Akira Ishikawa & His Count Buffalos :: Uganda (Dawn of Rock)

According to Mr Bongo, the label responsible for reissuing this manic gem, “Akira Ishikawa was not messing around when he recorded the Uganda (Dawn of Rock) album with his band the Count Buffaloes.” That checks out on our end. Originally released in 1972, following the equally mental (though comparably tame?) African Rock, Uganda is four enveloping tracks, clocking in just under 40 minutes, of deep-fried blues-rock sludge, ecstatic free-jazz abstractions, dizzying African percussion, and psychedelic maelstrom.

Akira Ishikawa & His Count Buffalos :: African Rock

Cop the groove. Unleashed back into the wild, Japanese drummer Akira Ishikawa’s 1971 lp, African Rock. Working under the guise of a funky jazz excursion, its eclectic forty minute runtime is full of surprises. Expect a torrid medley of percussion, fat blasts of brass, inspired vocal weirdness, and searing electric guitar courtesy of MVP, Kimio Mizutani.