Luaka Bop Schallplatten & CDs

Review: It was originally back in 1989, that iconic Talking Heads frontman David Byrne first shared his love of music from Brazil with the world. He dropped a three-part collection called Brazil Classics that focused on MPB, samba and Forro music. It was a nascent scene back then but has exploded now - still, these albums have withstood the test of time and are still essential. This is volume one and it has been remastered for the latest reissue on his own label. It offers a mix of landmark and lesser-known cuts from some of the true masters of Latin genres and remains a vital addition to your collection.

Review: Milwaukee soulboys Kings Go Forth formed in 2007, and recorded The Outsiders Are Back three years later as an implicit paean to the increasing outsider status of soul music over the years. As might be expected for a band working in a style whose subculture was out of fashion - not least in Milwaukee - the "outsider" status was surely earned. Lead members Andy Noble and Black Wolf handled its songwriting and composition; inspired by classic soul and funk sounds of the 60s and 70s, the ten-tracker flaunts a ten-piece band to match, with horns, percussion, and vocal harmonies playing out in an unmistakably buzzing fever-pitch.

Review: Pharoah Sanders was a monumental figure in the field of spiritual jazz, and this album from 1977 was his undisputed masterwork. Receiving renewed recognition in recent years as a collaborator, his passing in 2022 has cemented his legendary status, and so Luaka Bop take on the task of paying tribute with a lavish reissue of this landmark release. As well as the original album, this two-disc edition features previously unreleased live renditions of 'Harvest Time' and a 70-page booklet with interviews, rarely seen photographs and an interview with Sanders himself.

Review: David Bryne's superlative Luaka Bop label is back with a second volume of its Beleza Tropica compilation that aims to shine a light on its African roots. The sound, in a nutshell and like so many genres, started with slaves looking to lighten the mood of their hard labour. The Brazillian take on it has always been more relaxed and evolved in Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. This new collection takes in plenty of the most well-known names from Gilberto Gil to Chico Science & Nacao Zumbi, Moleque De Rua to Os Paralamas Do Sucesso.