New releases last four weeks: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: On their second release, Atelier Kamikazi continues to deliver raw, collaborative lyrics drawn from their experiences as street kids in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Like their debut on Seismographic Records, the group reflects on the harsh realities and surreal beauty of life in the city as they resist corrupt politics, challenge religious hypocrisy embodied by a figure they call "Priest Cat's Heart", and confront the dangers of "Bomb," a potent street drug. With vivid metaphors and unflinching honesty, they warn against its use while affirming their true tools for survival: words, wisdom and Loketo-the liberating hip-swing of Congolese dance.

Review: Tresor Magnetique is a treasure trove of unreleased tracks by the late great Francis Bebey-an international artist whose visionary work defies time and continues to add standout energy to eclectic DJ sets everywhere. These recordings have been digitised from fragile tapes found by his son and restored at Abbey Road Studios and blend pygmy flutes, drum machines, folk guitars and electronic textures in daring, genre-defying ways. Rather than a retrospective, this feels like an ongoing conversation that keeps Beby's work urgent and vital and prove Bebey wasn't just ahead of his time, he transcended it, from the lo-fi drum track magnificent of 'Quand Le Soleil Est La' to the raw, textured tropical funk of 'Where Are You? I Love You.'

Review: Drissi El-Abbass's Rai Sidi Bel Abbes - Volume 2 is a superb eight-track compilation that tells the evolutionary story of Rai music from the late 1970s to the 1990s. Released by Nashazphone on four sides of wax, it highlights El-Abbassi's soft vocals and innovative fusion of traditional Algerian music with electronic elements which came after he started his career with Les Aigles Noirs and later collaborated with guitarist Ahmed Zergui. El-Abbassi embraced synthesisers and drum machines to shape a modern Rai sound that has stood the test of time and tracks like 'Maak Probleme' and 'Datli Laakal' blend nostalgic melodies with bold production to offer a vivid portrait of Rai's creative transformation.

Review: Some 13 years have now passed since Mississippi Records started reissuing private press albums by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, an Ethiopian Orthodox nun, pianist and composer whose naturally religious-inspired works frequently took spiritual music to fascinating new places. Here the label turns its attention to 1972's Church of Kidane Mehret, notable not only for being recorded live in various churches across Jerusalem, but also for the use of harmonium and pipe organ as well as Emehoy's beloved piano. The original album, which in line with her other album features intricate and mood-enhancing solo translations of orthodox liturgies, has here been expanded via the inclusion of two further piano pieces from 1963's ultra-rare Der Sang Des Reeres - a set of which only 50 copies were ever produced.

Review: Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru's deeply spiritual music has long remained a hidden gem and this release offers a rare chance to experience her most poignant works. Recorded in churches across Jerusalem, her performances on piano, harmonium and pipe organ transcend genre that blends Ethiopian Orthodox liturgy with the technical sophistication of her classical training. There's a serenity to these pieces, particularly in 'Ave Maria,' where her piano's crystalline chimes fill the sacred spaces, while 'Spring Ode - Meskerem' brings new life to familiar melodies, played through the rich drones of the harmonium. The collection moves from meditative to dramatic, with 'Essay on Mahlet' offering a slow, introspective journey as Emahoy translates the free verse of Orthodox liturgy into a delicate piano composition. The inclusion of 'The Storm' provides a moment of intense contrast, its stormy narrative unfolding through sharp, thunderous piano lines. Emahoy's ability to blend devotional themes with emotional depth is most apparent in 'Via Dolorosa,' where the music mirrors the weight of the stations of the cross with breathtaking gravity. Her music, though niche, stands out for its seamless fusion of Ethiopian spirituality with the grand traditions of Western classical music, feeling entirely distinct in its expression. The recordings, originally made in 1972, show a stark simplicity and restrained power that speaks directly to the soul. It's a rare treasure and an essential contribution to the world of spiritual music.

Review: Mississippi Recs provide yet another delta stream's worth of Ethio musics by nun and composer Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, presenting a remarkable body of work shaped by faith, solitude, and a deep reverence for sound. First self-released in 1972 and now enlarged over two formerly unheard piano pieces, this new curatorial crimp reveals Emahoy's profound engagement with the liturgical traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church: all laid to record across sacred spaces in Jerusalem, they hear her play piano, harmonium and organ, with tactful piano fingers assuring a chiming touch on 'Ave Maria' and 'Essay on Mahlet', both religious chants heard to echo against ancient stone. Also inside are two compositions from the near-lost album Der Sang Des Meeres (1963), salvaged from obscurity and restored here with equal reverence.

Review: Wewantsounds continues its deep dive into Algerian music with the first-ever reissue of Les Abranis' sought-after-by-those-who-know 1983 long player, Album No. 1. Originally recorded in Paris and privately pressed in small quantities, the album, which is also known as Id Ed Was, fuses Kabyle rhythms with funk and touches of reggae. This reissue has been curated by Cheb Gero (of recent Sweet Rebels compiling fame) and features remastered audio, though it retains the original artwork. It's a great line document of Algeria's diasporic groove with a two-page insert featuring fresh liner notes by journalist Rabah Mezouane.

Review: Malawi's Madalitso Band shift gear on their third album for Bongo Joe, setting aside their initial rep for live gigs to focus presently on studio etudes. Duo Yobu and Yosefe (legends tell of impromptu street performances becoming a before-you-know-it local live phenomenon) blend handmade babatone (a Malawian chordophone fashioned from cowskin and an oil drum), guitar, and intertwined vocals into a sound straddling banjo music, kwela, gospel, and African folk. The minimalist yet lively acoustic trance so yielded achieves a contradicting tradition rooted in modernity.

Review: Khadim is a smart evolution of Ndagga Rhythm Force's sound-stripped down, spacious and spiritually charged. Abandoning guitars and full percussion, the four track album hones in on minimal live drumming, dubby synths (including Mark Ernestus's Prophet-5), and Mbene Diatta Seck's powerful, expressive voice. Each track is emotionally rich and narratively distinct while touching on Senegalese history, Sufi devotion and street-level struggles. Songs like 'Lamp Fall' and 'Khadim' pay homage to revered religious figures while blending traditional rhythms with contemporary electronics. After years of touring, this new direction feels deeply rooted yet forward-reaching and means this album is both devotional and radical in its dubwise majesty.

Review: It may be almost a decade since the last - and previously only - album by Mark Ernestus' Ndagga Rhythm Force outfit, but in the time the expansive, percussion-led collective has toured extensively and subtly developed their African rhythms-meets-dub trademark style. Khadim, which features extensive contributions from vocalist Mbene Diatta Seck, is not only a welcome return to the studio, but also a genuinely impressive affair. For proof, check the percussion-rich Afro-dub science of 'Lamp Fall', where Seck's effects-laden vocals spar with dub techno synth motifs and deep sub-bass over a hand percussion-heavy rhythm track, or the more dub techno-focused early morning hypnotism of the inspired title track.

Review: This is the sound of Malian guitar mastery at its peak as Zani Diabate's Super Djata Band channelled raw magic on their 1981 album. Blending Wasulu hunter traditions, griot storytelling, Senufo dances and Fula and Mandingo sounds with psychedelic rock, blues and Afrobeat, the Bamako-based orchestra delivers a genre-bending sonic trip that more than stands up. This is where tradition meets wah-wah pedal wizardry across six electrifying tracks that blaze with intensity and infectious groove. It outlines a revolutionary sound forged for the people, by the people and in the 1980s, few bands matched their fire- could should still the same today, to be fair.

Review: A linchpin of the MEG-AIMP collection, this rare album of sanza music from the Gbaya people of the Central African Republic was recorded by ethnomusicologist Vincent Dehoux and first released on CD in 1993. Now reissued on vinyl and CD to coincide with the Afrosonica: Soundscapes exhibition, it offers a carefully curated selection of "songs for thought." The intimate, introspective tracks are beautifully supported by the repetitive, meditative tones of the lamellaphone - a family of musical instruments that makes its sound by the excitation of a vibrating plate called a lamella - inviting listeners into a pensive soundscape rooted in Central African tradition.