{"title":"BBE Africa @sw@if@label-44892@","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"various-artists-yebo-rare-mzansi-party-beats-from-apartheids-dying-years-compiled-by-john-armstrong-cd-digipak","title":"Various Artists - Yebo! Rare Mzansi Party Beats From Apartheid's Dying Years Compiled By John Armstrong - CD DIGIPAK","description":"\u003cp\u003e1. THE APARTHEID BOYCOTT\u003cbr\u003eIn the 80s, the world – rightly - stepped up its boycott against South Africa’s apartheid government. But this had unexpected and sometimes adverse consequences for South Africa’s music professionals and consumers.  Musicians still needed to work live shows both at home and abroad, and to make and sell records. The youth still aspired to clubbing and partying at the weekend after hard, poorly paid jobs under the thumb of an oppressive government. Music was their sanctuary: specifically, African- American inspired soul, jazz, boogie, disco and funk.\u003cbr\u003e2. UNIQUE DIVERSITY\u003cbr\u003eProducing musical excellence was nothing new for South Africa, even in the 80s: both traditional and jazz music of various genres had been performed, showcased and recorded for decades with the assistance of some of the most skilled and ingenious sound-engineers and producers in the world, the jazz players rivalling their American peers in many cases. But what makes Mzansi 80s popular music unique is that it had to – and for the most part, did- appeal to a multi-ethnic, multilingual population almost like no other in the world, for its geographical size. There may have been many tribal and political differences between Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa, Tsonga and others day-to-day, but when it came to the weekend, those differences often melted away for a while on the dancefloor. Paul Ndlovu had kwaZulu fans as well as Shangaan followers; Black Moses and the Soul Brothers had followers and fans with everyone..and so on. And everyone- detractors and lovers alike- were content to settle on the monicker ‘Bubblegum’ as a general description.\u003cbr\u003e3. MZANSI TOOK DISCO- AND SLOWED IT DOWN A BIT..\u003cbr\u003e..exactly as 90s and early 2000s South African DJs and mixers took House- and slowed it down a bit to develop Kwaito., Gqom and – later – Amapiano. The Roland TR-707 sampler came along in 1985- at just the right time for the flowering of Mzansi disco and boogie. And in the artful hands of arrangers, engineers and producers such as Peter “Hitman’ Moticoe, whose work figures on several of the tracks here, it became something unique to South Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Season of Mist - International","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53430300115287,"sku":"P-133682-","price":17.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/6500\/8471\/files\/Various-Artists-Yebo-Rare-Mzansi-Party-Beats-From-Apartheid-s-Dying-Years-Compiled-By-John-Armstrong-CD-DIGIPAK-133682-1-1682675648.jpg?v=1778182589"},{"product_id":"various-artists-yebo-rare-mzansi-party-beats-from-apartheids-dying-years-compiled-by-john-armstrong-3lp-gatefold","title":"Various Artists - Yebo! Rare Mzansi Party Beats From Apartheid's Dying Years Compiled By John Armstrong - 3LP GATEFOLD","description":"\u003cp\u003e1. THE APARTHEID BOYCOTT\u003cbr\u003eIn the 80s, the world – rightly - stepped up its boycott against South Africa’s apartheid government. But this had unexpected and sometimes adverse consequences for South Africa’s music professionals and consumers.  Musicians still needed to work live shows both at home and abroad, and to make and sell records. The youth still aspired to clubbing and partying at the weekend after hard, poorly paid jobs under the thumb of an oppressive government. Music was their sanctuary: specifically, African- American inspired soul, jazz, boogie, disco and funk.\u003cbr\u003e2. UNIQUE DIVERSITY\u003cbr\u003eProducing musical excellence was nothing new for South Africa, even in the 80s: both traditional and jazz music of various genres had been performed, showcased and recorded for decades with the assistance of some of the most skilled and ingenious sound-engineers and producers in the world, the jazz players rivalling their American peers in many cases. But what makes Mzansi 80s popular music unique is that it had to – and for the most part, did- appeal to a multi-ethnic, multilingual population almost like no other in the world, for its geographical size. There may have been many tribal and political differences between Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa, Tsonga and others day-to-day, but when it came to the weekend, those differences often melted away for a while on the dancefloor. Paul Ndlovu had kwaZulu fans as well as Shangaan followers; Black Moses and the Soul Brothers had followers and fans with everyone..and so on. And everyone- detractors and lovers alike- were content to settle on the monicker ‘Bubblegum’ as a general description.\u003cbr\u003e3. MZANSI TOOK DISCO- AND SLOWED IT DOWN A BIT..\u003cbr\u003e..exactly as 90s and early 2000s South African DJs and mixers took House- and slowed it down a bit to develop Kwaito., Gqom and – later – Amapiano. The Roland TR-707 sampler came along in 1985- at just the right time for the flowering of Mzansi disco and boogie. And in the artful hands of arrangers, engineers and producers such as Peter “Hitman’ Moticoe, whose work figures on several of the tracks here, it became something unique to South Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSide A : Tsakane - Paul Ndlovu \/ Johnny Boy - The Angels\u003cbr\u003eSide B : Crocodile's Rock - Black Moses \/ I Was Born In Africa - Richie S\u003cbr\u003eSide C : Don't Follow Me - Mafika \/ Special Angel - Babsy Mlangeni \/ Blackout - Tools \u0026amp; Figs aka Lady Thuli \u0026amp; Mafika\u003cbr\u003eSide D : Ximamane - Joy White \/ Dayshift - Dieketseng\u003cbr\u003eSide E : Khombora Mina - Paul Ndlovu \/ Pusa Twala - Sky Jinx\u003cbr\u003eSide F : Nwananga Washanesera - Joe Masunga \/ Ku Hluvukile Eka Zete - Obed Ngobeni \u0026amp; Kurhula Sisters \/ Chomesa - Chicco\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Season of Mist - International","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53430300737879,"sku":"P-133683-","price":42.49,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/6500\/8471\/files\/Various-Artists-Yebo-Rare-Mzansi-Party-Beats-From-Apartheid-s-Dying-Years-Compiled-By-John-Armstrong-3LP-GATEFOLD-133683-1-1682675648.jpg?v=1778182689"},{"product_id":"remi-kabaka-roots-funkadelia-lp","title":"Remi Kabaka - Roots Funkadelia - LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing the great success of BBE’s 2023 reissue of Remi Kabaka’s 1976 lost masterpiece 'Son of Africa' comes yet another neglected and hitherto-hidden slice of pure Kabaka goodness: 1980’s 'Roots Funkadelia'. While the 1976 album was recorded at Island Studios London, roots was recorded and mixed in L.A. in the midst of a golden period for the Motown studios, and the sheer quality of the mix shows in spades. An unexpected but welcome bonus is the appearance throughout of the ‘mean machine’- Motown artists the commodores’ brass section alter-ego. Released in 1980 on Polygram Nigeria with no international distribution deal, and lurking almost unnoticed in a handful of dedicated afro vinyl collections, this is the first-ever reissue outside Africa of an album that regularly fetches £500 plus on the ‘those who know’ market’.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSide A :\u003cbr\u003eAfro Beat \/ Togetherness \/ Festival\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSide B :\u003cbr\u003eIkaope \/ Funky Lagos\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Season of Mist - International","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53438767366487,"sku":"P-153049-","price":33.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/6500\/8471\/files\/Remi-Kabaka-Roots-Funkadelia-LP-153049-1-1711717165.jpg?v=1778233904"},{"product_id":"jessica-lauren-film-lp-gatefold","title":"Jessica Lauren - Film - LP Gatefold","description":"\u003cp\u003eJessica Lauren has been a lynchpin of the UK scene for decades whose keyboard skills have augmented the live performances and studio recordings of all manner of legendary names, from Jean Carne, Tom Browne, Dexter Wansel, through to modern day heroes The Heliocentrics and she’s also a core member of Nick Woodmansey’s space jazz outfit Emanative. Film is the latest and very welcome release by keyboard player, composer and producer Jessica Lauren, the long-time friend and collaborator of IMPRESS!VE Collective's Greg Boraman. After assuming A\u0026amp;R control of Freestyle Records, Boraman's first signing was ‘Jessica Lauren Four’ (2012) and also released ‘Almeria’ (2018). Both albums exhibited her minimalist approach: Jessica's music is always sophisticated and complex but also accessible and listenable. ‘FILM’ has a fascinating backstory, inasmuch as it was originally recorded in 1997 and saw a CD only release in 1999 via the MELT 2000 label. That CD had been a firm favourite of Greg Boraman’s since then, and he recalls ‘I had it loaded onto my iPod and each time a track from Film came up on shuffle I thought just how much I thought it should be re-issued and given the attention it deserves'. Jessica had also harboured plans to do something with this project, even treating the recordings to a 24 bit analog remastering by Guy Davie at Electric, but it remained on the shelf – until now. In 2024, this 27-year-old album is quite remarkable in that it sounds simply and stunningly contemporary, and fits seamlessly with the current soundscape of explorative, genre bending 21st century jazz music. Blending modal jazz, electronica, library music, field recordings and more, it melds acoustic and electric pianos, harpsichord with synthesisers, electronica and digital techniques as though it’s the most natural combination in the world. Film  cements Jessica's reputation as a pioneering, far sighted artist who was years ahead of the crowd.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSide A :\u003cbr\u003eUptown \/ Alefela \/ Stone Garden \/ Shibuya \/ I Love You My Brother\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSide B :\u003cbr\u003eTreasure Island \/ Ajua \/ A Pearl For Iona \/ Moose \/ Live Your Life \/ Coming Home\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Season of Mist - International","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53441962738007,"sku":"P-158740-","price":33.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/6500\/8471\/files\/Jessica-Lauren-Film-LP-Gatefold-158740-1-1725370002.jpg?v=1778249698"},{"product_id":"various-artists-the-best-of-asona-records-double-lp-gatefold","title":"Various Artists - The Best Of Asona Records - DOUBLE LP GATEFOLD","description":"\u003cp\u003eA couple of years back, UK-based House DJ Jerry Frempong’s wife Katie was doing a spring clean at the family home. At the bottom of the garden, amongst a pile of rusty garden tools, she discovered a couple of mysterious bin-bags. She was about to assign them to the skip with everything else, but a sixth sense persuaded her to check the contents. It was a huge pile of rare soul, funk, disco, boogie and- yes – Ghana Highlife records. Katie brought this to the attention of Jerry, who immediately understood the significance of the treasure trove. Jerry’s Father, Anthony Roberts Frempong, who had passed away in 2011, was the founder of one of the most significant Ghanaian record and music companies anywhere in the world: Asona Records. Asona was founded in the mid-80s, with little fanfare, in Peckham, South East London. It was a label with a firm mission: Burger Highlife. No, not a swanky fast-food chain, nor a 5-star German hotel chain, but a record label devoted to the new African dance music genre that was sweeping Europe, North America and West Africa at the time – Electric Highlife. BBE Music owner Pete Adarkwah caught wind of the serendipitous discovery and approached Jerry to discuss the reissue of this historic catalogue. Before long a catalogue deal was hammered out: and here you have it!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSide A : Odo Pa - Thomas Frempong \/ Kokroko Special - Eric Agyemang And His Kokroko Band \/ Maame - Jewel Ackah\u003cbr\u003eSide B : Wobre - Thomas Frempong \/ Bribiara Wone Mmre - Mr. Cee \/ Saturday Night - Kantata \/ Biribi Aye Me - Sam Yeboah\u003cbr\u003eSide C : Me Nyame - Thomas Frempong \/ Onipa Dasa Ni - Jewel Ackah \/ Monsom - Kantata \/ Odo Mewu - Sam Yeboah\u003cbr\u003eSide D : Kweku Anansi - Thomas Frempong \/ Make Me Know My Position - A. K. Yeboah \u0026amp; K. K.'s No. 2 Band \/ It's High Time - Kantata\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Season of Mist - International","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53448284832087,"sku":"P-162117-","price":33.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/6500\/8471\/files\/Various-Artists-The-Best-Of-Asona-Records-DOUBLE-LP-GATEFOLD-162117-1-1733842194.jpg?v=1778260830"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.season-of-mist.com\/collections\/label-bbe-africa.oembed","provider":"Season of Mist - International","version":"1.0","type":"link"}