Earth Beat Movement - 70 BPM (Self-published)
'Right Road ', Tuscan band Earth Beat Movement's 2015 debut album, never reached us, but successor '70 BPM' (the title refers to a resting heart rate and also happens to be the rhythm rate of our favorite music genre) immediately grabbed our attention.
Baaba Maal - The Traveller (Marathon Artists)
Baaba Maal seems to take longer and longer to record an album ('Television', his previous long player, already dates back to 2009), but whither his slow recording pace also results in better albums, remains to be seen.
Fantan Mojah - Soul Rasta (Young Veterans/Zojak World Wide)
It's been seven years already since Fantan Mojah last treated his fans to a new album, but now the bobo-with-the-backpack finally returns with 'Soul Rasta'! For his 2008 album 'Stronger', Mojah still collaborated with Frenchie and with 'Out Of Many', 'Soul Rasta' also contains one of his productions.
Little Roy - Right Now EP (Stingray Records)
The honor of opening the musical reggae year this time goes to Little Roy, who's 'Right Now' is available since January 2nd.
Keith Hudson - Tuff Gong Encounter (17 North Parade/VP Records)
17 North Parade/VP Records ends 2015 with 'Tuff Gong Encounter'; not a reissue, but an unfinished and never published album by Keith Hudson.
Orchestre International Du Vetex - Fifavela (Via Lactea Records)
If you're looking for the perfect soundtrack to enter the New Year in a festive way, we can certainly recommend 'Fifavela', the fourth album by the Kortrijk based party orchestra named after a former local textile factory which the band in their early days used as a rehearsal room.
Talco - Silent Town + Microguagua - Grandhotel Cosmopolis (Kasba Music)
With Talco, Kasba Music serves up a solid chunk of Italian ska-punk.
Marla Brown - Deliverance EP (Self-published/Golden Brown Music)
Just before the end of the year, Marla Brown, daughter of the eternal Crown Prince of reggae Dennis Brown, presents 'Deliverance', a 6 track EP on which the spirit of her father is omnipresent.
Natural Mighty - Good Time EP (Self-published/Musicast Distribution)
Natural Mighty is one of numerous reggae bands from the Parisian suburbs (see also Shaman Culture, Jacko With Bambool, Universal Congress, Obidaya.
Patko - Maroon (Self-published/Dibyz Music/Musicast Distribution)
With his debut album 'Just Take It Easy' Patko didn't immediately leave a lasting impression, but on successor 'Maroon', the French Guyanese singjay shows he's clearly matured in recent years.
Naâman - Rays Of Resistance (Soulbeats Records/Big Scoop Records)
Two years after his promising debut, 'Deep Rockers, Back A Yard', Naâman returns with a new long player.
Congo Natty - Jungle Revolution In Dub (Big Dada)
It's already been two years since the release of Congo Natty's jungle/drum & bass meets roots reggae album 'Jungle Revolution', but now there's also this dub version.
John Holt - Memories By The Score (17 North Parade/VP Records)
For music lovers, the Christmas and New Year period equals the release of scores of limited edition compilation boxes filled with goodies and 17 North Parade/VP Records do their bit with 'Memories By The Score', a box containing 5 discs and provides an overview of John Holt's 5 decades spanning career.
Jacob Miller - Who Say Jah No Dread: The Classic Augustus Pablo Sessions (Greensleeves)
There's certainly no lack of re-releases in reggae, but reissues of classic albums aren't always a surefire hit.
Oratnitza - Folktron (Fusion Embassy)
The dual lead role on 'Folktron', the second album by Bulgarian band Oratnitza, is reserved for Hristiyan's kaval (a chromatic flute that especially in the Balkans and Turkey) and flute, and Horge's didgeridoo.
Fadoul - Al Zman Saib (Jakarta Records/Habibi Funk)
The re-release of 'Al Zman Saib' ("hard times") - the original album dates from the end of the nineteen sixties - was preceded by some actual musical detective work.
Skangoeroes - Condens (Self-published)
For yours truly the Belgian ska-scene remains largely uncharted territory, and thus we weren't familiar with Skangoeroes, a seven-piece band from Halle already active since 2005.
il Civetto - il Civetto (Eastblok Music)
Their '10 Years Eastblok Music' compilation recently put the spotlights on the tenth anniversary of the German label and with il Civetto (Italian for "flirtation"), a five-piece band from Berlin playing a mix of gypsy music, swing and folk, they now also signed a new name.
Sly & Robbie + Dartanyan Winston - Free Dub (Tabou1)
For 'Free Dub', Jamaican riddim twins Sly & Robbie collaborated with American producer Dartanyan Winston; a collaboration that started off somewhat unconventional.
Joe Pilgrim & The Ligerians - Intuitions (SoulNurse Records/Dibyz Music/Musicast Distribution)
For yours truly, French-Beninese singjay Joe Pilgrim (born Philippe Ametowanou) was one of the revelations on Dubmatix' 'The French Sessions' album, making us anxiously looking forward to the release of 'Intuitions'.