Franco & O.K. Jazz – Franco Luambo Makiadi Presents Les Editions Populaires (1968-1970)

Franco was the pride of what was then (and would be again) the Democratic Republic of Congo, for a brief spell known as Zaire.  He went from singing rumba and bolero tunes to developing a funk-influenced sound that lit up most of the African continent.  From the Bandcamp site: “This Continue Reading

Brotha Lok – True Lai : Flèches contre Balles

Brotha Lok is a French producer and DJ of Vietnamese extraction, and he has produced a wild album with no solid focus, but it listens are more of a travelog.  Bits of hip-hop, ethnographic recordings, field recording, spoken interludes (including a bit of laughter here and there) are brought together Continue Reading

Mohammad Syfkhan – I Am Kurdish

A very pleasant release from Mohammad Syfkhan, a Kurdish musician currently based in Ireland.  From the Nyaah Records Bandcamp site: “Mohammad’s own brand of ecstatic music takes elements from Middle Eastern and North African music to create an atmosphere of joy, love and happiness. The songs on ‘I am Kurdish’ Continue Reading

Kevin Miller & Jukka Pekka Kervinen – Another Space

If I listen to noise, this is the kind I enjoy – something that will keep me guessing where the artist is going.  Kevin Miller & Jukka Pekka Kervinen are two improvisers who make a more elegant form of free improv music, something I could come back to again and Continue Reading

Hiemis – Malleus Maleficarum

Hiemis are a project out of Spain, not exactly a mecca (yet) for dark ambient bands or dungeon synth, but this album is wonderfully bleak and enveloping.  It has the feel of a lo-fi Spanish or Italian horror soundtrack, but with a lot of warmth to it.  Eerie, of course, Continue Reading

The Henry Girls – A Time To Grow

More wonderful news from friends!  CPL-Music will be releasing a folk album of Irish Americana by The Henry Girls.  From the label’s press release: “The three McLaughlin sisters, Karen, Lorna, and Joleen, once again prove on their seventh studio album “A Time To Grow” that they belong to the leading Continue Reading

Various Artists – Funk Tide – Tokyo Jazz-Funk From Electric Bird 1978-87

From our incredible friends at Wewantsounds, we have another scorching compilation of Japanese jazz-funk.  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Following the success of the ‘Tokyo Glow’ compilation, Wewantsounds once again teams up with Japanese Tokyo-based DJ Notoya to dig the rich Electric Bird catalogue and come with a versatile selection Continue Reading