Rebel Up! Records

Rebel Up Records label, up & running since March 2018!

It was time to move to the next level and start releasing artists and music that we love. The goal of our label is to release artists who have a strong global sound & message, as well as social political contexts. A big focus on contemporary ‘global’ traditional and electronic music to give various music cultures and movements a voice. Our focus is mainly on diaspora artists & musicians who are based in Belgium and other countries, whose music can not easily be placed in a box within the current ‘world music’ setup. Sounds from the global underground is our motto! So far we have released artists from Ghana, Mexico/Belgium, Tunisia/Denmark, Iraq/Belgium, Morocco/Benin/Brussels and to be expected: Portugal, Peru, Cabo Verde and much more.

All releases can be found in our webshop or via our Bandcamp.

For wholesale / shops > our worldwide distribution runs via N.E.W.S. Distribution.
For Belgian / EU orders, please contact newsdistribution@newsnv.be
US/Canada orders, check with Forced Exposure
Japan/Asia, check with Disk Union
Indieshop small distro via Outrenational, Clearspot, Bongo Joe distro.

Check & listen to all our releases below, from latest to older >

Various Artists – Chicha Popular: Love & Social Political Songs From Discos Horoscopo 1977-1987
Chicha cumbia rock & pop from 1980’s Peru

Released on 21 January 2022
Normal black vinyl 2LP, 140 grams + download code

Musical revolutions are often born from the people. Peruvian ‘chicha’ cumbia is the music born in the “barrios bajos” (slums), alleys, hills and the peripheries of Lima on the coast and cities on the edge of the Andes mountains in the late 70’s and 80’s.
Discos Horóscopo was a company on the margins of the official Peruvian music industry. Between 1977 and 1987, the Discos Horóscopo label produced the largest wave of Andean tropical cumbia in the world; ‘chicha’, a reference to the indigenous Andean alcoholic drink. The label was filled with contemporary iconic figures such as Chacalón y La Nueva Crema, Los Shapis, Pintura Roja, Los Ovnis, Grupo Alegría and other groups which today have a cult status in Peru and beyond. Together they created a unique style with the capacity to talk about both love and uprooting, unemployment, struggle of classes, internal violence and impossible loves.

This compilation brings together iconic songs from that era, from the theme of love songs (A + B side) as well as social political songs (C + D side), highlighting the emotions that this music brought to the popular working classes of Lima, nationwide and the diaspora. More than 30 years later, these songs continue to resonate like the mirror of a country that was reborn but this time is looking at itself and its own identity.

Released on outernational label Rebel Up Records in collaboration with Discos Horoscopo.
Limited deluxe edition 2LP with or without bonus 7inch (Los Shapis & Nohemi), comes with 12 page booklet with liner notes & lyrics (English + Español) 

Deli Teli – Tsifteteli Club mini album (RUP024 / CATAEP034)
Greek psychedelic bouzouki & farfisa organ grooves
Released on 5 November, digital and vinyl (mid january 2022)

collaboration between Rebel Up & Catapulte Records (Guess What, Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek, Orchestre du Montplaisant)

Bongos, bouzouki and Farfisa organ galore! The explosive cocktail of rock’n’roll and traditional Tsifteteli hailing from 1960’s Greece is still alive thanks to Deli Teli: the Marseille-based quartet performs a string of forgotten hits that once set Athens on fire, with a contagious energy and a subtle dose of Mediterranean drama. Far from being an exclusive Greek sound, Tsifteteli music has travelled through borders for centuries and means ‘double string’ in Turkish.

With their powerful electric bouzouki (Greek lute) and the distinctive sound of the Farfisa organ, Deli Teli have carved their style while digging through the incredible goldmine of the late 60’s and early 70’s Tsifteteli/Laïko singles. The 4 musicians met in 2019 with a burning desire to dive into electric sensations – bassist Christos Karypidis used to play oud and keyboardist Arthur Bacon played accordion in most of his former projects – and made the most of 2020’s lockdowns by building their repertoire and thinking up Deli Teli.

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Satanic Samba Trio – Mini Bad mini album (RUP026)
Experimental forro into tropical free jazz
Released on 13 september, digital and very limited edition vinyl (brazil only)

From 2004 to 2020, Satanique Samba Trio has dropped eleven records into phonographic existence. Naturally, some compositions from the quintet’s (not really a trio indeed) catalogue didn’t make onto any album for one reason or another. ‘Mini Bad’ is a remedy for this situation, as it amasses 10 tracks that were almost part of albums like Bad Trip Simulator #3 (2013), Xenossamba (2017) and Forrivel (2020). You can call it B-sides from B-razil, if you dare.

There is also a very limited edition 10″ vinyl, only available in Brazil.
To order, contact: sataniquesambatrio@sataniquesambatrio.com.br

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Various Artists – Mamari Remixed (RUP025RMX)
13 remixes between global electronic beats, afrohouse, bass, dub and more
Released on 3 September, 2LP vinyl available from February 2022

The remix compilation ‘Mamari Remixed’ is the little electronic sibling of the album ‘Mamari’ by Muito Kaballa Power Ensemble is getting a little sibling called. 13 producers from Africa, Europe and Latin America give their own spin on the original songs by making them ready for the dancefloor. All producers combine 19 different nationalities and show their ability to make bass music that stays true to the organic sound. The remixes not only use the original instruments but also manage to convey the political messages from the Power Ensemble.

Jan Janzen (keys) and Niklas Mündemann (saxophone) are also DJs and enthusiasts of the underground clubbing scene, just like Rebel Up SebCat. That is why they appreciate the electronic atmospheres and dance vibes that these remixes add to their songs. With ‘Mamari Remixed’ they want to create bridges between the worlds of “live music” and “club music”.

Featuring remixes by Lua Preta, Rafael Aragon, Lee Bass (Gato Preto), Ekiti Sound, DJ Satellite, Quixosis, Nuno Beats, DJ Flavya, DJ Makala, BYDLY (Yin Yin), Catu Diosis (Nyege Nyege), ARN4L2 and 115 Solaris.

2LP vinyl available in pre-order for special price of 20€, delivery date mid February 2022.

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Nkom Bivoué – Before Zeun Ya Yop EP (RUPDIGI002)
Afrohouse, gqom & bass from Cameroon
Released on 12.06, digital only

Nkom Bivoué is a young Cameroon DJ/Producer based in the capital Yaoundé. His new EP “Before Zeun Ya Yop” serves as a taste to his forthcoming album Zeun Ya Yop, which is filled with afrohouse, gqom, bass and afro EDM, to be released in July on his own Bandcamp artist page, follow him here >> nkombivoue.bandcamp.com

Nkom Bivoué’s style is singular and new, which consists of mixing the rhythms and grooves of various African cultures with contemporary electronic sounds. He is a “free thinker” and is even more so when it comes to creating and editing music. He often adds to this by saying “I don’t follow the trend but I do what I feel”. It is in this order of ideas, that he created a whole rather intriguing persona, where he represents a being, Extraterrestrial native of a distant planet called Sirún. He considers his fans as Sirúnians.

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Streaming here

Press/Radio/DJ feedback:
love Zeun Ya Yop! playlisting it on Secousse radio and can’t wait to drop it in the mix!
Etienne Tron (Secousse)

I always look forward to promos from Rebel Up. – Bob Hill (Ilicit Grooves Radio)

Radio play at WDR Cosmo on Cosmo Dance.


Muito Kaballa Power Ensemble – Mamari 2LP (RUP025)
Jazz, grooves, afrobeat and afro-cuban funk
Released on 28.05, available digital, CD and 2LP

Muito Kaballa, also known as the project by Niklas Mündemann, started out as a one-man show on the streets and quickly gained attention through his loopstation performances. After the recording of the first album Mündemann wanted to move away from the entertainer image and explore new musical ideas. When he met musician Jan Janzen, the two instantly decided to create a band and take the project to the next level. The Power Ensemble band now consists of members Nora Beisel on vocals, André van der Heide on drums, Leonard Gaab on percusscions, Marie Tjong-Ayong on trumpet and flugelhorn (replaced recently with Lilli Thomas on trumpet), Till Weise on bass, Benjamin Schneider on guitar, Tim von Malotki on baritone sax, Jan Janzen on keys and Niklas Mündemann on tenor sax, flute and synthesizer.

‘Mamari’ is a jazz album that brims with afrobeat, afro-cuban and funk influences and current activist thoughts on social equality, racial politics, climate change and more, all through the voices & bodies of this young ensemble.

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Ayuune Sule – Putoo Katre Yire (RUP023 / MR30 / RW49)
Ghanaian kologo soul and Frafra power
Released on 23.04 on Rebel Up, Makkum Record and Red Wig, available on vinyl, CD and digital.

Ghana artist Ayuune Sule has his new album out since last friday. The Frafra title ‘Putoo Katare Yire’ translates as ‘Wickedness has no home’ and is released in a 3 label collaboration by Rebel Up, Makkum Records and Red Wig.

Pure kologo soul and Frafra afropop power from Northern Ghana, recorded at Francis Ayamga’s Top Link Studio, featuring guest vocals by Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah (African Head Charge), Prince Buju, Florence Adone, Fausty Amoa Mabile, Kwame Sko and DK. It’s a catchy and energetic album about education, good advice, spirituality and against evil doing.

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Muito Kaballa Power Ensemble – Mamari single + remix
Jazzy grooves in afrobeat ways + soft electronic jazz remix with tinges of dub.
Released digital 13 march 2021

Mamari is the title song to the forthcoming album of the same name by Muito Kaballa Power Ensemble from Cologne, Germany, which will be released at end of May.

“When I first wrote Mamari, I wanted to create a song that I could play alone while singing along to it. The heart of the piece is the groove that moves forward fast and at the same time stumbles. Like riding a bike with bent wheels or like the way camels move, which is called pace gait, in arabic: Mamari.“ – Till Weise, bassist of Muito Kaballa Power Ensemble and composer of Mamari.

Brussels based globetrotting producer Rafael Aragon takes the listener on a dreamy journey. Starting with the birds in nature, passing by dubby pianos and beautiful synth melodies, the heavy groove inevitably puts you in trance.

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V/A – Rebel Up Records Sampler 2018​-​2020 (RUPSAMPLER01)
Released 21 december, digital only

To celebrate the end of 2020, we launch our first sampler compilation as pay as you want. It serves as an overview of almost 3 years Rebel Up Records with diverse releases & undefined styles. Take a trip into our world!

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Satanique Saba Trio – Forrivel (RUP020)
Mini album of Halloween horror soundtrack sounds.
Released on 31 october, digital only.

After 10 albums dedicated to the aesthetical disassembling of Brazilian music’s most recurrent clichés, Satanique Samba Trio aims its ongoing research at a new formula for musical fuckery: the artificial combination between forró, the popular Brazilian groovy rhythm and horror synth, the not-so-popular music genre extracted from old keyboard-ridden horror film scores.

Think of what would happen if the most syncopated of all Brazilian folk rhythms incorporated a bunch of obsolete-but-nowadays-trendy giallo soundtrack tropes.
Mathematically speaking, forró + horror synth = forrór synth. And that is where Forrível is coming from. Made for Halloween (or Dia das Bruxes / Witches Day, as people know it in Brazil), a soundtrack for dark times.

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Kaito Winse – Kaladounia (RUP019)
modern spiritual griot music from Burkina Faso
released 02.10 on Rebel Up Records, supported by NGHE Mediatheque and Enthusiast Music.

Kaito Winse comes from a Burkina Faso griot music family. From an early age he was formed in the traditions of his family in the village of Lankoué, Sourou region in the north of Burkina Faso.

As a modern jeli or griot, Kaito is the message bearer for the traditions of Burkina Faso. His solo debut album “Kaladounia” ( ‘Here the world’ / ‘ici le monde’), takes its impetus from the desire to perpetuate these traditions. The tama drum, the toutlé and the Fulani flutes and the traditional mouth bow accompany the songs addressed to Ancestors and newborns, and appeal to the force of planet earth. Traditional and spiritual techniques are renewed and unveiled on this album.

“Kaladounia” also takes its inspiration from the richness of human values ​​and the need to communicate with nature. His mouth bow leads the voice and carries uplifting messages. His voice rises in in the local Burkinabé languages of Mooré, Samo and a little bit of French and pays homage to women, to their courage, to love and to life. The songs reveal the mastery of traditional musical techniques and rhythms, a spirituality rooted in ancestral values ​of men and nature, and a powerful and striking voice you won’t forget. This is the world, this is the place to do good things while you are here.

Available digital (on all platforms) and on CD, Vinyl releases end of October.

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Dandana – Free The System (RUP018)
Afro Mandingue & Wolof synth funk and griot blues in afrofuturist spheres.
Released 18 September 2020, available on vinyl and digital, in collaboration with Wormfood.

DANDANA is a collective band of musicians from the Netherlands, Senegal and The Gambia with members Bas Ackermann, Ebou Gaye Mada, Filly Dioma, Jackson Loman, Joop de Graaf and Modou Joof. Their sound pays tribute to traditional West African rhythm & grooves and griot blues, with instruments from Senegal and The Gambia such as sabar, xalam and balafon with percussion, electronic drum pads and a range of vintage synthesizers. Inspired by West African psychedelic mandingue pioneers Guelewar, Ifang Bondi & Touré Kunda to the synth-driven vibes of bands like Air & Tame Impala. “Free the System” takes you on a journey through a new universe.

Available digital (on all platforms) and on CD, Vinyl releases end of October.

read interviews on Rhythm Passport and article on Pan African Music.

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V/A – African Electronic Diaspora: Black Lives Matter (RUPBLM)
Fundraiser compilation for anti-racist & BLM NGO’s with worldwide Afro & African diaspora (electronic) artists.
Released on 4 September 2020. Only on Bandcamp, please support & share!

In the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests in June allover the globe, followed by a summer with or without holidays, it’s important to keep the flame burning and the discussion going. The road is still long, but united we stand, moving forward together.

The aim of this compilation is to raise funds for various (inter)national NGO’s, anti-rasicm advocacy groups and organisations of black initiative, with all proceedings to be donated to these causes.

The artists donated their music as a collaboration between Rebel Up Records, the artists and the international labels Nyege Tapes, Syrphe, Bongo Joe Records, Sdban Records, Galletas Calientes, Blanc Manioc, Hakuna Kulala, Indigenous Underground, Strut, Earconditioning and 1000Hz Records. On this compilation we brought together mostly electronic African or Afro descendant artists from the worldwide diaspora and artists based in their homelands, from motherland Africa to Latin America to the Caribbean and back to Europe. It’s a vibrant combination of contemporary sounds that showcases the current talent of the artists and producers, combined with awareness for black lives & art and serving as a fundraiser. You can find a list of the supported organisations on the last page. Also info on each of the artists and their Bandcamp pages are included in the notes.

As this compilation is an ongoing process, it’s possible that the tracklist can still grow with a few extra songs in the next weeks. Please support & buy this compilation, let the internal fire burn on. Also check the amazing support by the blogs Pan African Music and Rhythm Passport with nice articles and words about the compilation!

Available digital on Bandcamp only, Listen to it on our Bandcamp.

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Ayuune Sule – Song Against Corona (RUPCORONA)
Kologo electro pop song about Corona awareness
Released 10 July 2020, available digital only.

A new single by kologo master Ayuune Sule, made in COVID-19 times as a prelude to his forthcoming next album in early 2021. Song Against Corona is electro kologo at its best with driving beats, fast kologo strumming and the ever present & positive voice of Sule.

Also in Ghana the COVID-19 crisis can be felt heavily, with businesses and schools closing down and food prices rising. Since May the number of positive cases have increased and the risk is far from over. On 6 july even Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo had to go into a 14 day quarantine after having been exposed to the virus.

Ayuune Sule feels the effect of his country being in lockdown, not able to perform concerts. With this single of awareness we want to raise funds for him and his family, with all proceedings going to them. Please help us supporting them and also check Sule’s previous releases of which we will also donate all proceedings to him and his family.

Listen on Bandcamp, please support & share.

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Dandana – Free The System EP (RUP018S)
Afro Mandingue funk single + afrofuturist electronic remix.
Released on 19 June 2020, digital only.

Free The System!’ is the new single EP from their same titled forthcoming album by the Dutch/Senegalese/ Gambian band Dandana, including an ancestral afrofuturist remix by Afro-Dutch producer Philou Louzolo.

‘Free The System!’ is about the gap between the older generation and the younger generation. The old system can’t easily deal with young or new idea’s. The current global pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement clearly show us that the system needs to be changed, we have to free ourselves from it. The Album will be released in mid september.

The videoclips premiered on blogs Pan African Music and The Ransom Note.
Listen on our Bandcamp.

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schroothoopKlein Gevaarlijk Afval (RUP017)
mysterious ethnic jazz with DIY made instruments from waste by Brussels trio.
Released on 27 May 2020, available on vinyl and digital, in collaboration with Stadskanker.

Brussels-based trio schroothoop (Dutch for ‘junk yard’) is formed by Rik Staelens (wind & string instruments), Timo Vantyghem (bass & clarinet) and Margo Maex (percussion).
Their tribal oriented debut mini-album titled ‘Klein Gevaarlijk Afval’ (Small Dangerous Waste) features homemade instruments built from lost and found objects like scrap wood, old metal or anything that would end up in a landfill. The band’s music is infused with sounds from around the world orchestrated by PVC flute melodies, jerry can beats and washtub bass lines. The result is mysterious world jazz with influences of Northern African chaabi, South American reggaeton, Eastern oriental melodies and Afro-Cuban rhythms, resulting in a danceable and hypnotic trip through the Brussels melting pot.

Post production and mixed by David ‘Dijf’ Sanders and mastered by Jürgen de Blonde (KOHN) and vinyl mastering by Fred Alstadt (Angstrom). Artwork by Eva Lynen and screenprinted with Brussels collective Hashët and Chromodrome.

Listen / order at our Bandcamp.

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Satanique Samba Trio – Instant Karma mini album (RUP016)
Tropical improv experiments from the heart of Brazil with a flair of samba and forro drenched in a punk jazz attitude.
Released on 1 May 2020, digital only

May Day special for the lockdowned masses.

Satanique Samba Trio’s most recent release “Instant Karma” WAS SUPPOSED TO BE the first liquid album in history: taking advantage of the short-lived exposure provided by Instagram Stories, your favorite Brazilian experimental quintet (yes, quintet), known for its brief-but-complex-deconstructed-Brazilian-rhythm-pieces, presented the world with a 15-second lo-fi tune every day throughout the month of February 2019. Taken together, it’s like a 7 minute mini mixtape trip into the tropi-concrete world of SS3.

In accordance with Instagram Stories’ rules, each song was available online for exact 24 hours, only to disappear FOREVER, leaving a faint sketch of Brazil’s musical diversity on the ethereal surface of your memory. Ground breaking, right? Yeah, but only for a year or so, as illegally downloaded versions of the tunes started to pop up around the Russian web.
Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The good news is now you can have Instant Karma in your HD as a chock-full digital package via our Bandcamp. Let it drip.

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Cheb Runner – Tagnatwit EP (RUP015)
spiritual Gnawa meets electronic club music to create ‘Gnawatech’
Released 11 march, available as limited black or coloured vinyl & digital

The latest project by belgo-moroccan producer Reda Senhaji, alias Cheb Runner, focuses on breeding a new style of music between Electronics and Gnawa. Taking inspiration from electronic club styles, relying heavily on analog synths and drum-machines.

The sound is darker, more experimental and mature than the artist’s previous project, Gan Gah. But the producer also digs into the acoustic sounds of his youth, for an organic feeling of warmth and celebration. The young producer is a son of Gnawa himself, this is the music he grew up with and played as a kid. Now he brings it to the club scene : Cheb Runner’s first EP is experimental, brutal, innovative.

The syncopation of the classic Gnawa percussions – Qraqebs & Tbal – combined with the use of Guembri bass are the heart and soul of the Tagnawit EP, Tagnawit translates as ‘the way of the gnawa’. Featuring two traditional Gnawa masters (maalems) based in Brussels, Mâalem Driss Filali and Mâalem Hicham Bilali, this EP is a reunion for the belgian Gnawa scene, keeping the vibe alive.

Getting past definitions and genres, it opens new horizons for North-African producers, showing them how to use their roots to make new beats. It encourages both tradition and modernity in Music. In 2019, Gnawa music, dance and culture were added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, demonstrating both the relevance of the genre and the necessity to preserve it.

Cheb, the Arabic word for “young boy”, is traditionally used to describe the young generation of Raï singers – like Cheb Hasni, Cheb Mami or Cheb Khaled. It means the new generation is here, to create something new with something old. The reference to the Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner is just that: while the Cheb comes from the bled, a moroccan village in the Agadir region, the beats come from the club scene of an industrial city, like Berlin, Detroit or Molenbeek/Brussels. Ancient rhythms to inspire the next generations. 

Out on limited edition vinyl, normal black or marbled red, listen on our Bandcamp.

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Nikanor – Bajo El Sol (RUP014)
Chicha cumbia, Andean folk rock, cumbia amazonica from Peruvian Brussels band.
Released 15 january on vinyl, cd and digital

Nikanor is a Peruvian band based in Brussels. Nikanor plays Chicha cumbia, a unique genre based on Andean melodies blended with tropical percussions and a rock ensemble. The first bands of Chicha appeared in Peru during the mid-1960’s and was very popular until the mid-1980’s. In the last years, ‘la Chicha’ is experiencing a renaissance, with bands and audiences from around the world (re)discovering its power and sound.

Taking the big names and bands from the Chicha cumbia genre as a reference, Nikanor started in 2016 as a cover band, to play the most remarkable and strongest songs and make them recognizable in the Belgian scene. Since then the band has evolved into a group that writes their own music and songs.

Their songs are a mix of rock, Chicha cumbia and Andean folk. Songs like ‘La Bajada del Kuraka’, with its Afro-Peruvian rhythms, or ‘Cóndor Blanco’, with its Quenas (Andean panpipes), make this album a trip to Peru. While listening to the songs you feel like flying through landscapes and rhythms from all around the country. All of this is played in a rock-structured band that invites to dancing and partying in a live setting.

LISTEN / ORDER vinyl / CD / digital via Bandcamp!

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Satanique Samba Trio – Mais Bad (RUP013)
Instrumental Brazilian compositions between folklore, free jazz and punk.
Released on 10″ vinyl / digital on 13 september 2019

Brasília based instrumental-experimental-tropical quintet Satanique Samba Trio, known for its iconoclastic research on Brazilian traditional rhythms merged with punk and free jazz aesthetics, is pushing the envelope on the low fidelity field once again!

Their new 10″ vinyl “Mais Bad” is a conceptual sequel to their 2015 10inch vinyl release “Mó Bad” and is a new collection of low fidelity bagatelles, forged into existence by Satanique Samba Trio’s thirst for aesthetical deconstruction. All instrumentals on this 10 short track vinyl have been recorded with a cheap cell phone from the early 2000’s. It is meant to sound desperate, harsh and absolutely surreal. A little over the top, maybe? Yeah, but hey: that’s just how a country in crisis should look and sound like. Right?

LISTEN / ORDER 10inch vinyl or digital via Bandcamp!


Susobrino – La Hoja de Eucalipto (RUP012),
Field Recordings, carefully chosen percussion, electronic & acoustic spice by Bolivian Belgian artist Susobrino.
Releases 19 september on vinyl

In 2018, Susobrino presented his first EP “Mapajo” on Global Hybrid Records. Since then he has won several awards and introduced his creations to numerous festivals in Belgium and abroad. His new album “La Hoja de Eucalipto” brings alive a more energetic and aggressive side of Susobrino and presents a work focused on ethnic and world sounds, mixing his masterful percussion with electronic beats to create a unique and distinctive sound. The context of the album is an imaginary epic story of 5 individuals going on a spiritual quest into nature, told in 7 compositions / chapters.

In collaboration with the XXIII label from Porto, Portugal, who released “La Hoja de Eucalipto” digitally on May 1st.

Official release of the vinyl is on sunday 22 september during the Rebel Up Records curated Global Street Sounds day & evening at the Ancienne Belgique venue in Brussels alongside La Yegros, Nuro and more. FB event / website.

LISTEN / PRE-ORDER vinyl via Bandcamp!


Diron Animal – Pair (RUP011) An exploration of afrohouse, kuduro, afrodisco and afroboogie by Angolan artist Diron Animal (ex-Throes + The Shine)
Released on 25 June 2019, vinyl & digital.

For over 6 years, Nirox Romao aka Diron Animal sang, danced and traveled the world with Afro Portuguese act Throes + The Shine, mixing rock and kuduro, becoming an explosive ensemble. At one point, Diron wanted to record a solo album to show a bit more of his own personality and in late 2017 his debut album ‘Alone’ appeared on Soundway Records, where he himself worked out the melodies, rhythm, vocals and even the guitar parts between classic funk to afrohouse and kuduro bass. Through that album he explored major festivals in Europe last year.

On his 2nd album ‘Pair’, he has worked hard to enhance his special formula. Inspired by the cruel death of his nephew, it became a testament against LGTB oppression and social injustice via the mixed sounds of afro boogie, disco, funk, afrohouse, coupé décalé and kuduro, with English and Portuguese lyrics. 

Listen / order on our Bandcamp or webshop >


V.A – Four Corners of the Globe (RUP010 / Rebel Up / Red Wig / Makkum Records / OCCII Recordings)
Live recordings at OCCII venue in Amsterdam of African music, free jazz and punk.
Released on 6 May 2019, vinyl & digital only. Music without Constraints.

In times when every aspect of life seems to be a ‘product’, it’s difficult to imagine that for centuries music was made for a different reason. That music was a way for people to express themselves and their feelings about the world they lived in: their joys, their desires, their anger and pain, without an ulterior motive. For artists, freedom is the highest goal. Music made by free spirits, for free spirits. It happens worldwide and in an extensive network.

Occii in Amsterdam is one of these stations, already for more than 25 years. It’s a free port for all kinds of music that don’t fit the commercial entertainment template. And it will be clear that they won’t be mainstream pop. It’s folk and grass roots music from around the world. It’s jazz and improvised music, rooted in freedom. It’s punk, based on anger and spontaneity. And that is precisely the music presented on this LP, recorded at Occii and other cultural oases in Amsterdam.

Like freedom, music doesn’t have constraints. The record opens with Zea and Afework Nigussie, a Dutchman and an Ethiopian, singing a topical American folk blues song from the early twentieth century. Les Filles de Illighadad from Niger and Ghanese kologo champion King Ayisoba take over, simply to prove that music is a language that is understood around the world. Improvisation-based rock band Kurws from Poland presents a piece from their album ‘Alarm’, anticipating the B side of the LP, which opens with a fifteen-minute explosion of energy and creativity by Cinema Soloriens. Filmmaker and musician James Harrar and Marshall Allen – the cosmic Sun Ra’s musical right hand for almost half a century – with the help of a few more like-minded souls aim straight for the stars in ‘The Man who Married the Moon’. The record ends on some drops of healthy, undiluted punk. Rhode Island’s Dropdead and Dutch veterans LäRM with former Rondos frontman Johannes ‘Red Rat’ van de Weert as a guest singer. ‘Every day is a new start’ says Rooie Waas’ Gijs Borstlap. It’s something to remember. Like Dropdead singer Bob Otis’ words on this LP: ‘If one voice can change the future, then what can a hundred voices do? Or a thousand?’ In other words: Do It Yourself, All Together.

Listen / order via Bandcamp or our webshop.

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Tropikal Camel – Awakening Spirits (RUP009)
Arab electronic sounds from Morocco, Kurdistan and Syria to European nightclubs
Released on 17 June 2019, vinyl & digital.

Those are the spirits of my ancestors calling from the Mellah of Meknes, from the mountains of Kurdistan. The unheard voices of my culture, that was taken from me. I shall talk to the spirits, I will heal the wounds. I was asleep, now I am awaken.”

Berlin based, Jerusalem pioneer Roi Assayag aka Tropikal Camel serves up his fantastic new album, ‘Awakening Spirits’ on Brussels based label Rebel Up Records, distilling 20 years of musical experience. Expect to be whirled by psychedelic electronics, churning drums and Syrian sufi chanting, clattering Davul drums from Kurdistan and ‘Berlin’ made techno with a borderless Arab identity.

The album title ‘Awakening Spirits’ is a worldplay: winds, spirits & ghosts are one and the same word in Hebrew & Arabic – Ruaah. This title is polysemic: spirts are representing the mystic research that is eternal, winds are representing drama and conflict, ghosts are the voices from the past… the word ‘awakening’ symbolizes the future.
Expect to be whirled by psychedelic electronics, churning drums and Syrian sufi chanting, clattering Davul drums from Kurdistan and ‘Berlin’ made techno with a borderless Arab identity.

Available as black vinyl or limited edition neon pink vinyl.
Listen / order on our Bandcamp or our webshop.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1514099066 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Octa Push – Língua (RUP008 / CMB001)
Electronic music from Lisbon in Afro Portuguese styles, limited vinyl edition!
Released on 17 June 2019, vinyl & digital

Octa Push is a portuguese duo formed by brothers Leoleo and Mushug that fuses Lusophone music (Angola, Bissau, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tomé) with electronic sounds. On 17 june, “Língua” will be released as limited edition vinyl on Rebel Up Records for the first time since its original release in 2016 on the band’s Combatentes home label. The vinyl celebrates this hidden gem of an album that has largely stayed under the rader of european and african ears. 

“Língua” is the 2nd full length album of Octa Push and features guests such as Tó Trips (Dead Combo), Batida, Cachupa Psicadélica, Cátia Sá (Guta Naki), Maria João Grancha, Ary (Blasted Mechanism), João Gomes (Orelha Negra & Fogo Fogo), Braima Galissa, Alex (Terrakota), AF Diaphra and Gospel Collective among others. The record, almost entirely in the Portuguese language, is a tribute to the Lusophone music that has been made in the last 40 years. Electronic music meets semba, morna, funaná, afrohouse and even brazilian music.

Listen / order on our Bandcamp, order via there or our webshop.

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Luc Mishalle & Marockin’ Brass – Beats & Pieces  (RUP007)
atmospheric Afro jazz meets spiritual Moroccan gnawa and chaabi funk
released on 19 october 2018 in collaboration with Met-X, available on vinyl, CD and digital.

After years of playing with the Moroccan community of Brussels, jazz musician Luc Mishalle knows every trick of the cross-fertilization between gnawa music, jazz & brass. On ‘Beats & Pieces’ his band Marockin’ Brass adds electronic beats, produced by the Arab-beats master Sofyann Ben Youssef (Ammar808, Kel Assouf) and aided by guest muscians such as Roel Poriau (Think of One, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra), Maalem Driss Filali and Esinam Dogbatse. The album is a mix of steaming gnaoua, sweaty shaabi-funk accompanied by some redhot brass and free flowing afro jazz that will blow the sand out of your ears!

Listen / order via our Bandcamp or our webshop.

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Babylon Trio – Habibi (RUP006)
contemporary electronic Iraqi & Arab rave sounds from Brussels newest sensation
Released 26 september 2018 as vinyl & digital.

In the past few years, the members of Babylon Trio established themselves as musicians in Belgium, mostly playing to the diaspora community of Iraqi’s, Syrians and other Arab expats. For composer and keys player Arkan Mushtak this started with the music project Sijsele Refugee All Stars in the Bruges area, aided by local cultural organisations. From there Arkan joined the Cinemaximiliaan project, an interdisciplinary cultural organisation in Brussels that brings refugees and locals with different backgrounds together. In this project Arkan again met Walaa Saad and Saif Al-Qiassy who already knew each other from Baghdad. The idea of the Babylon Trio band was created at a night in December 2016 at an Iraqi cultural evening in the NGHE Mediatheque in the Sint-Jans-Molenbeek borough of Brussels.

Together they play an electrified mix of contemporary Iraqi and Arabic music styles, such as choubi choubi, dabke, maqam and electronic hybrids that put the dancefloor on fire. The trio’s debut album “Habibi” features songs about their old life in Iraq and new life in Brussels, Belgium, with topics such as separation from loved ones, love, beauty, honour and pure Arabic party bangers.

Listen / order on Bandcamp, or our webshop.

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Babylon Trio – Live @ Nuits Sonores Bxl, BRASS (RUPCS005 / NGHE Mediatheque)
Iraqi electronic dance music with chobi chobi, dabke and hybrids on synthesizer, percussion and vocals.
Released 15 june.  limited edition audio cassette (110 copies) & digital, only 13 copies left

In 2015 & 2016, the three Iraqi musicians of Babylon Trio arrived in Belgium as refugees of the war in Iraq. keyboard player Arkan Mushtak hails from Baghdad, as well as his fellow musicians Walaa Saad (vocals) and Saif Al-Qaissy (darbouka, percussion and backing vocals). Together they play an electrified mix of contemporary Iraqi music styles, such as chobi chobi, dabke, maqam and electronic hybrids.

This is a live set recorded in September 2017 during the 1st edition of the Nuits Sonores festival in Brussels, in the BRASS venue. We thank Nuits Sonores and BRASS for their support! Also the NGHE Mediatheque for their everlasting support of cultural events for refugees and ethnic communities.

Listen / order cassette or digital via our Bandcamp or webshop.

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Arabstazy – Under Frustration volume 1 (RUP004 / Shouka label)
Experimental electronic music from the Arab world
Released 25 may 2018 on vinyl and digital, collaboration between Shouka an Rebel Up

Under Frustration is a 3 volumes compilation project by Tunisian collective Arabstazy, establishing a picture of the contemporary electronic music scene in the Arab World. This musical journey stands for the diversity of this scene, and deconstructs the occidental perceptions that sees the Arab World as a culturally united and homogeneous entity. It is a manifesto for the burgeoning wave of post-revolution futurism, with artists from Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine. Rebel Up is partner for the vinyl release.

Listen / order vinyl on our Bandcamp or via webshop.

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Nuri – Drup (RUP003 / SHK002)
Contemporary electro maghreb & west african beats
Released on 1 april 201 on vinyl & digital in collaboration with Tunisian label Shouka
Less than 15 copies left!

Nuri is the alter ego of Amine Ennouri, born in 1987 in Tunis, where he started his musical career. As a drummer and a composer, he was at the origin of the Tunisian alternative scene, joining ephocal and experimental projects such as Gultrah Sound System and Chabbouba. Collaborating with independant artists such as Haydar Hamdi, Wael Jegham (Ghoula) and Gato Preto is an important part of his work today.

His debut album “Drup” is a tribute to Tunisian’s African heritage, and a bridge to other traditions, replete with percussions and vocals from all over the mother continent, but also from Asia, combined with digital work to constitute an amalgam of then and now. It was composed mostly on the island of Bornholm in Denmark, where Nuri regularly retreats for creative introspection since 2015.

Listen / order on our Bandcamp, or via webshop.

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Memo Pimiento – A Todo Dar (RUP002)
Electro cumbia wave via Mexico from Brussels!
Released on 13 April 2018, as normal & limited edition ‘street marble’ coloured vinyl & digital.

Guillermo ‘Memo’ Pimiento grew up in the capital Mexico D.F. and lives in Brussels since 2012. He is joined by 2 band members, the Belgian Manon Amen (nicknamed Man.on) who is the female MC and dancer of the band to fire up the crowd and by Cuban percussionist Victor Hugo for some extra percussive power.A Todo Dar is a personal soundtrack of Memo’s life between Belgium and Mexico and the extremes of these different worlds, sometimes complete opposites. He created a tripping context with human emotions, bringing the sun and heat of Mexico to Belgium as well as the cerebral creativity of popular Mexican music into an electronic tropical wave sound.

Listen / order here on our Bandcamp or webshop. Limited editon colour vinyl is sold out.

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Ayuune Sule – We Have One Destiny (RUP001 / MR23)
Traditional kologo songs and urban hybrid styles for contemporary Ghana sound
released on 23 March 2018, available on vinyl, digital and cd, released in collaboration with Makkum Records.

Ayuune Sule is a Ghanaian musician of the kologo scene in the Kumasi region, Northern Ghana. As a right hand man to King Ayisoba (Glitterbeat Records), he is a vital part of his band and often opens up solo during their international tours. On this album Ayuune Sule brings traditional kologo songs with contemporary urban electronic productions of azonto and hiplife. It’s an album that is rooted in tradition but at the same time breathes the forward pushing hybrid sounds of Ghana, with lyrics about daily life, struggles, equality, happiness, spiritualism and injustice.

LISTEN / ORDER vinyl via Bandcamp!

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Upcoming releases 2021-2022 > 

V/A - Chicha Popular: Social Political & Love songs from Peru's Discos Horoscopo 1978-1987 2LP compilation (Autumn 2021)
Los Shapis & Nohemy - Juguetito 7" bonus (Autumn 2021)
Babylon Trio - Unlocked Lo-Fi Sessions (winter 2022)
Bernard Orkestar - (spring 2022)
Schroothoop - (March 2022)
Rebel Up - Maghrebtronics Remixes EP (2022)
Ayiti Congo Dub EP (2022)