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 [...]

Who would've thought that autotune could sound this good? While browsing our personal list of potential current releases to review, we stumbled upon the extraordinary artwork gracing Babsy Konate's new ten-tracker on Sahel Sounds and had to know more. According to the release notes, Baba "Babsy" Konate is a DIY producer hailing from the north-eastern Malian city of Gao, situated on the edge of the Saharan desert, who is at the forefront of Gao rap, "a regional [...]

Berlin-based tropical bass pioneer, global bass connoisseur, Man Recordings label founder, DJ, producer, journalist and broadcaster Daniel Haaksman is no stranger to our humble editorial undertaking, starting with his 2016-released "African Fabrics" LP, blending traditional African genres with bass music styles from the northern hemisphere. Known for bringing Brazilian baile funk sounds to the Berlin club circuit in the early 2000s, Haaksman has always had an [...]

Nothing lasts forever and change is a given. True, true. But some things are made to outlast the fickleness of time and carry the torch for generations to come. As its first LP release, the newly formed London-based imprint Ritmo del Barrio recently reissued the originally 1982-released psychedelic cumbia album "Fiesta en la Jungla" by Los Dexter's de Uchiza. The ten-track record is remarkable on so many levels, be it in terms of its place in the history of [...]