Various - Rangarang - Pre-revolutionary Iranian Pop
(2xCD/3xLP) Vampisoul VAMPI138, 2011-11-14

Rangarang is a compilation of forgotten jewels from pre-revolutionary Iran. These songs tell the stories of an artisan community that flourished during the 1960s and 1970s before vanishing into oblivion. The pop stars who stayed in Iran were summonsed to the revolutionary court and forced to sign a declaration promising to abandon their careers and never perform again. By the time an exilic music industry had been established in Los Angeles, where many musicians settled after fleeing the chaotic disarray of post-revolutionary war-torn Iran, the beats and melodies of the monarchist era had given way to the synthesizers of the 1980s and Iranian pop music would never be the same again. The range of the tracks included on Rangarang is astonishing, from funky workouts and soulful pop to jazzy grooves and yearning ballads, all wonderfully and imaginatively produced and arranged, giving shape to truly popular music. Includes tracks by most of the stars of the golden age of Persian pop music, such as Googoosh, Aref, Leila Forouhar, Neli, Dariush, Pooran, Shohreh, Hamid Shabkhiz, Giti…

Various - ¡Chicas! - Spanish Female Singers 1962-1974
(CD/2xLP) Vampisoul VAMPI130, 2011-07-11

An irresistible collection of ye-yé, rock & roll, twist, beat, garage, rhythm & blues, soul and Latin sounds! From the early 60s and a difficult political and social context, Spanish female singers - and those who moved to Spain- disregarded conventions and overcame all barriers to be part of a music movement that shook the Spanish society of the period. For a while now, various compilations have been released in Spain documenting styles, scenes and artists belonging to such happening decades (creatively speaking) as the 50s, 60s and 70s, and nevertheless, there hasn't been one featuring only female contributions to the cause. Because we could never thank them enough for their effort, Vampisoul brings you this first volume of ¡Chicas!, showing how this exquisite group of Spanish girls covered with talent, class and glamour the period ranging from 1962 to 1974.

Various - Shapes 11:01 - Compiled by Robert Luis
(2CD/LP with 2CD) Tru Thoughts TRUCD/LP239, 2011-10-10

The new bi-annual Shapes compilation from Tru Thoughts Recordings is coming out in october and once again it's full of classic tracks, new signatures and exlusives for a very cheap price tag. The first CD is a nice selection of horizontal grooves, songs & electronica from the vast palette of style from the label's recent output. Among the discoveries : new signings Anchorsong from Japan, and his trippy live downtempo music, Lossy from East London, a duo of jazz-infused electronica, groovy, soulful and uplifting trip hop, a new track from songstress Kinny, the kind of perfect sweetness for the ears to rub yourself into, the glorious reggae interpretation of the Dr Who Theme by the Smerins Anti-Social Club (only available on a strictly limited 45 for record store day before) and of the Dr. Dre hit Nuthin' But A 'G' Thing cover in cumbia mode by Quantic Y Su Conjunto Los Miticos Del Ritmo (only available on a limited Serato 12 inch before). The second disc is a more clubby, uptempo affair, with a tendancy towards crunchy or bassy speed-ambient. Among the notable new stuff are the afro-wobbly remix by Débruit of Saravah Soul is killer bouncy electro deconstructivism, Hint bringing hard to describe, crazy & addictive dance thingies to the table, and label honcho Rob Luis alias Nirobi who's also there with his heavy bass and percussive dancefloor beats to rock the roof off. Djouls - Paris DJs

Various - Bambara Mystic Soul - The Raw Sound of Burkina Faso 1974-1979
(CD/2xLP) Analog Africa n°10 AACD 070/AALP070, 2011-10-10

For its commemorative 10th release, Analog Africa indulges in Burkina Faso, one of the jewels of the Sahel, a harsh and arid strip that straddles the southern Sahara, stretching from Dakar in the west to Djibouti in the east. Formerly known as Haute Volta, Burkina Faso's sound was organized and nurtured during the country's time as part of a vast patchwork making up French colonial West Africa. While it might be Analog Africa's venture into possibly the most obscure of African sounds thus far, the sounds of the golden age of Burkinabé music deserve to be heard and the varying styles that came to define the era are completely covered in this 16-track release.

Various - BBE 15 - 15 years of Real Music for Real People
Compiled and mixed by Chris Read
(2xCD/Digital) Barely Breaking Even BBE193, 2011-09-27

BBE Records first released the acclaimed Stop and Listen series late in 1996, a series that set the benchmark for latter day copies such as Late Night Tales and included compilers such as the legendary Masters At Work. Mixed by recent addition to the BBE roster Chris Read, BBE 15 is a master class in bringing this music together in one seamless mix, your very own memory lane of BBE's endless highs. From the Beat Generation series which featured Hip Hop legends Pete Rock, Jay Dee, Marley Marl and DJ Jazzy Jeff to household name Will.I.am to the eclecticism of DJ Spinna, King Britt, Madlib and for best measure MFSB string arranger Larry Gold to unreleased gems from Jazz Funk pioneer Roy Ayers. Moreover Aaron Jerome who first cut his teeth with BBE with his debut album Time To Re-Arrange released in 2006 - and has recently been outed as UK Bass talent SBTRKT... 15 years of quality releases: as not-that-cool-funksters would say, "it's a celebration"!

Various - Oi! A Nova Musica Brasileira!
(2xCD/Download) Mais Um Discos, 2010-09-13

Thought Brazilian music began with bossa nova, morphed into tropicália and then finished with baile-funk? Well think again! Oi! A Nova Música Brasileira! is a sonic-snapshot of the most exciting new Brazilian music from artists influenced by the likes of Kraftwerk, Massive Attack, Talking Heads, Os Mutantes, Beastie Boys, Sly & Robbie, Sonic Youth, Ween & Stereolab. CD1 features 20 of the hottest artists from Brazil's new wave, tropicália, folk & indie scenes inc. the hyped Mini Box Lunar (currently drawing comparisons with the legendary Os Mutantes) & Do Amor ("Brazil's Vampire Weekend"). CD2 collects together 20 electronic, dancehall, baile-funk, dub, hip-hop, R'n'B & folktronica gems inc. an exclusive track from Céu, plus Catarina Dee Jah (Brazil's answer to M.I.A.) & Gaby Amarantos ("the Amazonian Beyonce"). Hopefully compiler Mais Um Gringo will soon cook a mix for Paris DJs to sonically introduce this new label to our readers & listeners…

Various - Kollektion 2011 - Batterie Label Compilation
(CD/Digital) Batterie 014, 2011-09-02

The Hamburg-based german label Batterie Records will be releasing its new compilation Kollektion 2011 on september 2nd, 2011. As usual with this label, the CD is self-distributed so anyone interested in this music should get in touch with batterie-records.com asap... The CD is the continuation of the label's compilation series, the sequel to Kollektion 2010. This time they gave their attention to the electronic recycling - some call it remix... Not only pearls of the past are to be heard, but also exclusive and up to now unreleased tracks. And on the cover you can see, that they take every risk on them to play batterie (french for drumset) to the gallery.

Quantic - The Best of Quantic
(2xCD/2xLP/Digital) Tru Thoughts TRUCD235/TRULP235, 2011-09-05

Quantic has been re-inventing his music from the very beginning, and never stopped. I sorted his first albums in my 'electronic' section. Then came the Quantic Soul Orchestra that had to go in the funk/soul section. Then I got lost. Latin/Columbian stuff. Reggae stuff. A mixture of both and of all the rest before. Plus hip hop. Well I guess it'll be easier to put it all in any groovy section, filed under 'Quantic'! To rewind all those years of cool and exciting new records, here's an exhaustive compilations, including the new tracks Cumbia Clash by Quantic and Left & Right by The Quantic Soul Orchestra feat. Alice Russell!!

Various - The Real Sound of Chicago and Beyond
Underground Disco & Boogie - Compiled by Mr Peabody Records
(CD/2xCD/Vinyl/Digital) Barely Breaking Even Records BBE181CCD/BBE166CCD/BBE161CLP/BBE161CDG, 2011-08-15

Being both vintage collectors as well as dance-floor DJs, Mark Grusane and Mike Cole from Mr Peabody Records' selections gravitate toward rare and un-played dance material from the past, with of course a few modern day exceptions. Warning: they are pretty strict in their programming, so expect nothing but the best. Originally, this series of Real Sound of Chicago compilations was to be the musical insight from the black underground dance material made in Chicago. But after further thought they decided to provide dance music from all around the world as well, since they did not want to limit themselves in the scope of what they present, as they are well versed with dance music on a global scale. They know that you, the listeners and lovers of good music, will appreciate and love these selections from areas outside Chicago as well. It is also important to them that those non-native Chicagoan artists receive their just dues as well. So, without further ado, Mr. Peabody Records and BBE, present to you The Real Sound Of Chicago And Beyond!

Various - Label Love Vol.3
(Free Digital Compilation) Label Love, 2011-08-01

Label Love is an eclectic yet unified bundle of unique sounds compiled simply for the love of sharing them with the universe - each track plucked and presented by label heads from Decon Records, Fat Beats, One-Handed Music, Stones Throw, Tru Thoughts, Wah Wah 45s, and Wax Poetics. Each label evokes its own signature giving this collection a diversified and interesting flow of genres. Label Love consists of nostalgic classics, unreleased gems, and exclusive selections with the goal of expanding minds to new musical styles. Feel free to blog, play, tweet, blast, post, etc. Please share the love!

Go download on labelloveworldwide.bandcamp.com

PS Aja West & Cheeba from The Mackrosoft remixing Chico Mann from Antibalas…