DOWNLOAD: Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Masenqo (Radio Edit)
When you think Strut Records' "Inspiration Information" series can't get any better or wider reaching it just does. Volume three recruits perhaps Ethiopia's most renowned bandleaders, Mulatu Astatke, to work with Stone Throw's free-thinking collective, The Heliocentrics, on a groundbreaking album. Astatke, best known in the West for the "Broken Flowers" soundtrack and Ethiopiques compilations, pushes the Heliocentrics to the edge of their abilities across the 14 tracks. "Masenqo" weaves strains of American jazz, crate-digging funk and indigenous grooves into a bright sonic voyage where genres offer advice rather than boundaries. It's a must hear for music fans interested in expanding their perspectives.
Sounds like: The Roots, Kutiman, Sun Ra
Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Masenqo (Radio Edit)
Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics' RCRD LBL Page
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Amadou & Mariam - Sabali (Paul Epworth Remix)
Already slobbered over by Kanye and deemed the 15th best track of 2008 by the brains over at Pitchfork, Amadou & Mariam's "Sabali" is every bit the electro-pop miracle they say. The song features prominently on the internationally-acclaimed duo's now stateside Welcome to Mali full-length and for just 24 hours RCRD LBL's got an exclusive download of Paul Epworth's remix, a somehow dreamier take that jetpacks the key arpeggios and Mariam's soulful (and AutoTuned!) vocal turns even further into the future.
Amadou & Mariam - Sabali (Paul Epworth Remix)
Amadou & Mariam's RCRD LBL Page
