and the production talents of Pete Rock, Jazzy Jeff and Timberland. Beats to make your head nod til your neck snaps.

The always affordable Wanted series returns this week with another set of beautifully presented, expertly selected comps covering a variety of genres. Tackling jazz was always going to be tricky so the folks at Wagram serve us a survey in two parts. Volume 1 treats us to luxurious grooves, mournful ballads and dreamy difters from the likes of Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie and Letta Mbulu. 

The always affordable Wanted series returns this week with another set of beautifully presented, expertly selected comps covering a variety of genres. Tackling jazz was always going to be tricky so the folks at Wagram serve us a survey in two parts. Volume 1 treats us to luxurious grooves, mournful ballads and dreamy difters from the likes of Horace Silver, Charles Mingus, Donald Byrd and Gene Harris. 

After bursting onto the scene at the early age of 17, Willie Colón has gone on to become a revered icon of salsa and bolero music, collaborating with the likes of Celia Cruz, Soledad Bravo, Rubén Blades, and even David Byrne during a long and successful career.  His numerous collaborations with vocalist Héctor Lavoe are considered some of the greatest works of Latin music of all time, and have rendered a slew of gold and platinum records. Critics tend to agree that one of his finest works came in 1970, with the release of "Cosa Nuestra". Smooth and brisk tracks like "Ausencia" and the Latin club track "Che Che Colé" were huge hits among New York's barrio youths, bolstered by Lavoe's potent vocal flair, and Colón's slick, trombone-heavy production. It was their first gold-selling record, and served to cement the duo's legacy as Latin music icons.

A famous French chemist and philosopher once said, 'Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed'. Does the same apply to music? From Mozart to Serge Gainsbourg, the greatest creators have always drawn on the works of their predecessors and contemporaries, before becoming influences themselves. So yes, music is about influence, borrowing from others, covering songs and... performing. This is particularly true of Jamaica, where producers record the same hit several times, performed by different singers. Artists cover - and sometimes change - other people's songs, and the public and producers have always looked to their American neighbours for inspiration, drawing from its catalogue. In this respect, Ken Boothe is definitely a very Jamaican artist. The first track on his new album (his first for 25 years, at least internationally), "Speak Softly Love", has a back story that perfectly illustrates this aspect of music. The song is known for having been written by Italian composer Nino Rota (lyrics by Larry Kusik) for the film "The Godfather" by Francis Ford Coppola. The original soundtrack became legendary at the time but was disqualified from its category at the Oscars: Nino Rota had already used the theme in another film twenty years before!1 What's even more intriguing is that this famous theme tune was itself borrowed from... Verdi's opera "La forza del destino". Ken Boothe covered the song in 1974, two years after the film's release, presumably inspired by Andre Williams's version in the USA. Suggested and produced by the brilliant Jamaican musician and producer Lloyd Charmers, it was released on Ken's best-selling album in England: "Everything I own". The singer put his own personal spin on it, showing how the quality of the performer can give music and lyrics a new lease of life and make them universal. More than forty years later, on the terrace of a house in the open air, he recreates the magic and transports us once again with this acoustic version: there's no doubt, he truly is 'the Godfather'. Like his contemporary Bob Marley, with whom he took his first steps in the studio, Ken Boothe was heavily influenced by great American soul singers. Like him, he successfully covered a number of hits. And while the future global reggae star was linked to Curtis Mayfield, Ken himself was compared to Wilson Pickett. But far from contenting himself with imitation, his inspirations fuelled his creativity. An iconic voice of ska, he was also a big name of the style that followed, and preceded reggae: "Rocksteady". To the point that he was crowned "Mr Rocksteady" on the eponymous album released in 1968. And so, from a fascination for American music, Ken Boothe helped craft new musical styles introduced by Jamaica to the world, rewriting the history of their country as well as that of music. While he is this historical figure of Jamaican music, and while he is undoubtedly one of the greatest performers of love songs on the island, whose charm and sentiment he expresses so well, Ken Boothe is nonetheless imbued with Rasta culture, having seen its birth and spent his life alongside it. Without having shown it ostensibly at the time of reggae roots, when each artist proudly lay claim to dreadlocks, ganja and rasta militancy, the great Jamaican singer is nevertheless a fervent rasta, in a more intimate capacity.

Though his guitar burning, blind riffing and general rawk trailblazing antics may suggest otherwise, Jimi was raised on a diet of blues and jazz. This set sees the legend's most beautiful songs taken back to their basics and rebuilt as jazz standards by some stars of the scene. Terez Montcalm transforms "Voodoo Child" into a mystical groover along the lines of a Terry Callier classic, Willy Deville does an Afro-cuban flip of "Hey Joe" and the Francis Lockwood Trio drift through a dextrous version of "All Along The Watchtower". Featuring bop, lounge, Latin, soul, free and fusion versions, this diverse set is a wonderful revision of the Hendrix catalogue.

This beautifully packaged set celebrates the true spirit of chanson with a stunning selection of material from some of the most celebrated French stars. Spanning from 47-62, this collection of intimate, optimistic vocal pop narrates post war France's journey towards their mid sixties cultural revolution. Simultaneously reflecting the nation's pastoral heritage and industrial present, the chanson movement spoke directly to the people about a world they knew, exploring the romance of the everyday. Littered with hits from the likes of Aznavour, Juliette Greco, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel and Édith Piaf, "Spirit Of Chansons Francaises" is a gorgeous audio document of a unique moment in history.

Widely known for his outlandish style and fashion sense depicted in several highly innovative music videos as well as his intricate rhyming technique, rapping at a high rate of speed with heavy use of internal rhyme and half rhyme, Busta Rhymes is considered to be one of the best American rap MCs.

One of the most idiosyncratic personalities in rap, with his halting, ragga-inspired style and incredible complexity, inventiveness, and humor, Busta Rhymes is universally respected and is still appreciated after all these years.

This mixtape mixed by DJ Smoke recalls his career with 38 titles, between his first 7 albums, supported by prestigious featurings like Missy Elliott, Lil Jon, Nas, Dr Dre, Will I Am, etc.

Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes. He is widely known for his outlandish style and fashion sense depicted in several highly innovative music videos as well as his intricate rhyming technique, rapping at a high rate of speed with heavy use of internal rhyme and half rhyme, and to date has received 11 Grammy Award nominations for his musical work.

About.com included him on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987–2007), while Steve Huey of AllMusic called him one of the best and most prolific rappers of the 1990s. In 2012, The Source placed him on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. MTV has called him "one of hip-hop's greatest visual artists."

Busta Rhymes was an original member of Leaders of the New School. He later went on and founded the record label Conglomerate (initially Flipmode Entertainment) and production crew The Conglomerate (formerly Flipmode Squad). In November 2011, Busta Rhymes signed a deal with Cash Money Records. On July 23, 2014, Busta Rhymes announced that he left Cash Money Records due to creative differences and was no longer on Republic. In 2016 Rhymes signed with Epic for his upcoming album due to be released in early 2017.

He has so far released nine studio albums, with the first being the 1996 platinum-selling album The Coming. His list of hit singles include "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check", "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See", "Dangerous", "Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up", "Gimme Some More", "What's It Gonna Be?!", "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II", "I Know What You Want" and "Touch It", among several others.

Wagram kick off their 'Wanted' series with a tour through some of the lesser thumbed dancefloor relases from Africa's rich musical heritage. Alongside some of the more obscure (but just as killer) moments from legends Pat Thomas, Mulatu Astatke and Ebo Taylor, we're treated to the driving disco of Livy Ekemezie, heads down funk of Roger Damawuzan & Les As Du Bénin and the hypnotic, hip-shaking flute of Max Cilla. Wonderfully pressed and beautifully presented in collaboration with acclaimed British photographer Chris Steel-Perkins, this is an excellent addition to any well rounded collection.

So far in their 'Wanted' series, Wagram have taken a tour of the mother continent and got loose and loved up in inner city USA. Now their crack team of collectors and selectors head to Kingston, JA for a faultless set of Reggae brilliance, taking us all the way from 1976 to 1994. After the soundsystem pressure of The Gladiators' "Can't Stop Righteousness", the low slung skank of Ini Kamoze's "World A Music" ("...Out on the streets they call it murda!") takes us into the heart of the ghetto where the legendary Horace Andy soothes our cares. Classics from Black Uhuru and Clarence Parks close out the A-side, while the flip picks up a whole lot of heat from Sly & Robbie, Jimmy Riley and Max Romeo. Wonderfully pressed and beautifully presented in collaboration with acclaimed British photographer Chris Steel-Perkins, this is an excellent addition to any well rounded collection.

After stomping, strutting and skanking their way through Afrobeat, funk and reggae, Wagram turn their attention to the smooth sounds of soul, serving up twelve under the radar cuts from the likes of Dee Edwards, Millie Jackson, Darondo and George Soule. New Orleans legend King Floyd touches down with a wicked rendition of "Hard To Handle", Nancy Holloway jabs us right in the feels with the loungey "Hurt So Bad" and Brenda George takes us to the dance-floor with the raucous "What You See Is What You're Gonna Get". Wonderfully pressed and beautifully presented in collaboration with acclaimed British photographer Chris Steel-Perkins, this is an excellent addition to any well rounded collection.

Soul and Makossa. "World Music", a two-word universe, was born in the early 70's. For the first time Africa, in the form of Cameroon Makossa, nosed its way into soul, the heir to jazz and rhythm'n blues. As is often the case, this particular stage in musical evolution, which today is considered as capital, was at the time nearly missed, the B-side of a single which should never have got further than the suburbs of Douala. Among Westerm audiences, Manu Dibango is best known for "Soul Makossa," a highly infectious blend of African music, soul-funk, and jazz that became a major pop hit in the early '70s. The African artist revisited his signature tune on 1994's "Wakafrika", which boasts an all-star cast that includes Peter Gabriel as well as Haiti's Papa Wemba and African heroes Ladysmith Black Mambazo, King Sunny Ade, and Youssou N'Dour. As you'd expect from such a stellar bunch of guests, "Wakafrika" is an outstanding LP, featuring the reggae-influenced "Em'ma," a remake of Gabriel's "Biko," and the "Makossa"-ish jams "Wakafrika" and "Jingo." 

FORMAT INFORMATION

2xLtd LP Info: Remastered edition of this legendary world music album from 1994. Available on vinyl for the first time ever.

"Whoever you are! I’m much closer to you than a stranger" (Andrée Chedid)
We are all connected. By atoms and stardust, hearts and minds and six degrees at most. By nature. The universe. Music. Take "Lamomali", the new album by iconic French rocker, M. Recorded in collaboration with Toumani Diabaté, that Grammy-winning kora virtuoso from Mali, West Africa, and featuring a who’s who of singers and musicians from, well, everywhere, it’s both a mighty slice of African pop and a testament to music’s power to enchant, heal and unite.

“This is the record I’ve been wanting to make for a long time,” says M, aka Paris-based singer, songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Matthieu Chedid. “Twenty years ago I started working with Malian musicians in Paris. A decade later I went to Mali and met musicians including Toumani. Maybe it was my African side” - Chedid is of Lebanese/Egyptian origin - “but I felt like I’d come home.” "Lamomali" showcases the easy empathy between Chedid, a showman whose way with a riff and a lyric has bagged him eight shiny Victoires de la musique awards (think the French Brits), and the quietly brilliant Diabaté - a member of a dynasty that has transformed the kora, that 21-string harp with its great gourd resonator, into one of the most recognisable of African instruments.

Toumani and his eldest son Sidiki, who features throughout Lamomali, are 71st and 72nd generation kora maestros in a lineage that stretches back to the Mandé Empire, to when there was no Mali, Senegal, Guinea Bissau or the Gambia. When West Africa was unified.

“My mission has always been to bring Mandé music to the world, and let to let people know that music has no borders,” says Diabaté, who has experimented with technique and developed a style of playing that, while rooted in tradition, is open to collaboration.

In the process he has worked across genres including jazz, flamenco and classical (he’s been joined onstage by the London Symphony Orchestra), and with artists such as Björk, Damon Albarn and the late great Malian blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré - a longtime hero of M’s.

“I don’t play other people’s music and they don’t play my music,” says Diabaté. “But always, when we put our musics together, we make something new.”

"Lamomali", then. A tribute to, variously, the kora, Mali, Africa and the world, it’s a record that fizzes with life and love, artistry and audacity, tradition and innovation and leftfield imagination. This is contemporary African pop delivered with a knowing, iD-style wink. A fantasy project generated by an A-list star with a knack for reinvention; a man who channels Hendrix and Bolan through his 1964 Fender Strat (among his other s-hot axes) and sends them, lightning bolts zinging, into the future.

“I’m like the conceptualiser and cultivator of this album,” says M with a shrug. “I planted the seed and then watched it grow and bloom into an extraordinary and colourful African world. A universal world.”

“The kora has never sounded like it does on this album, never ever,” says Toumani Diabaté. “Matthieu has this production team [including Philippe Zdar of French house duo Cassius] who did an incredible job of mixing kora and guitar.”

There’ll be a live show, of course, a spectacular in keeping with M’s penchant for inclusive happenings. An aural and visual feast, all singing, all (audience) dancing, bursting with colour and connection (oh, and costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier). A performance that will bring us home to the sort of world we’d all like to live in.

A place called LAMOMALI.

Here are golden voices, catchy hooks, fierce guitar riffs, like-minded collectives and modern griots with ancient magic in their fingers.

Here is diversity, serendipity and invisible connecting threads.

And you, whoever you are. You’re here too.

Welcome.

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd CD Info: Limited CD digibook contains a 32-page booklet.