LABEL: Soundway Records
We recently had a shipment of releases from the UK based label Soundway, so we felt it would be a good opportunity to do a bit of a label overview. Below is a bit of info about the label as well as a selection of the label's releases. If there is specific releases you are after please let us know via info@conch.co.nz
About Soundway Records: From the highlife, disco and rock sounds of 70s Nigeria to the golden age of Panamanian music, Benin’s Afro-Latin grooves, Colombia’s champeta and all other forms of tropical and Afro sounds imaginable. Soundway’s mission is to present the very best in obscure a-sides, b-sides and album cuts that have remained unavailable… until now.
“Ten years ago, while taking a break from his telesales job and traveling through Ghana, Miles Cleret heard a local DJ spinning some obscure African funk, soul and blues records. After having his mind blown by the tracks, which were in danger of fading into obscurity and never reaching ears further afield, he decided to start Soundway Records and release rare world music compilations. After a handful of trips to Ghana, Miles had enough material for his first compilation.. When it notched up 5,000 sales he decided to release a second collection and Soundway has since put out over 25 records ranging from scratchy calypso and cumbia from Panama through to psychedelic Afrobeat from Nigeria.” DAZED AND CONFUSED
Recent Releases:
King Kennytone - Dancing Time With 7"
King Kennytone, trumpeter and stalwart of the Nigerian Highlife scene of the 50s and 60s was the foremost purveyor of African twist in the early 60s. Following the massive dance craze of The Twist in the US and UK in 1961/2, Kennytone recorded his African Twist numbers at the same time in both English and Igbo. As with later imported styles such as soul and funk many broadcasters and journalists of the day criticised him for being concentrating on music that wasn’t African in origin but his records were huge hits and endure to this day (especially with the recent resurgence in late ’50s and early ’60s black Rock n’ Roll and R&B).
Dancing Time With King Kennytone and his Western Toppers Band - Medley by Soundway
Andre Tanker - River Come Down / Swahili 10"
Limited to 1000 copies, Soundway presents two tracks on 7? vinyl from one of Trinidad & Tobago’s favorite musical sons Andre Tanker. Andre Tanker’s influence on Trinidad & Tobago’s music scene was compared by Soca star David Rudder to that of Bob Dylan’s influence on the music scene in America.
Andre Tanker - 'River Come Down' Medley by Soundway
Michi Sarimiento - The Best of Michi Sarmiento y su Combo Bravo 1967 - 77 Available on CD here & 2LP here
Soundway remain in Colombia for the follow up to Cartagena! Curro Fuentes & The Big Band Cumbia & Descarga Sound of Colombia 1962 – 72, with a collection of pure Colombian dancefloor thunder; 16 tracks of the finest guaguancós, descargas and cumbias recorded by legendary bandleader Michi Sarmiento y su Bravos, and released on the infamous Discos Fuentes label between 1967 and 1977.
Aqui Los Bravos! The Best of Michi Sarmiento y su Combo Bravo 1967 - 77 by SoundwayOther Releases:
Various - Cartagena!
Soundway set sail for the Colombian coastal town of Cartagena for their first selection of 2011. Sourced from a period when musicians effortlessly combined the swing of cumbia with the driving bass of salsa, Cartagena! un-wraps a period of musical history seldom heard beyond the tropical coast of South America.
Los Seven Del Swing - Celoso by Soundway
Various - The Sound of Siam Leftfield Luk Thung, Jazz and Molam from Thailand 1964 -1975
Thailand means different things to different people. Beyond the beaches and tourist spots lies a world of music still waiting to be discovered. Be it spaced out jazz, raw funk or the meditative sounds of the North East, Soundway has dug deep into the country’s vinyl archives to present a broad range of vintage sounds that underlines Thailand’s status as one of South East Asia’s musical hot spots.
Chaweewan Dumnern – Lam Tung Wai by Soundway
V/A - Nigeria Special!
Nigeria 1970. Highlife, Afro-beat, Rock, Jazz & Native Blues rub shoulders and are turned out at an unprecedented level. New styles meet old styles. Newfound national confidence follows the near break-up of the nation following the Biafran war. New fashions meet old fashions, creating new fusions. Soundway present 26 original and previously un-reissued tracks from the time in a lavish double CD package, complete with 36 page booklet featuring extensive liner notes, rare photos and cover art.
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