Various Artists - Unearthed African Recordings, Vol. 1 (2026)

Four years of relentless vinyl-hunting trips across the African continent laid the groundwork for a new label's debut compilation — a genuinely family-driven project born from deep personal record collections and frustration that so many recordings had never been digitized or given a chance to reach new listeners. Having worked through a catalogue of roughly 1,500 albums, the team connected with Dele Sosimi — a member of Fela Kuti's Egypt 80 and an ambassador of Afrobeat — along with musicologist, historian and filmmaker Ed Keazor, whose deep knowledge of the cultural context behind these recordings became the backbone of the label's entire approach. The mission goes well beyond simple reissuing: the team is committed to tracking down the artists themselves and their families, righting historical wrongs toward rights holders often left behind by the industry's shift to digital, and ensuring proper representation of the cultural and linguistic detail embedded in each recording.

The resulting selection brings together 20 tracks across six genres, spanning a musical geography from Ghana and Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Tanzania. The backbone of the compilation is horn-driven, dancefloor-ready Highlife — the sound of West African nightlife at its peak — joined by the raw, rhythmically dense Yoruba percussion tradition of Apala, the electric and fast-fingered Congolese descendant Soukous, its unhurried, orchestral ancestor Congolese Rumba, the bright, danceable East African guitar style Kikuyu Benga, and the lighter-touch DRC dance sound of Afro Pop.

Among the twenty featured acts are Eddie Donkor & The Internationals, whose 1975 track is the oldest on the compilation and stands out for its syncopated off-beat grooves; Alhaja Hassanah Waziri And Her Velvet Voice, delivering a celebratory vocal performance backed by a full festival lineup of horns, percussion, and keyboards; Orchestre Kamalé, performing Soukous with slick vocal harmonies and tight interlocking horns and guitars; and Honoré Avolonto Et L'Orchestre Black Santiago, whose hypnotic, Vodun-rooted guitar work gives the music its distinctive atmosphere. The label frames this release as just the first step into a vast catalogue, with a second volume already in the works.

Tracklist:
1-1 Eddie Donkor & The Internationals - Nkɔmɔde (2025 Remaster) [3:37]
1-2 Fabomo Edoleyi And His Supersonic Sound Of Nig. - Okuomose (2025 Remaster) [4:51]
1-3 Mukaramani Brothers - Himbira Nda (2025 Remaster) [4:27]
1-4 Danny K And His Young Stars Of Nigeria - Shiners Meeting (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [4:52]
1-5 Prince Mochicobay - Nagbonsorobo (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [6:00]
1-6 Lolo Lolitta;Tchico - Zena-Maiga (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [3:13]
1-7 Nehizena Arase - Ekhoe (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [5:12]
1-8 Alhaja Hassanah Waziri And Her Velvet Voice - Imhoukhumi Oghena Iruduna (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [5:22]
1-9 Dr. Paa-Bobo And His 3 Axes Int. Band Of Ghana - Anya Adwo (2025 Remaster) [3:36]
1-10 Dombraaye And The Stars Of Benin - Iziegbuwa (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [3:43]
1-11 Nuta Jazz Band - Sulemani (2025 Remaster) [4:54]
1-12 Alhaji Dauda Epoakara and His Awurebe Sound - Karimu Eleran Oje (2025 Remaster) [4:04]
1-13 Orchestre Kamale - Tu Seras Coupable Pour Rien (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [5:54]
1-14 Prof. Douglas Olariche & His Super Sonic Band Of Nigeria - Eze Udo (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [5:19]
1-15 Honore Avolonto Et L'Orchestre Black Santiago - Dokofi Wè Gbêdé (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [4:43]
1-16 Libert International Band - Super M Bondo (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [5:50]
1-17 Collins Oke & His Odoligie Nobles - Nomiemila (Edit - 2025 Remaster) [5:13]
1-18 Chief Umobuarie Igberase And His Afan Group - Obhioguele, Pt. 1 (2025 Remaster) [5:52]
1-19 Mayaula Mayoni - Bon Anniversaire (2025 Remaster) [5:15]
1-20 Solomon Imaghodor And His Dance Band Of Nigeria - Ukpukpe (2025 Remaster) [6:47]