2023-08-10 13:05:25
1983-90
yo manuel
Nigeria currently shines on the world musical scene thanks to the talent of its artists, but it should not be forgotten that the musical heritage of the country is much older. And Soundway Records is making sure, this month, that we keep this heritage in mind by releasing the compilation 1983-90 by Ayo Manuel. The artist, pioneer of the Nigerian DIY composed large parts of his albums alone. Soundway has selected and compiled titles from its albums Love Candidate et Party Time, a great way to observe the evolution of Ayo Manuel’s work. From a very disco-funk starting point loaded with synthesizers to a more balanced and more afropop finale, a pleasant mix of productions specific to the 90s and tama (talking drums). Each sound of the compilation has its own identity, such as “Gboro Mi Ro”, which is closer to the tones of Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, “Sojourn (Ajo)”, reminiscent of American productions but keeping the spirit of Nigerian rhythms. An album that allows us to dive back into the eventful universe of a leading Nigerian artist.
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BEYOND THE END
SÉKETXE
The most powerful voices of Angolan rap return with a second album BEYOND THE END. A little over a year later FUNCTION, SÉKETXE returns to strike the rap. And the 6 members of the group (Murtalha, Djamberão, Rasgdo, Layfado, Black Kokaina, Banzelo) haven’t lost an ounce of talent. The energy that has characterized them since the beginning of their career persists and the group does not hesitate to venture into less marked musical grounds. The rappers from Luanda had shown their melodic talent on a few sounds like “NGASSAKADILA” and reiterates the attempt by going further on “MUITO OBRiGADO” and its dancing production overflown by a sung refrain. But if BEYOND THE END marks the spirit it is above all for the flows of the group, no sound is alike and each new title offers us a new vision of this group which has not finished making people talk regarding it.
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At table !
MischiefT
The meal is served and it is the Haitian rapper who invites us there with the feverish album At table !. More than a year following the project Extracted, MechansT is making a big comeback and we can say that it has put the small dishes in the big ones. Equally at ease in rapping and singing, At table ! alternates between calm, dancing and darker atmospheres. The rapper proves that he can handle a trap beat just as well as on “Apa’w Tounen Gangster? » than a zouk production with « Sa’w Tap Fè? “. A musicality that is not uncommon in Haitian hip-hop, but MechansT stands out with particularly hard-hitting additions of choirs like on “Pa kriye” or on “Nou VIe VIV”. And even if the artist is a real Swiss army knife of krèyol rap, he invites other big names from the Haitian scene like Roody Roodboy. An auditory feast that allows you to immerse yourself in a rising hip-hop scene.
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Five Seasons
Itamar Kluger
Itamar Klüger takes us back in time with the unpredictable Five Seasons. The artist composed the album over the seasons and each title captures the energy of the season that saw it emerge. A successful first solo album for the leader of the Şatellites. Funk and rock mingle while sailing in an extremely wide sonic universe. Levantine dabke music intersects with Persian bandari wedding music, Turkish folk is not without remains and there is still room for an ounce of Afrobeats, a hint of Saharan blues and a zest of indie rock. Five Seasons is a vast field of experimentation which carries within it the direct soul of the temporality which saw its birth. The project takes its listener from the crowded streets of Jaffa to the dunes of the desert without forgetting to get lost in Jamaica. An album filled with sublime nostalgia.
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Lo-Life!
Immy Owusu – The Best Of Immy Owusu
Immy Owusu takes us deep into his Ghanaian roots with the vibrant Lo-Life!. In a style that the artist has named “Afrodelik” – to encompass his Afro sounds and psychedelic rock rhythms – he revisits Ghanaian highlife and palm wine. A fusion in the image of the singer who grew up in Australia with rock but who comes from an illustrious family of Ghanaian artists, in particular his grandfather Koo Nimo, a big name in highlife. Born from this union, the album Lo-Life, Immy just needed to sprinkle the whole thing with an ounce of afrobeats to achieve this sonic jewel. He is accompanied by musicians from Surprise Chef, Karate Boogaloo and The Senegambian Jazz Band. A psychedelic and lo-fi ode to highlife carried by Immy’s Twi lyrics that will lift you up.
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Marzipan (Habibi Funk 023)
Charif Megarbane
Journey to the heart of Beirut with Charif Megarbane and his album Marzipan. A release placed under the acronym of the Habibi Funk label and which also signs the first contemporary album release for the label specializing in the reissue of albums from the Maghreb and the Middle East. A journey carried out not without groove in this style that Megarbane called “Lebrary” contraction of Lebanon (Lebanon) and library music, this background music composed to accompany films, documentaries, programs… Charif Megarbane has thus composed a sunny soundtrack album. A delicious oriental funk guided by the tide of instruments present on the album and which accompany each other to perfection without any overflowing on the others. The Lebanese artist creates with Marzipana contemplative and contemporary album without abandoning the “habibi” side that made the reputation of the Berlin label.
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Osapa London
PsychoYP
The rapper returns with Osapa London an 8 track project. PyschoYP explores the popular musical genres of amapiano, afrobeats and dancehall without losing the musical identity of his rap. A more than successful attempt to reach the general public. The project is also carried by a cast to the nines with the presence of Odumodublvck, Teni or even Laime bringing a freshness to the verses of PsychoYP. An alchemy that is felt throughout the EP, the saxophones and the juju atmosphere on “AnyGaddamnTime” will move your hips, the dose of emotions is assured with “Stand Attention”, “This Country” opens the album and set the scene. Osapa London is complete in sound and this is certainly what allows everyone to find their way around.
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PANIC IN THE UNDERWORLD
DJ K
What if Brazilian baile funk meets horrorcore? Two universes that seem opposed but that DJ K proposes to unite on his new album with an evocative title PANIC IN THE UNDERWORLD (Panic in the underworld). DJ K pushes “Bruxaria” – a genre born from baile funk with a darker atmosphere with its drums and saturated synths – to its climax by infusing it with horrorcore. The meeting between the dancing rhythms specific to Brazil and the soundtrack of the film Halloween. An album that might be that of the apocalypse with its thunderous alarms, its punctuations of beating bass and its rhythms distorting over the listening. An energy reminiscent of that of the phonk which has been seeing the taste of the day for some time on social networks. PANIC IN THE UNDERWORLD is a gigantic organized chaos, a sonic madness filled with details which, contrary to what one might think, are meticulously arranged.
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Tony Allen JID018
Tony Allen
The Jazz is Dead label, founded by Ali Shaheed Muhammad (member of Jazz A Tribe Called Quest) and producer-composer Adrian Younge, continues to restore the image of jazz. For the release of this 18th part, it is the great and late Tony Allen who is in the spotlight. The artist, renowned for his talent as a drummer in Fela Kuti’s Africa 70 group, went to the studios of Jazz is Dead to record this new opus. Result ? An album imbued with this recognizable touch among a thousand and having contributed to laying the foundations of Afrobeat. Tony Allen weaves between jazz and funk, afrobeat and Nigerian highlife, an energy that seems to revive the emblematic sounds of Africa 70. The artist is on bass, electric guitar, keyboard and marimba, there was no shortage of more than brass, flute and organ and here is the complete recording! Jazz is Dead takes us on a psychedelic trip to the Yoruba kingdom. A strong project that contributes to the legacy left by one of the greatest drummers in the world. One thing is certain, Tony Allen will have had a lasting impact on the world of music and will continue to influence musicians around the world.
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When The Dust Settles
Balimaya Project
Balimaya Project has made palpable this moment of floating that precedes the change, this apnea before entering the water, on the moving When The Dust Settles. PAM has been following this collective for a long time, whose music is strong in its roots between Mandinka culture and English jazz. This new album is the beautiful continuity of Gold House, a musical harmony that explores constantly different terrains. The drums call, the saxophones answer and the kora intertwines in this ensemble. Led by Yahael Camara Onono, the collective welcomes the voices of Afronaut Zu, Obongjayar and Fassara Sacko for an album that already marks the year. The emotion is present from the first to the last track, the rhythm is West African, the energy is English, take a seat and enjoy When The Dust Settles.
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#albums #July
