DJ Fokus - Watch Out/Media

FDMTL2
Format: Vinyl
Breakbeat/Hardcore/Jungle



Essential DJ Fokus reissue on Doug Shipton’s Fundamental Frequencies label, big! 

Greg Foat - Spider Plant Blues 7" 

Format: Vinyl
Jazz/Fusion

Greg Foat is a London-based keyboardist, composer, bandleader and DJ. He claims his life-long love/hate relationship with the piano began at age 3, when he fell off a piano stool at his aunt's house. He started composing around age 11, and at 15 attended a jazz workshop with Jeff Clyne, Olaf Vas, Trevor Tomkins and Nick Weldon, igniting his obsession with jazz music. He furthered to study jazz at Middlesex University, and then studied for 6 months in Sweden on an Erasmus grant. He played his first professional studio session there at 21, and has been working as a professional musician ever since.
Snake Plant Shuffle and Spider Plant Blues are inspired by the the plants on Gregs bedside tables - which periodically move around the house dependent on his mood. The plants provide a good source of oxygen in the room and create a calm soothing atmosphere for Gregs musical projects. Together the tracks feature live drum kits by Ayo Salawu, Fender Rhodes and a plethora of Vintage Synthesisers.

Wagadu Grooves: The Hypnotic Sound of Camara 1987-2016 2xLP 

HTML010
Format: Vinyl
African/Reggae/Fusion/Disco

"A zinging survey of the dazzlingly diverse, thrilling, neglected releases of Gaye Mody Camara, a young Soninke raised in Mali’s Kayes region, who settled in France in 1977. He started out by selling wax, kola nuts, and other items in Paris; and in no time he was distributing cassette tapes, on his way to producing a multitude of recordings for his own label, Camara Production. A fascinating, precious insight into the modern diaspora of an ancient culture, spanning out as Malian zouk, Mauritanian reggae, and a myriad of grooving, head-spinning directions. Prepared in full collaboration with Gaye Camara; with riso-printed notes."
HONEST JON'S

"It is hard in 2024 to reissue music from the African continent while remaining fresh and surprising. Bingo. Hot Mule takes the podium with this compilation from “Camara production” a label founded in Paris, a reference for the Soninke artistic diaspora and other Malian talents. Very deep, tradi-modern and voices... voices!"
SOFA RECORDS

"Wagadu Grooves: The Hypnotic Sound of Camara 1987-2016 showcases all the different ways the ancient Soninke sound developed through modern production: the delicate, hypnotic lute set alongside the regular beats of a drum machine and heavily autotuned vocals on opener “Kori,” the synthy reggae of “Yexu,” the endlessly transportive “Koolo Fune,” or the swirling disco of “Tenedo.” All blur the borders between tradition and innovation, and are a tribute to Camara’s efforts to keep Soninke culture alive."
SHFL

"With the help of this wonderful vinyl 2LP, a lot could be told about the fluidity of culture, about the history of Africa, but also about intercontinental migration, about nation-statehood and much more. The centuries-old history of these recordings is told in detail in the liner notes and can also be read on the Internet. The music itself tells the story. On “Wagadu Grooves: The Hypnotic Sound Of Camara 1987-2016” you can find traces of disco and reggae, but of course also ancient rhythms, autotune meets traditional instruments."
HHV MAG

"Hot Mule and partners have produced an essential introductory showcase/revitalisation of Soninke sounds: the very epitome of ‘cool’ and enlightenment. And with it, shed that metaphorical light on a story that needs shouting about. I can’t really fault the collection. And so recommend you make room for it, add to your listening list, and better still, purchase a copy ahead of the rush: I’m anticipating it will sell out fast."
MONOLITH COCKTAIL

"10/10 comp"
PALMS TRAX

"This here release is, quite unpretentiously, the stuff of legend, actually several legends wrapped into one phenomenal release."
GREEDY FOR BEST MUSIC

"A way of reliving the Soninké cosmogonies from their beginnings, to their most recent development, stories of prosperity and adventure, of exile and roots, mixed with the sounds of ancient koras or ngoni, just as the digital echoes of synthesizers and vocoders."
DJOLO.NET

"The best thing i've heard so far this year."
MACCA / ONE GLOVE (NTS)

"Beautiful sounds from a very unique label – one started in Paris by a Malian merchant in the 80s, in order to both present sounds from his homeland, and all of the wonderful new variations that were taking place on the cross-cultural scene in France! The body of work is partly a compelling document of culture in diaspora, but more importantly presents a nice range of grooves with a vibe that's very different than mainstream music from the time – especially some of the too-commercialized records that were shifting big numbers on the world music scene."
DUSTY GROOVE

"Beautifullt curated and remastered with the aim of bringing the sound of Camara, and the Soninke diaspora and language to a new audience."
THE CHILLOUT TENT

"A ridiculously beautiful record."
TOM RAVENSCROFT (BBC 6 MUSIC)

"A spectacular collection of funky African grooves"
VINYL EXCHANGE

"I suppose the category is "Electronic griot" and it is consistently high quality, as is the production."
MUZIKIFAN

"The whole thing is beautiful."
ZAKIA (NTS)

"Ranging from driving percussive numbers to melodic ballads, this diverse collection showcases Camara’s sonic evolution and timeless talent. As the tracks blur borders between disco, reggae, and soul, listeners’ ears will delight with the echo of a magical musical experience – a chronicle of harmonic creativity that is a fitting tribute to this formidable artist and his brilliant Camara Production label."
TWISTEDSOULMUSIC.ORG

"A great name and equally great music."
MUSIC PLANET (BBC3)

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The Soninke collective consciousness finds its origins in a founding myth, a blood pact: the legend of Biida and the decadence of the empire of Ghana or Wagadu (evoked by Léopold Sédar Senghor as a land of plenty in his poem Le Kaya Magan). From the 3rd century AD, gathered in the region of Sahel, on the edge of the Sahara desert, the Soninko ruled over their kingdom and its capital Kumbi Saleh. According to folklore, they were blessed with abundant rain and nuggets of gold could be picked directly from the ground.

They owed this prosperity to a providential but cruel protector: the Wagadu Biida, a seven-headed serpent who lived at the bottom of the Kumbi well. Every year, as a reward for his favours, the Biida demanded an offering: the life of the most beautiful virgin woman in the community. Sacrifices took place for generations, until the 13th century AD, when fate chose Siya Yatabéré, Maamadi Sehedunxote's sweetheart.

When the dreadful day came, no one seemed surprised to find the young man armed on his stallion, facing the beast’s lair alongside Siya Yatabéré. The Biida always came out of the well three times before taking his victim. And so it went, until the third apparition when the sky darkened, the thunder rumbled and the wind blew. Maamadi charged at the Biida and cut off its head with his sword. In turn, six other heads appeared and were immediately cut off, each landing on what would become the sites of West Africa’s seven great gold mines. From the seventh severed head arose a curse: "With my end begins a period of calamity for you and your people. For seven years, seven months and seven days, not a drop of water will fall on Wagadu and your gold will turn to dust". According to oral tradition, the murder of Biida symbolises the ethinc group's abandonment of ancestor worship and adoption of Islam.

With the realm in its death throes, the dispersion of the Soninko became inevitable. Nomads at heart, always wanting to go beyond their borders, they first criss-crossed the sub-region or Central Africa (the two Congos), then kept on moving from one area to another in West Africa (mainly Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau), not only to trade and farm, but also to reach out to others, gather knowledge and gain autonomy...

Centuries later in 1977, Gaye Mody Camara, a young Soninke raised in Mali's Kayes region, settled in France to found his own empire. Initially selling wax, kola nuts and other goods in his Parisian outlets, he rapidly started distributing cassette tapes and eventually producing a multitude of recordings for his own label: Camara Production.

Crossing paths and collaborating over the next four decades with legendary artists, griots and industry moguls like Boncana Maïga, Jean-Philippe Rykiel, Ganda Fadiga, Diaby Doua or Ibrahima Sylla, Camara became one of the great independent music producers of his generation, and a pilar of the Parisian Soninke diaspora.

Released in close collaboration with Gaye Camara and with the assistance of Daouda N'diaye, one of A.P.S' (Association pour la Promotion de la langue et de la culture Soninké) historical members, this selection of songs and accompanying notes aim to shed a light on an intricate culture and its modern music, unjustifiably unknown outside of West Africa and the various diasporas around the world.

Originally released on cassettes or digitally, we have given the utmost attention to bringing this music to a new format. It has been carefully remastered and pressed on heavyweight vinyl.

The release of this compilation coincides with a huge victory achieved by the A.P.S in october 2023: the proclamation by UNESCO of an international day of the Soninke language on September 25th.

Ghana Special 2: Electronic Highlife & Afro Sounds In The Diaspora, 1980-93 3xLP 

SNDWLP148
Format: Vinyl
African/



In the early 1980s, a particular alchemy between new musical technologies and significant social, cultural, and political transformations in Ghana gave rise to a new style of highlife. Drum machines and synthesisers appeared alongside lilting guitar lines and punchy horns, and the emerging Ghanaian diaspora began incorporating US disco and boogie, R&B, European new wave, and Caribbean zouk and soca into their music.

This style soundtracked the birth of a new, proud Ghanaian identity and captured the idiosyncrasies of a rapidly changing postcolonial society, marked by increased migration and wider access to global sounds and modern technology.

More than 20 years after the release of the heavy funk and Afrobeat-focused Ghana Soundz compilations, and following the success of 2009’s Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds & Ghanaian Blues 1968-1981, Soundway is now shining the spotlight on the multifaceted, diasporic sounds of the ‘80s on new compilation Ghana Special - Volume 2, a collection of 18 burger highlife, electronic afrobeat, and reggae tracks.

Though Ghanaian to its very core, burger highlife emerged mostly outside of Ghana and just as the sun was setting on the country’s musical golden age. In the 1960s and 1970s cities such as Accra, Tema, Takoradi, and Cape Coast were home to thriving music scenes, and the loud horn sections of the big highlife bands, or the simpler, socially conscious palm wine music ruled the dance halls, locals drinkeries, and airwaves.

Back then music represented a powerful force, and an artist’s endorsement or dissent could make or break a politician. Perhaps to curb this power, the incoming military regime-imposed curfews and substantial import taxes on musical instruments in the early 1980s. These measures, coupled with a profound economic downturn and shifting musical preferences that saw DJs replacing large live bands, served as the final blow to Ghana's once-thriving music scene.

Musicians left Ghana in droves, scattering across West Africa, Europe, and North America. Thanks in part to its more permissive migration policies Germany became the heart of this scene, and the movement in fact takes its name from “Bürger”, the German for “citizen”. Less confined by genres than back in Ghana, artists in the diaspora were quick to engage with the different styles, working disco, boogie, and funk into their highlife melodies. Access to state-of-the-art studios and modern musical technologies also gave birth to all sorts of mutations: burger highlife in fact is less defined by one particular sound, than by the experimental approach and global outlook of its artists.

Tracks such as Ernest Honny’s experimental cut “New Dance” are an example of just how far artists strayed from original highlife arrangements. Honny, who started his career as a keyboard player with Dr K Gyasi’s band The Noble Kings, had moved to Benin in the 1980s, where he experimented with synthesisers and drum machines at one of Cotonou’s top studios. Similarly, Nan Mayen’s “Mumude” is a slick, 80’s pop track which was recorded in Germany, with only a slight echo of highlife in its opening Fanti lyrics.
This generation of artists found inspiration in sounds that transcended geographical boundaries: singer and guitarist Nana Budjei, who was originally from central Ghana but had moved to the UK in the 1980s, says that his radiant, sun-drenched 1988 track “Asobrachie” is “influenced by reggae maestros Bob Marley and Alpha Blondy, and traditional Akan folklore music”; on “Jigi Jigi”, the Kumasi-born, Sweden transplant Delips Apo draws on soca, latin, and zouk influences.

Throughout the 1980s Ghanaian artists kept producing increasingly innovative and experimental hybrids, winning over new audiences abroad. Though back in Ghana the new sound was initially met with disapproval by purists, it slowly became a symbol of a new, worldly and modern Ghanaian identity. The creativity and open mindedness that characterised burger highlife have gone on to shape the evolution of Ghanaian music since, giving artists the freedom to explore new global sounds while preserving a proudly Ghanaian soul. Ghana Special - Volume 2 stands as a vibrant tribute to the lasting legacy of this groundbreaking musical era.