Hot Casa France Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Hot Casa France reissue a sultry drum workout from master Turkish darbouka player Yasar Akpence's 2004 album 'Passion Percussion'. 'Desert wind' layers unbelievably tight darbouka trills and phrases over a pulsing, almost dembow-esque core, making for a perfect Balearic DJ tool for any occasion. We can imagine this one bookending hypnotic techno wormholes in a small hours Donato Dozzy set, with its wide stereo drum intrusions and tight production longing to be aired off a suitably weighty soundsystem. Truly chameleonic and compelling music!

Review: An instantly recognisable voice in the funk sphere for over 60 years, you can't talk about Togolese music with mentioning the funkmaster and 'King of Gazo' himself Roger Damawuzan. Containing an unreleased single from his upcoming album 'Seda', this double single is funk so heavy it'll weigh you down. 'Fine Fine' is a slick and fast-paced track of contentment - leave the man alone he said he's fine! - and 'Red Light' is a squeaky clean showcase of what made Damawuzan so popular in Togo with his carefree and charismatic attitude. All you funk lovers out there have got to give this a spin.

Review: In a move towards soulful French electro-funk from the duo that brought us 'Caipirnha', comes the latest new single from DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson. The two producers here bring together a vast cast of musicians playing everything from Moog to claviers, culminating in a texturally rich afro-soul single that urges us to "hold our horses" ('Pas Si Vite') in these troubling times.

Review: 'Eki Bis' is a quintessential example of fresh modern-day soukous and zouk. Despite being first laid down by Congolese singer Lutchiana Mobulu in 1989, the single sounds just as fresh and relevant for the present day as it did back then, reissed via Hot Casa here for a crisp and infectious new reversion. The title track is emblematic of this enough, with high-pitched guitar noodlings and ecstatic raps delivered over a sizzlingly-hot beat skillet. Julien Lebrun's edit catapults the track into subtle space, adding careful echoes and refractions.

Review: Togolese Afro-funk band Vaudou Game has been responsible for some of the most essential music on Hot Casa Music, so the arrival of a new single from them following an extended absence of three years is positive news indeed. A-side 'Bella' is little less than superb: a sparkling slab of Afro-soul in which spacey Moog lines and the band's own distinctive vocals ride a gloriously sunny, percussion-rich groove. They revert to their trademark up-tempo Togolese Afro-funk style on B-side 'Be My Wife', which adds Highlife style guitar motifs and more spacey synth sounds to a stomping, club-ready rhythm. Sun-soaked brilliance: don't sleep!