The Viceroys - Iroko Showcase Vol. 2: Memories (Iroko Records)
For the second part in their Iroko showcase series, producer Roberto Sanchez and label boss Herve Brizec contacted veteran vocal trio The Viceroys.
Tóke - Wake Up Inna Kingston (Bassplate Records/Boomrush Productions)
Only a few weeks ago we presented you 'Troddin' With A Vision', German-Indonesian singer-songwriter/singjay Tóke's studio debut (even though that was of course a reissue), and now he already surprises us with a full album.
Harrison Stafford & The Professor Crew - One Dance (Soulbeats Records)
Now most of his Groundation band mates are temporarily putting their energy in Rising Tide, Harrison Stafford can once again focus on Professor, now changed to Harrison Stafford & The Professor Crew.
Refugees For Refugees - Amerli (Muziekpublique)
In an attempt to offer a positive answer to the ongoing flow of refugees from the Middle East, Muziekpublique came up with the Refugees For Refugees project and bringing together twenty musicians who fled from countries such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tibet.
Ba Cissoko - Djeli (Crystal Records)
'Djeli' by master kora player Ba Cissoko is first and foremost an ode to the djeli or griots, but this album also highlights Cissoko's twenty-year collaboration with Nuits Métis, founded in Marseille in 1994, synonymous with encounters between different cultures in the Bouches du Rhône for more than 20 years, and culminating in the annual Nuits Métis Festival in June.
Mop Mop - Lunar Love (Agogo Records)
For their 2013 album 'Isle Of Magic', Mop Mop still created their very own fantasy island with a soundtrack that was a mix of voodoo jazz, afro-funk and soul, but this sequel rather reminded yours truly of a science fiction story from the 1960s or 1970s (think: 'Were The Gods Cosmonauts?' by Von Däniken) including a wonderful cover illustration by Italian graphic designer Gianni Rossi, reminiscent of an Egyptian deity.
King Mas - Rasta Evolution (Nature's Way Entertainment/VPal)
'Rasta Evolution' is the second Studio album by King Mas aka MasSicker, an American reggae artist from Boston.
Zebras Are Timeless - Ananas EP (Self-published)
The first thing one notices about this 'Ananas' (dutch for "pineapple") EP by Zebras Are Timeless, is the original cover photo, for which the heads of the various band members were expertly photoshopped into the shape of a pineapple, and the disc itself looking like a slice of pineapple.
Raphael - Reggae Survival (Sugar Cane Records)
If, like yours truly, you were impatiently waiting for Raphael to drop a new long player, we can set your mind/minds at ease as with 'Survival' the Italian-Nigerian singjay just dropped another bombshell! 'Reggae Survival' was recorded between Italy, the United States and Jamaica, and with 'Stalk Of Weed', recorded with Asham Band, the album even contains a Belgian touch.
JahVibe - More Prosperity EP (Al.Ta.Fa.An Records)
Apart from the fact that for this 6 track 'More Prosperity' EP, he joined forces with Jamaican producer Anthony Senior of Al.
Dubmatix - The French Sessions Remixes (Dub Arc Records)
After having collaborated with the cream of the French reggae scene for 'The French Sessions', Dubmatix now asked a number of French producers to rework a song from the track list.
Jah Legacy - Time Is Now (Khanti Records/Harmonia Mundi)
Jah Legacy is essentially the story of Manu (vocals, guitar) and Charley aka ChaCha (guitar, backing vocals), two childhood friends who grew up in the same neighborhood in St.
Various Artists - Tape Rolling! (Pressure Sounds)
With 'Tape Rolling!', Pressure Sounds takes us back to the years 1971-1974, a period in which Bunny Lee evolved from being a freelancer for studios like Dynamic Sounds of Harry J, to becoming an independent producer.
Fanfare Ciocarlia - Onwards To Mars (Asphalt Tango Records)
Apart from '20', a compilation on vinyl scheduled for release later this year, Romanian brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia also celebrate its twentieth anniversary with a brand new album, and as the title suggests, even the sky is no longer the limit.
Bombino - Azel (Partisan Records/V2)
Bombino is a young Tuareg musician we might not have been giving the attention he deserves.
Aaron Nigel Smith - One (Aya World Productions/White Stone Productions)
"Tell the children the truth!" Bob Marley once sang in 'Babylon System'.
R.I.C. - Blah Blah (BSA Production/Pias France)
The sheer vastness of the French reggae landscape was once again made clear to yours truly by the fact we'd never heard of R.
Nomade Orquestra - Nomade Orquestra (Far Out Recordings)
São Paulo-based Bixiga 70 we already introduced you to, but of course Brazil's largest city is home to a number of other young bands.
Fumaça Preta - Impuros Fanaticos (Soundway Records)
Fumaça Preta (Portuguese for "black smoke") is the brainchild of Alex Figueira, a Portuguese-Venezuelan percussionist and producer based in Amsterdam.
Showarma I Els Falafels - Elements (Kasba Music)
'Elements' is the debut effort by Showarma I Els Falefels, the new band of Marti Vilardebo, drummer with the now defunct Dusminguet.