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 (1939-2024), the label documented South Africa's fertile 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 Makhalemele and Pops Mohamed as well as Abdullah Ibrahim's most important South African recordings of this era.
Managed and curated by Sharp-Flat Records, As-Shams Archive has overseen the preservation and restoration of audio masters and album artwork, produced a series of compilations and previously unreleased recordings and worked 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
