As-Shams/The Sun is an independent South African jazz record label that was established in Johannesburg in 1974 with the release of Dollar Brand's Mannenberg - 'Is Where It's Happening'. Formerly Soultown Records, home of the MANDLA imprint, ambassadors of
an archive of jazz, funk and disco acquisitions from the R&T, Jo'Burg Records and Soweto catalogues and executive producers of the Roots, Kalamazoo and African Echoes imprints of the 1990s.
Under the direction of founder and owner Rashid Vally, the label documented South Africa's fetile homegrown jazz scene from 1974 to 1982, producing seminal works by Tete Mbambisa, Kippie Moeketsi, Pat Matshikiza, Dick Khoza, Sathima Bea Benjamin, Beaters/Harari, Lionel Pillay, Mike Makhelemele and Pops Mohamed as well as Abdullah Ibrahim's most important South African recordings of this era.
Managed and marketed by Sharp-Flat Records, As-Shams Archive oversees the preservation and restoration of audio masters, produces a series of compilations and unreleased recordings and works with boutique reissue partners to promote and share the legacy of South African jazz in the 1970s. After a long hiatus, the As-Shams/The Sun label introduced a series of new artist releases in 2020. Information & Licensing Contact: info [at] sharp-flat.com
