World Music

The Ripple Effect is a follow up to the award-winning, critically acclaimed Throw Down Your Heart sessions, recorded during the duo's 2009 tour. Throw Down Your Heart was produced and recorded by world-renowned banjoist Béla Fleck, documenting his journey across Africa to research the origins of the banjo. This new The Ripple Effect collection offers previously unreleased recordings from Fleck and virtuoso kora player Toumani Diabaté.

The award-winning documentary and recordings, Throw Down Your Heart, were produced and recorded by Béla Fleck, documenting his journey across Africa to research the origins of the banjo. This deluxe edition offers a complete disc of previously unreleased material from Fleck performing with virtuoso kora player Toumani Diabaté. The DVD includes 1-hour of bonus video material with 14 never-before-heard performances, new commentary by Fleck and director Sascha Paladino with behind-the-scenes insights. The set also offers an expanded essay by Fleck and new notes by Paladino.

Fans call him ''The African Sting,'' critics call him a pro. Originally from Cameroon, Richard Bona remains true to his roots on Heritage , his 8th album as a leader and the first one with his Afro-Cuban band ''Mandekan Cubano.'' An energetic, life affirming and truly fantastic album, it explores the alchemy of African rhythms in Cuba. Richard Bona is a rare African artist to have established an unscalable reputation on an international platform, which has led to a host of awards along with his fruitful collaborations with colleagues Bobby McFerrin, Pat Metheny, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, John Legend and Stevie Wonder.

Fruit of Life is the second installment of Stephen Ragga Marley's two part series, following Revelation Part I: The Root of Life (2011). Whereas The Root of Life is more a traditional roots reggae album, The Fruit of Life will utilize a diversified sonic palette to express the far-reaching impact Jamaican music has had on various genres, especially hip hop. Produced by Marley, Fruit of Life boasts 18 new tracks and features a variety of guest collaborations with Rick Ross, Pit Bull, Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley, Iggy Azalea, Waka Flocka Flame, Dead Prez, Rakim, DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Black Thought (of The Roots), Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Capleton, Ky-Mani Marley, Jo Mersa and more.

Major street visibility campaigns in NYC, Miami, Toronto and London, ENG to support launch to include: Subway poster campaign Street postering, flier distribution at all major Caribbean events beginning May 15th Digital display, search and banner ad campaigns

NCT 127's 2nd full length album `NCT #127 Neo Zone' will be released on March 6th with 13 tracks expressing NCT 127's unique music color. The album's exclusive title `Neo Zone' builds high expectation while implying a brand-new introduction to NCT 127's music world. The album includes a photo book, lyric book, postcard, a folded poster (initial run only), 1 sticker, 1 circle card (random 1 of every 9), and 1 photo card (random 1 of every 9).

Encompassing the marabi, kwela and jive styles of mid-twentieth century urban South African music, this compilation covers the sounds, styles, assemblages and musicians that reside under the umbrella of South African jazz – from the golden age of 1960s and 1970s to the new wave of musicians in the twenty years of post-apartheid democracy. Recently re-issued releases from musician-in-exile Ndikho Xaba demonstrate the strong transatlantic dialogue between the civil rights movements in the USA and the anti-apartheid struggle through the language of jazz, with the rare single ‘KwaBulawayo’ as performed by his group The African Echoes. The Sowetan spiritual Afro-jazz of Batsumi on the track ‘Emampndweni’ contributes to the narrative of music at home during the height of apartheid in the 1970s and similarly slots into the category of undeservedly lesser-known artistry. From a period considered by some as the golden era of South African Jazz, these artists and their compositions are pertinent and vital reminders of the intrinsic link between this music and the dismantling of oppression. One of the most prominent figures of the South African jazz movement is the composer and pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, whose career spans over 50 years, including a performance at Nelson Mandela’s 1994 Presidential inauguration. Having played alongside Abdullah Ibrahim, the late Zim Ngqawana was a leading proponent of the exploration of free improvisation. While retaining South African jazz roots, Ngqawana incorporates traditional and avant-garde elements in his performances. This is prominently illustrated with the rasping vocals and volatile harmonica on the track ‘Ebhofolo’. Gospel, hip-hop and electronic music now dominate mainstream music in South Africa. But against this backdrop, the new school of South African jazzers have embraced the diversity of musical output, with many making the crossover themselves. Bokani Dyer regularly performs with fellow band member and bassist Shane Cooper, in his electronic music alias Card On Spokes. Furthermore, it could be argued the trajectory of popular music in South Africa over the last twenty years is personified by Thandiswa Mazwai, who rose to prominence through her work with kwaito group Bongo Maffin in the mid-1990s, before going on to encompass gospel and delve into maskanda and electronic music in her solo career. Featured here is Thandiswa’s take on the South African Jazz standard ‘Ntyilo Ntyilo’. South African jazz may now sit on the fringes of popular culture in South Africa, but you only have to look at the success of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Joy Of Jazz Festival in Johannesburg and the National Youth Jazz Festival to recognise the legacy of the pioneering musicians and the continuation of their collaborative spirit in the wealth of burgeoning jazz talent in South Africa.

The 1920s was undoubtedly the era of the female blues singer. With their origins in the worlds of vaudeville and jazz music, they enjoyed great commercial success throughout the decade, selling a considerable number of records and packing out clubs and theatres alike. Never has there been another time when women so dominated the genre and made the blues so much their own. Mamie Smith was the first to emerge from the vaudeville circuit and became the first African-American artist to make a blues recording in 1920 with the featured ‘Crazy Blues’. The immense success of this recording opened the door for many others to follow such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Sippie Wallace and Ida Cox. Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith were undoubtedly the most captivating and expressive of what became known as the ‘classic blues’ singers. Both dressed in flamboyant style and their powerful voices and forceful personalities set the standard for recorded blues, selling well among a southern rural audience familiar with their travelling tent shows and musical revues. Drawing upon some of the finest jazz talent of the early and mid-1920s for studio accompaniment, the classic blues of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and other popular blues singers was always full of double entendre or hidden and multiple meanings. Although an outcrop of Southern rural blues, an expression of the poor and oppressed, the sequined glamour of the classic blues was seen as a welcome contrast to drab lives. So while the blues until the 1920s was largely local, rural, Southern and male, these women were urban performance artists, travelling and performing in the new speakeasies and nightclubs of a dynamic era. The classic blues had a great impact also on important rural bluesmen, and here both Kate McTell and Bertha Lee are accompanied by their illustrious bluesmen husbands Messrs Blind Willie McTell and Charley Patton. Likewise, Blind Blake provides typically nimble and ingenious accompaniment for Irene Scruggs – commonly known as ‘Chocolate Brown’ – on ‘Itching Heel’ which demonstrates sublime interplay between the two. These vintage tracks highlight the significant role that women have played in the more rural aspects of early blues, which is further demonstrated by the haunting voice of Lottie Kimbrough whose self-penned song ‘Rolling Log Blues’ has subsequently been recorded by many important blues performers. During the 1930s, blues music underwent a radical change as larger-than-life female singers fell out of favour with the public and male guitarists like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton and Tampa Red started to capture people’s imagination. Memphis Minnie, though, transcended this change in the public's musical tastes, as her powerful vocals commanded authority and her six-string skills rivalled and, in many cases, surpassed those of her male contemporaries. Mattie Delaney was another accomplished guitarist whose variant of Tommy Johnson’s ‘Big Road Blues’ shows how she possessed one of the most remarkable voices in country blues. Geeshie Wiley is widely considered to be one of the greatest ever recorded country blues singers whose style is totally unconventional. Here she teams up with her female compatriot Evie Thomas for a wonderful rendition of ‘Pick Poor Robin Clean’. When the Depression effectively ended the careers of many of the classic blues artists including Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, the blues revivalists were ultimately looking for an "authenticity" that they equated with the country blues, particularly that of the Mississippi Delta region, so many of the blues queens of the 1930s were largely forgotten. This welcome collection deservedly revives the memory of both the urban and rural female blues singers who played a pivotal role in the development of the blues.

40oz. to Freedom is the 1992 debut album by the Southern California ska-punk band Sublime. Since its release in 1992, the album has proved to be a seller over time, moving over two million copies in the U.S. alone. 40oz. To Freedom contains the hits 'Date Rape,' 'Badfish,' and 'Smoke Two Joints.' Newly remastered, standard weight 2-LP gatefold is available.

On the evening of August 31st, 2013, a large crowd gathered at Parque Pies Descalzos in Medellín, Colombia. When Alan Parsons appeared on stage, along with the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra and his band the audience went wild. This is an audio visual document of that incredible evening. THE ALAN PARSONS SYMPHONIC PROJECT "Live in Colombia" is to be released on June 24th, 2016 on earMUSIC as a DVD, Blu-ray, 2-CD digipak, 3 x Vinyl, and download.

To support our ongoing initiative to grow the US audience for Alborosie, VP will release his latest song “Fly 420” on a digital EP titled “Reggae Dubs & Dabs” on April 15. The EP will place his song alongside up and coming US reggae acts Stick Figure and Fortunate Youth as well as VP artists Raging Fyah and Mystic Revealers. The release will be at the center of a spring/summer US reggae festival based promotional campaign that will include give-a-ways of a mix CD featuring DJ Yardcore from Jamaica and Tribe of Kings Sound System from San Diego, CA. A video shoot for the first single “Life To Me” featuring Ky-Mani Marley is planned for April in Miami. While in the US, Alborosie will do extensive press and media interviews and create an EPK for online premiere prior to release date. US tour dates for fall 2016 are in the planning process.

Photo Book (4 versions), Lyric Book (4 versions), CD, Mini Book (4 versions), Photo Card (4 versions, Random), Postcard, Sticker, Coloring Paper (4 versions), Poster (4 versions, Limited).

All sales count towards Soundscan and the US Billboard Charts, as well as the Korean Hanteo and Gaon charts.

Packing details:
Package (224*295mm)
Photobook (206*277mm)
LYRIC & thanks to BOOK (140* 185mm)
CD 1ea
MINI BOOK(THE NOTE) - 4 Version (90*127mm)
PHOTOCARD 4 Version / Random / 1ea of 32ea (54*86mm) 
POSTCARD - 1 Version (120*80mm)
STICKER PACK - 1 Version
COLORING PAGES - 1 Version (140* 185mm)
POSTER - 4 Version / 1ea
QR code

Over the years, different members have traded production and composition duties from album to album. On the new album''Fu Chronicles''Amayo leads us through a thrilling sonic journey of kung fu meets Afrobeat, weaving together the strands of Edo and Yoruba cultural memory from Nigeria with his training and study in Chinese martial arts. Recorded in the Summer of 2018, over seventeen musicians and singers crammed into the storied Daptone House of Soul in Bushwick to record the massive body of work. With live versions and arrangements stretching up to thirty minutes, Perna, Amayo, and Roth worked tirelessly to preserve the hypnotic power of the long-form live arrangements into six concise and powerful album tracks.

‘NCT #127 WE ARE SUPERHUMAN’ is NCT 127’s 4th mini album. The single “Superhuman” is a complextro genre with various elements of EDM. Among 6 songs in total, track number 6 “OUTRO : WE ARE 127” shows their universe of being connected in a dream and becoming a whole through music. In this album, “Social House” who produced Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings and Thank U, Next participated. Also, the collaboration with TAK and Adrian Mckinnon elevated the completion of the album with new, fresh sounds. 

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing using DMM (Direct to Metal Mastering) from the high-resolution masters. 2018 release. Hot reggae singer, Alborosie's acoustic sessions recorded live from Shengen Studio, Kingston, Jamaica. "This album is about my livity, and my spiritual guide which is Haile Selassie so I want to be faithful to that. We're all one family, one love, one heart, one destination" - Alborosie. These acoustic sessions include his classic songs 'Kingston Town', 'Still Blazing', 'Herbalist', 'Diversity', and a new recording of 'Johhny B. Goode'.

Now in 180 gram Vinyl! The Soul Pirate album was the result of Alborosie’s 6 years at Geejam studios in Jamaica and in partnership with local artists. The album was recorded for the Forward Recordings label.

2018 marks the 40th Anniversary of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ KAYA. Recorded in part during Marley’s and the band’s 1977 exile in London, KAYA is very much the sibling record to EXODUS. Fittingly, as Ziggy Marley revisited the original session recordings for last year’s EXODUS 40 celebration, this year sibling Stephen Marley revisits the original session recordings to commemorate KAYA, bringing a fresh perspective to this suite that’s quietly referred to as the ‘Peace Treaty’ album.

2 CDs with Photobook (Special Package) / 4 Kinds (S,E,L,F version) / Random Photocard / Special poster for pre-order / This release will count toward the Billboard / Hanteo / Gaon Charts

**Shipments of each version are random with no guarantee of obtaining each version with multiple purchases**

2018 release from 7-member South Korean superstars BTS (AKA the Bangtan Boys) by BIGHIT ENTERTAINMENT. 1CD / Photobook (1 for each version) / Photocard (1EA of 28EA / Random) / Special Photocard (Randomly added / First publish only) / Standing Photo / Poster (4 version / First publish only). LOVE YOURSELF: Tear is the follow up to LOVE YOURSELF: Her.

A Real Labour Of Love, a brand new studio album of 16 tracks from UB40 featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey. The band have chosen a mix of well-known & less well-known reggae songs to cover in true UB40 style. Tracks featured Barrington Levy’s Here I Come, Ken Boothe’s, Moving Away, Gregory Isaac’s Hush Darling & more. Cover art includes a bespoke painting by the respected American painter Mark T Smith & he has incorporated elements from the tracks to create art unique to the band.

The all-star Mama Earth lineup of Joss Stone (vocals), Nitin Sawhney (guitar), Jonathan Joseph (drums), Étienne M'Bappé (bass/guitar) and Jonathan Shorten (keyboards) will release their debut EP "Mama Earth" on November 10, 2017 on Mascot/Provogue. The project started when British soul singer Joss Stone and her former musical director Jonathan Joseph hit on the Mama Earth concept of an album driven by the dynamic rhythms of Africa. A band was assembled from all corners of the music world. Jonathan's compadre Étienne M'Bappé, the dazzling Cameroon-born multi-instrumentalist whose résumé spans from John McLaughlin to Robben Ford; Jonathan Shorten, who had produced much of Stone's studio catalogue between penning some of the biggest hits for acts including Gabrielle and (again) Joss Stone. Finally, there was Nitin Sawhney: the genre-slipping wildcard and one-man musical tidal wave whose collaborations take in Sting, Paul McCartney and the London Symphony Orchestra. The 5 musicians convened at Stone's house, where the musical squad didn't take long to feel each other out. Music was spontaneously written on the spot, without any preparation. In the meantime, Stone purposefully kept her own creative process separate from the four musicians. "I left them to do their own thing with the music in the studio," she reflects, "while I was cooking dinner in the kitchen. I deliberately didn't have any input in the music, because I didn't want to affect it – or it'd all come out hip-hop and R&B! Then they'd come across into the house, give me the track and I'd sit in the kitchen writing lyrics and melodies with my mum. So it was, like, 'You guys do you, and I'll do me – then we'll put it together'. And that's the way it worked. I also went down to the river on my own with a pen and paper and write in the grass by the river. Which was a good way to do it, actually, The whole project is about Mother Nature. It's supposed to be from her perspective." Just ten days after they came together – and following a powerful co-production from all five band members – the Mama Earth sessions were over. And yet, you sense that the story of this fascinating band is only just beginning. Impulsive, dynamic and sometimes downright dangerous, this is an album unlike anything else in the five musicians' respective CVs, unprecedented in the clinical modern music scene – and sure to make waves upon its November 10th release. "I guess this album is essentially how I think of music," considers Sawhney. "It was all about being open to the moment. I think that's really what I loved about this project. To me, Mama Earth is what music should be about, really..."

Knitting Factory Records is proud to release the next installment of the long-awaited vinyl reissues from the FELA KUTI catalog. The inimitable Erykah Badu personally selected the seven albums featured in this fourth box set, which have been remastered from their original vinyl pressings. The artwork for each album has been meticulously recreated from original album artwork, alongside vintage vinyl label artwork. This box set includes: • 7 LPs, Yellow Fever (1976), No Agreement (1977), JJD (1977), VIP (1979), Coffin for Head of State (1980), Army Arrangement (1984), and Underground System (1992). • 20-page full-color booklet featuring: seven personal essays written by Erykah Badu, seven in-depth commentaries by veteran music journalist and Afrobeat historian, Chris May; song lyrics; and never before published photos of Fela Kuti • 16x24” Poster designed by Nigerian artist Lemi Ghariokwu, the creative force behind 26 of Fela Kuti‘s album covers

On November 10th, legendary Grateful Dead drummer, solo artist and world music aficionado Mickey Hart will release his 14th solo album - RAMU - on Verve Forecast. RAMU was co-produced by Michal Menert, formerly of Pretty Lights, and features Avey Tare from Animal Collective, Tank from Tank and the Bangas as guest vocalists. In addition to their contributions, RAMU features the incredible Zakir Hussain on tabla, bassist Oteil Burbridge, talking drum master Sikiru Adepoju, guitarist Steve Kimock, multi-instrumentalist Charles Lloyd, and Jason Hann of String Cheese Incident. Recordings of the late Jerry Garcia, the late Babatunde Olatunji, and unreleased field recordings by Alan Lomax also appear on the album.

1 CD (Random) + 100P Photobook + 20p The Note of 'The Most Beautiful Moment In Life' + 1 Photocard (Random 1 out of 28 Photocard + 1 Special photocard in limited quantity) + Special Stickers // This is the official release and will be counted towards Billboard / Hanteo / Gaon Charts

French Touch brings together a delightful trove of sentimental pop favorites; all reimagined in Carla Bruni's intimate and moving acoustic style and chosen for their personal significance in her own words, songs that inspire the French term for love at first sight a coup de foudre. Coup de foudre more or less also describes what happened when Bruni met Grammy award winning producer, composer, and musician David Foster after an L.A. performance in 2014. Foster volunteered to produce Carla's next record on the spot, and the two began a transatlantic sharing of songs, which was then shaped during twin recording sessions in Paris and L.A.

French Touch is warm and familiar, and inimitably Carla. Richly melodic, warm yet minimal, and often slyly playful - all the arrangements in this collection have been given that French Touch, and still have all the universal appeal as their originals, albeit with a sultry flavor all their own.

Vancouver based, multi-platinum selling artist Wanting returns with new album LLL. “It stands for Love, Loss and Latitude,” says Wanting, “It’s about falling in love and facing all the good and the bad that love brings.When one can't save love and it becomes loss, you feel hurt, confused, sad and defeated. When you feel the world left you with nothing, remember you still have you, that feeling of latitude and freedom that you had when you only got to worry about yourself.” Produced by Justin Gray (John Legend, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Joss Stone) LLL releases on October 27, 2017 via Nettwerk Records

Producer, arranger and musician Jake Savona (pka Mista Savona) brought together a stellar assortment of Cuban and Jamaican musicians to create this collection of re-interpreted classics and original songs as a soundtrack to an upcoming documentary of the same title. Havana Meets Kingston is a tour through these two historic island nations highlighting the common ground between the two, through rhythm and culture.