Dennis Coffey And The Detroit Guitar Band - "Scorpio"
The Jimmy Castor Bunch - "It's Just Begun"
B.T. Express - "Energy Level"
James Brown - "Get On The Good Foot"
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force - "Planet Rock"
Manu Dibango - "Soul Makossa"
Esther Williams - "Last Night Changed It All"
The Mohawks - "The Champ"
Herman Kelly & Life - "Dance To The Drummer's Beat"
Spanky Wilson - "Sunshine Of Your Love"
James Brown - "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose"
Candido - "Soulwanco"
Arthur Baker - "Breaker's Revenge"
Manu Dibango - "The Panther"
Abaco Dream - "Life And Death In G & A"
The Jackson 5 - "Dancing Machine"
Mongo Santamaria - "Cloud Nine"
Edwin Starr - "I Just Wanna Do My Thing"
Badder Than Evil - "Hot Wheels"
Johnny Bristol - "Lusty Lady"
Review: With 'breaking' making its debut in the 2024 Paris Olympics, it seems an apt time to go back to where it all began and showcase some of the music that first made break-dancers move in the early years of hip-hop culture. Soul Jazz Records clearly agrees, hence this two-disc retrospective of early 'breaker' favourites curated by Arthur Baker - a man who's productions and remixes soundtracked many dancefloor battles in the early 80s. It's a suitably strong selection all told, with dusty funk, soul and funk-rock favourites (Johnny Bristol, James Brown, The Jimmy Castor Bunch, Spanky Wilson) being joined by disco-funk jams (Herman Kelly and Life), extra-percussive workouts (Manu Dibango, Mongo Santamaria, Candido) and a smattering of key Baker productions (Afrika Bambaata and Soul Sonic Force's 'Planet Rock' and his own infectious 'Breakers Revenge').
Johnny Dynell & New York 88 - "Jam Hot (Rhumba Rock)"
Talking Heads - "I Zimbra"
Art Zoyd - "Sortie 134" (part 2)
Class Action - "Weekend" (Larry Levan mix)
Adiche - "Chuka-Ja (Get Ready)"
The Girls - "The Elephant Man"
The Golden Flamingo Orchestra - "The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us"
Gray - "Cut It Up High Priest"
Extra T's - "ET Boogie"
Convertion - "Let's Do It"
Yoko Ono - "Walking On Thin Ice"
Fab 5 Freddy - "Change The Beat"
Review: Curated as part of the iconic street artist's Tate exhibition this year, The World Of Keith Haring unites many of the talented souls Keith knew, or was inspired by, during his prolific rise as one of the most vital cultural spokesmen through the 70s and 80s. Soundtracking the gritty downtown NYC streets he made his first mark on, this limited collection captures the whole melting pot from b-boy culture with cuts such as "E.T Boogie" and "Bump N Grind", raw boogie and soul ("Over & Over") and pure drama ("The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us"). A powerful collection as striking and relatable as his own signature.
Tambores De Enrique Bonne - "Como Arrullos De Palma"
Ricardo Eddy Martinez - "Expresso Ritmico"
Los Papines - "Solo De Tumba Y Bongo"
Grupo Sintesis - "Aqui Estamos"
Los Van Van - "Llegada"
Grupo Raices Nuevas - "Baila Mi Guaguanco"
Luis Carbonell - "La Rumba"
Orquesta Riverside - "En Casa Del Trompo No Bailes"
Juan Formel & Los Van Van - "Llegue, Llegue"
Grupo Los Yoyi - "Tu No Me Puedes Conquistar"
Los Papines - "Para Que Niegas?"
Grupo De Experimentacion Sonora Del ICAIC - "Cuba Va!"
Raul Gomez - "Luces En La Pista"
Los Brito - "El 4-5-6"
Leo Brouwer - "Tema De El Rancheador De La Naturaleza"
Ricardo Eddy Martinez - "La 132"
Los Reyes 73 - "Finalizo Un Amor"
Review: Given that Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker's Cuba: Music and Revolution - Culture Clash in Havana is one of the standout compilations of 2021, hopes are naturally sky-high for this speedy sequel. Like its predecessor, volume 2 focuses on music and made and released on the Caribbean island between 1975 and '85, this time round largely focusing on rare fusions of salsa, Latin jazz, disco, soul and funk, mostly licensed from records that have never been available outside Cuba. It's another stunning selection all told, with highlights including the heady Cuban disco/salsa fusion of Orquesta Los Van Van, the fiery disco-funk of FA 5, the heavily percussive hedonism of Luis Carobonell and the fuzzy psychedelic rock of Grupo De Experimentacion Sonora Del ICAIC. In a word: essential.
Review: As you may well be aware, the Winstons' most significant contribution to musical history was the righteous drum break featured on their 1969 single 'Amen, Brother', a breakbeat that has since become the backbone of countless hip-hop, hardcore and D&B tracks. Yet as good as that break is, there was always much more to love hidden in their catalogue, particularly debut album Color Him, Father. As this surprise reissue on CD proves, it is a genuinely brilliant collection of loved up East Coast soul songs - both dancefloor-friendly and downtempo - which on this edition has been expanded via the addition of a quartet of previous single-only cuts. This, then, is the definitive version of a vitally important soul album.
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