Maybe it’s the recession but a flood of African vinyl seems to have passed through Ebay of late as well as a healthy tranche turning up for sale at Sounds of the Universe, one of London’s finer specialist record shops, alhough its prices make me wince - £8 for a single that has clearly also enjoyed a second career as a Frisbee at some point in its existence seems on the steep side to me.

It’s been a struggle to keep pace but new labels added to the website include Danny, Mwewe Kipanga, Utawala wa Mwafrika, Alfa, Athiani, Pako Pako, Ogolo BBC, Editions Baluhya, Wich Jawi Piyo, Editions Records, Kidhir Sudi, Kiamwangi Happy Brothers Sound, Duol and Kanindo.

Titles have also been added to the listings for these labels: Ochimbo Ja Yongo, Ka-Ber, Mercury, Lake Victoria, P&P Sounds, Kuja Mol, Njangwa, Awendo Rakido, Vibao, Editions Chris, Orch DO7 Shirati Jazz, Bigwa, ASL, CBS, KMS, Kenya United Sounds, Kawere Biro Special, Africa 79 and KBS.

That takes care of what’s been put out in the marketplace, so let’s move onto something more personal. Michiel von Oosterhout is based in Uganda and has put together a collection of records he’s found there. “The quality is pretty bad,” he wrote in his e-mail, “rats have been nibbling on some of them.”

Teethmarks or not, the list of records Michiel sent to me include more than 20 titles on ASL, as well as releases on Furaha, Editions Mazembe, OK, Editions Veve, Editions Sakumuna, Equator Records, Editions Populaires, Bonanza, Polydor, Pathe, Africa, Editions Jojo, Mambo and Gabby tone as well as a Orch Les Noirs single on a new label to me, Tomeka. I’m very grateful to Michiel for taking the time to compile the list as it’s a fascinating one.

I really do have a backlog as I was in Kenya the week before last and took time to do a bit of shopping . . . I’ll post a list of any new finds I made soon.