Gold In The Shade
Over You / Shining Through

Kalita are proud to unveil the Greenville, South Carolina-based Al-Dos Band’s unreleased 1976 gospel soul and disco album ‘Doing Our Thing With Pride’.Kalita has a fine record of unearthing holy grail records and reissuing them to rabid fans around the world. The latest is a real corker even by their standards - an unrelated album of soul, gospel and disco songs from Al-Dos Band. It is part of the first drop for Record Store Day 2021 and immediately melts the heart. 'Don't Come Smiling Back' is a deeply emotive slow jam with an impassioned vocal and pained chords, while 'Your Presence' is a much more rapturous and uplifting bit of musical worship, 'Some Things Don't Mean A Thing' is a robust and rugged bit of strident disco with magic funk riffs, and 'Love Jones Coming Down' is a real dance floor heater.

Great pressing w/ great sounds.

At the peak of an illustrious musical career, they were hailed as Kenya’s longest enduring band. Impressive records sales pegged on hit Jambo Bwana’s popularity – earned Them Mushrooms a coveted platinum certification. This song turned into an anthem, selling over 200,000 units between 1982 and 1987.It was a remarkable badge of honour, even as foreign disco hits reigned supreme in a wave of dominance on then sole national twin-radio broadcast stations. Unwittingly, the hit may have overshadowed numerous other less known musical gems. These include songs re-issued in a rare four-track, freshly released, self-titled Them Mushrooms EP.The distinct multi-layered, synth-grooves oozing off Akumu Nyar Kisumu/Bi Uru Wamiel pressed on side A and Ndogo Ndogo/Msondo Ngoma on flip side – were unmistakably the band’s trademark identity for close to a decade.“I was fortunate to be part of this pivotal Mushrooms band phase, which brought the infectious chakacha rhythms from Indian Ocean shores to the capital, staging concerts at the Carnivore Hotel,” recounts Dave ‘Mobb’ Otieno, often described as Nairobi’s lead guitar sorcerer.“We performed the coastal flavoured songs at full house gigs; the city’s all-night-long party revelers who had not watched the band previously were always mesmerised,” enthuses Otieno.He had just joined the closely woven, skillful and multi-talented instrumentalists then fronted by founder member and tenor saxophonist Teddy Kalanda. The rest of band comprised bassist Billy ‘Chief’ Sarro, George ‘Mr Extra’ Zirro playing either of four keyboards alongside John ‘Bishop’ Katana, with Nassor ‘Al Brown’ Mbarak on trumpet and drummer Dennis Kalume.Somewhat interestingly, Teddy, Billy, George, John and Dennis shared the same surname – and were often referred to as the Harrison brothers. The band was originally founded during late 1960s as a family friend’s affair, then a prevalent trend among fledgling outfits from the region.But it was not until 1972 that Them Mushrooms formally hit the road, staging sporadic gigs, mostlyin beachfront hotels, some which still dot Mombasa city’s coastline. Over subsequent years, they traversed different parts of Kenya performing in every imaginable location, whether in upmarket, urban hotels or dusty market venues in remote counties.The formative years’ repertoire was manifestly influenced by the laid-back-pop blend of chakacha and taarab rhythms – heavily hinged on traditional music styles. It is hardly surprising the re-issued Ndogo Ndogo, Msondo Ngoma and Akumu Nyar Kisumu – are predominantly laced with the catchy, step-out-in-your-dancing-shoes coastal flavour.But the track Bi Uru Wamiel inclines towards a bouncy, urban-hip style. The lyrics are sung partially in streetwise sheng – local slang popular among Nairobi’s cosmopolitan youthful populace. It could have been an attempt seeking subtle footing or even resonance with band’s shift to the 80s disco-and-funk-drenched capital city.Notably, Ndogo Ndogo stood out as the strongest track cut on the New Horizons album [1985]. Kenyan filmmaker Paul Singh, later snapped it up as a soundtrack on his Swahili language movie production titled Mahari [dowry].The lyrics wax praise on a comely damsel endowed with a shapely waistline, whose stunning looks turn heads around wherever she walks past.Akumu Nyar Kisumu is a coyly crafted love song, a suitor’s lamentations about sleepless nights and desires to propose nuptials to the lakeside beauty.Culled off rare, out-of-circulation 45s and re-mastered afresh, Msondo Ngoma and Ndogo Ndongo are hell bent on drawing revellers to jam underground dancefloors across Europe, Japan, the US and Canada.Indisputably, this Afro7 Records label EP may herald Them Mushrooms resurgence, yet again into the limelight – perhaps, just in time to toast the band’s 45th anniversary.– Emmanuel Mwendwa 2017

The Winston Brothers, formation de funk allemande, sort son tout premier album, Drift, sur Colemine Records. L’album invite les auditeurs dans un voyage instrumental futuriste. Mais ne vous y trompez pas : bien que profondément ancré dans la tradition funk, The Winston Brothers n’est pas un groupe poussiéreux. The Winston Brothers est le projet studio du multi-instrumentiste et producteur hambourgeois Sebastian Nagel (The Mighty Mocambos, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band) et du batteur / percussionniste Lucas Kochbeck (The KBCS, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, Hamburg Spinners). Vétérans de la musique avec un penchant pour la production analogique, les deux hommes combinent un état d’esprit boom bap avec un sens aigu du funk et collaborent fréquemment pour créer des arrangements dynamiques, à la fois clin d’œil au passé du genre et musique contemporaine organique. Avec sa batterie lourde, ses breaks juteux, ses grooves entêtants, ses riffs brûlants et ses instrumentaux mélodiques, Drift puise dans l’énergie brute du funk des années 60 et 70. Les motifs répétitifs et accrocheurs évoluent vers des paysages sonores vibrants, avec une dynamique propre, allant de l’incendiaire au cool, voire à l’onirique. The Winston Brothers sont prêts à illuminer pistes de danse, croisières fluviales et barbecues !

The Album SOUL JAZZ BEAT is a tribute paid to the Soul Jazz and Hammond Funk golden years of the Prestige and Blue Note labels and also to the most typical musical band ensemble : The TRIO.SOUL JAZZ BEAT are 3 talented musicians able to electrify their audience with an intense groove and terrific compositions among them are some covers from the masters of the genre like Jack Mc Duff, Richard « Groove » Holmes or even Roy Brooks.••▪ Telmo Fernández on guitar is a master at playing solid, hypnotising and funky grooves. Composer with a lot of inspiration, He is behind this project and teamed up with 2 of his fellow travellers. No doubt that Boogaloo Joe Jones haunts his nights.••▪ Phil Wilkinson on organ pushes the limits even further with fluid sounds coming straight out of the burning Leslie Cabin. Thanks to his uncommon skill on the double keyboard organ, he gained fame as an accomplished musician and played with many from Fast 3 to the great Brian Jackson.••▪ Caspar Saint Charles on drums is the backbone and knows how to sublime and transcend the trio with his irreprochable touch that never fails.Obviously, you realize that SOUL JAZZ BEAT is the condensed version of a musical heritage perfectly represented here by the Soul Jazz and Hammond Funk Trio ready to set you on fire !Recorded in Madrid at Funkmeba studios, home of Santí Martin ― bass player of The Sweet Vandals, all the tracks are recorded live in one take on analog equipment, best way to capture the essence and original soul of this music !The Soul Jazz Beat album released on the Atomic Soul Records label is the first in a collection of albums dedicated to the Soul Jazz and Hammond Funk TRIO entitled 333.You said 333...The first 3 meaning TRIO, the second for « TROIS-CHÂTEAUX ― 3 CASTLES » home of Atomic Soul Records and Saint-Paul Soul Jazz festival and the last 3 for « 333 LIMITED NUMBERED COPIES » !3 + 3 + 3 = 333 hand limited numbered copies.