Afro-Disiac - Charles Kynard (1LP Vinyl)

Afro-Disiac by Charles Kynard.

There are records that announce themselves the moment the needle drops, and Charles Kynard's "Afro-Disiac" is one of them. The title track opens the A-side with the kind of groove that makes the whole room lean in, a statement of intent that sets the tone for everything that follows. It is soul-jazz built for late nights and long listens, the sort of playing that rewards attention while never demanding it.

What makes this particular pressing worth pausing over is its status as a test pressing. Before a record reaches the shelves, a small number of copies are struck to check the sound, and those early strikes carry a quiet significance. This is the record at its most unfiltered, a working document from the moment the music was being readied for the world rather than a mass run destined for the racks.

The runouts here are all hand-etched, a detail collectors know how to appreciate. Those marks in the dead wax are the fingerprints of the cutting process, a tactile reminder that someone stood over this lacquer and carved these grooves into being. It gives the object a sense of presence that later, machine-stamped pressings rarely match.

The music itself moves with real range. The A-side rolls from the title cut into "Bella Donna" and "Trippin'," a sequence that balances swagger with a lighter, more searching touch. There is a confidence to the way these tracks are laid out, each one giving the last room to breathe before the next takes hold.

Flip to the B-side and the mood deepens. "Odds On" leads off with a purposeful swing, followed by "Sweetheart," a title that promises warmth and delivers it. The set closes with "Chanson Du Nuit," a nod toward something more nocturnal and reflective, the perfect way to send a listener off into the small hours. Together these six tracks make for a tight, satisfying program, the kind of record you can play front to back without ever reaching for the arm.

For anyone drawn to the soul-jazz corner of the catalog, this is a genuine piece of history. A test pressing with hand-etched runouts is not just a way to hear "Afro-Disiac"; it is a way to hold onto a moment before the music became widely available, when it still belonged to the studio and the pressing plant. Records like this do not surface often, and when they do, they tend to find a home quickly among those who understand what they are looking at.

Pressing Details:
Test pressing of [r=10276096].
Runouts: all hand-etched.

Track Listing:
A1. Afro-Disiac
A2. Bella Donna
A3. Trippin'
B1. Odds On
B2. Sweetheart
B3. Chanson Du Nuit

Artist: Charles Kynard

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Prestige

Catalog Number: 888072020429

Release Year: 2017

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)