Set for release on July 11th via Brownswood Recordings, ‘Tuff Times Never Last’ is a spirited and vibrant collection of songs serving as an optimistic reminder to tightly hold and embrace the many dualities that occur in life. Over the course of the 11-song suite, the album explores togetherness, community, sensuality, childhood, loss and above all perseverance.

The album as a recording project was started when Tony Allen recorded drum tracks in Prince Fatty’s Brighton studio in 2019 for the last two Poets, Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan. Along the way more musicians added input: Courtney Pine, Joe Armon Jones, Kaidi Tatham and Akinola Adio Oyebola & Kunle Justice of Egypt 80. Completion was delayed due to the covid pandemic. The vocals by The Last Poets were apparently recorded at the tail end or right after the pandemic.

Two years after releasing the Frontier's Edge EP, The Budos Band arereturning with their first full-length since 2020's Long in the Tooth.Titled simply VII, the new album sees them doing what they do best:laying down hypnotic, horn-spiked grooves that menace andmesmerize in equal measure.Produced by Budos guitarist Tom Brenneck with Simon Guzmánengineering, VII features 11 tightly constructed new tracks that drawon the group's wide range of influences, sounding like only the Budoscan. It's music for getting down, for nighttime drives, and for alternateheadspaces a beguiling mix of mystery and rhythm that stands withthe formidable work they've released in their two decades ofrecording.VII was recorded in California and serves as The Budos Band's firstfull-length album on Diamond West, the independent label founded in2023 by Tankel and Brenneck.

Once again this compilation Nova Tunes 4.6 has only one destination: to surprise your demanding ears with the best of Radio Nova's playlist from the past six months. Warmth, eclecticism, surprises, detours and musical obsessions of Radio Nova's programmers, always opened to new sounds. The unstoppable melodies, the spectroscopic arrangements that make the uniqueness of Radio Nova's Grand Mix.

In 1972 black people rarely featured in the country’s white-owned official newspapers, unless, perhaps, they were a dead “terrorist”. However, Dr Footswitch’s performance prompted The Rhodesia Herald to print the picture of their guitar player, Manu Kambani, on the front page along with the screaming sentence “Jimi Hendrix is dead but Manu is alive”. With his ability to mimic the mesmerising antics of Jimi Hendrix Manu had impressed everybody and the editor of the paper couldn’t resist printing the story. Heavy criticism from conservative whites followed, accusing the Herald of “lowering the standards.” But the coverage turned Manu into an emblematic figure in Harare, one of Salisbury’s oldest townships, and would influence many youngsters to form their own musical groups. Those bands began fusing Rock music, Congolese Rumba, South African Mbaqanga, soul and traditional beats into an underground music movement that would shape the future of Zimbabwean sound and challenge the colonial establishment.

Far and away the most comprehensive compilation of African music ever achieved, Africa - 50 Years of Music collects 185 classic recordings by 183 important artists from 39 countries in North, South, East and West Africa. The artists include universal stars such as Miriam Makeba, Fela Kuti, Youssou N'Dour, Franco, Cheb Khaled, Cesaria Evora, Mulatu Astatke, Salif Keita, Manu Dibango and Oum Kalsoum. The tracks, licensed from some of the world's most respected record companies, are all original studio recordings or, in a few cases, famous concert performances. Most of them were made in the 50 years from 1960 to 2010 - the era of African independence - but several date from the 1940s and '50s. Many of these songs are known and loved worldwide: Pata Pata, Soul Makossa, Yeke Yeke, Mario, Shakara, Jive Soweto. Others will be revelations to even the most dedicated record collectors.

Having featured on three of Soundway’s most popular titles, across the definitive Nigeria Special compilation series, we felt The Funkees output deserved closer inspection. Presented here (on CD, download & double gatefold LP) are 18 slices of funky Afro-rock grooves hand picked by Soundway’s Miles Cleret from a selection of the bands 45s and two long players. In the early 1970s The Funkees were the number-one east Nigerian band and the only outfit to seriously challenge the popular Lagos based rock combos MonoMono and BLO. Stoking the dancefloor was the young band’s first priority and The Funkees were often playing through the night, seven days a week.

The Funkees hit London in 1973 as the tightest, funkiest and most audacious bands to come out of Africa. Hardened by endless touring and an unrelenting battle with BLO and Monomono to be the best band in Nigeria, they were in prime musical condition, ready to finally lay down their first album. The result was Point Of No Return, a balls-to-the wall Afro funk-psych-rock monster that placed them, without question, on the top of the Afro funk pile. From the audacious opening instrumental title track to the funky finale, ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’, the musicianship is jaw dropping, with a rhythm section so tight you couldn't slip a cigarette paper between them. ‘Abraka’, ‘Dancing In The Nude’ and ‘Ole’ find Jake Sollo, Harry Mosco and Sonny Akpabio at the height of their powers, playing songs fashioned from the sweat of years playing live and the soca and calypso influences of the West African and Caribbean musicians they played with in London. Point of No Return is rightly regarded as a landmark of psychedelic Afro Funk. It's also one that marks out The Funkees as not just one of the best bands in Nigeria or Africa, but in London and across the world too. - Peter Moore

Few sounds transcend time and space quite like the driving pulse of Afrobeat, and few artists, for that matter, have defined their own domains quite as profoundly as Tony Allen—the very beat of Afrobeat itself. In 2011, Allen recorded one of his inimitable rhythmic dialogues as part of the Afrobeat Makers Series for the Parisian imprint Comet Records. Charged with the same fervour for uninhibited expression that defined his trailblazing career, Tony Allen’s drumming, free from convention and charting its own course, emanates a cadenced stream of consciousness that speaks its own truth.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Africa 70 - Ikoyi Blindness / No Buredi (1998) is another notable reissue of two key tracks by Fela Kuti and his band Africa 70. Originally released in the 1970s, these songs showcase Fela's mastery of Afrobeat—a genre he pioneered—while delivering scathing social and political commentary through his music. Released in 1998 as part of a reissue project, this album continues to highlight the depth of Fela's musical genius and his role as an outspoken critic of Nigerian society, particularly addressing issues of government corruption, social inequality, and personal freedom.

Fela Kuti & Africa 70 - Na Poi/Zombie (1998) is a double single compilation by Fela Kuti, the Nigerian Afrobeat legend, and his band Africa 70. Originally recorded and released in the 1970s, Na Poi and Zombie became two of Fela's most iconic tracks, known for their biting political commentary, infectious Afrobeat rhythms, and their ability to captivate and provoke audiences. Released in 1998 as part of a reissue project, this album features two of Fela’s most well-known songs that have since become anthems of political resistance. Fela Kuti’s music, blending traditional African rhythms, jazz, funk, and highlife, always served as a vehicle for his outspoken political messages. Na Poi and Zombie are prime examples of how Fela used his music to critique the Nigerian government, social issues, and the military dictatorship of the time.

Fela Kuti - J.J.D. (Johnny Just Drop!!): Live!! at Kalakutta Republik/No Agreement (1998) is a live album by Fela Kuti, the legendary Nigerian musician and activist. Known for his pioneering Afrobeat sound, Fela Kuti was also a formidable political figure, using his music to address issues such as corruption, social injustice, and political oppression in Nigeria. Released in 1998, this album captures a live performance at Fela's own compound, the Kalakutta Republic, which was both his home and a center for his political and musical activism.

'Dance, No One's Watching' is an ode to the sacred, yet joyous act of dancing, an album that musically guides you through a night out in the city, from the opening of possibilities as a new evening spans out ahead, to dawn’s final hours as the night comes to a close.

Third World Child is studio album by South African artist Johnny Clegg and his band Savuka, released in 1987 and produced by Hilton Rosenthal. Incorporating both Zulu and English lyrics, as well as political songs, it was the album which led Clegg to international fame. All songs were written by Johnny Clegg, except for Giyani in collaboration with V. Mavusa. The track "Scatterlings of Africa" gave them an entry in the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 75 in May 1987, and was featured on the soundtrack of the 1988 film Rain Man.

Osibisa, the West African high-life band from Ghana, waxed their first LP in 1971 and continues to spit them out. Their longevity can be attributed to a vibrant sound and the ability to inject humor into music. They don't allow themselves to become mired in social issues as did the short-lived but often brilliant Cymande, whose LPs were essentially political statements. Osibisa's only agenda is making good music, and if it happens to strike a political or social nerve, fine, but it's not what they're totally about. "Wango Wango" starts slow but evolves into a wicked jam that's heavy as P-Funk. Pleasant flute and trumpet riffs accent the lovely "So So MI La So." The bands' tribute to America, the floating "Sweet America," teases and tantalizes. Percussion heads will appreciate "Ye Tie Wo" and "Che Che Kule." The deepest slabs of social commentary are the thought-provoking "Sweet Sounds" and "Did You Know." All tracks were written by all or various members of Osibisa, who share production credit with John Punter.