Juno Recommends International November 2018

Review: The third release on Manchester's Banana Hill label comes from Kawuku Sound, the product of a bold cross cultural collaboration between British producers Contours and Cervo and Ugandan percussion troupe Fonkodelis Arkestra. In a sign of the ever-dissolving cultural boundaries of the world, the end result of the recording sessions in Uganda is fluid and engaging as subtle synth strokes merge with a plethora of hypnotising, energising rhythms. At times the beats take centre stage, as on "Lost In Sound," and elsewhere they sit in harmony with the electronic atmospherics Countours and Cervo conjure up.

Review: Matsuna Records' latest batch of Afro-Tropical reworks come courtesy of Kill Emil, a sometime hip-hop producer from Athens who has been delivering killer cuts for the best part of a decade. First up is "Matata", a mid-tempo Afro-Latin stepper in which our Greek hero wraps breezy, delay-laden vocal snippets, ear-catching horn lines and rhythmical guitar riffs around his own punchy, off-kilter MPC beats. Over on side B, Kill Emil gets even more tropical, brilliantly fusing chopped and looped sections of a vintage NYC salsa jam with toe-tapping, head-nodding hip-hop style beats fresh from his trusted beat-box. Like all good salsa jams, it comes complete with some seriously heavy brass.

Review: More from Turkish pysch-funk revivalists Altin Gun, whose fuzzy, intoxicating and floor-friendly sound is deeply rooted in 1970s once obscure Occidental fusions of space-rock, psychedelia and black American dance music. A side "Cemalim" is a brilliant example of their trademark sound, with dreamy female vocals and deep space Moog solos rising above a fuzzy, fast-paced funk groove. Their love of vintage synthesizers is explored further on wild and trippy B-side "Vay Dunya". The track's wonderful blend of heavy rock energy, intergalactic synth solos and reverb-drenched Turkish vocals is exceedingly potent, even by their own high standards.

Review: Frankfurt label Infracom presents the second edition of Saigon Supersound. The bustling Vietnamese capital at the time was often depicted as the 'Pearl of Southeast Asia' and it is here that the label presents more interesting tunes from a musical era that has long been obscured. Label boss Jan Hagenkoetter is delighted to dig deeper and share with you the beautiful music of this short but significant period in the country's history between 1954-1965. Its diversity explores Vietnamese bolero music, rock and roll influenced by American troops who brought their music to the city, plus traditional folk crossover, latin influences and satirical musical theatre.

Review: After forming from the ashes of a lauded jazz group in 1972, Sierra Leone's Afro National went on to release countless killer singles and albums that effortlessly joined the dots between jazz, highlife, funk and more traditional West African sounds. Here, the laudable Africa Seven label celebrates the band's legacy not by gathering together their most famous tracks, but rather cuts with the most insatiable dancefloor chops. The hits come thick and fast, from the punchy Afrobeat/highlife fusion of opener "Jokenge" and the rolling, low-slung goodness of "Mr Who You Be", to the jaunty, celebratory brilliance of the Juju-influenced "Sonjo" and fuzzy sweetness of the compilation's closing track, "Mother In Law" (which, incidentally, is far more enjoyable than any weekend visit from the in-laws).

Review: Freshly minted imprint Triassic Tusk is the brainchild of little-known Scottish record collector Stephen Marshall. Screamers, Bangers & Cosmic Synths is the label's first stab at putting together a compilation, and draws together tracks that have done the business during the first year of their regular Moon Hop party. Predictably, the track list is chock full of ludicrously obscure, quirky and eccentric cuts from artists that even their own parents have forgotten about. As a result, there's plenty to enjoy, from the hustling boogie of Steve Monite's ludicrously expensive "Only You (Disco Jam)" - previously only available on an album that will now set you back over 1500 GBP- to the spiraling, Latin-tinged funk swing of Francis Guillon's "By My Side" and Juan Pablo Torres' bizarre cosmic disco wig-out "Nocturno Op 1".

Review: When it comes to "malombo" music - a fusion of indigenous South African musical styles and the freeform musical experimentation of American jazz - Thabang Tabane can boast impressive credentials. "Matjale" may be his debut solo album, but he's been performing the style since he was eight years old, mostly in bands fronted by his father, the "godfather of malombo" Dr Philip Nchipi Tabane. As first albums go, "Matjale" is strong, offering a heartwarming and ear-pleasing malombo mix of headline-grabbing jazz guitar solos, hand percussion-propelled polyrhythms, busy bass guitar and layered, life-affirming vocals. Regardless of whether you have any prior knowledge of "malombo", it's well worth a listen.

Review: ** REPRESS ALERT ** Bossa Nova is an album by guitarist Bola Sete that was released in 1962 by Fantasy Records. It's a good showcase for the Brazilian's style: a mixture of bossa nova and American mainstream jazz in arrangement, with elements of the latter appropriately muted - adding rhythm and punch without getting in the way of Sete's soloing being the centerpiece. Later on in his career, he went on to play with legends such as Vince Guaraldi and Dizzy Gillespie. He died in 1987 and the compositions he recorded shortly before his death were compiled and released on the Windspell in 2008.