Ensemble Gabusi Des Iles - Les Comores (1984)

This beautiful record is another of the treasures sent by Joachim from Germany.  Thanks Joachim!

The Comoros islands sit in the Indian Ocean off the North Western coast of Madagascar and have long been an important stop on the trading routes of African and Arabic sailors.  The music of the islands reflect the diverse cultural influences of the islands visitors, settlers and colonial powers.  Traders, Hadhrami sailors and Malagasy pirates came to the islands and found precious corals, ylang-ylang, spices and gold and among the things they left were rhythms, sounds and songs.

The gabusi is a small lute played in the Comoros isles that has its origins in the Yemen but which can be found (with a variety of names) across East Africa, the Arab peninsula and the islands of the Indian Ocean - a testament to the travels of the Hadhrami traders.



Tracklist:

01         Tari        
02         Gabusi        
03         Sambé        
04         Ndzédzé        
05         Dedé        
06         Firimbi        
07         Ndzédzé        
08         Danse Biyaya        
09         Chigoma        
10         Yimbiyo        
11         N'Kandza

Get it HERE.

Años Psicodélicos - Various Artists

This is an incredibly strange record - a Peruvian compilation of (mostly) Brazilian music from the 1970s, the Psychedelic Years.
Side one consists of jazzy, funky, synth heavy MPB.  There are some wonderfully heavy breaks to be heard here.
Side two, on the other hand, presents us with five choice cuts of Brazilian psyche, progressive rock and good old fashioned rock 'n' roll.
All things considered, I'm preferring the funkier side at the moment, but that could change with my mood.

Here are a couple of tasters:



Tracklist:

01     Dudziak – Mosquito     
02     H. Belardi – An American In Paris     
03     Lott – Baby         
04     Orlandivo – Tem De Ser (Tiene Que Ser)         
05     Grupo Arco-Yris – Coisas Da Vida (Cosas De La Vida)         
06     Ary Lobo – Nego São (Nego Sano)         
07     Terço – Ilusão De Ótica (Ilusión Ôptica)         
08     Light Reflections – Send It For Tomorrow         
09     Mutantes – Tudo Bem (Estás Bien)         
10     Tutti Frutti – Nessa Altura Dos Acontecimentos (A Estas Alturas De Los Hechos)         
11     Karma – Depois Do Portåo (Después Del Portón)

Get it HERE.