Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

FLIES65CD

Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2024-03-22

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Kudos

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

652733341891

Total Cap

FLIES65

Black

652733178725

Black LP

Artist

Various

Genre GB

African

Label GB

Four Flies

<p>Four Flies is a Rome-based record label and music publisher specializing in Italian golden age soundtracks. The label is committed to digging up underrated scores and sounds – often ones that were never circulated outside the Italian film, radio or TV industry – and to unearthing master tapes tucked away and long forgotten in attics or basements. Like archaeologists of Italian library music, the Four Flies team go to great lengths to rescue from oblivion previously unreleased or lesser-known pieces by great film composers, making them available to listeners everywhere.</p>

Newest Listed Items

Africamore: The Afro-Funk Side of Italy (1973-1978) 

Continuing Four Flies' dedication to delving into lesser-explored periods of Italian music, Africamore takes us on a captivating journey into the intersection of Afro-funk and the Italian soundscape during the six years between 1973 and 1978 - a time when disco was looming on the horizon and the nightclub market was rapidly expanding. 

Before reaching Italian shores, the infectious sound originating from African and Afro-Caribbean roots traversed both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, landing on New York dancefloors, where DJ Dave Mancuso discovered "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango. In 1973, from Mancuso's Loft parties, the song's hypnotic groove spread to the rest of the globe, including in Italy, where it sparked a wave of imitations and variations. 


Tribal influences thus found their way into Italian soul-funk and early-disco productions released between 1973 and 1978 – from psychedelic-tinged tunes like Jean Paul & Angelique's "Africa Sound" to the Afrobeat-inspired club banger "Kumbayero" by composer/producer Albert Verrecchia (aka Weyman Corporation); and from groundbreaking Afro-cosmic songs like Chrisma's "Amore", co-written by Vangelis and featuring the rhythms of Ghanaian-British Afro-rock band Osibisa, to mind-blowing floor-fillers like Beryl Cunningham's "Why O", a re-write of Nat King Cole's "Calypso Blues" arranged by Paolo Ormi, with percussion breaks that sound pretty much like what would later become known as techno. 

 
Combining feel-good vibes with driving rhythms, world-style percussion, and even synths, all these productions pushed the boundaries of dance music at a time when disco had not yet taken over. In doing so, they sowed many of the seeds of the later Italian cosmic scene and its unique mixture of African elements, disco-funk and electronic music. 

This was a brief but nuanced period in Italian music history, one that deserves to be rediscovered, with love. 

Africamore is due out on March 22nd and will be available as a gatefold 2LP and digipak CD. Both formats come with stunning artwork by Kathrin Remest and liner notes by Pierpaolo De Sanctis and Elena Miraglia.

Africamore - The Afro-funk side of Italy (1973-1978)

Music GB

Discover Africamore - The Afro-funk side of Italy (1973-1978) by Various on Four Flies. Dive into the intersection of Afro-funk and Italian music history. Available in gatefold 2LP and digipak CD.