Supersonic Boogie - A Snap, Crackle & Pop Disco Mix

Dirty sounds for basement dancers:

Supersonic Boogie by Mr Tear on Mixcloud

You might want to put it on your walkman, in which case you can download it HERE.

Trio Madjesi & Orchestre Sosoliso - Photo Madjesi

I think this may be the highlight of this year's finds, some supremely funky rumba from the Congo.  The influence of James Brown is clear and the addition of a keyboard sets Sosoliso's sound apart from many of the other rumba groups.  Check it out and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.



Tracklist:

01 Photo Madjesi 1 & 2
02 Moussa Photo Na Yo
03 Na Leli Mokili 1 & 2
04 Carte Blanche 1 & 2
05 Mama Tshika Ngai Malembi
06 Moseka
07 Cinema

Get it HERE.

Ustad Mahmud Mirza - Rag Darbari

This album of North Indian sitar music I picked up at today's boot sale is particularly mesmerising. If you click on the back sleeve you should see an enlarged image which allows you to read the very informative sleeve notes.  Or maybe you just want to immerse yourself in beautiful sound.

Tracklist:

01 Rag Darbari

02 Rag Kafi

Get it HERE. 

Caliente y Picante: Latin Heat from Snap Crackle and Pop

Here on the South Coast of England it has rained non-stop for days and days.  This has given me the perfect opportunity to delve into the now extensive Snap Crackle & Pop archive and put together this mix of Afro-Latin sounds.  These tropical rhythms sound wonderful under our leaden skies.

Caliente y Picante by Mr Tear on Mixcloud

Tracklist:

01 Vou Chorar - Lucio Alves
02 Antonico - Elza Soares & Miltinho
03 Domingo No Parque - Gilberto Gil
04 La Estraordinaria - Qrquesta Henry Castro, Antonio Gonzalez y D'Argil
05 Ligia - Edmundo Arias y su Orquesta
06 Caracoli - Lucho Bermudez y su Orquesta
07 Grito Parrandero - Los Corraleros de Majagual
08 Juventud Flaca Y Loca - Lisandra Meza y su Conjunto
09 Amanciend - Adolfo Echeverria
10 Rodeado de Pillos - Lisandro Meza y su Conjunto
11 Tobaco y Ron - Orquesta la Sabrosa
12 Felix Llego - Felix Del Rosario y Sus Magos Del Ritmos
13 Monina y Ramon - Rafi Jr Y La Diferente
14 Oiga Mi Guaguanco - Orchestra Harlow
15 Los Hermanos - Elis Regina

Get it HERE.

Tommy McCook & The Supersonics ‎– Greater Jamaica - Moonwalk Reggae (1970)

Tommy McCook, born in 1922, was one of the great heroes of Jamaican music.  In 1963 he formed the Skatellites, one of the great names in early ska music, before pulling together the Supersonics in 1965.  The Supersonics became the house band at Duke Reid's studio and were backing band on many reggae and rocksteady hits in the mid to late sixties.
This album is just gorgeous and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have:



Tracklist

01 Stealing Stealing
02 Lock Jaw
03 Moonlight Groover
04 Funkey Funkey Reggae
05 Quando Mi Amor
06 My Girl
07 Drink Milk
08 Only A Smile
09 Drink Milk
10 You Were To Be
11 Stealing Vol 2
12 Moon Invader
13 Moon Walk

Get it HERE (mediafire) or HERE (adrive).

Sun Ra and the Arkestra - Cosmo Sun Connection

What is there to say that hasn't already been said?
I doubt he would have paid much attention to earthly follies like birthdays or centennials, but for what its worth, Sun Ra would have been 100 years old today.  He has left us with a legacy that very few others in the entire history of recorded music could match. Our world, our universe in fact, is infinitely richer for his existence.

This is a live recording from 1984, released by Recommended Records in 1985.  I bought my copy in 1990 and the version of Fate in a Pleasant Mood  remains one of my very favourite pieces of music by anyone, ever.  A very special magic occurred on this evening.

If you are unfamiliar with Sun Ra, his music and his philosophy, then you could start off with these two brilliant documentaries:





Tracklist:

01 Fate In A Pleasant Mood
02 Cosmo Journey Blues
03 Cosmo Sun Connection
04 Cosmonaut Astronaut Rendezvous
05 As Space Ships Approach
06 Pharoah's Den

Get it HERE.

Veve Productions 10 Years Ago Volume 1

Well, I've got to say I'm still pretty enamoured with the gorgeous music of Lucio Alves presented in the last SCP post (go and get it if you haven't already), but I was lucky enough to spot this beauty in a second hand record shop earlier this week, and I just had to post it.

Here we have 4 beautiful songs from Georges Kiamuangana's (aka Vercky) Veve Productions label.  The record appears to have been released in 1987 and so we can assume that most of these songs were recorded and released as 7" singles in the mid '70s.  There's a great line up of Congolese talent to be heard here, Nyboma Muandido and Vata Mombassa were, alongside Pepe Kalle, the main vocalists and songwriters for Orchestra Lipua Lipua (meaning chaos and disorder in Lingala - how very punk rock!); meanwhile Soki Vangu was the voice of the legendary Orchestre Bella Bella.

To whet your appetite, here is some incredible footage of Orchestre Bella Bella with Soki Vangu performing live on Zaire TV:

Tracklist:

01 Ndona - Vercky's & Orchestre Veve

02 Kamale - Nyboma Muandido

03 Lossa - Vata Mombassa

04 Sola - Soki Vangu

Get it HERE.

Lucio Alves – Lucio Alves Interpreta Dolores Duran (1960)

Well, here we are again, back after an extended forced break...my laptop broke and its taken me a while to fix it.

I picked up this little gem last weekend at my local car boot sale.  It cost the princely sum of 50p and I've already had more than my money's worth of enjoyment out of it.

Dolores Duran was a Brazilian singer and composer, born into a poor family in Rio in 1930.  She lived a tragically short life dying of a barbiturates overdose in 1959, however she left behind a legacy of classic dramatic, romantic and intensely emotional songs.

This collection of Duran's songs was recorded a year after her death by singer songwriter Lucio Alves alongside some of the best musicians of the Bossa Nova scene.  The line up for the recording was:

Luiz Carlos Vinhas (piano)
Chiquinho (accordian)
Baden Powell (guitar)
Ed Lincoln Gabriel (bass)
Juquinha (drums)

The subtle, lithe and understated arrangements perfectly complement Alves' smouldering voice and the raw emotional power of the songs.
Yes, this one is coming highly recommended. Enjoy!


Tracklist:

01 Idéias Erradas
02 A Noite do Meu Bem
03 Strada do Sol
04 Castigo
05 Noite de Paz
06 Vou Chorar
07 Por Causa de Vochê
08 Fim de Caso
09 Pela Rua
10 Quem Sou Eu
11 Solidão
12 Canção da Tristeza

Get it HERE.

Niebiesko Czarni - Niebiesko Czarni (1966)

"On the list of Poland's big beat groups the Blue-Blacks take undoubtedly the top spot which they owe both to the immense interest they have been arousing with our youth and to their success abroad.
When in the summer of 1962 during the Festival of Young Talents in Szczecin a group of lanky boys in blue black jumpers appeared on the festival platform nobody could have foreseen what a major role they were to play in the festival and that its cup, intended for the best group, would go to them.
Since then there have been several new additions to the group, alterations of style, they have had successes and failures and with all that they have been progressing constantly. They were the first in Poland to make use of electric guitars, having replaced the traditional double bass by a bass guitar, first to introduce the electric organ. They were the authors of the slogan 'Polish youth sings Polish songs@ and would pick up folk tunes which they regarded as inspiration for pop music in general and of big beat in particular.
The Blue-Blacks have often represented Polish pop music abroad, among othere in France (1963), in Sweden (1964) and in Hungary (1965). Their biggest success was in Paris where they played in the world famous music hall L'Olympia.
....Over the last few years the Blue-Blacks have recorded a considerable number of discs.  One of their songs, by the way, 'Do You Remember Me Yet' bought from them and recorded (with her own lyric) by the great Marlene Deitrich.
As we've already mentioned, their style undergoes a constant evolution and is now completely different from that only a year ago.  But on the whole its main features are stormy dynamics and strong expression as well as a consistent introduction into their pieces of modern tone colour, of the sort prevailing with the top groups abroad.
On this disc you can find both their older peices and the quite recent ones.  They are mostly their own compositions, which puts the Blue-Blacks among the most ambitious groups of this type."

Fabulous freak-beat tunes from behind the Iron Curtain.  The group have a raw sound reminiscent of the early Kinks and they boast a great line up of guest singers.

Check it out:


Tracklist:

01     Hej Dziewczyno Hej    
02     Smutny List    
03     Żegnaj Karnawale    
04     Komandosi    
05     Zostały Mi Tylko Twoje Listy    
06     Czy Będziesz Sama Dziś Wieczorem    
07     Niedziela Będzie Dla Nas    
08     Idzie Dysc    
09     Ach    
10     Nie Lubię Kłamać    
11     Maria Elena    
12     O Ile Nie Pamiętacie - Posłuchajcie    
13     Taka Była Moja Dziewczyna    
14     Chciałeś Wszystko Zmienić    
15     Zabawa W Ciuciubabkę

Get it HERE.

Matilde Diaz - 25 Años

"Again quite recently...I went with a friend one Sunday to the 'flea market' at Saint-Ouen (I go there often, in search of those objects that can be found nowhere else, outmoded, fragmented, useless, almost incomprehensible, perverse in short, in the sense that I give to the word, and that I like)" Andre Breton, Nadja

This piece of black vinyl, carrier of sounds and ideas, was picked up recently at a local flea market, certainly I would not have found it anywhere else.

Matilde Diaz was a Colombian singer, and the wife of band leader, Lucho Bermudez, who is band leader on a number of the tracks on this LP.  With her husband, Matilde Diaz was partly responsible for spreading Colombian music, and particularly the Cumbia rhythm, across the continent.


Tracklist:

01 Carmen de Bolivar
02 San Fernando
03 Salsipuedes
04 La Muerte de Pedro Castro
05 Mosaico
06 El
07 Santa Maria Tiene Tren
08 Rie
09 Viva la Fiesta - Ay Mi Llanura
10 El Secreto de Mi Voz

Get it HERE.

Soul Jewels Vol 1: Let's Do It Over

Deeper than deep, wider than wide...
Every beautiful song on this album shines like a diamond, refracting light into a spectrum consisting of varying shades of blue.
I am hugely grateful for my local boot sale which continues to introduce me to incredible lost sounds.  I hope you all find something special on this wonderful album.



Tracklist:

01     Bobby Powell     Our Love    
02     Ted Taylor     How Do You Walk Away From Fear    
03     Joe Valentine     I Can Stand To See You Go    
04     The Wallace Brothers     I Stayed Away Too Long    
05     Bobby Powell     In Time    
06     Fontella Bass     To Be Free    
07     Ted Taylor     Strangest Feeling    
08     Toussaint McCall     Nothing Takes The Place Of You    
09     Joe Valentine     A Woman's Love    
10     Toussaint McCall     I'll Do It For You    
11     Bobby Powell     I'm Not Going To Cry Over Spilt Milk    
12     Fontella Bass     I Want Everyone To Know    
13     Ted Taylor     Friendship Only Goes So Far    
14     Bobby Powell     Hold My Hand    
15     The Wallace Brothers     My Baby's Gone    
16     Toussaint McCall     Let's Do It Over

Get it HERE.

African System Orchestra (1978)

This is a gorgeous sunny hybrid of soukous and highlife courtesy of Cameroon guitarist Tambwe Dongo Pecos and his band, African System Orchestra. Expect floor shaking rhythms and electrifying lightning guitars.  Like this:
)
That is a bad friend indeed. 
 
Tracklist:

01 Bad Friend
02 Bikoko
03 Good Night My Girl
04 Inyanga No Good

Get it HERE.

Rebels - Šípková Růženka

Here's a treat!  Lush Czech soft psychedelia and chamber-pop from the Soviet era.  Side one sounds more ambitious in terms of the more complex arrangements and lovely vocal harmonies and it's sung in Czech, whilst side two features cover versions of English language hits, not too dissimilar to The Flamingo Group stuff I posted a while back.

Here are a couple of tasters:



Tracklist:

01         Šípková Růženka    
02         Sněhurka    
03         Perníková Chaloupka    
04         Hrnečku, Vař!    
05         Hloupej Honza    
06         A Zazvonil Zvonec    
07         Creeque Alley    
08         Dedicated To The One I Love    
09         String Man    
10         Free Advice    
11         Twist And Shout    
12         California Dreamin'

Get it HERE.

Izmaz - First LP

That last M'Hamed Dammou post reminded me that I need to post this, the first Izmaz LP.  Now, the other (second) Izmaz LP we posted way back in April 2012 (!! doesn't time fly !!) was a big hit in my head, and in some others' too, but this one has a rougher, more primitive sound. The guimbri (that 3 stringed hypno bass machine) doesn't feature so prominently and there is more emphasis on the banjo and rabab (the dry, rasping one stringed violin).  The quality of this nth generation tape is poor, with the sound fluctuating slightly at times, the sound coming out of the speakers feels coroded, like it floats out into the room, rises in the air, disintegrates and dissipates into nothing. I think there's a lot to be enjoyed here.

Just as an extra little treat, here is some footage of Izmaz playing live in 1985.  Check out the amazing three necked rabab: 

IZMAZ   1985 by COCCIMARKET

Get it HERE.

M'hamed Dammou - Masoufa Mosikiaya

Sunshine. Red boulders. Clear blue skies. Barren moonscapes break unexpectantly into lush green valleys filled with date palms.  Singing birds and the insistent ringing sound of the metal ring that balances up on the laughing man's head.

Beautifully serene Amazigh sounds from Moulay M'hamed Dammou, this is instrumental music that comes from Joachim's collection  All I know is that this chap once played in Izmaz, an Amazigh group featured in this previous post. Any more info would be much appreciated. X

Get the goodness HERE.

Rumba on the River: a new SCP mix

Rumba on the River: Sweet Afro-Latin sounds from the Congo by Mr Tear on Mixcloud

Here's a compilation of sweet rumba tunes - a warm bath for the soul.  Some of the songs come from the Congo Sevens Volume 1 & 2 compilations I posted some time ago, but others are more recent finds and are exclusive to this mix. Hope you all find something to pleasure your mind and maybe make you move your feet.

Tracklist:

Tabu Ley & Orchestre Afrisa L'International - Mafuku Na Libenga
Franco & L'Orchestre TPOK Jazz - Alimatou 1 & 2
Vicky et l'Orchestre OK-Jazz - Rocky a Kovenger Ngai
Tabu Ley & Orchestre Afrisa L'International - Dialogue
Orchestre Bantous - Damba
Orchestre Kongo Vox - Nakolimbisa Yo Vivi
Orchestre Les Rebelles - Annie Nasiliki
Orchestre Alberthos - Basi Balukaka Nini
Vicky et l'Orchestre OK-Jazz - Bea
Wanyika Stars - Si Kosa Langu 1 & 2
Par Pina et l'Orchestre African Fiesta National - Maguy
Orchestre Kongo Vox - Trouble Na Bongo
Par Rochereau et l'Orchestre African Fiesta National - Connaissan ce Koyebana
Orchestre Tino Mambo - Badyano

You can listen on Mixcloud (check the link at the top of the page) or you can download it HERE.

The Wailing Souls - Wailing Souls (Studio One Roots Reggae)

This 1975 Studio One compilation collects a number of sides the legendary vocal group, The Wailing Souls, recorded with Sir Coxone Dodd in 1969 and 1970.  This is sweet roots goodness that might just help knock the rough edges off your day.



Tracklist:

01         Back Out With It    
02         Mr. Fire Coal Man    
03         Run My People    
04         Thou Shall Not Steal    
05         Row Fisher Man    
06         Real Rock    
07         Got To Be Cool    
08         Pack Up    
09         Can't Catch Me    
10         Hot Road

Get it HERE.

Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe ‎– Ndi Ochongonoko

There really isn't much I could say that would do this beautiful music and this phenomenal artist justice.  I just don't have the words to describe the feelings of serenity these songs foster in me.  Hopefully that is enough of an incentive for you to check out this beautiful album. And then if you are similarly struck, maybe you'll check out the other Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe LPs posted here at Snap, Crackle & Pop, and elsewhere around the internet.  You might even nurture a little obsession like the one I've had this past few years.

By way of a taste, here is a wonderful live performance from the Chief's Nigerian TV show:


Tracklist:

01         Ndi Ochongonoko     02         Yoba Chukwu     03         Nnwa Dinkpa     04         Uwa Ebuka

Get it HERE.

Banda Juventud Amantes del Folklore - Carnaval en Oruro

Happy New Year good people! I sincerely hope you enjoyed your festivities, if that is you celebrate according to the Gregorian calendar.  If not, then I hope all is well in your world.
I'd like to start 2014 with a bit of a bang so today I present to you a strange and beautiful vintage recordings of Carnaval music from the Plurinational State of Bolivia.  This is marching music played by drummers and a large brass band, designed to keep the festivities moving through the streets of the city.  The Carnaval itself looks like a wild and colourful event blending pagan and Christian traditions in a riot of noise, fireworks, dancing and probably very strong alcohol.  You can read more about the Carnaval (which takes place in February) over at wikipedia, and here's a link to the official website.

Here is some footage of the Diablada's dance troupe:


Tracklist:

01 Morenada Multicolor
02 Morenada Central
03 Diablada Tradicional
04 Huayno Tradicional
05 Carnaval en Oruro
06 Comparsa en Machacamarca
07 Recuerdo en Copacabana
08 Diablada Tradicional de Oruro
09 Recuerdo en Patapani
10 Diablada Tradicional 2
11 Cariño de un Artista
12 Union Norteña

Get it HERE.