TRACKLISTING 1. TI LAFRIQUE SOUL SOCK SGA 2. JEAN-CLAUDE MADEMOISELLE 3. GEORGIE JOE ELIZA 4. JOHN KENNETH NELSON MANUEL BITOR 5. MARIE JOSE & ROGER CLENCY LA VIE EN BADINAGE 6. CLAUDIO BONOM CHINOIS 7. LES STARDUST SGA LENOIR 8. COULOUCE LAMOUR ARTIFICIEL (SOUL SGA) 9. CLAUDIO BHA ABOO 10. CHRISTOPHE MO PARRAIN 11. CYRIL LABONNE POP SOUL SGA 12. HAROLD BERTY MONE LASSER DIRE TOI 13. MICHEL LEGRIS - ELIDA 14. CATHERINE VELIENNE MO MARI FINI ALL 15. JEAN-CLAUDE SGA SOUVAL 16. RAMONE NOUVEAU VENU DANS LENDROIT 17. JOHN KENNETH NELSON ZENFANT MISRE 18. GEORGES JEAN LOUIS AFRO MAURICIEN 19. YOYO COCO MAMZELLE 20. CHRISTIAN TOSS MADAME ZEAN STRUT start 2016 with Soul Sok Sega a stellar compilation diving deep into the musical marvels from the island nation of Mauritius. Following successful excursions into rare tropical and island sounds with the Sofrito series, Haiti Direct and Calypsoul 70 albums, Strut Records turns its focus to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius for a new compilation, Soul Sok Sga. Sga first developed as an insular music and dance form after slaves arrived on Mauritius (then le de France) from East Africa and Madagascar during the 17th to 19th centuries, using Crole language and rhythms played on the large ravanne circular drum, the triangle and the maravanne, a box filled with dried seeds. Sga was essentially frowned upon and marginalised by the Mauritian bourgeois until the 1950s when singer Ti Frre began to play a more Westernised fusion of sga. Through Ti Frre and his contemporaries like Serge Lebrasse, the music began to be popularised during the 60s and became fully accepted after the Night Of The Morne event in 1964 as the Crole community asserted ist cultural identity. Soul Sok Sga documents the heyday of sga in Mauritius during the 1970s as a new generation of contemporary artists broke through. Jazz, soul, funk and rock elements all began to be effortlessly infused into traditional sga folk roots to create some inspired fusions. A talented new wave of artists including Jean- Claude, Claudio, Marie Jose and Roger Clency became domestic stars and began to take the music to international stages for the first time. Meanwhile, cult artists like the James Brown-influenced Ti LAfrique, Coulouce and Christophe all enjoyed a more brief but important moment in the spotlight. Since this era, sga has now been adopted as the national music of Mauritius and the original 70s music is a revelation for any fans of tropical music and world sounds. Struts album features extensive sleeve notes from long time Mauritian cultural champion, Percy Yip Tong, including new artist interviews, photos and original vinyl artwork. The compilation is by DJ duo La Basse Tropicale (Natty H and Konsle), based in the neighbouring island of La Reunion. All formats (1CD / 2LP / digital) are unmixed, with all tracks never reissued internationally since they were originally available. An accompanying European tour featuring Ti Lafrique, Jean Claude and Claudio with an all-star band of original musicians is planned for Summer 2016.