• Music

    Malaaz – Lélé / Malaazé

    August 15, 2022 - By 

    This 7-inch two-track single is pure funky joy to listen to!  Malaaz were a band out of Reunion Island, of all places, and is considered to be a solid funk gem.  The backstory of the band is here, at their label, Babani Records’ Bandcamp site: “Malaaz was initiated by Patrick Donat, who is described as a pioneer and major contributor of the Electric Maloya scene, this fusion of island traditional music and western instrumentation in the mid 70s. 
He was joined by Franck Raholison and Del Rabenja, creating this powerful band of exceptional musicians from Réunion Island and Madagascar. Lélé…

  • Music

    The Traffic – Fire​/​Bangarang

    July 29, 2022 - By 

    The first thing that came into my mind hearing The Traffic was that they have mastered the psych-soul formula to a tee.  The first track, Fire, is a Jimi Hendrix cover where the flute takes the place of Hendrix’s legendary guitar playing, and it sounds damn solid.  The second track, Bangarang, sounds like something that would have fit in well with a hip Blaxploitation soundtrack, with a heavy funk element to the track.

  • Music

    Ajate – Abrada

    May 19, 2022 - By 

    Ajate are a Japanese band who have the Afrobeat sound down.  They’re one of the best bands working in this style while seamlessly blending Japanese percussion, funk and soul into their milieu.  

  • Music

    Stephen Mallinder – tick tick tick

    May 9, 2022 - By 

    With the death of Richard H. Kirk last year, my hopes are dashed for new material from Cabaret Voltaire.  However, Stephen Mallinder is carrying the torch of mid-period Cabs by combining a dark soundscape with rough electro-funk.  From his Bandcamp website: “Cabaret Voltaire co-founder Stephen Mallinder’s second solo outing for Dais further distills his signature fusion of minimal synth, oblique wordplay, and “wonky disco” into a riveting rhythm suite ripe for our age of escalation: tick tick tick. Channeling the temporal malaise of lockdown through a lusher palette of modular electronics and stereo strings, the songs embrace ambiguity and plasticity,…

  • Music

    Various Artists – Sharayet El Disco – Egyptian Disco & Boogie Cassette Tracks 1982-1992 – LP with 2p col Insert (Black Vinyl)

    April 17, 2022 - By 

    Though I don’t think this banger will be available as a digital download (my friends at Wewantsounds will be happy to clarify this), Sharayet El Disco is going to be an indispensable part of your world disco collection!  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds is delighted to release ‘Sharayet el Disco’ a selection of Egyptian 80s Disco and Boogie tracks curated by Egyptian DJ Disco Arabesquo from his vast collection of cassettes. Most tracks have never been released on any other format and are making their vinyl debut with this set. A journey through the funky sound of 80s Egypt,…

  • Music

    Golden Hands – Golden Hands

    March 23, 2022 - By 

    Sdban Records, a magnificent Belgian imprint I came across recently, is releasing some absolute bangers in the field of jazz, library music and funk.  This particular album, which has its roots in Morocco’s hardly-ever-discussed funk scene, was first available as a cassette in 1978 on Disques Gam. The reissue is lovingly done with crisp cover art, but the music is what wows me.  This isn’t merely a funk album.  There are tracks here, like My Story With Mrs. Life, are beefy rock tracks with gritty vocals you know you loved hearing on AM radio in the 70s.  Another gem, Love…

  • Music

    Daniele Baldelli – Back My Funky Side

    March 2, 2022 - By 

    Beefy, gritty, nasty funk.  That’s what you will hear from this  monster by DJ Daniele Baldelli.  There are elements of tribal funk, Afrobeat, and soundtrack music that wouldn’t be out-of-place in old German or Italian krimis or Poliziotteschi.  Calibro 35 would be the most apt comparison to Daniele’s work, but this feels more dance-floor-ready.