Hmmm… this is interesting. So while Numero Group was working on tracking down tunes for a new compilation they are working out – featuring “Chicago-by-way-of-Puerto Rico Salsa, Latin funk, Guaguanco, Guajira, Merengue, Bolero, and Rumba” – they happened across a storage spaced filled with 152 copies each of 12 different original 45s from the Ebirac [...]

There’s a brand new slab of wax from dub-drone master Forest Swords up for preorder.  If you’re not already listening to Mr. Swords religiously, get on it, it’s pretty amazing shit (check out the video below).  The new “Rattling Cage / Hjurt” two-song 7″ is limited to 300 copies and will cost you £5.   There’s [...]

Does what it says on the tin. Insound has tons of records, you have lots of empty shelf space. If you don’t, then you need to buy some new shelves and place an order at Insound where the entire store is 15% off for an entire week using coupon code “swjune15″ – insound.com.

Timely reissue of this classic joint from ’74. What the world needs now more than anything is more spiritual Rastafarian music, and you can thank the folks at Dug Out for pulling this record out of obscurity and into the light where it belongs. It’s hard to argue with the writeup from Honest Jon’s (they [...]

The final word from Torsten Profrock producing as T++, and now leaving the highly respected moniker behind. A double pack of 12″ vinyl on the always reliable Honest Jon’s imprint out of England; four lengthy electronic tracks that defy sub-categorization. What we do know is that the breakbeats are “shot through with the contorted samples [...]

This lovely slab of vinyl showed up on my doorstep and has been getting some heavy rotation ever since.  Dark Dark Dark is a group of chamber-pop musicians from New Orleans, New York, and Minneapolis.  Their new EP, “Bright Bright Bright”, is lush, historical, dark, and beautiful.  At times they sound like a slower, folkier [...]

There is no better way to start your day than with a whole batch of new records from Chicago’s Thrill Jockey label.  This group of releases is particularly impressive to me, I was pretty blown away by all of them.  First up is “…And Then We Saw Land” by Tunng.  This is a record full [...]

Sublime Frequencies are just great at what they do – pulling criminally under-appreciated international musicians out of obscurity (at least here) and introducing them to the world.  After treating us to the genius of folks like Omar Souleyman and Group Doueh, their newest release is from the late Egyptian guitar legend Omar Khorshid.  “Guitar El [...]

Seriously, try to keep up with these international funk and soul reissues, I dare you.  They will drain your bank account and your social life.  That being said, these two new compilations are a pretty stellar deal.  The “Si, Para Usted: The Funky Beats of Revolutionary Cuba” series covers Cuban funk, soul, psych, and jazz.  [...]

Damn, just when I was congratulating myself for chilling out on the funk reissues, this absolute must-buy record dropped.  Check out this description from the site:  “Following the success of Psych Funk 101, Egon presents Joel Stones’ Brazilian Guitar, Fuzz Bananas. If Psych Funk 101 was the freshman seminar in global-psychedelic grooves, then this album [...]

I’ve pretty much been pacing the room like a maniac waiting for the vinyl release of Oh No’s “Dr No’s Ethiopium”, and it looks like I can finally relax.  Here’s the rundown:  Oh No (Madlib’s brother) made this record with help from Egon’s massive record collection.  It was “inspired-by and sampled-from rare 60′s and 70′s [...]

Stones Throw has been throwing around some sneak peeks of this box set for awhile now, and it has finally dropped.  “Black Man’s Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti” is a massive set of four 10″ records, each stuffed with covers of (and music inspired by) Afrobeat godfather Fela Kuti.  Don’t worry, the music here [...]

I’m not sure why we didn’t write about Part 1 of this amazing album yet, but it already came and went at Boomkat, though Forced Exposure allegedly still has some in stock.  Part 2 is now in stores, and this stuff is seriously amazing.  As Boomkat describes it, “Incredible new project fusing elements of everything [...]

Now-Again Records, the Stones Throw spin-off label run by Egon, have three amazing new records available.  This post covers all three, so be sure to scroll down.  The first is a compilation called “Forge Your Own Chains: Heavy Psychedelic Ballads and Dirges”.  Curated by Egon himself, this is a massive package of beat-heavy global psychedelic [...]

Helado Negro is the brainchild of Roberto C. Lange, a frequent collaborative partner of Guillermo Scott Herren (aka Prefuse 73, Savath y Savalas, etc).  This is laid back, breezy music with hints of tropicalia, psych-folk, and even Herren’s own work.  All told, this is a nice little album that you can score on vinyl for [...]