Been working all day? Been sweating all week? Time to throw down the hammer and have a dansi time! 

In the spotlights: The irresistible dance music coming out of East Africa! Kenyan Benga, Congolese Rumba's, Muziki Wa Dansi from Tanzania, they all have something in common: Untamable Hi-hat samurai's, tireless guitar terriers, scattering songbirds forming a tidal wave of uplifting dance music. 

Umoja picked some their favorite songs & elements and went for a session to add some Umoja flavours. Keeping a wide range of tempo's and moods, there should be something for all your moves and moments. Put on your brightest socks, sprinkle some glitters and join the Dansi! 

Much love, 
Umoja

Download & Support

Les Mangelepa - N'kimba (Umoja Edit)

The chant was one of pain and desperation as he stood amidst the village of shanty huts. This was a place which he had called home for so long but now as he stood staring at the burnt out town that surrounded him he had never felt a stronger sense of disconnect. His heart ached for his missing lover, she had vanished into the shadowy depths of the forest which surrounded the once peaceful town. He shouted into the night, calling her name, "Tabanka" he cried, again and again. 

Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque is a record label made up of Hugo Mendez, Frankie Francis, Lewis Heriz and friends. Based in London they release music of a wonderfully eclectic worldly origin which could be as far removed from the city streets in which they inhabit.  Alma Negra is based in Switzerland and has previously released music for Highlife and INI Movement. This one has tribal dancefloor written all over it.

@almanegramusic @sofrito

PREMIERE: Alma Negra - Tabanka (Version)[Sofrito]

Taken from the Promo 12" for the Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque album on Strut Records

Sweet Music (Sofrito Soundsystem Edit)

Free Download

London Afrobeat Collective - Ole (iZem Remix)- Played by Gilles Peterson

Space Echo - The mystery behind the Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde finally revealed!

In the spring of 1968 a cargo ship was getting ready to leave the port of Baltimore with an important shipment of musical instruments. Its final destination was Rio De Janeiro, where the EMSE Exhibition (Exposição Mundial Do Son Eletrônico) was going to be held. 

It was the first expo of its kind to take place in the southern hemisphere and many of the leading companies in the field of electronic music were involved. Rhodes, Moog, Farfisa, Hammond and Korg, just to name a few, were all eager to present their newest synthesisers and other gadgets to a growing and promising South American market, spearheaded by Brazil and Colombia.

The ship with the goods set sail on the 20th of March on a very calm morning and disappeared from the radar on the very same day.

One can only imagine the surprise of the villagers of Cachaço, on the Sao Nicolau island of Cabo Verde, when a few months later they woke up and found a ship stranded in their fields, in the middle of nowhere, 8 km from the sea. 
After consulting with the village elders, the locals had decided to open the containers to see what was inside but the news had travelled fast and before they knew it, colonial police had already arrived and secured the area. 

Portuguese scientists and physicians were ordered to the scene; and after weeks of thorough studies and research, it was concluded that the ship had fallen from the sky. One of the less plausible theories was that it might have fallen from a Russian military air carrier. The locals joked that the government had wasted their tax money again on a useless exercise, as a simple look at the crater generated by the impact could explain the phenomena. “No need for Portuguese rocket science to explain this!” they laughed. 

What the villagers didn’t know, was that traces of cosmic particles were discovered on the boat. The bow of the ship showed traces of extreme heat, very similar to traces found on meteors, suggesting that the ship had penetrated the hemisphere at high speed. That theory also didn't make sense as such an impact would have reduced the ship to dust. Mystery penetrated the event.  

Finally, a team of welders arrived to open the containers and the whole village waited impatiently. The atmosphere, which had been filled with joy and excitement, quickly gave way to astonishment. Hundreds of boxes conjured, all containing keyboards and other instruments which they had never seen before: and all useless in an area devoid of electricity. Disappointment was palpable. The goods were temporarily stored in the local church and the women of the village had insisted a solution be found before Sunday mass. 

It is said that charismatic anti-colonial leader Amílcar Cabral had ordered for the instruments to be distributed equally in places that had access to electricity, which placed them mainly in schools.
This distribution was best thing that could have happened - keyboards found fertile grounds in the hands of curious children, born with an innate sense of rhythm and these children picked up instruments that were easy to use and would become instrumental for modernising local rhythms such as Mornas, Coladeras and the highly danceable music style called Funaná, banned by the Portuguese colonial rulers until 1975 probably due to the fact that it was too sexy!

Observation was made that the children who came into contact with the instruments found on the ship had prodigious capabilities to understand music and learn instruments. One of them was the musical genius Paulino Vieira who by the end of the 70s would become the country´s most important music arranger. 

8 out of the 15 songs presented in this compilation had been recorded with the backing of the band Voz de Cabo Verde lead by Paulino Vieira, the mastermind behind the creation and the promulgation of what is known today as “The Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde”. 




GET THE RECORD

Dia Ja Manche  - Dionisio Maio (Leave a comment for Dionisio, tell him how much you love his song !)

The next installment in the Sofrito Island Series: Foundation Cadence-Lypso from the Swinging Stars of Dominica

Buy 7" Vinyl

SSS015 SWINGING STARS OF DOMINICA - LAS MAL PARLE (excerpt)

Guy Conquette - Assez Fait Cancan

* Read more:  https://boltingbits.com/les-maxels-le-retour-de-toto-deni-shain-papastomp-remix-atangana-record
* Watch on Youtube : https://youtu.be/pajlT_0_YIE
* Pre-order : https://bit.ly/2sndQko

Newly minted French Afro-Disco Label Atangana Records returns with another Caribbean facing EP, this time reissuing a classic 1976 track from Guadeloupean artist Les Maxel’s. The freshly remastered Le Retour De Toto comes with two reworks on the B-side, both from label founder Deni Shain along with Papastomp.

After the warm welcome that was Atangana’s first release of Fédia Laguerre’s Divizion, many afro disco heads were keenly anticipating the release of EP number 2. Gaining plays from a wide variety of DJs including an appearance on UK legend Craig Charles’ Radio 6 music show, the Atangana format of classic remaster on the A-side and respectful remix on the B is proving a successful one. EP two shows a label that’s slowly growing in its reputation as a home for quality afro disco.

The A-side has everything you’d expect from a great afro disco track. Fantastic production, full bass lines, glistening trumpets and outstanding vocal performances. The track combines elements of Zouk, Latino and Calypso music into an intoxicating cocktail of pure tropical heat. The ear Atangnana has for a lost classic is impressive. Le Retour de Toto has everything you’d want from a rare find, discovered in a late night crate digging session. With particularly impressive brass work and an absolutely blistering keyboard break, the song will find a warm place in the heart of any true afro-latin aficionado.

The B1 and B2 provide wonderfully restrained and respectful reworks, with B1’s ‘Toto is Back (Déni Shain & Papastomp Rémix)’ gently beefing up the low end and stripping back elements respectfully for a leaner edit that will work lovely on any dancefloor. B2’s ‘Toto is Back (Déni Shain & Papastomp's Add Parts Only)’ further rework the track in a four-minute burst of congas and samples creating a powerful disco tool that will work just as well at the beginning of the night as it will at the end.

This is another fantastic release from Atangana and one that leaves us at Bolting Bits very excited for how this label continues to grow.

PREMIERE : Les Maxels - Le Retour De Toto (Déni Shain & PapaStomp Remix)

Taken from the forthcoming compilation "Cadence Revolution: Disques Debs International Volume 2"
Strut Records 
STRUT189
Double Vinyl, CD & Digital out on 31st January 2020

Cadence Revolution: Disques Debs International Volume 2

Mauvais Chauffe

Edouard Benoit - Mauve Chauffe (from Cadence Revolution: Disques Debs International Volume 2)

A simple slice of bumping Cadence Disco sounds for a happy dancefloor - a hit at recent Sofrito sessions...

Fanatik - Sofrito Cadence Disco Edit

HQ download

Timo Lassy - African Rumble (Umoja Re-Edit)

"Small Label Of The Year" at AIM Awards 2021. Beefing up your crates since the late 90's.

Edouard Benoit - Mauve Chauffe (from Cadence Revolution: Disques Debs International Volume 2)

Strut Records

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