| Luaka Bop | |
| Founder: | David Byrne |
| Genre: | Rock, pop, jazz, bubu, soul, funk, folk, psychedelic, world music |
| Country: | United States |
| Location: | New York City |
Luaka Bop is a New York–based record label founded by musician David Byrne, former lead singer and guitarist for the art rock–new wave band Talking Heads. What began with Byrne making cassettes of his favorite Tropicália tracks for his friends became a full-fledged record label in 1988 after Byrne received a solo artist deal from Warner Bros.
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, William Onyeabor, and Floating Points, 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 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,[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] with both compilations and releases of individual artists regularly featuring in best-of-year lists.[9] [10] 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.”[11]
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" 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.[12]
The Luaka Bop logo design was conceived by David Byrne and illustrated by Tibor Kalman. According to Byrne:
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, 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.
The Brazil Classics series began with Luaka Bop’s first-ever release, and has garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success.[13] The series has grown to consist of the following records:
Luaka Bop has also released music by Brazilian artists outside of the Brazil Classics series, such as Tim Maia, Os Mutantes and Moreno Veloso.
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.
The Afro-Peruvian Classics series continued the label’s shift towards more stylistically specific compilation albums, focusing on a single subgroup of Peruvian music.
While the series still has only one entry, that record saw Luaka Bop begin its work with Susana Baca, who has since released six albums with the label.
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 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, 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, a “supergroup” dedicated to performing his music live. This was the first time Onyeabor’s music was played live, as he never performed himself.[14]
Notable artists who have had individual releases on the label include:
| Artist | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rei Momo | 1989 | |
| Various Artists | Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical | |
| Brazil Classics 2: O Samba | ||
| 1990 | ||
| Various Artists | Brazil Classics 3: Forro etc.: Music of the Brazilian Northeast | 1991 |
| Cuba Classics 1: The Best of Silvio Rodríguez | ||
| Various Artists | Cuba Classics 2: Dancing With the Enemy | |
| To Scratch That Itch - A Luaka Bop Compilation | ||
| David Byrne | The Forest | |
| Uh-Oh | 1992 | |
| Americana | ||
| Vijaya Anand | Asia Classics 1: The South Indian Film Music of Viajaya Anand: Dance Raja Dance | |
| Various Artists | Asia Classics: Dancing is Beautiful (Remixes of tracks from "Asia Classics 1") | |
| Cuba Classics 3: Diablo al Infierno | ||
| Tom Zé | ||
| Balanescu Quartet | Balanescu Quartet Play Byrne/Moran/Lurie/Torke | |
| "Bottom" (single) | ||
| Adventures in Afropea 1 | 1993 | |
| Djur Djura | Adventures in Afropea 2: The Best of Djur Djura: Voice of Silence | |
| Asia Classics 2: The Best of Shoukichi Kina: Peppermint Tea House | 1994 | |
| Zapa Mama | Sabsylma | |
| David Byrne | David Byrne | |
| Grand Opening | ||
| A.R. Kane | New Clear Child | |
| Various Artists | 1995 | |
| Blue In The Face - Music From The Miramax Motion Picture | ||
| Woman's Gotta Have It | ||
| W.O.G. – The U.S Western Oriental mixes | ||
| Various Artists | Adventures in Afropea 3: Telling Stories to the Sea | |
| King Changó | ||
| Geggy Tah | Sacred Cow | 1996 |
| Paulo Bragança | Amai | |
| Wrong-Eyed Jesus | ||
| Zap Mama | Seven | 1997 |
| David Byrne | Feelings | |
| Susana Baca | ||
| Cornershop | When I Was Born for the 7th Time | |
| "Sleep on the Left Side"/"Brimful of Asha" (single) | 1998 | |
| Pretaluz | ||
| The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera | ||
| Soak | ||
| Los de Abajo | ||
| "Piece of Cake" | ||
| Bloque | ||
| Various Artists | Beleza Tropical 2: Novo! Mais | Melhor! (Brazil Classics 6) |
| Tom Zé | Fabrication Defect | |
| Postmodern Platos (EP) | 1999 | |
| World Psychedelic Classics 1: Everything is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes | ||
| Zap Mama | A Ma Zone | |
| King Changó | Return of El Santo | 2000 |
| Various Artists | Luaka Bop 10th Anniversary: Zero Accidents on the Job | |
| Clinton | Disco and the Halfway to Discontent | |
| Arepa 3000 | ||
| Susana Baca | Eco do Sombras | |
| Jim White | No Such Place | 2001 |
| Gimme Five | ||
| David Byrne | Look into the Eyeball | |
| Geggy Tah | Into the Oh | |
| World Psychedelic Classics 2: California Soul: Inspiration Information | ||
| Cybertropic Chilango Power | ||
| Si*Sé | Si*Sé | |
| The Rain (Where Do I Begin?) (EP) | ||
| Susana Baca | Espiritu Vivo | 2002 |
| Music Typewriter | ||
| Various Artists | The Only Blip Hop Record You’ll Ever Need, Vol. 1 | |
| Cuisine Non-Stop: Introduction to The French Nouvelle Generation | ||
| 2004 | ||
| Jim White | Drill a Hole in That Substrate and Tell Me What You See | |
| Domenico + Two | Sincerely Hot | |
| The Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol. 1 | ||
| Zap Mama | Ancestry in Progress | |
| Push It To The Max (EP) | 2006 | |
| Tom Zé | Estudande O Pagode: Na Opereta Segregamulher E Amor | |
| Various Artists | Luaka Bop Remix | |
| Susana Baca | Travesías | |
| Os Mutantes | Mutantes Ao Vivo – Barbican Theatre, Londres 2006 | 2007 |
| Kassin +2 | Futurismo | 2008 |
| Various Artists | Brazil Classics at 20: Anti-Aging Secret | |
| Brazil Classics 7: What's Happening In Pernambuco: New Sounds of the Brazilian Northeast | ||
| Jim White | Transnormal Skiperoo | |
| A Funny Little Cross To Bear | 2009 | |
| Susana Baca | Seis Poemas | |
| A Society In Which No Tear Is Shed Is Inconceivably Mediocre | ||
| Marcio Local | Says Don Day Don Dree Don Don: Adventures In Samba Soul | |
| Various Artists | Luaka Bop: Twenty First Century, Twenty First Year | |
| The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! | I Love You I Love You I Love You and I’m In Love With You! Have an Awesome Day | |
| The Outsiders Are Back | 2010 | |
| Don't Take My Shadow: The Tom Moulton Mixes | ||
| Tom Zé | Studies of Tom Zé: Explaining Things So I Can Confuse You (Compilation) | |
| Estudando A Bossa (Nordeste Plaza) | ||
| No Mas | ||
| "Coleridge" b/w "Colleagues" | 2011 | |
| Canyon Candy | ||
| "Butterfly" b/w "Albatross" | ||
| Wondervisions | ||
| Susana Baca | Afrodiaspora | |
| Bright Moments | Natives | 2012 |
| Delicate Steve | Positive Force | |
| Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang | En Yay Sah | |
| World Psychedelic Classics 4: Nobody Can Live Forever – The Existential Soul of Tim Maia | ||
| Javelin | EP 1 & EP 2 | |
| Hi Beams | 2013 | |
| Various Artists | Adventures in Afropea 3: Telling Stories to the Sea | |
| Moreno Veloso | Coisa Boa | 2014 |
| William Onyeabor | Box Set 1 | |
| Box Set 2 | ||
| What?! (Remixes and covers) | ||
| Body & Soul | 2015 | |
| Crashes in Love (Original Verson) | ||
| Crashes in Love (2nd Version) | ||
| Good Name | ||
| Tomorrow | ||
| Body & Soul | ||
| Great Lover | ||
| Hypertension | ||
| Anything You Sow | ||
| Doug Hream Blunt | My Name Is Doug Hream Blunt | |
| Floating Points | Elaenia | |
| Kuiper | 2016 | |
| William Onyeabor | Atomic Bomb | |
| Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang | Build Music | 2017 |
| Floating Points | Reflections: Mojave Desert | |
| Alice Coltrane | World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda | |
| Kassin | Relax | 2018 |
| Domenico Lancellotti | The Good Is a Big God | |
| Panduranga John Henderson | Ocean Of Love | |
| Preacherman | Universal Philosophy: Preacherman Plays T.J. Hustler's Greatest Hits | |
| Various Artists | World Spirituality Classics 2: The Time for Peace Is Now: Gospel Music About Us | 2019 |
| Bremer/McCoy | Utopia | |
| Natten | 2021 | |
| Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra | Promises | |
| Pastor Champion | I Just Want to be a Good Man | 2022 |
| Alhaji Waziri Oshomah | World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife Of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah | |
| Vol. 1-5 (1978-1984) | ||
| Staples Jr. Singers | When Do We Get Paid | |
| Tell Heaven (EP) | 2023 | |
| Pharoah Sanders | Pharoah | |
| Staples Jr. Singers | Searching | 2024 |
| Bremer/McCoy | Kosmos |