There has been an amazing amount of new World Music releases on LP over the last three months. It has become so overwhelming that I thought I’d better call attention to it. Whether you like reissues of obscure World Music albums, hits collections, compilations, or new music, we have plenty of recent arrivals for your turntable. Not only do we have lots of new releases, but at the Hollywood store we have plenty of used LPs and two rows of collector LPs on the wall just above the Country/Bluegrass section. Listed below are some of my favorite new releases, broken down by geographical regions. 




Africa:

La Grande Cantatrice Malienne Vol 3 (plus download) - Na Hawa Doumbia
Danger - Lijadu Sisters
Wake Up Your Mind - Joni Haastrup
Give The Beggar A Chance & Dawn Of Awareness - Monomono
Jealousy/ No Discrimination / No Accommodation For Lagos  / Progress - Tony Allen
Bambara Mystic Soul – The Raw Sound Of Burkina Faso 1974 to 1979 - V/A
S/T - El Rego
Obi Agye Me Dofo - Vis-A-Vis

Over the years I made it a habit to dig through all the used Electronica 12”s to perhaps find a lost worldly gem. I’ll usually take a gamble on any used 12” that usually flirts with some sort of World Music theme. I look for key words such as “Afro,” “Brazilian” and “Latin” if I don’t already know the artist. A few years back I found a 12” from a label called Sofrito Discothèque. It looked cool so I bought it even though I had never heard of the label. The single was called Music Is The Word. It was a mixture of Latin, Afrobeat and Caribbean rhythms. I am so glad I took a chance on that single! I became a fan of the label and it became another go-to label along with Bastard Jazz, Freestyle and Raw Fusion in finding World Music edits and jams.

2011 finds a great pairing of two labels -- Strut Records, which has been releasing World Music heat for over a decade, has paired up with the Sofrito crew (Hugo Mendez, Frankie Francis and The Mighty Crime Minister) in releasing Tropical Discotheque. What I like about this compilation is that it mixes both vintage World music tracks and tracks made recently by newer artists. Vintage bangers from Banda Los Hijos De La Niña Luz and Mighty Shadow are joined by newer tracks from Frente Cumbiero and Quantic Y Su Conjunto Los Miticos Del Ritmo. On top of that, a few of the Sofrito edits are thrown in for good measure. The flow of African, Latin and Caribbean jams works together quite nicely, like a meal at a fusion restaurant that doesn’t take the grittiness away from the original dish when combining it with another culture’s flavor. In other words, it doesn't suck.

Anibal Velaquez-Mambo Loco

Probably my most abused LP that I bought this year. I can’t tell how many times I’ve played Mambo Loco at shows or just sitting at home. Velaquez is a master of the accordion and very influential in bringing Colombian Cumbia to the rest of the world. I found that his outside influences, mostly from Cuban music, made his sound easier for people to digest. In my DJ sets, Mambo Loco served as a gateway into Salsa or Merengue or out of that into Cumbia. I’m telling you, this one is straight heat! If you still aren’t a fan of Cumbia after this album, you are probably dead.



Charanjit Singh — Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat
Does House Music have its roots with Charanjit Singh and his box of archaic early 80’s electronic equipment? That is debatable, but what isn’t is that Singh’s electronic Indian Ragas contained some of the freshest sounds to hit my ear in a while. "Raga Bairagi," my favorite track, is a cluster of different Indian influences with Singh’s ear for soundtrack music. It's as if he imagined Moroder working with Herbie Hancock to create the soundtrack to the Indian version of The Warriors.

I can't help but imagine how much fun we would be having now if the Western world had embraced Charanjit Singh in the eighties like they did Ravi Shankar in the sixties.

With the reissue of Chico Mann’s Analog Drift album on Wax Poetics Records comes another chance for you to experience the brilliance of Marcos Garcia. Analog Drift was one of my favorite releases of last year, a limited self-release by Marcos (aka Chico Mann) that was only on sale at his shows and a few stores, like Amoeba Hollywood. Chico Mann’s blend of Afro Beat and 80’s Freestyle over Cuban & Puerto Rican influences is still one of the freshest sounds around. The energy that Chico Mann’s three-piece group puts out live is so contagious; you’ll find yourself on the dance floor busting a move to their Afro Cha-Cha rhythms.

Sunday, October 24th finds Chico Mann performing live at Sonido, located at the Little Temple. I have been blessed to also be on the bill with the gregarious DJ Sloe Poke and Mando Fever. King Steady Beat, a long time Los Angeles Ska and Reggae aficionado that also kills it with the Cumbias will be playing too. All in all, it should be a great night.

It’s been disheartening to see the lack of coverage the floods in Pakistan have been getting in L.A. The relief efforts have been slow, and contributions to relief organizations have been much less than one would expect for a disaster of that magnitude. Surely the media's bias against Muslim countries doesn’t help. Add a depressed economy and other variables and most relief groups will tell you that funds are not rolling in to help the millions affected by the floods.

But how about the people that seem to champion every worldly cause? You, know, the ones that seem to Tweet or send Facebook links about global warming or “Haiti: One Year Later?" When local deejay Kutmah was deported, people came from all over the city to donate and help out, especially those not privy to immigrant rights issues. He is only one person and look at the effort that went to help him! It's amazing what people can do when focused. In Pakistan, there are 20 million people affected by the flooding. You would think there would be an uproar about the lack of aid and humanity.

How bout those artists that seem to write a song about any social issue in the media? There are no “We Are The World” style songs for Pakistan. I guess if the media isn’t covering Pakistan, then there will be no coverage for a song about Pakistan. Like the expression goes, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" So why bother writing that song, right?