..:|:Sa-Ra [Creative Partners]:|:..

Sa-Ra is a hip-hop group based in Los Angeles, California, also known by its full name, Sa-Ra [Creative Partners]. The group is comprised of Om'Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn . The name translates roughly to "the children of God." The group's name, style and creativity are allusions to the similarly named Sun Ra.

Sa-Ra [Creative Partners] - Nuclear Evolution: The Age Of Love [2008]

Disc 1

1. Space Fruit
2. Dirty Beauty
3. I Swear
4. Melodee N'Mynor
5. He Say She Say
6. Traffika
7. Souls Brother
8. Bitch Baby
9. Love Song
10. Gemini's rising
11. The Bone Song
12. White Cloud
13. Move Your Ass
14. Love Today
15. Can I Get U High?
16. My Star
17. Cosmic ball

Disc 2

1. Spaceways Theme
2. Just Like A Baby
3. Double Dutch [Co Co Pops]
4. Death Of A Star [Supernova]
5. Powder Bump
6. Hangin' By A String

Sa-Ra [Creative Partners] - The Hollywood Recordings [2007]

1. Seagulls
2. Hey Love
3. Glorious
4. So Special
5. And If
6. Rosebuds
7. Feel The Bass
8. Not On Our Level
9. White!
10. Bitch
11. Do For Gurl
12. Ladies Sing
13. Sweet Sour You
14. Tracy
15. Fly Away
16. Lean On Me
17. Fish Fillet
18. Thrilla
19. Hollywood Redux

..:|:Muse:|:..

Muse is a multi award-winning English alternative rock band that formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 1994. Since its inception, the band has comprised vocalist, guitarist and pianist Matthew Bellamy; bassist and backing vocalist Christopher Wolstenholme; and drummer Dominic Howard. Muse are known for their energetic and extravagant live performances and their fusion of many music genres, including progressive rock,classical music and electronica.

Muse have released five studio albums – Showbiz (1999); Origin of Symmetry (2001); Absolution (2003); Black Holes and Revelations (2006); and The Resistance (2009).

Muse - The Resistance [2009]

1. Uprising
2. Resistance
3. Undisclosed Desires
4. United  States of Eurasia [+ Collateral Damage]
5. Guiding Light
6. Unnatural Selection
7. MK Ultra
8. I Belong To You [+ Mon Coeur S'Ouvre A Ta Voix]
9. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 [Overture]
10. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 2 [Cross-Pollination]
11. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 [Redemption]

Muse - Black holes and Revelations [2006]

1. Take A Bow
2. Starlight
3. Supermassive Black Hole
4. Map Of The Problematique
5. Soldier's Poem
6. Invincible
7. Assasin
8. Exo-Politics
9. City Of Delusion
10. Hoodoo
11. Knights Of cydonia

Muse - Absolution [2003]

1. Intro
2. Apocalypse Please
3. Time Is Running Out
4. Sing For Absolution
5. Stockholm Syndrome
6. Falling Away With you
7. Interlude
8. Hysteria
9. Blackout
10. Butterflies and Hurricanes
11. Small Print
12. Endlessly
13. Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist
14. Ruled By Secrecy

Muse - Origin of Symmetry [2001]

1. New Born
2. Bliss
3. Space dementia
4. Hyper Music
5. Plug In Baby
6. Citizen Erased
7. Micro Cuts
8. Screenager
9. Dark Shines
10 Feeling good
11. Meglomania

Muse - Showbiz [1999]

1. Sunburn

2. Muscle Museum

3. Fillip

4. Falling Down

5. Cave

6. Showbiz

7. Unintended

8. Uno

9. Sober

10. Escape

11. Overdue

12. Hate This & I'll Love You

..:|:Steel Pulse:|:..

Steel Pulse was formed in 1975 in Birmingham, England, specifically the inner city area of Handsworth. The founding members were schoolmates David Hinds (the primary songwriter as well as the lead singer and guitarist), Basil Gabbidon (guitar), and Ronnie "Stepper" McQueen (bass). All of them came from working class West Indian immigrant families, and none had much musical experience. They took some time to improve their technical proficiency, often on Roots inspired material by the Wailers, Burning Spear and several other prominent Jamaican artists. McQueen suggested the group name, after a racehorse, and they soon fleshed out the lineup with drummer Steve "Grizzly" Nisbett, keyboardist/vocalist Selwyn "Bumbo" Brown, percussionist/vocalist Alphonso "Fonso" Martin, and vocalist Michael Riley.
Steel Pulse is one of Britain's greatest reggae bands, in terms of creative and commercial success. Steel Pulse started out playing authentic roots reggae with touches of jazz and Latin music, and earned a substantial audience worldwide. Their 1978 debut, Handsworth Revolution, is still regarded by many critics as a landmark and a high point of British reggae. By the late '80s, Steel Pulse had won a Grammy and were working full-fledged crossover territory. They subsequently returned to a tough-minded, rootsy sound and have added touches of dancehall and hip-hop along the way.

Steel Pulse - African Holocaust [2004]

1. Global Warning
2. Blazing Fire
3. There Must Be A Way
4. Make Us A Nation
5. Dem A Wolf
6. No More Weapons
7. Tyrant
8. Door Of No Return
9. Born Fe Rebel
10. Darker Than Blue
11. George Jackson
12. African Holocaust
13. Uncle George

Steel Pulse - Rastafari Centennial: Live In Paris [1992]

1. State Of Emergency
2. Roller Skates
3. K.K.K.
4. Blues Dance Raid
5. Taxi Driver
6. Soldiers
7. Steppin Out
8. Chant A Psalm
9. Gang Warfare
10. Stay Wid De Riddim
11. Makka Medley: Makka Spliff/Drug Squad/Handsworth Revolution
12. Ravers [Includes Dungeons]
13. Rally Round
14. Reprise

Steel Pulse - True Democracy [1990]

1. Chant A Psalm
2. Ravers
3. Find It... Quick
4. A Who Responsible
5. Worth His Weight In Gold [Rally Round]
6. Leggo Beast
7. Blues Dance Raid
8. Your House
9. Man no Sober
10. Dub Marcus Say

Steel Pulse - Babylon The Bandit [1986]

1. Save Black Music
2. Not King James Version
3. School Boy's Crush [Jail Bait]
4. Sugar Daddy
5. Kick That Habit [Cold Turkey]
6. Blessed Is The Man
7. Love Walks Out
8. Don't Be Afraid
9. Babylon The Bandit

Steel Pulse - Handsworth Revolution [1978]

1. Handsworth Revolution
2. Bad Man
3. Soldiers
4. Sound Check
5. Prodigal Son
6. Ku Klux Klan
7. Prediction
8. Macka Splaff

..:|:Dianne Reeves:|:..

Dianne Reeves is one of the best non-classical singers on the planet,this album is a vocal masala, a mix of pop, soul, funk, R&B and jazz - with Dianne's creamy and elegant voice the only common thread.

Dianne Reeves - When You Know [2008]

1. Just My Imagination
2. Over The Weekend
3. Lovin' You
4. I'm In Love again
5. Midnight Sun
6. Once I Loved
7. Windmills Of Your mind
8. Social Call
9. When you Know
10. Today Will be A Good Day

Dianne Reeves - Music For Lovers [2007]

1. My Funny Valentine
2. Come In (Live)
3. That Day
4. Suzanne
5. You Taught My Heart To Sing
6. Never Said
7. Speak Low
8. The Twelfth Of Never
9. In Your Eyes

..:|:Burning Spear:|:..

Burning Spear [born Winston Rodney] is, to some, the heartbeat of Reggae music, second to only Bob Marley [although some may argue Peter Tosh deserves that distinction]. His music always contains a strong element of Rastafarian philosophy, this release may be a little bit more upbeat than others but does not stray from those principles.

Burning Spear - Calling Rastafari [1999]

1. As It Is
2. Hallelujah [Extended Mix]
3. House Of Reggae
4. Let's Move
5. Brighten My Vision
6. You Want Me To
7. Calling Rastafari
8. Sons Of He [Extended Mix]
9. Statue Of Liberty
10. Own Security
11. Holy Man [Extended Mix]

..:|:Eric Dolphy:|:..

Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flautist, and bass clarinetist. Dolphy was one of several groundbreaking jazz alto players to rise to prominence in the 1960s. He was also the first important bass clarinet soloist in jazz, and among the earliest significant flute soloists. His improvisational style was characterized by the use of wide intervals based largely on the twelve tone scale, in addition to using an array of extended techniques to reproduce human- and animal-like effects which almost literally made his instruments speak. Although Dolphy's work is sometimes classified as free jazz, his compositions and solos had a logic uncharacteristic of many other free jazz musicians of the day; even as such, he was considered an avant-garde improviser.

Eric Dolphy - Ironman [1963]

1. Ironman
2. Mandrake
3. Come Sunday
4. Burning Spear
5. Ode To C.P.

Eric Dolphy with Oliver Nelson - Straight Ahead [1961]

1. Images
2. Six And Four
3. Mama Lou
4. Ralph's New Blues
5. Straight Ahead
6. 111-44

Eric Dolphy Quintet - Outward Bound [1960]

1. G.W.
2. On Green Dolphin Street
3. Les - Eric Dolphy Quintet
4. 245
5. Glad To Be Unhappy
6. Miss Toni

..:|:Red Hot + Rio: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti:|:..

Never has there been a more appropriate Red Hot tribute than this one dedicated to the music of Afrobeat founder Fela Kuti, the Nigerian legend who died from AIDS-related complications in 1997. The artists and groups heard here, nearly 40 all told, cover the musical spectrum: hip-hop (Blackalicious, Roots), jazz (Roy Hargrove, Archie Shepp); soul (Sade, D'Angelo), Afrobeat (Tony Allen, Femi Kuti), world music (Baaba Maal, Jorge Ben), electronic music (Mixmaster Mike, Money Mark) and rock (Nile Rodgers). They have come together to raise money for the 25 million Africans now infected with the AIDS/HIV virus. Red Hot efforts often pair different artists together on the same song, and this album features many once-in-a-lifetime collaborations. Fela's music has been refashioned and mixed together here according to the styles of the artists, rendering several of the 20 songs barely recognizable in comparison with the originals. But such is the strength of Fela's music that even such singular-sounding artists as Macy Gray and Dead Prez get into the Afrobeat spirit of things.

Various Artists - Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti [2002]

1. Fela Mentality [Intro]
2. Kalakuta Show
3. Interlude: Live At Kalakuta
4. Shuffering & Shmiling
5. Interlude: Gimme Sh*t
6. Water No Get Enemy
7. Water No Get Enemy
8. Gentleman
9. Years Of Tears And Sorrow
10. Shakara/Lady [Pt.1]
11. Shakara/Lady [Pt.2]
12. Don't Worry About My Mouth O [African Message]
13. Zombie [Pt.1]
14. Zombie [Pt.2]
15. No Agreement
16. So Be It
17. Interlude/This Is An Ashanti Proverb
18. By Your Side
19. Colonial Mentality
20. Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am

..:|:Lagos Shake: A Tony Allen Chop Up

2008 remix project featuring Dance music's finest reinventing tracks from Tony Allen's Lagos No Shaking album, which contained his first recordings in Lagos since his time with Fela Kuti. Includes remixes from legends of dance music culture like Basic Channel in Berlin and founding father of Detroit techno, Carl Craig; young tigers like Dizzee Rascal's Newham Generals, MIA producer Diplo in Baltimore, and carioca sensations Bonde Do Role from Rio De Janeiro. Plus new recordings from Cairo, Saturn, Bogota and Kingston, Jamaica - fresh interpretations or complete reworkings!

Various Artists - Lagos Shake: A Tony Allen Chop Up [2008]

1. Sankofa

2. Kilode Remix

3. Awa Na Re Remix

4. Mark's Disco Dub

5. Reggae Land Dub

6. Tetsuya's Theme

7. Samba

8. Fuji Ouija

9. Ole [Cairo version]

10. Ole Remix

..:|:Tony Allen:|:..

With Rody Cereyon, Claude Dibongue, Nicolas Giraud, Simon Andrieux. Tony Allen is arguably Africa's greatest kit drummer. As co-creator with Fela Kuti of the hugely popular and influential Afrobeat style, Allen is one of the continent's most important artists. He has inspired generations of musicians worldwide and is a legendary figure amongst fans of funk, jazz, hip hop and African music. 'Secret Agent' is his debut album for World Circuit, and his first release since he became a cofounder with Damon Albarn and Paul Simonon of 'The Good, The Bad and The Queen'. Self-produced, this majestic slice of hardcore funky Afrobeat was recorded in Lagos, Paris and London, using his regular hard-drilled touring band with full horn section. The vocals are handled by Tony himself alongside his specially selected group of singers from his native Lagos, Nigeria.

Tony Allen - Secret Agent [2009]

1. Secret Agent
2. Ijo
3. Swift
4. Celebrate
5. Ayenlo
6. Busybody
7. Pariwo
8. Nina Lowo
9. Atuwaba
10. Alutere
11. Elewon Po

Many people have attempted to reinvent Afrobeat - chief among them Fela's sons Femi and Seun - but Allen's take on the genre is streets ahead of either of them. Recorded in the Nigerian city over 10 hot, heavy nights, Lagos No Shaking presents a calmer, less manic Afrobeat, delicately balanced between laid-back insouciance and urgency, loose-limbed polyrhythms and ferocious grooves. 

Tony Allen - Lagos No Shaking [2006]

1. Ise Nla
2. Morose
3. Aye Le
4. Losun
5. One Tree
6. Ole
7. Kilode
8. Awa Na Re
9. Ogogoro
10. Moyege
11. Gbedu

..:|:The Dirty Projectors:|:..

Dirty Projectors are a Brooklyn-based experimental rock band led by Dave Longstreth. The band currently consists of Longstreth alongside Amber Coffman (vocals, guitar), Angel Deradoorian (vocals, keyboard, samples, guitar, bass), Brian Mcomber (drums), Nat Baldwin (bass) and Haley Dekle (vocals).
This is my first experience of Dirty Projectors and I am enjoying it immensely. Whenever I hear music that is hard to define [mainly because I hear different genres within it] I simply classify it as... FUNKY!

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca [2009]

1. Cannibal Resource
2. Temecula Sunrise
3. The Bride
4. Stillness Is The Move
5. Two Doves
6. Useful Chamber
7. No Intention
8. Remade Horizon
9. Flourescent Half Dome

..:|:Yo La Tengo:|:..

This album is Yo La Tengo's 16th, and marks their 25th anniversary. It is progressive rock at it's best. If you haver never listened to YLT previously then this release is a perfect opportunity for you to introduce yourself to this great band.

Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs [2009]

1. Here To Fall
2. Avalon Or Someone Very Similar
3. By Two's
4. Nothing To Hide
5. Periodically Double Or Triple
6. If It's True
7. I'm On My Way
8. When It's Dark
9. All Your Secrets
10. More Stars Than There Are In Heaven
11. Fireside
12. And The Glitter Is Gone

..:|:Seun Kuti:|:..

Seun Kuti is the son of Fela Kuti, Africa's greatest musician and inventor of Afrobeat. From the opening bars of the self-titled debut from Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - ideas, words, and notes whiz about with abandon. The Afrobeat magic is set in motion while the delirious, unrelenting groove machine carries us away without missing a moment. For this debut album and full North American summer tour, Seun is leading the legendary Egypt 80 orchestra, his father's last band. Egypt 80 have been together for over two decades and it shows in every note: the cohesion and absolutely mesmeric precision of the rhythmic reflexes down to the thousandth of a second that makes their ultra-syncopated polyphony the perfect 'swing' model.

Seun Anikulapo Kuti & Fela's Egypt 80 - Many Things [2008]

1. Many Things
2. Na Oil
3. Don't Give That Shit to Me
4. Fire Dance
5. Think Afrika
6. Mosquito Song
7. African Problems

..:|:Femi Kuti:|:..

The son of Afro-beat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Femi Kuti spent years playing in his father's band before eventually rising to superstardom following his father's death in the l ate '90s. Since few artists can match his father's legacy of not only music but influence, Femi's relation as his son is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it's never been difficult for Femi to garner press or attention, and MCA went out of its way to push his career with ridiculous amounts of publicity. Yet on the other hand, no matter his individual accomplishments, Femi will forever be known as Fela's son. Practicing a similar style of Afro-beat as his father, Femi helped introduce the percussive blend of jazz and funk music to the international masses beginning in the mid-'90s, along with his father's same sense of political activism.

Femi Kuti - Day By Day [2008]

1. Oyimbo
2. Eh On
3. Day By Day
4. Demo Crazy
5. Do You Know
6. You Better Ask Yourself
7. One Two
8. Tell Me
9. They Will Run
10. Tension Grip Africa
11. Dem Funny
12. Let's Make History
13. Inside Religion

Femi Kuti - Shoki Shoki [2000]

1. Truth Don Die
2. Beng Beng Beng
3. What Will Tomorrow Bring
4. Victim of Life
5. Blackman Know Yourself
6. Look Around
7. Sorry Sorry
8. Eregele
9. Scatta Head

Femi Kuti - Femi Kuti [1995]

1. Wonder Wonder
2. Survival
3. Frustrations
4. Nawa [Intro]
5. Nawa
6.  Plenty Nonsense
7. Stubborn Problems
8. No Shame
9. Live For Today
10. Changes

..:|:Fela:|:..

Fela was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, to a middle-class family. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a feminist activist in the anti-colonial movement and his father, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, a Protestant minister and school principal, was the first president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers.

Fela was sent to London in 1958 to study medicine but decided to study music instead at the Trinity College of Music. While there he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a style of music that he would later call afrobeat. The style was a fusion of African jazz and funk with West African highlife. In 1969, Fela took the band to the United States. While there, Fela discovered the Black Power movement through Sandra Smith (now Izsadore)—a partisan of the Black Panther Party—which would heavily influence his music and political views and renamed the band Nigeria ’70.

Fela Kuti, Roy Ayers - Upside Down/Music Of Many Colors [2001]

1. Upside Down
2. Go Slow
3. 2,000 Blacks Got To Be Free [feat. Roy Ayers]
4. Africa, Center Of The world [feat. Roy Ayers]

Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70 - Zombie [2001]

1. Zombie
2. Mr. Follow Follow
3. Observation Is No Crime
4. Mistake [Live At The Berlin Jazz Festival -1978]

Fela Ransome Kuti and The Africa 70 - Open and Close [2001]

1. Open and Close

2. Suegbe and Pako

3. Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo

4. Alu Jon Jonki Jon

5. Jeun Ko Ku [Chop and Quench]

6. Eko Ile

7. Je Nwi temi [Don't Gag Me]

Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Afrika 70 - Yellow Fever/Na Poi [2000]

1. Yellow fever
2. Na Poi
3. Na Poi [Part 1&2]
4. You No Gone Die... Unless

Fela Kuti - Fela's London Scene [1997]

1. J'ehin J'ehin
2. Egbe Mi O
3. Who're You
4. Buy Africa
5. Fight To Finish

Fela Ransome Kuti and The Africa 70 - Fela, Fela, Fela

1. My Lady Frustration
2. Viva Nigeria
3. Obe
4. Ako
5. Witchcraft
6. Wayo
7. Lover
8. Funky Horn
9. Eko
10. This Is Sad

Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70 - Expensive Shit [1975]

1. Expensive Shit
2. Water No Get Enemy

Fela Ransome Kuti and The Africa 70 with Ginger Baker - LIVE! [1971]

1. Let's Start
2. Blackman's Cry
3. Ye Ye de Smell
4. Egbe Mi O [Carry Me I Want to Die]
5. Ginger Baker and Tony Allen Drum Solo [Instrumental]

..:|:Tanya Morgan:|:..

Although the name evokes something of a neo-soul songstress, the music is overtly hip hop. Making matters even more complicated, this womans name is actually the pseudonym for a group of three male MCs. Not confused yet? Well try this on for size: Tanya Morgan is a group comprised of Von Pea and Ilwil (Ilyas and Donwill) - two totally separate acts. Within the span of a year, the collective of four recorded all the material that would become their debut, Moonlighting. The tightly knit 13-song set is bound together by the story of a misled record shopper and his unwanted purchase. The albums title is a nod to the fact that Tanya Morgan is really two acts in a group together who are, in a sense, moonlighting on their respective jobs by working with each other. And what sound should one expect from three men who named their group after a fictitious woman? Expect the unexpected. There are no neo-soul, rap/r&b hybrid songs on the album. Lyrically the three saturate their clever content with enough personality to push the listener through songs at rewind button-breaking speeds. Tanya Morgan has, in effect, dubbed their sound Running Man Music, and that descriptor is two fold. When the BPMs arent cranked up to a pitch frenetic enough to induce the dance itself, the emotion evoked by the music is enough to remind the listener of a time when Hip Hop was urgent. The album is a clever tongue-in-cheek look at what it means to be a consumer in todays single-driven market where the album format is slowly dissolving altogether. Collectively and individually,

Tanya Morgan - Brooklynati [2009] - Explicit Lyrics

1. On Our Way
2. Alleye Need
3. So Damn Down
4. Bang & Boogie
5. Don'y U Holla
6. Hardcore Gentlemen
7. Plan B
8. Intermission
9. She's Gone [aka Without You]
10. Never 2ndary
11. Just Not True
12. Morgan Blu
13. Never Enough [Crazy Love]
14. We're Fly
15. Just Arrived
16. Forgot 2 Say

Tanya Morgan - The Bridge [EP 2008]

1. The Bridge [feat. Euclid]
2. We Doin' Our...
3. Filthier AKA "Place"
4. Got 2 Get Done
5. Be You [feat. Czelena]
6. Get Me Inside
7. Threemcees
8. Hip Hop Is Dead II
9. How Long [Bonus Track]

Tanya Morgan - Moonlighting [2006] - Explicit Lyrics

1. The Record Spot [Intro]
2. The Warm Up
3. Paper thin [feat. Jermiside]
4. We Be
5. Skit #1
6. Take The L
7. Ode To Tanya
8. Ha Ha Ha
9. Skit #2
10. We Right Here
11. Just cause I Got Locs
12. Rough U Up
13. Skit #3
14. Pretty
15. Hooks
16. Want You To Want me
17. We Bad
18. Skit #4

..:|:Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion:|:..

Just as the name implies this is a brilliant, unique blend of classical and latin jazz music. If you enjoy either genre you should absolutely love this album!

Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion - Classic Meets Cuba [2004]

1. Mambozart
2. Kubanischer Tanz
3. Danzon De La Trucha
4. Preludio
5. Afrolise
6. Air
7. Pathétique I
8. Pathétique II
9. Pathétique III
10. Salsa No. 5
11. Czardas
12. Etude
13. Carmen Cubana
14. Hummelflug
15. Gutan Abend
16. Hymne

..:|:The Dead Weather:|:..

The Dead Weather is fronted by Alison Mosshart (known to music fans as one half of London-based rock outfit The Kills) and includes The Raconteurs' Jack Lawrence on bass, Queens Of The Stone Age member Dean Fertita on guitar and Jack White on drums and vocals. White produced Horehound, which was recorded in just three weeks at the newly constructed Third Man Studio, also designed from the ground up by Jack White.
This is one of those collaborative albums where each contributor brings their own distinctive sound, that when combined with the others produces a truly unique sound, that stands on it's own. This is rock just the way I like it... dark, grungy, and... funky, with just the right amount of blues!

The Dead Weather - Horehound [2009]

1. 60 Feet Tall
2. Hang You from The Heavens
3. I Cut Like A Buffalo
4. So Far From Your Weapon
5. Treat Me Like Your mother
6. Rocking Horse
7. New Pony
8. Bone House
9. 3 Birds
10. No Hassle Night
11. Will There Be enough Water?