Various Artists

Ten years on, crate-digger Samy Ben Redjeb unveils a new treasuretrove of Vodoun-inspired Afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. Right from the raw guitar fanfare which kicks off Les Sympathics’ pile-driving opener, it’s clear that African Scream Contest II is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor.A great compilation can open the gate to another world. Who knew that some of the most exciting Afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small West African country of Benin? Once Analog Africa released the first African Scream Contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear; gut-busting yelps, lethally welldrilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.Ten years on, intrepid crate-digger Samy Ben Redjeb unveils a new treasuretrove of Vodoun-inspired Afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. Right from the laceratingly raw guitar fanfare which kicks off Les Sympathics’ pile-driving opener, it’s clear that African Scream Contest II is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor. And just as you’re trying to get off the canvas after this one-punch knock out, an irresistible Afro-ska romp with a more than subliminal echo of the Batman theme puts you right back there. Ignace De Souza and the Melody Aces’ “Asaw Fofor" would’ve been a killer instrumental but once you’ve factored in the improbably-rich-to-the-point-of-being-Nat-King-Cole-influenced lead vocal, it’s a total revelation.The screaming does not stop there, in fact it’s only just beginning. But the strange thing about African Scream Contest II’s celebration of unfettered Beninese creativity is that it would not have been possible without the assistance of a musician who had been trained by the Russian secret services to "search and destroy" enemies of the country’s (then) Marxist-Leninist president Mathieu Kerekou.Already familiar to fans of the first African Scream Contest as a mainstay of ruthlessly disciplined military band Les Volcans de la Capitale, Lokonon André vanished in a cloud of dust at Ben Redjeb’s behest with a list of names and some petrol money, only to return a few days later having miraculously tracked down every single name he’d been given. The source of this Afrobeat bounty-hunter’s impressive people-finding skills - his training with the KGB - highlights the tension between encroaching authoritarian politics and fearless expressions of personal creative freedom which is the back-story of so much great African music of the 60s and 70s.Happily, in this instance, Lokonon was tracking the artists down to offer them licensing deals, rather than to arrest them.Where some purveyors of vintage African sounds seem to be strip-mining the continent’s musical heritage with no less rapacious intent than the mining companies and colonial authorities who previously extracted its mineral wealth, Samy Ben Redjeb’s determination to track this amazing music to its human sources pays huge karmic dividends.Like every other Analog Africa release, African Scream Contest II is illuminated by meticulously researched text and effortlessly fashion-forward photography supplied by the artists themselves. Looming large - alongside Lokonon André - in the cast of biopic-worthy characters to emerge from this seductive tropical miasma is visionary space-nerd Bernard Dohounso, who laid the foundations for Benin’s vinyl predominance by importing and assembling the turntables that would play the products of his Bond villain-acronymed pressing plant SATEL, a factory that would revolutionise the music industry in the whole region.The scene documented here couldn’t have been born anywhere else but in the Benin Republic , and the prime reason for that is Vodoun. It’s one of the world’s most complex religions, involving the worship of some 250 divinities, where each divinity has its own specific set of rhythms, and the bands introduced on the African Scream Contest series and other compilations from that country were no less diverse than that army of different Gods. At once restless pioneers and masters of the art of modernising their own folklore, the mystic sound of Vodoun was their prime source of inspiration. One especially irascible Vodoun-adept was Antoine Dougbe, who styled himself “The devil’s prime minister” while turning ancestral rhythms into satanically alluring modern beats. As Orchestre Poly-Rythmo songwriter Pynasco has observed sagely, “Evil is not elsewhere; evil extends into the house”. And African Scream Contest II is a gloriously cinematic road-trip through an undiscovered realm of music lore whose familiarity is every bit as thrilling as its otherness.

The Mexican platform Comunité returns with its second outpost in the form of a Various Artist package showcasing some of the core players featured on the 2018 bill of the festival. Through a heap of selected works of both regulars and newcomers – COM002 offers a glimpse of the festival’s signature curation of eclectic tastes, from prime-time floor fillers blended in with experimental acoustic sorcery.The 12” kicks off with a notorious collaboration between two regulars of the Tulum-based event: Tijuana’s Soul of Hex mind-bending classic approach to house music amalgamated with Mule Musiq’s Kuniyuki and his complex synth work – culminating in Dampe, a 7 minute joint-effort between Mexico and Japan. A2 continues in the vein of Cuba’s Alpha 606 – a fresh artist debut on the label. Through staggering hi-hat work and filtered synth pad beds, the Miami based artist showcases his signature electro style that blends An undoubtable latin rhythmic influence with drum machines and LFO-grooved melodies forming “Shadow”.On the flip side, Mexico City’s techno veteran Itzone takes the floor with an introductory ambient piece featuring a vocal narrative that highlights inspirational and mystic concepts–serving as both an interlude as well as a commencement to the rest of the package. Comunités regular JoSep takes on the torch afterwards, providing his always floor-ready 4/4 hypnotic debauchery and shining a light On one of the festival’s core aesthetics. Closing off the second instalment of the label, Mexico City’s AAAA offers his signature plate of modular synthesis-based experiments, welcoming into his realm of apocalyptic concepts simultaneously to a soothing closure of the record; a magnifying glass into one of Mexico’s front-running creational platforms.

Elevate Melodies are back with four toe-tapping, finger-snapping, dancefloor slaying heaters, all on wax. Side 1 takes off with the Griffes’ remix of Jay Airness’ “She Staying”, all sumptuous keys, sun dappled strings and peak-time beats propelling the track ever forward. Venice Beach then takes on Sly Moore's seismic “Muoosic”, dropping the tempo and creating a super low-slung slab of electro funk, one for the 100bpm crew. On the B side, Lord Funk takes on “Black Les Grues De Nantes” from Victorius, turning it into a jazzy workout with slap-bass, chopped up vocals and dusty vinyl crackles giving it a classy 90s feel. And rounding out the selection is New York DJ and producer P-Sol who applies his midtempo skills to “Law and Theory” from label boss Jay Airness, creating an atmospheric groove with some real funk and jazz flourishes.Limited to 500 copies.

Washington based Better Listen Records drop their first VA e.p. housing four disco influenced dancefloor workouts bringing a slice of sunshine to our shores.Folamour kicks things off with an uptempo disco stomper, complete with driving bass, infectious string hooks and energetic piano stabs. The A2 sees Ethyene slows things down combining choice vocal snippets, shuffling rhythms and sleezy synthwork to create a sunset groove ready made for the summer.On the flip Ari Bald draws on all the elements from a classic disco anthem, with brass stabs, slap bass and an uplifting guitar riff driving things forward, before Dorsi Plantar closes things out with a blissful boogie simmerdown perfect for any sunrise set.

Late night jazz and cool breaks from RCA Italy film music vaults (1962-1969)- LP 180gr. + CD bonus- Ltd. Ed. 500 copiesA volume entirely dedicated to the jazz atmospheres of the Italian movies from the ‘60s, including genres such as noir, melò, giallo, dark comedy and crazy ‘musicarelli’. With a great variety of styles and moods, jazz represented the perfect soundtrack for the Italian “nouvelle vague” season: an element of great innovation that radically

Open air grooves, daytime breaks, sunny and scat beats from Italian untapped film music archives (1969-1978)- LP 180gr. + CD bonus- Ltd. Ed. 500 copiesThe sunny side of ESTERNO, between warm rhythms, percussions, bossanova, wah wah guitars, psychedelic flutes and explosive synth sounds.Musiche leggere e gaie [Light and joyful music] - to use the title of a collection from the RCA SP series in which some of these tracks could have ended.Listening to the record, you can perfectly breathe the unmistakable atmosphere of certain movies of that time: a luxurious world of cocktail parties by the pool, countryside escapes, and scuba diving. Sets that could have been easily found in a variety of genres, from cool ‘musicarelli’ and mondo-movies to sexy comedies, thriller, poliziotteschi and TV documentaries.ESTERNO GIORNO D’ESTATE brings together unreleased material and tracks from a number of hard-to-find library music LPs. Among the artists featured are: Carlo Pes & i Marc 4, Alberto Baldan Bembo, Stelvio Cipriani, Alessandro Alessandroni, Nico Fidenco and Gianni Oddi.