Editing Luaka Bop (section)

== Compilation series ==

=== ''Brazil Classics'' ===
The '''''Brazil Classics''''' series began with Luaka Bop’s first-ever release, and has garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Archive-Robert-L-Doerschuk|title=David Byrne's Luaka Bop Label To Reissue Catalog|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/820130/david-byrnes-luaka-bop-label-to-reissue-catalog/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=MTV News|language=en}}{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> The series has grown to consist of the following records:

* Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical (1989)
* Brazil Classics 2: O Samba (1989)
* Brazil Classics 3: Forro etc.: Music of the Brazilian Northeast (1991)
* Brazil Classics 4: The Best of Tom Zé (1990)
* Brazil Classics 5: The Return of Tom Zé: The Hips of Tradition (1992)
* Brazil Classics 6: Beleza Tropical 2: Novo! Mais! Melhor! (1998)
* Brazil Classics 7: In Pernambuco: New Sounds of the Brazilian Northeast (2008)

Luaka Bop has also released music by Brazilian artists outside of the '''''Brazil Classics''''' series, such as [[Tim Maia]], [[Os Mutantes]] and [[Moreno Veloso]].

=== ''Cuba Classics'' ===

* Cuba Classics 1: The Best of Silvio Rodriguez (1991)
* Cuba Classics 2: Dancing with the Enemy (1991)
* ¡Cuba Classics 3: Diablo al Infierno! (1992)

=== ''Asia Classics'' ===

* Asia Classics 1: The South Indian Film Music of Vijaya Anand: Dance Raja Dance (1992)
* Asia Classics 2: The Best of Shoukichi Kina: Peppermint Tea House (1994)

=== ''Adventures in Afropea'' ===
The '''''Adventures in Afropea''''' series signaled a slight shift, as the music here is grouped by a broad stylistic criterion (a fusion of African and European influences) as opposed to a purely geographic one.

* Adventures in Afropea 1: Zap Mama (1993)
* Adventures in Afropea 2: The Best of Djur Djura: Voice of Silence (1993)
* Adventures in Afropea 3: Telling Stories to the Sea (1995)

=== ''Afro-Peruvian Classics'' ===
The '''''Afro-Peruvian Classics''''' series continued the label’s shift towards more stylistically specific compilation albums, focusing on a single subgroup of Peruvian music.

* [[Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul of Black Peru|Afro-Peruvian Classics 1: The Soul of Black Peru]] (1995)

While the series still has only one entry, that record saw Luaka Bop begin its work with [[Susana Baca]], who has since released six albums with the label.

=== ''World Psychedelic Classics'' ===
The '''''World Psychedelic Classics''''' series was the first from Luaka Bop to have no geographic aspect to it. The five entries in the series span decades and continents.

* [[Everything Is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes|World Psychedelic Classics 1: Everything Is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes]] (1999)
* World Psychedelic Classics 2: California Soul: [[Inspiration Information]] (2001) (rework and reissue of Shuggie Otis’ 1974 album)
* [[World Psychedelic Classics, Vol. 3: Love's a Real Thing|World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love’s a Real Thing: The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa]] (2004)
* World Psychedelic Classics 4: Nobody Can Live Forever: The Existential Soul of Tim Maia (2012)
* [[Who is William Onyeabor?|World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor?]] (2013)<ref name=":4" />

World Psychedelic Classics 3 helped “inspire an industrious coterie of crate diggers and lead to an explosion of ‘70s funk from Nigeria and Ghana”, with other labels crediting it with influencing the look and sound of their later releases.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> It also featured the song “Better Change Your Mind” by [[William Onyeabor]], which eventually led to the release of ''World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor?''

The popularity of Onyeabor’s music in these compilations led to an eventual Luaka Bop reissue of Onyeabor’s entire discography and the formation of the [[Atomic Bomb! Band]], a “supergroup” dedicated to performing his music live. This was the first time Onyeabor’s music was played live, as he never performed himself.<ref>{{Cite web|title="The Atomic Bomb Band" Available Record Store Day! « LUAKA BOP|url=https://luakabop.com/front-news/the-atomic-bomb-band-available-record-store-day/|access-date=2020-08-25|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== ''World Spirituality Classics'' ===

* World Spirituality Classics 1: [[The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda]] (2017)<ref name=":3" />
* World Spirituality Classics 2: The Time for Peace Is Now: Gospel Music About Us (2019)<ref name=":2" />
* World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah (2022)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.luakabop.com/products/alhaji-waziri-oshomah-world-spirituality-classics-3-the-muslim-highlife-of-1 | title=World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah by Alhaji Waziri Oshomah }}</ref>