{"title":"African","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfrican records on vinyl: Nigerian highlife and afrobeat, Congolese rhumba and soukous, Ethiopian and Somali music, African jazz and modern reissues. Look for Nigeria 70, Orlando Julius, Kanda Bongo Man and Sahra Halgan, in stock at Kingsland Records, Dalston.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"various-music-for-a-revolution-vol-02-guinea-s-syliphone-recording-label-196","title":"Various – Music For A Revolution Vol.02 : Guinea's Syliphone Recording Label 196","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMusic For A Revolution Vol. 2 – Guinea’s Syliphone Recording Label (1968–1980)\u003c\/em\u003e brings together key recordings from the 1970s, drawn from Guinea’s landmark \u003cstrong\u003eSyliphone\u003c\/strong\u003e catalogue. Issued by \u003cstrong\u003eRadio Martiko\u003c\/strong\u003e, this second volume focuses on the decade when President Sékou Touré’s cultural policy of \u003cem\u003eauthenticité\u003c\/em\u003e reshaped the nation’s musical identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing independence in 1958, Guinea placed music at the centre of its cultural renewal. Dozens of state-sponsored orchestras were formed, each rooted in regional traditions while embracing influences from Cuban music, jazz and funk. Musicians became public servants, and artistic production was tightly organised in service of national pride and post-colonial identity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"kingslandrecords","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60193796817230,"sku":null,"price":29.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/3474\/2094\/files\/e1ea5f_f6e1ce2f4c3145b6ba140f0bc34a30d2_mv2.jpg?v=1784733485"},{"product_id":"esa-williams-dala-what-we-must","title":"Esa Williams - Dala What We Must","description":"\u003cp\u003eA1. Ita Ayelala\u003cbr\u003eA2. Yanga feat. Los Pream\u003cbr\u003eB1. Kwanini\u003cbr\u003eB2. Nakupenda feat. Nonku Phiri\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eC1. Summerskin feat. Chisara Agor\u003cbr\u003eC2. Vanguard Drive feat. Tasneem Williams\u003cbr\u003eD1. Cruisin Kruga\u003cbr\u003eD2. Dala What We Must feat. Kujenga\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarking twenty years since South African producer and DJ Esa Williams left Cape Town, Dala What We Must is a deeply personal and expansive debut LP, an exploration of movement, memory, and sound shaped by two decades of creative evolution.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCo-created with collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Robin G. Breeze, the album deftly combines field recordings, layered instrumentation, and emotionally resonant compositions into a nuanced, globally influenced body of work. It also stands as Esa’s most collaborative release to date, featuring contributions from musicians across London, Oaxaca, Nairobi, and Cape Town, each adding their own creative energy to a project built on openness, trust, and shared experience.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album draws inspiration from Esa’s recent ventures into documentary scoring and soundtracking, with projects like Cursed (Audible) and The Invisible Hand teaching him to listen differently, to honour space, to serve the story. That sensibility permeates the album, resulting in music that breathes, lingers, and listens as much as it speaks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe title, Dala What We Must, is a South African call to action: a reminder to do what’s necessary, even in uncertainty. Finalised in the months leading up to Esa’s transition into fatherhood, the record carries a sense of grounding, care, and quiet transformation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDala What We Must is a sonic reflection of journey and community, a deeply collaborative project rooted in connection and guided by intention. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"kingslandrecords","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60193876050254,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/3474\/2094\/files\/e1ea5f_b4a5dd648e22468daf075ea2e95fd5d2_mv2.jpg?v=1784733597"},{"product_id":"hailu-mergia-his-classical-instrument-shemonmuanaye","title":"Hailu Mergia \u0026 His Classical Instrument* ‎– Shemonmuanaye","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1985, master accordionist and veteran bandleader, arranger and keyboardist released the Hailu Mergia \u0026amp; His Classical Instrument cassette. In a nostalgic effort to bring back the vintage accordion sound of his youth, Hailu gave Ethiopian music a sonic makeover. He was already celebrated for his work with the groundbreaking Addis Ababa ethio-jazz and funk outfit Walias Band. With imagination and a visionary sense of the self-contained possibilities of modern music, he captured the popular sounds of the past using the modern tools of the day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHailu Mergia weaves Moog and DX7 synthesizers, Rhodes electric piano and rhythm machine into the rich harmonic layering of his accordion, creating hauntingly psychedelic, elegantly arranged instrumentals. These tunes draw from famous traditional and modern Ethiopian songs, as Hailu brilliantly matches lush Amhara, Tigrinya and Oromo melodies with otherworldly flavors soaked in jazz and blues, synthesizing a futuristic landscape. He balances Ethiopian music's signature melodic shape with beautiful analog synth touches, floating upon clouds of hypnotically minimal rhythm tracks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHailu Mergia was born in Debre Birhan, Showa Province, Ethiopia in 1938 (1946 in the European calendar) to parents Tewabech Ezineh and Mergia Lulessa, who were of Amhara and Oromo ancestry, respectively. His mother took him to Aynemisa, close to Addis, where he grew up from age 3 until he was 10 when they moved to the capital Addis Ababa.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHailu went to Shimelis Habte high school but dropped out before graduating. In 1952 (1960 in European calendar), he joined the army music department as a boy scout to support his mother. Mergia stayed in the army almost two years, learning how to read and write music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter Hailu left the army, he started singing in small bars as a freelance musician. He joined various pick-up bands, touring across the Ethiopian provinces as a singer and accordion player for almost a year.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter the group broke up, he started performing in nightclubs like Addis Ababa, Patrice Lumumba, Asegedech Alamrew, Sombrero, Zula Club and others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt Zula Club he and his mates formed Walias Band and did something no other band in Ethiopian nightclub history had done: they started buying their own musical instruments. Until then the club owners were supplying the instruments and had the power to fire musicians at will.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor the first time ever Walias Band signed a contract with the owner of Venus Club as a group thereby protecting themselves from club owners. Mergia and Walias Band went on to do gigs at hotels like Wabi Shebele and the Hilton.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter playing almost eight years at the Hilton Hotel, Mergia and Walias Band came to the United States and toured widely in 1982-1983. Afterwards, some of of the band stayed in America while others went back to Addis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat was a heartbreaking time for the band. They considered themselves a family, and they knew they had broken new ground in the history of Addis nightclub musicians. They had helped make the Ashantis Band from Kenya famous in Addis. They were the first private band who played for state dinners at the palace for the Derg government (twice). And, they were the first private band to tour the USA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter the break-up of Walias Band, Mergia settled in the States and formed Zula Band with Moges Habte and Tamiru Ayele, playing in different restaurants and touring in the States and Europe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt that time, Mergia made a one-man band recording with accordion for the first time, mixing in Rhodes electric piano, Moog synthesizer and a rhythm machine. That was 1985. This recording was inspired by the early memories of his first instrument, the accordion.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter the break-up of Zula Band in 1992, he quit performing and ran Soukous Club for seven years with his partners Moges and Tamiru.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNowadays he's making his living as a self-employed taxi driver at Dulles International Airport while continuing to record his music and practice as often as possible.    \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe reissue of this recording brings back a moment when Ethiopian music was shifting from acoustic-based performances to recordings using more and more synthesized elements. While the results of that shift have their critics Hailu Mergia's initial experiments with solo instrumental music based on Ethiopian folk and popular music captures a singular feeling dripping in ambiance and very human emotional energy. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"kingslandrecords","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60193897283918,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/3474\/2094\/files\/e1ea5f_40c8893ccd174febb52ca3f725b34ffb_mv2.jpg?v=1784733660"},{"product_id":"asnakech-worku-asnakech","title":"Asnakech Worku ‎– Asnakech","description":"\u003cp\u003eAsnakech had a club uptown—in Dejach Wube area, a popular part, there were a bunch of clubs. It was the late 1950s in the Ethiopian calendar, so probably the mid-1960s. I saw her there for the first time, not in the theater. She used to perform for friends there, sometimes we stayed there after hours. She would play krar. Back then she was very young, haha. Whatever you would request, she would play, many traditional songs, solo. Sometimes some guys would come there and play with her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSomeone took me there just to have fun. I was not a known guy back then, she was a famous lady. So I introduced myself but I was just a fan. I knew her name but hadn’t seen her but I’d heard her music on the radio. She said, “Oh you’re a new guy, good for you,” the kind of supporting things she usually said to a young musician. After that, when I used to play in Zula club or next door to her club at Patrice Lumumba club (Acegedech Nightclub), she used to come and dance with her friends once in a while.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter so many years, in the mid 1970s, the owner of this music store contact me and he told me that he is planning to have a cassette with Asnakech. So I made a handshake deal and we started the recording.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’m proud that I played with her, that we did this album. It’s nice to play with somebody you admire, to be able to say, I played with Asnakech when she was great. She was a very polite person, always talking good about other people. In particular, to me she was a very modern lady. If you’re not a dead person your heart is gonna beat, young or old, when you see that lady dressing, any kind of dress western dress or traditional dress. She was a modern lady, dressed in the latest designer dresses, more than anyone else back then. Oh! That lady was different. She was a dancer and an actress. At the same time she was very beautiful and everybody talked about her. She had a style when she smoked, the way she took the cigarette in her fingers, it was an art. Her hair was so beautiful, long hair. Asnakech? Forget it, man.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome of the songs are traditional, some are her compositions. You can listen to songs like these at home with family, while sitting or reading, in the after-hours at the club, while you’re washing the dishes. When you’re driving, a bunch of people listen while driving. It depends what time when you want to listen. Some people they listen to this kind of love music when they have a good relationship, somebody passed away or somebody stopped dating each other and have emotional flashbacks to what happened in their lives. Sometimes I listen to this music while I sit by the fireplace and I take some whisky, during the holiday time for relaxation. You can listen to this music any time. Especially for lovers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*On the occasion of the first anniversary of her passing, Asnakech's family and friends held a memorial. This is the text accompanying that event, composed by Asnakech's biographer, Getachew Debalke.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe would like to present our greetings. Please, be present with your spouse as we mark one year of grieving for the artist Asnakech Worku on September 6, 2015 E.C. [Ethiopian Calendar], at 12:30 in Kidst Selassie Cathedral church.\u003cbr\u003eAddress :- 6 kilo near Egypt Embassy\u003cbr\u003eShort Biography\u003cbr\u003eEthiopia lost a great queen of art. Today marks one year since our loss of the famous and respectful artist who combines music and theatre for the first time. This day marks a year of deep grief. Yes, both of them lost Asnakech. They lost their biggest blessings. From now on she will not be there. But, her children will be with us forever. This is the short biography of this great artist.\u003cbr\u003eArtist Asnakech Worku was born in 1926 E.C., in Addis Ababa, Gedam Sefer, near Sidst Kilo. She was only three years old at the time her mother passed away. Due to this, her godmother took her and raised her.\u003cbr\u003eAt that time getting education nearby was impossible. There was no other choice than spending time with religious clergymen. Due to this, Asnakech started to learn letters and she was able to finish the book of David.\u003cbr\u003eHer biography tells that, starting from a young age, Asnakech grew up singing living with her godmother. Singing sad songs when she felt low, singing alone when she felt happy, and dancing when singing were her natural gifts. Memorizing songs was also one of her gifts.\u003cbr\u003eHer hope was to start learning in the only school found nearby called Etege Menen girls’ school. After she tried hard to get in, she was asked to shave her head for a medical checkup. But she refused and didn’t start studying there.\u003cbr\u003eShe sang a song about the horrifying truth of migration. Asnakech got the admiration of German journalists.\u003cbr\u003eOn January 27, 2000, there was a ceremony for women in the arts. Asnakech was the only Ethiopian representative. She performed an amazing show using only one instrument, the krar. She got an award for that.\u003cbr\u003eAsnakech Worku, the woman of love, the talented artist, the symbol of talent, has performed her plays in various countries. A few are stated below:\u003cbr\u003e-“Aris,\" a play by a French director\u003cbr\u003e-“Agote Banya,” a play at Alliance Française\u003cbr\u003e-On a play called “Zetegn Fetena” et cetera…\u003cbr\u003eIn 1991, Asnakech received a lifetime achievement award from the media.\u003cbr\u003eAsnakech used to dance to traditional music, she used to sing, she used to perform in plays, she used to dance to modern dance, and she was just gifted. Art is created by mankind. These harmonious and beautiful memories of Asnakech were created by her. Her beautiful works will be remembered forever.\u003cbr\u003eBirth and death are God’s power. Mankind has only a right to live the short time given to him. Even when we are alive, we live on the verge of death. This kind, generous and talented artist Asnakech, was sick for a long time. She was battling death. Her generous friends, her co-actors, were also part of the battle. They were by her side for years. They were fighting with her. But today, by the will of God, they and Asnakech lost the battle.\u003cbr\u003eOn September 4, 2004 E.C., while receiving her treatment, the 78-year-old Asnakech passed away.\u003cbr\u003eOn September 5, 2004 E.C, her funeral was held on Kidst Sellasie Cathedral ye Arbegnoch mekane mekabr. We would like to give our condolences for her family, her friends, her co-actors and her fans.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"kingslandrecords","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60193897873742,"sku":null,"price":24.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/3474\/2094\/files\/e1ea5f_94d3afb30a614dbfb916f44d4e766a70_mv2.jpg?v=1784733660"},{"product_id":"various-indaba-is","title":"Various – Indaba Is","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrownswood are proud to present ‘Indaba Is’ – a compilation of current South African improvised music and jazz – released January 29th 2021. The project is a collaboration with 2 luminaries of the South African Music scene pianist \/ songwriter Thandi Nthuli and The Brother Moves On’s Siyabonga Mthembu who act as curators \/ musical directors on the project.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSouth African townships were historically cosmopolitan places. Apartheid confined all classes in the same impoverished locations. Migration from across the country and the region meant kasi residents commanded many musical languages. Church music, European classical music, the latest US jazz LPs and Liverpool pop tunes from offshore radio stations fed the mix. The same woman could sing Handel in church on Sunday, traditional lyrics by the evening fireside, local and overseas standards on a community hall bandstand and songs of resistance on a march. There never was just one sound. And it’s the flowers from all those roots, and more, that Indaba Is has harvested. Questions about lineage, community and spirit thread through the tracks – not just communities of descent or language, but the communities being built now through collective creation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBokani Dyer’s ‘Ke Nako’ (now’s the time) opens with an irony, because that was a slogan used to get voters to the polls in the first post-apartheid election. Now, Dyer’s using it to remind us to think again about who we are and where we’re going.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat’s always been the question for The Brother Moves On (TBMO: a genre-refusing, personnel-revolving performance collective named, with a twist, for The Wire’s assassin: Brother Mouzone). Here, it’s embodied in a meditation on relationships refracted through the distorting-glass of their context.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s the singing voices on both those tracks that reference roots even as they engage with contemporary spoken flows and instrumental improvisations. Explicitly, trumpeter Lwanda Gogwana bookends his track with the idioms of the Eastern Cape – galloping rhythms, harmonies from bow music and split-tone singing, a spluttering trumpet reminiscent of Mongezi Feza – and grows from them a chill contemporary meditation: no spatial or temporal barriers here.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChill, though, is the last term you’d use for Wretched, vocalist Gabisile Motuba’s Fanon-inspired project with drummer Tumi Mogorosi and sound artist Andrei van Wyk and the voices of Black Panther Kwame Toure and liberation leader Winnie Madikizela-Mandela: “What is history?..” Motuba demands. Mandela\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003edescribes how imprisonment on Robben Island actually sheltered those who became post-liberation leaders from the visceral realities of the struggle. Her presence poses the same question; her history is still weighed down with calumnies even after an apartheid police boss admitted not a shred of evidence linked her to the killing she was accused of: the whole farrago was deliberate fake news.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat, like ‘Ke Nako’ and The Brother Moves On's bitter allusion to “black yellow and green” (the colours of the ruling ANC) is the thread of another kind of tradition – the reminders and remainders of South Africa’s struggle not yet won – weaving through the album.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBalm is offered by what guitarist Sibusile Xaba has described as his “modal, groove-oriented roots music”. It is, he says, inspired by dreams; he sees himself as a diviner not a performer and his music as functional for healing. That echoes one of his musical masters, the late Dr Philip Nchipi Tabane. ‘Umdali’ is a reference to the Creator, inspirer of such service.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Ancestors weave Siyabonga Mthembu’s voice into a web of musical references forward-looking and historical, including bluesy instrumentals that hark back to what South Africa’s jazz bandleaders of the ‘70s and ‘80s conjured up – another aspect of South Africa’s musical tradition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen pianist\/composer\/vocalist Thandi Ntuli returns to the theme of identity in ‘Dikeledi’ (‘Tears’). “Who are you?’ she asks. “What do you call yourself?.. the illusion [of who you are] emerges from you.” Ultimately, the song concludes, rootedness in community trumps image.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut community isn’t unproblematic. The persistent fractures in South African society were deliberately engineered by apartheid, results of an attempt to impose unitary, racially-constructed identities on all. All the tracks in this collection challenge that: they demonstrate the unifying power of collective hard music work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn that context, iPhupho L’ka Biko’s ‘Abaphezulu’ (“They are coming, those who are above” – an invocation to ancestors, including the spirit of Steve Bantu Biko) is a fitting conclusion. Opening with the notes of Kinsmen’s Druv Sodha’s sitar, it smashes another of the walls apartheid tried to build against Black unity: between South Africans of African and South Asian heritage. The classically-inflected gospel voices of Mthembu's dialogue with Indian and modern jazz rhythms and free horn improvisations in joyous heterophony.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike we said, there never was just one sound.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"kingslandrecords","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60193924940110,"sku":"5060180324728","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/3474\/2094\/files\/e1ea5f_c091d61dc05f4f63842b27b2f39057bd_mv2.jpg?v=1784733685"},{"product_id":"pigeon-backslider","title":"Pigeon – Backslider","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing up on their acclaimed debut EP Yagana in 2022, the 5-piece band returns with a brand new offering: Backslider.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDressed as if they would be equally comfortable starring in a modern spaghetti western as they are cutting slick silhouettes on a festival stage - are Guinean singer Falle Nioke, Graham Godfrey on drums, Steve Pringle on keys, Tom Dream on guitar and Josh Ludlow on bass.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Pigeon develop and hone their sound further, Afro-disco remains at the core while jazz and no-wave make way for new elements of electro, rock and synth pop. The introduction of sequencers and drum machines sprinkles a little more structure into the mix, however the recording process still very much embodies the DIY spirit of band members that enjoy jamming together.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith their debut Yagana EP gaining critical acclaim, each member has found themselves heavily in demand on top of their own individual pursuits – Falle Nioke is releasing his solo work as well as other projects, while Steve Pringle and Graham Godfrey play in various bands (Michael Kiwanuka and SAULT to name a few). Adding to the creative melting pot, Tom Dream pursues filmmaking and bespoke music composition via his own studio, and Josh Ludlow runs his own record label M.A.D. Records.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e​​On the single 'Backslider', a laid-back, 80s funk-rock bassline is backed by a deliberate, plodding drum kit. Kicking off with congas and synth stabs which appear optimistic at first, frontman Falle Nioke proceeds to sing in English and French - calling someone a 'backslider', for their dishonesty and bad behaviour. His cool air of contempt is mirrored by an epic guitar solo drenched in distortion pedal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn 'Ikanabore', which translates to 'don't run' in the Mandinka language of West Africa, Nioke implores a potential lover not to leave him. It's fast-paced, Afro-disco primed for the dancefloor, driven by a catchy chorus, guitar hooks, a heavy rollicking kick drum and plenty of modulated synth - highlighting the band's ability to effortlessly cross between tempos and genres.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith previous support from Gilles Peterson, Elton John, Iggy Pop, Bandcamp, NPR, Uncut and many more, the new Pigeon EP will undoubtedly fly off the shelves. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"kingslandrecords","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60193995981134,"sku":"5060571362292","price":18.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/3474\/2094\/files\/e1ea5f_1f60b996df7e4362b93e714637a579a8_mv2.jpg?v=1784733800"},{"product_id":"various-nigeria-70-lagos-jump-original-heavyweight-afrobeat-highlife-afr","title":"Various ‎– Nigeria 70 (Lagos Jump: Original Heavyweight Afrobeat, Highlife \u0026 Afr","description":"\u003cp\u003eNigeria 70 was revelatory in that it introduced Westerners to the reality of post-independence Nigeria: that there was plenty of other music -- music of great variety -- to be found in the country besides that of Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade (although they too were included in the set). Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump takes it to the next step by digging deep and coming up with 16 obscure tracks that, like its predecessor, run the gamut stylistically. Ify Jerry Krusade's \"Everybody Likes Something Good\" is quasi-psychedelic, organ-dominated funk; Chief Checker's \" Ire Africa\" is deep roots reggae to rival anything emerging from Jamaica at the time; and Peacocks Guitar Band, on their \"Eddie Quansa,\" turn to Latin rhythms for inspiration. Everything from hard soul to classic rock to jazz and, of course, the numerous indigenous Nigerian forms of juju, highlife, and palmwine shows up in this richly rewarding, historically vital collection of rarities.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"kingslandrecords","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60193999749454,"sku":"0730003303517","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/3474\/2094\/files\/e1ea5f_e54fee99c1af4e928930007595297a8a_mv2.jpg?v=1784733812"},{"product_id":"various-nigeria-70-sweet-times-afro-funk-highlife-juju-from-1970s-lagos","title":"Various ‎– Nigeria 70 (Sweet Times: Afro-Funk, Highlife \u0026 Juju From 1970s Lagos)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNigeria 70: Sweet Times (Afro-Funk, Highlife and Juju From 1970s Lagos)\u003c\/em\u003e is the third volume in Strut Records' acclaimed series. 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Kebede was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1938 and was educated in musicology in the United States at the Eastman School of Music (1962), and Wesleyan University (M.A. 1969; Ph.D. 1971).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe founded the National Saint Yared School of Music in Ethiopia, serving as its first director (1963–1968). He was designated a National Composer by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, in 1967. Shortly after that he began his graduate studies in the United States, and earned the first Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAshenafi was a prolific writer. His works include a novel, Confession (1964), articles in ethnomusicology journals, the book Roots of Black Music, and numerous articles in The Chronicler, the magazine of the Center for African-American Culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn his own compositions he combined Ethiopian and Japanese musical ideas. \"Koturasia\" is one such piece, written for flute, clarinet, violin, and Japanese koto. Among his other musical compositions were \"Peace unto Ethiopia\" and \"The Life of Our Nation\". His best known composition though rarely heard outside Ethiopia was \"The Shepherds Flute\", performed in 1968 with Hungarian State String Orchestra.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMedia:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very Good (VG) Noticeable groove wear and light scratches. 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This compilation captures the dynamic period when highlife, rock, and soul collided with tradition and culture, producing vibrant fusions that reflected both the country’s musical heritage and the adventurous spirit of a new generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll of the tracks featured here were originally released on Soundway’s acclaimed 2009 5-LP box set Ghana Special, now highly collectible and long out of print. This new single LP edition distills that expansive anthology into a focused, accessible selection, offering both longtime collectors and new listeners an expertly curated entry point into Ghana’s golden era of highlife.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeaturing seminal recordings from artists including The Ogyatanaa Show Band, Hedzoleh Soundz, Ebo Taylor \u0026amp; Honny \u0026amp; the Bees, the collection offers both historical insight and irresistible grooves. Tracks like “You Monopolise Me” by The Ogyatanaa Show Band showcase visionary producer Kwadwo Donkor’s quirky, soulful songwriting, while Hedzoleh Soundz’s “Edinya Benya” delivers electrified folk infused with spiritual and rhythmic innovation. Honny \u0026amp; the Bees Band’s”Psychedelic Woman”, which was remixed by DJ\/producer Bonobo in 2005, demonstrates how these vibrant 70s highlife recordings continue to inspire contemporary electronic and downtempo music.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe music is brought to life through meticulous remastering, lacquer cut at The Carvery and vinyl pressed at Optimal in Germany, The cover features a previously unpublished 1976 photograph from James Barnor, capturing a musician at Rothman’s factory Christmas party in Accra—a glimpse into the archive of one of West Africa’s most important photographers. The image was shot on medium format film and is showcased at its original 1:1 ratio, with title and info on an obi strip. 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Anchored around the Studio 110, a\u003cbr\u003emassive analog modular synthesizer, the album fuses ancestral\u003cbr\u003eEthiopian musical modes with cosmic, futuristic textures,\u003cbr\u003eproducing a raw, spiritual sound that is at once ancient and\u003cbr\u003eotherworldly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe concept had been simmering in Kibrom's imagination for years: an entirely synth-driven Ethiopian record - a rarity in the genre. After the success of Here and There, Kibrom shared the idea with Kamal de Iruretagoyena Humphrey, founder of Flying Carpet Records. The response was immediate and emphatic: full support, open studio access, and the gear to bring the vision to life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver the course of two years, Birhane experimented and composed using the Analog modular synth as both an instrument and a sound design tool. 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If there is a difference it is that the most R\u0026amp;B-influenced numbers have left place for purer funk. But that is just a little shift, and an artist like Fela Kuti of course plays Afro-beat and nothing else. As a dance record, this is more solid than the former collection, but doesn't reach the same ecstatic heights. This album is a little more geared at the first. But, in any case, it is a great party album, and tracks like Manu Dibango's \"Big Blow\" could make you buy it for them alone. All revenue generated from this video goes to the copyright owner. Support the artists buying the album.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"kingslandrecords","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60194143109454,"sku":null,"price":9.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/3474\/2094\/files\/e1ea5f_1539bd5784f74965ba41e42b80fa66a1_mv2.jpg?v=1784734534"},{"product_id":"k-frimpong-his-cubano-fiestas-k-frimpong-his-cubano-fiestas-black","title":"K. Frimpong \u0026 His Cubano Fiestas – K. Frimpong \u0026 His Cubano Fiestas (Black)","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlhaji K Frimpong’s 1977 Highlife masterpiece, melding traditional Ghanaian musical forms with experimental instrumentation and innovative arrangements.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Black Album expands the electronic elements and features the visionary Hwehwe Mu Na Yi Wo Mpena, although the real gem is hiding on the B side: the extended groove of “Adam Nana”. 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Most notably the contribution of multi instrumentalist Pierre de St Front added engaging synthesiser parts and electronic drums.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll in all, the album demonstrates something fresh \u0026amp; exciting for Nigerian album reissues, touching down in a reggae fusion direction, with some fuller sounding production aesthetics, making the dynamics full and crisp on sound systems while also well suited to home listening. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"kingslandrecords","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":60194584002894,"sku":null,"price":23.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/3474\/2094\/files\/e1ea5f_1eb3ec115a4240b2bd9899f72fdc7a7c_mv2.jpg?v=1784737155"},{"product_id":"oluko-imo-oduduwa","title":"Oluko Imo ‎– Oduduwa","description":"\u003cp\u003eReissue of the 80s 12” single from Trinidadian musician Oluko Imo (Black Truth Rhythm Band), featuring Fela Kuti and Femi Kuti. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded between Lagos and New York in 1988, the tracks sit at the fault line of the Trinidad-Yoruba connection, blending calypso heritage with the Afrobeat and jazz of Nigeria. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the A-side, title track ‘Oduduwa’ is a brooding slice of peak-era Transatlantic Afrobeat, blending a heartfelt plea for social justice and equality with a haunting piano line, shuffling drums and ethereal sax solo. \u003cbr\u003eThe song takes its name from Oduduwa, the founder of the Ife Empire, who is also seen as a divine Orisha (deity) in Yoruba culture, one that is often evoked by musicians and activists in Trinidad as a signifier of Yoruba heritage on the island. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the flip, ‘Were Oju Le (Eyes Are Getting Red)’ is a long-lost slice of low slung Afrobeat featuring both Fela and Femi Kuti. 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Born George Folurunsho Johnson in Nigeria in 1916, Ginger's Yoruba heritage shaped his music and by the late 1940s, he had moved to London and was busy collaborating with British jazz icons like Ronnie Scott, Phil Seaman and Kenny Graham's Afro-Cubists. A pioneering figure, Ginger recorded some of Britain's first African music releases and mentored a young Fela Kuti and became a cornerstone of the African and West Indian musical community. 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The ruling Derg regime imposed curfews, banning citizens from the streets after midnight until 6:00 am but that didn't stop some people from dancing and partying through the night. Bands would play from evening until daybreak and people would stay at the clubs until curfew was lifted in the morning!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne key denizen of Addis' musical golden age, Hailu Mergia, was preparing a follow-up to his seminal 'Tche Belew' LP with the famed Walias Band. It was the band's only full-length record and it had been a success. But his Hilton house band colleagues were a bit tied up recording cassettes with different vocalists. Still Mergia, amidst recording and gigs with the Walias, was also eager to make another recording of his instrumental-focused arrangements. So he went to the nearby Ghion Hotel, another upmarket outpost with a popular nightclub. Dahlak Band was the house band at Ghion at the time. 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Jessica Thompson at Coast Mastering managed to restore the recording to clean up layers of hiss, flutter and distorted frequencies, made worse by years of storage. Although there are some remaining sonic artifacts of the era's recording and cassette duplicating quality, this reissue captures the band's inimitable vibe. Recalling the audience's positive reaction to Wede Harer Guzo's novel arrangements, he says it sold well and found many fans. 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We had to juggle A-Levels with gigs and we used to skip school whenever we had a show, rehearsal or a recording date.\" While many Nigerian student bands were studio-based projects, Grotto was an active live unit during the '70s. \"We played at The Shrine with Fela, with Tee Mac at Batakoto, with Sonny Okosun at Kakadu, Segun Bucknor at Granada Hotel.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis first international reissue of Grotto's debut album comes with a full interview with Soga Benson and producer Odion Iruoje, along with a selection of rare and previously unseen photos of the band. 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