Latest Purchase - Fela Kuti

Fela Kuti - The Best of The Black President (KIF Recordings)

I've been too hooked on the Xbox recently to post, but I've still been picking up some quality selections over the last couple of weeks.  


First up is this Fela Kuti compilation. I first heard this when my friend gave me a tape of the CD version he had bought.  I guess the fact it was a tape shows it was a while ago. 


I'd always been a bit annoyed that there had never been a vinyl edtion of this best of compilation, but it finally got vinyl release in France earlier this year.

I enquired with my local shops to see if they could get it in for me, but it didn't work out so I bought it off Discogs from some dude in Belgium who happened to have another record I wanted which made the postage seem better value.

There are 12 tracks spread over 3 slabs of vinyl. The tracks showcase Fela's sound and I think they are drawn from the albums shown on the sleeve of this record. Most of the tracks clock in over 10 minutes and the band produce a solid funk sound to rival the JBs.  it maybe gets a little saxxy at times, but the drive of the rest of the band keeps me going.


I've added a couple of videos to give an idea.

Latest Purchase - Afro-Beat Airways

Afro-Beat Airways: West African Shock Waves
Ghana & Togo 1972-1979 (Analog Africa)

"Organ driven Afro-Beat, cosmic Afro-funk, raw, psychedelic boogie and some other stuff we won't even try to describe are just some of the flavours found on this highly danceable compilation" states the blurb on the back of this album.  I'm not about to argue.

This is the second album I've bought on this Analog Africa label.  Another great cover. It's the same one I mentioned right back at the start of this blog.  I've been waiting a while for this album to come out.  Very pleased its finally here, so I can get torn into it.

I'm not going to say much about this other than this is brilliant compilation and I can't wait to start adding tracks from this into my funkier sets. The description on the back is better than I can manage. I'll also need to find the time to read the comprehensive looking notes printed on pretty much every spare inch of the sleeves of this record.

I've added videos to give a flavour of the quality and variety to be found on this superb album.

 

Latest Mix

A live mix I knocked out the other day.  There is more blurb if you follow the link, but I'll add a tracklist here to tempt you in.

marcia griffiths - here i am baby
marlena shaw - woman of the ghetto
inell young - what do you see in her?
orchestre poly-rhythmo de cotonou - assibavi
shina williams and his african percussionists - agboju logun (mock & toof edit - digit 3)
wu tang clan - fast shadow
gang starr - code of the streets
notorious b.i.g. - warning
iggy pop - fall in love with me
flamin groovies - teenage head
wire - 3 girl rhumba (mock & toof edit - digit 1)
james knight & the butlers - fantasy world
funkadelic - loose booty
bronx dogs - candida

my latest mix

You can also find an older mix of mine called Space Disco at the same site for moment. 

Tracklist.

ORS - moonboots
martin circus - disco circuis
cerrone - supernature
lcd soundsystem - 45'33 part 4
motown sounds - bad mouthin' (re-edit)
taana gardner - when you touch me (instrumental)
jermaine jackson - eruca
lindstrom & prins thomas - tirsdagsjam (lang version)



I'll probably have to take it down as soon as I finish my current project, but it's there for the moment.

Space Disco 

 

Latest Purchase - Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou

Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou - The Vodoun Effect (1972-1975) (Analog Africa)

Music from Benin, which is about the first thing I've ever heard about the place other than the fact that it is a country in west Africa.

I've linked a video for one of the tracks that should give an idea of whats going on. In my mind its a mix of funk and psychedelia. 

I bought this in Mono when I couldn't get another record I wanted off this Analog Africa label. I took a bit of a gamble as you can't listen to vinyl in there, but I'd heard a couple tunes off the net so I had an idea of the odds.  The photo on the cover alone is worth a few of the 20 quid it cost.

I play another song from this album on the mix I'll be posting next.