June 25, 2024
→ This week! New Montreal based beatsmith Kaytranada released his new LP TIMELESS including a stellar list of featurings. Our ears just kept on coming back to "Hold On" featuring Louisiana based r&b singer Dawn Richard! NYC based producer Jitwman on the remix duties for Chicagoans duo The O'My's, "Firestarter", summer classic! Chilean born, Germany based Dirg Gerner, aka Natureboy Flako just released the new single "Pool of Pain", exploring the shadows of the mind... A deep one. Still loving that beat signature of his too, classic. Listening back to Timmy Thomas's You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing LP from 1974 with the seducing "I've Got to See You Tonight" - also signature beat crafted out of the Maestro Rhythm King, one of the first drum machines that came to the market in 1970. And last but not least, American jazz trombonist Lou Blackburn's take on American composer Victor Young's standard "Song of Delilah" - originally released on Two Note Samba LP on Imperial in 1963 and remastered and rereleased under the name The Complete Imperial Sessions on Blue Note in 2006. Enjoy!
Hold On (feat. Dawn Richard)
KAYTRANADA, Dawn Richard
Firestarter - Jitwam Remix
The O'My's, Jitwam
Pool Of Pain
Dirg Gerner, Natureboy Flako
I've Got to See You Tonight
Timmy Thomas
Song Of Delilah - 2006 - Remastered
Lou Blackburn
June 11, 2024
→ This week! Second single "Brain Freeze" from Belgium's reggae-ska ensemble Jamaican Jazz Orchestra, ahead of their upcoming EP. Second single out as well from Finnish soul singer Bobby Oroza, "Goddess", highly infectious, out on the always amazing Big Crown Records. French, Brussels-based producer La Dame got on the remix duty for iZem's 6AM from his highly recommended 2023 LP In Ze Early Morning, bringing a welcome layer of UK club vibes to the original track. New addictive compilation Congo Funk! is out on Analog Africa, gathering 15 gems of Congolese afro-funk from 1969 to 1982, represented here by "Mfuur Ma" by Groupe Minzoto Ya Zaïre, originally released in 1979. We stay south to wrap this up with the master of MPB, Jorge Ben of course, and his take on Orlandivo's "Onde Anda O Meu Amor" on his second LP Ben É Samba Bom released on Philips in 1964. Enjoy!
Brain Freeze
Jamaican Jazz Orchestra
Goddess
Bobby Oroza
6AM - La Dame Remix
iZem, La Dame
Mfuur Ma
Groupe Minzoto Ya Zaïre
Onde Anda O Meu Amor
Jorge Ben Jor
June 4, 2024
→ This week! New LP Daïsm by producer Solo Moderna, who teamed up with singer Krage, both from the Netherlands, for a very exciting fusion of Carribbean rhythms with synth, in a truly post-punk approach. Don't sleep! Australian house producer Horatio Luna brings a twist of dancefloor grooves to NYC jazz artist Nick Marks's "Ride The Dragon", from his Cinematic Chromatics series. Also from Australia, Hiatus Kaiyote releases new LP Love Heart Cheat Code at the end of June, eponymous single just dropped! Listening back to American jazz-funk icon Bob James with the beautiful and lush "Dream Journey" from the LP Two on CTI back in 1975. Wrapping this week up with pianist, arranger and producer Jon K from Ghana, based in London. "Asafo" is out from his 1989 LP Asaboni and is part of one more great compilation from Soundway Records, Ghana Special 2: Electronic Highlife & Afro Sounds in the Diaspora, 1980-93 that just came out. Enjoy!
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Solo Moderna, Krage
Ride The Dragon - Horatio Luna Remix
Nick Marks, Horatio Luna
Love Heart Cheat Code
Hiatus Kaiyote
Dream Journey
Bob James
Asafo
Jon K
May 28, 2024
→ This week! New dancefloor filler "Osè" from Colombian-based DJ/producer Bosq and Nigerian artist Kaleta, who have been collaborating together on a new LP, No Be Today, coming up next month. New single "Workin’ On It" by Californian duo Brijean (which includes percussionist and singer-songwriter Birjean Murphy of Toro Y Moi and Poolside) from their upcoming LP Macro, a classy and captivating indie grooves pop. Back in Februrary, Californian beatmaker Sweatson Klank, previously knwon as Take released the EP Embers on Friends of Friends, featuring the dreammy and jazzy track "Summer Chronicles". Setting sail to Peru with this great fusion cover of Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes's classic "Berimbau" by Bossa 70. Wrapping up this week's Heavy Rotation in Cameroon with the beautiful reggae song "Hop Sy Trong" by the great guitarist and singer André-Marie Tala !
Osè
Bosq, Kaleta
Workin’ On It
Brijean
Summer Chronicles
Sweatson Klank
Birimbao
BOSSA 70
Hop Sy Trong
Tala André Marie
May 20, 2024
→ This week! Celebrating French much refined multi-instrumentist and producer Quiet Dawn's new LP Celebrate with the celebratory and positive single "It's All About Freedom". Uplifting! Mexican singer Pahua gets her album Habita remixed via the Brooklyn based Razor-N-Tape team, and featuring Montréal-based Poirier on this one ("Espantapájaros", which also features Colombian vocals of La Perla). Atlanta-based producer Nikki Nair and his fascinating raw dance music is back with Snake EP, somehow reminding the roughness of early Daft Punk works. Invigorating! Hot Casa Records finally treats us with the second volume of their compilation series Togo Soul, excavating yet another round of gems from Togo, including the afro-disco "Sumga Ma Bacci" from 1980, by one of my favorite female voices from the continent, Akofa Akoussah. Wrapping this up in Colombia, paying tribute to the last cacique of the gaita ensemble Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, who passed away this week - he has been playing the purest original form of music, mixing mainly african and indigeneous elements from the Carribbean Coast of Colombia - this one is from the 2017 project led by the Llorona Records (Bogota) team, Dub de Gaita, where UK producer Adrian Sherwood turned Los Gaiteros's music into a Jamaican dub version. Unfortunately the track chosen here uses accordion instead of gaita but that's the track that fit best for Le Mellotron's Heavy Rotation.
It's All About Freedom
Quiet Dawn
Espantapájaros - Poirier Remix
Pahua, La Perla, Poirier
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Nikki Nair
Sumga Ma Bacci
Akofa Akoussah
