Amadou Balake
Señor Eclectico

Driven by a vicious and visceral soul, The Buttshakers are known for their fierce and fiery music.Yet after nearly a decade of touring and recording, it was with a different musical vision that they approached Sweet Rewards, their first collaboration with Underdog Records. Accustomed to the raw, primitive sounds of 60s garage rock and the crude sexuality of pre-Motown soul music, A sound they could have continued to dig into again and again. Instead, they decided to take another route: a creative shift, a return to a style of soul music that no longer has to rely on pure energy alone. Exceeding the limitations imposed by their tight yet powerful six person lineup, they opened up this studio session to fully accommodate their ideas and concretize their musical ambitions: a larger horn section creates a richer, scintillating sonority; a touch of slide-guitar opens their creative universe to the open spaces of the far West; the organ vacillates between psychedelic drapery and heartfelt gospel tones; all of this supported by the wicked groove of a percussionist driving the beat on. Their sultry and soulful frontwoman, Ciara Thompson, is here for the first time supported by backing vocalist. An occasion for her to indulge in a few call and- response chorales, a reverence to a gospel background instilled in her from her native St Louis (Missouri), a still vibrant heritage from the city that cradled jazz, blues, country and folk music. Ideal for a sound that never lets down yet remains intuitive to the gradual rise of emotion each song demands. With each new listening, Sweet Rewards reveals something new to the listener: another dimension, a hidden layer.

Brazilian Disco Boogie Sounds, is a compilation that brings together nine of the most important and obscure hits of the Brazilian Funk-Boogie-Disco scene during the years of 1978 to 1982. Jùnior Santos is a Carioca drummer since his 15 years old, and is today a respected vinyl collector and music researcher. More than anything, he is carried on by the love of Brazilian music, which has never been forgotten.Favorite Recordings initiative of seeking a unique project with Brazilian music carried Jùnior on to dig into old record companies’ files and bring out pearls from what he sees as the end of the Samba-Rock period. At that time musicians and arrangers such as Lincoln Olivetti, Robson Jorge, and Oberdan Magalhães along with Banda Black Rio, were responsible for the new music scene. They had dominated the studios with sophisticated and original arrangements that have forever transformed Brazilian musical perspective. This music, at that point, had gained a new style and great world respect that has remained till the contemporary times. Brazilian Disco Boogie Sounds pays tribute to this great era, coming out in a deluxe vinyl edition with old-school tip-on jacket and innersleeve including notes and original artworks.

Trad Vibe Records is pleased to present the first release of classic Jazz-Funk band Cortex, remixed by DJ’s!Extracted from the 4th album I Heard A Sigh (TVLP11), recently released by the label, these 2 underrated gems seemed obvious material to put into the hands of two Jazz lovers DJs, both well represented and respected within the edits scene.The Reflex has held the title "Stand & Move" with loops, filters and dub, for one French-Touch side and a 100% Disco-Jazz result, highlighting the famous Fender Rhodes playing by the band leader, Alain Mion.DJ Moar was in charge of "High on the Funk", keeping most lead voice, chorus, organ and synth parts, he used re-loops and a bigger beat to give it the deserved punch and groove!Future Classic Jazz Dance!

When faced with the decision to take a different direction at the risk of getting lost in a synthetic sound or to further explore the same musical path, Vaudou Game didn’t need to consult the oracle for very long when putting together their new album. Since their first acclaimed album, Apiafo and its irresistible single "Pas Contente", these Lyon natives never turned down the heat on over 130 stages across Europe, Africa, America and Asia. Peter Solo has displayed his amulets, charisma and yellow pants around the globe.When time came for them to harness their Afro-Funk sound for the second time, they turned their attention once again to their analog strengths. Vintage material, instruments produced in the 70's and cassette tapes were the "grigris" (or lucky charms) which proved most effective to ward off digital corruption of their music and return them to a tight-knit group with a solid groove.This unbeatable trance rhythm, inherited from James Brown and Fela, icons of Funk and Afrobeat, becomes trident when joined by Mawu, the creative voodoo divinity hidden in each of the group's notes. This inspiration transcends their spirit of communion, plunges them deeply into Mother Earth and results in the telepathic trance which is directly connected to Togo Peter's native Togo.Each song then becomes a celebration where the listener becomes the group's voodoo doll, embraced by the rhythm, submitting itself to the mercilessly metronomic cutting of guitars, struck by the copper-colored flashes of lightning forged by the African voodoo deity Hevioso, pierced by the psychedelic visions generated by the organs and a six-string guitar, cheerful songs, and hypnotic incantations. KIDAYU means "sharing" in Kabye, the language spoken in northern Togo. Sharing, is the philosophy of Vaudou Game – both in their recorded music and on stage.

Nkumba System, new project led by guitarist Guillo Cros (Romperayo) provides a vibrant fusion of catchy percussions, Afro-Colombian songs and Cameroonian guitar picking style linking Central Africa to the Caribbean! Nkumba System is about to fill the dancefloors with debut album ¡Bailalo Duro!, recorded between Bogotá and Paris.On the imaginary highway of Guillo Cros, makossa crosses paths with cumbia, Zairean rumba combines with that of Cuba and last but not least, currulao melts into Malian desert blues. Cros' journeys led him to meet the Cameroonian singer Mama Ohandja, alongside whom he trained for several years. Thereafter, he resided in Bogotá from 2014 to 2019, collaborated with Pedro Ojeda in the band Romperayo and “Los Propios Bateros” (7” NYCT). His current project Nkumba System was born in 2018, inside Colombia's effervescent tropical music scene. The original line-up includes bassist Jhon Socha (Romperayo, la Makina del Karibe), singer-percussionist Leonel Merchan (La Phónoclórica) and Kike Narvaez on drums. Several singles were released on local labels Tambora Records and Palenque Records, preceeding the arrival of Cameroonian guitarist Simba Daniel Evousa in the band. The drummer Pedro Ojeda, travelling companion in Romperayo, is invited on the track “Mujer hermana”, as well as the Malian singer Mamani Keita on “Paisano”. The album is mixed in Amsterdam by sprawling musician Alex Figueira (Fumaça Preta, Conjunto Papa Upa, Music With Soul), in his studio Barracão Sound, and comes as a Limited Pressing.