Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Even by the consistently high standards of Analog Africa, this release is something special. It consists entirely of previously unheard music by Orchestre Abass, an obscure outfit from Togo who released a handful of singles on Polydor Ghana in the early 1970s. Remarkably, all bar one of the tracks on "De Bassari Togo" were found on a long forgotten reel of tape that had sat on a shelf in a Ghanaian warehouse for the best part of 35 years. That was ten years ago; it's taken that long to track down the remaining members of the band and license the material. In truth, the tracks have aged exceptionally well, with the band's infectious, organ-led sound adding distinct Arabic influences (a result of the band members' time spent studying in Islamic schools) to their heavy funk rhythms and riotous Afro-funk vibes.

Review: Benin-based West African funk fusionists Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cottonou have enjoyed a long career; amazingly, they're still recording now, some 43 years after forming. This excellent retrospective from Analog Africa takes a closer look at their "glory years" between 1969 and '80, putting more flesh on the bones with a superb 44-page booklet featuring interviews with band members. Their style - a riotous, Hammond-heavy mix if funk, high life, Afrobeat, juju, jazz and Rhumba - is distinctive. What makes the compilation more essential, though, is the unashamed quality of the tracks; you'll find few deeper, sunnier Afro tracks than the brilliant "Min We Tun So".

Review: Analog Africa is back with a dedicated project celebrating Gnonnas Pedro, the king of Modern Agbadja, and they press it up on a marvellous double album that includes an eight-page booklet with a ton of extra info. This bumper pack features 16 of Pedro's best works, all of which captivated Africa at the time. His vibrant blend of Agbadja, Cuban fon, jerk, highlife and more unique styles, all of which come with vocals sung in Fon, Mina, Yoruba, French, English and Spanish, add up to one hell of a rich sound. A great testament to the artist's extraordinary legacy.

Review: No effort has been spared! To document these 15 irresistible tracks and the music scene from the'70s, Samy crisscrossed the lengths of Ghana and Togo in search of the producers and artists - or their relatives. In the process he recorded a dozen interviews, scanned 90 pictures and transferred 120 master tapes. All the evidence can be seen in the Gatefold Cover accompanying these 75 minutes of heavy West African sounds. Afro-Beat Airways showcases an amazing diversity of local rhythms spiced with Afro-American funk, soul and jazz.

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.