Juno Recommends Funk / Reissues April 2021

Review: 2020 marks two decades since the Bamboos, Australia's premier deep funk combo, first made an impression in their home city of Melbourne. The Lance Ferguson-helmed outfit have been busy in the studio this year cooking up some suitably celebratory music to mark their 20th birthday, with this must-check "45" the latest missive to hit the streets. A-side 'Hard Up' is a typically raw and heavy affair, with regular vocalist Kylie Audist excelling herself over a typically tight-but-loose blend of hazy horns, Hammond motifs, crunchy drums and flash-fried guitar licks. Just as impressive is B-side 'Ride on Time', a surprise - but genuinely killer - heavy funk translation of Black Box's 1989 piano house favourite of the same name.

Review: Smoove is back on Friday's Funky 45 with another of his irresistible mash ups. Larger than life, hard hitting and designed for maximum impact on inebriated dance floors, the opener marries vocals from 'Juice' with 'Sunny', adds some hefty drums played by label mate Dr Rubberfunk and the results are real, if not subtle. Reverse it for a collision of Skee-lo's perma-anthem, 'I Wish' chopped up with the funky keys and soul of Stevie Wonder's classic of the same name. These are bait tunes, but we all need a bit of that from time to time.

Review: Matasuna Records' latest must-check reissue comes courtesy of obscure Mexican outfit Apache, who released a handful of singles and a couple of albums of fiery Latin funk in the mid 1970s. A-side 'Liberate', which first surfaced on the band's 1976 album Del Bumpin Al Horno, is a find slab of hot and humid funk built around rising horn arrangements, low-slung grooves and excitable group vocals. Over on the flip, regular Matasuna contributor Voodoocuts delivers an excellent rework of 1975 cut 'Hombre', which was originally written and arranged by Apache's trumpet player Ermesto Haros. Voodoocuts adds a few of his own samples and musical touches here or there, embellishing the original groove and instrumentation with enough contemporary funk breaks oomph to delight those who like their beats tight, fat and floor friendly.

Review: 'Organ Donor' is of course the most celebrated track off the iconic Endtroducing album. It's a master class in sampling, with a dark heart real sense of menace. The latest Needwork takes it an runs with it in new directs, using the main loop to layer over raw beats, with plenty of scratching, weird melodies and cut up vocals adding extra drama. Flip it over for another edit of a tune off the same album. Here 'The Number Song' becomes even more in your face, with its raw riffs and driving rhythms making a big mark.

Review: More sneaky 45 action from the Breaks & Beats crew, a shadowy organization whose tried-and-tested re-edits offer DJ-friendly extensions of popular break-digging favourites (many of which were sampled on classic hip-hop cuts). Their latest seven-inch excursion begins with a tidy revision of Lafayette Afro-Rock Band's brilliant "Hihache", a low-slung favourite rich in lolloping, head nodding drum breaks, jazzy bass, flanged funk guitars and fuzzy horn motifs. The new version is deferential towards its source material, extending breaks here and there whilst leaving much of the tune in tact. One of the most doubled-up drum breaks in hip-hop history takes pride of place on side B, where Gaz's Salsoul released wiggler "Sing Sing" gets the re-edit treatment.

Review: Back in 2014, Timewarp Music asked DJ Soopasoul to remix "Inside Man", one of the strongest cuts from Croatian producer Funky Destination's funk-fuelled debut album, Revolution is Only Solution. While one mix appeared on a digital-only label compilation, Soopasoul actually handed in two reworks. Here both get an outing on wax for the first time. The A-side version is particularly sweet, with Soopasoul layering the original's meandering and lilting trumpet solo over a rolling funk groove rich in big bass, jangling guitars and frenetic drum breaks. The flipside revision emphasizes this groove more, looping and extending the breaks for easier DJ use and a livelier dancefloor response.

Review: As showcased by DJ Koco from Japan on instagram and as the label artwork makes clear, this two-tracker from the previously unheard Alex Santos Orchestra was made in tribute to Creed Taylor's legendary CTI Records imprint, which during the 1970s released some of the finest jazz, jazz-funk and fusion ever made. On side A the studio collective gives their interpretation of Freddie Hubbard's 1970 epic 'Red Clay', with the track's most famous musical elements - jaunty sax riffs and mazy electric piano motifs - rising above a funkier, warmer and tighter interpretation of the track's low-end groove. Turn to the flip for their version of Bob James' favourite 'Nautilus', a harder edge take that combines a faithfully spacey take on the original's electric piano melody with sweatier beats and heavier horns.

Review: More from the matter-or-fact Breaks & Beats seven-inch series, which offers up DJ-friendly "slight edits" of funk, soul and disco classics built around extending the drum breaks in sometimes hard-to-mix classic cuts. The tenth volume in the series kicks off with a mix-friendly tweak of Vaughan Mason's roller-boogie anthem "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" that expertly stretches out the previously all-too-short instrumental intro. Over on side B, Bad Bascomb's odd but brilliant country-funk hoedown "Black Grass" gets a similar treatment, with Breaks & Beats' un-named re-editor sneakily extending sweaty drum breaks here and there throughout the track. Given the quality of those breaks, this is a very good thing indeed.

Review: Sylvia Striplin has been heavily sampled by all manner of artists over the years. Here one of her biggest hits 'Give Me Your Love' is presented on a 7" for the first time with 'You Said' on the flip. The a-side is the one with its big funky licks, low slung bass line and celebratory riffs all finished off with the glorious vocal itself. 'You Said' is a more jazzy and low key number, with swirling drums and hip swinging claps taking you later into the night on a more cosy and personal vibe.

Review: Second time around for Aussie outfit Dojo Cuts' sophomore set Take From Me, an album which has been near impossible to find on vinyl since it first hit record stores in 2012. You'd be wise to snap up a copy of this reissue if you love vintage-sounding contemporary soul and funk, because even by the high standards of the Australian soul scene, it's a gem. Lead vocalist Roxie Ray is at her powerful but emotive best throughout, while Dojo Cuts' musical backing is authentically fuzzy, horn-heavy and as life-affirming as they come. Highlights include, but are in no way limited to, 'Easy To Come Home', slamming Latin funk number 'Mannacita', Meters tribute 'Sonny's Strut' and heart-aching slow jam 'I'd Rather Go Blind'.

Review: Expansion Records' continues to delve into the bulging archives of Roy Ayers' influential Uno Melodic Records imprint, which issued some superb jazz-funk, soul and boogie throughout the 1980s. Here they offer a new pressing of Ethel Beatty's sought-after, Roy Ayers' produced 1981 double A-side. For some reason they've reversed the running order, with side A offering original flipside 'It's Your Love', a Dee Dee Bridgwater co-authored slow jam that's soulful, seductive and sumptuous. Over on the reverse you'll find the more celebrated ''I Know You Care', a deep disco number full of glistening guitar riffs, smooth chords and warming grooves. In a word: luscious

Review: The Originals crew has decided to end 2020 in the same way as it began the year, by delivering fresh "DNA Edits" of two classic, in-demand floor-fillers. On side A they presented a tightened up, chopped-down, "45"-friendly revision of Freedom's 'Get Up & Dance', a 1979 disco-funk number that has been sampled countless times by hip-hop producers. The edit makes much of the party-hearty feel of the original version, flitting between the lolloping, horn-laden breaks (the portion most often heard in rap records), and the lesser-celebrated vocal parts. Over on the flip they provide a dope re-edit of one of the many tracks that samples 'Get Up & Dance': SWV's 1994 R&B classic 'Anything', featuring rap verses from none other than the Wu-Tang Clan.

Review: Underground Resistance member Gerald Mitchell is back on Mother Tongue Records, and this time he's joined by an all-star band featuring some of Detroit's finest musicians and producers (Pirahnahead, Billy Love, Duminie Deporres and Mark Anthony included). As you've probably guessed, this is no Motor City tech-jazz excursion, but rather a wholehearted tribute to the colourful, synth-laden Detroit funk pioneered by Parliament. A-side 'Twookie Wonder Brown' is particularly impressive, with Mitchell telling the tale of the titular hero over squelchy bass, kaleidoscopic synths and a metronomic groove. That said, the deeper 'Celebrity BBQ Party', with its' flash-fried jazz-funk guitar licks and warming chords, is also superb.

Review: Analog Africa have put together their 31st compilation here, and it's another essential, well curated overview of a fantastic funk sound, focussing on the genre's greatest originators, namely Osayomore Joseph, Akaba Man and Sir Victor Uwaifo. All of these artists' primary skill was to strip down funk down to its core essence and use it as a foundation to rebuild their own unique interpretations. Each one is imbued with the spirit of the Edo culture and all 12 cuts here pulse with driving rhythm and raw musicianship, bright keys and tripped-out guitars that bring the funk in utterly fresh and thrilling ways.

Review: Revivalist library funk specialists Whatitdo Archive Group (a project helmed by producer, bassist and drummer Alex Korostinsky) impressed with their 2020 debut on LRK Records. Here they transfer to Record Kicks with more vintage-sounding heaviness. The killer cut is undoubtedly A-side 'The Return of Beaumont Jenkins', which features some dazzling keys-work from guest musician Alex Alessandroni alongside plucked strings, swelling orchestration and swinging sixties style soundtrack funk grooves. Flipside 'La Pietra' has got a 'Spaghetti Western' kind of vibe, with chiming, Morricone-style melodies atop atmospheric guitars and laidback drums.

Review: The J.B.'s was the name of James Brown's band from 1970 through the early 1980s and this Reunion outfit featuring original members pays homage to that era and to the sounds of the great funk legend. They were there of course, so this is as direct and real as its comes. First up here is 'Do The Doo' (part 2) which is all languid funk licks, loose bass and seductive drum playing with a big vocal over the top. 'What About The Music' (part 2) picks up the pace with some big horns, and a buttery and elastic vocal turn backed by funky rhythms.

Review: There were tons of incredible gospel-soul and gospel-funk records made in the United States in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, though many were released in highly limited quantities for local consumption and can therefore be near impossible to find these days. Worry not, though, because Greg Belson is here to help via the forthcoming Divine Funk compilation and a series of seven-inch sampler singles. The latest opens with 'If You See Me Doing Wrong', a decidedly cosmic and low-slung cut from the Wearland Singers whose power partially stems from a mixture of energetic funk breaks and a reverb-drenched male lead vocal. It comes backed with The Chariettes Gospel Singers' 'Nobody But Jesus', a lolloping number that sits somewhere between gospel-soul and gospel-funk.

Review: Many will know Teaspoon & The Waves' incredible 'Oh Yeh Soweto' - a brilliant Afro-disco riff on Lamont Dozier's 'Going Back To My Roots' that has appeared on countless compilations and re-edit releases over the years - but fewer have heard the rest of the tracks on the South African band's incredible 1977 debut album (in part because original copies are rather hard to find). To those people, we'll say this: check out this Mr Bongo reissue right now! Blending Afro-jazz with jazz-funk, soul, deep funk and disco, every single track is a winner, with highlights including the celebratory 'Friday Night', the dazzling, duelling solos and heavy percussion of 'Saturday Express' and the life-affirming brilliance of 'Got Me Tight'.

Review: We'll assume that you've never heard of South African outfit The Toreadors - we hadn't - or their oh-so-slim discography. That's no problem, though, because happily Mr Bongo has rescued their sole seven-inch single, recorded and released in the autumn of 1972, and given it the reissue treatment. It's a genuinely magical record all told, and all the more remarkable given that the band was assembled by producer Ray Nkwe specifically for the session. A-side 'Thembi' is genuinely beautiful and breezy, with group harmony vocals and haunting horn and woodwind solos seemingly drifting above a psychedelia-tinged deep jazz groove. Flipside 'Gwimyitshe' is, if anything, even better, with spiritual soul vocals and a cosmic jazz-funk groove catching the ear. Exceptional!

Review: This retrospective trawl through the career highlights of legendary soul group War was initially intended to drop on Black Friday 2020, but for various reasons has only just found its way into record stores. Pressed to striking gold-coloured vinyl, it contains the band's most celebrated moments - the fiery funk-soul brilliance of 'Me & Baby Brother', the decidedly psychedelic and low-slung 'Low Rider', the Hammond-heavy 'The World is a Ghetto' and reggae-soul hit 'Why Can't We Be Friends' - as well as lesser-celebrated but no less impressive gems such as 'The Cisco Kid', the exotic 'Gypsy Man' and the harmonica-toting brilliance of 'Southern Part of Texas'. In other words, it ticks all the right boxes and contains some genuinely killer cuts.

Review: Dancer and Hammond B3 player Leon Gardner never received the recognition his talent deserved, and the lack of success of his Igloo Records imprint - a haven for deep soul and funk, jazz-soul and rhythm and blues in the late 1960s and early '70s - eventually drove him to quitting music. This retrospective, which focuses on his music and other artists he produced for the label, is undoubtedly well overdue and lands a number of years after he passed away. Packed with dancefloor-ready deep funk, simmering soul and spoken word-laden eccentricities, it genuinely is - as the title suggests - a snapshot of "soul on the fringes".

Review: Manuel Holcolm has said that he was more involved in the creative process on this tune that he was given credit for on the original label. Either way, the tune was first put out in 1969 and is all about war veterans returning home from Vietnam only to find out their lady hadn't waited for them. It's rough and raw, real and emotional as you would expect, despite the fact that it is all imagined feelings as Holcolm himself never actually served javelin started his career almost a decade earlier in 1961 in the Motown Studios.