DJ Jazzy Jeff
M3

Favorite Recordings presents this new official album reissue of State of Emmergency by French band The Fizz: A real underrated, complete and intriguing album, originally released in 1986 as a private-press LP and quite hard to find in good conditions nowadays.The Fizz is mostly the result of Patrick Jouanneau, a French musician, composer and producer who's still active today. He remembers: In the early 80's I had a recording studio allowing me to easily fulfil my desire to create songs. It was then that I began to compose and write songs, in French or in English in this case. State Of Emergency (spelling on the LP is a mistake), is born from a fierce will on my part, and the other four have followed, but it was not easy, the musicians, you have to get them out of bed! I have to say that Richard Larozé, the pianist, was a very strong guy with harmonies, and has somewhat changed my first version, much more oriented in Soul and R&B.'And when asked about his main influences, Patrick says: It's always difficult for me to speak about influences, out of respect, and humility especially, but they nourished us and nourished this project, Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Earth, Wind & Fire, and so on, were and still are important to me and this was the case for the entire FIZZ group.'At the end, State of Emmergency by The Fizz is a very interesting and brilliant album with great inspiration in melodies and compositions. And who knows, listening to the title "A So Called Being", it could even have inspired a certain King of Pop'...

A.B. Crentsil is a heavyweight of Highlife music and the main vocalist of Sweet Talks, one of the most popular Ghanaian bands of the 1970’s. In 1992, musician Charles Amoah and producer Richie Osei Kuffour offered him the opportunity to explore a new popular sound: Bürger Highlife. Little did he know these studio sessions would give birth to the biggest song of his career.Charles Amoah, who had released his Sweet Vibrations LP in 1984 to great acclaim, extensively toured in Europe with bands such as Black Earth and Saraba, was eager to bring a new sound to Crentsil, an artist he had admired for years. Throughout the 1980’s, Highlife had been changing pretty radically, following the same evolution as Congolese Soukous, Caribbean Zouk and most popular black musicgenres of that era: Heavy use of drum machines, synths and digital technology was conveniently replacing big bands and expensiveanalog studios and equipments. Mostly recorded, produced or mixed in Germany, this new breed of electric Highlife dubbed ‘Bürger Highlife’ could be defined as a fusion of Disco, Jazz, Funk and Pop with the popular Highlife beats, rhythms and lyrics.According to A.B. Crentsil, the name was a reference to the ever present American cultural influence on Ghanaian musicians. CharlesAmoah has his own take: “I initially called this particular kind of Highlife ‘Ethno Pop’. Bürger is the German word for citizen, and that’s how Ghanaian musicians living and working in Germany were calling each other”.The music for both “Obi Baa Wiase'' and “Sika Be Ba” was entirely composed and played by Charles Amoah, using minimal equipment: aDX7 synth, a Korg M1, a Yamaha RX5 drum machine, and an Akai 1000 sampler. A.B. Crentsil provided the lyrics for both tunes on the spot. Obi Ba Wiase’s message is one of gratitude and faith: it says we should appreciate our life way more and follow the example of people who have a lot less but still praise God all day.Charles remembers fondly Crentsil’s larger than life personality: "A.B. slept a lot, he really loved sleeping. His lack of punctuality was easily dismissed by his wonderful sense of humour and it wasn't uncommon to find musicians rolling with laughter on the studio floor."Charles also remembers vividly the "Obi Baa Wiase" session: he could feel the magic in the air while working on the soon to be hit, andknew something special was happening. A.B. asked for a break in the middle of the session, which Charles adamantly refused until the song was finished and the magic fully captured.Success was not immediate, and Charles was first a little concerned by the lack of buzz following the immediate release of the Gyae MeLife Ma Me album. But a few months down the line, the situation took a new turn. "Obi Baa Wiase" was making its way into radio playlists,weddings and festive celebrations. It was covered by local bands, and soon most of Ghana and its European and American diasporas were hooked. It became A.B. Crentsil’s most requested song at live events for the following decades.As producer Richie Moore wrote on the album back cover : "A perfect integration of two musical geniuses, the result of which are thescintillating tracks of music on this record… so all you party fans go onto the floor and dance the body music"

Killer ! Only 100 copies.

Kalita are excited to unveil the first ever reissue of one of – if not the – strongest South African kwaito/bubblegum albums in existence, Jivaro’s 1989 masterpiece ‘Saturday Fever’.Originally released on Maurice Horwitz’s Music Team label at the turn of the decade, the album features various heavy hitting tracks that perfectly encapsulate the post-boogie/proto-house movement that had taken over the country’s airwaves and clubs at the time.Sourced from the original analogue master tapes, this definitive release by Kalita is a truly essential piece of musical history and one sure to set any discerning dance floor on fire.

BOMB !

OTRO CICLO marca una nueva etapa para Sofree. Su ritmo nace del pulso vital del corazón. Su sonido evoluciona, respira y se expande sin dejar de estar anclado a la tierra. Un mantra dedicado a los días que pasan formando un todo, formando así nuestras vidas.-OTRO CICLO marks a new phase for Sofree. Its rhythms are born from the pulse of the heart. Its sound evolves, breathes and expands while still anchored to the earth. A mantra dedicated to the days that pass forming a whole, thus forming our lives.créditsparu le 15 janvier 2021Lead vocals & lyrics: Yasmeen QuintanaProduction & composition: Sylvain CouesmesArrangements: Sylvain Couesmes, Yasmeen Quintana,Eliane Correa (1, 4)Bass: Manoel TostoKeys: Eliane Correa (1, 4, 5) & Paquito de la Iguana (3)Double bass: Jimmy Martinez (1)Guitar: Manoel Tosto & Alexis Kraniou (1)Saxophone tenor: Julio Nahinim Carbonell Jenks (2, 3, 4)Trumpet: Abel Herrera (2, 4) & Yelfris Valdés (1)Trombone: Joan Codina (2, 3, 4) & Landy Diaz (1)Percussion: Alan Sousa (3, 4)Production : ALM (5)Backing vocals: Loïza, Alan Sousa, Clémence Nguon,Andrés Giraldo, Sylvain Couesmes (4)Recorded in Panaba Studio, Aclam Records & Studio 389.Mixed by Studio 389 (1), Panaba Studio (2, 3, 4) & ALM (5).Mastered by Adrien Lammoglia at ALM Studio.