If a man in a trench coat approaches you and gives you a choice of "zu" or "no zu", you are hereby advised to take the less obvious choice. Sure, you might be tempted to take the first choice and become the proud owner of some zu which, you think, surely must be better than no zu at all. However, if you take the second choice you will have Heat Beat, the new EP by Melbourne's ultra terrific No Zu. If this discussion hurts your head, turn off your brain, press "play" on Heat Beat and let your heart and feet be your guide. This is punk funk. It is dance. It is world beat. It is dark but vibrant. It is the one and only heat beat.
No Zu are icons in Melbourne (and probably everywhere else they have played). Heat Beat is their first record in several years, and presents their last recordings with vocalist Daphene Camf, who died in 2021. We hope they continue because there is nothing quite like them. But the future aside, the weekend comes and everyone should have Heat Beat on their soundtrack. The EP is available in vinyl and digital formats via Chapter Music.
From California drummer and band leader Mitchum Yacoub via All-Town Sound, we have a rocking, swinging Afro / Latin track called "Cumbia Divina". This is a terrific song, a great combination of influences of Afrobeat and Cuban cumbia with what sounds like a bit of California psychedelic as well. On vocals is Divina Jasso. The song was originally an instrumental, but was reworked to include her voice. They cover a lot of ground in just about three and a half minutes - check it out:
The vinyl will be out August 13, but in the meantime spend some time exploring Yacoub's music and more from All-Town Sound, a new label in San Diego planning to release more of these infectious world beats, starting with the Yacoub record this summer.
We aren't given to grand statements. After all, our mission is to alert you to music that we like. But we are going to step out of our lane a bit and tell you that African Rhythms 1970-1982 is an essential album. The band is Oneness of Juju, led by James "Plunky" Branch, which fused funk, jazz and African rhythms into an irresistible stew of sound. This album, which was originally released in 2001, collects the band's output for a 12-year period in San Francisco, New York, and Richmond, Virginia. This collection of music would be welcome any time, but its re-release is especially appropriate for the current focus on the status and travails of our Black fellow citizens. Check it out below, and explore further at the Bandcamp link.
African Rhythms 1970-1982 is available in digital, double CD, and triple LP formats via Strut Records.
If you like the bright pop/rock sound and poly rhythms of West African High Life, electronic dance music, Afrobeat, and pulsing, grinding funk, London's Ibibio Sound Machine delivers it all simultaneously in fine style on their new album Uyai. Led by London-born Nigerian-raised Eno Williams and a proficient and energetic supporting cast, the music is exuberant, enticing and, ultimately, sexy. Most of the lyrics are voiced in the language of the region of Ibibio in southwest Nigeria, but we don't think that affects enjoyment of the music at all. As we head into spring, this is a non-stop party soundtrack as we needed.
Since we are headed into another weekend, we are bringing you an EP that may find its way on to your party soundtrack. The Best of Times from London's Cable Street Collective combines pop/rock melodies and hooks with funk, house and Afrobeat dance rhythms. It is a delicious combination, and very well executed here. The Best of Times is out now on digital platforms, as well as a physical release. Lead track "Can't Take Me Under" is being released as a single on February 16. If you are surrounded by snow and ice, this EP may help warm up your world.
The members of Cable Street Collective are Dave, Rowan, Tristan, Ash, Fiona and Alex
Cable Street Collective are: Dave, Rowan, Tristan, Ash, Fiona and Alex. The come by their Afrobeat sounds honestly, as two of the members grew up in Swaziland and Malawi.
Give Love to Your Children is an amazing record, a medley of sweet soul, Afrobeat, funk and pure psychedelia (with some amazing, truly breathtaking fuzzy lead electric guitar). Musi-O-Tunya was a groundbreaking band at the forefront of a thriving mid-70's rock scene in Zambia, featuring artists who would go on to have very successful solo careers. Rikki Ililonga is a Zamrock superstar, as were fellow group members drummer Brian Chengala and guitarist Wayne Barnes.
Give Love To Your Children was their last album (and this package also features a few out-of-print singles to complete the story). In this fantastic record, you can hear the influences of Fela, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Cream - a host of soul and psychedelic rock influences, and on tracks like "When I'm Gone" and "Njala" they are particularly well-synthesized. The guitar work on "Sunkha" is sprawling, and along with a great horn section, makes an unforgettable noise. "Starving Child" features another great horn section, gentle rhythms, slightly more understated guitar and a suitably mournful vocal - it's impeccable, really.
Now-Again is known for the quality of its reissues, and this set from 1976 is certainly emblematic. As a taste, here is a free download of "When I'm Gone".
You can learn more and buy at Now-Again Records. The initial pressing is sold out, but the music is still available, as are other Zamrock reissues... and I'll try to be more timely in the future.
With five tracks, multiple instruments, and various styles, in twenty minutes Minneapolis native - and New York City resident - Nasimiyu Murumba has played a worthy gambit for critical attention in the pop world. It is a glorious mix of rhythms, varied instrumentation and intriguing creativity. If I were going to make an album teaser I'd probably start with an concept involving a multiple ring circus. You can stream the entire dirt. EP at the Bandcamp link below. If you like it, it is available to download for "name your price".
Asimiyu provided vocals, drums, piano, beatbox, percussion, glockenspiel, flute and organ. Kalmia Traver provided sax. Naughty Professor contributed horns. Andreas Gustafsson played bass. Ainsley Matich provided Tuba.
Now-Again features perhaps the most eclectic and exciting roster of any label we know of - in addition to the sheer variety of sounds, there are reissues and current releases from legends in music scenes the world over. A perfect example is the Zamrock stuff, featuring amazing talents like WITCH’s Emmanuel “Jagari” Chanda and Musi-O-Tunya founder Rikki Ililonga.
Here's a track from WITCH:
Recently, Chanda and Ililonga went to Rennes to perform Zamrock live with Karl Hector & The Malcouns at France’s Transmusicales Festival. The proceedings were recorded, and Now-Again has made two tracks available for free download:
Also, Now-Again is currently offering some single LP reissues of their Zamrock archive - the original box sets sold out. Click here for more information.
And later this summer a new Musi-O-Tunya record will be available. Stay tuned, because we'll have more to say and hopefully share closer to the date... Ililonga's guitar creativity is simply amazing, as is the bounty of output from Now-Again Records.
Liminal Phase is a Minneapolis band that plays with song structure and plays muscular rock, space jams, afrobeat rhythms and psychedelic, Zappa-style freakouts over the course of this album - sometimes in the same song. This strikes me as the type of record that musicians will really like, but if you are just a fan of well-played music with a variety of sounds and influences, you'll do yourself a favor to check out Adam Levy's band. Adam's better known as the leader of the Honeydogs, and this is clearly an outlet for his freakier impulses.
The record starts out with "Fanfare", which leads into an extended jam "Quantum Entanglement", then "And The Robots Made Love" (there will be a later song snippet called "And the Robots Made God" - yes, Electric Ladyland would certainly appear to be an artistic touchpoint). Then comes what, to me, is the album's highlight - a Fela-inspired "Mugabe's Blues".
Here they are performing "Quantum Entanglement" live in studio at The Current, on Minnesota Public Radio:
The Current is where I first heard Liminal Phase - on their song of the day podcast. Listen here:
Here's a video from 2009 - they're performing "Where's The Celery? (A Problem of Pattern Recognition":
You can stream the record at Spotify or Rhapsody, or read more about Liminal Phase at their website or their Facebook Page.
The record came out in November on Simon Recordings, but I just discovered it in January... better late than never.
