‘In 1972, the country of Rhodesia — as Zimbabwe was then known — was in the middle of a long-simmering struggle for independence from British colonial rule. In the hotels and nightclubs of the capital, bands could make a living playing a mix of Afro-Rock, Cha-Cha-Cha and Congolese Rumba. But as the desire for independence grew stronger, a number of Zimbabwean musicians began to look to their own culture for inspiration. They began to emulate the staccato sound and looping melodies of the mbira (thumb piano) on their electric guitars, and to replicate the insistent shaker rhythms on the hi-hat; they also started to sing in the Shona language and to add overtly political messages to their lyrics (safe in the knowledge that the predominantly white minority government wouldn’t understand them). From this collision of electric instruments and indigenous traditions, a new style of Zimbabwean popular music — later known as Chimurenga, from the Shona word for ‘struggle’ — was born. And there were few bands more essential to the development of this music than the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band…’
Their biggest hits — along with several rare tracks — recorded between 1974 and 1979.

The darkest and most amazing of Rafael Machuca’s productions — dubbed ‘the B-Movies of Colombian music’ for their proliferation of ad hoc lineups and crazy artwork — fusing local and African rhythms with the swirling organs and psychedelic guitars of underground rock, at the birth of Champeta.

‘The city of Belém, in the Northern state of Para in Brazil, has long been a hotbed of culture and musical innovation. Enveloped by the mystical wonder of the Amazonian forest and overlooking the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean, its Amerindians, Europeans and Africans pioneered musical genres such as Carimbó, Samba-De-Cacete, Siriá, Bois-Bumbás and bambiá.
‘There was a radio station, a recording studio, a music label and a deep, cross-genre roster of artists. Beginning as simple gramophones connected to loudspeakers tied to lamp posts or trees, the aparelhagem sonora of Belém evolved into sophisticated setups, drawing thousands of revelers.
‘The music and tales found in Jambu are stories of resilience, triumph against all odds, and, most importantly, of a city at the edge of the Amazon which has always known how to throw a damn good party.’

‘The area’s best club music from the mid-‘70s, an exuberant, carnival-esque mishmash of local carimbó and siriá styles with big-band brass and frenetic Afro-Latino percussion. Best of all there are the three hip-swivelling cuts by Pinduca, founding father of lambada and king of Carimbó’ (Q).

Raw, bustling, parping afro-funk from northern Cameroon.
The complete works: three sevens.

Thrilling funk from north Benin.

A staggering third helping of raw Benin funk. Check YouTube for a totally knockout film of the band performing the second track, Houzou Houzou Wa.

Funkdafied, discofried, cosmic soca-boogie from 1984.  Let’s Get It Together is a monster.

Ghanaian highlife bombs: giants like K. Frimpong, African Brother Nana Ampedu, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley (with The Complex Sounds); unfamiliar names like Los Issufu and his Moslems, Waza Afrika, Funky Afrosibi.

The first album, straight no chaser, from 1973 — superlative Beninese Afrobeat.

Afro-Funk, boogie and dancefloor prog banged out zealously by Rob ‘Roy’ Raindorf and an army band named Mag-2, from Ghana.

The master accordionist of Colombia’s Musica Tropical movement.

Better sound than the first volume, and presented in the fine style of this label, with a 44-page booklet full of great photos, low-down and interviews.