With globe-spanning influences that touch on some of our very favorite genres and musicians, Ottawa's The Souljazz Orchestra and London's Sofrito make for a complementary pair. Both released incendiary albums this year, and as The Souljazz Orchestra prepares for a string of North American dates, the timing is perfect for a collaboration.

Utilizing the original multi-track masters (one of the benefits of keeping things in the family) Sofrito's Frankie Francis has created a masterful re-edit of "Serve And Protect," showcasing some of the fiercest playing on the latest Souljazz LP Solidarity.

North American Tour Dates

Nov 28 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
Nov 29 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
Nov 30 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Dec 01 - Washington, DC - Jammin' Java
Dec 02 - Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live
Dec 04 - Buffalo, NY - Nietche's
Dec 05 - Columbus, OH - Woodlands Tavern
Dec 06 - Detroit, MI - Pike Room
Dec 07 - Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle
Dec 08 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock

The first Nigeria 70 collection, originally released in 2001, will always have a special place in our heats. It remains to us one of the most clear expressions of what we love about Afrobeat, and African music of the 70s. With the launch of our new web store, we thought we'd take the opportunity to put together something special to celebrate this release, and to make the music available once again on vinyl.

This definitive reissue features the original LP remastered and pressed on 180g triple vinyl in a gatefold sleeve. The package comes with the full 2CD edition of the album and a copy of the Nigeria 70 audio documentary, unavailable since the original CD issue (also as download as soon as the package is shipped).

Narrated by Wunmi with commentary by the late Nigerian academic "Elder" Steve Rhodes, this one-hour piece is an essential snapshot of the 1970s Lagos scene and the cultural and political context from many of the key players of the time. It includes interviews with Ginger Baker, Fela Kuti, Ebenezer Obey, Segun Bucknor, Joni Haastrup of Monomono and many more.

Nigeria 70 - The Definitive LP Edition on the Strut web store

Digital Download (STRUT044CDX)

Welcome To Nigeria - Introduction: Welcome to Nigeria
Nigeria 70 Documentary - Interlude
Nigeria 70 Documentary - Highlife Time
Fela Kuti, Tony Allen and Ginger Baker - Fela Kuti, Tony Allen and Ginger Baker
Voices of the People - Voices of the people: social commentary, critical statement and satire
Charlie Dark - Charlie Dark: 'Nigeria 70' poem

Vinyl (STRUT044LP)

Orlando Julius & The Afro Sounders - Alo Mi Alo (Parts 1 & 2)
Segun Bucknor & His Revolution - La La La
Lijadu Sisters - Orere Elejigbo
Peter King - Shango
Sahara All Stars Band Jos - Enjoy Yourself
Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70 - Jeun Ko Ku (Chop ‘N’ Quench)
Tunji Oyelana & The Benders - Ifa
Ofo The Black Company - Allah Wakbarr
The Funkees - Dancing Time
Monomono - Tire Loma Da Nigbehin
Bala Miller & The Great Music Pirameeds Of Afrika - Ikon Allah
Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maestroes - Akuyan Ekassa
Shina Williams & His African Percussionists - Agboju Logun
Gasper Lawal - Kita Kita
Sunny Ade & His African Beats - Ja Fun Mi (Instrumental)

The story of the Fangnawa Experience collaboration is one best told by the artists themselves, and that's exactly what we've done in this video feature on the project. The guys in Fanga and Maâlem Abdallah Guinéa & his musicians don't speak the same language, but they were able to connect via their dedication to music. Watching them perform together is a real treat, as is the closer look at the instruments (the qraqab and the gimbri) used by the Gnawa players. Fangnawa Experience experience is out November 13th.

We can't say enough good things about Souljazz Orchestra's new album Solidarity, which happens to be out this week. It feels like they've taken all of the things that we love about them (airtight musicianship, raw analog recording, diverse global influences) and created a perfect synthesis for us to play over and over. We can't wait to see them live when they hit the road this fall, but until then we have this awesome new video which captures their blistering live show with the glory of analog video tape. We're all about this.

Shark Vegas was a Berlin-based outfit, lead by Factory Records' German representative, Mark Reeder. Despite an excellent pedigree, including Bernard Sumner on the boards and the infamous Connie Plank recording, the group's music remains an overlooked entry in Factory's vast catalog, and performance footage of the group is extremely scarce. You can imagine our surprise then when we turned up this recording of a performance of the track "You Hurt Me," which also happens to appear on Fac. Dance 02, in a dig through the !K7 video archives. Call it synchronicity. From the lighting to the video quality to the instruments on stage, every element is perfectly evocative of the era. Fac. Dance 02 is out now.

We've been collecting, enjoying, and releasing African music of many varieties for more than a decade at Strut, but this Fall will be the first time we've had the pleasure of releasing a project that touches on Gnawa, the sacred music of Morocco and North Africa. The album functions both as an introduction to this rich style, as well as an indication of some of the parallels between Gnawa music and West African Highlife and Afrobeat. Whether you're completely new to Moroccan Gnawa music or not, the Fangnawa Experience project offers a fresh take on African music and cultural exchange. The album will be released November 13th, and we'll be sharing music here soon.



Gna•wa:
A term referring both to a North African ethnic group, as well as a ritual musical style and ceremony performed by maâlem (master musicians), traditionally on the qraqab (heavy iron castanets) and the gimbri (three-string lute).

Fang•naw•a:
A cross-cultural musical fusion undertaken by French collective Fanga and Moroccan master musician Maâlem Abdallah Guinéa.

Fanga A meeting of complementary personalities and cross-cultural energy, Fanga began to take shape in 1998, as hip-hop producer Serge Amiano returned to France from a trip to Africa with a selection of West African vinyl from the 60s and 70s. The nascent band, including Burkina Fasso-born rapper Korbo on vocals, worked with Tony Allen on his album Black Voices in 2000, and began releasing its own recordings in 2001. Acclaimed by tastemakers like Gilles Peterson, Wax Poetics, and Rich Medina, the band has built a global following based on a dynamite live show, socially conscious lyrics, and an ever-evolving interpretation of classic Afrobeat and Highlife sounds.

Maâlem Abdallah Guinéa Descended from a renowned family of artists (his father, Boubker Guinéa, is considered as one of Morocco’s greatest of all maâlems) Abdellah Guinéa began playing the gimbri at age 12, and became a full maâlem and master musician at age 16. Along with his band, Nasse Ejadba, he quickly developed his own musical style, somewhere between traditional and modern Gnawa, which he calls “Fusion Trance.” As well as gimbri, Guinéa plays guitar, banjo and mandolin and has continued the progression of his music by introducing Western sounds into the mix, effortlessly building a cultural bridge between different musical styles.