Afro​-​Beat Airways - West African Shock Waves - Ghana & Togo 1972​-​1978 (2021 LP Repress) Analog Africa

 

Vinyl reissue from Analog Africa. One of the best Afro Funk collections,
contains three exclusive vinyl-only bonus tracks : 'Obiye Saa Wui' by 3rd Generation Band, 'Operation Bye-Bye' by Orchestre Abass, and 'Okpe See' by Pagadeja - 2021 Repress

Organ-driven Afro-beat, cosmic Afro-funk and raw, psychedelic boogie… just some of the flavours to be found on this highly danceable compilation by Samy Ben Redjeb, founder of Analog Africa.These tracks have been hiding for 30 years and as you will hear these are modern African sounds created to stand the test of time. Afro-Beat Airways is like a time capsule, and promises to take you on a fascinating musical journey through West Africa's vintage Afro Sounds.

releases March 5, 2021

Changes (Demos) by Neal Francis

 

“I just wanted to be honest about everything, from my musical influences to my story,” muses Neal Francis. After years of dishonest living such sincerity is jarring from the
30-year-old Chicago-based musician. Liberated from a self-destructive past and born anew in
sobriety, Francis has captured an inspired collection of songs steeped in New Orleans rhythms and rock n' roll. Here's where it started. The initial demos that eventually became Neal Francis' debut album, Changes. Since releasing his debut album to critical acclaim from KEXP, KCRW, NPR, and more. Neal has toured the country headlining and supporting acts such as Black Pumas, Lee Fields & The Expressions, and The Revivalists. As he prepares for his sophomore LP, we get to peek into the initial sketches at the onset of his career as a singer and songwriter.

We are so proud to present these early demos from Neal Francis. Mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering, lacquers cut at Well Made Music, pressed at Gotta Groove Records, and housed in a high quality Stoughton tip-on jacket. One-time pressing of this special release.

releases March 12, 2021

Brighter Days Ahead by Various Artists Colemine records

 

Beggin / Ms. Jackson by The Diasonics

 

Tight Spot - Time Heals Everything 7" (preorder) by Happy People Records

 

The Labrats - Boom Boom / Curtis Baker & The Bravehearts - Midnight In Memphis

 

More nostalgic but on-point fare from producer Neil Anderson and his Original Gravity label, this time via an ultra-limited seven-inch single featuring two fuzzy slabs of revivalist rhythm and blues. The Labrats kick things off via a righteous and occasionally raucous cover of John Lee Hooker classic 'Boom Boom', where gnarled, Chuck Berry style guitar solos and gravelly vocals rise above a tooled-up but nevertheless faithful rendition of the much-loved song. Over on the flip, Curtis Baker and the Bravehearts breeze their way through a bluesy Anderson original, the slow-motion R&B grooves, razor-sharp blues guitars and extended organ solos of 'Midnight in Memphis'.

Keep Lifting Me Higher EP by Floyd James & The GTs

 

New funk delivered the old way; Original Gravity follow up the 2017 hype of Floyd James & The GTs debut "The Switchback" with this powerful four-track EP. Charged with a strong northern soul feel both "Keep Lifting Me Higher" and "The Sweetest Thing" lead with the beat as Floyd and his super-tight band bounce back and forth. Flip for more energetic mischief as "The Wig" goes turbo blues while "Sweet Sweet Soul" closes on an epic, riffy sing-along. The title speaks for itself.

Llamar A Los Bomberos! by Néstor Álvarez

 

Nestor Alvarez delivers more Latin 45 heat at the start of ’21. And when I say Nestor Alvarez, I mean, of course, Neil Anderson – head honcho at Original Gravity Records for whom ‘Nestor Alvarez’ is merely one of multiple noms-de-plumes! Naturally, uptempo Latin funk instro A-side, Llamar A los Bomberos, is so caliente with its flute-led antics of percussive and percussive layers that there’ll be every reason to call the Fire Brigade once it is unleashed on the wheels of steel. Having said that, the organ-drenched reverse on this rightly double A-sided disc – Carlos Papas Grandes – proves equally incendiary, getting a proper slink on and dropping in horns too, just to make sure everybody knows who Mr Big Potatoes is!

Don't Look Back In Anger by The Regulators

 

2020 has been a hugely productive year for Neil Anderson, the vintage reggae, ska and soul loving producer behind the Original Gravity label. Here he rounds off the year via a new single from The Regulators, one of the label's most reliable revivalist reggae combos. The headline attraction here is undoubtedly the skanking cover of Oasis's Britpop smash 'Don't Look Back in Anger', which we're sure will annoy Noel Gallagher no end. Built around a rocksteady groove replete with trademark organ sounds and lazy trumpet and trombone solos, it's a cheeky but brilliantly executed cover. Over on the flip they deliver a more faithful cover of Freddie McKay's 1967 rocksteady standard 'Love is a Treasure'. It's good, but sadly lacks the A-side's "wow" factor.

WE LOVE JALAPENO! by Various Artists

 Free Download!

Luar De Luna by Bosq & Som Bit

 

In 2019 while on a tour stop in CDMX, Bosq & Som Bit were connected by a local production company and given a day in the studio together with the goal of making an original track. Not content to settle for just one sound they crafted these 2 very different but cohesive tracks in order to explore both the more downtempo Cumbia & Reggae inspired grooves (Luar De Luna) they all love but also the faster percussion driven Afro Latin inspired Jazz Funk dance workout that is Eya Onomato.

released February 5, 2021

Voiciii by Voilaaa

 

Favorite Recordings proudly presents Voiciii, the 3rd and new album by Voilaaa, an immersive dip into its Afro-Disco universe spread across 14 tracks. Needless to say you’ll find in this new LP all the ingredients that made him famous: strong dancefloor-friendly festive bangers, irresistible funky arrangements and an undeniable sense of humor and irony.
Bruno “Patchworks” Hovart, behind Voilaaa, is as often surrounded by amazing vocal featurings from previous LP’s regulars (Pat Kalla, Lass) but also new voices you may already have heard on its recent EPs (David Walters, Rama Traore, Ayuune Suule), as well as the saxophonist Boris Pokora. The LP is also an occasion to pay tributes to major artists of the African sound, such as Fela Kuti (on “Water No Get Enemy”), or Manu Dibango (“Manu Écoute Ça” and “Tenor Jam For Manu”).
Since the release of Voilaaa’s previous LP’s Des Promesses and On Te L’Avait Dit and their massive international support, the Voilaaa Soundsystem did travel through the world to deliver its message of infectious joy and groove, from Equator to Thailand, from Kazakhstan to the infamous French “Fête de l’Huma”. Now you know: Voilaaa is everywhere and Voiciii (“here it is”) their new album.

released February 5, 2021

SoundClash Series Vol 1 - The Aggrolites Vs The Slackers by The Aggrolites & The Slackers

 

The Bombillas by The Bombillas

 

Inspired by the global funk sounds to come out of Africa and the Middle East in the 1970’s, The Bombillas offer their unique take while forging a sound that is distinctly their own. This Los Angeles quartet’s self titled debut LP utilizes vintage keyboards, lap steel, drums, bass, and guitar that come together in a melting pot of instrumental grooves and sonic colors. Featuring seven original compositions and covers of the Ethiopian classic “Sintayehu” by Hailu Mergia and the newly rediscovered diggers favorite “Dance of Maria” by Elias Rahbani, arranged with some surprises not found in the origionals to keep in line with The Bombillas fresh approach to past inspirations.
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released December 11, 2020

You Got To Be A Man / Gimme Little Sign by Night Owls

 

Los Angeles' Night Owls are back once again with two more soul classics flipped in the bands signature Jamaican style fronted by two more of L.A’s top soul singers. Side A features Sy Smith, a staple and cultivator of L.A’s nu-soul scene, covering Miami First Lady of Soul Helene Smith's “You Got To Be A Man". Smith’s gritty performance and soulful tone match the energy of the original and with Night Owls’ funky groove bubbling up behind her it’s a cut that could easily be mistaken for a lost gem from the 1960’s. On Side B Night Owls recruit longtime friend Chris Dowd of L.A. soul-ska kingpins Fishbone to take the lead on the Brenton Wood hit “Gimme Little Sign.” A classic that’s been covered a few times over the years, Dowd’s take along with Night Owls’ unique and upbeat twist is surely a fresh approach and one you'll spin over and over again.
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releases February 12, 2021

Raw & Direct by Orgone

 

Raw & Direct captures Orgōne playing from the gut and in the moment. The first official collection of live performances catches the band in top form with songs honed on the road, delivering the excitement of their touring show to the studio in a way that is both intimate and fiery.
Recorded straight to tape at KillionSound and Tropico Union Studios in Los Angeles, California, the songs are muscular, honest, and soulful. Orgōne's reputation as an incendiary live experience is laid out on the line in this collection with crushing instrumentals and iconic vocal performances from Adryon de León and Terin Ector.

released December 4, 2020

I Got Love b​/​w Loving Body by Bobby Oroza

 

The Finnish crooner, Bobby Oroza, is back with a new set of tunes that pick up right where his glorious 2018 debut album, This Love, left off.
The A side “I Got Love” is a sweet soul anthem for those with their priorities straight and an encouraging reminder to those who may have lost sight of what is truly important in life. Bobby has penned another hit. He sings about choosing love over all things material and recognizing what you have when you have it. Bobby sings an earworm of a chorus that sums it up perfectly, “I got love, and that’s enough”.
The B side, “Loving Body”, is as seductive as it is profound. Bobby propositions his love interest over a gorgeous Cold Diamond & Mink production for more than a light hearted love affair. Mr. Oroza is not your average Joe, and this is not your average roses and candy song. Bobby lays out his desire to become one loving body in the way two rivers become part of the sea. A beautiful song about attraction and desire that will be an instant staple in the sweet soul world and beyond.

releases February 12, 2021

Kind & Kinky Zoo - Soif, Chameau, Pinot / Eau Chaude (Voodoocuts Remix) by Soul Garden Records