Ekambi Brillant
African Funk Experimentals 1975 - 1982

smilingc: ...Fritz Bootle, Jr. (F.J.) story began in Freeport on the Grand Bahama Island. While legendary balearic acts were honing in on a sun-soaked sound at Compass Point Studios on the nearby island of New Providence, you could ferry over to Freeport, to witness an equally flourishing scene of soca, reggae, and disco music. If you were lucky, you might’ve caught a live show from F.J. at one of the various clubs around town. During the early ‘90s, regulations on drug traffickers were quite loose which meant discotheques were in full swing and the island attracted a bevy of pleasure-seeking tourists. In addition to the clubs, fish fry’s at the beach were popular places for locals to grab a beer and some snapper to hear the DJs play new selections from neighboring islands. It was a lively time on the island, and F.J.’s music was meant to reflect the relaxed attitude that came with the archipelago lifestyle.

Formed in Oakland in the early 1970s, the Sons and Daughters of Lite recorded Let The Sun Shine In, their only LP, which has now achieved holy grail status among collectors.Let The Sun Shine In is a spiritual recording filled with soul, funk, jazz, and African percussion. The musical collective described themselves as a mix of African rhythms, Latin flavors, and Far Eastern textures.This album was virtually unknown to DJs and collectors until Michael McFadin's discovery in the late 80s. He then scoured the bay area and bought up multiple copies for his record store The Groove Merchant on Haight Street in San Francisco, many of which were bought from flea markets and the dollar bins of other shops.The outrageously funky title track became a jazz dance classic, courtesy of heavy radio and club play by top UK DJ and tastemaker Gilles Peterson.

Calibro 35, the legendary crime funk combo sampled by Dr.Dre and Jay-Z, announce the reissue of "Traitors", their iconic fourth album, on Crystal Red vinyl.Record Kicks proudly presents the reissue of CALIBRO 35's fourth legendary long-time sold out album "Traditori Di Tutti" (Traitors) on March 04thon limited edition crystal red vinyl and digital "deluxe" edition with bonus tracks.The publication is part of "The Record Kicks Trilogy" that follows the reissue of the first three albums of the band, released in 2020. This time, Milan label Record Kicks will repress on wax of three different colours and on digital deluxe edition, the fourth, fifth and sixth legendary studio albums of the Italian cinematic-funk cult band."Traditori Di Tutti" is the fourth album by Milan's combo, inspired by noir masterpiece novel "Betrayers"published by the father of Italian noir, award-winning crime fiction author Giorgio Scerbanenco. The album contains only band's original recordings, from floor-shaking first single "Giulia Mon Amour" to groovy "The Butcher's Bride", from deep funky "Filthy Bastards" to the dancefloor jazz madness of "Mescalina 6". The five-piece pays homage to "I Maestri" such as Morricone, Micalizzi and Bacalov with 12 tracks full of funky beats, heavy guitars, groovy bass lines and fuzzy organs.