Dibson & Essody
Justice

The reissue of Udu’s sole LP “Sound of the People” originally released on Love Records (Nigeria) in 1976. The band took their name from the Igbo word for a large clay jug normally used to carry water. The jug has a regular opening at the top with an additional hole on the side. In addition to being used to carry water the jug was also played by Igbo women in traditional ceremonies.It was in Lagos the Udu trio met musician, producer and owner of Love Records: Alex Tony Okoroji. The debut release on the label is Alex Tony Okoroji’s own LP Super Sure (Love Records, 1976). Today, Chief Tony Okoroji is a legend of the Nigerian music scene, but back in 1976, just like Udu, he was just starting his recording career…Both the Udu and the Alex Tony Okoroji records where recorded at legendry Arc Studio in Lagos. A studio facility initiated by Cream drummer Ginger Baker in 1972, eventually opening in January 1973. The engineers who worked on the Udu recordings had previously worked on a number of Fela Kuti Records (No Bread, Expensive Shit, Everything Scatter); whilst production and writing duties were in the hands of Alex Tony Okoroji…All of the tracks have a fairly loose, almost conversational arrangement both in the music and the lyrical delivery… For the most part the pace is relatively laid back… it’s by no means chilled-out… there’s always an element of movement…Four of the six tracks have an unexpected and subtle dance floor air: “The Chant", "Sound Of The People", “Nwanyalubi” and "New Bride Song" all have a fairly distinct and uniquely hypnotic build that once you get is seriously foot friendly from a sunrise perspective.It would be easy to say the record is psychedelic, but at times that’s an overused term for a broad spectrum of music which suggests something, but doesn’t define anything in detail… it might be better in this instance to suggest the record has an other-worldly ambience, folk in essence and potentially devotional from a regional perspective; something possibly alluded to in the both the bands’ name and the title of the record… whatever musical genres the record crosses it’s a genuine shame that it’s taken just over 40 years to reach the ears of a wider audience outside of the few people who would have heard the record at the time…Answering the question as to why the record has remained so unknown until now… although the record was recorded at Arc Studios, it was released on a fledgling independent label… in addition, musically speaking, the record doesn’t fit easily to one of the popular genres of the period. It may have been too subtle for the time and the place… falling through the cracks between Afro-Rock and Afro-Funk…

Toronto based retro-soul artist Claire Davis serves up her latest soulful banger “Long Gone” on a limited edition 7" on LRK Records.A jewel of Canada’s Soul scene, Claire Davis takes it up a notch and showcases her mighty vocals on the fiery breakup single “Long Gone”. Drawing from her influences of the likes of Etta James and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, the unrelenting rhythm and sassy background vocals of this track complement the “take-no-mess” message of Davis’ lyrics and vocal delivery. A song about knowing your worth and walking away from those who don’t! Claire Davis is an analog enthusiast, opting to record to tape whenever possible to best capture the feel and energy of a live performance and this single does not disappoint. The track was co-written by Toronto based artist Kyla Charter and producer Scott McCannell whom Davis has excitedly collaborated with for years on various other projects in Toronto’s R&B/Soul scene. The saucy background vocal arrangement from composer/arranger La-Nai Gabriel provided the icing on the cake for this record which features dynamic background vocals from Aphrose, Tegan Michelle Gordon, and Chynna Lewis.

Akido – Psychedelic BabyDaupe 45, 2 side psy funk rock bomb

City of Mirrors is a bold new collection of music from Chicago-based alt-Latinx band Dos Santos, which is comprised of bandleader / singer / lyricst / guitarist / keyboardist Alex Chavez, drummer Daniel Villarreal, percussionist Peter “Maestro” Vale, bassist Jaime Garza, and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Nathan Karagianis.Cinematic in its journey, the album was produced by multimedia artist and long-time friend of the band Elliot Bergman (NOMO, Wild Belle), and reflects sounds from across the Americas combined with Chavez’s compelling poetic narratives. Its 13 tracks consolidate the band’s unique identities, creative and cultural roots, and their penchant for honoring traditional Latinx music with contemporary compositional expressions and production techniques.