Paolo Batà Bianconcini
Asapani

No spot in music is immovable. No music can sit still but it’s hardly ver as true as it is for Dowdelin, a band that can’t be tied down to a single geography and genealogy. The creole language, Caribbean rhythms, urban energies, dazzling virtuosity, sensual electro: The group evolves in a unique place where genres and colors, heritage and audacity can merge.

Tony Clarke is from Waterhouse, St. Andrew Jamaica. At the tender age of 10 he started following sound systems like Sir Mike The Musical Dragon with the great toaster Prince Ruff at the controls, and King Tubby's with the legendary U-Roy. Tony Clarke did his first recording in New York in 1971 at Hugh Hendricks recording studio called "Righteous Man" of which he played both bass and lead guitar. The band was later managed by the legendary band leader/trombonist Carlos Malcolm.Tony Clarke decided to write the song “Going Home” to reference the roots of his music. In those days and even now good reggae music that was being recorded in the United States was not receiving the approbation from home because, in Jamaica they felt that the best reggae music could only come from and be created in Jamaica to substantiate the true feeling of the genre. So he decided to go back to Jamaica and record “Going Home” at Harry J Studio with Sylvan Morris as engineer.The rhythm track was played by Lloyd Parks (Bass), Devon Richardson (Drum), Andy Bassford (Lead Guitar), Winston "Bo-Pee" Bowen (Rhythm Guitar), Franklyn "Bubbler" Waul (Keyboard), David Madden & Junior "Chico" Chin (Horns). He also recorded the cover version to “Hey Little Girl” originally done by Dee Clark. For this 12'' vinyl edition, the artwork was done with a vintage photo of Tony Clarke in front of his house at Waterhouse and extended liner notes on the back cover.

Emotional Rescue and Jamwax come together to present the first of three essential 12”s from NY/Jamaican label Capo Disco, all officially licensed and remastered for the first time. The brainchild of reggae vocalist, musician, producer and label owner Glen Adams, the label married disco with his Caribbean roots to perfection.Born and raised in Jamaica, Adams story is a similar one to the performers of the golden period post-Independence. Initially discovered as a vocalist by Coxsone Dodd, he went on to work with such luminaries as Ken Boothe and Stranger Cole before co-founding The Heptones and working Duke Reid, Bunny Lee and Lloyd Charmers.As a session organist he worked for The Hippy Boys, The Reggae Boys and later with Lee Perry’s The Upsetters. Here he came in to the orbit of The Wailors, touring England with them in the early 70s and with Perry co-wrote Mr Brown. When most of The Upsetters became Marley’s rhythm section, Adams stayed with Perry before making the move to Brooklyn in 1975.There he started Capo Records, running it and it’s sub-labels, successfully until the mid-80s. During these later years he ventured in to mixing Reggae with Boogie and Disco rhythms and released just four 12”s under Capo Disco as well as recording boogie and hip-hop influenced releases with T Ski Valley and as Glen Adams Affair for SAM and Moonglow Records.Here then the spotlight is on Adam’s nascent disco releases and the series starts with the wonderful, uplifting A Beat For You. Actually appearing on a one off sister-label, Top Secret, this is a beautiful “Lovers” anthem from Adams over a laidback dub-bass riddim. Backed with a simple instrumental Version, the space and interplay of the keys and guitar over drum and bass is superlative. “There is a beat in my heart, just for you…just for you.”

Comet is pleased to announce the third volume of the Afrobeat Makers Series: Nu Guinea - The Tony Allen Experiments.By re-working the original magic drum patterns from the Afrobeat master Tony Allen, Nu Guinea created a compilation of tracks which is charged by a voluminous electronic jazz-Psyche funk imprint.For this release, Comet Records teamed up with Early Sounds Recordings, the berlin label, also home to duo Berliners Nu Guinea.The Naples formed, Berlin-based duo, is a project that arose out of jam sessions, melting synthesizers with instruments, containing a handmade sound that is not aiming for perfection but genuineness. It can be understood as a steadily shaping form, always open for collaborations with other musicians. They've previously collaborated with singer Wayne Snow (fellow berliner artist on Comet) for the vocal edit of Nu-World, also delivered a remix for Wayne Snow’ ʻRosie Epʼ both recently released on Tartelet Records.

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.