Edo Highlife / Afrobeat 2027
Prince Ọmọ Lawal-Osula And His Royal Music Messengers Of Africa
Oru Ye Ye Ye
via Tokyo Buy Buy Diary
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Friday, October 16, 2026 • Vinyl Finds from Around the World
Valley Of Jehosaphat
Augustus Pablo's final album, released just weeks before his early death in 1999, now gets its first-ever complete vinyl release. The melodica-wielding dub pioneer kept exploring digital recording and instrumental arrangement into the '90s; compared with his gritty early classics, this record is purer and more serene. Nature Sounds and the revived Rockers International issue it as a 2LP with five bonus rare '90s recordings.
DILLAGENCE II
The long-awaited sequel to Busta Rhymes and J Dilla's classic 2007 mixtape DILLAGENCE. Officially sanctioned by the Dilla estate, it digs rare MPC material out of his vaults — swinging drums, raw bass and soul chops — under Busta's signature rapid-fire flow. Guests include Slum Village's T3, Big Sean, Anderson .Paak, Ludacris, Talib Kweli, Lil Wayne, Common, Jon Batiste and a precious appearance from the late D'Angelo.
Cat
Trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki's warm masterpiece, cut after his return from playing with Buddy Rich, with an all-star lineup — Takeru Muraoka (sax), Hiromasa Suzuki (keys), Kunimitsu Inaba (bass) and Akira Ishikawa (drums) — at Nippon Columbia Studio. Collectors worldwide treat it as a holy grail of early Japanese jazz-fusion and funk; this is a Japanese clear-yellow vinyl reissue.
Love And Understanding
Saxophonist Jimmy Heath, brother of drummer Albert and MJQ bassist Percy Heath, leads a sextet with Curtis Fuller (trombone), Bernard Fennell (cello), Stanley Cowell (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums). Cowell's electric piano casts a faint spiritual-jazz shadow while Heath folds soul and R&B into melodies both classic and light — a hidden gem.
Thriller
Mobile Fidelity's numbered UltraDisc One-Step deluxe box of Thriller: cut from the original analog masters, pressed at RTI on 180g 33rpm vinyl and limited to 40,000 copies — a chance to rediscover the classic in its highest-fidelity form.
Meddle
Pink Floyd's sixth studio album from 1971, reissued by Sony on limited San Tropez orange marble vinyl. Featuring 'One of These Days', 'Fearless', 'San Tropez' and the epic 'Echoes', this record made between tours is remarkably accomplished — a milestone bridging Atom Heart Mother and The Dark Side of the Moon.
M.R.I_ミライ
The debut album from Katsushika Trio — Casiopea founders Tetsuo Sakurai, Akira Jimbo and Minoru Mukaiya, a top-tier Japanese fusion lineup — themed as 'music for immature adults'. Eight selected tracks from the album are pressed on limited heavyweight vinyl.
Forest of Tranquility
Masayoshi Fujita scored the 'Forest of Tranquility', a grove of some 1,500 trees at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai; sensors made the music shift with time of day and sun, cloud or rain. Built on marimba, vibraphone and percussion with shō, Armenian duduk, birdsong and frogs, it seems to breathe with the forest. Gentle and spacious — for fans of Hiroshi Yoshimura and Midori Takada. Erased Tapes presses 500 translucent copies in a die-cut sleeve.
Just Like the Old Times
Korea's Riverman Music brings back Craig Ruhnke's classic, newly remastered in 2026 from the original tapes, cut at SST in Germany, pressed on 180g vinyl with OBI. Breezy rhythms, sweet melodies and sun-soaked West Coast pop — try 'Baby Blue' and 'Reach Out'.
True Love
A hidden AOR gem released only in Japan in 1983, with originals fetching up to ¥44,000. More romantic and wistful than its predecessor, tender vocals over delicate arrangements — try 'Keep the Flame' and 'Somebody to Love'. Reissued by Riverman Music from the original tapes, SST-cut, 180g with OBI.
Summerteeth
A 25th-anniversary limited 2LP on electric-blue vinyl of Wilco's 1999 third album. Pop melodies, dark inner monologues and lush arrangements make a fever dream floating between gloom and joy — from 'A Shot in the Arm' and 'She's a Jar' to 'Via Chicago', barely a dull moment.
Moon Music
A restock of Coldplay's Moon Music on clear eco vinyl, featuring 'feelslikeimfallinginlove' and 'We Pray' with Little Simz, Burna Boy and Elyanna. Pressed from recycled plastic bottles — the band claims 85% lower production emissions than standard 140g vinyl — with a 24-page lyric booklet.
An Edo Highlife masterpiece from Benin City, Nigeria, performed by Prince Omo Lawal-Osula and his family band: hypnotic African polyrhythms, cosmic electric guitar and exuberant vocals. Recorded and mixed by legend Sir Victor Uwaifo at his Joromi Studio, its reverb-drenched guitars slice through thundering drums. The album's explosive drum break even travelled to Colombia, becoming a revered staple of Picó sound-system culture. Mississippi Records' family-licensed reissue is newly remastered with liner notes by DJ and archivist Dare Balogun.