Culture Calling's Top 5 albums of the week, an eclectic mix of records from across genres and decades. Come discover weekly albums to bulk out your collection.
The Chakachas – Chakachas (1972)
Soul, funk, rock, Latin Jazz, Afrobeat - and surprisingly Belgian - extraordinaires The Chakachas are mostly known for their only American hit ‘Jungle Fever’, a semi-pornographic middle of the road funk track. It is unfortunate they are not known for this self-titled release, proving them to be much more than novelty merchants.
Excellent funk instrumentation, all way too tight and perfectly layered and mixed, Chakachas journeys through genres and even languages: the Spanish-language funk-and-soul ‘Soledad’ is a highlight, as well as their closer ‘Oye Mi Guaguanco’.
They elevate to gospel rock on ‘Judas Kiss’, Latin pop on ‘Copacabana’, and their opener ‘Stories??’, arguably the best track here, is a gorgeous, mostly instrumental, enlivening Latin funk that still sounds fairly unique even after over half a century. Some proper gems on here.
Luke Una Present E Soul Cultura, Vol. 2 (2023)
If ever you grow tired of your typical rotation, any compilation made by Luke Una will do. New genres, new visions, new covers, and new artists that will leave you scratching your head as to how Luke Una ever found them. #
A dazzling, varied journey through his musical mind, Una compiles his influences, his sonic stimulants, and whatever else he finds interesting. There is much to discuss: the mix of Rare Silk’s excellent ‘Storm’ with the vocals cuts out; Avis’ gorgeous cover of the Minnie Riperton classic ‘Baby, This Love I Have’ famously sampled by A Tribe Called Quest; my favourite LFO track ‘Shove Piggy Shove’; Eloah’s stunning ‘Logun Ede’; closing with a one-two combo of Isis’ ambient house ‘In Essence’ and Frank Hatchett’s murky yet glistening ‘Malibu Nites’.
Every track a different genre, but all united by obscurity, a distinct airiness, and a peculiar optimism, even on the darker tracks. If you see this man DJing any time soon, you gotta show up.
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
It’s hard to accurately state the impact of 2009’s Merriweather Post Pavilion. On one hand it helped launch and shape the then-burgeoning chillwave movement, and on the other it pushed indie folk music toward more electronic avenues and away from a traditional four-piece. Most of all though, I think it inspired musicians of all kinds to do better, to think more about the sonic fields they were creating, about how to use new methods from other areas of music to embolden your own.
Their sound was too unique here that no one dared imitated for it would sound too obvious of a clone. Probably most easily described as ‘Beach Boys on acid’, as the songwriting is defined by harmonies, 60s pop hooks, and lyrics that introspect and depict daily life, but even the Beach Boys comparison doesn’t do it justice.
The whole record is gleaming with electronic delight, each synth perfectly engineered to sound like a shape or texture, the vocals unconventionally stressing odd syllables in strange melodic orders, lyrics that are wholly mundane yet utterly pure. Those who have taken acid have said that this record sounds like what acid feels like. It transcends music and becomes pure experience.
The Orb – Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld (1991)
Lost to the depths for 22 years, the dreamy, spacious, and alluring Dream 2 Science record had been vaulted since 1990, only remastered and released for the first time in 2012.
No doubt taking much inspiration from Larry Heard (or Mr Fingers), we see all of these key signature features: deep, punchy bass grooves, ethereal droning synths, repeating melodic motifs, reverberated solos, and a highly rigid drum formula. This Heardish formula would go on to influence dance music forever, with many to walk in his shadow.
What Dream 2 Science do offer here which is special for dance music is the phenomenon of a continuous mix. Each track bleeds into the next, embodying the spirit of a rave where ordinarily this is the DJ’s job. With many taking Spotify’s word for granted and believing it was truly released in 2012, you’d be forgiven for thinking so; it has aged remarkably well, considering deep houses popular revival in the 2010s, with only a few dated synths as giveaways. A lush record.
Kiki Gyan – 24 Hours in a Disco (2012)
Now a favourite amongst even the mildly adventurous type of disco and world music cratediggers, 24 Hours in a Disco has well latched onto many a Spotify algorithm despite almost no one knowing who he is or what was going on in Ghana’s disco scene at the time.
Gyan, a keyboard prodigy, had toured in his early/mid-teens internationally with UK-based Afro-rock group Osibisa, and by 18 he was a millionaire, had hung out with rockstars like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Peter Tosh, and even briefly married a daughter of Fela Kuti. Eventually, it was drug abuse that lead to his decline, eventually dying at 46 in a church bathroom from AIDS related complications.
Despite charting in his day, he inevitably faded into obscurity, only widely reaching the ears of modern listeners after the release of this compilation in 2012, a collection of his work around the peak of his musical career. And there are some absolute crackers here. The opener, ‘Disco Dancer’, a disco track with a rare tone-switch halfway through, and the ever-marching, triumphant ‘Disco Train’ are the two big highlights, and the eponymous ’24 Hours in a Disco’ strikes more conventional notes, hence its charting. But after a good few listens through, it’s hard to imagine how an artist like Gyan could ever be forgot.