International Recommendations July 2015

Review:  Two dancefloor bombs which should make tasty additions to your record box. Dr No & The Cuban Maffia are a six piece outfit from Central Havana who recorded this tribute, ''007 Mambo'' as a nod to Ian Fleming's Mr Bond back in the late 1970s, along with dozens of other cover versions to assist their own compositions in their live repertoire. This version was originally only 90 seconds long, so Texas Toni extends the journey with some funky Latino peak time pressure. On the flip, Sundance Kid drops an infamous soundtrack and Texas Toni re-edits the original parts, disposing of the downtempo elements to concentrate purely on the dancefloor potential.

Review: Picking up where release 25 left us, Mr Bongo's Brazil 45s series continues to focus on the females for this beautiful double-up. Georgette's "Kirie" is an overwhelming ballad that grows so naturally and subtly from her naked tones and guitar to a much broader picture with rich, warm backing harmonies and soft strings in the background. Claudia's "Com Mais De 30", meanwhile, was way ahead of its time (1971). With its fuzzy guitars, walloping groove and bold dynamic switches, it's no surprise that Fourtet and Floating Points have championed this pretty hard over the years.

Review: Cuba-meets-Cameroon-via-Guinea-and-Senegal, the roots of this African-adopted Cuban sound are as rich, unique and exciting as Amara Toure's tale itself. After years of club performing in Dakar, Amara and his Black & White Ensemble in the late '60s and proceeded to release 10 songs during the '70s. Here, for the first time ever, all of these recordings are united on this immaculately presented collection. From the cobble-kicking percussive Cuban heels and emphatic harmonies of "Fatou" to the deep yearning crooning blues of "N'ga Digne M'be" and the spacey, out-of-this-world guitars and jazzy trumpet lead of "N'Niyo", there's something very special and unique about this collection. With a heart that beats in Africa but a soul that shines with Cuban fire, as Analogue Africa state themselves... It's only taken 10 songs for Amara to become a legend. Very few artists can claim this feat.

Review: Brazil 45s hit the quarter century in their run and show no sign of stopping. It's an all-girl affair on this one as two hugely popular and prolific singers take a spin under Mr Bongo's spotlight. Elizabeth (often known as Elizete) lays down a steamy samba flavour that gets raunchier as the track develops. Elza, meanwhile, gets busy on a Bossa tip as a carnival of percussion and horns go toe-to-toe with her sharp, sexy staccato vocals. Powerful.

Review: African Party, the single album released by 'Ginger' Foloruso Johnson and his African Messengers band, has long been considered something of a hard-to-find classic. Originally released in 1967, the energetic and effervescent set here gets a deserved re-issue on Freestyle. Musically, it's something of a melting pot, sitting somewhere between Afro-Cuban fusion, Afrobeat, funk and jazz-dance - all dense, intense rhythms, spiraling horns, fluttering flute lines and high-octane thrills. Certainly, it's a thoroughly entertaining set, packed full of highlights. These include the sharp sax lines, Afrobeat bass and rolling grooves of "A You Momma", and "Hi Life", whose wild trumpets and saxophones offer the perfect foil for the cacophonous drums.

Review: Latin soul by way of Holland and Germany, Zuco 103 reflect over their 15 year discography and handpick 17 gems for their first best of collection. Lilian Vieira's honeyed tones are the driving force as keys man Stefan Schmid and rhythm man Stefan Kruger explore every corner of the dance beneath her (from afrobeat to dub to Cuban to stinking bass-fuelled tech). Highlights include the smoky, Masters At Work style soul of "Treasure", the glitchy gurgles and bumps and other worldly bass of "Morro Eletrico" and the rusty Rhodes and seaside samba of "No Bar Do Samba".