With December here, Ban Ban Ton Ton is looking back on the musical year. Since Japanese superstition holds 7 as her luckiest number, we’re gonna try to keep each selection tight to this total, in the hope that our conjuring of 7 X 7 X 7 X … will collectively manifest some magic for 2025. You may witness some attempts to creatively bend the rules, blur / invent genres and rinse formats, in order to squeeze in as many great releases as possible…
Cal Gibson has been a trusted Ban Ban Ton Ton contributor and confidant since the start of 2021. His distinctive prose / voice has attracted a flock of followers / fans, and his musical project, Secret Soul Society, continues to pick up profile and pace – with releases and remixes on respected imprints such as Paper, Is It Balearic?, Hell Yeah! and Citizens Of Vice. Here Cal tackles the perhaps impossible task of picking 7 favourites from a year packed with musical magic.
Rocking round up by Cal Gibson.
Seven small nuggets of soulful joy in a world increasingly devoid of humanity: you take your comforts where you can get them these days.
Nothing speaks to the human condition more than the art of creation, the fashioning of something new, something unique, something to shore up the self against the ravages of time and indifference.
Of course with three zillion tracks being produced every second the choice is almost incomprehensible when faced with tasks like “picking favourites”. For what it’s worth these are seven moments in time, seven acts of love from humans to other humans, seven tiny flecks of hope in the gathering gloom.
Am I just getting old? Answers on a postcard please….
I loved this Grupo Ebano album that BBE dug out of the archives. Originally a small CD only release from 1997 its chock full of Brasileiro soul music, beautiful bossas and mellow MPB. Music to melt into, to kick back to, to lose yourself in. Harmonies to die for. If you’re having a bad day / week / life whack it on and maybe, just maybe, things will turn out OK in the end.
Another blast from the distant past as Tramp shine a light on People’s great Nature’s Melody album: a bittersweet collection of laid back Germanic AOR goodness that’s full of joy and vigour, albeit shot through with a gnarly tinge of melancholy. Wide-eyed and wonderful, a real find.
Japanese pop par excellence: a really strong 4 track EP that swishes and sashays with grace and a lithe body swerve. Effortlessly cool, as sweet-natured as a labrador puppy, a genuinely warm listening experience. Tamtam are having a quiet, introverted party: the invitations are in the post (possibly).
Khaled Barkat / Galouli Ensaha / Bongo Joe
Dancefloor disco destruction from Algerian multi-instrumentalist Khaled Barkat from an EP of full flavour fire from Bongo Joe. If it was released yesterday and not 1986 you wouldn’t bat an earlobe: precision-tooled to tear up anywhere people are moving. Awesome EP all round.
Copa Salvo / Moonlight and Shade / Jazz Room
Another strong year for Paul Murphy and his label of love Jazz Room. Aflex Combo and Frank Noviello were also strong but Copa Salvo just pip it with more Japanese goodness. Bouncy, flouncy, full of fun and aimed firmly at the dancers’ feet: music to make you shimmy, shimmy, shimmy until you frankly can’t shimmy no more. Ace.
Aziza Brahim / Thajliba / Glitterbeat
Aziza Brahim’s Mawja album was probably my favourite of the year: a beautiful, soulful collection of deep Saharan blues, full of pain and sorrow and a burnished beauty that’s never been far from the headphones. Dial in and be blown away.
Aura Safari / Dancing In The Moonlight (Secret Soul Society remix) / Hell Yeah
Shameless self-promotion alert: apologies! It was an absolute honour to rejig the Perugian funksters, with the legend that is Zeke Manyika on vocals. The original was so good it was scary: hopefully the little twist it received didn’t wreck the magic. Again, Marco and Hell Yeah have had another really strong year: props all round.
Forthcoming Secret Soul Society releases:
January 2025 EP Paper Recordings
March 2025 Vinyl EP Magic Wand Recordings
May 2025 Vinyl EP Hell Yeah Recordings
Cal has also put together a cracking mix, containing most of these selections. You can take a listen over on Mixcloud and Soundcloud.
Tracklist
michael scott dawson – fondness
lau ro -lugar
michael franks – when sly calls (doctor soul mix)
secret soul society – running dub
voliaaa – sane kunda
peter gall -echoes of a dystopian world
FA-5 – salga y baile
reginaldo bessa – tributo a cassius clay
maarten goetheer – romantic warrior
robert byrne – do you wanna make some love
mleke miami – son of a preacher man
dennis walks – waste time in babylon
aziza brahim – marhabna 2.1
rick panzer – bar stretch
fred potts – following rainbows
personal system – when the night falls
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