Paris DJs Soundstem - African Mashed Potato Popcorn Vol.6
(MP3 Podcast on www.ParisDJs.com) T.I.M.E.C., 2007-10-15


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Info :
African music is shining on ParisDJs.com, with this already 6th (!) volume of our African Mashed Potato Popcorn series, carefully crafted by our loyal co-founders Grant Phabao & Djouls from the T.I.M.E.C. music agency. Those guys have been digging for rare and trippy african grooves for many years now, and after a relaxed "Afrocool" selection (Vol.4) and a roof-tearing-off "Afrogroove" one (Vol.5), they've opted this time for a special psychedelic mashup of afro-trips from all over the world.
Things kick off on a surprising extract from Miami's top-ranking Latin maestros The Spam Allstars, an incredible mixture of styles called "Afrika" - off the grid and perfectly fit for this mix. Next comes The Rhythm Funk Masters, another band you've probabaly never heard of, they come from Finland and have released an essential melting pot of Afrofunk on the Japanese P-Vine label. Distributors should fight for this record...
Hydroponic Sound System is the hub of production team/lab rats Rube and Skin from Dallas, Texas. "Shu Bop Shu Bop" is extracted from their self-released second album from 2005. Those guys have issued so many records and digital tracks that they're really hard to follow and categorize, but the chase's nearly always worth the effort.
New Yorkers' Bama & The Family "Feeling Good" track was originally released of a 7 inch on the Afro-styled Soul Fire subsidiary label Lenar. Both labels are closed now but in 2004 Leon Michels (from El Michels Affair) and Jeff Silverman (from Soul Fire Records) formed Truth and Soul Records in Brooklyn, NY, who's been ever since releasing (and re-releasing) new classic tracks of retro soul, funk and afro-funk.
We then go back to Germany at the end of the nineties with the godfathers of deep funk, namely The Poets Of Rhythm, under the Pan-Atlantics moniker. Check their incredible discography on Ninja-Obsession.net. The longest track on this mix is from Eufórquestra, an eclectic world-beat jamband from Iowa City, who tried mixing afrobeat and roots cuban music on their "Explorations in Afrobeat" album issued in 2006. And closing this superb and hypnotic set is "Pharaoh", extracted from the rather hard to find third album from Topaz, "Afro-Dub Sessions". They're from Austin, Texas.
From all over the globe, Afrobeat rules!

Tracklisting :
01. The Spam Allstars - Afrika
(from 'Electricodomesticos' album, 2007 / Spamusica) USA
»more info on Djouls.com«
02. Rhythm Funk Masters - Nudinuff
(from 'Afro-american-arctic' CD, 2007 / P-Vine) FINLAND
»more info on myspace.com/RhythmFunkMasters«
03. Hydroponic Sound System - Shu Bop Shu Bop
(from 'Grids/loops/intersections' album, 2006 / Alternate Take) USA
»more info on alt-take.com«
04. Bama & The Family - Feeling Good
(from 'Fallin' Off The Reel' compilation, 2006 / Truth & Soul) USA
»more info on Djouls.com«
05. The Pan-Atlantics - Rhodesian Girl
(from 'Into Space & Time' album, 1997 / Spinning Wheel) GERMANY
»more info on Ninja-Obsession.com«
06. Eufórquestra - Ogun
(from 'Explorations in Afrobeat' album, 2006 / Eufórquestra Productions) USA
»more info on Djouls.com«
07. Topaz - Pharaoh
(from 'The Afro-Dub Sessions' album, 2005 / Pony Canyon) USA
»more info on myspace.com/texastopaz«

Original record covers :


Credits :
Selected and mixed by the Paris DJs Soundsystem (parisdjs.com)
Artwork by Djouls (djouls.com)
Audio mastering by Grant Phabao (grantphabao.com)