The Sound of a New Day

About a year ago I posted Letta Mbulu's 1981 African Boogie classic "Kilimanjaro" (See Kilimandjaro Take Us Higher). Here is the 1980 version of the track, titled "Kilimandjaro Take Us Higher", that appeared on Mbulu's 1980 album Sound of a Rainbow. This track, even though very similar in arrangement, has a more soulful backing groove. I honestly don't prefer one version over the other, as I feel that both are solid tracks. I will be interested to hear which version everyone who visits this site prefers more. Enjoy!

Letta Mbulu - Kilimandjaro Take Us Higher

Africa 2000

Here's a great African disco gem in Bolo Bolo by the Cameroon singer, musicians, and arranger Kemayo (aka Elvis Kemayo). This funky track was featured on Kemayo's 1976 hard-to-find album Africa L'an 2000. Simply put, this is another great African disco track and full-length LP that is well worth being at the top of anybody's wishlist. Enjoy!

Kemayo - Bolo Bolo

African Zombie

Here is Ephraim Uzomechina Nzeka's funky rendition of Fela Kuti's "Zombie". This African disco gem was originally released on Nzeka's very rare 1980 album Brother To Brother. The track was also more recently included on Comet Records' incredible compilation Bilongo - A Third Collection Of Modern Afro Rhythms, which is easily one of my favorite comps of all-time. Overall, Nzeka's does a nice job with the Afrobeat classic, speeding up the tempo a bit and giving the song a more disco feel. Simply a true African disco gem!

Ephraim Uzomechina Nzeka - Zombie

Jungle Magic

About a week ago, Hugo Mendez from the Sofrito crew kindly shared with me their newest single titled the Jungle Magic EP. This new 12" release, which will be out in a couple of weeks, features two superb new Nigerian disco edits. The A-side track is a reworking of Benis Cletin's rare 1979 Afro synth gem "Jungle Magic", while the B-side cut "Money Makes Man Mad" is a funky slice of Afro disco that is primed perfectly for the dancefloor. With any of the Sofrito releases, I assume this new twelve won't last long in record shops once it drops, therefore I highly recommend snatching this new release up as soon as it comes out. Just as the weather begins to warm up, Sofrito drops another dose of tropical heat! Enjoy!

Sofrito Super Singles 003 - Jungle Magic EP by sofrito

Roots of Life

Here is the funky Afro-flavored cut "Ma Do Nar" by the production tag-team Los Chicharrons. I just recently heard this group, which is led by Ramon Santana and Morten Varano, a few months ago for the first time and was completely blown away by their newest full-length release Roots Of Life. This new album, which was released by Tummy Touch Records, came to light when Morten traveled to Bamako in Mali and hooked up with a number of local musicians to help lay the foundation for the album's overall instrumental sound. The finishing touches to the full-length release were later applied in some production sessions in Copenhagen and London. Overall, the new Los Chicharrons album is a superb new release that nicely brings together elements of Afro funk, house, and disco while not losing the albums traditional Mali inspiration. I highly recommend checking out this new release!

Los Chicharrons - Ma Do Nar



Listen to more tracks from Los Chicharrons' Roots of Life album and more by Clicking Here.

Cabana Disco Vol.05 - Now in Stores!

I'm excited to announce that my new twelve-inch re-edit record Cabana Disco vol.05 has finally made it's way to record shops worldwide. This new twelve follows in the same footsteps of the rest of the Cabana Disco series, featuring three new funky edits that include the seventies Afro disco cut "African Ole, the heavy-hitting Italian funk gem "Funk Suprema", and the Caribbean boogie track "Nightflight to Trinidad". An interesting side note to this release is that songs re-edited on this release were taken from a selection of rare material that I found during my trip last summer to Paris. Just like the rest of the volumes in the series, this record is limited to only 300 copies, therefore I recommend snatching up a copy while they still last. I look forward to hearing everyone's thought and comments about this new release.

Here's Preview
A1 - African Olé
B2 - Funk Suprema (full audio mp3)
B3 - Nightlife to Trinidad

Purchase Cabana Disco vol.05 here:
Juno Records
Piccadilly Records
Phonica Records
Fat City Records
Rough Trade Shops

Gimme Some Million Dollar Disco

This week, Al Kent released the latest new twelves from his quickly growing and well-crafted Million Dollar Disco series in The Soho Place EP and The Ninth Circle EP. Both records, which consist of three tracks each, feature some of the best edits to date from the Scottish disco mastermind. On both The Soho Place EP and The Ninth Circle EP, Kent reworks some very obscure gems, including one of my favorite disco cuts in Sweet Talks' funky "Do The Beat". Overall, Al Kent has once again produced two more brilliant re-edit twelves that are a "must-own" for any disco enthusiast. Enjoy!

Sweet Talks - Do The Beat (Al Kent Re-Edit)




Click Here to purchase both Al Kent's new re-edit twelves The Soho Place EP and The Ninth Circle EP.

Feelin' Alright

Keyboardist Kiki Gyan might be best known for his contributions to the Afro-funk group Osibisa during the early and mid seventies. However after he departed from the group, the renowned Ghanaian musician released a couple of solid solo records. One of these notable records came in 1983 when he released the album Feelin' Alright off of the small Nigerian label Top Records. Many of the tracks off this album, including the title track "Feelin' Alright", had a more boogie-feel than any of his previous Afro-funk sounding records. Over the many years since it's intial release, the album has become a much sought after item by many record collectors. Kiki unfortunately past away in early June of 2004 at the young age of 47. His memory and legacy is now celebrated in the wealth of great music from both his Osibisa and solo recordings that he left behind. Enjoy!

Kiki Gyan - Feelin' Alright

Jangolo Boogie

Let's end the week with the Afro funk gem "Jangolo" by Jo Tongo. This funky track is featured on Tongo's rare self-titled album, which was release back in 1976. More recently, Tongo has recieved some attention due to the recent reissue release by the French label Still Muzik of his classic late seventies album Dig it Baby, which I also highly recommend checking out. Overall, a superb track from an artist that released a number of great Afro funk gems during the seventies. Enjoy!

Jo Tongo - Jangolo

Money Is The Root of Evil

The rest of my week is probably going to be pretty hectic, therefore expect the next few posts to be short and sweet. On to the music...

Here is a rare African disco gem titled "Money Is The Root of Evil" by the group Dan Boadi & the African Internationals. This song was originally released as the title track to the group's 1978 album, and more recently released as a twelve-inch in 2002 by Aestuarium Records. Overall, it's a classic African disco gem worth hunting down in anyway that you can find it. Enjoy!

Dan Boadi & the African Internationals - Money Is The Root of Evil

Malinga Disco

Let's start the week off with a great re-edit from Diesel & Jarvis of Malinga Five's 1977 African disco gem "Malinga". This funky edit was released a few years ago as a part of the continuously growing Moton Records Inc. re-edit series. The twelve-inch record also includes two other solid edits including a funky laid back reworking of Bella Vista's 1982 cosmic gem Mister Wong. Overall, is a great re-edit record that I highly recommend worth purchasing.

Malinga Five - Malinga (Diesel & Jarvis Re-edit)

Pat Thomas in Action

Here is a very rare African disco gem titled "I Need More" by Pat Thomas & Marijata. This track was featured on the group's 1977 self-titled album, which also features Ghanaian guitarist heavy-weight Ebo Taylor. Taylor's presence can truly be felt midway through the track as he breaks into a fuzzed-out psychedelic solo that helps capture the essence of the song. Overall, "I Need More" is a brilliant piece of work that really brings together elements of both psychedelic African rock and Nigerian disco. Enjoy!

Pat Thomas & Marijata - I Need More

Caraïba Funk

Here is the classic Afro-flavored disco gem "Caraïba" by the group Tumblack. This break-heavy track was originally released on the group's rare 1978 self-titled album, and features some solid percussion work alongside a soulful rhythm section that helps provide a nice groove for any dancefloor. I don't think I'm going out on a limb here by saying when it comes to instrumental gems, "Caraïba" is an absolute masterpiece. Enjoy!

Tumblack - Caraïba

Taxi Man Music

Here is a funky African gem that I've been enjoying a lot lately from Amadou Balake, titled "Wayisjelequeyele". This track was featured on Balake's 1978 hard-to-find album Taximen. Balake went on to follow up this album the following year with another solid album titled A New York. A couple of years ago the Oriki Music label released a compilation titled "Señor Eclectico", which featured many of Balake's finest and most hard-to-find tracks that is certainly worth hunting down. Here is a track that unfortunately didn't make it onto that release, however very worthy of praise in it's own right. Enjoy!

Amadou Balake - Wayisjelequeyele

The Voyage of Ekambi Brillant

Let's end the week with a funky Afro gem from Ekambi Brillant titled "Nyambe". This dancefloor friendly cut was originally released on Brillant's 1977 hard-to-find album Nayô-Nayô. Brillant released a number of great records throughout the seventies and eighties, as well as sang on a couple of tracks on Voyage's 1977 self-titled album. Overall, a solid track to help finish up a personally very busy week. Enjoy!

Ekambi Brillant - Nyambe

Step On, Don't Be Afraid

First off, I wanted to remind everyone that tonight is another rendition of Grow Up at the Madrone Lounge (Click Here for more info). This should be a really fun night, therefore I hope to see a nice showing from all the bay area folks.

Now onto the music. Here is a funky Afro Boogie gem titled "Step On" by Harry Mosco. This track was originally released during the late seventies on Mosco's Peace & Harmony album, and then later made it's way onto his 1982 record Sugar Cane Baby. The track was also recently included on Kon & Amir superb compilation Kon & Amir Present Off Track Volume III: Brooklyn. Overall, "Step On" is a great track that blurs the lines between African funk and disco boogie. Enjoy!

Harry Mosco - Step On

More Mwana

At this point it's pretty much safe to say that there are a number of different re-edits out there of Black Blood's mid seventies Afro classic "A.I.E. (A Mwana)". With a song of this caliber to start with, it's certainly hard to produce anything other than a great result. Therefore most of the edits I've heard of this track, have been overall pretty solid. That being said I think Special T-Kolai re-edit of this funky African disco classic, which was featured on the Space Lab Yellow Phase 2 compilation, stands above the rest. One of the reason's I feel this way is about 4:15 into the track, there is a sudden break that dives into a funky saxophone solo that helps re-energize the second half of the song. The saxophone solo isn't something I re-call in the original version, therefore I wouldn't be surprised if this was something DJ Taha Elroubi and flutist Nicolas Laget, who along with some session musicians make up Special T-Kolai, added to the edit. Regardless, it's an absolutely amazing edit of an already true African disco classic. Enjoy!

Black Blood - A.I.E. A Mwana (T-Kolai Special Edit)

Afro-Caribbean Funk

When I was recently in Paris, I came across a lesser known African compilation that was released a few years ago called Rare Afro & Caribbean Funk Volume 2. This vinyl-only compilation was released by a label called Mokili Productions and like the title suggests, the record consists of some funky hard-to-find African and Caribbean cuts from some obscure groups like Jojo L'Explosif, Black Santiago, W.J.W. And Roots Trunks & Branches, and Super Tentemba Jazz to name a few. From the first listen, I was immediately impressed with this collection of tracks and I became surprised by the fact that this compilation didn't seem to get more praise or exposure when it was released back in 2007. Regardless, it's a great compilation that I would like to see reissued again in enough quantities to hopefully get the kind of exposure and credit that it definitely deserves. Enjoy!

W.J.W. And Roots Trunks & Branches - Rising (Power Disco Power)

Kilimandjaro Take Us Higher

Here is a re-posting of the funky classic "Kilimanjaro" by the South African singer Letta Mbulu. This version of the track, which was mixed by disco producer Ray Martinez, was released as a twelve-inch single in 1981. Another slightly altered version of the song, under the name "Kilimandjaro Take Us Higher," was released on Mbulu's 1980 album Sound Of A Rainbow. Both versions of the song have a nice Afro disco groove to them, with the Martinez mixed version riped perfectly for the dancefloor. Overall, it's just another great track from one of South Africa's most accomplished singers. Enjoy!

Letta Mbulu - Kilimanjaro

Kaloule Woman

Here is a recent re-edit I did of Malinga Five's 1977 funky Afro gem "Kaloule Woman". I played around with this edit for quite a while, trying to find the right overall arrangement/ feel, and I came to the decision to keep a lot of the original elements intact. I always thought the original track was a little short in actual length, coming in just under three-minutes, therefore what I focused on was mostly extending certain areas of the song, giving the overall track more longevity. I originally planned on releasing this as part of Cabana Disco Vol.05, however at this point I haven't decided if and when the edit will receive a proper vinyl release. That being said, I definitely would love to hear everyone's feedback. It took sometime for me to come up with something that I was truly satisfied with, however now that it's finished I can honestly say that I am happy with the overall results. Hopefully everyone else feels the same. Enjoy and Feedback Please!

Malinga Five - Kaloule Woman (Pat Les Stache Re-edit)