Strut Records

17/09/2025

A landmark recording from one of Ghana’s great musical architects, Ebo Taylor’s 1977 self-title release marked the first solo LP by the legendary guitarist, arranger, and composer after years behind the scenes shaping the sound of modern highlife.

Emerging during a pivotal era in Ghana’s cultural and political life, the album finds Taylor fusing his roots in Fante traditional rhythms with the electric groove of American funk, soul, and jazz - a sound honed during his time studying in London and comparing notes with the likes of Fela Kuti and members of Osibisa.

Recorded for the Essiebons label, Ebo Taylor brims with richly layered horns, deep Afrobeat-inspired grooves, and a melodic sophistication that speaks to Taylor’s gift as both bandleader and storyteller.

Unjustly overlooked at the time, Ebo Taylor has since become a touchstone for cratediggers worldwide, with tracks like “Heaven” achieving cult status among DJs and collectors.

Now reissued by Strut Records, this release includes newly restored and remastered audio by The Carvery and See Why Audio, as well
as new liner notes containing an interview with Taylor’s son, Henry Taylor.

Preorder now through the link in our bio.

10/09/2025

Ajomasé, the groundbreaking debut album by legendary Nigerian percussionist Gasper Lawal is available for preorder now.

Originally released in 1980 on his own label CAP, Strut are proud to now bring this unique album back to the racks.

Lawal meticulously self-produced, composed, and overdubbed the album over four years, assembling an elite group of musicians from both Nigeria and the UK. The instruments used were often hand-built, including a powerful one-of-a-kind drum carved deep in the Nigerian bush.

“This music is not about trends, about what is commercial or a “sound” of a particular moment,” explains Lawal, “it is about music to be felt, that gives pleasure. It is nurturing and meditative.“

Although record executives didn’t know how to categorise Ajomasé, the people responded. Legendary DJs like John Peel and Janice Long gave it UK radio play – a rarity for African records at the time. Demand skyrocketed and, with Rough Trade stepping in to distribute the vinyl, the album found an international audience.

This new edition brings a spiritually resonant, rhythmically rich and genre-defying work to a new generation of listeners.

Featuring liner notes by Gasper himself and audio remastered from original tapes by Whitfield Street Studios and The Carvery, Ajomasé will ship October 24th.

Link, as always, in bio.

10/09/2025

Ajomasé, the groundbreaking debut album by legendary Nigerian percussionist Gasper Lawal is available for preorder now.

Originally released in 1980 on his own label CAP, Strut are proud to now bring this unique album back to the racks.

Lawal meticulously self-produced, composed, and overdubbed the album over four years, assembling an elite group of musicians from both Nigeria and the UK. The instruments used were often hand-built, including a powerful one-of-a-kind drum carved deep in the Nigerian bush.

“This music is not about trends, about what is commercial or a “sound” of a particular moment,” explains Lawal, “it is about music to be felt, that gives pleasure. It is nurturing and meditative."

Although record executives didn’t know how to categorise Ajomasé, the people responded. Legendary DJs like John Peel and Janice Long gave it UK radio play – a rarity for African records at the time. Demand skyrocketed and, with Rough Trade stepping in to distribute the vinyl, the album found an international audience.

This new edition brings a spiritually resonant, rhythmically rich and genre-defying work to a new generation of listeners.

Featuring liner notes by Gasper himself and audio remastered from original tapes by Whitfield Street Studios and The Carvery, Ajomasé will ship October 24th.

Link, as always, below:
https://strut.lnk.to/Ajomase

05/09/2025

Mal Waldron - Candy Girl is out now.

An electrified meeting of minds, Candy Girl is a lost 1975 session by jazz pianist Mal Waldron, recorded in Paris with core members of the mighty Lafayette Afro Rock Band.

By 1975, Waldron was a decade into his self-imposed exile from the United States—a transformed musician who had reassembled his sound in Europe and Japan after a devastating breakdown in the early ‚60s. His post-1969 output had stripped jazz down to its core elements: modal intensity, locked grooves, and hypnotic repetition.

Candy Girl doesn’t interrupt this trajectory—it extends it, wrapping Waldron’s minimalist mantras around the funked-up chassis of the Lafayette rhythm section.

This official edition features audio remastered by The Carvery, new liner notes by Francis Gooding, and packaging that pays tribute to the obscure original release, complete with replica Calumet label artwork.

For years it lived in the shadows; now Candy Girl finally steps into the light, have a look through the link in our bio.

03/09/2025

From the crypts of Parisian funk obscurity comes the long-lost Halloween holy grail, Disco Frankenstein from Ice AKA Lafayette Afro Rock Band.

A teasing album of horror-disco oddities originally released as a compilation—a misnomer cloaked in mystery, as the tracks themselves hail from the group’s playful experiments in the mid-to-late ’70s.

Originally released as a 1976 Japan-only compilation the release was masterminded by producer Pierre Jaubert and led by bandleader Frank Abel with the funk-virtuosity of the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band group, the minds behind the much sampled ‘Soul Makossa’ and ‘Malik’ albums.

Resurrected by Strut Records and remastered by The Carvery, this compilation finally gets the deluxe treatment it deserves: pressed on limited blood-stained vinyl just in time for Halloween 2025.

So don't get tricked, head to the link in our bio for the funkiest Hallows' Eve out there.

29/08/2025

A little less than a month until Mulatu Plays Mulatu arrives.

Pictured here is Mulatu in his element, recording his first studio album in over 10 years in the stunning alongside his long running band.

The album represents the culmination of an incredible career which has seen Mulatu tour to every inhabited continent, experience first national, and now international fame, and cement himself as the godfather of Ethio-Jazz.

The album comes September 26th, but head to the link in our bio to hear the initial singles if you really can’t wait.

📷:

20/08/2025

Join us and Mulatu November 15th at Rough Trade East

Alongside his new album, you’ll experience rare archival footage spanning Mulatu’s career. This includes performances that are not available to the public, and have never been screened since their initial airing.

On top of that, Mulatu will be interviewed by Strut founder Quinton Scott, adding the cherry on top of a truly unique night that won’t be repeated.

Head to the link in our bio to get your ticket, and celebrate with Mulatu like never before.

13/08/2025

Mulatu Astatke - Then & Now.

Today we release the second single from the upcoming album ‘Mulatu Plays Mulatu’. ‘Kulun’ takes on new life, revisiting the sounds that helped to change the face of Ethiopian music during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The track is a take on a traditional Ethiopian wedding song, in the uniquely anchi-hoye scale.

‘Kulun’ was recorded between London and Addis Ababa, working with my long-standing UK band. Produced by LA artist .

Photo by Karsten Tanner

Listen to ‘Kulun’ and preorder the upcoming album:
https://strut.lnk.to/MulatuPlaysMulatu

30/07/2025

Strut Records proudly presents the official reissue of Hidden Fire Volumes 1 & 2, the final album released by Sun Ra on his El Saturn label in 1988 coming September 19th.

Captured live over three nights at the Knitting Factory in New York City, these performances mark the closing chapter of a 33-year odyssey of radical, independent music-making. Originally issued in tiny quantities with minimal packaging and cryptic artwork—often featuring hand-written labels or Ra’s own handmade designs—Hidden Fire was among the most elusive entries in Sun Ra’s vast discography.

Musically, these recordings stand apart from Ra’s other ‘80s compositions. Here,Hidden Fire plunges into darker, more dissonant territory. Ra performs exclusively on the Yamaha DX7 synthesiser, pushing its digital sound palette into alien dimensions. The Arkestra lineup is uniquely configured, featuring a rare and heavy string section with three violins, including the legendary Billy Bang, and the singular space vocalist Art Jenkins, whose eerie textures and vocalisations had not been heard so prominently since the early 1960s Choreographers Workshop sessions.

The music is raw, unsettled, and often overwhelming.

Remastered from original sources and presented with archival photos, new liner notes by Paul Griffiths, and restored artwork inspired by the original Saturn editions, this reissue offers a definitive window into the last creative surge of one of music’s most visionary figures across two Vinyl LP’s.

As always, link in bio.

29/07/2025

25/07/2025

To celebrate the season, we’re giving you 20% off on a selection of essential Strut releases.

Now’s your chance to pick up classics from Mulatu Astatke, Sun Ra, Patrice Rushen, Plunky & Oneness of Juju, Idris Ackamoor, and more.

The sale runs for only two more days, and is only available while stocks last — so don’t miss out.

Head to the link in our bio to see what’s still on the shelves and use code STRUTSUMMER2025 at checkout to get your discount.

16/07/2025

Mal Waldron - Candy Girl is coming September 12th.

An electrified meeting of minds, Candy Girl is a lost 1975 session by jazz pianist Mal Waldron, recorded in Paris with core members of the mighty Lafayette Afro Rock Band.

By 1975, Waldron was a decade into his self-imposed exile from the United States—a transformed musician who had reassembled his sound in Europe and Japan after a devastating breakdown in the early '60s. His post-1969 output had stripped jazz down to its core elements: modal intensity, locked grooves, and hypnotic repetition.

Candy Girl doesn’t interrupt this trajectory—it extends it, wrapping Waldron’s minimalist mantras around the funked-up chassis of the Lafayette rhythm section.

This official edition features audio remastered by The Carvery, new liner notes by Francis Gooding, and packaging that pays tribute to the obscure original release, complete with replica Calumet label artwork.

For years it lived in the shadows; now Candy Girl finally steps into the light, have a look through the link below:
https://strut.lnk.to/CandyGirl