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Analog Africa No.15 – ANGOLA SOUNDTRACK 2
*Hypnosis, Distortions & Other Sonic Innovations 1969-1978* 
Catalogue No. AACD 075 (1xCD)/AALP 075 (2xLP) 
CD with 44-Page Booklet / LP with 16-Page LP Size Booklet


In 2010, against all odds, Angola Soundtrack Vol.1 was awarded the German Record Critics’ Prize in the category "Black music". This victory was all the sweeter for its triumph over the predicted winner, Aloe Blacc´s multi platinium record, "Good Things".

Many were surprised that the award was handed to a compilation that covered obscure music, but it didn’t surprise the team behind Analog Africa who believed such award should have come much earlier. 

Since discovering the music of Angola 15 years ago, styles such Kazucuta, Rebita and Semba have become an addiction for Samy Ben Redjeb, the compiler, who proclaimed a serious warning in the first edition liner notes: 

"Listening to these tracks may cause addiction and provoke heavy rotation!"

The unique blend of incomparable musicianship, passionate delivery and regional rhythms that make these tracks so combustible are no accident.  An exceptional set of circumstances existed in the history of Angola before Independence that created the giant leap in the style and standard of bands and recordings of the time.

When Portuguese repressive measures prevented the small Turmas, street musician groups, from being able to perform in Carnaval celebrations in 1961, a Portuguese civil servant, entrepreneur and Angolan music fan named Luis Montês was already in a position to capitalise on Luanda’s need for a live music scene. His self-designed “Kutonocas”, Sunday afternoon live music festivals, delighted a Luandan population hungry for a communication between the city and musseques (townships). It also forced groups to adapt to a different style of playing that would accommodate large stages and broader audiences. They equipped themselves with electric guitars, and fed on the musical influences from Cape Verde, Congo and the Dominican Republic, while staying patriotically true to their own musical legacy and unique rhythms. 

The intimacy of those participating in this musical revolution meant they playfully and professionally wanted to trump each other’s style; communication between the groups was frequent as everyone studied each other’s records and concerts and players were under a lot of pressure to outdo each other due to the limited recording and performing opportunities.  Development of skill and ingenuity was a must, as well as addressing the highly politicised climate.  The optimism of Independence can be heard in these recordings; a common goal between the audience and musicians.

Upon reading the characteristically generous liner notes of this new Analog Africa release, you will be given more hints of the crucial melting pot that allowed this short period to have such an outstanding productivity.  Featuring 44 pages acquired in coordination with the National Library of Luanda and the art magazine “Note E Dia”, Analog Africa head honcho Samy Ben Redjeb has managed to collect newspaper clips, extremely rare pictures of the bands on stage and printed interviews from the 70s. 

The stunning pages of passionate photography and artistic design also include interviews with many of the original artists and their families, biographies of the three labels that made it all possible, and of Luis Montês, who was the pulse of the live music scene in Luanda.

This compilation represents the best of the short lived recording industry in Angola, a brief moment of history between 1969 and 1978, when three recording companies produced approximately 800 limited records, mostly singles. They are rare jewels, each song with a significant story and feel behind it. You will hear exciting music blazed with the anticipation of emancipation, tracks fuelled with a sense of unity, community, importance and immediacy.

This addictive, outlawed music from Angola shakes and grooves with the smoothness of staccato machine gun fire.  Do yourself a favor and submerge yourself  into some of the most the addictive music created by mankind! 

Avante Juventude - Os Anjos

Ritmo Pegajoso

DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson - Tout Le Monde Pense

Brand new 12” on Wonderwheel from Italian producer DJ Khalab, previously notable for a string of buzzy solo releases on Clap!Clap!’s Black Acre Records. Khalab teams up with prolific Malian master musician and Griot singer Baba Sissoko for an exploration into deep, minimal experimental African/Electronic sounds. On the “A” side “Kumu” is a dark, glitchy four to the floor track with bubbling synths, live percussion and Baba Sissoko’s unmistakeable voice,  while German producer Harmonious Thelonious aka Stefan Schwander (Antonelli Electr., Repeat Orchestra, Rhythm Maker) stretches out the tracks inherent minimalism while tastefully beefing up the drums, adding synth flourishes and well timed drops. On the flip, “Kumu” is a more acoustic vocal and Xalam driven track with stuttering electronic growls and groans and minimal percussion. London based Ibibio Sound Machine (Soundway Records) brings the funk into the mix with keyboard stabs, guitars, and a  super catchy bassline and plenty of synthesizer explorations. 

DJ Khalab & Baba Sissoko’s debut album will be out late fall on Wonderwheel Recordings. 

Khalab & Baba

Tata

Sneak peak of the forthcoming twelve from Afro7 records. Two mid 80s Kikuyu Disco Bombs by Julius Kangethe. Extended Edit and Rework by Didier Selin.

KIRU STARS (Julius Kangethe BYLAW / Didier Selin extended mix) 'FAMILY PLANNING' Snippet

Buy 7" Vinyl

SSS016 ISLAND SERIES: GORDON HENDERSON // HARD WORLD (excerpt)

First release in our own East Africa reissue series. Fantastic doublesider from Somalia. Heavy backbone flipped sax and great vocals sung by the late Faadumo Qaasim. Flip it and you have the crazy Berflasana by Ahmed Sharief Yusuf. Top sound for your home stereo or play in the clubs. Limited release. American pressed 45’s with uk centre pullout (just like original Kenya singles!) Comes in custom AFRO7 silkscreen pressed sleeves. Ships in week 21.

Faduma Kassim MAJOGO

Taarab doublesider killer! Harambe with it's insane R&B groove riff, flip it and you have the crazy liverpool track. Originally from mid 60s aimed for the growing tourism in Mombasa and it's regions. Both tracks officially licensed on our inhouse label. Comes in tasty Afro7 sleeve with original label design. Head over to afro7.net READ THE FULL STORY and get your copy today!

Harambe / Liverpool

Mac & Party Harambe / Liverpool - New Afro7 single!

Two tracks from the Doromy archives in Nairobi. Gkinumanze delivers a knockout bassriff in an uptempo frenzy of a tune sung by Charles Sonko from Uganda. Kizunguzungu is a a funky coastal groover from Mwenge Jazz band of Tanzania. Never before on vinyl! Head over to Afro7.net and secure your copy today!

Gkinumanze / Kizunguzungu

Kyaddondo Int Gkinumanze Mwenge Jazz Kizunguzungu - New Afro7 single !

Dele Sosimi's album 'You No Fit Touch Am' was released in 2015 to much universal acclaim. A perfect document of the lessons the keyboard master and vocalist learned in Fela Kuti's ranks during the 70s and 80s, but brought firmly up-to-date and with contemporary social comment as vital to the Afrobeat genre as any rhythm or instrument. This year Wah Wah 45s reveals the final four remixes to be taken from this hugely popular and influential project.
"You No Fit Touch Am Retouched 2" releases March 10, 2017 on Wah Wah 45s.
Preorder > http://bit.ly/2lwrTDs

Exclusive Premiere: Dele Sosimi "E Go Betta (DJ Khalab Remix)"

We move to the early 80s coastal province of Kenya on the latest Afro7 dancefloor twelve! Them Mushrooms EP consists of 4 catchy synth-heavy nuggets carefully selected from two polygram singles and one private album. Comes in a super deluxe heavy cardboard made in Thailand, new coastal inspired silk pressed pattern by California multi artist Steve Roden. Mastered by the Carvery Frank! Limited release only one copy per customer!

Them Mushrooms EP

Them Mushrooms 'Ndogo Ndogo'

Them Mushrooms 'Akumu Nyar Kisumu'

"Ban Di Fwam" By Coco Fabert is the opening track of our forthcoming Digital Zandoli 2 selected by Digger's Digest & Nico Skliris to be released on Heavenly Sweetness, the follow up of our acclaimed first volume of this compilation.

Release date : 
*CD/Digital 22nd September 2017 
*Vinyl 13th October 2017 

PRE ORDER HERE :
http://diggersdigest.com/shop/product/various-digital-zandoli-2-funky-zouk-spectrum-1984-1993-1/

Present : DIGITAL ZANDOLI 2

DIGITAL ZANDOLI 2  "Ban Di Fwam" by COCO FABERT

Let's Party Tonight

Barbara Hernandez - All Nite Tonight (Excerpt)

Umoja I-nity – Get Away (excerpt)

New music from the Sudanese London collective. Two great numbers here, the dancefloor friendy 'Mashnea', and the slowburn Samha on the B-side. Comes with original label and bespoke silk pressed single jacket. Limited to 500 copies! Head over to Afro7.net to read the story and order your copy!

The Scorpios

Mashena

The Scorpios - Mashena / Samha - 2018 - snippets

Taken from the Black savage Linernotes written by Emmanuel Mwendwa  :
 
Equally notable is Sharpeville – its melancholic overtones seem to complement haunting guitar chords and a mournful bassline. The late-1970s recording could likely have been triggered by the bloody 1976 Soweto Uprising. 

The lyrics are distinct, and stand out as a socio-politico commentary on the morally illegal State of Emergency enforced by an inhuman, repressive South African apartheid regime then in power. 

“..sharpeville massacre.. open your eyes.. see the people dying.. / victims of evil.. hopeless and helpless.. see the injustice.. / open your ears.. hear the screaming.. their cries.. no protection from injustice.. / don’t you realize that it’s about time.. that we solve the situation..” sings Jack Otieno. 

Undoubtedly, the song brings to the fore, band’s spirit of activism and served as a reminder for sad memories of indiscriminate 1960 Sharpeville killings. At least 69 peaceful demonstrators were shot dead, innocent lives lost and hundreds injured.  

Despite the pain suffered by victims, the protests triggered sustained anti-government campaigns driven by black Africans fighting in the struggle against tyrannical segregation

Black Savage is out 13.06.18, follow the buy link to pre-order your copy now!

Black Savage

Black Savage 'Sharpeville' 1975 Afro7 Records

Fela Dey

We thought turning five this year would be a good reason to ask some friendly DJs and producers to go through our catalogue and select their favorite track to do an edit or remix on. 

The first selection by DJ Nomad from Berlin is Barbara Hernandez' 'All Nite Tonight', written and produced by Leston Paul from Trinidad. Nomad's edit drives the song's dance floor ambition even further beyond the top. As a DJ Nomad does not necessarily put a label on his style, but always expresses love for Polyrythms, Soulful harmonies and the African drums and Percussion. He's notorious for finding fresh world music dance tracks all around the globe, before they become hits, and a massive collector of Tropical Soul, Funk and Disco. His energetic and surprising , always fresh DJ set's earned him a residency in Paris's infamous ‚Tropical Discoteq’ Parties among the best Dj's of the genre. He is the founder of ‚Vulkandance’ Parties, Blog and Label in Berlin .. He's together with Edna Martinez co-founder of ’El Volcan’ - The first continental European Colombian Pico Soundsystem. As a Producer he's breaking ground and travelling the world together with Dirk Leyers and the transcultural Project Africaine 808, besides working as a master Editor for other artists around the globe. 

Keshav Singh who is part of Trinidadian/British production duo Jus Now put his hands on Trinidad's Mansa Musa's ’Beat The Drum’. Being a percussionist in his own right he transformed the song into a housy Soca track and pure dance floor fiah! With his partner Sam Interface, he has produced soca music with EDM influence for Bunji Garlin, Machel Montano and 3Canal. Keshav commutes between Trinidad and the U.K. 

The next two tracks are taken from our upcoming compilation ’Gotta Nice Buzz - The Funky Sound of Semp Studios Trinidad, W.I.’. French DJ & record collector Waxist gives Zodiac's ’I Believe’ a proper treatment. ’I Believe’, written by Francis Escayg, is an uptempo Caribbean Disco tune with a strong Giorgio Moroder influence with Denise Plummer on vocals. Waxist, based in Lyon, France, started his love story with records as a teenagers when he bought his first reggae 7 inches. If his love for Jamaican music has survived through the years, the DJ has progressively extended his interests to different, more dancefloor-oriented music genres. This Disco, Modern Soul, Boogie or even a touch of House when needed... Being careful with the technique, as well as with the coherency of his selection, his sets are an invite to a dancing musical journey taking the audience from Disco to Modern Soul, through more Caribbean or Brazilian sounds. 

As an old acquaintance Al Kent returns to do an edit of the Hamilton Brother's 1978 Trinidadian Disco classic ‚Music makes the world go 'round’. Al is Glasgow's answer to Walter Gibbons. Million Dollar Disco DJ, record compiler, re-edit producer. When Al Kent launched the Million Dollar Disco label back in the '90s ’Disco House’ was all the rage. A life spent hoarding rare soul and disco records, a keen ear for a sample and a few years of DJing already under his belt stood him in good stead when it came to making music. He made a load of tracks by sticking house drums on top of disco samples and released somewhere in the region of twenty 12'' singles, many of which found their way into top DJs' charts. Ditching house music in favour of disco saw him first emulating his hero Walter Gibbons; cutting between two copies of each record, until he discovered he could save the hassle (and money spent on doubles) and make re-edits instead.

Beat The Drum - Mansa Musa (Keshav's Jus Now Rework)(Excerpt)

All Nite Tonight- Barbara Hernandez (Nomad's Reel To Realness Mix)(Excerpt)

Four killer tracks from the 80's CBS Kenya imprint!

Afro7 is back and this time we’ve dug deep in the CBS Kenya vaults and found four fantastic soulful reggae tracks of early 80’s origin! First song is the bouncy 'FIRE' by Kenyan Black Savage Band (played out on the Worldwide show by Gilles Peterson back in the start of Summer 2018) Track two on the first side is Nigerian Sheila and Desmond Majek’s laidback soulful ‘GOT THE FEELIN’ and flip it for two fantastic tracks by the Kenya coastal outfit OVID, check out the synth drum machine laden 'KARIBUNI' and the party number 'OPERATOR'. Mastered by Frank The Carvery. EP comes in super deluxe cardboard jacket made in Thailand with silk screened coastal-inspired artwork made by California resident Steve Roden. Limited to 500 copies, one copy per customer.

CBS EP

New AFRO7 Twelve - CBS EP - Black Savage - Majek's - OVID band

East meets west on @mentaloverdrive's latest musing. Out on Israeli imprint @musar-recordings.

Read more & buy: http://www.stampthewax.com/2019/02/12/premiere-mental-overdrive-mbira-kalimba-ft-chiwoniso-maraire-anania-ngoliga/
Listen on Youtube: http://bit.ly/overdrive-kalimba

DARTRAX EP [MUSAR]

Listen on Youtube

Mental Overdrive feat. Chiwoniso Maraire & Anania Ngoliga - Mbira-Kalimba  (STW Premiere)

The Cranes were one of Uganda’s most popular teenage bands in the 1970’s. Founded in 1965, they metamorphosed at the end of the 1970’s into the Afrigo Band which is still, up to today, the number one band in the country. What’s love and Joy, both written by singer and guitarist Tony Senkebejje, appeared in 1974 on the only Cranes’ LP ‘Top Ten Hits’.
When the album hit the record stores in Kampala, bad luck had befallen The Cranes. A month before the recording of the album their bass player Jessy Kasirivu was killed because of President Idi Amin’s amorous association with his girlfriend. Senkebejje, scared for his life, fled to Kenya, only returning to Uganda 15 years later. The song What’s love describes how confusing love can be to a young soul and is partly inspired by Kasirivu’s death. Joy is a love song for Senkebejje’s wife Rachel who followed him to Kenya and who has been singing lead and playing guitar with him in their Simba Sounds Band ever since. Both songs feature prominently in the documentary Bwana Jogoo: the ballad of Jessy Gitta (2019 – 70 min – UG/NL/FR) which investigates the death of Jessy Kasisirvu at the hands of Idi Amin‘s State Research agents. Bwana Jogoo, directed by Dutch filmmaker Michiel van Oosterhout, showcases many great 1970’s songs from Uganda while letting Uganda’s musicians of yesteryears recount fond memories of one of their own, Jessy Kasirivu. These are the folks that worked and socialized with Jessy and knew him better than most. Their accounts of the events that led to Jessy’s disappearance are riveting and haunting. It lays bare a hitherto unexplored subject and one deserving of serious interrogation and scholarship – the naked power of authoritarianism and sexual predation.

The Cranes

The Cranes What's Love/Joy New Afro7 single - snippets

The only released LP by Burundian band Amabano from 1987 has been given the Afro7 reissue treatment.
In their extensive song repertoire, the band crosses styles into funky psych territory with a good dose of guitar, but not without Congolese and Burundian folklore influences.

A must listen for fans of East African music by the most influential Burundian group of the past four decades.

The reissue comes with extensive liner notes on the band’s history and their background within the Burundian music scene.