Various
Moon Faze Sun Gaze II

This 2015 reissue from Awesome Tapes From Africa is the whole reason founder Brian Shimkovitz started the blog and the label that grew out of it. Some 13 years before, Brian found a cassette copy of Obaa Sima in Ghana, leading to the foundation of the ATFA blog and long-running effort to track Ata Kak. 4 years after ATFA became a label, Brian finally tracked down the musician and was granted permission to reissue Obaa Sima, using the second-hand tape purchased in Ghana as the source. The seven tracks on this LP are a winning tinny combination of highlife, rap, pop, and more. Not everyone's cup of tea but I think it's sensational.

Following up the much-hyped Rhum Derange 7” Caravan’s third outing on Planet Trip is a ride through the cosmic wormhole. Always adept at translating past eras with meticulous production and a modern flair, Paul Jextra takes in the sounds of 90s afro-cosmic, acid and deep downtempo for his most club-ready record to date. The EP is five end-to-end acidulated triiips complete with middle eastern rhythms, synth squelch and subbass pressure; primed to rattle bass heads and melt minds. Biggie!

The Maghreban 2016 house odyssey 'Brooklyn' is a breathtaking night flight with trance-inducing Caribbean percussion, possessed chants, sci-fi synths, wayward filter sweeps and analogue free jazz... all wrapped up in a weird and wonderful 8-minute microcosm. On the flip, 'The Carpenters' gets chopping straight away, with a motorik industrial dub eventually giving way to haunted sci-fi synths... Weird and wonderful heaviness for d-floor!