Tag: Compilation
Following the release of last year’s incredible Color de Trópico compilation (which made the list of BeatCaffeine’s “Favorite Compilations of 2020“), the Barcelona-based label El Palmas Music returns with the highly-anticipated second volume of the series, further shining a light on some of the most obscure gems out of Venezuela during the sixties and seventies.
Cognitiva and ANMA Records have teamed up to release an incredible new compilation, titled Outlines, which highlights a new generation of exciting producers from across Europe, whom are fusing together jazz, broken beat and house in adventurous new ways.
For well over twenty years, there hasn’t been a more definitive collection of releases highlighting the legendary reggae label Studio One than what London’s Soul Jazz Records has managed to curate through expansive compilation releases, exclusive singles, and never-before-heard gems. Their latest release Rocksteady Got Soul is an absolutely brilliant collection of uplifting rocksteady and soulful reggae from the late 1960s and early 1970s.
For the last two decades, the German-based label Analog Africa has consistently released some of the best compilations and retrospective recordings, highlighting the many unique styles of music that have come out of both Africa and South America. Continuing to dive deep into this exploration, they have just released volume 1 of their much-anticipated Edo Funk Explosion compilation series, highlighting some of the greatest recordings from the genre’s pioneers, Osayomore Joseph, Akaba Man, and Sir Victor Uwaifo.
With much anticipation, London’s BBE Music releases the third volume of it’s phenomenal J Jazz compilation series, continuing to shed light on some of the most incredible and obscure modern Japanese jazz recordings from the 1960s through the 1980s. Since issuing the first volume in 2018 and the follow-up in 2019, plus a number of essential album reissues, there has not been a more comprehensive and impressive output of releases dedicated to this region’s historic jazz scene.
UK-based Backatcha Records has released a brilliant new sixteen-track compilation featuring some of the hardest to find independent soul gems recorded between 1971-1984.
South Africa has historically had strong jazz roots, even through the horrific apartheid regime. Pioneering artists like Hugh Masekela, Abdullah Ibrahim, Johnny Dyani, Dudu Pukwana, Chris McGregor, Mongezi Feza, Ndikho Xaba, and so many others in the region consisted of some of the most adventurous jazz musicians of their era. Following the release of two groundbreaking compilations in We Out Here and Sunny Side Up that explored the current thriving scenes in London and Melbourne, Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label has just released a brand new compilation exploring the current wave of forward-thinking jazz artists coming out of Johannesburg.
London’s Soul Jazz Records has just released an absolutely incredible new 3xLP compilation, compiled by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker (of Soul Jazz Records), exploring the fusion of jazz, funk, Brazilian, Tropicalia, and disco with Latin and Salsa that emerged in Cuba in the 1970s.
For over a decade, London’s Jazzman Records’ incredible Spiritual Jazz compilation series has been unearthing and shedding light on some of most essential deep jazz recordings of the sixties, seventies, and eighties, highlighting different regions of the world and groundbreaking labels like Blue Note Records, Impulse!, Prestige, and SteepleChase. Now with the 13th release of the superb series, focus now shifts to the brilliant modern-day spiritual gems of today.
Similar to the work that goes into reissuing a rare recording can probably also be said for a well-crafted compilation. Often years in the making, there are a number of elements, including discovery, theme, selection of tracks, licensing, and a complimentary editorial component. This past year, a number of brilliantly timeless and curated compilations were released, some highlighting a specific genre or region, while others focused on an artist or a label. Regardless, here are some of the favorites from the past twelve months.
