Sol Power Sound レコード& CD

Review: Sol Power Sound is back in a big way with a reissue and remix EP from the legendary Nigerian Ju-Ju king, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey. The double A-side EP features 'Eyi Yato', a tune from 1981, that captures Chief Commander and his band at their absolute funkiest. It's as if there's something in the name itself - 'Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey' - that commands an almost godlike, daresay tyrannical command over each conjunctive performance here; every one of the All-Stars' parts play back as though they've puppeteered to an autocratic degree, resulting in a funky tightness that only obedience to the most just of authorities can muster. The original, with its boinging jews' harps and wahhing guitars, is the patent highlight; but we're sure you'll be no less pleased to learn of the (double-time! dub disco!) Mad Professor flip (...!) that's on there too (winky face).

Review: After the critically acclaimed Avoude (5 stars & 'Top of the World' on Songlines, Bandcamp top pick, Le Monde, BBC Radio, Pop Matters), Sol Power Sound proudly presents a scorching remix EP from West African psychedelic powerhouse Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band. Rooted in Togo's deep cultural and Vodun traditions, Dogo's sound is reimagined here by a heavyweight lineup of producers. Captain Planet kicks things off with a percussive African house groove, while Sol Power All-Stars ask, What if Prince joined Dogo in 1983? The result? A synth-laced funk HIIT workout. Detroit icons John Beltran and Blair French bring Afro-Brazilian and deep house flavors, before Glenn Echo closes with a mind-bending 12/8 dub trip.

Review: Sol Power Sound's latest must-check EP takes us back to the discotheques of Trinidad in the late 1970s and early 80s, where the productions of local legend Richard 'Nappy' Myers dominated dancefloors. The label has managed to license two killer - and extremely hard to find - Myers' productions. Side A is all about Nadie La Fond's Myers-produced Caribbean disco delight 'Three Way Situation', with the low-slung, deliciously swing original mix (A2) being joined by an extended and subtly tooled up 'Disco Special' re-edit by Bosq. Turn to the B-side for Myers' own celebrated sing-along 'Let Yourself Go', a synth-splattered, horn-heavy slab of hot-stepping tropical disco joy that's given a spellbinding club makeover by Sol Power All Stars. In a word: essential!