A mix of overlooked gems and local boomshots from the cassette tape scene in Libya, during the late 80s to early 2000, when independent artists relied on makeshift home studios or travelled abroad to record in Tunisia and Egypt. A judicious mash-up of boundary-pushing sounds which reflects this precariousness and nascency; also the political and cultural crossroads at which Libya found itself. North African rhythms meet Arab melodies and deep African roots. Disco and house run into gritty pop. Reggae courses through, with an unmistakable Libyan twist — not just musically, in the slowed-down cadence of traditional shaabi beats, but also culturally, taking to heart its outernational message of proud, defiant self-awareness.

Assembled by Habibi Funk with personality and love, as per; with a 32-page booklet. Another winner.

Last few box sets!

A fine trombone instrumental — fruity, old-school, wistful — backed with a lovely detournement of Rosemary Clooney’s massive country smash, Beautiful Brown Eyes. Lloyd Charmers business.

Ka-boom! The legendary digger re-ignites the Lagos Disco Inferno and kicks off his very own mouth-watering imprint with two sides of boogie-down bliss.

Organically funky, laced with avant-garde synth textures, and studded with breakbeats, the second Outernational is Jeff Resnick’s unique, ultra-rare, 1978 promotional recording for the School for American Craftsmen, at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Five tracks of soul jazz and modal fusion — re-modelling Trane, and opening with a variation of Norwegian Wood — by a local group including trumpeter Jeff Tyzik and pianist Sonny Kompanek; then Resnick mostly solo for the second side, when the money ran out, multi-tracking synthesizers on his home set-up, in an engrossing blend of reflective abstraction, grooving electro and spiritualised fourth-world tropicalism.
Bim!

Live at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco, at the close of 1961. Jackie Mac is on fire. Tearing version of Una Mas a year before the Blue Note. Leroy Vinnegar, Walter Bishop, Art Taylor.
Scorcher!

This rare roots outing by the lovers specialist is a sweet, heartfelt tribute to the great JA revolutionary. A Lloyd Parks production, with a proper dub.

An excellent Echo Minott LP for Jammys in 1981. Sly and Robbie, Deadly Headley, Winston Wright and co. The opener is a killer next take of the awesome Open The Gate Bobby Boy rhythm.

Good advice, beautifully delivered by the pair who had appeared as pre-teens ten years earlier in the film Rockers. Later known as Bitter Roots.

Doomy, futuristic, Channel One rub-a-dub, with sick synths and vocoder courtesy of producer Earl Lindo at Tuff Gong. The Version says everything that needs to be said.
Killer. Strongly recommended.