Luaka Bop is a
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
–based
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
founded by musician
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
, former lead singer and guitarist for the
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
–
new wave band
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
.
What began with Byrne making
cassette
Cassette may refer to:
Technology
* Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback
** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...
s of his favorite
Tropicália
Tropicália (), also known as Tropicalismo (), was a Brazilian artistic movement that arose in the late 1960s. It was characterized by the amalgamation of Brazilian genres—notably the union of the pop culture, popular and the avant-garde, as ...
tracks for his friends became a full-fledged record label in 1988 after Byrne received a solo artist deal from
Warner Bros
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
.
Since then, Luaka Bop has developed into a label known for bringing eclectic music to new audiences. Though initially affiliated with Warner Bros, Luaka Bop has been wholly independent since 2006. Often categorized as a “
world music” label, Luaka Bop considers its own music to be mostly contemporary
pop.
Luaka Bop has released full-length albums, EPs, and singles from artists such as
Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few har ...
,
William Onyeabor
William Ezechukwu Onyeabor (, ; 26 March 1946 – 16 January 2017) was a Nigerian funk musician and businessman. His music was widely heard in Nigeria in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite his success, he remained an enigmatic, private and ...
, and
Floating Points
Sam Shepherd, known professionally as Floating Points, is a British electronic music producer, DJ, and musician. He is the founder of Pluto Records, co-founder of Eglo Records and leader of a 16-piece group called Floating Points Ensemble.
Bi ...
, as well as compilations covering a wide range of musical movements and styles. The label’s maiden release eventually became the seven-album ''Brazil Classics'' series, which surveys genres from
samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
to Tropicália, as well as individual artists. This was the first of a number of region- or genre-specific compilation series released by Luaka Bop.
Luaka Bop’s releases have frequently been well received by critics,
with both compilations and releases of individual artists regularly featuring in best-of-year lists. The label has been highlighted for its “singular ability to (re)discover, celebrate, and legitimize the otherwise low-profile work of some of the world’s more eccentric musical figures.”
Name and Logo
Byrne took the phrase "Luaka Bop" from the inner packaging of a specialty tea which is sold in England. Luaka is the name of a tea importer. Their "Broken Orange
Pekoe
In the tea industry, tea leaf grading is the process of evaluating products based on the quality and condition of the tea leaves themselves.
The highest grades for Western and South Asian teas are referred to as "orange pekoe", and the lowest ...
" is packaged in a silver foil block; when the sleeve is removed, it reveals a white label that reads "Luaka BOP". Byrne found the phrase to be “strange, but musical”, a combination he liked.
The Luaka Bop logo design was conceived by David Byrne and illustrated by
Tibor Kalman
Tibor George Kalman (July 6, 1949 – May 2, 1999) was an American graphic designer of Hungarian origin, well known for his work as editor-in-chief of ''Colors'' magazine.
Early life
Kalman was born on July 6, 1949, in Budapest, to parents Ma ...
. According to Byrne:
Musical Philosophy
While often described as a “world music” label, Luaka Bop has no explicit musical focus. Asked about the original concept for the label, Byrne says “the initial concept was no concept”, going on to say “I’ve never had an artistic plan with this label—there are no guidelines as far as what we’re going to do or what kind of music it might be”.
In fact, the label has often tried to avoid the “world music” moniker and the changed perceptions that come with it. On Luaka Bop’s website, Byrne details this tension through the example of
Zap Mama
Zap Mama is the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Zap Mama sings polyphonic and afro-pop music, a harmonic music with a mixture of infused African vocal techniques, urban, hip hop with emphasis on voice. The worldwide success of Zap Mam ...
, who debuted on Luaka Bop as part of the ''Adventures in Afropea'' series:
Tibor Kalman designed the first two ''Brazil Classics'' albums, and several other designers from Kalman's M&Co. design firm have provided the label with distinctive album art.
Compilation Series
''Brazil Classics''
The ''Brazil Classics'' series began with Luaka Bop’s first-ever release, and has garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success.
The series has grown to consist of the following records:
* Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical (1989)
* Brazil Classics 2: O Samba (1989)
* Brazil Classics 3: Forro etc.: Music of the Brazilian Northeast (1991)
* Brazil Classics 4: The Best of Tom Zé (1990)
* Brazil Classics 5: The Return of Tom Zé: The Hips of Tradition (1992)
* Brazil Classics 6: Beleza Tropical 2: Novo! Mais! Melhor! (1998)
* Brazil Classics 7: In Pernambuco: New Sounds of the Brazilian Northeast (2008)
Luaka Bop has also released music by Brazilian artists outside of the ''Brazil Classics'' series, such as
Tim Maia
Tim Maia (, born Sebastião Rodrigues Maia; September 28, 1942 – March 15, 1998) was a Brazilian musician, songwriter, and businessman known for his iconoclastic, ironic, outspoken, and humorous musical style. Maia contributed to Brazilian mus ...
,
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes (meaning '' the mutants''; ) are an influential Brazilian rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement, a dissident musical movement during the Brazilian dictatorship of the late 1960s. The band is considered to be one of ...
and
Moreno Veloso
Moreno Veloso (born November 22, 1972) is a Brazilian musician and singer.
Early life
His parents are Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso and his first wife Andréa Gadelha (Dedé) Veloso. Brazilian singer Gal Costa is Moreno Veloso's godmother ...
.
''Cuba Classics''
* Cuba Classics 1: The Best of Silvio Rodriguez (1991)
* Cuba Classics 2: Dancing with the Enemy (1991)
* ¡Cuba Classics 3: Diablo al Infierno! (1992)
''Asia Classics''
* Asia Classics 1: The South Indian Film Music of Vijaya Anand: Dance Raja Dance (1992)
* Asia Classics 2: The Best of Shoukichi Kina: Peppermint Tea House (1994)
''Adventures in Afropea''
The ''Adventures in Afropea'' series signaled a slight shift, as the music here is grouped by a broad stylistic criterion (a fusion of African and European influences) as opposed to a purely geographic one.
* Adventures in Afropea 1: Zap Mama (1993)
* Adventures in Afropea 2: The Best of Djur Djura: Voice of Silence (1993)
* Adventures in Afropea 3: Telling Stories to the Sea (1995)
''Afro-Peruvian Classics''
The ''Afro-Peruvian Classics'' series continued the label’s shift towards more stylistically specific compilation albums, focusing on a single subgroup of Peruvian music.
*
Afro-Peruvian Classics 1: The Soul of Black Peru (1995)
While the series still has only one entry, that record saw Luaka Bop begin its work with
Susana Baca Susana may refer to:
* Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), a network of organizations active in the field of sustainable sanitation
* Susana (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name)
* ''Susana'' (magazine) ...
, who has since released six albums with the label.
''World Psychedelic Classics''
The ''World Psychedelic Classics'' series was the first from Luaka Bop to have no geographic aspect to it. The five entries in the series span decades and continents.
*
World Psychedelic Classics 1: Everything Is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes (1999)
* World Psychedelic Classics 2: California Soul:
Inspiration Information (2001) (rework and reissue of Shuggie Otis’ 1974 album)
*
World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love’s a Real Thing: The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa (2004)
* World Psychedelic Classics 4: Nobody Can Live Forever: The Existential Soul of Tim Maia (2012)
*
World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? (2013)
World Psychedelic Classics 3 helped “inspire an industrious coterie of crate diggers and lead to an explosion of ‘70s funk from Nigeria and Ghana”, with other labels crediting it with influencing the look and sound of their later releases.
It also featured the song “Better Change Your Mind” by
William Onyeabor
William Ezechukwu Onyeabor (, ; 26 March 1946 – 16 January 2017) was a Nigerian funk musician and businessman. His music was widely heard in Nigeria in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite his success, he remained an enigmatic, private and ...
, which eventually led to the release of ''World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor?''
The popularity of Onyeabor’s music in these compilations led to an eventual Luaka Bop reissue of Onyeabor’s entire discography and the formation of the
Atomic Bomb! Band
The Atomic Bomb! Band are a touring supergroup who play the music of Nigerian funk musician William Onyeabor. The core group is music director Ahmed Gallab and his band Sinkane (composed of Jason Trammell on drums, Ish Montgomery on bass and Jonny ...
, a “supergroup” dedicated to performing his music live. This was the first time Onyeabor’s music was played live, as he never performed himself.
''World Spirituality Classics''
* World Spirituality Classics 1:
The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda
''The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda'' is a compilation album by Alice Coltrane. The music was drawn from the master tapes of four recordings that had been previously released on cassette in limited quantities for members of th ...
(2017)
* World Spirituality Classics 2: The Time for Peace Is Now: Gospel Music About Us (2019)
* World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah (2022)
Artists
Notable artists who have had individual releases on the label include:
*
The +2s
*
Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few har ...
*
AR Kane
* Bloque
* Bremer/McCoy
* Bright Moments
*
Clinton
*
Cornershop
Cornershop are a British indie rock band best known for their single "Brimful of Asha", originally released in 1997 and, in a remixed version, topping the UK chart in 1998. The band was formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh (singe ...
*
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
*
Delicate Steve
Delicate Steve is the stage name of musician Steve Marion, an American multi-instrumentalist who leads the band of the same name. Delicate Steve's sound has been described as hand-crafted with elements of progressive rock, folksy twang, African ...
* Djur Djura
* Domenico Lancellotti
* Doug Hream Blunt
*
Floating Points
Sam Shepherd, known professionally as Floating Points, is a British electronic music producer, DJ, and musician. He is the founder of Pluto Records, co-founder of Eglo Records and leader of a 16-piece group called Floating Points Ensemble.
Bi ...
*
Geggy Tah
Geggy Tah is a band initially composed of writer/singer Tommy Jordan and keyboard/guitarist Greg Kurstin. Each of them has a younger sister who was unable to pronounce her brother's name when very young; "Geggy" and "Tah" were the baby girls' mis ...
*
Janka Nabay
Janka, typically a given name or a surname, is a form of the originally Hebrew language name ''"Yohanan"'' (meaning "God is merciful").
Notable people with the name include:
Surname:
* Carlo Janka (born 1986), Swiss alpine ski racer
* Les Jan ...
and the Bubu Gang
*
Javelin
A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...
*
Jim White
* John Panduranga Henderson
* Kassin
*
King Changó
King Changó is a Latin ska band from New York City, New York with roots in Venezuela. Its name comes from Changó, the Afro-Cuban god of war.
*
Kings Go Forth
''Kings Go Forth'' is a 1958 black-and-white World War II film starring Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood. The screenplay was written by Merle Miller from the 1956 novel of the same name by Joe David Brown, and the film was directed ...
*
Los Amigos Invisibles
Los Amigos Invisibles (Spanish for "The Invisible Friends") is a Venezuelan band which plays a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms. In addition to releasing eleven critically acclaimed albums, the band have been lauded ...
*
Los de Abajo
Los de Abajo ("The Ones From Below") is the official supporters group of Universidad de Chile. They are one of the biggest groups of supporters in Chile. It is the team that takes the most people to the stadium in Chile.
History
In 1987, Univers ...
* Márcio Local
*
Mimi Goese
Mimi Goese (last name rhymes with ''hazy'') is an American professional musician.
Career
Goese was the vocalist for dream pop band Hugo Largo.
Solo
Under the mononym "Mimi", she released a solo album, ''Soak'', on the Luaka Bop label, with contri ...
*
Moreno Veloso
Moreno Veloso (born November 22, 1972) is a Brazilian musician and singer.
Early life
His parents are Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso and his first wife Andréa Gadelha (Dedé) Veloso. Brazilian singer Gal Costa is Moreno Veloso's godmother ...
*
Nouvelle Vague
French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...
*
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes (meaning '' the mutants''; ) are an influential Brazilian rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement, a dissident musical movement during the Brazilian dictatorship of the late 1960s. The band is considered to be one of ...
* Paulo Bragança
*
Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...
* Preacherman
*
Shoukichi Kina
, is a Japanese rock musician and politician. He, along with his band Champloose, played a large role in the Okinawan home-grown "folk rock" scene in the 1970s and 1980s. His first big hit was " Haisai Ojisan" ("Hey, old man") in 1972, which he wr ...
*
Shuggie Otis
Johnny Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist.
Otis's composition "Strawberry Letter 23" (as recorded by The Brothers Johnson) topped ...
*
Si*Sé
*
Silvio Rodríguez
Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born 29 November 1946) is a Cuban musician, and leader of the Nueva Trova movement.
He is widely considered Cuba's best folk singer and arguably one of Latin America's greatest singer-songwriters. Known for his int ...
*
Susana Baca Susana may refer to:
* Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), a network of organizations active in the field of sustainable sanitation
* Susana (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name)
* ''Susana'' (magazine) ...
* The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!
*
Tim Maia
Tim Maia (, born Sebastião Rodrigues Maia; September 28, 1942 – March 15, 1998) was a Brazilian musician, songwriter, and businessman known for his iconoclastic, ironic, outspoken, and humorous musical style. Maia contributed to Brazilian mus ...
*
Tom Zé
Antônio José Santana Martins (born 11 October 1936), known professionally as Tom Zé (), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who was influential in the Tropicália movement of 1960s Brazil. After the peak of t ...
* Vijaya Anand
*
Waldemar Bastos
Waldemar dos Santos Alonso de Almeida Bastos (January 4, 1954 – August 10, 2020) was an Angolan musician who combined Afropop, Portuguese (fado), and Brazilian influences.
History
He was born in the Portuguese Overseas Province of Angola ...
*
William Onyeabor
William Ezechukwu Onyeabor (, ; 26 March 1946 – 16 January 2017) was a Nigerian funk musician and businessman. His music was widely heard in Nigeria in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite his success, he remained an enigmatic, private and ...
*
Yoñlu
Vinícius Gageiro Marques (September 1, 1989 – July 26, 2006), better known by his internet alias Yoñlu, was a Brazilian singer-songwriter noted for the posthumous release of his work after his suicide at the age of sixteen.
Biography
Ear ...
*
Zap Mama
Zap Mama is the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Zap Mama sings polyphonic and afro-pop music, a harmonic music with a mixture of infused African vocal techniques, urban, hip hop with emphasis on voice. The worldwide success of Zap Mam ...
Discography
References
External links
*
Label historyOfficial catalog
{{Authority control
American record labels
Vanity record labels
World music record labels
David Byrne