2012 Rewound - Everything is Moving

Posing for Malick Sidibe, whose photographs formed part of the recent
"Everything Was Moving" exhibition at the Barbican in London.

Welcome to the first of my rewind lists, looking back at an incredibly fruitful year of re-issues and the successes of the small(er) labels dedicated to bringing back lost gems and new perspectives into commercial circulation.More than ten years ago the Strut records - encouraged by the success of the first proper African reissue compilation (Nigeria 70) - embarked upon an ambitious programme of reissuing full length artist albums by the likes of Peter King, Tony Allen, Orlando Julius, BLO, Segun Bucknor and others. But unfortunately Strut got bogged down in a financial dispute with Grandmaster Flash and almost didn"t recover. In 2012 it's now clearly an idea whose time has come - witness the almost overwhelming volume of tropical re-issues from Soundway, Strut, Analogue Africa, Mr Bongo, SoulJazz, Mississippi, Secret Stash, Now Again/Stones Throw, Teranga Beat, Kindred Spirits, Honest Jons, Superfly and Sofrito. Whilst the focus is on individual artists and seminal lost albums, compilations and retrospectives still feature strong. Today's rewind pays respect to these labels and identifies what have been for me the most significant reissues of 2012:

Hopeton Lewis: Take It Easy Drum and Bass records in Tokyo have have been lovingly reissuing ska and rocksteady 45s in what is best described as a facsimile mode. Exacting production standards mean a premium priced product.  If you have to buy one rock-steady album just make sure it's this one!

CK Mann & His Carousel 7: Funky Highlife An original of this LP will set you back anything from $80-$400 depending on condition. Thanks to Mr Bongo's new foray into original African recordings we now have a fresh re-issue with improved audio and an extended playlist (CD). Always in demand in for titletrack that has been sampled, reversioner and edited to death. 

Orlandivo The stand out track on this 1977 album from this Brazilian sambista is Onde Anda meu Amor, which Gilles Peterson compiled on one of his early Brazilian compilations. Kindred Spirits out of the Netherlands provide a "facsimile" reissue with 180g vinyl.

Diablos Del Ritmo - The Colombian Melting Pot 1960 - 1985 Another knock-out and labour of love from Samy Redjeb of Analog Africa, collecting Columbia dance variants. Detailed notes and attention to design and setting the bar very high when it comes to compilations. You can be sure that Samy is out there in another location collecting more 45s to theme a new compilation in time for Spring next year.

Tunji Oyelana - Restrospective A lovely retrospective taking in early material with Tunji's group The Benders and other tracks (including one that includes members of the South African Jazz group The Blues Notes). It's definitely a grower.

Royal Band de Thies Newly uncovered mastertapes from the dawn of mbalax.  Anyone who has been stopped in their tracks by the sound of a young Youssour Ndour, or by the Star Band will be knocked out. Favourites of the time - Yaye Boye and Cherie Coco - appear alongside other latin tinged mbalax. Remarkable stuff.

Mahmoud Ahmed and the Ibex Band - Almaz Kings of the obscure Mississippi continue their foray into Africa with more Ethiopian classics. Here they reproduce Ahmed's first LP with the Ibex band. These recordings were first reissued on CD by Buda Musique as part of the Ethiopiques series.

Super Biton National de Segou Kindred Spirits once more keep the good tidings of Malian classics coming. Recorded at Radio Mali under the supervision of Boubacar Traore this is Malian big orchestra blues at its best.

Alfonso Lovo Numbero, who have made a name for themselves with their impressive Eclectic Soul series and over the top box sets,  reach and and drop a Nicaraguan psycho-soul and jazz fusion album. Recovered from a single acetate this is another of those "what might have been" moments.

Tim Maia - World Psychedelic Classics Nobody Can Live Forever I was so please to discover that Luaka Bop were compiling Tim Maia for their ongoing series that has previously taken in Os Mutantes, Shuggie Otis and African Funk. You're a lucky person if you can find his early Brazilian LPs and so in the meantime this will just have to do.

Moreno and L'Orchestre First Moja One - Sister Pili +2 East African rumba from Moreno Batamba who played with Samba Mapangala in the early 80s. Timeless joyful dance music.

And that's just a sampling of the cream of the crop. What a good years it's been. There's a mix of tracks from these albums on sound cloud so take a listen.

2012 Rewound - The World is Moving by Matt Temple on Mixcloud

Tropical Storms Part 2

So nice I did it twice. Double concentrated this time with even more tropical sounds that have been clashing around in my head. Beware this has a severe storm warning attached. So batton down the hatches, get comfortable and make sure there is nothing stopping you from the urge to loosen up and get down!

2012 Matsulidelic Tropical Serenades Vol 2
01 Pégale a La Nalga - Fuentes All Stars
02 Kiboloso - Dr Nico
03 Liberté - Orchestre de la BCB
04 Aziza - Josky Kiambukuta
05 What's Wrong With You -The Bleechers
06 Wollou - Guelewar
07 Muasi Oweli Bela - Vicky et l'O.K. Jazz
08 Amartes - Pablito et l'Orchestre African Fiesta
09 Dem Niare - Kante Manfila
10 UNFM - Orchestre Le Bida de la Capital
11 Election - Orchestre Règionale De Sègou
12 Tinkisso - Sory Kandia Kouyaté
13 Maria Mama Na Mulanba - Orchestre African Jazz
14 Rendez-vous à l'étoile - Orchestre Black Santiago with Joachim Boya
15 No Seas Boba - Chihuahua
16 There's A Fire - Larry Marshall
17 Dr Jekyll - Lloyd Charmers
18 Rock it down - Owen Gray and the Collins Band
19 Nomvula Special - Umtata Boys
20 Hal Hal - Nazan Soray
21 Tsugaru Hanagasa - Takeshi Terauchi
22 Obsession '77 - Atomic Forest
23 Il Ny a Pas de Crocodiles a Cocody - Francis Bebey
24 Tema Pro Gaguinho - Dom Salvador Trio
25 Tisha's Place/One Morning Song - E.W.Wainwright Jr
26 Marhaban Ahlan - Mohammed Ben Mohammed Bo-Soweid
27 Ngogibela Ibasi - Gumede and His Concertina

Download: MF / RS

Tropical Sounds from the Matsuli HiFi

Time to sit back, relax and enjoy some tropical sounds that have been rocking the Matsuli HiFi over the past few months! Thanks to the bloggers and reissue labels making this wealth of music available once more.

Matsulidelic Tropical Serenades Vol 1
01. Lè ou ni l'agent épi belles femmes - Les Mains Noires
02. Acobrecou - Ahouanou Jazz
03. Yokolo Pts 1 & 2 - Orchestre African Fiesta
04. Veza Mvelase - Abafana Be Mvunge
05. Phansi Kwaleyo Ntaba - Dixie Kwankwa
06. Swahili - Andre Tanker
07. Claude - Franco et l'O.K. Jazz
08. Nsu Na Kwan - Ebo Taylor
09. Adesua - Sonny Okosuns
10. Bigger Bredda - Lennie Hibbert
11. Tomorrow - Lee Jung Hyun
12. Yumbeye - Le Xalam
13. Calypso Rock - Original Tropicana Steel Band
14. A Non Yi Go - Migan Celestin
15. Pelican Fantasy - Ensemble of Rhythm and Art
16. 3 Reyes De La Terapia - Ondatrópica
17. Lie Lie - KonKoma
18. Thatha Thatha - Prince Paul Morgan
19. Tuson - Rochereau
20. Bninhounnin - Le Super Borgou De Parakou
21. Letter from Miami - Mighty Sparrow & Sparrow's Calypso Troubadours
22. Tshokwe - Mukosso
23. Viento Norte - Domingo Cura
24. Libala Ya Mungwa - Staff Benda Bilili
25. Nous deux - Orchestre Black Dragons de Porto-Novo

DOWNLOAD RS/MF

Big in Japan

A CD edition of the Batsumi album was released in Japan yesterday. This contains two additional tracks, Toi Toi and Moving Along, from the group's second album. I will have more details on availability soon.

Sathima Bea Benjamin's African Songbird to be reissued by Matsuli Music

I am very happy to announce that the third release on Matsuli Music will be a deluxe limited edition vinyl reissue of the long forgotten and never-before-reissued 1976 classic African Songbird by Sathima Bea Benjamin. A big shout out to Seton for getting Sathima on-board and to Rashid for finally agreeing to license the masters. As soon as further details are available these will be posted here. Stay tuned!

Analog Africa Storm Warning! Bariba Hurricane Incoming

Button down the hatches and secure any loose items. The next instalment from Analog Africa is imminent. I managed to convince Samy to chat to me about Analog Africa and the new record - The Bariba Sound from Le Super Borgou de Parakou - which is released next week. We rambled on for about an hour over a Skype connection linking London to Frankfurt and we managed to cover most of the bases including:
... The early compilations -- Moonlighting for the airlines -- Are the people ready for more of the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band? -- Track 6: Sembe Sembe Boudou -- Bumping into records by Super Borgou -- Gunter meets Samy and helps out -- Design, artefacts, legacy and rescuing records for the future -- Track 2: Wedne Nda M'Banza -- Business, competition and formats --Samy's desert island discs -- Track 4 : Abakpe -- All eyes on Angola for 2012 -- Track 15: Adiza Claire


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See you at JunKroom Dalston N16

Take a trip with me and others at the debut of JunKroom London at the Servant Jazz Quarters Dalston! For full details check the listing here. I'll be playing strictly vinyl 45s from Little Richard to Ersen, Abdullah Ibrahim, Ofo and the Black Company to beyond.

Batsumi comes out top!

It feels like a pat on the back...so thank you to Tim Perlich of the Perlich Post for placing the Batsumi reissue at the top of his impressive list of 100.

This is Our Music! Baloji meets Baobab at the Barbican

As if to reclaim ownership from the hi-brow Barbican audience opening act Baloji marked his ground with the cry: "This is not world music, this is our music!" With just 45 minutes to rouse the seated audience Baloji managed against the odds to deliver small band renditions of key tracks from his Kinshasa Succusale album of last year. But much of his thunder was stolen by one-time Franco guitarist Dizzy Mandjeku, particularly on modern reworking of Grand Kalle's Independence Cha Cha Cha and on the closing number where the hints towards some classic rumba congolaise had most of us up and swinging.

By contrast Orchestra Baobab had nothing to prove. From the opening strains of anchor-man Barthelemy Attisso's guitar to the comic antics of Issa Cissoko on saxophone we were treated to 100 minutes of non-stop afro-cuban classics from the back-catalogue. For me the slower numbers, especially Ultra Horas (Pirates Chpice) and Dee Moo Woor (Specialist in All Styles), stood out. Even the evident casualness of the band's approach did not detract from their wizardry in performing songs that have gotten under my skin since the very first time Charlie Gillet introduced me to them some time late in the 1980s.

Pure magic!


Rare footage of the Baobab Club with Thione Seck leading a lineup of Baobab with the classic Bamba

So Nice Play It Twice

My favourite video of 2011 after Spoek Mathambo's Contol. "Just a Band" first tipped by Whats Up Africa and interviewed by Ikenna on his latest episode. And for more from Just a Band check out their Youtube mix

2011 Rewound

Now there's a problem right there - too much music! And so the inevitable marking of a year past with lists everywhere. Cultural criticism in the twitterage. I do enjoy reading them to find stuff I haven't yet discovered. I've been buying The Wire every December since 1987 for exactly the same reason but now its been pushed even further off-grid so a popular slant on things is always welcome. Having a teenager around also makes a big difference to what gets played in a small apartment!


In the maelstrom of media and information overload the following albums were played more than any of the others:
- Back to Black Amy Winehouse
- 21 Adele
- Anika
- Anna Calvi
- African Skies Kelan Phil Cohran and Legacy
- Let England Shake PJ Harvey
- Life Stories Ebo Taylor
- The Phantom Duke Pearson
- Tomboy Panda Bear
- Bon Iver
- Zomby Dedication
- Brighter Days Stanton Davis' Ghetto-Mysticism
- Stone Coal White
- The Boddie Recording Company
- Bambara Mystic Soul
- Bad as Me Tom Waits


But the digital library is not as reliable as it should be since since I lost my mobile listening devices to multiple failures in the summer. In the vinyl stakes I was pulling a lot from the Jazz, Jamaican and African archives: Duke Pearson, Herbie Hancock, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Lee Perry, Yabby You, Michael Prophet, Franco et le TPOK Jazz, Dr Nico, The Drive, Roots, Guelewar and Orchestra Baobab. And a lot of time was set aside sorting out the Batsumi reissue.

To bring in the new year I've made a rough random mix of 45s I've picked up during 2011 by chance, choice and trade. Lets see what 2012 brings. I hope to keep the spear burning with releasing more South African afro-jazz classics.

Peace
45s REWIND - SOME JIVE TALKING

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BATSUMI VINYL SOLD OUT

Copies may still available from stores like Dusty Groove, Honest Jons, Kristina, Eldica, Sounds of the Universe and a few others. The Matsuli store is also on vacation and will open once more in early January. Thanks again for your support. We're already working on MM103.

INGOMA WOW!

Tipped via Africa is a Country. With a clear nod to the Spoek Control video

BATSUMI FLAC version

A number of people have asked if a FLAC version of the Batsumi is available for purchase - well here it is. Also for those struggling with the online stores to purchase the MP3 version you can now also buy this directly. Follow the links on the right hand side to purchase. (Please note that this is not an immediate download as it requires verification and email of the download link.)

Good Vibes for Batsumi Reissue

Just under a week since its release and a wonderful response. Amazon had the digital download sitting at number three on its most wanted Jazz downloads and the Guardian featured it in its "World Music" pages. Here's a sample of whats being said:

"What a nice edition of this Holy Grail!!!" - Dick d'Alaise

"It should be in every serious South African collection." - Gwen Ansell, Business Day.

"Such an incredible record" - Paulo, Superfly Records.

"A true gem that has been hidden from siight for far too long." P. Warner

"Landmark Afro Jazz from South Africa, 1974 — urgent, spiritual, political; shimmering, propulsive, surging. Reverbed traditional and trap drums, mesmeric bass, soaring flute and tenor sax. Warmly recommended." - Honest Jons

"The music is stunning... (As it builds, it swings, coalescing into a uniquely compelling statement of intent. By the time and sax and flute solo over organ, bass and drums, Batsumi has got you." - Dan Magaziner, Africa is a Country Blog

"Wonderful LP with hints of Abdullah Ibrahim in the piano work. Stunning stuff." - Phillippa, Picadilly Records

"Remastered from the original Batsumi tapes, and best played very loud, it's a vibrant, energetic workout in which slinky, repeated riffs are matched against wailing, sometimes psychedelic effects" - Robin Denselow, The Guardian

BATSUMI Reissue Now Available Worldwide!

For the first time in over 35 years Batsumi's glorious 1974 debut album is finally available once more. The remastered reissue is the second in Matsuli's ongoing programme to restore important but neglected South African afro jazz recordings back into print.

Francis Gooding, who wrote the detailed sleeve notes, had this to say:
"Almost as if it was unexplored territory, the extraordinary landscape of South African jazz is frequently mapped out by reference to a few well known landmarks: the glorious township swing and hot jive of the 1950s; the fame and misfortune of the modern jazz exiles of the 1960s, and their energising presence in Europe; the towering trans-national figures of Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim. For the jazz music and musicians of South Africa that did not by chance or choice fall into one of these categories, the long silence of history has only intermittently been broken, and the legacy of past iniquities has served to consign many names on South Africa’s long roster of jazz giants to an undeserved obscurity. A wealth of music does not yet appear on the map, but when the contours of the jazz scene under apartheid begin to be surveyed in more detail, it is clear that a space must be marked out for the Soweto-based group Batsumi."

Honest Jons says:
"Landmark Afro Jazz from South Africa, 1974 — urgent, spiritual, political; shimmering, propulsive, surging. Reverbed traditional and trap drums, mesmeric bass, soaring flute and tenor sax. Warmly recommended."

Dan Magaziner says:
"The music is stunning...As it builds, it swings, coalescing into a uniquely compelling statement of intent. By the time and sax and flute solo over organ, bass and drums, Batsumi has got you."

Take a quick listen here and make your own mind.


The reissue is available on vinyl in a limited edition of 500 copies, each hand-numbered and provided on heavyweight 180g vinyl with detailed sleeve notes. It is also available as a digital download from online music retailers such as iTunes, Amazon and eMusic. It can even be streamed via Spotify.

To get a copy of this landmark album you can purchase using the following options:

MATSULI DIRECT

DIRECT for buyers in SA

CD on Demand via Amazon

MP3 via Amazon UK

MP3 via iTunes USA

For wholesale orders of more than 10 copies please
contact me

Batsumi Tapes Found!

One of the pitfalls of reissuing old material is not knowing if the master tapes are available. For the planned Batsumi reissue these were not uncovered until earlier this month when they turned up in an old plastic bag on the bottom shelf of a warehouse in Johannesburg. I was delighted - even though I had already completed an audio restoration, remastering and test pressing from a vinyl transfer. So its now time to get these down to the studio and see how they sound. Stay tuned!
Matt

Matsuli to reissue Batsumi's 1974 Debut

One of the key spiritual jazz LPs in the canon of South African jazz will be reissued by Matsuli Music later this year. Initially I was unable to locate the master tapes and the recording was restored from a clean vinyl pressing. But the master tapes have now been located and I will be travelling to South African later this month to collect them and to speak to remaining members of the group. Tracks from the 1974 debut have appeared previously on the Comet Records compilation Ouelele as well as on the Strut Records compilation Next Stop Soweto. I have previously written about them here.

The recording will be available as a limited edition 180g vinyl release as well as MP3 and FLAC digital editions. If the research goes well then I expect that the release will be available for purchase from 1 November 2011.


The excerpts above come from a BBC documentary and feature Batsumi's bass player Zulu Bidi.

NOTE TO BUYERS: The matsuli store will be closed during the period 27 July - 18 August

'Scuse me whilst I kiss the Soweto sky

Includes great interview (4m50s in) with Funky Masike (ex Harari)

In Trance

From the duo behind 2008's Soul Science and 2009's Tell No Lies comes a new recording. Seven tracks wrapped up in an austere and over-designed CD package from Peter Gabriel's Real World Label. Once free of the neo-futurist packaging the weaving of shared and separate paths from Justin Adams and Julden Camara takes centre stage. Together and free and summoning the spirits...

Hamba Kahle Mama Sisulu...

© 2003-2011 Zapiro (All rights reserved), Printed with permission from www.zapiro.com, For more Zapiro cartoons visit www.zapiro.com

This week Albertina Sisulu passed away. Former President Nelson Mandela said ANC stalwart Albertina Sisulu was part of his being, in a tribute read out at her funeral by his wife Graca Machel at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday.
“I want to bid farewell to a comrade and friend,” Machel read to the crowd. “You are part of my being, you and Walter...I want to express my deep gratitude to you.” (from iol.co.za)
The cartoon was drawn by the ever brilliant Zapiro reflecting on the death of Walter Sisulu back in 2003.

God Bless Africa, the Black Diamonds and the Dawn label

Another 45 gem from South Africa but issued in Angola just after the Portuguese military coup that led to the independence of Mozambique and Angola in 1974. It's a rendition of God Bless Africa, which was for most the anthem of South Africa's new nation rising.

The Dawn label specialised in South African soul and instrumental groove and spanned the early half of the seventies. Co-incidentally it was also the name of the journal of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the guerilla army of the African National Congress. Today the term Black Diamonds has come to refer to the increasingly affluent black middle class in South Africa.



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Retromania and the Poverty of Abundance

I had meant to post this last weekend but life got in the way. Just love this excerpt from the review of Retromania in the Observer paper in the UK:
'Retromania is a book about the poverty of abundance. At malls, on mobile-phone ads, in the background as we work at our computers: pop, usually in the form of anorexically thin MP3 sound, is everywhere these days. Perhaps that ubiquity puts a brake on its ability to astound or shape-shift. Perhaps the process of circulating and accessing music has become more exciting than the practice of listening to it. And perhaps pop's status as a futurist genre has been supplanted by the giddying, immersive realm of video games."

Re-issues like those of Sun Ra's club residencies are part of what's holding modern pop back apparently...I don't agree BTW. Back to normal (ish) programming soon with a bunch of 45s.

Brill

Big up to Jeremy of Brill Music, Coffee and Bagels. Up early he dug into his LP collection and had this display up before the shop opened. Respect too to Sounds of the Universe for wall to wall Gil sound today.

Blackclassical has put together an incredible tribute which you should check out ASAP.

Who will tell the truth now Gil Scott-Heron is gone?

Peace go with you brother.

Hey You! What Song You Listening To?

Thanks to Cortez for the link. Enjoy!

Continental Shift

Another month and another label joins the recycling of material from Africa's golden past. Indie-label Thrill Jockey, home to African-American cross-over band Extra Golden, are releasing what would appear to be a two volume retrospective of Sorry Bamba. This release - with the direct input of Sorry Bamba himself compiles some very rare, never before released tracks from his time as leader of the Regional Orchestra of Mopti (later Kanaga Orch.)

Thrill Jockey join Teranga Beat (Idrissa Diop), Continental Records (KP Frimpong & His Cuban Fiestas), Academy/Voodoofunk (Psychedelic Aliens, Marijata), Kindred Spirits (L'orchestre Kanaga De Mopti), Mississippi Records (L'Orchestre National A de la Republique du Mali), Superfly Records (Rail Band), Hot Casa (Ivory Coast Soul), Daptone (El Rego) as well as "old-timers" Strut, Analogue Africa, Honest Jons and Soundway in what appears to be a rapidly overcrowding sector.

I've been busy too preparing three new releases for the matsuli label. More news as soon as the contracts and details are done.
(I hope there is still room on the shelves)!

Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky

Classic stuff from the almighty Bembeya Jazz National. And even more incredible material at Graeme Counsel's Radio Africa site including the following version of Sara from Syli Orchestre National performing in Algiers.

Music is a Physical Thing!

Put the Money in the Bowl

Thanks to Whats Up Africa once more for this video tip. Reminded me a little bit of the big cross-over track Hello Africa by the Nigerian/Swedish dentist Dr Alban.

Sweet Times with Strut

The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination by Strut
To promote their Spring releases the Strut label are giving away some free MP3s. First off from the 3rd instalment of the Nigeria 70 series is the track Ire from the Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination (mediafire download).

The original Nigeria 70 compilation was one of the forerunners of the so-called Afro-funk reissue genre - other early titles include AfroRock on Kona records and the Afrofunk and ClubAfrica compilations by Russ Dewsbury. Nigeria 70 has been compiled by Duncan Brooker (the man behind Kona's AfroRock) and is out now!


Ebo Taylor- Peace On Earth by Strut
Now this retrospective on Ebo Taylor keeps on burning bright and just grows and grows. Seriously recommended. Listen via soundcloud or download via mediafire.

Other releases from Strut to look out for include a new album recorded by funk legend Dennis Coffey as well as the Club Cotonou LP from Orchestre PolyRythmo. These can be sampled at the Strut soundcloud page here

Desert garage dub....

Deep hypnotic guitar grooves from youngsters on the Toureg blues scene - Tamikrest. A killer debut last year and now a new album Toumastin.