Various
Nigeria 70 (Lagos Jump: Original Heavyweight Afrobeat, Highlife & Afro-Funk)

A new ship of fools sails on Bolombia lands! These strange people seem to celebrate the whole jazz universe and african idioms, but they've never been in Africa. The great continent, more than physical, is a mental place of encounter and psychedelic skids. Neurotic and schizoid sorcerers, a furious wind drags them towards the total effervescence of the groove: an unprecedented cauldron of dangerous substances, hybrid styles and influences mixed with secret recipe. Their music is an explosive bubble of expressions, a feverish, impulsive and unstoppable ritual. A cosmic attitude, such as Heliocentrics or Embryo, marries the majestic and floating sounds of synths and psych organs, acidified by toxic dub sparks and deadly funk forays. A crazy horn section travels without maps from Sun-Ra and Ethiopian echoes, hard-bop reminiscenses, to sudden and virulent Balkanisms, making this soup an indecipherable combination of flavors.

REPRESS!! Although he is still completely unknown to Western audiences, for Ethiopians, Tlahoun Gèssèssè (pronounced Guèssèssè) is THE VOICE.The first-ever pan-Ethiopian star, he has embodied such nonstop unanimity since the end of the 1950s that is a role-model and a point of reference.

Gold Dust: Live At The Royalty, featuring highlights from Sandy Denny’s final concert, is making its debut on vinyl. Recorded just months before her untimely death in 1978, this special release attempts to present the record that Sandy might have released had she lived. The concert features a career-spanning set that includes songs taken from her band Fotheringay, Sandy’s solo albums (The North Star Grassman and the Ravens, Sandy, and Rendezvous), as well as her work with Fairport Convention on the albums Unhalfbricking and Rising for the Moon. This final performance perfectly captures the folk-rock sound with a stellar group of musicians including Trevor Lucas, Jerry Donahue, Pat Donaldson, Dave Mattacks, among others. It showcases the quality of Sandy’s songwriting throughout her career and includes her signature composition, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” – which was the first song she ever wrote – and “No More Sad Refrains” which closed her final album. Remastered from the restored tapes, this release features Sandy’s spoken introductions to each song, comprehensive sleeve notes, and brand-new artwork designed specifically for this release.