fnk - Part 1

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

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)

Revolucion! Original Cuban Funk Grooves 1967 - 1978

Adeoey

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

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)

Adeoey

Los Reyes 73