Various
Belong To The Wind

Hailing from the hills of Montmartre (Paris) the man behind Soul Sugar, Guillaume "Gee" Metenier, is regarded as one of Europe's most prolific keyboard players. His passion for the Hammond B3 has led him to study under the guidance of legendary Jazz master Dr. Lonnie Smith. The heavily vintage sound is no coincidence, as other classic keyboards like the Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, or Minimoog round out his studio arsenal. His influences include a vast heritage of Soul and Jazz greats such as Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Booker T, Art Neville, or Reggae legends Jackie Mitoo and Augustus Pablo."Gee" was an integral part of Electronic outfit, Seven Dub, which gained certain notoriety in the emerging French scene in the late 90s, releasing a number of singles and albums as well as remixes for artists such as Femi Kuti, King Tubby vs. Horace Andy, and Sly & Robbie, to name a few. As a musician, Guillaume has collaborated with the likes of The Last Poets, Alain Bashung, Kid Loco, Grant Phabao, Gizelle Smith, The Mighty Mocambos, Blundetto and many more. He also released a handful of notable singles as Soul Sugar, such as "Ritual" (Mocambo Records), "East Of The River Nile" or "Why Can't We Live Together" (Gee Recordings), and an album called Nothing But The Truth (Freestyle Records).The latest outing from Soul Sugar, Chase The Light, is a fusion of roots Reggae, Psychedelic Soul and Funk grooves, showcasing heavy instrumentals and powerful songs. Recorded in France and Kingston (Jamaica) with Yvo Abadi on drums, drummer dubmaster Jahno, and guitarist extraordinaire Thomas Naim, with vocals by Courtney John, who's falsetto stylings and lyrical poetry features on two tracks (one including a special appearance by Dr Lonnie Smith) and Leonardo Carmichael, over a heavy riddim revision of the classic "Why Can't We Live Together". The analog production delivers solidly, taking no prisoners and keeping the groove alive, the whole collection of tracks simply rocks... Chase The Light brings together a bombastic blend of timeless sounds, highest level of cool for impeccable taste. CD comes with bonus dub versions of all the tracks.

** Not available for UK & Italy **Released via the Omicron label in 1975, three years after Africa, Continente Nero is the perfect flip side of an album that significantly expanded Piero Umiliani’s music perspectives, incorporating partially explored rhythmic variations already used in records such as Percussioni ed Effetti Speciali and To-Day’s Sound or experimenting new solutions that drew from a musical heritage little known at the time such as the African one. Without bothering with the usual alias M. Zalla, Umiliani reveals his birth name and surname for a second foray into a territory that pays homage to an entire continent. And it does so by taking inspiration not only from a tradition that starts from the divine Fela Kuti and reaches the amateur and field recordings by musicologists such as David Toop, invaluable documents of an artistic heritage still today almost impossible to map in its complexity, but also from the Afro-American jazz history by Art Ensemble of Chicago, John Coltrane, Max Roach and hundreds of others. It sounds clear in tracks such as Nuovi Fermenti, Rivoluzionari, Riscossa or Ultimo Stregone that show Umiliani’s extraordinary ability to grab a distant tradition essential traits and put them effortlessly into a personal imaginary world, as much exciting as the original one.

A classic and essential Hi-Life & Afro Funk album from one of the greatest Ghanaian singer and composer, reissued for the first time! The legendary K Fimpong's fantastic rare album was recorded in 1978 at Ghana Films Studio in Accra. K. Frimpong was born on July 22nd, 1939 at Ofoase in the Ashanti - Akim district and entered right into music after elementary school by joining Star de Republic and later Oko's Band after which he left to K. Gyasy's band where he worked for more than 6 years. As a prolific songwriter and singer, here's the reissue of his amazing album, a modern fusion of Hi- life and Soul. The excellent background is given by the famous Vis à Vis band, composed with the help of the great Collins Obiba Marfo. Originally produced on Ofo Bros the label of the Ofori brothers in Kumasi, this four songs recording is a blend of dancable and spiritual Soul and straight Hi-life. A must have vinyl of percussive Afro Funk for all the music connoisseurs, K. Frimpong backed by Vis à Vis LP is a true masterpiece, so hard to find and reaching crazy skills for a decent copy affordable. Remastered by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. Pressed on Replika format.

Dimitri From Paris remixes Space Talk! Naya Beat is proud to announce a historic Asha Puthli 12” disco single, "Space Talk: With Remixes By Dimitri From Paris", the first in a series of Naya Beat remixes and retrospective releases featuring the legendary Asha Puthli. Working with the original Space Talk stems and studio recordings, Dimitri From Paris does the impossible – delivering not one but two stellar versions of the original masterpiece. Two remixes that are destined to be classics in their own right. Be it the world of disco, rare groove or hip hop, Space Talk is one of those rare tracks that transcends time, genre and place. A track equally at home in David Mancuso’s The Loft as in the hands of afro cosmic pioneers Beppe Loda and Daniele Baldelli. A track that has been sampled by The Notorious B.I.G and P Diddy, 50 Cent, and Redman. A track that has seen countless bootleg disco edits but that until now has never been remixed. No stranger to working with iconic music, Dimitri’s two stand apart remixes deliver his trademark sound and more. This is Dimitri at his best. Beautifully dubbed out and magically lush production (with plenty of laser sounds to boot) builds on the original’s interplanetary excursions. While the remixes are quintessentially Dimitri, they also pay homage to greats like Tom Moulton, Patrick Adams and Larry Levan. Exclusive to this release (along with "Dimitri From Paris Spacer Dub") are a "2023 Mix" and "Extended Mix" of the original, lovingly mixed for the discerning DJ by Naya Beat cofounders Turbotito & Ragz using the original studio recordings. Their very existence the stuff of rumour and legend, Naya Beat and Asha have tracked down the original stems and studio recordings from her most seminal albums, including "The Devil is Loose". "Space Talk" is the precursor to a full length LP coming out in September 2023 featuring remixes by legends like Maurice Fulton, Yuksek, Kon, Psychemagik, JKriv and Black Devil Disco Club to name a few. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for producers inspired by her music to honour Asha’s influence and legacy. This is Naya Beat’s third release in a series of reissues, reworks, remixes and compilations dedicated to uncovering electronic and dance music from the subcontinent and South Asian diaspora.

After gaining a solid reputation over the past few years thanks to his numerous productions for artists such as Drake or Slakah the Beatchild to name just a few, French producer Häzel finally presents his first solo project. Available Mai 16th on 12inch & Digital, these voluntarily J-Dilla influenced 6 tracks build a superb Hip-Hop/Soul opus. ‘Playground’ will also be released on Catblock Records, new label launched together by Favorite Recordings.

Not many cities in the world are gifted with a timeless anthem of their own. We all know “New York, New York”, a song widely known across its city borders. For many Vietnamese, the beautiful Cha Cha Cha tune “Sài Gòn” has a similar reputation. The tune was written by Hanoi-born composer Y-Van. Like many of his generation, he moved to the South in 1954 after The Geneva Accords partitioned Vietnam temporarily into two states. There he became one of the most famous and prolifc songwriters in South Vietnamese pop music. His revered songs are still sung and covered to this day. “Sài Gòn”, which he wrote in 1965, was recorded for the frst time by Saigonese-born singer Trúc Mai for the Sóng Nhạc label. It is one of his most iconic compositions and has been recorded countless times since. Trúc Mai rose to prominence during the late 1950s as a popular headliner in the cabaret circuit of Saigon, earning her the title, "Nữ Hoàng Mambo" (the Queen of the Mambo). Her reputation helped make the 1965 recording of “Sai Gon” an instant hit. It was so successful that it was one of only a few songs to appear on multiple 7” vinyl releases.However, that same year, Trúc Mai took a seven-year hiatus from the music industry to take care of her family. But she returned in 1972 to record “Sai Gon” again, this time with another producer, Duy Khánh – also a successful singer and musician. They released this track on his “reel 2 reel” tape series, “Cỏ May”. After the war ended in 1975, Trúc Mai and her family left Vietnam to begin their new lives in the United States, where she continued her successful music career with the overseas community.The Sài Gòn sung about in the song refers geographically to today's Districts 1 & 3 in Ho Chi Minh City, the name given in 1975, after reunifcation. But colloquially, the city is still afectionately called Sài Gòn by many of its residents, and even the airport retains the ‘SGN’ designation as its abbreviation. Despite being recorded over 55 years ago, the unbroken popularity of this life-afrming ode to the city is proven when, whether in Sài Gòn or Hanoi; the south or north; whether young or old, when the song plays, everyone immediately joins in to sing along to the chorus…Saigon đẹp lắm Saigon ơi! Saigon ơi! (Saigon is so beautiful! Saigon oi! Saigon oi!)The two extensively restored mixes are supplemented with a 2021 edit by Saigon Supersound producer and DJ Jan Hagenkötter, who tries to preserve the vibes of the original and at the same time to wrap it in a contemporary garment.