If you’re looking to capitalise on the rare appearance of sun and properly funk up your day Africamore should get your dancefloor jumping. In the 1970s the African and Afro-Caribbean influence on disco spread to Europe from New York clubs playing tracks like Manu Dibango’s ‘Soul Makossa’ (the one that goes “”Mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ko-ma-ko-ssa”) so favoured by DJ’s such as David Mancuso. The press release for the album sums it up succinctly:
“Tribal influences thus found their way into Italian soul-funk and early-disco productions released between 1973 and 1978 – from psychedelic-tinged tunes like Jean Paul & Angelique’s “Africa Sound” to the Afrobeat-inspired club banger ‘Kumbayero’ by composer/producer Albert Verrecchia (aka Weyman Corporation); and from ground-breaking Afro-cosmic songs like Chrisma’s “Amore,” co-written by Vangelis and featuring the rhythms of Ghanaian-British Afro-rock band Osibisa, to mind-blowing floor-fillers like Beryl Cunningham’s ‘Why O’, a re-write of Nat King Cole’s ‘Calypso Blues’ arranged by Paolo Ormi, with percussion breaks that sound pretty much like what would later become known as techno.”
Nearly every single track could easily grace the nightclub scene of any 70s film with sparkle effects on the disco, force 10 flares whipping up a stiff breeze and Cuban heels gliding across the backlit multicoloured dancefloor.
All afro-disco-life is here with amphetamine bongos driving songs at breakneck speed around twisting Italian mountain roads. Flutes slink seductively, cajoling and stroking, or shriek hysterically, matching the urgency of the music. Guitar licks are tight, horns are phat, and the urgent syncopation of the drums might even exhaust James Brown.
This is a superbly curated compilation that should put a huge smile on your face while you are pushing the furniture back to create your DIY home-nightclub. Four Flies are a superb label who release “Italian golden age soundtracks rescued from oblivion & brand-new music with a cinematic feel”. I can wholeheartedly recommend checking out their full catalogue here, and the covers are worth visiting the site alone.
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Review by Paul F Cook
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