Nigeria Rock Special - psychedelic Afro-Rock and Fuzz Funk in 1970s Nigeria Nigeria Rock Special shines a light on the flipside to the well-documented sounds of Highlife and Afrobeat coming out of Nigeria in the 1970s – the wave of Psychedelic & Progressive Rock that was sweeping Europe and the States in the late 60s and early 70s. In the early 1970s the sound of figures like Jimi Hendrix had started to seep into the mainly soul–based sets of a handful of young bands playing western influenced pop. Spurred on by Cream drummer Ginger Baker’s visits to Lagos and his band Airforce (featuring many Nigerian musicians), the sound of fuzzed out Rock reverberated around the Universities and nightspots of Lagos and Ibadan. This album contains 15 of the best cuts from the scene, available for the first time in 30 years. More/Order
		Nigeria Disco Funk Special Lagos, Nigeria, 1974-79: The Funk & Disco capital of West Africa. More nightclubs, bars, spots and dance-floors than any place along the coast from Dakar all the way to Kinshasa. The only 24 track recording studio in the same stretch and more DJ’s and imported American LPs and 45s than any of it’s neighbours. Soundway presents 9 slabs of rhythm from a time when Saturday and Sunday nights in Lagos City were for looking good and going out. All of them vital musical feathers in the Lagos DJ’s bow alongside the latest Brass Construction, BT Express & James Brown imports that were hot off the plane. More/Order
		Nigeria Special Nigeria 1970. Highlife, Afro-beat, Rock, Jazz & Native Blues rub shoulders and are turned out at an unprecedented level. New styles meet old styles. Newfound national confidence follows the near break-up of the nation following the Biafran war. New fashions meet old fashions, creating new fusions. Soundway present 26 original and previously un-reissued tracks from the time in a lavish double CD package, complete with 36 page booklet featuring extensive liner notes, rare photos and cover art. 'A magical collection of Nigerian recordings from the 70s' ***** (Observer Music Monthly) 'A deep selection that yields more with each listen, this is recommended for aficionados and passing fans alike' **** (Songlines magazine) 'Nigeria Special is an aural and design classic' ***** (Mojo) More/Order
		Nigeria Special Vinyl Part 1 Nigeria 1970. Highlife, Afro-beat, Rock, Jazz & Native Blues rub shoulders and are turned out at an unprecedented level. New styles meet old styles. Newfound national confidence follows the near break-up of the nation following the Biafran war. New fashions meet old fashions, creating new fusions. Soundway present 26 original and previously un-reissued tracks from the time over two separate vinyl releases. Obscure A-sides, B-sides & album cuts that have resisted a second look until now, presented on two double gatefold LP's. More/Order
		Nigeria Special Vinyl Part 2 The second part of 'Nigeria Special; Modern Highlife, Afro-sounds and Nigerian Blues, 1970-1976' on vinyl. Featuring tracks from the Nigerian Police Force Band, Dan Satch and his Atomic 8 Dance band of Aba, Bola Johnson and the Hykkers. More/Order
		Colombia! The golden age of Discos Fuentes, the Powerhouse of Colombian music Discos Fuentes (Fuentes Records) has since 1934 been the largest label in the vast country of Colombia, a place where music is impossible to escape. This collection concentrates on the golden years of 1960-1976 and is hand-picked by Soundway from a huge catalogue of hot, tropical music styles. Cumbia, Gaita, Fandago, Salsa and Champeta all feature in our selection from one of the world's best Latin music archives. More/Order
		Panama latin, funk and calypso on the Isthmus 1965-75 There is a lot more to Panama than canals and hats, although it's music has never featured prominently on the musical radar of many Western Connoisseurs. The thin, tropical bridge that connects North and South America is home to 3 million culturally diverse people and the music is a unique blend of Latin-American, Caribbean, European and indigenous styles. this collection showcases the golden age of Panamanian music and the music of the Combos Nacionales. From hard Descargas via Latin Jazz, Cumbia, Soul and Funk to Calypso, these obscure recordings have never been released outside the Isthmus until now. More/Order
		Mulatu Astatke EP Mulatu Astatke is perhaps the most important and influential musician to come out of Ethiopia in the second half of the twentieth century. His inspired synthesis of Jazz and Afro-Cuban styles with the ethereal musical traditions of his home country has produced a body of work that stands alone in the fields of spiritual jazz and soulful, meditative grooves. We are proud to present a 10” EP containing a selection of rare tracks, originally issued on small run 45’s in Ethiopia and unavailable ever since. These tracks show the diversity of Mulatu’s music – running from heavy and driving funk, to Afro-Latin rhythms and deep and introspective jazz. More/Order
		Ghana Soundz Volume 1 Ghana Soundz was an idea first hatched 3 years ago by compiler and DJ Miles Cleret. Since then he has painstakingly travelled the length and breadth of Ghana to assemble three collections of rare Afro-beat, Afro-funk and Afro-fusion, most of which has never been released outside of Africa and some of which is unreleased anywhere. The musicians and producers have been tracked down, licenses gained, and the information, notes and history pieced together. These albums form a unique window on a scene previously unknown outside of Ghana until Volume One was released. Pounding rhythms, blaring horns and pumping vocals – the music is a document of a time forgotten when flares and Cuban heels strutted the streets and night-spots of Accra, the sizzlingly hot and humid capital of Ghana. Influenced as much by traditional rhythms and local highlife as by the music of Fela Kuti, James Brown and Santana, these tunes had almost become extinct – until now! More/Order
		Ghana Soundz Volume 2 Following the success of last years Ghana Soundz Volume One, Soundway are happy to announce the long awaited Volume Two. The wait has been due to the fact that this is not simply any old compilation but one that has taken a lot of time, passion and energy to compile, plus another visit to Ghana to boot. More/Order
		Afro Baby - the Evolution of the Afro sound in Nigeria, 1970-1979 Nigeria in the 1970’s had one the biggest recording industries on the continent as well as one of the most diverse. The fusion of African rhythms and culture with jazz, funk, soul, and rock was an Africa-wide phenomenon but nowhere was it more prolific and active than the cities and dancefloors of Nigeria. These twelve rarities highlight how the Afro -Sound influenced all areas of the music scene and how it progressed throughout a very creative and energetic decade. From funky afro-jazz, soul and afro-highlife to big, dancefloor afro-beat Nigeria led the way in West Africa at the time. More/Order
		T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo: The kings of Benin Urban Groove 1972-80 From the Republic of Benin, West Africa, The Orchestre Poly-Rythmo are one of Africa’s least-known big-bands outside of their home country. Here we hope to redress the balance with a collection that reflects their many poly-rhythmic moods. A mixture of hard Afro-funk, driving Afro-beat, deep Afro-latin and Cuban grooves all with a unique flavour that ruled the dance-floors of 70’s urban Benin. More/Order
		Orlando Julius and his Afro Sounders Orlando Julius was one of the originators of Afro-beat in Nigeria and was one of the main contemporaries of the legendary Fela Kuti from the mid sixties onwards. He has become known outside of Nigeria since his early material was re-issued on Strut records and the track Alo Mi Alo was featured on the Strut Nigeria 70 compilation 2 years ago. Also responsible, but never properly credited for his part in writing the Lamont Dozier dancefloor classic Going Back to My Roots, he has played with Hugh Masekela and worked on the musical score for Disney’s The Lion King. The style of the Afro-Sounders is a fusion of Highlife, Jazz, Funk, and traditional Yoruba culture from the west of Nigeria. As well as remaining popular to the Nigerian community Afro-beat has become popular in the last few years with a diverse mix of house-producers, rare funk and jazz collectors, the world music community and many more – it’s influences being felt in all sorts of areas. Here we present the recordings Orlando made between the period of 1969-72, a period when some of the funkiest sounds emanated from not only the USA but also Africa. More/Order
		Jorge Graf - Dis-Ka-Ndombe with Gerardo Frisina Rework Soundway proudly presents a long lost slice of percussive afro-latin disco. Jorge Graf was a Uruguayan Percussionist and drummer who worked as a session musician in Germany and Italy in the 70s. He returned to Uruguay in 1980 with uncompleted tapes of a project he had been working on: to combine the boogie, funk and jazz he had heard in Europe with the heavy Candombe rhythms of his home country (The Candombe drumming style and rhythm came to Uruguay with the African slave trade and is part of the strong presence of Afro rhythms along the East coast of South America). Out of these tapes came an extended mix of bone-shaking Latin percussion, tight funk bass and jazzy saxophone that we have unearthed and brought right up to date with a re-interpretation by Gerardo Frisina. One of Italy’s top producers, Gerardo Frisina is responsible for intense new Afro and Latin influenced tracks such as African Seeds, Cubano and Descarga, all on Italy’s fine Schema imprint. His re-interpretation of Graf’s original track adds an extra twist to what is already an outstanding and unique sound. Both versions are consummate club bangers and will appeal to a broad market – Graf’s original not only fits into the latin/jazz/funk niche but it’s futuristic production and heavy bottom end will no doubt see it in the boxes of House and Broken beat DJ’s, while Gerardo Frisina’s update is already being championed by DJ’s like Mad Mats (Raw Fusion), Rainer Truby and Jurgen Jazzanova. Fully re-mastered and pressed on a nice heavy 12”, this release continues Soundway’s aim of presenting previously overlooked rhythms and styles that are relevant to today’s global scene. More/Order
		Natural Self Ghana Soundz remixes Following the success of the first Ghana Soundz remixed 12”, we are proud to present another slice of updated Ghanaian grooves. The talented Natural Self (Breakin’ Bread Records) gets to grips with two tracks from Ghana Soundz Volume 2 and puts a modern spin on the proceedings. The Joe Mensah edit stretches out the percussive intro of the original and locks into a bumping afro groove that has been burning up dancefloors on CD-R for some time. Natural Self’s characteristic drum-heavy sound takes Olufeme on a club-friendly journey, giving it extra instrumentation (in the form of talented musicians John Styles and Jonny Hughes) underpinned by a tough beat and deep bass. This 12” continues our mission to bring overlooked sounds into modern clubs, bridging the gap between the old and the new. More/Order