Ubiquity US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Headed up by Benin-born Kaleta - a guitarist who has previously worked with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade and Lauryn Hill - Super Yamba Band is a New York collective whose decidedly psychedelic fusions of Afrobeat, Highlife and Afro-funk have been getting rave reviews. "Medaho" is their debut album and it more than lives up to the hype. With Kaleta's variously fuzzy, sun-kissed and flash-fried licks to the fore, the band trips its way through nine mostly dancefloor-friendly workouts that wrap heavy funk instrumentation, rousing horns and Afrobeat style organ riffs around polyrhythmic drums that recall the distinctive swing of Tony Allen. It's a stylistic blend that guarantees results, as the sheer volume of highlights triumphantly proves.

Review: Tigerbalm is the solo project from Nicola Rose Robinson, and it has impressed over the last couple of years with music on Peng and Ubiquity. Now she returns to the latter for a new single packed with great remixes. The original is 'Waiheke', a loose-limbed rhythm with bubbling drums, rich percussion and tribal vocals that will work any dance floor into a lather. The Alma Negra remix brings more funky bass, while the Bananas For Breakfast remix slows things down to a languid crawl. On the flip, the Demi Riquisimo mix is more minimal and deep and Quartz and Tiger Sunset then offer two different perspectives to close this vital EP.