Juno Recommends International June 2018

Review: During the days of Dingwalls' legendary jazz-dance and rare groove nights in the 1980s, it wasn't uncommon to hear Nancy Ames "Caracara" surging from the speakers. An infectious Latin Jazz/Easy Listening floor-filler first released on the American singer's 1966 album Latin Pulse, it has long been something of a favourite amongst both DJs and dancers. Here, it gets the reissue treatment on 7" from the cool cats at Dynamite Cuts, backed with 1967 gem "Pow, Pow, Pow", a killer, bi-lingual cover of Sergio Mendes' favourite "Mas Que Nada". This, too, is simply superb.

Review: Appearing on white vinyl in limited quantities, this rather tasty 12" sees a sextet of talented producers remix tracks from Oumou Sangare's acclaimed 2017 album Mogoya. Sampha steps up first with a magical broken beat version of "Minata Waraba", before New York-based Bristol veteran Natureboy lays down a fuzzy and funky Afrobeat revision of "Yere Flaga" that's arguably worth the entrance price on its own. Elsewhere, Pedro provides some deep and breezy tropical flavour, St Germain brilliantly fuses Sangare's original musical elements with his own inspired deep house grooves, and Twotek raises the temperature (and tempo) on a jaunty and sun-kissed version of "Fadjamou".

Review: Abelardo Carbono must be one of Colombia's most legendary artists, particularly for championing the sound of "champeta", a guitar-led style that has come to represent the South American country and its music. The Names You Can Trust imprint comes through with a glorious one-tracker by Carbono himself, alongside his 'Grupo' and, unsurprisingly, the masterful modern production of Quantic. "La Pina Madura" is a beast of a track, all built with percussive glory and the fiery South American zest that is made all the more effective by Quantic's post-production work. Slightly off-kilter and irregular in its shapes, this is undoubtedly a 7" single that you will want to bust out this summer. Blazing hot!

Review: We love RSD only for one thing, and that's providing us with inaccessible records that have been snapped-up by Discogs sharks over the years. This timely reissue of Pat Thomas second LP from 1976, the wonderful Marijata, is one such record that has become impossible to find in its original format, and one which allows us to have some access to the highlife beat, one of our biggest loves. While much of this album rests in classic soul and funk, Pat Thomas' Ghanaian influences are loud and present, whether through the guitars, the aesthetics of each instrumental and, of course, the quality of the recording itself. Funk out to some ORIGINAL STYLE. Cop it quick!

Review: Tel-Aviv's Fortuna Records are doing their nation proud by releasing an impressive volume of native music, both old and new, that is sounding perfectly relevant in this day and age. More than anything, it's just great music that most of us haven't heard yet. For instance, their previous effort - a timely reissue of Tsvia Abarbanel's Eastern Soul - was an invaluable snapshot of Israeli femininity across the ages, while this reincarnation of Shimson Miel's acid-rock output from 2007 is a clear nod to the man's visionary style, more than a decade ago. "Amsterdam Experience" is the stand-out track, a bundle of loose, percussive waves that verge on the electronic while still sounding organic and improvisational. Much the same, "Nueiba Nueiba" is a delightful slice of deep-minded exotica, and Kalbata's edit of "Amsterdam Experience" provides a more wholesome slew of beats to the original.

Review: Mr Bongo's crate-digging compilation series - described by the imprint as a "chance to champion tracks we've been playing in our sets" - returns and, predictably, this second volume is every bit as good as its predecessor. Naturally, there's a fair amount of Brazilian and African gems present, as well as a wealth of little-known disco, soul and funk cuts that will have DJs scrambling to find copies of the original 12" or 7" singles. Highlights are plentiful and include - but are not limited to - the punchy disco-funk of Dee Edwards' "Put Your Funk on the Line", the South African bubblegum brilliance of Kiru Stars, the sun-soaked peak-time samba of Tomu Dito and the Meters-go-to-Nigeria vibes of "Harari" by the Beaters. And that's just for starters.

Review: While Analog Africa always outdo themselves with their inconceivable form and approach to reissuing rare tropical music, this Record Store Day sees them providing us with some seriously special moves from the inimitable islands of Cape Verde. It was their Space Echo compilation, released a few years ago, that put the African archipelago back on the map, and we haven't stopped dancing since. Through a seductive blend of synths, drums, and unforgettable chanting, the style of Fukuna is on our hearts wherever we go. Antonio Sanchez, a leading figure in the golden era of the Cape Verde sound (70s-80s), release Buli Povo to limited international acclaim; the original is a rare find, and so it makes total sense to have it pressed up once again. But, act fast, because these WILL fly! Totally killer stuff.

Review: It would be fair to say that Ajate is a unique proposition. A 10-piece band that use a combination of custom-designed bamboo instruments and traditional Japanese percussion, their music sits somewhere between drum-heavy Afro-funk and a traditional form of "festival music" known as ohayashi. If that sounds both intriguing and exciting, that's because it is. At times, they sound like the Meters jamming with a West African drum circle, at others like a more psychedelic and otherworldly take on more traditional forms or far eastern music. Abrada is their second album and is well worth your attention. We can think of few more interesting and entertaining "fusion" style albums. There are few copies about, so you'll have to move fast to avoid disappointment.