Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Working with its sister label OST Recordings, Acid Jazz releases a new version of 'Family Tree' by Family Tree, on a smart-looking label based on the look of the original's Ananda label. For the first time since 1975, this new reissue comes with the Kevin Beamish Disco version and a shorter disco mix, as was initially compiled. Handcrafted by 'I Specialize In Love' hitmaker Sharon Brown and her group Family Tree, this eponymous disco-funk sheller is an unpolished study of musicianship above overproduction; the drums are dynamic and dry, lending ample space to Sharon's nostalgic familial reminiscences.

Review: Fingier Records is a new Acid Jazz sub-label that is back with a brand new 7" from The Kevin Fingier Collective. It's a real dance floor heater that is perfectly aged and authentic as it mixes up Northern Soul and r&b with driving guitar rhythms and steamy piano chords. The horns are killer but the vocal is the icing on the cake. On the flip things get Latin flavoured with the bossa-tinged mod jazz of 'The Great Akerman' which is defined by lush flute and organ vamps. This is a great taster of the full length to come from The Kevin Fingier Collective.

Review: The legendary Afro funk fusionists Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou Dahomey have got unlimited amounts of big tunes in their back catalogue and the fiery 'It's A Vanity' is one of them. It has fat and chunky drums with trademark horns leading the way next to the impassioned vocals. The tune twists and turns on a vibe as it funks you up and then on the flip is the more lo-fi and stripped back, earthen funk sounds of 'Nougbo Vehou' (La Verite Blesse). Anotehr killer 7" reissue from this great collective.

Review: Benin funk supergroup Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou have an essential discography that takes in some of the most definitive afro-funk sounds you can hear. The Acid Jazz label serves up a couple of such betters here with 'Kpede Do Gbe Houenou' layering up the driving grooves, killer horns and wild keys into something intoxicating. Less intense but just as good, 'Ma Wa Mon Nou Mi O' brings the guitar work to the fore, with plucked and funky riffs underneath the imploring vocal work that's up top. Both tunes have been restored and remastered.

Review: Acid Jazz Records' has got a licensing agreement with legendary Benin label Albarika Store that is seeing them put out some of the best music to have ever come from West Africa. Benin's almighty Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Dahomey made plenty of it. This latest 45 is another stunner with plenty of raw screams, wails and grunts all adding extra life and vitality to the already trilling guitars and bustling drum rhythms. Add in heavy percussion and you have a real heavy Afro psych-funk tune. The flip is more deep and soulful, and just as good for different reasons.

Review: Maestro Argentinian producer Kevin Fingier returns with a brand new 45 on his Finger Records imprint, this time lifting the curtain on Santa Fiebre, the newly tipped red-hot rhythm & soul outfit from Buenos Aires. Forged in the fire of the Argentinian capital comes this rip-roaring band, debuting a rootsy, double-clapping, firebrand form of Latin soul. Fingier's in-house production backs up the band's taseringly tasty performances, as 'That's Where We Go' is heard to riff highly on brasses and bombast, and 'Earthsplosion' predicts a future detonation beneath our shared subterranean mantle, producing a bubble-bursting, Hammong-hummingl, bongo-banging funk stank of cosmic proportions.

Review: A year after dropping his acclaimed album 'Billy Valentine And The Universal Truth' with Flying Dutchman and Acid Jazz Records, Billy unveils a fresh take on a soul classic. Recorded at LA's prestigious Henson Recording Studio, alongside producer Bob Thiele Jr. and a stellar band including Larry Goldings, Pino Paladino, Jeff Parker, James Gadson, and John Philip Shenale, he introduces three new tracks. His rendition of Gil Scott-Heron's 'Lady Day & John Coltrane', debuted on Gilles Peterson's BBC6Music, mesmerising live audiences. This special edition 7" includes a unique edit of 'Home Is Where The Hatred Is', not previously available on vinyl.

Review: Chris Bangs is widely, albeit not so, known for coining the term 'acid jazz'. If it weren't for him it's likely we wouldn't have modern day future jazz pushers like Soul Jazz or Brownswood. This new compendium, 'Firebird', charts the DJ and producer's latest sonic explorations, blurring the boundaries between every influence from contemporary jazz, UK electronic dance, and Latin dance styles from bossa nova to salsa. It also contains several examples of what is known as his 'East Coast' sound, which pays homage to the fusion of jazz and funk and which spread throughout UK nightclubs as far back as the early 80s.

Review: Acid jazz pioneer - and "acid jazz" coiner (!) - Chris Bangs returns with a brand new album for 2024, 'Dream World', which follows on from his early 2023 release 'Firebird'. Corralling his friends - Argentine keyboardist Luciano De La Rosa, Italian Massimo Morganti on trombone, Chile's Juan Pi Salvo on trumpet, and Fabio Tiralongo on sax - together for a supergrouped set of nine Bangers, Dream World hears the artist transcend borders in a mondialised fashion, in doing so paying homage to many of his inspirational greats such as the Mizell Brothers, Wayne Henderson and George Duke, whom together produced the joint groundwork for the latter-day genre.

Review: The UK has had many distinct and hugely influential different musical scenes and acid jazz back in the late 80s and early 90s was one of them. Brand New Heavies were right at the heart of it. Their Original Flat album from 1994 very much captures the best of that time - coming of course on Acid Jazz Records - and to this day is a superb fusion of energetic jazz and retro funk with big hooks and great vocals. This reissue comes on limited white vinyl and includes material from before their seminal, self-titled 1990 debut.

Review: The jazz and broken beat revival continues apace as we race through 2019, so original pioneers of the sound are rightly coming back into focus. Enter the Brand New Heavies, one of the key acts of the mid-eighties who sound as good on this brand new album as ever. It's littered with funk-licked pop, crystalline acid jazz and singalong songs that range from tender ballads to soaring soul. Angie Stone, Beverley Knight and other vocalists lend their tones along the way, but importantly TBNH is not a revival or self-satisfied celebration. Instead, it feels like a forward-looking and accomplished album that takes the band in subtle new directions.

Review: This long-lost 1973 album from Graham Dee is a fabled record from the man who was a key figure in the 60s London session scene and later a prolific songwriter and producer, and it is now released on vinyl for the first time. Dee was a renowned session guitarist who played with legends like Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck as well as artists such as John Lee Hooker and The Walker Brothers. After working with them, he became an in-house producer for Atlantic Records and honed a distinctive 'British Soul sound.' In the 70s, he moved to the U.S., writing songs and working at the legendary Muscle Shoals. Mr. Super Cool was only rediscovered in 2019 and it's clear to hear Dee's unique talent on a record that offers a fascinating glimpse into early 70s recording.

Review: Ferry Djimmy's life sounds hard to believe - a schoolteacher and boxer in the late 50s in Benin, he wound up in Paris as a policeman on missions alongside Jacques Chirac, and it was there he recorded his first two singles. They didn't quite make a splash but when he returned to Benin he caught on with the country's authorities and was given a budget to start a label to inspire the youth towards the Marxist-Leninism direction the ruling party had taken. Taking his cues from Fela Kuti, he recorded most of the music himself and now the sound of Revolution Records represents Afrobeat at its most vital, just outside the established lore of the Nigerian hub. Djimmy's heavy brand of funk comes to life on this dedicated collection on Acid Jazz, with 16 tracks which rank as the most authoritative overview of his work to date.

Review: Ferry Djimmy is quite the character - he is a mysterious Afrobeat figure who also was a former schoolteacher, boxer, Jacques Chirac's bodyguard, and well as being a legendary Beninese musical visionary. He recorded this album sometime in the mid-1970s in support of the revolutionary leader of Benin at the time - Mathieu Kerekou. A fire is reported to have turned all but 200 copies to dust so it is mega rare and expensive to get an original. Acid Jazz reissues it here in all its fiery, lo-fi, gnarly Afrobeat glory. This is a fully licensed project with all new and in-depth sleeve notes by Florent Mazzoleni.

Review: Originally released in 1993, this special edition enhances The James Taylor Quartet's legacy with remastered tracks and bonus material. Known for its infectious grooves, soulful melodies and catchy Hammond organ riffs, it captures the energy of London's 90s jazz scene and then some. Featuring standout tracks like 'Love Will Keep Us Together,' the album seamlessly blends jazz, funk and soul and this reissue reaffirms its timeless appeal by introducing new generations to its dynamic sound while offering nostalgia for longtime fans. A cornerstone of modern jazz-funk brilliance.

Review: Acid Jazz Records are master compilers who here turn their focus once more to Les Sympathics De Porto Novo Benin. It's part of the label's reissues series focussing on rare sounds from legendary Benin imprint Albarika Store and is a second album from one of the most notable groups to hail from Porto Novo'. This 1970s collective, founded by Herman Laleye, is famed for its heavy rhythm section and vocals from Gangbo Bonheur, Armand Pognon playing blues-tinged guitar and Camille Zanou's on the organ. Rather than straight-up Afro-beat, Afro-funk or Latin, this band fused it all seamlessly into something new.

Review: Acid Jazz's announcement of the 30th anniversary 2LP remastered edition of Mother Earth's The People Tree is a momentous occasion for fans of acid jazz and soul music alike. Originally released in 1994, this album holds a significant place in the genre's history, blending elements of soul, funk, and folk-tinged rock from the 70s with a modern twist. The special edition reissue boasts the original album, along with three previously unreleased tracks and six making their vinyl debut. Remastered from the original analogue recordings, this release promises to breathe new life into the beloved classic. Featuring guest appearances from iconic artists like Paul Weller, Dee C Lee and Simon Bartholomew of Brand New Heavies, The People Tree is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the acid jazz scene. Notable bonus tracks include the previously unreleased alternative version of 'Apple Green,' an alternate take on 'Illusions,' and the title track itself. First-time vinyl cuts offer fresh perspectives on tracks like 'Jesse' and 'Slide Sweet Baby,' adding depth to the listening experience. The album's presentation is equally impressive, with a beautiful 'wide-spine' layout, printed inner sleeves, and insightful notes from label-founder Eddie Piller, accompanied by unseen photos from the original cover shoot. Overall, this anniversary edition of The People Tree is a album worth your time as it often selected for one of the best examples in the genre.

Review: Deep diggers and Afro lovers have long been locked into Benin-based West African funk fusionists Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou. The group started laying down their rhythmic madness as far back as the late 60s when they were formed by leader Clement Melome, and still drop new heat today. This new collection from Acid Jazz's Albarika Store series is a collection of some of their most legendary jams from over the years. Standouts are many but include 'Gbeti Ma Djro', 'Segla' and the legendary 'It's A Vanity' - add them all up and you have some of the most essential Afro-funk to have ever been written.