In 1972, with the release of their self-titled debut album, Cymande emerged as innovators of the black British music scene. Taking influences from their Guyanese and Jamaican roots, the band fused reggae bass lines, Afro-tinged Nyabinghi percussion, psychedelic touches, and American style funk instrumentation into a unique sound they’ve since dubbed as “Nyah-rock.”

Cymande’s massive influence can be heard in the dozens and dozens of samples taken from their albums over the last four decades, from pioneering DJs like DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, to De La Soul, The Wu-Tang Clan, Gang Starr, The Coup, Sugar Hill Gang, Norman Cook/Fatboy Slim and The Fugees -- to name a few. They stand today as one of the most revered and sampled bands to have ever cropped up across the history of Hip Hop, House, and Dance.

Partisan is proud to share newly remastered audio of Cymande’s debut album (engineered at Abbey Road Studios) — available for the very first time on translucent, orange crush vinyl. Originally released in 1972, ‘Cymande’ has been heralded as the best Brit funk album of all time, boasting perhaps their best-known funk anthem “The Message,” as well as the oft-sampled tracks “Bra” and “Dove.”

Today the band continues to reach new audiences. In addition to the reissue of Cymande, 2022 has seen them going back on tour, visiting the US and headlining at SXSW alongside their incredible documentary premiere: ‘Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande’. This heartfelt documentary shows the band’s depth of influence across the decades, featuring interviews with Laura and Mark from Khruangbin, DJ Maseo (De La Soul), Mark Ronson, Jazzie B (Soul II Soul), Cut Chemist, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Louie Vega, Kool DJ Red Alert, and more.

• Format Detail: LP Translucent Orange Crush Vinyl, Gatefold Jacket, Paper Inner Sleeve
• Released: 01/27/2023
• Format: Vinyl
• Label: Partisan Records
• Genre: Funk / Soul

As described in our Privacy Policy, we collect personal information from your interactions with us and our website, including through cookies and similar technologies. We may also share this personal information with third parties, including advertising partners. We do this in order to show you ads on other websites that are more relevant to your interests and for other reasons outlined in our privacy policy.

Sharing of personal information for targeted advertising based on your interaction on different websites may be considered "sales", "sharing", or "targeted advertising" under certain U.S. state privacy laws. Depending on where you live, you may have the right to opt out of these activities. If you would like to exercise this opt-out right, please follow the instructions below.

If you visit our website with the Global Privacy Control opt-out preference signal enabled, depending on where you are, we will treat this as a request to opt-out of activity that may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information or other uses that may be considered targeted advertising for the device and browser you used to visit our website.