jaribu afrobeat arkestra is the most known japanese afro beat band. spiritually influenced by the great fela kuti, “jaribu” which means “try” in swahili, have created their own “neo afro beat” sound, interweaving traditional afro beat with funk and jazz sounds. they released their first album afro sound system in 2009 which was critically acclaimed by many djs and radio producers. they performed at the FUJI rock festival 2009 which is the biggest festival in japan. after that they started to search for ways to expand and develop their afro beat sound and began recording their second album, mediacracy.

over the past couple of years, jaribu afrobeat arkestra have established themselves as one of the most exciting live bands on the tokyo scene. They currently play three to four gigs a month, including their own monthly event “natural vibes” at “plug” in shibuya and are the undisputed leaders of the japanese afro beat scene.

the deluxe double-gatefold vinyl is limited to 555 handnumbered copies.
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check out some reviews here.
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1. mediacracy
2. suffer dey
3. legend of yoruba
4. mvua dance (interlude)
5. afro soul knows
6. tricky liars pt.1
7. tricky liars pt.2
8 . maneno ya roho (interlude)
9. n.n.g. pt.1
10. n.n.g. pt.2
11. natural vibes

christmas compilations are often cheesy, smooth selections of bland, overplayed seasonal pabulum. even announced with “funky” or “groovy”, it often leaves listeners disappointed. so were jan kohlmeyer and tobias kirmayer. first, they were bugged out by the all filler-no-killer compilations. the second and more important reason was that of the considerable number of proper rare groove tunes recorded and released in the 1960s and `70s, many languished in obscurity. the pair started a collaboration to create a funky-soul Xmas compilation.

the project started in 2010 when jan illustrated the diversity of more than 50 christmas tunes in the field of jazz, funk and soul to tobias kirmayer of tramp records. although some of the titles had already been compiled, there were exceptional songs that grabbed their attention. major record companies owned a handful of the initially pre-selected songs. the majors refused or ignored jan and tobias’s repeated requests for licensing. where other labels would have given up in despair, jan and tobias were determined to move forward with the project independently. ladies and gentlemen, sing along, shake your hips and dance because: santa's funk & soul christmas party is goin' on.

the cd booklet and lp sleeve contain scans of all 45RPM single labels as well as liner notes to each song. the vinyl comes with a gatefold cover and is limited to 500 copies.
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check out some reviews here.
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1. detroit junior - christmas day
2. lee rogers - you won't have to wait till Xmas
3. gary walker - santa's got a brand new bag
4. vernon garrett with sir stan & the counts - merry christmas baby
5. vernon garrett with sir stan & the counts - christmas groove
6. count sidney & his dukes - soul christmas (voc)
7. count sidney & his dukes - soul christmas (instr)
8. rose graham - black christmas
9. binky griptite - stone soul christmas
10. fat daddy - holiday baby
11. jimmy reed - christmas present blues
12. buchanan & goodman with paul sherman - santa & the satellite
13. jimmy jules & nuclear soul system - Xmas done got funky

the tunes on this compilation are top-end rarities, even for the advanced record collector. daniel and tobias started work on this project in the beginning of 2010. compared to the obscurities to be found here this is not a long time though. the effort, time and enthusiasm they put into it has not been documented. if it had, it probably would have amounted to a thankless task. why? the answer is simple; cd and vinyl sales are far away from what they used to be and people who pay for mp3s are the minority. there is no reason to do such a project for the money nowadays. obviously, daniel and tobias are not only collectors and djs but totally into sharing with the world their passion. each of them chose six songs from their collection to present for the first time to a worldwide audience. the buyer can be assured not only of the rarity and quality, but of the refined taste and heartfelt care that went into this product.

the 8-page cd booklet contains detailed liner notes as well as unpublished photographs. the vinyl comes with a gatefold cover. all songs have been officially licensed and carefully mastered to provide the highest listening pleasure possible.
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check out some reviews by the like of oliver korthals, peter hagen and others.
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1. guitar ray - funky pete
2. james & incredible showman - jams brown boo-ga-loo
3. billy storm & the tempests - apologize
4. don ray & hobbit - we don't need it
5..clarence curvan - feeling nice
6.james polk & the brothers - black door jeannye
7. the herculoids - get back
8. the czars - get down
9. t.d. & jimmy james 3 - jalapeno pep
10. soul dukes - soul-69
11. sonrize - wine for the party
12. j.c. & the soul angels - dance party

I assembled the funk revolution in my one-room cabin, called chez jojo. I gathered together all my salvaged, scavenged, and repurposed gear and completely improvised recording techniques and introduced them to a band that was hot and true, playing up to the presumptuous name I had just given them. after our debut single, 'don’t go away' the rest of the material from this session would be taken down to sleng teng studio and messed around with for years until being realized as more singles for tramp. isaac weiser played bass on this session and delvon lamarr was playing a hammond that took up most of the room. no one even complained.
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the lake-side phase of this space dream happened when we recorded in drummer olli klomp’s living room in his log-cabin on an island in a lake. I remember that it was the hottest day of the summer. we would swim in the lake in between takes to cool off (being careful not to disturb our crawdads that were contentedly grazing on barbecued chicken bones just beneath the dock). I blurted out "lake-side...crawdad farmers!" as the tape began to roll on 'jesse’s party' and it ended up being the winning take so we just went with it. We had the transcendent Jonathan Sherman on Bass for this session.
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I ‘m called lucky because I have the great fortune to be involved with such deeply grooving hearts, super talented players, and infinitely loving souls. this album is the realization of many dreams.
it has been an honor to share the space.
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lucky brown, april, 2011
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check out some reviews by the like of oliver korthals, peter hagen and others.
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1. still listening +
2. jesse's party
3. redbeard *
4. don't go away *
5. potatocakes pt.1 *
6. potatocakes pt.2 *
7. she's a hard working woman +
8. steamed greens pt.1 +
9.steamed greens pt.2 +
10. deal with it *+
11. the fresh one +
12. scatterbrain +
13. izzy come, izzy go *
14. .space dream +
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* cd bonus track
+ previously unreleased

this, the third volume in the 'contemporary...' series is indeed very special as it is simultaneously the tenth album released on tramp records. when I founded the label in late 2003 I did not know that I would still be in the game eight years later. and though the uncharted waters of today's music business have been turbulent, this ship sails on.

I will continue to guide this label because my passion and desire is simply to spread honest music of independent artists. this is what I have always done with tramp and I am very proud of every tramp release. while at first tramp stood especially for funk and soul, my interest in related genres progressed. now, diving into the tramp catalogue, you will encounter every shade of soulful music: latin-jazz, afro beat, modern soul and everything in between.

afro beat, the original hybrid of jazz, funk and west african highlife created by fela ransome-kuti and tony allen in the late 1960s, is everything else than dead in 2011: open your mind and ears and enjoy the exciting sounds of odu, afromotive, jojo quo & his challengers and all the others. fela declared his music "the progressive music of the future." well, the future has come. this is contemporary afro beat.
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check out some reviews by the like of oliver korthals, peter hagen and others.
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1. fanga - crache la douleur
2. afromotive - one way go
3. odu - afrobeat principles #1 *
4. n'ghare hi power band - campus rock
5 .jojo quo & his challengers - every woman is good woman
6. kokolo afrobeat orchestra - donkey
7. the boogoos - them for isaac kirya *
8. afrodita - africa my dear *
9. akoya afrobeat ensemble - p.d.p.
10. aphrodesia - special girl
11. albino! - jing bong wah
12. afrodelic stegosaurchestra - matches
13. express brass band - radio kabul
* previously unreleased

it's been a hard time for black people in the United States, especially in the 1960s when a series of unbelievable events took place that shocked not only the entire nation but the whole world. musically it was james brown who represented best what the black nation felt. his screams and shouts, his moans and groans helped to release the pressure in a peaceful way. music itself was actually one of the very few opportunities for afro-americans to express their feelings in a raw and uncut way. the music simply translated the conditions of the country that existed in those days. listen to james brown's powerful 'cold sweat' and you can still feel it today. thousands of musicians around the country followed brown's example and offered their own artistic contributions to spread confidence, hope, and peace for the black nation.
one of those many bands were the soul bros. inc. out of houston, texas. they were likely one of the most important funk/soul groups in the city in the late 1960s until they broke up in the mid `70s. I had the pleasure of spending hours on the phone talking to henry boatwright. boatwright played flute, saxophone and sang on many songs as well as composing many of the releases for the band's own S.B.I. records label. (S.B.I. stands for soul brothers inc.) now it's time for me to pass the word to mr. boatwright. he is eager to share the story of the soul bros. inc. with you to preserve their legacy for the next 40 years at least.
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1. slow motion
2. bimbo knows
3. african slide
4. git it
5. that loving feeling
6. the devil made me do it
7. girl in the hot pants
8. put it on him
9. go on and have your fun
10. soul train
11. pyramid
12. long dark night for prejudice
13. I saw forever my love*
14. Find his way back home*
15. I'm not going to be the one*
16. I don't think we going back again*
17. the broken hip
* cd bonus tracks

the story of the qualitons began in 2007 when dj/producer kanada káosz was invited to dj at the berlin soul ascension festival (SAF). When he saw some of the greatest funk/soul/beat bands playing at the SAF (incl. the soul investigators, afrobeat academy) he went back to budapest inspired to organize such a band in hungary.

the band were named after the living memory of the former hungarian recording company "qualiton" - a record label which existed from the late 50s up to the 70s. at first the band's repertoire consisted of cover-versions from rare hungarian 7" singles but soon started to write their own songs. they released two 7" singles on tramp records and were featured on a compilation entitled contemporary funk (tr-9005).

in early 2010 legendary japanese dj muro placed mellbimbo by the qualitons right at the beginning of his afro-funk mixtape 'super afro funky breaks'. furthermore in may this year gil-scott heron and his band shared stage with the qualitons at the mediawave festival in szombathely, hungary. heron and the guys enjoyed themselves so much that they congratulated the qualitons personally for their authentic music and great performance

check out some reviews by the likes of craig charles funk/soul show, dom servini and others.
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1. c'mon baby get heavy with me
2. overdose
3. ejjel a sötétben
4. bodzarella
5. wandering will
6. one man song*
7. a.c. blues
8. soul bowl / kekfény
9. slowman*
10. kulmi*
11. mellbimbo
12. more plutonium
13. aua
* cd bonus tracks

movements 3 no longer focuses on the sound of raw funk only. kirmayer's goal is to please an open-minded audience with an exciting selection of funk, soul and jazz music. most of these tunes had been privately released and might have been forgotten if it weren't for aficionados like kirmayer securing them and bringing them back to life. nothing more needs to be said about movements 3 as we will now let the long-silenced music speak for itself. now is your chance to get your hands on this incredible collection of tunes. we hope this selection serves as a reminder and a beacon to today's music enthusiasts. may the great music never fade away!

check out some reviews by the likes of craig charles funk/soul show, dom servini and more
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side a:
1.iris bell trio feat. butch miles - something else (2:47)
2. fats gaines orchestra - backlash (3:17)
3. janet's we-three - sidewinder (3:20)
4. the echomen - let's get together (2:33)
5. the port angels - angel food (3:42)
side b:
6. orchestra luis enriquez - helly, quincey (2:50)
7. ernesto cardenal - grito pidiendo (3:04)
8. roy burns with dick grove big band - dead ringer (4:13)
9. tiny grimes - backslider (4:14)
10. joe viera sextett - song for my father (4:51)
11. solar pelxus - the serpent speaks (5:49)

it was not long ago when tramp records founder tobias kirmayer discovered his love for jazz and its colorful varieties. his general affection for the analog recording technique is as evident as on the compilations predecessor‚ 'contemporary funk.' if you are familiar with the aforementioned album, you know that the focus is not only about the production/sound of the late 1960s but in at least the same extent on bands which have not yet had much musical output, if any.

this, however, has nothing to do with the quality of the songs or the abilities of the musicians. for example, the cultures of rrhythm was nominated as jazz ambassadors of the united states in 2007. or the sugarman 3 have been professionally working in the music business for more than 15 years. connecting all bands is the deeply rooted love for jazz. what counts for them is that it all comes from the heart. therefore it is not surprising that despite the rich history of jazz recordings, their creativity and songwriting skills lead them to beautiful musical endeavors. indeed, they come close to touching the garment of jazz giants like john & alice coltrane, pharaoh sanders or jimmy smith.

so the goal is quite obvious, this compilation is about to present a fine selection of handpicked songs to accomplish an even more unique mission: to prove that creative minds are still on this planet to keep real jazz alive - and 'contemporary jazz' is a testament to that

check out some reviews by the likes of craig charles funk/soul show, dom servini and more
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side a:
1. the cultures of rhythm - bodhisvattva wonderful sound (4:34) prev. unreleased
2. das goldene zeitalter feat. bajka - a vision part1 (5:04)
3. eli sundelson - rockridge kids (2:52) prev. unreleased
4. deep jazz - starlings talk (4:00) prev. unreleased
5. wayne bartlett - sènor blues (5:41)
side b:
6. primo and the groupe - a child runs free (4:40)
7. sugarman 3 - sugar's boogaloo (3:04)
8. nick rossi set - sweet tater pie (3:57)
9. the hi-fly orchestra - gettin' down (3:59)
10. hipnosis - hier kommt die laterne (3:34) prev. unreleased

the funk on this compilation is contemporary but the message of funk is as old as humanity itself. funk as tramp records sees it is a vibrant and viable music that was born from a transformative period in american history - the sound of the growing pains of a young country. 'contemporary funk' gathers inspired bands from today whose hearts still beat for funk's timeless truth, and connects them with this rich legacy of american music.

today, the rhythm and earnestness of true funk can be found in all corners of the world. and this compilation is evidence that the innocence and purity of the original message remains strong. affectation and phoniness can't seem to take hold in funk as long as the unenlightened or uninitiated players aren't trying to wah-wah their way through one-dimensional cartoon-like clichés. afro wigs and 'booty' references only help to reinforce racist stereotypes and obstruct funk from realizing it's true potential as an uplifting music for all the people of the world.

'contemporary funk' assembles bands which hearts beat for the original, raw soul sound they want to keep alive in its original form. the sugarman 3, whose former musicians are now members of the famous dap-kings (of sharon jones fame) are included just as will holland (quantic soul orchestra). also finlands no.1 funk band, the soul investigators (of nicole willis fame) are to be found within some more heavy acts. however, the aim was to focus on new bands on the scene such as derobert & the half-truths, the funk revolution or the ben martin trio, to name a few. original funk music lives on in the 21rst century - and ‚contemporary funk' is a great proof for that.

check out some reviews by the likes of jazzman gerald, craig charles funk/soul show and more
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side a:
1. derobert & the half-truths - fallin’ in debt (1:58)
2. the fantastics - chicken lickin’ (3:38)
3. big joe louis & soul investigators - gogo train (2:50)
4. karachi prison band - put some grit in it pt.1 (3:02)
5. the funk revolution - izzy come, izzy go (4:29)
6. the qualitons - one man song (5:00)
side b:
7. mauri bailey - soul pop (2:40)
8. the neapolitans - hakusha (3:32)
9. tynnes well & the magic fountains - stop the madness
10. the unstoppable s. robinson & his marvelaires - humpin’ (5:40)
11. ben martin trio - brasil no.7 (3:54)

"you're a jazz group. you have been together for two and a half years. you play here; you play there, you start happening. you've got a dancing, grooving beat that keeps people coming back. you're "out of sight". you're called the hi-fly orchestra (THFO).
only one and a half years after the successful debut album THFO strikes back. again, the tunes have been recorded live on a 16-track tape machine, delivering an authentic and original sound. although the band consists of six men, one man is responsible for keeping the group at performance peak when sideman leave and others take their place - one man holds everything together and was responsible for forming the group - the leader and sax/flute player, florian riedl. instrumentally, the sound effects and expressions are achieved by the use of flute, saxophone, trombone, piano, congas, double-bass and drums, a particularly good combination of instruments to gain a great effect.
this album is not completey jazz-oriented, but it displays the variety of the talents of the band. it will let you hear and feel what is to be expected from them. the hi-fly orchestra are happening … you can happen with them.

check out some reviews by the likes of jazzman gerald, craig charles funk/soul show and more
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side a:
1. afro-boo
2. hi-fly stomp
3. chove chuva (feat. mirian aida)
4. crosstown traffic
5. the new b!
side b:
6. carioquinha
7. polonesa (feat. mirian aida)
8. mrs. shing-a-ling
9. mambo atomico

(cd available on ajabu records!)

"zozo," taken from the goun and fon word for "something hot," truly keeps the afrobeat fires burning. a 13-piece ensemble from new york city, zozo afrobeat features musicians from around the world and is led by african music luminary kaleta. born in the republic of benin and raised in nigeria, kaleta grew up recording and performing with legendary nigerian musicians fela kuti and king sunny ade. after moving to the U.S., kaleta toured with femi kuti and most recently with lauryn hill.

with zozo afrobeat, kaleta's music pays homage to the greats, and yet has its own distinctive sound and energy. like fela kuti, who used his music to challenge a corrupt nigerian government, kaleta has written songs that are socially and politically provocative. at the same time, his lyrics reflect a keen sense of humor and a message of hope. on zozo afrobeat's 2007 release, "country of guns", kaleta scatters pop-culture references and marvels of a country with "250 million people and 250 billion guns." on other songs, kaleta sings in yoruba, goan, fon and french.

on stage, kaleta displays remarkable energy - singing, dancing, playing guitar and percussion. the band responds accordingly, delivering cascades of horns, hypnotic benino-nigerian rhythms, and captivating solos. zozo afrobeat has played at the lincoln center "out of doors" festival, the brooklyn museum and various clubs in the new york area.

click here for a recent interview with kaleta (in german) or here for an older one (in english).
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side a:
1. get up (9:42)
2. baba nla iya (intense suffering) (11:31)
side b:
3. shake your nyansh (10:16)
4. fimile (leave me alone) (10:34)

after having released two impressive deep funk compilations (movements 1 & 2) on munich's perfect toy records, tobias kirmayer is back with a different batch of grooves for you. it's good to see that someone so well regarded in the 'deep funk' scene is also able to compile such a stunning and diversified selection. the styles stretch from hip-hop to latin-grooves, from jazz-breaks to afro-blue-eyed-soul! tobias proves once again that he should be regarded not just for his work in the deep funk field, but even more as an open-minded guy who is truly passionate about any kind of music done with soul.
so come on, press the 'play' button and immerse yourself into a totally stunning mix of tracks you may have not expected to hear. this is tobias other side, something you'll even be surprised by, selected tracks for your listening pleasure that show the widest of musical roots. fellows, join us, this is tobias doing HIS thing!

just to mention, all songs on this compilation have been fully licensed. also both cd and lp contain liner notes with interesting details about the featured songs. so, in case you dig the soundsnippets below we would really appreciate your support. we people who run small, independent labels need your help! please do not copy or download our releases illegally, simply buy them and give us the chance to continue our work. thank you!
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side a:
1. intro
2. nitesounds - get clean
3. skin williams & his dominoes - skins funk
4. the blenders - nothin' but a party (edit)
5. the boogoos - bubbles (edit)
6. the hi-fly orchestra - violet
side b:
7. dr. sonnenschein - get high
8. dusty feat. carla vallet - rhythmo
9. caldonia - barbados stew
10. saegaflex & rudy tee - first time around
11. baccarola - trip to afrika
12. outro (cd bonus track)