Various Artists - Kampire Presents : A Dancefloor in Ndola
Oh man, happy new year! We are so pleased to be starting 2025 with this gem. We’ve had a few compilations from Strut available on our site over the years but this is the first time they’ve been The actual Good Thing. This record is a little different from the usual compilations that Strut puts together. For A Dancefloor in Ndola they had guest curator East African DJ, Kampire, select the tunes. The title is a nod to the fact that these were the songs she that made an impression during her teenage years spent in Ndola, Zambia. Knowing this really makes me listen to this record in a different, almost sentimental way. The curation adds a real personal touch. More than being just a collection of great songs, each song is now connected. It has an autobiographical element to it. Brings me back to the glorious days of the mixtape. I hope the folks at Strut keep this theme alive. If so, we'll probably send you another one in the future.
Shoondhisa - Guji, Ethiopia
Boy oh boy, fresh Ethiopia naturals are really where it's at! This lot is from the Dambi Uddo washing station in Guji. The coffee is a selection from 72 small producers who grow coffee in the nearby hamlet of Shoondhisa. The producers grow coffee of the 74110 and 74112 varieties, also referred to Gibirinna and Serto, respectively, on farms of about 2.5 ha each. We are jazzed about this coffee. It is super complex, clean, and mind-blowingly delicious, with notes of juicy blueberry, mouth-watering citrus, and shortbread.