Momma kick things off this week, with plenty of jangly, swirling guitars and double-tracked vocals. Naon Kino keep things in a similar vein, and I'm still a huge fan of Sarah Suri's voice, before passing the baton to Anemone where the organ adds a psych twirl to proceedings. Then Les Sympathics start things moving with some great, almost demented at times, Afrobeat out of Benin. Saivor & Meis then move us into harder dance territory, and Will Lister and Detroit Rising both keep things going. The Vessels remix of PSB signals the beginning of the ambient end, with the excellent Sven Laux leading us nicely to some lovely harp from Mary Lattimore (and I mean harp, not harmonica!). I really like Nano Kino, and I bought the Sven Laux album, and will (probably) buy the Mary Lattimore one too, but pick of the week for me is Les Sympathics "A Min We Vo Nou We", which is just fantastic (and yes, I've ordered my copy).

Apr 13 -Apr 19 2018

A great compilation can open the gate to another world. Who knew that some of the most exciting Afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small West African country of Benin? Once Analog Africa released the first African Scream Contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear; gut-busting yelps, lethally well-drilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.

Ten years on, intrepid crate-digger Samy Ben Rejeb unveils a new treasure-trove of Vodoun-inspired Afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. Right from the laceratingly raw guitar fanfare which kicks off Les Sympathics’ pile-driving opener, it’s clear that African Scream Contest II is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor. And just as you’re trying to get off the canvas after this one-punch knock out, an irresistible Afro-ska romp with a more than subliminal echo of the Batman theme puts you right back there. Ignace De Souza and the Melody Aces’ “Asaw Fofor" would’ve been a killer instrumental but once you’ve factored in the improbably-rich-to-the-point-of-being-Nat-King-Cole-influenced lead vocal, it’s a total revelation.

The screaming does not stop there, in fact it’s only just beginning. But the strange thing about African Scream Contest II’s celebration of unfettered Beninese creativity is that it would not have been possible without the assistance of a musician who had been trained by the Russian secret services to "find and destroy" enemies of the country’s (then) Marxist-Leninist president Mathieu Kerekou.

Already familiar to fans of the first African Scream Contest as a mainstay of ruthlessly disciplined police band Les Volcans de la Capitale, Lokonon Andre vanished in a cloud of dust at Ben Redjeb’s behest with a list of names and some petrol money, only to return a few days later having miraculously tracked down every single name he’d been given. The source of this Afrobeat bounty-hunter’s impressive people-finding skills - his training with the KGB - highlights the tension between encroaching authoritarian politics and fearless expressions of personal creative freedom which is the back-story of so much great African music of the 60s and 70s. Happily, in this instance, Lokonon was tracking the artists down to offer them licensing deals, rather than to arrest them.

Where some purveyors of vintage African sounds seem to be strip-mining the continent’s musical heritage with no less rapacious intent than the mining companies and colonial authorities who previously extracted its mineral wealth, Samy Ben Redjeb’s determination to track this amazing music to its human sources pays huge karmic dividends. Like every other Analog Africa release, African Scream Contest II is illuminated by meticulously researched text and effortlessly fashion-forward photography supplied by the artists themselves. Looming large - alongside Lokonon Andre - in the cast of biopic-worthy characters to emerge from this seductive tropical miasma is visionary space-nerd Bernard Dohounso, who laid the foundations for Benin’s vinyl predominance by importing and assembling the record players that would play the products of his Bond villain-acronymed pressing plant SATEL, a company that would revolutionise the music industry in the whole region.

The scene documented here couldn’t have been born anywhere else but in Benin, and the prime reason for that was Vodoun. It’s one of the world’s most complex religions, involving the worship of some 250 divinities, where each divinity has its own specific set of rhythms, and the bands introduced on the African Scream Contest series and other compilations from the region were no less diverse than that army of different Gods.

African Scream Contest Vol.2

African Scream Contest Volume 2

Get The Record !

A Min We Vo Nou We // Les Sympathics (All Comments will be forwarded to Herman Laléyé, the founder)

Released on @alienrec
@Saivor : https://www.facebook.com/SaivorOfficial

@Meiss : https://www.facebook.com/meispsr

Saivor & Meis - ONIMENA

Taken from 'Hundreds of Days' LP by Mary Lattimore, out May 18, 2018.

Order 'Hundreds of Days' at: goo.gl/FbN3qE
Or at the retailer of your choice: Ghostly.lnk.to/mary-lattimore-hundreds-of-days

Hundreds Of Days

Hundreds of Days

Mary Lattimore - It Feels Like Floating

Sven Laux is a German artist residing in Berlin, a city with a rich heritage in minimalism and modern composition. Sven isn’t new to this scene having started creating electronic music in 2003, with material released through labels such as Microcosm Music, Archipel, Sleep is Commercial and most recently, Dronarivm. 

Sven’s early work would often focus on Minimal Techno rhythms, adorned by vacant Ambient tones. His more recent work has been centred more around developing his Ambient sound, with modern classical influences listing the likes of A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Hans Zimmer, Max Richter and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. 2017 saw the emergence of ‘Paper Streets’ on Dronarivm which felt like a landmark release in Sven’s discography, ranking highly in many an end of year list. 

We’re pleased to present his follow up ‘Schachmatt’ which is a German phrase for something that ends or when something is finalised or indeed, the last move in chess. The concept was born as Sven was inspired by watching a movie about famous chess players and as a result, he has created a set of disparate tracks to reference this as each player in the film had a different strategy. He wanted the approach for each track to play out along a differing path, each with its own unique characteristics or game plan, if you will. 
The resulting soundtrack presents itself as a melancholic space for the listener, with every move of the chess pieces offered as undefined metaphors for your own interpretation.

releases April 21, 2018 

Written and produced by Sven Laux
www.svenlaux.com
Mastered by Pheek 
Photography by James Gelsthorpe

Schachmatt

wlr038 Sven Laux - Schachmatt

Order - http://zrecords.ltd.uk/new-releases

Detroit Rising is a new musical collective that combines highly sought after young writers and musicians with the current and original members of legendary funk band Parliament-Funkadelic. 

The original version of 'Little Bit' features Gabe Gonzalez - drums (P-funk, Bernie Worrell), Kern Brantley - bass, (Lady Gaga, Mary J Blige), Dominie Deporres - guitar (Theo Parrish).

Taking a break from their extensive touring schedule, the collective have spent time in the studio creating a hybrid jazz-funk album titled ‘A Cosmic Jazz Funk Adventure’.

These are the first remixes from the album and Sean McCabe works the original live elements and Martez’s vocals into his trademark deep and soulful house sound. Included here is Sean’s vocal mix, a Dub and a bonus Moody Remix.

Little Bit (Sean McCabe Remixes)

ZR SHOP

Detroit Rising - Little Bit (Sean McCabe Remix)

Recontextualising house signifiers in the service of something new. Downtempo polyrhythms from @willlister on a split EP with Trinidadian Deep on @anma-records.

Read more & buy: http://www.stampthewax.com/2018/04/12/premiere-will-lister-changes-in-light/

Will Lister - Changes in Light (STW Premiere)

Watch : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2fM0N2rehA
Free download here : https://nanokino.bandcamp.com/track/sick-dreamer

Sick Dreamer

Public Service Broadcasting are pleased to unveil a Vessels remix of their current single 'People Will Always Need Coal', the Leeds based electronic wizards take the krautrock influences of the original track and reimagine it as a cerebral techno workout, retaining the energy already present and adding a hefty and taut, urgent synth arrangements. The Vessels remix is part of their Record Store Day exclusive 12" 'People Will Always Need Coal'.

People Will Always Need Coal (Vessels Remix)

Long-time (3+ years!) curator of a regular weekly 10 track playlist of legit, (mostly) new tracks from Soundcloud, dug up here, there and everywhere. The lists always start out as 10 tracks, but some subsequently get pulled from Soundcloud by the band/artist or the label, so don't blame me for any short lists!

Apr 13 -Apr 19 2018

GordyB