madmadmad
Madmadmad

The Honeyshotz is a band/project put together by Ian Stevens , the bass player from The Getup and The King Rooster as a vehicle to record and perform a collection of songs that were written by himself and also with some of the other musicians involved.The band features Mark Claydon(The Getup / The King Rooster) on drums and percussion and Lee Blackmore (The Getup) on guitar . The man on the keys is Toby kinder from the Gene Drayton Unit and the vocals are taken care of by Sabina Challenger (formerly of The Getup and The Soul Grenades).Mark Norton (The Fantastics/ The Gene Drayton Unit) supplies sax and flute. The songs are very much in the vein of The Brand New Heavies and have that summertime Acid Jazz / Soul Funk Vibe.

Second volume of Jamaican doo wop & R&B records taken from the late 50s and early 60s. These records represent a period in which soundsystems were just starting to dominate the island, with Duke Reid and Sir Coxsone stepping up their rivalry by beginning to make and release their own records rather than rely on US imports for use in their dances. Many of these records are definitely more-or-less imitations of the American records, as the uniquely Jamaican ska sound was yet to take hold - however many of the future stars of ska, rocksteady and reggae were beginning to cut their teeth in the industry on these records, incl. Prince Buster, Derrick Harriott and more, and provide a unique view into the fledgling independent record industry culture in Jamaica that would prove to be unbelievably prolific and unparalleled for an island of it's size.

Pat Kalla & Le Super Mojo propel us into a whirlwind métisse of Africangroove and Caribbean funk, Afro-disco, Afrobeat, Makossa ... Hymne à la Vie Pat Kalla's second full-length LP out on Heavenly Sweetness is not only as the title has it, a hymn to life, it's also a fine showcase of his band, the "Lyon-based groovers," le Super Mojo and a select group of guests from West Africa (DjeuhDoah, Doctor Lass). Parisian singer Lieutenant Nicholson joins DjeuhDoah to perform a touching duet on the closer and West Indies singer/songwriter - and fellow Heavenly Sweetness artist - David Walters shines on the LP in a lilting pop-funk number drenched in a luxurious groove.Add to this the delicate, sophisticated production pallette of the DJ/producer Guts - another Heavenly Sweetness labelmate - and you have a release of subtle, satisfying power.Throughout his multi-decade musical career, the singer/songwriter and MC born Patrice Kalla N'Galle (his Cameroonian father named him after the assassinated Congolese political leader, Patrice Lumumba) has created music that responds to his African heritage in strikingly creative and innovative ways.

One of Andy Narell's most exciting and unpredictable albums, Light in Your Eyes ranges from the exuberant to the quietly introspective. Narell, who embraces electric keyboards and acoustic piano in addition to his main instrument the steel pans, is undeniably inspired on everything from the driving post-bop number "A Stitch in Time" to the poetic, South American-influenced "The Strayaway Child" to the somewhat Joe Sample-ish title song. World music has long been one of the charismatic Narell's strong points, and on this fine CD, he looks to locations ranging from Africa to South America to Trinidad (where the steel pans originated) for inspiration.

After a first album released on Comet Records in 2011 and acclaimed by the media (Selection FIP, playlist Radio Nova, Vibrations, Songlines, Gilles Peterson, Laurent Garnier, etc…), the ©© Les Frères Smith collective is back with an even more ambitious new LP. Recorded the old school way and mixed by genius producer Masta Conga in line with the tradition of the great albums of the analog era, which results in a warm and heavy sound ; a production worth the ones by the Nuyorican Daptone Records or Truth & Soul.