Back in stock
Rains In The Tropics
Gene Rains is a hot tip within the tiki scene. His works are not as known as those of Martin Denny or Les Baxters, but musically they play in the same league. Rains colourful compositions write their own story. Once the record starts playing, you'll be taken on a orchestral journey through polynesian isles, treasures in the jungle, old stone gods and also take a short side trip with songs like "Chines Nights" or "Bangkok Cock Fight".
Un Beau Monstre
Greek born composer and conductor George Garaventz really complies with any expectations on his 1970 album for the French movie "Un beau monstre“ (A beautiful monster). This is a rather atmospheric and moody effort and except for the opening tunes of both sides this is entirely instrumental despite a few wordless female choirs adding an even deeper atmosphere to the compositions. The luscious arrangements and insistent melodies truly drag one into a colourful world of their own. Pop, psychedelic…
Luna Africana
Clara Mondshine was a musical project of the late radio director, journalist, and composer Walter Bachauer, who worked for RIAS Berlin in the '70s and '80s. Mr. Bachauer was also involved as musician in projects with electronic artist Peter Michael Hamel and krautrock act Between in the '70s. With Clara Mondshine he was able to score three albums before his untimely passing in 1989; Luna Africana, originally released in 1981, is the first of these, and it fits exactly into that era, when the…
Electronic Hair Pieces
Mort Garson was the master of the moog and a pioneer in electronic music from the late 60s and 70s where he participated in some unforgotten projects such as Lucifer, The Zodiac, Ataraxia and Plantasia. The following review centers on his album “Electronic Hair pieces” from 1969 on which he tickles your senses with instrumental adaptions of the songs from the musical “Hair”. He performs all the tunes on a contemporary moog synthesizer system even with electronic percussion. Since you might recog…
The Unexplained
Electronic impressions of the occult, reissued for the first time. The late, great Mort Garson (1924-2008) was a hotshot of electronic music's pioneering days, known for his groundbreaking occult works such as The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds (1967) and Lucifer: Black Mass (1971). A different side of his creativity emerged in his 1976 Plantasia project (FD 5003CD/LP), an inspired album of Moog compositions to be played for growing plants. The previous year he released this hypnotizing album, which ta…
Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Now we drift deep into the world of Bollywood. “Hare Rama, hare Krishna” is an Indian movie from 1971 which features an odd story about family problems, the flight of a young girl into the hippie lifestyle far from home and the quest of her brother to bring her back home. The musical framework of this movie has been created by Rahul Dev Burman (1939 – 1994), one of the most prolific soundtrack score composers from India. And the music alone plays a movie in your mind even though you may not know…
Tune In Tree Ears
Eva Van Deuren has been wayfaring as Orphan Fairytale for the past 15 years and counting. With her electronic psychedelia that deftly teeters between the bubbly and the eerie, Van Deuren is a prolific presence in our spheres and her music is a constant which irrefutably touches and enchants all those who encounter it. Over the past few years she has integrated the Celtic harp into her repertoire, crafting new sounds that seamlessly meld into the narrative of her unique sonic trajectory. Tune In…
Dharmatma
You know it's Bollywood time again when you find classic Hindustani music, tinges of fuzz guitar and acid pop plus and a dance orchestra mixed for an album with epic anthems captivating and accessible at once. The musicians play with passion and the singers really chant their souls out to summon Krishna or just rave about tragically broken relationships and other problems of all day's life. This album really paints majestic pictures into your mind and lets you become part of a colorful mo…
Som Definitivo
An incredible album – one in which the Brazilian female harmony quartet meets up with their male counterparts, the Tamba Trio! The gals have most of the vocals on this set, but backings are in the sublimely modern mode that the Tamba combo was using at the time, set to arrangements by Luiz Eca, the group's pianist – and soaring with a great blend of jazz and bossa elements! The whole thing's a landmark in the Brazilian scene of the time – with edges that are dark and sweet at the same time – and…
Pacific Ocean
Early Dawn present a reissue of Pacific Ocean's self-titled album, originally released in 1968. It's a wonder they weren't touring the whole world and playing on huge stages in front of thousands of fans. This 1968 album smashes in like a hot stone with that soulful drive otherwise only Steve Marriott and Humble Pie could provide. A definite recommendation for fans of good old hard classic rock.
Shin Chugoku
A duo by Osamu Kitajima and Fumio Miyashita, formed at the end of 1971 when Osamu Kitajima returned from his trip to United Kingdom where he got influenced by exploding psychedelic rock scene that was happening at the time. After recording his debut under moniker of “Justin Heathcliff”, he got together with Fumio Miyashita of Far East Family Band and Far Out. Together they worked on an amazing psychedelic / progressive rock album, with a foly, yet pastoral, mellow approach.
Electronic, Absolutely
Remastered from two private tapes (1990 "Absolutely Electronic" and 1992 "Memories From Times To Come") that Michel Nolet - the one man band - used to share in the 90's with other music collectors and hometapers from Canada, England and Germany only.
Banko Woman
For over forty years, the Apostles of Aba have stood as the jewel in the crown of the music scene in Eastern Nigeria. Since their formation in 1973, the band has turned out memorable performances in a variety of styles including rock, soul, funk, pop and reggae. Even today, the Apostles continue to thrill audiences in their hometown of Aba with dazzling shows. Cultures of Soul is proud to present one of the Apostles’ more obscure—yet relentlessly funky recordings: Banko Woman, originally release…
Sweeter Than Honey
Pat Thomas and Ebo Taylor are the Jagger and Richards of Nigerian Highlife. Drawn together by a mutual love of the genre – and an equally intense desire to stop it becoming moribund and bereft of ideas – Ghana’s two most progressive musicians added a western twist to this traditional form of African music and gave it relevance again. It was by no means a continuous process. Pat Thomas and Ebo Taylor first came together in 1966. Over the decades they’d venture off to play in different bands and e…
Metalik Funk Band
The Mighty Flames were a crack bunch of Cameroonian musicians, drawn to Nigeria by the heavy funk sounds booming across the border like musical moths. For a short time in the late sentries they ‘owned’ Port Harcourt, destroying dancefloors with an incendiary sound that burned so heavily that it was phosphorescent. Metalik Funk Band is the band at their most deadly. Willy ‘Pazz’ Nfor is on bass, Nfrackie ‘Jazz’ Song on synth, Didi Lead on lead guitar, Emma ‘Wah Wah’ Baloka on rhythm and Stormy ‘B…
Rock Town Express
There was a time in the 1970s when the best band in the Nigeria was actually from Cameroon. Rock Town Express, formed out of the ashes of Wrinkar Experience by Yaoundé boys Edjo'o Jacques Racine and Ginger Forcha, hit it hard, hit it loud and hit it funky. Racine and Forcha had been recruited from Cameroon by Dan Ian and after only six months, left them stranded in Nigeria's troubled east. Their first album as Rock Town Express was released on Ginger Baker's ARC label in 1974. This, their second…
We Can Get It On
By the mid 1970’s in Nigeria, the Biafran War was a distant memory and the music scene in the eastern city of Aba was booming again. Bands like The Funkees, The Wings and The Apostles grabbed the headlines, but the more interesting stuff was coming from smaller groups like the Friimen. The Friimen, or the Friimen Muzik Company to use their official name, were influenced as much by pre-Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees as Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. In Beni Tudumey they had the best keyboardist in …
Coming Home
In 1977 Jake Sollo returned to Nigeria to record his first solo album, Coming Home. His long-term band, The Funkees, had imploded in London. And his big break with the Afro super band, Osibisa, was cut short when he went on strike with Kiki Gyan and promptly got sacked. Rather than sit at a bar and feel sorry for himself, Jake returned to Nigeria and got his mates together – including the aforementioned Mr. Gyan – and headed into the EMI studios in Lagos. The result was Coming Home, a triumphant…
My Good Friends
Set up by producer Ben Okonkwo in 1973, the BEN label, and its offshoot Clover Sounds, broke some of the biggest bands outside of Lagos. The Apostles, Akwassa, The Doves, Mary Afi Usuah and Aktion all got their start in the cramped studio in the commercial heart of Aba. The least known – and arguably one of the best bands on the label – was The Visitors. For a short, sweet time between 1975 and 1978, The Visitors were creating the most righteous sounds in the East. We’re talking deep afro-funk w…
In The Groove
First official reissue ever! Nigeria had an utterly strong popular music scene in the 1970s, “Afro Beat” and “Afro Funk” were the hottest musical creations of the day and garage rock oriented bands like Ofege or funky monsters Akwassa were at the forefront of the movement. I deliberately call it their second album despite three albums that were released under the monicker Heads Funk Band with exactly the same line up as Akwassa from 1975 to 1978. However, the main difference between “In the groo…