fnk - Part 1

Home Boy, Sister Out

Benoego

From the liner notes of our 2-disc Ebo Taylor retrospective, Life Stories:

Ebo acknowledges the influence of US jazz rockers Blood Sweat & Tears and
– less obviously, perhaps – Deep Purple on this easy going mid-tempo
piece, written a few years before it was recorded, when Osibisa and
various ‘blaxploitation’ themes were hip. “I was trying to fuse rock and jazz together with highlife,” Ebo recalls. “This kind of music was ahead of its time – not very popular when we recorded it!”

Life Stories

Peace On Earth

Ebo Taylor- Peace On Earth

Saâda Bonaire

Second Face

Release date 02.12.2014

"On his visit to Kinshasa James Brown dubbed him *Mister Dynamite*"  

It has been a struggle to lay hands on Verckys, although the man doesn´t go unnoticed. Notorious for being one of Congo´s most ruthless business men, the legendary musician had build a whole imperium in Kinshasa, the capital city of the central african power house (arguably one of the toughest places in the world) and has a whole building with his name, in the very heart of the city.

So I travelled to the Congo in June of 2013 to find Verckys only to find out that he headed in opposite direction to sort out his health issues. But I did meet his manager who gave me his phone number, so I called:  "Oh Monsieur Samy, we need to met, lets talk business", he said, probably not knowing that I was an independent record label, with all it represents.  But the more I spoke to the men the more I realised that he was genuinely interested in music more then anything else. The following message I received few weeks ago, confirmed my feeling:

"Samy, I am writing to you because I´m a little worried. I´ve been thinking about your selection and I now wonder if your compilation will do well due to the fact that the chosen songs had little impact in Kinshasa. Others had much more success"

I was surprised but pleased to see that he cared about the project although I had already paid him in full. But why wouldn't he? Its his music after all.

"Most of the songs you´ve selected were recorded in Nairobi, for the Kenyan market. These songs did very well there, also in Zambia, but here in the Congo they flopped...except for "Ya Nini", that was a monster hit. Still, I am very surprised you´ve mentioned it has become a legendary track in Colombia, positively surprised"

This compilation was supposed to be released in October as a limited edition of 2000 copies, but after a few Skype chats with Verckys, seeing that he has come to terms with his health issues, and pushing for a European tour come next summer, we´ve decided to release this as Analog Africa No.17 which is now going to see light of day first week of December. 

In the mean time enjoy this incredible slice of "Congolese AfroFunk", probably one of the best coming out of the continent. "Cheka Sana" has become one of the most sought after 7inch singles around (the B side is killer as well). Collectors and diggers offering crazy sums for it (I don't even dare to mention the sum here). It deserves to be heard by more then just a handful....and it should set fire to many dancefloors around the globe.

Be so kind and leave a comment in the soundcloud. I will forward all of them to Verckys himself as an encouragements to come back stronger !!! 
Thank you for reading.
Samy (Analog Africa)


Listen and buy here

Cheka Sana - Verckys & Orchestre Vévé - Analog Africa No.17 (Please leave a comment for Verckys)

cosa rara

cosa rara (feat. David Sylvian)

The airport felt endless, with ceilings so high they disappeared into clouds of light. I didn’t remember buying a ticket, yet here I was, suitcase in hand and passport trembling between my fingers. My name echoed faintly over the loudspeakers, as if the world itself was calling me forward.

Outside the windows, planes rose like silver birds into a dawn that looked too clean to be real. My chest tightened with both fear and wonder. I wasn’t running from anything, but I wasn’t entirely sure what I was heading toward either.

When they called my flight, something inside me whispered that this was it, the beginning of something that would never let me go back to who I was. My steps were slow but steady, the carpet humming beneath my shoes, the air heavy with the scent of coffee, jet fuel, and departure.

The plane was small, almost fragile, like it had been stitched together from old dreams. I found my seat beside the window. The clouds outside drifted lazily, like ghosts waiting for permission to move. The seatbelt clicked, the engine stirred, and suddenly gravity loosened its grip.

As the ground fell away, my fear rose to meet it. Cities turned to patterns, rivers to threads, the world to a soft blur of distance. My palms were cold. Yet through the fear, there was a pulse, an ache of excitement, like the first breath before a confession.

I watched the horizon curve and realized I was flying not just to another country, but away from the version of myself I no longer needed to be. Each mile in the sky felt like a page turning. The air shimmered with everything I hadn’t said, hadn’t dared to dream.

At some point, I closed my eyes. In the dark behind them, I saw moments of my old life, the walls I’d built, the faces I’d left behind, the quiet longing that had always whispered that there must be more. Then, slowly, that voice turned into something clearer: there is.

When the plane began to descend, the light shifted. The new land below was painted gold by the setting sun, strange and alive, waiting. My fear didn’t vanish, but it softened, melting into something almost holy. The engines roared, the wheels touched the unknown, and for the first time in a long while, I smiled.

It didn’t matter what awaited me beyond the gate. What mattered was that I’d left the shore of my old life behind, that I had dared to take flight, trembling wings and all.

Beginnings are rarely comfortable. They are terrifying, beautiful leaps into skies we’ve never seen, and that’s what makes them real.

genuinely sorry

6. Vandal

Nuit de noce

514 376-9230

Fast Asleep

The Big Sea

Talk from Home

Flatiron

Late Night Tales: Agnes Obel

Bloody Shadows from a Distance

Regresión

Nostalgia

A musician since the age of six, Ebo Taylor is one of the most achingly honest voices in African music.  His songs have a timeless quality to them, and continue to reach new audiences worldwide.  His album Love And Death on Strut will be his first internationally distributed solo album.  Backed by Berlin's Afrobeat Academy, the album is packed with pure fire from a true original.  Enjoy the title track.  More info at http://www.ebotaylor-loveanddeath.com

Love & Death

Love and Death

Ebo Taylor- Love And Death

You Know What It's Like

Fast Moving Cars

Happy New Year!

Grab yourself 10 free tracks. Some of our favourites, things to look forward to in 2013, and a final track tribute to the late great Terry Callier.

Get it from http://vibedeck.com/mrbongo

1. Ebo Taylor - Heaven
2. Hollie Cook - Crying Dub
3. Tom Ze - Sao Paulo
4. Incredible Bongo Band - Last Bongo In Belgium
5. Novalima - Machete
6. Salvador Trio - Tristeza
7. Prince Fatty - Kung Fu Battle Ina Brixton ft. Horseman
8. Joyce - Aldeia De Ogum
9. C.K. Mann & His Carousel 7 - Asafo Beesuon
10. Terry Callier - Lazarus Man (Live)

Ebo Taylor - Heaven

The Field - Is This Power

The Big Sea

Funki Porcini

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