Luaka Bop

Luaka Bop
Founded	1988 (1988)
Founder	David Byrne
Distributor(s)	Warner Bros. Records (1988–2000) Narada/Virgin/EMI Records (2000–2005) V2/BMG Records (2005–2006) The Orchard/!K7 (2006–present) Self (2006–present)
Genre	Rock, pop, jazz, bubu, soul, funk, folk, psychedelic, world music
Country of origin	United States
Location	New York City
Official website	www.luakabop.com

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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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,^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]} with both compilations and releases of individual artists regularly featuring in best-of-year lists.^[11][12] 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.”^[1]

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.^[2]

The Luaka Bop logo design was conceived by David Byrne and illustrated by Tibor Kalman. According to Byrne:

The logo, whose use is granted through an agreement that is subject to certain conditions, is a rather obscure Masonic symbol linked at various times to the Trinity of the Illuminati and to the Egyptian Knights of Templar. … The eye of the Luaka Bop logo is the eye of Vilaç Trismegistes, the Balkan alchemist who gave his eyes to his work, and who was the first to uncover the secrets of the Egyptian Knights.^[2]

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”.^[2]

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:

Overall, we think of the music we work with as contemporary pop music, and we try to present it as such. While something like Zap Mama’s first record could be, and sometimes was, perceived as an ‘ethnic’ record, we did our damnedest to alter that perception. The CD covers go a long way, in my opinion, to creating this attitude. We don’t do covers that look like folkloric records or like academic records of obscure material of interest only to musicologists and a few weird fringe types… we work with the designers to come up with a graphic statement that says ‘this music is as relevant to your life and is as contemporary as Prodigy, Fiona Apple, or Cornershop.’ … So gradually, although Zap Mama might have initially been thought of as an ‘ethnic-folkloric’ ensemble, they are now thought of just as a cool group.^[2]

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][1] The series has grown to consist of the following records:

• Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical (1989)
• Brazil Classics 2: O Samba (1989)
• Brazil Classics 3: Forro etc.: Music of the Brazilian Northeast (1991)
• Brazil Classics 4: The Best of Tom Zé (1990)
• Brazil Classics 5: The Return of Tom Zé: The Hips of Tradition (1992)
• Brazil Classics 6: Beleza Tropical 2: Novo! Mais! Melhor! (1998)
• Brazil Classics 7: In Pernambuco: New Sounds of the Brazilian Northeast (2008)

Luaka Bop has also released music by Brazilian artists outside of the Brazil Classics series, such as Tim Maia, Os Mutantes and Moreno Veloso.

• Cuba Classics 1: The Best of Silvio Rodriguez (1991)
• Cuba Classics 2: Dancing with the Enemy (1991)
• ¡Cuba Classics 3: Diablo al Infierno! (1992)

• Asia Classics 1: The South Indian Film Music of Vijaya Anand: Dance Raja Dance (1992)
• Asia Classics 2: The Best of Shoukichi Kina: Peppermint Tea House (1994)

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.

• Adventures in Afropea 1: Zap Mama (1993)
• Adventures in Afropea 2: The Best of Djur Djura: Voice of Silence (1993)
• Adventures in Afropea 3: Telling Stories to the Sea (1995)

The Afro-Peruvian Classics series continued the label’s shift towards more stylistically specific compilation albums, focusing on a single subgroup of Peruvian music.

• Afro-Peruvian Classics 1: The Soul of Black Peru (1995)

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 1: Everything Is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes (1999)
• World Psychedelic Classics 2: California Soul: Inspiration Information (2001) (rework and reissue of Shuggie Otis’ 1974 album)
• World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love’s a Real Thing: The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa (2004)
• World Psychedelic Classics 4: Nobody Can Live Forever: The Existential Soul of Tim Maia (2012)
• World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? (2013)^[9]

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.^[1][9] 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]

• World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda (2017)^[8]
• World Spirituality Classics 2: The Time for Peace Is Now: Gospel Music About Us (2019)^[7]
• World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah (2022)^[15]

Notable artists who have had individual releases on the label include:

• The +2s
• Alice Coltrane
• AR Kane
• Bloque
• Bremer/McCoy
• Bright Moments
• Clinton
• Cornershop
• David Byrne
• Delicate Steve
• Djur Djura
• Domenico Lancellotti
• Doug Hream Blunt
• Floating Points
• Geggy Tah
• Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang
• Javelin
• Jim White
• John Panduranga Henderson
• Kassin
• King Changó
• Kings Go Forth
• Los Amigos Invisibles
• Los de Abajo
• Márcio Local
• Mimi Goese
• Moreno Veloso
• Nouvelle Vague
• Os Mutantes
• Paulo Bragança
• Pharoah Sanders
• Preacherman
• Shoukichi Kina
• Shuggie Otis
• Si*Sé
• Silvio Rodríguez
• Susana Baca
• The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!
• Tim Maia
• Tom Zé
• Vijaya Anand
• Waldemar Bastos
• William Onyeabor
• Yoñlu
• Zap Mama

• Official website
• Label history
• Official catalog