A mix of overlooked gems and local boomshots from the cassette tape scene in Libya, during the late 80s to early 2000, when independent artists relied on makeshift home studios or travelled abroad to record in Tunisia and Egypt. A judicious mash-up of boundary-pushing sounds which reflects this precariousness and nascency; also the political and cultural crossroads at which Libya found itself. North African rhythms meet Arab melodies and deep African roots. Disco and house run into gritty pop. Reggae courses through, with an unmistakable Libyan twist — not just musically, in the slowed-down cadence of traditional shaabi beats, but also culturally, taking to heart its outernational message of proud, defiant self-awareness.

Assembled by Habibi Funk with personality and love, as per; with a 32-page booklet. Another winner.

Last few box sets!

Recorded live in Paris in 1994 and New York City in 1995. The band includes Idris Muhammad, Manolo Badrena, and George Coleman. Beautifully constructed, grooving, percussive versions of a tasty mixture of standards and originals.

‘A deeply expressive, stylistically expansive performance. The set opens with a meditative improvisation on pipe organ, followed by the sweeping three- part suite Love is Here, the driving pulse of Pharoah’s ‘Blues, and a transcendent reading of I Want to Talk About You. Coltrane’s influence is honoured through high-octane renditions of Moment’s Notice and Lazy Bird, before reaching an ecstatic, participatory climax with Love Is Everywhere, shared joyfully with the audience.’
Twenty-page booklet.

This is sensational; hotly recommended.

“The holy grail of British Asian music; the album that birthed the British Asian dancefloor.”

‘Recorded in London in 1982, the nine-track album combines producer Kuljit Bhamra’s searing synthesiser melodies and hammering drum machine rhythms with the Punjabi-language folk singing of his classically trained mother, Mohinder Kaur Bhamra. Part early acid house experiment, part north Indian tradition and part disco-funk, the record was a futuristic outlier: the south Asian fusion sounds of bhangra were only just beginning; the mainstream crossover music of the Asian underground was more than a decade away; and the British Asian diaspora were largely relegated to meeting at weddings and community events, rather than at the disco’ (The Guardian).

Her 1968 masterwork, arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier, originally released on Saravah. Approved by Brigitte, this expanded edition features the original album, newly remastered from the original tapes, along with a second album of demos, instrumentals, and a live rendition of Il Pleut recorded for France Inter/ORTF. With a twenty-page bilingual booklet, including an introduction by Laetitia Sadier, plus full lyrics and rare archival photos.

The single LP via Rhino is in lovely mono.

The double LP is newly transferred from the master tapes, remastered, and cut at 45rpm, in an all-analogue process.
Presented in a gorgeous gatefold sleeve by Analogue Productions, as part of its Atlantic 75 audiophile series.