Soundway

Kabul Workshop - Trigana: new edition - $17.99
(cdRoots# hm-kabulwk)
Heavily influenced by Afghan and Indian music, the electro-world of Kabul Workshop differentiates itself from the electro-Asian scene by its originality and the quality of its compositions. When Franceso and Khaled met in 1998, the intellectual and spiritual complicity that united them nourished their artistic collaboration. Far from being the fruit of an odd fusion, the tracks created by Kabul Workshop put technology at the service of melody and composition. The machine carries the breath of traditional instruments and voices; flexible, it allows the pair to extend their field of expression in an artistic language thousands of years old.

VA - Ghana Soundz: Afro-Beat, Funk and Fusion in 70's Ghana - $16.99
(cdRoots# sw-001)
14 rare and unreleased tracks from Sweet Talks, African brothers, Black Star Sound, Ebo Taylor, and many others. Ghana Soundz is a painstakingly assembled collection of Afro-beat and Afro Funk, most of which has never been released outside of Africa and some of which is unreleased anywhere. This package will also appeal to collectors as it includes a full 16 page booklet highlighting the history of the Ghana recording industry and reproductions of original LP sleeves

VA - Afro Baby The Evolution of the Afro Sound in Nigeria 1970-79 - $17.99
(cdRoots# sw-002)
2009 repress, first released in 2004. Nigeria in the 1970s had one the biggest recording industries on the continent as well as one of the most diverse. The fusion of African rhythms and culture with jazz, funk, soul, and rock was an Africa-wide phenomenon but nowhere was it more prolific and active than the cities and dancefloors of Nigeria. These twelve rarities highlight how the Afro-sound influenced all areas of the music scene and how it progressed throughout a very creative and energetic decade. From funky afro-jazz, soul and afro-highlife to big, dancefloor afro-beat Nigeria led the way in West Africa at the time. Following the success of the Ghana Soundz album released last year on Soundway we have diverted our attention to highlighting the Scene in Nigeria during the seventies. This album features only tracks that have never been released outside of Nigeria, and many of them were small underground releases there at the time appearing only on long deleted albums or 45's. All have been lovingly tracked

VA - Panama! Latin, Calypso and Funk on the Isthmus 1965-75 - $16.99
(cdRoots# sw-007)
Panama played host to many musicians from across the Caribbean to South America, laying down some of the best Latin, funk and calypso ever recorded. The Exciters, Victor Boa and Lord Cobra are heard once again. Panama occupies a unique place both geographically and culturally within Central America and the Caribbean. The CD presents a broad range of styles that run parallel to the development of soul and funk music in the US and the nascent salsa sound emerging from Miami, Cali and Baranquilla. The album covers heavy Latin descargas, raw calypsos, deep funk sounds and Caribbean soul, all unavailable since they were first issued in tiny numbers thirty years ago. All tracks have been carefully licensed and re-mastered and sound as vibrant and relevant today as the day they were released. CD l comes packed with in-depth liner notes, original cover scans and contemporary photos.

VA - Panama! 2 - Latin Sounds, Cumbia Tropical and Calypso Funk on the Isthmus 1967–77 - $16.99
(cdRoots# sw-013)
The Panama Canal was built by a huge workforce from all over the Caribbean and South America, each nationality bringing a taste of their culture and music to make up the hugely diverse nation that exists today. After soaking up the varied influences of Panama's diverse population, the dancefloors and bars spat out a mix that took in the raw vallenato of neighboring Colombia, the soul and funk of America, the calypso of Trinidad and the son and rumba of Cuba, all combined and re-styled in a uniquely Panamanian fashion. Writer and compiler Roberto Ernesto Gyemant travelled throughout the country in search of elusive records and reclusive musicians, tracking down hopeful tips and half-remembered names and addresses. Two years of digging through dusty warehouses and old radio stations in search of crackly records and dusty photos led to an exhaustive look at the musical culture of this fascinating country. Includes a full-color, 24-page booklet with nuggets of vital information, untold stories behind the music,

Sweet Talks - The Kusum Beat - $16.99
(cdRoots# sw-014)
Sweet Talks were amongst the top five most popular bands in Ghana during the 1970s having recorded a string of hit albums. 'The Kusum Beat' was originally released in 1974 and became a household favourite with heavy emphasis on the 'Afro' through its traditional rhythms and motifs, blended together into a modern mix that combined highlife, funk and Afrobeat Like a small handful of seminal Ghanaian albums, The Kusum Beat has stood the test of time and sounds as original and unique today as it did back in 1974.

various - Ghana Special: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds, Ghanaian Blues 1968 - 1981 - $21.99
(cdRoots# sw-016)
This 2 CD set contains 33 previously un-reissued tracks from Ghana, the result of en years of research in and around the cities of Accra, Tema, Cape Coast, Takoradi and Kumasi, knocking on musician's doors and visiting ex-distributors, DJs, collectors, manufacturers and shop owners who helped piece the story together. Alongside new artists and groups, some other works of the many musicians and producers compiler Cleret met whilst researching those records are also included here. Many of these tracks have remained only in people's memories or in collections of LPs that sit unplayed. Now there's a 2 CD treasure trove.

VA - Panama! 3 - Calypso Panameño, Guajira Jazz and Cumbia Típica on the Isthmus 1960–75 - $16.99
(cdRoots# sw-018)
"Volume Three is the best volume so far." says Charlie Gillet. Co-editors Roberto Gyemant and Miles Cleret are joined by Will "Quantic" Holland showcase more of the unique tropical music created in Panama in the fertile decades of the 1960s and 1970s. Panama is the thin, tropical bridge that connects North and South America, and is home to three million culturally-diverse people; its music is a soulful blend of Latin American, Caribbean, European and indigenous forms. From bilingual calypsos to guajira jazz, from tropical guarachas to cumbia tamboreras, Panamanian musicians fearlessly combined and brilliantly executed styles that reflected their multicultural environment during a turbulent time in the young country's history. This collection presents more of the golden age of Panamanian music and the music of the combos nacionales on rare recordings that have never been released outside the isthmus until now.

VA - Nigeria Special Volume 2: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds and Nigerian Blues 1970-6 - $16.99
(cdRoots# sw-020)
Features tracks that have been forgotten or out of print for nearly 35 years, but have since been tracked down and documented, including highlife to Juju and Nigerian blues in the languages of Yoruba, Igbo, Bini and Ijaw and a peppering of "Afro" experimentation.

VA - Nigeria Afrobeat Special: The New Explosive Sound in 1970s Nigeria - $16.99
(cdRoots# sw-021)
The fourth edition in the Soundway Nigeria Special series. It was Fela Kuti and his musical and political ideals that formed the core of afrobeat's message. Blending highlife, Yoruba music, funk and jazz, Fela dominated the musical tapestry of 1970s Nigeria and his influence in Nigeria and West Africa led to a craze where most of the bands of the day incorporated this new sound into their repertoires to satisfy the tastes of the audiences of the time. This compilation highlights some of those recordings that have, until now, not seen the light of day, including a never-on-CD 45 single by Fela.

V.A. - Afro Tropical Soundz Vol. 1 - $9.99
(cdRoots# sw-024)
VERY nicely priced sampler featuring a selection from some of Soundway's releases, from the highlife, disco and rock sounds of '70s Nigeria to the golden age of Panamanian music, Benin's Afro-Latin grooves, Colombia's champeta and all other Afro sounds; an essential introduction for music fans who are new to African, Latin and tropical music and also a superb overview for fans of the label from both sides of the Atlantic - from the west coast of Africa to the Caribbean islands, the Isthmus of Panama and beyond. Presented in a brown manila CD digpack, it offers obscure A-sides, B-sides and album cuts that have been unavailable until now. Artists include: Ebo Taylor, Fruko Y Sus Tesos, Papi Brandao, Lito Barrientos, Oscar Sulley and The Uhuru Dance Band, Les Loups Noirs de Haiti, The Sweet Talks, The Action 13, Los Silvertones, Celestine Ukwu, and Orchestre Poly-Rythmo.