Tag Archives: Funk

01Nov/26

Ed Sheeran and Sampa Beat the System

November 1, 2026Entertainment12, act iv, African music, Amanaz, Angélique Kidjo, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Chanda, Concord, Ecca Vandal, Ecca Vandal Magnus Mando, Ed Sheeran, Emmanuel, Emmanuel "Jagari" Chanda, Funk, Gaborone, George Groovy, George Groovy Joe, George Groovy Joe Kunda, George Kunda, Kenneth Kaunda, Klara, Kwes Darko, Laura, London, Los Angeles, Lusaka, Melbourne, Music, Music genres, Mwanjé, Nicole Gumbe, Oliver Rodigan, Paul Ngozi, Psychedelic rock, Sampa, Sampa Tembo, Sia, Simon Says, Solomon Moyo, Spotify, Sydney, Tembo, United Kingdom, United States, Witch, Zambia, Zambian music, Zamrockadmin

Sampa the Great Reclaims Her Bloodline and Reinvents Zambian Rock on ‘Nu Zamrock’

Sun, Nov 01 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Sampa the Great (Sampa Tembo) released her third studio album, Nu Zamrock, on October 30, 2026, through Loma Vista Recordings. Spanning 16 tracks across 37 minutes, the record represents an autobiographical reclamation, an intergenerational dialogue, and a modern sonic expansion of Zambia’s foundational 1970s rock movement. Co-executive produced by Sampa alongside Grammy-winning producer Cadenza, the album was crafted across intensive writing sessions in Botswana, production work in Lusaka with Zambian producers Magnus Mando (Mag44) and Solomon Moyo, and finishing sessions in Los Angeles. Rather than treating the project as retro-nostalgia, Sampa describes the record as “the future remembering where it came from,” blending overdriven psychedelic rock guitars and kalindula polyrhythms with hard-hitting hip-hop, poetry, and soul. Continue reading →

26Oct/26

Hidden history on vinyl record sleeves

October 26, 2026MusicAfrican-American culture, African-American music, Angela Winbush, Audio storage, Bobby Womack, Culture, Digital Frontier, Frank E. Wilson, Funk, Herbie Mann, Herman Chaney, Jo Hansch, Kevin Beamish, Lamont Dozier, Lee Ritenour, Los Angeles, Melvin, Motown, Music, Netherlands, Paul Jackson Jr., Philadelphia, Phonograph record, Popular music, Rare groove, Record collecting, Recorded music, Reggie Dozier, René Angela, Rene Moore, RPM LP, Stillman Kelly, Todd Fisher, Wah, Watsonadmin

Digital Crate-Digging: Combining Visual Metadata, Embedded Streaming, and Sample Discovery

Mon, July 26 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Digital music archivism plays a vital role in safeguarding 20th-century sound recordings, bridging physical vinyl history with interactive digital crate-digging platforms. A prime exemplar in this domain is a digital repository indexing over 3,282 rare vinyl releases centered on 1970s soul and 1980s boogie, funk, R&B, and jazz. This collection documents a major transition in popular music, capturing the shift from 1970s analog studio arrangements with rich strings and live rhythm sections into 1980s electro-funk, synth-driven boogie, and early digital recording techniques. The underlying platform utilizes multi-tiered indexing by release year, sub-genre taxonomy, and physical release format, including LPs, rare 7-inch 45s, and extended 12-inch maxi-singles crucial to club mix culture. Furthermore, high-resolution front and back cover photography preserves essential historical documentation such as personnel credits, studio locations, track durations, mastering etchings, and sleeve conditions. To link static metadata with active listening, the archive incorporates embedded YouTube playback alongside an algorithmic “Random Spin” discovery feature that replicates the serendipity of digging through physical record bins. Continue reading →

11Apr/26

How Radio DJs Built Community Before Algorithms

April 11, 2026EntertainmentAfrican-American music, Beggar & Co., Brit funk, Charles, Chris Hill, DJ Froggy, Frankie Beverly, Funk, Greg Edwards, James Brown, Jazz FM, Jazz-funk, Lacy, Lionel Richie, London, Marvin Gaye, Music, New York, Popular music, Robbie Vincent, Sherwood, Soul music, Ted Heath, United Kingdom, United Statesadmin

The Soul Frontier: Robbie Vincent, the ‘Soul Mafia,’ and the Integration of British Broadcasting (1970–1985)

Continue reading →

01Oct/22

~Pourri is Flipping the Funk and Transforming the World of Odors, Through an Interactive Music and Dance-Inspired Campaign

October 1, 2022MusicAfrican-American culture, African-American music, Amsterdam, Culture, Electrophunck, Funk, Jason Burt, Joe Lewis, Music, Poo, Popular music, Pourri, Units of timeadmin

From funky to fresh! ~Pourri, From the Makers of Poo~Pourri, bring you an original song and series of dance videos, to introduce their continued expansion and transformative journey to tackle all kinds of funky odors – naturally. The five core videos present Flip That Funk™: an immersive digital experience into the world of ~Pourri, that is aimed to liberate you from life’s (potentially) funkiest moments! With the first two videos of the five-part series will launch ~Pourri’s most-anticipated product of all time, Pet~Pourri, followed shortly by Poo~Pourri. The series has been brought to life through the help of the award-winning Amsterdam-based dance troupe, the Ghetto Funk Collective, with original song Funk Check! Feat. RC & The Gritz and Black Joe Lewis, written and recorded in collaboration with Texas-based producers Matt Pence and Electrophunck (Jason Burt). Continue reading

05Aug/22

Beyoncé has helped usher in a renaissance for African artists

August 5, 2022MusicAfrican music, African popular music, African-American culture, African-American music, Afrobeats, Albums, Beyoncé, Beyoncé Black, Black Is King, Bob Marley, Brenda Fassie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Creative Commons, Disco, Donna Summer, Drake, Funk, Ghana, Gloria Gaynor, James Chikomborero, James Chikomborero Paradza, Kenya, Lemonade, Music, Nigeria, Parkwood Entertainment, Pretoria, Pretoria Beyoncé, Run the World, South Africa, Tems, The Lion King, United States, University of Pretoria, Warsan Shire, Wizkidadmin

James Chikomborero Paradza, University of Pretoria

Beyoncé has released her seventh solo studio album, titled Renaissance (2022). The album, an event in global popular culture, is the first of a three-part project by the US artist. Her previous outing, the visual album Black is King (2020), collaborated with a host of African artists. Renaissance pays tribute to black dance music and again features African artists, including Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, who is having a global moment of her own.

Continue reading →