101st century global raw soul

Sometimes a record label has its own sound — the combination of esthetics, players, equipment, place and time all are in alignment. As soon as you hear one of their records, you know: that’s a Blue Note, this one is Motown, that’s Sun or Factory or Stax or Daptone or now maybe Spacebomb.

Philophon Records in Berlin is in that category: all their sides (mostly 45s but also some LPs) sound like nothing other than Philophon, no matter where the named artists were born or live. I’ll illustrate on this week’s program with four Philophon tracks by artists from four different countries.

Also this week (Monday July 20, 3:00-5:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): two imaginative takes on the Ethiopian tradition, big band cumbia from the 1950s to now, rap with Cuban sabor, some West African favorites, and more of the real boogaloo: no weapons cosplay, just 1967 Latin soul.

Podcast: radio4all.net/index.php/program/106180

All the podcasts: radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go

Show Archive

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Playlist:

Oliver Lake, “Separation”

from Matador Of 1st & 1st

Passin Thru - 1996

USA

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, “Global a GO-GO”

from Global a Go-Go

BMG Rights Management (US) LLC - 2001

England UK

Alhousseini Anivolla & Girum Mezmur, “Isouwad”

from Afropentatonism

Piranha - 2020

Niger-Ethiopia

Qwanqwa, “Gorage”

from Volume Two

FPE Records - 2015

Ethiopia-USA

Cresencio Salcedo, “Me Quedo Con el Viejo”

from The Original Sound of Cumbia - The History of Colombian Cumbia & Porro As Told By the Phonograph 1948-79 (Compiled by Quantic)

Soundway Records - 2011

Colombia, 1950s

Frente Cumbiero & Minyo Crusaders, “Cumbia del Monte Fuji”

from Minyo Cumbiero (From Tokyo to Bogota) - EP

Mais Um Discos - 2020

Japan-Colombia

Juan Pina Con La Revelacion, “Virgines Del Sol”

from Juan Pina Con La Revelacion

Vampisoul - 1975

Colombia

Roberto Lopez Afro-Colombian Jazz Orchestra, “En mi Corazón”

from Azul

Curura Musique - 2012

Colombia-Canada

Free Hole Negro, “Como Arde”

from Superfinos Negros

DRO/EastWest Spain - 2004

Cuba-Spain-Italy

Madera Limpia, “Boca Floja”

from La Corona

outhere records - 2008

Cuba

La Dame Blanche, “Cogelo Con Calma”

from Cogelo Con Calma - single

Nacional - 2020

Cuba-France

Bimbo G, “Chiqui Boom”

from Ahora Me Toca a Mi!

Camajan - 2005

Cuba

Guy One, “N'yella Be Bobere?”

from #1

Philophon - 2018

Ghana

Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids, “Rhapsody in Berlin”

from We Be All Africans

Strut - 2016

USA

Jimi Tenor, “Sugar and Spice”

from Sugar and Spice - Single

Philophon - 2020

Finland

Alemayehu Eshete & The Polyversal Souls, “Feqer Feqer New”

from Feqer Feqer New / Portrait Of Alemayehu (Daytime) - single

Philophon - 2019

Ethiopia-Germany