Paris DJs presents The 20 Contenders Albums of 2012
10 best albums for 2012 was really hard to pin down. We had to leave a lot of very good record on the side. That's totally unacceptable with all the amazing goodies we received every month during the past year. Which is why we decided to select 20 more superb albums from 2012. The contenders!
Paris DJs - Best Of 2012 - The Contenders
Antibalas - Antibalas (Daptone) info | buy
The afrobeat revival started with them and needed this long-awaited new album.
Afro Latin Vintage Orchestra - Last Odyssey (Ubiquity) info | buy
Sounding like deep and groovy black jazz with a timeless universality, this album is heavily recommended to all jazz fans who'll peel it off year after year!
Billy Martin & Wil Blades - Shimmy (Royal Potato Family) info | buy
Essential release for every Hammond addict of the soul-jazz-funk party side.
Boddhi Satva - Invocation (BBE Music) info | buy
Amazing soulful house album, blending deep house music with African drums, spiritual vocals, koras and other various world music instruments.
Chicha Libre - Canibalismo (Barbès Records / Crammed Discs) info | buy
Chicha is a Peruvian psychedelic surf-rock derivative of Cumbia from the late sixties, and Chicha Libre are bringing a 'modern' production treatment to the style, to the amazement of all (open) ears.
DJ Format - Statement Of Intent (Project Blue Book Records) info | buy
Both old school b-boys and psychedelic music nerds will be more than pleased. This is really heavy shit, and with many guests: The Simonsound, of course, Sureshot La Rock, Edan, Mr Lif, Nostalgia 77, Beta Hector…
Ebo Taylor - Appia Kwa Bridge (Strut) info | buy
This time there's no trying to appeal to the afrobeat scene, this is a highlife affair, and a marvelous one with a heavy but delicate sound.
Hidden Orchestra - Archipelago (Tru Thoughts) info | buy
Mixtapes maestro Joe Acheson is back with a second album of British Jazz beautifully haunting our nights.
Jungle By Night - Hidden (Kindred Spirits) info | buy
Expect indeed more than neo-retro afrobeat here, the Dutch lads are nom implementing Malian soul, djembe rhythms from Senegal, Gamelan tones, Jazz or Funk elements and even some Rock attitude into their cooking.
Mancini & The Creepers - Mancini & The Creepers (Jakarta) info | buy
A magical soulful/hip hop/indie album that we've been playing on repeat. Truly unique.
Marco Benevento - Tiger Face (The Royal Potato Family) info | buy
The most coherent and the most eclectic album of the New York jazz avant-groove keyboardist.
Ondatropica - Ondatropica (Soundway) info | buy
Quantic's latest new approach to Columbian music, alongside Colombian cumbia-experimentalist Mario Galeano of Frente Cumbiero, and with some of the finest musicians to currently grace the South American music scene.
Pepe Deluxé - Queen Of The Wave (Catskils) info | buy
A new, in-your-face, kind of eccentric thing. From bizarre pop to 60's psychedelic rock, from science-fiction to metaphysics, from heavy drums to pastoral folk, this is an intense piece of music excellence that won't fit in the big beat/future jazz niche the band used to blend in.
Pyramid Blue - Pyramid Blue (Lovemonk) info | buy
Recommended spiritual ethio-flavoured jazz with Latin and Cuban grooves, Afrobeat echoes and avant-Funk vibrations from Spain. A real grower.
Super Hi-Fi - Dub To The Bone (Electric Cowbell) info | buy
Brooklyn's premiere two-trombone dub experience LP "Dub To The Bone" released on Electric Cowbell Records might be the best reggae album we've heard this year.
The Cheebacabra - Pass The Information (Mackrosoft) info | buy
Acidulated instrumental funk with crisp head-nodding beats and drums, lots of analog synths, often sounding like a perfect the soundtrack to a psychedelic cartoon.
The Bombay Royale - You Me Bullet Love (HopeStreet) info | buy
This is what Quentin Tarentino would produce is he was to do an original soundtrack to a film he would shoot in Bollywood.
The Cactus Channel - Haptics (HopeStreet) info | buy
10 new killer funk instrumentals, from a monster high-octane bassy funk to Daptone soul, blaxploitation soundtrack and Budos-kind of afrofunk!
The Heavy - The Glorious Dead (Counter Records) info | buy
The fantastic UK blues-rock & breakbeat of The Heavy add a gospel choir to the formula and make it glorious.
Third Coast Kings - Third Coast Kings (Record Kicks) info | buy
This self-titled album of deep funk & soul 8-piece combo from Ann Arbor/Detroit Third Coast Kings is a 21st Century Blaxploitation dream come true.
Original post on Paris DJs