Djelimady Tounkara L'Orchestre Super Rail Band International
Allo Bamako

Joseph White aka Joe White is a foundation of Jamaican music. He started singing in the late 50's and did his first recordings for Duke Reid in the early 60's. He moved to Sonia Pottinger's label later and get a first success in 1965 with the song « Every Night ». He also recorded for Prince Buster, Coxsone Dodd and Rupie Edwards. In the 70's, Joe White was one of the only melodica player in Jamaica with Augustus Pablo, Peter Tosh and Bobby Kalphat. He released beautiful melodica instrumentals like « Kenyata », « Call Me Trinity » for Derrick Harriott and « Cheer Up » for Glen Brown. Joe White was also a member of the famous BB Seaton's backing/studio band « The Conscious Minds ». In the mid seventies, he moved to London and released his classic album « Love For Every Family ».Joe White formed the group Roots, Trunks & Branches to release several tracks on the label Splendour Heights. “Forward To Zion” was released in 1979 and became a truly reggae roots stepper banger for sound system across the globe. Probably electronic music fans will appreciate the futuristic dubwise. “Forward To Zion” is a song of peace, love, freedom and emancipation of people. Uplift your selection, listen to the words of the prophet, it's time for us to get together; we are going forward to Zion. Jah don't care whether you are a natty dread or you're a baldhead, just as long as we unite and stop the fight, we are going forward to Zion!

Parson Jones is a tree. No joke: in the American duo, neither member is named Parson or Jones. One, singer, is Joshua Hollenstein. The other, multi-instrumentalist and producer, is Kerry Fogarty. So Parson Jones is a tree. “A giant redwood that we spotted near us at Armstrong Woods in northern California.” He has the right to his own plaque. And to his name. Parson Jones is 1,300 years old. He deserved this special treatment. “Sometimes people call us Parson & Jones, they want to know who Parson is, who Jones is,” Kerry laughs.Without demonstration of style, Parson Jones envisages all the music which make the buttocks dance and the brain meditate. Often in the same song, the temperatures play yo-yo, but it is the beneficence, the generosity, the nonchalance of the melodies that have the last word. It does not matter if the dressing is funk, rock, pop, soul, psychedelic, if the tone is euphoric or melancholic: it’s the great and beautiful score of timeless pop-music played by Parson Jones.

Wan Chai Records is a Hong Kong based label, specialized in rare Asian records and quality reissues.For their third release, after a few years of hard diggin and historical researches, they went deeper with HONG KONG SCORE, introspection into the music of the Chinese’s Cinema industry. A selection of tracks from Hong-Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, specially produced for movies and illustrations.The result is a compilation of 12 totally unknown gems sung mostly in Mandarin and Cantonese, from real deep instrumentals, Hip-Hop breaks, Ethio style crazy drums, to heavy Bass in the Alain Goraguer’ style. This is an amazing introduction to 60’s and 70’s Chinese music, an inspiration for beatmakers, a must have for novices or Asian vintage music lovers.

After a 3rd album recorded between Detroit and Nashville, LAFAYETTE, the duo Nathalie Loriot and Franck Hedin, decided to dedicate to their 60's style "side project", THE SHUFFLES. An unceasing dream had been exciting them for a long time; Compose, produce and record an album of pure, classic 60's soul, with a sharp backing band, backing vocals and guest singers.The Studio Mercredi 9, one of the temples of the vintage sound in Paris, would be the place chosen for the recording. Analog mixer, 24 tape tracks, ribbon microphones, tube preamps and plate reverb, and Fred Carrayol, a sound engineer and studio creator, are the guarantors of the rough sound the duo is looking for. As for the musicians, they had to have strong musical personalities, essential for live tape recording: Daniel Marsala, guitarist, Olivier Ferrarin, drums, Stéphane Benguigui, bass, aka the gang des Niçois, Fabrice Colombani on the tambourine and a guest of choice, Camille Bazbaz playing the piano and the Hammond organ.3 days later the 12 tracks were taped. The following sessions took place at Gum Studio with engineer-mixer Etienne Colin, another old accomplice of the duo. And for the vocal part, the finest of Parisian Soul Gospel scene were invited: Kandie, Felicia, Josephine Spector aka Nathalie Loriot, Mike Louvila, François Valade and Kevin Davy White.The vocal performances are full of sincerity and energy, respectful to the illustrious legends of the genre. The shadow of the legendary Motown, Fame, Stax, Hi Records or Atlantic albums hang over the 12 tracks of this album, a vibrant tribute to the golden age of soul.

It’s now pretty obvious that Disco influence has not only been powerful in western clubs. It has also influenced musicians all around the world, from France to Brasil, as Favorite Recordings proved it with the previous volumes of the "Disco Boogie Sounds" compilations. West-Indies islands are no exception to the rule. Indeed, at that time in the Caribbean territories, local musicians and producers seized the sound of their US counterparts, and make it their own, melting-up disco, funk, and boogie (even early rap) elements with some more traditional or local styles. Besides, the important size of the Caribbean diaspora in the US, Canada, or in the UK, has certainly played a huge role in making those two musical worlds meet. At the end, West-Indies Islands have not only tried to reproduce US dance hits locally, they also bred their own version of Disco. Apart from some obvious titles which made it to the charts ("Trinidad" by John Gibbs to name one), very few was known on these productions until recently. Most of it has remained obscure, being only played by a handful of record collectors & DJs. Having grown up for most of my childhood and teenager years in a small island from the Indian Ocean, I was immersed in the “sun & sand” vibes at an early age, which helped molding my musical tastes. If the sound of the Caribbean Islands is very different from the Indian Ocean's one, it’s anyway no surprise that I have been attracted quickly by the West-Indies’ 70s music productions, as a DJ and record collector. From an initial pre-selection of 40 tracks, Favorite Recordings and I teamed up to narrow down the actual tracklist. With no pretention to be exhaustive, this selection represents a tiny sample of a broader ocean of quality Caribbean Disco/Boogie tunes. It will take you to various places like Virgin Islands, Jamaica, or Trinidad, as well as a couple of Western major cities, where West-Indies diaspora is strong (New York, London). The soundtrack of this journey goes from Disco/Rap sounds, with the obscure "Macho Man" by Eddie & The Movement, to weird Afro-Disco/Funk influenced songs, such as “My African Religion” by Jamaican singer Paul Hurlock. Also featured here are a couple of personal secret weapons such as instrumental "Bermuda Triangle" by Musicism, or "Going to the Party" by Barry Bryson.Favorite Recordings & Waxist are very happy and proud to bring back lights on some of these rare tunes.