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Soul/funk

samples 01

Available on vinyl & digitally | 2nd december 2016
Follow https://soundcloud.com/demjujupoets

After releasing the first single Voodoo Jazz end of 2016 the journey of Dem Juju Poets keeps on with Barabara, the first single taken off their forthcoming album Liberated Thoughts out due early 2017 on Matasuna Records.
David Hanke aka Renegades Of Jazz, brainchild behind Dem Juju Poets, keeps on with his distinctive Afro sound and delivers a great 45 in various styles. As the Renegades Of Jazz journey will take a step away from Afrofunk music, Dem Juju Poets will be now the main outfit for Hanke to release more Afro driven music in the future.
Barabara is a heavy piece of dancefloor Afrojazz goodness, decent horn sections, tough drums and rich percussions combined with vintage vocals. People's Republic is a organ and flute driven Afrosoul tune with a heavy brass riff, thriving percussions and flute solos galore.

"Like this a lot! Can't wait till the vinyl gets released!" DJ Maestro, V2 (Amsterdam | Netherlands)
"Wooooow, great release! Dope tracks. Love both tunes. Will play it for sure." Jayl Funk, Honkey Phonk Records (Nuremberg | Germany)
"This little vinyl will definitely cause a big earthquake on every dance floor, I love it!" Voodoocuts, Resense rec. (Berlin | Germany)
Modern Afrobeatin' boogie with some retrodelic twists. Paul Murphy, Afro Art (London | UK)
"Another nice release on Matasuna! Great work!" Mr. Bird, BBE Records (Lisbon | Portugal)
"Nice one! Another great release, Well done!" Palov, Carnibal Records (Athens | Greece)
"Yeah, absolutely great!" Quiny Jointz, Timewrap Music (Freiburg | Germany)
"Nice tunes man, thanks!" Stickybuds, Ghetto Funk (Kelowna | Canada)
"Love it! A-side is huge, B-side is brilliant groove, so clean and warm, those horns with the breaks twisted, fuck!" Dedy Dread, Lisboa Records (Lisbon | Portugal)
"Wow it's a really really really good project. I will play in my radio show for sure!" Massimiliano Troiani, Radio M2O (Rome | Italy)
"Great 7inch! Barbara for shure is a Dope Killer Track! Big Up from Frankfurt." Holger Menzel, RadioX (Frankfurt | Germany)
"Absolut great release. Full marks for both tracks. Will present in my next show." Doc Best, Radio Z (Nuremberg | Germany)
"The next Matasuna release is dope, full support!" Zamali, Katakana Edits (Belgium)
"Dope tunes. Will drop on my radio show and dance floors." Phil Horneman, Wicked Jazz (Amsterdam | Netherlands)
"Love the organ and flute on People’s Republic. Can’t wait for the album" Tony Heynen, Global Riddims (Brussels | Belgium)
"Thank you for the wonderful music" Bandura, Resense Records (Basel | Switzerland)
"Nice work as always! Will repost on MonkeyBoxing." Stone Monkey. Monkeyboxing.com (Bristol | UK)
"Nice one ! Cheers" Andrea Benini, Mop Mop (Berlin | Germany)
"Good one!" Mr. Goju, Migrations Radio Show (Podgorica | Montenegro)
"Damn nice! Thank you. I will def put it in my next mix!" Radio Hobo (Berlin | Germany)
"Excelent music, i wish the best!" Teza Cappuccino, Katakana Edits (Athens | Greece)

Barabara

People's Republic

Dem Juju Poets - People's Republic (Matasuna Records | msr002)

Big Crown Vaults Vol. 1 - Lee Fields & The Expressions

Don't Give Up (Instrumental)

with support from:
Lord Finesse (D.I.T.C.)
Dinco D (Leader of the New School)

Jo Unique – Funky vibes

With its latest release Matasuna Records continues to explore contemporary Afrobeat from different countries. After the last trip to the Swiss Mittelland, this time the journey goes across the English Channel to discover more new & authentic Afrobeat and serve it on a tasty vinyl single.

Heroes of Limbo is a new studio project from long-time collaborators, producer and multi-instrumentalist Glenn Fallows (The Impellers, Disposable Breaks, Andres y Xavi) and trombonist/arranger Gram 'Canyon' Treldavs.

Reimagining classic and contemporary pop as authentic 70's Afrobeat and Highlife from Nigeria and Ghana, this first release asks you to fire up your time machine in your mind and wonder what would the Happy Mondays sound like if they'd played at Fela Kuti's Afrika Shrine, rather than Manchester's legendary Hacienda Club? What if Disclosure were not a Mercury Prize-nominated electronica duo, but a Highlife Orchestra based in Accra, Ghana?

Madchester Woman takes Ebo Taylor's African Woman and uses it as a chassis for a cut 'n shut reworking of Happy Mondays' 1990 classic 'Loose Fit' - a hot and explosive mixture as you can easily hear!

White Noise, featuring vocals from Clair Fallows (The Impellers, Soul Grenades), re-works Disclosure & Aluna George's electro-house anthem into an uplifting slice of afro-disco dancefloor shuffle.

Heroes of Limbo - Madchester Woman

Matasuna Records starts the new year 2020 with a brilliant release, featuring two contemporary tracks by Paris based Afrobeat band Batunga & The Subprimes, available for the first time on vinyl.

Batunga & The Subprimes was founded in Paris in 2009 by musicians from different backgrounds, united by the will to mix traditional African music with other elements (Latin, Jazz, Second Line and even Rock) and to bring this explosive mix on the streets & on stage. After many shows all over Europe and beyond, their first official album Man in the Field was published in 2017, followed by their EP Let dem In in late 2019. Matasuna has chosen two extraordinary cuts of these self-released albums to release them on vinyl for the first time.

Gates Of Ouantou from their EP is a great tune that sets the bar for contemporary Afrobeat and has all the ingredients for a timeless classic: the arrangement, the instrumentation and the interplay of the seven musicians in the song are excellent and will immediately draw you into its spell. A real gem and great tune!

Man in the Field on flipside is a cut of their first official album. Unusual is the use of a banjo in an Afrobeat song but not surprising that this fits in very well and also shows that classical structures can be broken up and developed in a new approach/context. Another great piece of this extraordinary band that has been operating under the radar - until now!

Bandcamp

Batunga & The Subprimes - Man In The Field

"Matasuna Records" is delighted to reissue one of their absolute highlights and favourite songs of "Nico Gomez And His Afro Percussion Inc". As well as the original version, which was released on a 7inch by "Mr. Bongo" a few years ago and is completely sold out, they've included a rework by the restless and well-known US producer & Dj "Bosq". His version, which became a DJ weapon as a digital promo, is now officially licensed on vinyl for the first time. For this release his version was revised once again for the best possible sound quality on an essential 7inch with the newly mastered original song.

"Joseph Van Het Groenewoud", who would later become known as "Nico Gomez", was a musician & composer from the Netherlands. He spent his youth in the Antilles, Cuba and other islands of the Caribbean, which had an unmistakable influence on his music. As a passionate musician and skilled guitarist he was familiar with the typical rhythms and melodies of this region. Later he returned to the Netherlands, before fleeing from there to Belgium in 1946 to escape from serving in the Dutch army in Indonesia. From then on he called himself "Nico Ooms". It's said that he was so obsessed with Cuban music that he changed his name to "Nico Gomez" - in any case, the name fit better with the Latin American music he brought to the stage. He had made a name for himself as a composer and arranger for various artists and orchestras – e.g. he wrote for "Los Chakachas", a well-known Belgian Latinsoul combo. But he also conducted the "Nico Gomez Orchestra".

One of the most sought-after recordings was the 1971 album "Ritual" by his band "Nico Gomez And His Afro Percussion Inc". It is considered one of the best Afrolatin albums of the 1970s - especially once this masterpiece was (re)discovered by Djs and its popularity soared. The album is a tasty mixture of Latinfunk grooves, deep Afrosoul and Chicano rock influences like fuzzy guitar and heavy organ.

"Lupita" on the A-side is a cover version of the song by "Perez Prado", the Cuban-born King of Mambo, who has legendary status in his adopted country of Mexico. In contrast to Prado's elated original, Nico Gomez's version is an absolute funk monster, driven by heavy percussions, psychedelic organ grooves, fuzz guitar, exciting brass and a deep bass line. A truly extraordinary song!

Bosq's version on the B-side takes the original even further, adding more percussive elements and killer beats and breaks. His DJ-friendly rework has proven itself on dance floors around the world, always turning the mood into a hot melting pot.

Do You Know? (Instrumental)

Lee Fields & The Expressions