Radio LBB: Roots Vol.35

Now into its seventh year and the 35th edition. For the uninitiated, the Roots playlist showcases an eclectic range of music from across the globe of unfamiliar, forgotten, or recently discovered, to the most upfront sounds of now, all with the common theme of being rooted in Africa.

Some of the highlights this time round include:

DJ Kent - Horns in the Sun (Thakzin Remix)

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that many of the artists pushing dance music forward in recent times come out of Africa. Gqom, kuduro, and amapiano have successively pushed the prism, reframing our conceptions of what rhythms, textures, and moods are available for the dancefloor, and been picked up and lauded by DJs across the globe. Thakzin is one of those artists. Signed by Kaytranada, the young producer has been crafting his signature three-step sound, combining elements of amapiano, house, and bruk, sparking an outpouring of creativity from similar artists. His remix of DJ Kent’s Horns in the Sun, perfectly crystallizes the sound – the three-step kicks and shuffling groove combined with a deep atmosphere and mellow highlife trumpets.

Bola Johnson - Lagos Special

Bola Johnson appeared amongst that iconic set of musicians in 1970s Nigeria, who fused traditional Yoruba music with the dancefloor sensibilities of jazz and disco, to create what has been widely known as Afrobeat. Unfortunately, he’s been hugely underappreciated compared to contemporaries like Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade, known only to a handful of dedicated collectors and Nigerian locals. Thankfully though, Kayode Samuel, a musicologist at the University of Ibadan, has tirelessly tracked down his recordings, which were finally issued by Vampisoul in 2010 and made available to a wider audience. Lagos Special is a wonderful midtempo track, restrained but brimming with latent energy, bass guitars and leads riffing in unison, underpinned by the unstoppably rolling drums.

Charif Megarbane - Pas de Dialogue

This is special! Habibi Funk have been relentlessly uncovering and reissuing lost and sought after gems from the Arabic world of the 60s-80s, for the last decade, introducing the world to some incredible old music. Charif Megarbane’s Marzipan represents a novelty for them, the label’s first full length contemporary record. Megarbane’s insane release schedule spans across upwards of 100 projects, but here he appears under his own name with a collection of tracks exploring his concept of ‘Lebrary’ music. A tribute simultaneously to the history of vintage library music, with its concept driven storytelling and expansive, progressive soundworlds, as well as to the psychogeography of his native Lebanon. Pas De Dialogue is gorgeous, wistful, and romantic, a truly evocative soundtrack to an imagined film scene.

Harry Mosco - Peaceful Dub

This one’s a true document of late '70s Black Atlantic inspiration. Harry Mosco had been leader of the Funkees, a legendary Nigerian band that had originated as an army band, before catching the wave of joyful Afro-funk, that set a new tone in the wake of the recently ended civil conflict. Mosco was a polymath and keenly eclectic. His inspirations ranged from the disco sounds of New York’s Studio 54 to the reggae emerging from Jamaica and London. Peaceful Dub pays tribute to this latter influence. The chillest of grooves, fusing reggae’s two step with African percussion, gets a serious dubwise studio workout assisted by Jah Wobble engineer, Mark Lusari.

Jean-Pierre Mirouze - Sexopolis

Speaking of soundtracks, Jean-Pierre Mirouze’s Sexopolis was recorded for the 1971 Swedish and French produced arthouse film, Mariage Collectif, an unmistakeably post-counterculture bit of thinly veiled concept erotica, the film is premised on the idea of collective marriage. But it’s soundtrack is something special and has been highly sought after by collectors, since. Described by Alex Deley as ‘psychedelic lounge music’ Sexopolis combines an endless rolling funk backbeat, reminiscent of Isaac Hayes’ Theme From Shaft, but combined with heavy psych elements, frenetic wah wah rhythm guitar, shimmering organ and mind-altering dub effects. Killer stuff.

These are just some of the highlights in what I hope is an enjoyable musical journey that spans across continents, generations and genres…

A huge thanks go out to labels such as Now Again, Light In The Attic, Numero Uno and Luv N’ Haight, Analog Africa, Music From Memory, Africa Seven, Far Out Recordings, Strut, Mr Bongo and Soundway, who continue to unearth some of the most unique and amazing music that may have otherwise never seen the light of day.