Produced by Kaoru Sato of legendary Japanese no-wave band EP-4, R.N.A.O Meets P.O.P.O is a stunning late ’70s private press oddity from Yuzuru Agi’s legendary Osaka-based label Vanity […]
1980
Inspired by Ornette Coleman’s vision of free jazz aka the “New Thing”, double bassist Barre Phillips has spent the last five decades developing his own style of improvised […]
In 1980, the British label Rough Trade opened a Stateside satellite office in San Francisco and, as a way of introduction, curated a 14-song collection of the label’s […]
A remarkable overview of a Spanish experimental iconoclast, Javier Segura’s El Sol Desde Oriente: Selected & Unreleased Recordings 1980-1990 gathers nine instrumental pieces that reveal the breadth of the […]
Azimuth (not to be confused with Brazilian legends Azymuth) were an English jazz trio consisting of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, vocalist Norma Winstone, and Winstone’s husband, pianist John Taylor. […]
Marchena City Dub is an obscure Dutch reggae release from vocalist Myrtha Salesia aka Sister Spliff and Ludwig Wisch aka Demon Dread. Not much information is available about […]
Pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim, formerly known as Dollar Brand, is known as one of the leading figures of Cape Jazz, a subgenre of jazz performed in the […]
Reportedly shelved for a year by Island Records’ Chris Blackwell because he found the songs too personal and unsettling, Grace & Danger is a heartbreaking portrait of John […]
Dynasty’s second album Adventures In The Land Of Music is a ’80s R&B and funk classic filled with catchy hooks, danceable rhythms, and strong vocal performances. The album […]
An obscure gem originally released in 1980 on tape only, Futuro Antico contains the hypnotic debut sessions of Walter Maioli (Aktuala) and Ricardo Sinigaglia’s “Italian cross-culture ethnic meets […]
One of Queens’ finest, Tom Browne recorded his album Love Approach in 1980 featuring the smash hit “Funkin For Jamaica(N.Y.)” which charted number one on the US Billboard […]
One of the first signings on Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent’s imprint 4AD is also one of its least known, even if “Fond Affections” eventually found a bigger […]
David Ruffin is best known for being in The Temptations but his solo career is nothing to overlook. Raised by a baptist minister, David intended to follow in […]
Featured in the “Psychedelic” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide and reissued on Florence-based balearic label Archeo Recordings, Aqua Sansa is tripped-out electronic free jazz meets […]
The album that introduced Luther Vandross to the world, Glow of Love is the classic debut album by Change, an Italian-American post-disco group formed in Bologna by businessman […]
MFSB, which stands for Mother Father Sister Brother, was the studio band for Philadelphia International Records. The collective of over 30 musicians worked closely with production duo Gamble […]
Featured in Toshihito “Dubby” Maeyama’s Midnight in Tokyo Vol.2 compilation for Mule Musiq, Jugando was a short-lived Japanese latin fusion band formed by guitarist Masayuki Furuya. The group […]
The landmark debut album by Durutti Column, a Factory Records project consisting of genius guitarist Vini Reilly and legendary Manchester producer Martin Hannett, The Return Of The Durutti […]
DIY electro-acoustic experiments from Seattle based composer Kerry Leimer. Produced with a Minimoog, an Oberheim module, piano and home-made electric guitar on two TEAC 3340 4-track machines, the […]
One of Ghana’s greatest producers and arrangers, Ebo Taylor delivers a perfect fusion of African highlife and afrobeat with American soul, jazz and funk on his 1980 classic […]
A seminal post punk classic, Gang of Four’s debut Entertainment is a perfectly stripped down mix of punk, funk, and dub with highly political lyrics taking aim at […]
LS: How would you describe your music? LS: I wouldn’t. People often ask me to do that, and it seems impossible. Music isn’t verbal or conceptual. I try […]
John & Yoko’s first album after a long hiatus from music following the birth of their first son Sean, Double Fantasy received largely negative reviews from critics but […]
Engineered by Prince Jammy, Dub Confrontation is a classic showdown album featuring Fatman Killer and the Zulu Warrior Jah Shaka. For those unfamiliar, a dub showdown features two […]
I Wah Dub is an absolute classic dubwise album by Blackbeard aka Dennis Bovell, one of the godfathers of British reggae. The multi-talented Bovell follows in the footsteps […]
Terry Riley’s triumphant return to CBS over a decade after 1969’s A Rainbow In Curved Air, Shri Camel is a meditative masterwork blending the feeling of eastern music […]
Quite underrated, laid-back kosmische with acoustic guitars, synths, organs, piano, flutes, drum machines, extended solos and broken english from brothers Klaus and Rolf Fichter (formerly of Yatha Sidra). […]
One of the great Brazilian jazz albums of the 80’s, Sexteto Do Beco’s debut and lone album has a bit of everything – psychedelia, soul, folk, swing, and […]
Produced by the great Norman Connors, Back For More is the major label solo debut of Al Johnson from Washington D.C. soul group the Unifics. Johnson had spent […]
Part of a trilogy of albums produced by Robert Fripp in the late 70’s showcasing his “Frippertronics” guitar method, Sacred Songs is an unexpected but strangely beautiful avant-garde […]
Released on K. Leimer’s Palace of Lights, Marc Barreca’s debut album Twilight is a collection of improvised ambient compositions using techniques and methodologies pioneered by Brian Eno on […]
Featured in the “Mellow” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Only Love Can Sustain is Argentinian rock legend Luis Alberto Spinetta’s first album released outside his […]
Starting in the 1970s, Jamaican poet Johnson became a well known chronicler of Black culture in and around Bristol, England. Relocating from the former British colony of Jamaica […]
Like many of our favorite records, Paul McCartney’s quirky, experimental pop album was poorly received by critics upon release but has since gained a cult following and recognized […]
The debut solo album by Harald Grosskopf, the enigmatic percussionist behind Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schulze, and Cosmic Jokers, Synthesist is a masterpiece electronic album that is widely […]
A true “balearic” full length album from cover to cover, Reaching For The Sky is the second and arguably greatest album from the short lived Dutch pop rock […]
Happy Ambrosia is a little known kraut release by Alto, a side project by Kraan “alto” saxophonist Johannes Pappert. The band was apparently not a proper band and […]
Celestial Sky is an underrated disco-funk gem by Norman Connors’ Starship Orchestra. Connors is a brilliant composer/producer and one of the more unsung jazz greats even though he’s […]
The one and only recorded release from the ambitious German jazz-rock group that would eventually share their name with a majorly successful US boogie outfit, Shake It showcases […]
In 1979, Laraaji was hammering away at his zither in Washington Square Park alone, in a lotus position, eyes closed, filling the air with his stream-of-consciousness harmonics only […]
In an unlikely collaboration between folk singer Laura Allan and New Age pioneer Paul Horn, Reflections captures two artists in perfect harmony of their talents. Allan, in addition […]