Juno Recommends International Best of 2021

Review: Social Joy records is very pleased to present Burkina Azza's debut Album "Wari bo" a musical tale that covers every aspect of Burkina Azza's values and world view. The album takes us to the very soul of Burkina Faso, giving us a taste of the deep connection of the artists to the beauty and culture of this country.

The Burkinabe collective, from Nayerina in the Djibasso region, was born from a lineage of Balafonist and Percussionist musicians called "The Griots", often referred to as a "living archive of the people's traditions". "Wari bo" was Produced in January 2020 on the brink of the coronavirus pandemic in Ouagadougou after Label owner Guilhem Monin discovered an outstanding street performance via the African Drumming Facebook group. Two years later, this release is the result of a friendship and love of music that connects two continents and travels across borders, space and time.

Review: You've probably never thought that you need Cumbia cover versions of classic disco numbers in your life, but as this excellent seven-inch single from Vampi Soul proves, you really do. La Cumba Moderna De Soledad handles side A, delivering an inspired re-imagining of Rod Stewart number 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy' which brilliantly wraps a Spanish translation of the track's familiar lyrics and snake charmer melodies around a typically chunky, club-ready cumbia groove. Arguably even better is Machuca Cumbia's flipside interpretation of Bee-Gees classic 'Staying Alive'. While it's instantly recognisable thanks to the guitar riffs and replayed melodies, their cumbia version is thrillingly psychedelic and undeniably tropical.

Review: Seriously good modern high-life action here, as Philophon regular Florence Adooni joins forces with some exceptional musicians to lay down two high-quality musical treats. Our pick of the pair is superb A-side 'Mam Pe'ela Su're', a "typical Frafra-Gospel hymn" that Adooni and her accomplices have turned into a deliciously soulful and groovy slab of highlife (think glistening, Ebo Taylor style guitars, shuffling drums and righteous horns). Turn to the flip for 'Naba Aferda', a homage to the chief of her home village that offers a slightly heavier and more raw-sounding take on the highlife sound that's so jaunty and carnival-friendly that it could pass as an obscure Brazilian recording from the late 1970s.

Review: Gilles Peterson's obsession with Cuba is long running and well documented over various compilations from across the years. His latest focusses on Experiments in Latin Music from 1975 to 85 and the title suggests it will be the first of an ongoing series on Soul Jazz, compiled in collaboration with Stuart Baker. Across three vibrant sides of vinyl all manner of grooves are offered up, some more traditional, some bravely out there, all drawing on the jazz, funk, Brazilian tropicalia and disco - mixed with classic Latin and salsa - which made it to the island in the 70s.

Review: We are extremely proud to announce our 32nd compilation from the Analog Africa regular serie, "Cameroon Garage Funk", highlighting Yaounde's 1970's underground music scene. The quest to assemble the puzzle-pieces of what seemed to be a long lost underground scene took us to Camroon, Benin and further on to Togo and it was in the cities of Cotonou, Lome? and Sotouboua that we managed to lay our hands on most of the songs presented in this compilation. Since there were no local labels, no producers, and almost nothing in way of infrastructure in Cameroon at that time, the artists had to be everything: musician, producer, executive producer, arranger, financier, promoter and sometimes even distributor. The sixteen tracks on Cameroon Garage Funk pulse with raw inspiration and sweat DYI mood uniting the featured diverse musicians around their willingness to do everything themselves in order to take a chance in the music scene.

Review: The latest essential missive in Mr Bongo's brilliant Brazil 45 series offers up two gems from the 1975 debut album from singer, poet and painter Di Melo (real name Roberto De Melo Santos). Given that the album is both relatively hard to find and really rather good, the Brighton-based imprint has once again pulled off a blinder. A-side 'Kilario' is a jaunty, MPB-era chunk of bass-heavy samba-funk with a rhythmic swing reminiscent of ska and some seriously tasty lead vocals from De Melo. 'Pernalonga' continues on the MPB-with-a-twist theme, delivering another hugely sunny Brazilian sing-along rich in weighty bass, shuffling funk drums and jangling acoustic guitars.

Review: Ever-reliable funk fusionist Bosq has scored another hit here, this time with the help of Favourite Recordings regular Pat Kalla, a talented French poet and singer. 'Mouna Power' is another great example of Bosq's ability to successfully meld together elements of Afrobeat, Afro-Cuban music and tropical grooves, adding layers of colourful instrumentation (bass, keys, horns, guitars and so on). The excellent original version comes backed with a longer, slightly tougher but no less warming and kaleidoscopic 'Dancefloor Dub'. It contains most of the vocals, more percussion and a greater role for the killer bassline and is probably our pick of the mixes

Review: The previous instalment in Mr Bongo's ongoing Brazil 45s series offered up two sought-after cuts from Di Melo's 1975 self-titled debut album. This volume takes a slightly different approach, instead delivering killer cuts from two different artists, both of whom hail from the North of Brazil. On side A you'll find Magalhaes' 1986 gem 'Xangos', a cheery and energetic Lambada workout rich in jangling guitars, shuffling percussion, ear-catching vocals and restless bass. On the reverse Os Panteros takes over with 1987 jam 'Lambada Pauleira', a quirky chunk of Lambada full of fuzzy synths, infectious percussion and lo-fi guitar licks. The cut was famously re-edited some time back by Joutro Mondo, though this original version is - in our opinion - far superior.

Review: The latest limited-edition ten-inch from Brazil's Barefoot beats label offers up two more carnival-ready edits from two rising stars of the nu-disco and edit scenes. Israeli producer Elado handles side A, following up inspired outings on Razor 'N' Tape and Red Motorbike with a subtly beefed-up take on a samba-soaked 1970s MPB gem. Full of heady Brazilian percussion, simmering orchestration, sing-along vocals and jaunty guitars, 'Tudo Magia' is just begging to be played loud in the sunshine. Over on the flip, series regular Bernando Pinheiro takes over, significantly tooling up an excitable Latin disco number via heavier bass and some tough additional percussion. Like the A-side, it sounds like the kind of thing that would get people going as the sun goes down at a music festival.

Review: There are numerous reasons why you shop cop a copy of this 50th anniversary reissue of Fela Kuti and Africa '70s 1971 album Open & Close, not least the luxurious gatefold packaging (modelled on the gatefold sleeve that accompanied the original Nigerian album release) and a marbled red and orange vinyl pressing. The album itself remains one of the late, great saxophonist and bandleader's greatest albums: a fiery and funky Afrobeat set whose groove-based tracks brilliantly twist and turn and come laden with a variety of expressive solos from the man himself and various members of his vast backing band (including, we should point out, some incredible Tony Allen drum-work). The 15-minute title track in particular is mind-blowing.

Review: Afrique Victime is the long-awaited new album by Mdou Moctar. The talented Tuareg guitarist and songwriter is bold in his work here as he makes a new fusion sound where contemporary Saharan music and classic rock meet with field recordings, poetic meditations, full on noise and coarse guitars. Topics that get touched on along the way include love, religion, Western Africa's exploitation at the hands of colonial powers and women's rights inequality. It's a devastating record that makes s powerful and inedible mark.

Review: The high class Melodies International reissue label co-run by Floating Points and Elliot Bernard is back with the seance in its Melodies Record Club series. This time it is blistering club DJ Ben UFO who gets his pick after Four Tet had his go earlier in the year. The two tunes he pick have long been staples in his set either though on the surface of it neither are typical club tunes. They have never before been available on vinyl for that reason but we're glad they are now. 'Drums' is off Laurie Spiegel's 1980 experimental album The Expanding Universe and is all oscillating synths and computer generated percussion while Olof Dreijer from the Swedish band the Knife offers 'Echoes From Mamori' on the flip, a more tropical and whimsical cut of new age licked house made from arpeggios and frog samples.

Review: When it was first released a quarter of a century ago, the Buena Vista Social Club album - a concept album produced by Ry Cooder and Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, featuring veteran Cuban musicians recreating music that had been popular on the island nation in the 1940s and '50s - had a huge cultural impact. Not only did it sell like hotcakes around the World, leading to a US tour and documentary film, but it also raised interest in Cuban music, something that has sustained to this day. This 25th Anniversary edition, then, is fully justified. It boasts fully remastered vinyl and CD versions of the original album, each with bonus tracks, as well as partner discs entirely made up of previously unheard songs and alternate takes

Review: Known for his Beach Diggin work, renowned French DJ, producer and digger Guts is back with a second volume of his Straight From The Decks Series. The sounds once again take in classy offerings from the worlds of Latin, afro, soul, Afrobeat, zouk and house, while a couple of super remixes from Dam Swindle also make the cut. Plenty of the tunes are hard to find rarities "acquired through nerve-raking auctions battles" while some previously digital only cuts also make the collection. Copping this one is short cut to a summer packed with classy heaters and steamy international rhythms.

Review: Naya Beat Records is launching a new series of compilations which it hopes will shine a light on unknown scenes and hidden electronic gems from the 80s and 90s in and around South Asia. Volume one is a real banger with what will surely become future classics from Pakistan, India, Canada, Guyana, Suriname, the UK and Canada. Many of the tunes have never before been on vinyl, and some have but are hard to find and expensive. The genres are familiar - disco, funk and synth-pop - but the stylings are super fresh, with hooky melodies and soaring vocals taking you to brightly coloured and exotic worlds of tropicalia.

Review: For the latest edition of their essential Wamano A to Z compilation series - the third to date - DJ Yoshiwza Dynamite JP and Chintam have decided to focus on "Japanese light mellow funk, disco and boogie" tracks recorded between 1978 and '88. Like its' predecessors, the eight-track set is heavy on obscurities and little-known cuts, as well as bona fide killer cuts. There's much to savour throughout, from the intergalactic, slap-bass propelled boogie brilliance of Jadoes' 'Friday Night (Extended Mix)' and the laidback funk bliss of Yumi Sato's 'Ame', to the smooth jazz-funk lusciousness of Hitomi Tohyama's 'Rainy Driver' and the Latin-infused, Teena Marie style electrofunk brilliance of Mizuki Koyami's 'Kare Niwa Kanawanai'.

Review: NuNorthern Soul's 2021 Record Store Day offering is something of a treat. It's a fresh reissue of an impossible-to-find promo 45 first issued to promote Flamenco legend El Turronero's 1980 disco album, EL Hondo. It features two tracks that have long been regular features in the sets of many dusty-fingered Balearic selectors, especially globe-trotting cult leader DJ Harvey. On the A-side you'll find the cosmic, driving, synth-laden brilliance of 'Las Penas (La Cana) - a genuine "everything but the kitchen sink" affair topped off by El Turronero's distinctive vocals - while the more exotic 'Si Yo Volviera Al Nacer', where synths and Sitars accompany the Flamenco-disco grooves, resides on the flip.

Review: Archeo love a good archive story, not least when it comes from the annals of Italian studio history. Here is one such story featuring Manrico Mologni and Nicola Calgari, who collaborated around 1990 on a series of rich, accomplished recordings with a highly musical, multi-instrumental backbone and the swoon of chanson in its heart. Due to Manrico's serious illness, these recordings were buried on a DAT and forgotten for 30 years, only to be recalled, recovered from DAT and given their chance in the sunshine. It's very much in line with Archeo's tastes - lush, dreamy pop with a Balearic tint, lovingly mastered and presented with the serious collectors in mind.

Review: Following our 70s Peruvian cumbia compilation by Ranil last year, we decided to return to Latin America to highlight the work of one of Peru's undisputed masters of the electric guitar: Manzanita. This 13th release in our Limited Dance Edition Series includes 14 mostly instrumental compositions of electrifying Peruvian cumbia and guaracha. Manzanita's unique guitar lines rest on confident foundations that shifts gears effortlessly.

Review: South African jazz-influenced sounds take the lead on this new companion from the tireless Brownswood label. The collection explores the linage of the sounds and communities who helped it evolve as is spread across the country meaning plenty of subtle synths are taken in. The eclecticism is what makes this so essential as the music ranges from the hugely spiritual (from The Brother Moves On) to more late night and inmate (tasks to a fine entry from Sibusile Xaba) via the neo-soul drenched styles of Thandi Ntuli's beautiful 'Dikeledi' which is a particular highlight.

Review: The fact that Ethiopian Modern Instrumentals Hits has been reissued on numerous occasions over the last two decades is testament to the enduring quality of this most obscure of compilations. It first appeared on Amha Eshete's Amha Records label way back in 1972, and was the imprint's tenth and final album. An all-star affair featuring many of Eshete's most trusted musicians and producers, its ten tracks gleefully join the dots between dusty rhythm and blues, jazz, funk, soul, Brazilian rhythms and African grooves. It's genuinely "all killer" and "no filler", which may go some way to explain Heavenly Sweetness's decision to put it out again.

Review: London's foremost Brazlian music label Far Out reissued Jose Mauro's debut album Obnoxious in 2016. Rumors circulated that he was long deceased, but on the contrary he was alive and well, retired on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. After years of trying to track him down, they present the long-awaited release of A Viagem Das Horas, featuring three previously unreleased and unheard tracks from the original studio sessions and entirely approved by the artist himself. Made during Brazil's military authoritarianism, Mauro and his songwriting partner Ana Maria Bahiana explored concepts of traditional West African religions and Roman Catholicism with Musica Popular Brasileira, psychedelic folk and orchestral music.

Review: Mr Bongo offers up an incredible 86th volume in the Brazil45 series, and this time it's Black Rio funk from two mainstays of the sound, Toni Tornado & Zeca Do Trombone. A-side 'Sou Negro' is from Tornado's 1970 EP on Odeon Records. It's a sought after number that despite lasting only just over two minutes still makes an indelible impression. Zeca Do Trombone & Roberto Sax join forces on the flip for 'Coluna Do Meio,' which is a more smooth, easy going jazz laced tune compared with the raw and direct a-side. This one has an acrobatic vocal and sunny riffs bringing pool-side vibes under clear blue skies.

Review: It may only be January, but we already have a strong contender for 'compilation of the year'. Put together by devout crate-diggers and Cuban music enthusiasts Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker, Cuba: Music & Revolution: Culture Clash in Havana 1975-85 celebrates a particularly fertile moment in the Caribbean country's musical development - one in which the country's traditional salsa and mambo sounds were being fused with a variety of other styles, most notably Brazilian tropicala, and the funk, soul and disco sounds emerging from the U.S.A. The results, as showcased via 23 tracks stretched across two CDs, are incredible, pitching traditional Cuban vocals and percussion sounds with heavy bass, life-affirming horns, futurist synthesizer flourishes and wah-wah guitars. Throw in detailed, eye-opening sleeve notes, and you have a genuinely must-have compilation. Bravo!

Review: For their latest release, Mexican reissue specialists Discodelic take us back to Alajuela, Costa Rica, in the mid 1970s, and the sweltering, cross-cultural fusion works of the Vargas brothers and their short-loved Combo Guarajeo. Our pick of an extremely strong pair is A-side 'Alamo', a sweet and jangling take on Latin funk blended with distinctive Guaguanco and psychedelic soul influences. It's humid, colourful and classy, and original copies of the record it first featured on are almost impossible to find. There's a more straightforward, central American take on Afro-Cuban music on side B, which we think - but have yet to confirm - has never previously been released. It, too, is a treat for the ears.

Review: Global Village is considered by many to be a new age masterpiece by Tor Dietrichson. He released it in 1987 and its filled with uptempo Latin jazz vibes, big, sweeping guitar licks form the progressive era and snapping congas. Utterly lively and groovy throughout, 'Carnival Rhumba' is one of the most standout tunes form the full length. It is awash with big melodies and has been fully remastered for this limited 12" release and included alongside two remixes from Scandic-disco king Prins Thomas. His first edit and overdub beefs up the drums and adds more modern production flourishes but doesn't detract from the original too much, and the second is another subtle tweak.

Review: Global electronic sound specialist - Producer and DJ Oliver Williams aka "The Busy Twist" is at it again. Among his numerous projects as a producer, this double-sider, dancefloor-focused EP is one of his seldom seen, more personal works in the vein of what he does best: an uptempo, bass-heavy madness, influenced by his regular trips to Africa, Latin America and the West-Indies, packed with undeniable British club music culture and production technique. Highly infectious energy, pure sunshine, 100% good vibes. Following up on The Busy Twist previous collaborations with Congolese singer Tres. "Nanko" is another joyful, sun-soaked, highly danceable Electro-Soukous party joint, loaded with captivating guitar grooves and soulful vocals. On the flip, "Rwendo Rweupenyu (The Journey Of Life) Remix" is an outstanding take on Zimbabwean Sungura Music (one of the country's most popular genres), originally performed by street band Daniel & Gonora Sounds, led by singer-guitarist Daniel Gonora and his drummer son Isaac. Respectfully using Daniel's mind bending guitar riffs and highpitched, uplifting vocals, The Busy Twist and his collaborator Portara deliver an inspiring and remarkably effective version of the original song. Vinyl contains exclusive extended and instrumental Dj-friendly versions of both tracks that won't be available for download anywhere.

Review: Paul Murphy's commitment to reissuing obscure, hard-to-find and sought-after Latin jazz albums is impressive. The latest high-quality album to get the treatment (courtesy of his excellent Jazz Room label) is Tata Vasquez & His Orchestra's 1979 set Ecstasy, a glorious New York fusion of salsa, Latin jazz, boogaloo and funk most famous for the two-part 'Suite Gauracho' - a piano-sporting, flute-laden affair that has variously become a favourite of both Balearic and nu-jazz DJs. Both versions are wonderful, but there's plenty of other highlights across the album, including a string of ultra-percussive affairs that have long been favourites of the jazz-dancers who flock to hear Murphy DJ.

Review: A unique political story told in 20 chapters, Angola 2 Soundtrack delves deep into the nine year history of recorded music culture that was born out of the live music oppression set in place by Portuguese rule. Between three labels over 800 recordings were released during this fertile period, each one reflecting Angolan folk and distinctive Latin influences. And these are 20 of the most creative highlights. From the frenetic guitar rhythms and harmonic chants of "Mabele" to the psychedelic highlife shimmers of "Avante Juventude" via the insistent, street-bound sermon of "Snipes", this collection is entrenched in a rich musical history. Complete with well researched booklet and powerful imagery, it's an immaculate lesson in modern music history.