Tu Shung Peng - Wise Stories From Vineyard Town (Arka Productions/Musicast Distribution)
When the Makasound label filed for bankruptcy in 2011, Tu Shung Peng was among the bands that had to go in search of a new distributor.
Various Artists - Bunny 'Striker' Lee & Friends: Next Cut! (Pressure Sounds)
The heat and humidity make Jamaica far from the ideal location to preserve music archives, but despite a long list of setbacks, going from a termite infestation over inundations to even two fires, a great deal of Bunny Lee's musical treasure trove miraculously stood the test of time.
Danakil - Entre Les Lignes Dub (Baco Records)
For this dub version of last year's 'Entre Les Lignes' Danakil once more joined forces with producer Manjul (also responsible for 2012's 'Echos Du Dub').
Lutan Fyah - More Blessings EP (PayDayMusic Productions)
'More Blessings' is the fruit of a longstanding friendship and working relationship between singjay Lutan Fyah and PayDayMusic Productions producer Austin 'Kevin' Green.
Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band - Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band (Strut Records)
Judging from the cover photo of 'Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band', Pat Thomas could have been Isaac Hayes' African twin, but with Hayes' southern soul music, the music of this Ghanaian has nothing in common.
Various Artists - The Complete Handsworth Explosion (Reggae Archive Records)
A vinyl reissue of the two volumes of 'Handsworth Explosion', originally compiled and released by Black Symbol in the early nineteen eighties, already appeared on the Reggae Archive Records last year, but the label now also adds a CD version.
Sekou Kouyate - Sabaru (One World Records)
Yours truly, got to know Guinean kora virtuoso Sekou Kouyate thanks to 'Faya', the 2013 album he recorded with New York rapper Joe Driscoll.
Animo Cruz - Why Not EP (Roots Musician Records)
'Morning Light', Animo's debut EP, contained mainly lovers tunes, but meanwhile the band rechristened itself Animo Cruz (referring to Santa Cruz, California, the band's hometown) and on successor 'Why Not' sounds a lot more militant.
Jashwha Moses with Full Force and Power - The Rising (Sugar Shack Records)
For this new album, a mix of studio and live recordings, Bristolian reggae bard Jashwha Moses assembled his own backing band: Full Force and Power.
Ester Rada - Ester Rada (Discograph)
Ester Rada is an Israeli singer/actress of Ethiopian origin presenting her long player debut with this self-titled album.
Raggabund - Buena Medicina (Irievibration Records/Grooveattack)
Spanish reggae from Germany? Oh well, why not! Raggabund is the brainchild of Paco 'El Criminal' Mendoza and Don Caramelo, two brothers with South American roots from Munich.
Various Artists - The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume One (Reggae Archive Records)
With 'The Bristol Reggae Explosion' the Bristol Archive Records label already mapped Bristol's reggae scene, and sister label Reggae Archive Records is now doing the same for the Midlands.
Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Uptown Top Ranking (17 North Parade/VP Records)
With 'Uptown Top Ranking' 17 North Parade/VP Records didn't have the intention to release yet another 'Greatest Hits' compilation by Byron Lee and his Dragonaires, but instead wanted to draw attention to some lesser known and even forgotten gems from Byron's rich oeuvre.
Kanaku Y El Tigre - Quema Quema Quema (Tiger's Milk Records/Strut Records)
Kanaku Y El Tigre is one of those bands making us wonder wither they belong on these pages at all.
Moya Kalongo - Reload (Slow Walk Music)
The Catalan Slow Walk Music label, which previously already introduced us to Alma Afrobeat Ensemble and Nakany Square, this time presents the long player debut of Moya Kalongo.
Seckou Keita - 22 Strings (ARC Music)
Yours truly got to know the Senegalese kora-player Seckou Keita thanks to his collaborative effort with Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and the ensuing 'Clychau Dibon' album from 2014.
The Expanders - Hustling Culture (Easy Star Records)
The Expanders may be yet another Californian reggae formation; they most definitely drew inspiration from Jamaican vocal trios like Mighty Diamonds, The Gladiators or Culture.
Vibronics - Return Of Vibronics (Scoops Records/Jarring Effects)
It's been a long seven years since we last heard from Vibronics.
Brooklyn Gypsies - Sin Fronteras (Wonderwheel Recordings)
Brooklyn Gypsies is a project for which producer and multi-instrumentalist Takuya Nakamura (aka Brooklyn Gypsy) invited musicians from Spain, Japan, Russia and the United States.
Antimufa - New Ways Of Argentinean Music (Patagonia Records/Self-published)
Antimufa (loosely translated "cure for a bad mood") is a quartet of Argentine expatriates living in Amsterdam trying to put a new jazzy spin on genres like tango, milonga and Argentine folklore.