Syphax 70s Kabyle Disco

• 1. Thamghra "Party"
• 2. Skate Dance

Following a soft launch earlier in the year in which they offered up a free (and rather good) mixtape, London's Shakshouka Records drops its first vinyl single - a reissue sporting two hand-picked tracks from the archives of little-known Algerian band Syphax, a combo named in honour of "a legendary barber king" and helmed by guitarist Samy Syphax. Based in the Kabyle region, the band blended elements of the region's native music with elements of soul, funk and disco. The two tracks on show are genuinely superb. On side A you'll find 'Thamghra', where tropical-sounding North African guitar licks, flute and subtle but spacey synth sounds rise above a thickset dancefloor groove. On 'Skate Dance', they push the party vibes even further to the fore, sounding a little like an Algerian funk take on Nigerian maestro William Onyeabor.