SEALED

Possibly the best thing a compilation can do is open the door to a world of music that aside from being unknown to you, is high grade in quality, diverse and open to interpretation in as much as you are left with some if not many questions... particularly when the selected tracks are all from the same record label... When did they start..? Why did they start? Who was behind it? Where did the artists come from? What was their inspiration? These are only a few... by the time you get to the end of the eight tracks included on Jicco Funk Volume One... there may be more...Some background or at least as much as we know: in the early 1970s thru to the 90s, Onitcha was one of Nigeria' most important cities sat on the banks of the river Niger about half way between Benin City and Enugu. Aside from the commerce Onitcha was also an important centre for music production, live music thrived and in turn the city had a nightlife which embraced music... it’s where labels like Tabansi and many other smaller companies had their headquarters. Its where in the late 60’s, the label Jicco was established , an enterprise which would commercialize Kenyan and Congolese music in Nigeria.By the mid to late 70’s Jicco opened itself to new projects, launching a number of sub-labels, from Vox Africa to Guy , more specialized in Highlife , Native and Soukous Music to Jicco Funk which was producing small local groups playing Reggae , Rock and Funk.Dig This Way realised they had found something special after discovering the first few releases on Jicco Funk... its less about a particular style of music and more about a raw emotive production quality that runs through each of the records... there is a mood and feel to the delivery that expresses a consciousness that’s rooted in a deep soul... the origins of which with hindsight would be near impossible to determine... its known that many of the records were produced at the same studio... there are a number of musicians who appear on more than one records... other than a few basic facts... to know the true ingredients which made the blend special... I guess you just had to have been there...Following an extended period collecting music from the label including a number of months in Nigeria trying to trace family and friends of former band members including the Jicco family... Dig This Way decided to produce a compilation highlighting some of the near unknown music released by Jicco Funk... on the first volume in the series the focus is Reggae and Funk, particularly the intersection where the two genres converge as a hybrid production that at times is neither one nor the other... being more often and not... greater than the sum of the parts... hype..? We don't think so... intreguided..?

BACK IN STOCK !!!!Much wanted South African disco gem from 1979. Now reissued for the first time on Johannesburg's Afro Synth.

Founded by ordained bishop Larry H. Jordan and his brother-in-law Frank Tinsley in the early 1980s, Enlightment was among the first groups to fuse modern R&B production with gospel themes. After providing the group’s ultra-rare debut album Faith Is The Key with a proper release, Nature Sounds is now making another lost classic from Enlightment available to the world. “Agape Love” was a 1988 promo-only 12” single pressed in anticipation of a second Enlightment album, which unfortunately never came to fruition. Previously only available in extremely limited promotional quantities, “Agape Love” has been re-pressed off the original vinyl parts and will now be hitting record shelves worldwide. “This is well-deserved reissue,” says famed DJ and record collector Kon, who calls the record “a lost gem that slipped through the cracks of obscurity.”- First ever commercial release of "Agape Love", pressed off original vinyl parts- Original 1988 promotional copies of this 12" are highly sought-after collectibles- Rare track not included on Enlightment's famed debut album "Faith Is The Key"

For the first time on 12” single, two Curtis Mayfield songs given the Patti Jo treatment and mixed by Tom Moulton. While originally from the early 1970s, these versions were previously only available on 7” originally from the Scepter/Wand labels. Patti came from Florida and sang in her own group P.J. Smith & Co before releasing just four songs across two singles as a solo artist. Released in brand new Soul Brother 12” range bag.

Two great Tom Moulton Mixes back to back!SOUTH SHORE COMMISSION were a self contacted soul/funk band from Chicago. They released their one self-titled, Billboard Dance Chart No.1 album in 1975 on Wand Records from which comes the Bunny Sigler composed/produced track “Free Man” featuring Instant Funk. It was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. This Tom Moulton mix on “Free Man” was an original feature of the album and is considered one of the first proto-house recordsULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY: More Philly splendor here from 1973 with “We’re On The Right Track” co-written and co-produced by Norman Harris. Mixed by Tom Moulton. Never previously released before on 12” single.

In a genre that has classically been driven primarily by hot twelve-inches, it can sometimes be hard to find a disco album that delivers the goods from end to end—let alone a disco LP that could be described as “perfect.” Does such an animal even exist? We’re pretty sure it has to, and we can probably think of a few candidates ourselves. Cultures of Soul Records presents Sparkle’s self-titled album which many disco aficionados would put into this category. Sparkle was a female vocal trio from Connecticut, assembled by the producer Harold Sargent, erstwhile drummer of the sterling funk band Wood, Brass & Steel, and creator of manifold drum breaks that would go on to be sampled for decades. Originally released in 1979, the album and the group are fittingly titled as the music is a scintillating, radiant collection of shimmering disco and dazzling funk, performed by Too Much Too Soon—the multiracial R&B band that featured Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, the writing/production team that would discover Rihanna and power her career to global dominance fifteen years later. Also on hand is musical prodigy Rahni Harris, whose Sargent-assisted club classic “Six Million Steps” is also included on the album. The result is an album that by far exceeds the sum of its parts, delivering a truly transcendent disco experience.

Strut present the second volume in a series of compilations taken from the archives of Disques Debs International, the longest-running and most prolific label of the French Caribbean. Set up by the late Henri Debs in the late ‘50s, the label has continued for over 50 years, releasing hundreds of records and playing a pivotal role in bringing the creole music of Guadeloupe and Martinique to a wider international audience. Volume 2 of the series focuses on the label’s ‘70s output and the development of the unique Cadence sound, pulling disparate influences into a Pan-Caribbean blend of rhythms, styles and languages that dominated the dancehalls, clubs and concerts of the decade. Based in a small but state-of-the-art studio on the first floor of Henri Debs’ Club 97-1, just outside Pointe-à-Pitre in the town of Gosier, the label hosted sessions from the cream of local and regional talent, hothousing ideas into over 100 LP and 45 releases over the decade that reflected an increasingly confident creole identity. Groups like Les Vikings, Super Combo and Typical Combo along with a host of lesser-known bands were in fierce but friendly competition in the bals, dances and concerts in Guadeloupe, across the region and into Metropolitan France. Haitian Compas, Congolese influences from le Ry-Co Jazz, cadence-lypso and reggae from Dominica and a heavy dose of jazz and Puerto Rican salsa were thrown into the mix alongside local biguine, quadrille and gwo ka to power an unrivalled recorded output. Compiled by Hugo Mendez (Sofrito) and Emile Omar (Roseaux), ‘Cadence Revolution’ is released in conjunction with Henri Debs et Fils and Air Caraibes. The package features previously unseen photos from the Debs archive with both formats featuring extensive liner notes and an interview with singer and trombonist Christian Zora (Les Maxel’s, Energy).- 2LP IN SINGLE SLEEVE WITH 4PP 12” BOOKLET- First in-depth compilation of Cadence music, an overlooked chapter in Caribbean musical history.- Second instalment in Strut’s exclusive series from the Disques Debs International vaults- Majority of tracks unreissued since their original release- Includes unseen photos, extensive liner notes and interviews