funky disco / afrobeat

the 4th edition in the acclaimed sterns edits series sees curator ben gomori open up the sterns music catalogue to other keen re-editors with brownswood / worldwide genius smbd (aka simbad) the first to step up to the plate. nigeria s segun adewale is sometimes referred to as the crown prince of jùjú music, but in the 1980s he developed a sound all of his own, which he called yo-pop. a mixture of jùjú, funk, reggae, afrobeat and jazz, its vibrant melange can be heard on his 1986 record ojo je , where both these originals are taken from. smbd delivers too superb flips of the title track a gritty funk-fuelled disco version with live bass, and a deliciously deep dub-house version. gomori, meanwhile, takes the haunting atewo-lara ka tepa mo se for an extended hypnotic, tribal trip. the stunning artwork comes from kofi ankobra, the son of radical white south africans who grew up in ghana and studied art at oshogbo, nigeria the place adewale himself was born. sterns edits is an official collaboration between african music stalwarts sterns music and londons ben gomori.

sterns edits returns after their well received and recently repressed amadou balake excursions, this time with ben gomori turning his hand to guinea for a third instalment in the series of re-works from the sterns music catalogue of african gems. balla et ses balladins were one of guinea s national orchestras formed as a result of the newly elected president, sekou toures authenticite policy of the early 1960s, which sought to promote guinea s cultural identity following independence from france in 1958. gomori takes the scalpel to two cuts recorded during their years on the state-run syliphone label, making good use of bandleader balla s lively trumpet playing. the gently haunting nyo is taken on a stomping slo-mo chug with a head-nodding bassline and stuttering fx creating a shimmering effect on the tropical guitars, while the rousing horns of wilikabo are laid over with rasping synth bass for a punchy juxtaposition. sterns edits is an official collaboration between african music stalwarts sterns music and london s ben gomori.

sterns edits returns after the sell-out success of its debut edition with another two catalogue reworks from ben gomori. this time he turns his attention to burkina faso s much-loved taxi-driver-turned-singer, amadou balaké. balaké ( porcupine in mandinka) is burkina faso s proudest musical export, and in 2013 he recorded his final album before passing away: in conclusion. the record saw him revisit some of his most popular tracks from his remarkable 50-year career, backed by an eight-piece burkinabé band who took the country s traditional sounds and brought them into a contemporary light. gomori retains the essence of the original recordings which were mostly captured in one take and marries them to vigorous afro-house stylings. bar konon mousso (musicien c est pas quelqu un) in which balaké tells of a bar lady being unimpressed by his profession, gets a gentle push towards the modern dancefloor, its wonderful sax lines resplendent. massa kamba is taken for a drive down the more traditional route, with commanding drums bolstering the original grooves and a marvelous triple harmony brass section at its core. balakes freewheeling style suits the hypnotic feel of the edits to a tee. sterns edits is an official collaboration between african music stalwarts sterns music and london s ben gomori.

sterns edits is a new collaboration between legendary african & brazilian label and distributor sterns music and london producer and label owner ben gomori.