Manu Dibango - Sun Explosion

For the album Sun Explosion, we are in Paris in 1978. Six years after his breakthrough on the international scene with the song Soul Makossa, Manu Dibango was enjoying one success after another, having composed the original music for several films. The previous year, Manu returned to the studio with long-time collaborator and producer Roland Le Couviour and sound engineer Claude Achallé to work on his new album.

The Sun Explosion album features long tracks, straddling a variety of styles from the nonchalant reggae-jazz of opening track Anty, to the more traditional afro-funk-jazz of Matumba on the A-side. Bearing in mind that 1978 was the year of disco, it's now time to turn the record over to discover the B-side and listen to the sounds of the era trace their way through the epic-funky strings of Motapo or the vibrant brass and funky xylophone of the eponymous track, Sun Explosion. An album that will seem surprisingly at home in today's musical climate.