Ralph Marterie
On The Sunny Side Of The Street

Tony Allen’s first 4 solo albums, recorded with Afrika 70 at the height of their power as Fela Kuti’s band, are seminal recordings in the pantheon of afrobeat history.With Comet Records’ new reissues of these records, we have the opportunity to shine a light on the sheer musicality and originality of the humble drumming giant. Tony Allen’s passing in April 2020 sent a shockwave across the world, as fans and collaborators from Lagos to Brooklyn and everywhere in between mourned the loss of a generous and powerful being, the kind of being we thought would live forever. Thankfully, we have the gift of Tony’s timeless music, starting with these 4 special solo albums, through which his musical voice guides our dancing feet and full hearts forever.Tony Allen’s follow-up solo record, Progress, showcases Afrika 70 doing what they do best: digging deep and bringing the force, but always with remarkable restraint and swagger, propelled by Tony’s steady hands and feet. The title track, “Progress,” starts with a bang and never loses steam - a performance so fierce that it stands alongside Fela’s most powerful anthems. The second track, “Afro-Disco Beat,” shows Tony Allen at one of his creative peaksTaken from Tony’s autobiography by Michael Veal “What I was saying on Progress was that instead of fighting Fela for money, I was trying to progress and create on my own. Progress is what a hard worker is looking for I had to look it for myself”

The coming together of Jeff Mills and Jean-Phi Dary came from a collaborative project with the late great Tony Allen and created chemistry instantly. Both being cognizant of the skilled innate improvisation that was happening in small jam sessions, they conceived the concept for their collaborative project: The Paradox. They believed that this uncompromising freedom and the manifestation of new ideas allowed them to reach a higher level of spiritual consciousness within their work. Recorded in real-time; these compositions reflect captured spontaneous actions which concede honesty and truth.

Adelaide producer Oisima is back with a new EP on Osulande's Yoruba Soul label. 'Deeper Waters' sees Oisima exploring live jazz instrumentation through the EP. Features include Aus soul vocalists Abbey Howlett and Wallace plus LA's Jimetta Rose. The track Harlem, has Dialect and Cazealux O.S.L.O trading back to back verses about their love affair with New York's Harlem suburb. Soulful tones throughout, this is a really easy record to listen to and put a smile on your dial for summer!

David Versace is an Australian multi-genre keyboardist, composer and producer based in Meanjin, Queensland. Growing up in a very musical household it was always important to express and embrace all types of music and sonics. His sound ranges from Jazz and Samba to ambient works and the odd dance-floor heater. David also plays in Meanjin nu-jazz dance outfit First Beige.Since late 2019, he has self released around 20 different tracks and with the most recent signing to La Sape Records David is excited to announce his debut solo album 'Okra' a conceptual body of work that flows through a culmination of raw organic concepts conceived In The Moment, and his most elegant & articulated work yet.