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"Dis Is Good For You - Tropical Grooves and Afrofunk International" is the first compilation coming out on the newly-launched Paris DJs label, gathering old cats and newcomers from the worldwide Afro/Tropical scene. Dwelving into the minds and hard drives of their international network of artists and producers for a whole month, Paris DJs have carefully selected 13 tracks of current, modern, 21st century Afrofunk, Afrobeat, Ethio-Jazz, Reggae and Soul, and even mixed most of those from separate parts themselves, raising the production level to their high quality standards of warm, spatialized, heavy sound…

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Paris DJs Soundsystem - Dis Is Good For You - Tropical Grooves and Afrofunk International
(Digital Album/Limited CD & Poster) Paris DJs PARISDJS008, 2012-10-25



Tracklisting :
01. Grant Phabao & The Jays - The Going Is Tough (Adrian Quesada Remix) 04:41
02. Grant Phabao, Carlton Livingston & The Lone Ranger - (A Message To You) Rudie 03:30
03. Kaleta - Thank God We Are Africans 06:35
04. Franck Biyong & The Diamane Bantu Messengers - Fe Bain 05:03
05. ©© Les Frères Smith - Yègellé Tezeta (My Own Memory) 04:58
06. Lee Fields & The Expressions - You're The Kind Of Girl (Grant Phabao Remix) 04:03
07. Grant Phabao & Afrodyete The African Goddess of Love - Feelin' You Feelin' Me 05:38
08. Muyiwa Kunnuji - Everything That Has Breath 07:02
09. Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra - Ogun feat. Franck Biyong, Nicolas Baudino, Zakari Frantz 04:12
10. Super Hi-Fi - March of the Frogs (Myles Boisen Mix) 04:47
11. Pyramid Blue - African Jungle 03:20
12. Kraked Unit feat. Joseph Cotton & Oghene Kologbo - Soul Shakedown Party 04:49
13. Soul Sugar - Bon Esprit (Alternate Mix) 03:48

Links :
Buy it on parisdjs.bandcamp.com
Paris DJs : parisdjs.com | bandcamp | facebook | juno | pinterest | soundcloud | twitter | youtube
Artwork by Ben Hito



Press Release :
"Dis Is Good For You - Tropical Grooves and Afrofunk International" is the first compilation coming out on the newly-launched Paris DJs label, gathering old cats and newcomers from the worldwide Afro/Tropical scene.

Paris DJs started 7 years ago as a new online media for all things 'black music', from Afro to Funk, Jazz, Reggae, Soul, Latin to Hip Hop. The mixes section quickly became legendary, with nearly 400 episodes of thematic podcasts of old and new school grooves, all properly annoted, illustrated and mastered, covering the whole African Diaspora and gathering a worldwide audience with millions of downloads.

The collective revolves around the duo of Djouls and Grant Phabao, an artistic director/webmaster/music archeologist partnering with the best sound engineer and roots music producer in Paris, with the help of movie soundtracks producer Loik Dury, journalist and book publisher Nicolas Ragonneau and graphic designer Ben Hito. They decided in June 2012 to launch the Paris DJs label, starting with an Afro/Tropical/Reggae compilation assembling the most interesting players from the worldwide scene.

Dwelving into the minds and hard drives of their international network of artists and producers for a whole month, Paris DJs have carefully selected 13 tracks of current, modern, 21st century Afrofunk, Afrobeat, Ethio-Jazz, Reggae and Soul, and even mixed most of those from separate parts themselves, raising the production level to their high quality standards of warm, spatialized, heavy sound.

In the same way as archeological labels such as Soundway, Sofrito or Analog Africa, all heavily featured on Paris DJs' blog with exclusive mixes and record reviews, Paris DJs are also heavy diggers, searching relentlessly through record racks, p2p and blog downloads to excavate gems from the past and bring back forgotten legends. But not stopping at vinyl treasures and tracking down artists and producers from back in the day, Paris DJs have one feet deeply rooted in the past, and the other actively in the present. A few hundreds might remember their "Atomic" party in 2009 with the first-ever European show from Ghanean guitarist/producer Ebo Taylor, with the Poets of Rhythm/Whitefield Brothers as their backing band…

Three years later Paris DJs' experience through the digital age has been one of discoveries and enthousiasm, meeting a lot of musicians and people, exploring many music trends through numerous collaborative recordings. Labels such as Truth & Soul, Ubiquity or Tru Thoughts have already released some productions coming from the Paris DJs studios and many seeds have been planted, with albums from Franck Biyong & The Diamane Bantu Messengers, the Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra, The Jays, The Silvertones or Oghene Kologbo scheduled for the coming months.

As members of the last generations of consumers of physical objects linked to music, Paris DJs wanted to exist in that story, to anchor some of their groovy vibes in the real world. And if Grant Phabao's heavy 70s sound is all over this compilation (he mixed 10 out the 13 tracks before mastering the whole piece), the idea is not only to bring vintage warmth to people's earphones and speakers with a retro-futuristic musical experience through the African diaspora, but also to stores, offices and bedrooms' walls with a poster worthy of the psychedelic 70s thanks to the talent of illustrator Ben Hito!

"Dis Is Good For You - Tropical Grooves and Afrofunk International" will be available as a digital release, with a limited edition, hand-numbered/signed poster and CD combo coming out in november 2012.





TRACK BY TRACK INFO :


01. Grant Phabao & The Jays - The Going Is Tough (Adrian Quesada Remix)

We first discovered Adrian Quesada through his releases with Austin latin funk bands Brownout or Grupo Fantasma, and through the unique afro'n'latin vibes of Ocote Soul Sounds, his project with Martin Perna from Antibalas. In 2010, Paris DJs published a special introductory mix about him, "Adrian Quesada's Spring Reverb", following the release of his (new) Echocentrics project on Ubiquity Records. Grant Phabao already did 7 remixes of some Adrian Quesada productions: 3 for Ocote Soul Sounds, 2 for Brownout (including one just finished from the new album "Oozy"), and 2 for The Echocentrics (just released on Ubiquity Records). On the other side of the Atlantic, Adrian Quesada remixed some of Grant Phabao Jamaican productions, starting with this reggae one drop from Channel One veterans The Jays, dressed with deep latin-funk grooves for a rare Jamaica/Texas meeting rather unheard until then. We can only hope this remix swap axis between Austin, Texas and Paris, France will lead one day to a collaborative album project between those two psychedelic groove masters...

Credits :
Written by Lloyd Forest / Composed by Fabien Préaux
Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao

Recent releases :
Brownout - Oozy - CD, 2012 / Nat Geo Music
Brownout - Flaximus / I Won't Lie - limited 7 inch, 2012 / Kept Records
Grant Phabao & The Jays - Don't Sell Your Soul / Zion Holy Place (Jazz Version)- Limited 7 inch, 2009 / T.I.M.E.C.
Grant Phabao & The Jays - Stepping Up In Time - Digital album, 2012 / Paris DJs (coming soon)

Links :
Grant Phabao : official | bandcamp | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | youtube
The Jays : video interview | myspace | parisdjs | youtube
Adrian Quesada : official | discogs | facebook | parisdjs | soundcloud | tumblr | twitter


02. Grant Phabao, Carlton Livingston & The Lone Ranger - (A Message To You) Rudie

This track was first released in 2005 on Grant Phabao & Djouls' T.I.M.E.C. label, as a strictly limited, quickly sold out, 500 copies 12 inch. The instrumental version of the original doesn't exist, so a hundred dubplates were requested in the following year. Grant Phabao, Carlton Livingston and The Lone Ranger's take on Dandy Livingstone's legendary song was a new Jamaican hit, played all over the island! Since then, the track has been re-mixed many times by Grant Phabao and the version you can find here is the one available on Grant Phabao & Carlton Livingston's album "Bridge Of Life". A sure winner at any kind of floor, from the dancehall to the BBQ party!

Credits :
Written and composed by Robert Thompson
Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao

Recent releases :
Grant Phabao & Carlton Livingston - Bridge of Life - Digital album, 2012 / T.I.M.E.C.
Grant Phabao & Carlton Livingston - Teenager In Love - Limited 7 inch, 2009 / T.I.M.E.C.
Grant Phabao & The Lone Ranger - Sweet Talking - Digital album, 2012 / T.I.M.E.C.
Grant Phabao & The Lone Ranger - Fever - Limited 7 inch, 2008 / T.I.M.E.C.
Grant Phabao, The Lone Ranger & Carlton Livingston - (Message To You) Rudie - 12 inch, 2006 / T.I.M.E.C.
Grant Phabao & The Lone Ranger - Music Weh Dem Wan (Blend Mishkin Remix) - Digital single, 2012 / Paris DJs (coming soon)
Grant Phabao & Carlton Livingston - Jackie Statement (Blues Rock Remix) - Digital single, 2012 / Paris DJs (coming soon)

Links :
Grant Phabao : official | bandcamp | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | youtube
Carlton Livingston : discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | reverbnation | soundcloud | twitter | youtube
The Lone Ranger : djouls.com/djloneranger | myspace.com/djloneranger | wikipedia


03. Kaleta - Thank God We Are Africans

Kaleta & Zozo Afrobeat first appeared on Paris DJs through their Bob Marley cover, "Get Up, Stand Up", from their mini-album "Country Of Guns" released by Tramp Records in 2008. We had already connected with Kaleta years ago thanks to our mutual friends Kologbo and Franck Biyong, and when I contacted him for this compilation, he replied that some Ghaneans had posted a "Thank God We Are Not Nigerians" video, and some Nigerians had posted a "Thank God We Are Not Ghaneans" video… It didn't matter who had shot first, Kaleta told us he had written and recorded an answer to both called "Nigerians and Ghaneans, Thank God We Are Africans"! He was supposed to mix it and finally sent us the parts so that Grant Phabao could do the mixing and mastering here in Paris.

Credits :
Kaleta (Leon Ligan-Majek) : drums, percussions, all guitars, bass, keyboards, lead and backup vocals
Freddy Deboe : tenor and baritone sax
Taku Kuroda : trumpet
Gbenga Wise/Betty Emmanuel (Afrosade) : backup vocals
Juan Rodriguez : keyboard and backup vocals
Recorded at Redbird / Mercy studios NYC
Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao at T.I.ME.C. studios Paris
Composed, arranged and produced by Kaleta / Kaletamusic 2012

Recent releases :
Bosq of Whiskey Barons feat. Kaleta - More Heavy - 12" / Ubiquity Records (coming soon)
Kaleta & Zozo Afrobeat - Felabration - upcoming album feat. Sidney Mills of Steel Pulse (currently mixing)

Links :
Kaleta / Zozo Afrobeat : official | discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | youtube


04. Franck Biyong & The Diamane Bantu Messengers - Fe Bain

Franck Biyong is a Cameroonian musician, composer and singer, creator of the "Afrolectric" sound fusing Afrobeat, Electro-Funk and Avant-garde Jazz. In 2010 he started collaborating with Grant Phabao, which led to "Fe Bain", the first single extracted from his (upcoming) 8th album "Ki I Ye Yi" ("The one who doesn't know knows" in Basaa language). It's a rare treat in the current Afro revival, swirling Jazz chops on a unique and mesmerizing Central African groove, with deep vocals from Désiré Nkouandou Njopam.
"Fe Bain", also know as "Fai Mbu", is a frantic cover of a track produced by Manu Dibango for great Cameroon singer & trombonist Francis Ndom, for the 1982 "Fleurs Musicales du Cameroon" compilation. You'll hear in "Fe Bain" a true anthology of rhythms and melodies whose source is none other than the forest of central Africa (the Bamenda ethnic group), and especially a large range of the new trends of the modern African sound, presenting the typical eclecticism of music from this country that other Africans rightfully name “Africa in miniature”. "Fe Bain" was mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao.

Credits :
Composed by Francis Ndom
Arranged by Franck Biyong
Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao

Recent releases :
Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra - Ogun feat. Franck Biyong, Nicolas Baudino, Zakari Frantz - limited 7 inch, 2012 / Volcom Ent.
Franck Biyong & The Diamane Bantu Messengers - Fe Bain - Digital single, 2012 / Paris DJs
Franck Biyong & The Diamane Bantu Messengers - Ki I Ye Yi - Digital album, 2012 / Afrolectric Music
Franck Biyong & The Diamane Bantu Messengers - C.F.A. Music - Digital single, 2012 / Paris DJs (coming soon)

Links :
Franck Biyong : official | believe | facebook | itunes | myspace | soundcloud | twitter | youtube


05. ©© Les Frères Smith - Yègellé Tezeta (My Own Memory)

©© les Freres Smith is a 13 piece afrobeat / afrofunk / ethiojazz / globalgroove orchestra from Paris, with whom we've first started collaborating many years ago when they builded up a backing-band with Grant Phabao for Israeli funkster Kutiman first live show. They came back to us for the mixing and mastering of their first album, "Contreband Mentality" - which objectively speaking is one hell of a grower, heavily recommended to all Afro 70s lovers. ©© Les Freres Smith had an unreleased Mulatu Astatké cover left in the vaults from the sessions of their first album, still unmixed. A really funky and energetic take on the Mulatu classic, we couldn't pass on that and offered Grant Phabao services to mix this new track, unreleased elsewhere.

Credits :
Composed by Mulatu Astatqé
Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao

Recent releases :
©© Les Frères Smith - Contreband Mentality - 2xLP, 2011 / Cafe Creme Contreband Corporation, CD/Digital / Comet Records
Elvis Martinez Smih - Music Is he Weapon Of The Future - Free MP3 download, 2012 / Paris DJs

Links :
©© Les Freres Smith : discogs | bandcamp | facebook | flickr | myspace | youtube


06. Lee Fields & The Expressions - You're The Kind Of Girl (Grant Phabao Remix)

We must admit we tried convincing Truth & Soul Records in Brooklyn that they should release Grant Phabao Jamaican productions. What those cats did with the original Soul from Lee Fields or Charles Bradley was what Grant was doing with The Lone Ranger's Rub-A-Dub or Carlton Livingston, The Jays or The Silvertones' reggae. After a while DJ Akalepse came back to us offering to do a reggae remix of Lee Fields. The New York label never had done any remixes and loved this reggae take on Lee Fields' sunshine Soul. The track is available as a free mp3 on truthandsoulrecords.com, and we're happy to also have it featured in this compilation of Afro/Tropical/Soul rarities and exclusives, hoping people will like it and more cross-Atlantic collabs may happen.

Credits :

Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao

Recent releases :
Lee Fields & The Expressions - Faithful Man - CD/LP/Digital, 2012 / Truth & Soul Records
Lee Fields & The Expressions - Faithful Man - 7 inch, 2012 / Truth & Soul Records
Lee Fields & The Expressions - You're the Kind of Girl (45 edit) - 7 inch, 2012 / Truth & Soul Records

Links :
Grant Phabao : official | bandcamp | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | youtube
Lee Fields : discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs
Truth & Soul : official | bandcamp | discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | youtube


07. Grant Phabao & Afrodyete The African Goddess of Love - Fellin' You Feelin' Me

The story goes like this: in 2006 a few days after the release of Grant Phabao's first reggae 12 inch "Message To You Rudie", we got a call from DJ Soulist who had booked L.A. funk band The Breakestra for one of his What The Funk parties. He was coming out from Le Silence de la Rue record store in Pari with Miles Tackett, leader of the band, who had bought our single! A few years later when the band came back to play in Paris, we hooked up with Miles, offering him to come and record with Grant Phabao at Paris DJs' studios. He remembered the reggae production he had bought and pointed us directly towards his soul singer, Afrodyete. The woman is a gem to work with, we only saw each other twice, and each time resulted in some new recording, with songs she wrote right on the spot! "Feeling You, Feeling Me" is one of those, some seriously soulful vocals over one of Phabao brand new Afrofunk riddims. A 4-track Afrodyete/Grant Phabao EP is scheduled for the end of the year…

Credits :
Written by Afrodyete
Composed by Fabien Préaux
Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao

Recent releases :
Breakestra - Dusk Till Dawn - CD/2LP/Download, 2009 / Strut
Coming soon :
Grant Phabao & Afrodyete The African Goddess of Love - Itchin' 4 Your Love EP - Digital single / Paris DJs (coming soon)

Links :
Grant Phabao : official | bandcamp | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | youtube
Afrodyete : official | discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | twitter


08. Muyiwa Kunnuji - Everything That Has Breath

Olumuyiwa Kunnuji aka Muyiwa was a trumpet player for Fela's Egypt 80 and more recenly for Seun Kuti's Egypt 80 band. He composed and started recording this track in Lagos, Nigeria, and then went to Grant Phabao to do the mixing. Tony Allen agreed to play on it, approving Phabao's understanding of the real afrobeat, and this first track from what we hope will be a long a fruitful solo career for Muyiwa is an epic take on the genre.

Credits :
Written and composed by Olumuyiwa Kunnuji
Additional production by Grant Phabao
Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao

Links :
Muyiwa Kunnuji : discogs | facebook | myspace | reverbnation


09. Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra - Ogun feat. Franck Biyong, Nicolas Baudino, Zakari Frantz

This first extract from Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra's album (scheduled for early 2013) is a heavy Afrofunk monster, full of massive horn breaks that torns dancefloors apart. Zakari Franz from he Souljazz Orchesra and Nicolas Baudino from Franck Biyong's Massak band are the guests killing it on the saxophones, and this announces one hell of a ride for the album that's currently in preparation…

Credits :
Composed by Fabien Préaux and Nicolas Baudino
Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao

Recent releases :
Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra - Ogun / CSC Funk Band - Cathers Mitt - limited 7 inch, 2012 / Volcom Ent.
Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra - first album, early 2013 / Paris DJs (coming soon)

Links :
Grant Phabao : official | bandcamp | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | youtube


10. Super Hi-Fi - March of the Frogs (Myles Boisen Mix)

Brooklyn-based, two trombone-fueled afro-dub purveyors Super Hi Fi already released 2 astonishing singles on Electric Cowbell, check the ranting reviews on ParisDJs.com… Myles Boisen from Oakland's Guerrilla Hi-Fi gives the dub treatment to their "March of the Frogs" afro-prog-dub masterpiece. You're gonna be amazed.

Credits :
Composed by Ezra gale
Publishing : Ezra Gale/BMI

Recent releases :
Super Hi-Fi - Dub To The Bone - CD/LP/Digital, 2012 / Electric Cowbell (coming soon)
http://www.indiegogo.com/superhifi
Out Now :
Super Hi-Fi - Single Payer - 7 inch, 2012 / Electric Cowbell
Super Hi-Fi - We Will Begin Again - 7 inch, 2012 / Electric Cowbell

Links :
Super Hi-Fi : official | myspace | facebook | soundcloud | soundliberation


11. Pyramid Blue - African Jungle

In the beginning there was the Afro Soul Toasting All Star, a band created by Oscar Martos, launched at the same time the Soul Toasting recording studio, in Madrid (Spain). This band's main objective was to produce rhythms and grooves based on the diverse stylistic schools, like Africa, New Orleans, Philadelphia, or Kingston. We played their superb track Be A Looser in the mythical 21st Century Afro Extravaganza 4 hours/50 tracks mix. Oscar has since then started a new project, called Pyramid Blue, who's released their first 45 on Enlace Funk at the end of the summer 2011, African Jungle. Influenced by artists and bands like The Heliocentrics, The Budos Band and Mulatu Astatke, this 9-piece ensemble might just be the most important spanish Afrofunk band today. They blend Afrofunk with Ethio-Jazz (jazz from Ethiopia) and Afrobeat (afrofunk & soul from Nigeria)… and you can hear hints of Tango in there too! It's quite a very influenced and unique sound at the same time, and we're very glad to ba able to feature this track in our first compilation.

Credits :
Composed by Oscar Martos

Recent releases :
Pyramid Blue - African Jungle - 7 inch, 2011 / Enlace Funk

Coming Soon :
Pyramid Blue - Pyramid Blue - CD/LP/Digital, 2012 / Lovemonk (coming soon)

Links :
Pyramid Blue : facebook | kudos | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud


12. Kraked Unit feat. Joseph Cotton & Oghene Kologbo - Soul Shakedown Party

Guitar legend Oghene Kologbo began performing with the revolutionary Afrobeat master Fela Kuti at the end of the 60s, and went on to record more than 50 sides with Africa 70. He played the hypnotic tenor guitar lines, but often recorded bass and rhythm guitar too. In 2005, Kologbo began working with the Afrobeat Academy, Berlin’s heaviest afrobeat ensemble who are now playing and touring with Ebo Taylor. After their 2007 'Remember Fela Kuti' collaboration album, Kologbo started recording a new album in Paris with Loik Dury, former Radio Nova programmer in France and famous movie soundtrack producer. This Bob Marley cover, extracted from the sessions of this new album, features Jamaican deejay Joseph Cotton duetting with Kologbo shouts, and American soul/folk masters Robert 'Chicken' Burke and Nowell Askins (The Duke & The King).

Credits :
Written and composed by Bob Marley
Mixed and mastered by Grant Phabao

Recent releases :
Oghene Kologbo - Africa Is The Future - 2013 / Kraked (coming soon)

Links :
Kraked Unit : official | facebook | soundcloud | twitter | wikipedia | youtube
Joseph Cotton : discogs | facebook | myspace | wikipedia
Kologbo : discogs | facebook | myspace | parisdjs | twitter


13. Soul Sugar - Bon Esprit (Alternate Mix)

Soul Sugar is a soul-jazz combo reminding the best years of Blue Note Records (among others), led by keyboard maestro Guillaume Metenier, one of our really long-time collaborators who was in electronic dub duo Seven Dub when Grant Phabao was the sound engineer of the Pro-Zak Trax label way back in the 90s… They released a first album a few years ago on UK label Freestyle Records, and will be back late 2012 with the follow-up, a really classy affair from the first tracks we heard...

Credits :
Composed by Guillaume Metenier

Recent releases :
Soul Sugar - Hands On EP - Limited CD, 2012 / Soul Sugar

Links :
Soul Sugar : facebook | myspace | parisdjs | soundcloud | twitter | youtube

Original post on Paris DJs