Remaining both in the UK and in West Africa after recently reviewing the new album of experimental UK dub project African Head Charge "A Trip To Bolgatanga", we now turn to London's Mandé jazz ensemble Balimaya Project. Formed by composer, arranger and djembe player Yahael Camara Onono back in 2019, the group fuses the musical experiences and rhythmic traditions of the diverse West African diasporas and identities with influences from London's contemporary [...]

Right on time for a new generation of listeners to become acquainted with their broad palette of psychoactive sounds, African Head Charge are back with another album on Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound. With a discography reaching back to the project's mind-bending 1981 debut LP "My Life in a Hole in the Ground" – playing on "both the title and concept of David Byrne and Brian Eno's "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" – their latest feat follows a twelve-year [...]

To say we've been eagerly awaiting this release would be somewhat of an understatement. Five years after releasing their debut single "Gül Ahmet", which also featured on the strictly limited "Saz Power" compilation by Ironhand Records, Kraków-based outfit MLDVA and Turkish instrumentalist Çınar Timur unveil their debut LP on Shapes of Rhythm. Presenting their unique take on Turkish psychedelia with a definitive nod the psychedelic rock movement of the [...]

Oh happy day! Bringing joy to the world since their 2016 debut single and subsequent 2019-released debut album "Mam Yinne Wa", Northern Ghana's Frafra gospel stalwarts Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy return to Max Weissenfeldt's (Poets of Rhythm, Whitefield Brothers) Philophon imprint with album number two and a fresh batch of joyous grooves. Heralded by a 7-inch vinyl release at the tail-end of 2021 (which we covered here), their sophomore effort is an even [...]

Not ones to turn down a good reissue, we return today to bring you an essential production by Saudi Arabian icon Ettab. A descendent of the Hausa, an ethnic group native to the Central African Sahel region, Ettab was born in Riyadh in 1947 and went on to become "a celebrated singer, actress and [avid defender of women's rights] – and perhaps the only female artist of Saudi origin of her time to claim an international career." In 1992, she released her [...]

Presenting "heavyweight Jamaican soul music," the Inna De Yard crew returns with another "Family Affair" celebrating the roots of reggae music. Following a four-year hiatus, some of the biggest names in the game are back to show dem young'uns how it's done. For those less familiar with this revival movement, Inna De Yard seeks "to capture the essence of Jamaican popular music by stripping reggae down to its core essentials featuring a core band of Jamaican [...]

Nothing like a healthy dose of Ethiopian vibes to set the mind at ease. Leave it to Munich-based multi-instrumentalist JJ Whitefield to present the latest Ethio-infused instrumental offering for the Madlib Invazion Music Library Series. Launched by the Beat Konductor himself and Now-Again Records' mastermind Egon over the course of the global lockdown to keep the music alive and "give their creative friends the ability to stretch out and indulge in whatever [...]

"Be water, my friend," is a popular saying attributed to Bruce Lee, a friendly reminder encouraging us to remain fluid in mind and body, to go with the flow, be willing to adapt and open to change, to be in the moment and never stop moving. Water is also the leitmotif of "Mádibá", the recently released fifth solo album by France-based Cameroonian singer and composer Blick Bassy. Combining state-of-the-art production with elements from soul, folk and electro [...]

Listening to the wondrous DIY soundscapes of sonic globetrotter Kundan Lal is always a thrill and a welcome diversion from the everyday drudgery. It comes as no surprise then that equally open-minded global explorers, aural tinkerers and musical wanderers of the road less travelled – such as Den Sorte Skole or DJ Marcelle – are among his "cult following". Having released his narcotic debut longplayer "Periodic Perciotic" back in 2017 and his trance-inducing [...]

With temperatures on the rise and the summer holiday season on our doorstep, Barcelona-based imprint El Palmas – an expansive passion project devoted to globally propagating tropical inclinations and flat-out dancefloor heat – decided to drop a 'mucho caliente' new four-tracker by the enigmatic Colombian crew La Jungla, prone to catapult your friendly neighbourhood BBQ setup to the next level. 

La Jungla first popped onto our radar with a split 7" release [...]

There are moments in life that simply pass us by and others that stay with us forever, glimpses of happiness, more often than not in combination with a song. For instance, I quite vividly remember a moment back in 2016, sitting passenger side in my best friend's Renault Grand Scenic travelling the wooded outskirts of Berlin and streaming a mix on Soundcloud, when a track came on that had us both bedazzled. That track turned out to be "Bangalore Whispers", a [...]

Who turned up the heat?! It's like we blinked and the summer season is upon us. In search of upbeat tunes to match our lifted spirits, we could hardly overlook this ebullient debut two-track release by NYC-based three-piece Loboko on Names You Can Trust. The band features young Congolese singer and guitar virtuoso Yohni Djungu Sungu, playing alongside legendary fellow Congolese master bassist and vocalist Ngouma Lokito (of Soukous Stars fame) and, last but not [...]