Guarapachanga (A Nicholson Miquifaye remix) (9:14)
Guarapachanga (A Nicholson Miquifaye reprise) (5:56)
Review: The New York-based (U)nity is made up of Michael Valeanu, Axel Tosca Laugart, Chris Smith, Max Cudworth and Amaury Acosta. They formed the band in 2006 as a project to explore Afro-Cuban jazz, funk, soul and contemporary electronica. They say they've been influenced by everyone from Chucho Valdes to Art Blakey to Led Zeppelin to Kendrick Lamar, and you can definitely hear all of that in this jawdropping work. "Guarapachanga" is special in that it was the first song written by the band back in their days as music students at The New School. It's derived from the style known as guarapachangeo - the most advanced form of Cuban rumba, heavily improvisational and based on very complex rhythms and melodies. On this recording, (U)nity is graced with a guest performance by Grammy Award winner Pedrito Martinez, a master rumbero, one of the greatest conga players ever, an innovator who has left a permanent mark on Cuban music. Martinez is also a priest in the Yoruba religion and a historian of Cuban culture.
Over its eight and a half minutes, "Guarapachanga" twists and turns and journeys through a mind bending array of different tempos and modes, from Latin jazz to hip hop, ultimately ending with a trippy ambient soundscape. The whole thing is overlaid with free spirited melody, soul and the Afro-Cuban essence that is the band's lifeblood. The white-hot live playing gives it the feel of the best early-morning jam session, yet it packs a sonic punch that will make it sound incredible on a good sound system in the hands of adventurous DJs in the world-beat or spiritual-house vein. If you didn't know "Guarapachanga" was a contemporary work you might mistake it for a Loft classic; yet it's also as fresh and exciting as anything you'll hear this year.
Review: 1974's Coming Right At You, the sole album from 100% Pure Poison, has long been a sought-after jazz-funk gem. Soul Brother has previously reissued the rare (and increasingly expensive) LP, though this double 7" marks the first time most of these tracks have been available on wax since 2001. Check first opener (and title track) "Windy C", a superb chunk of lolloping, laidback jazz-funk that sits somewhere between Bob James and Cymande, before turning your attention to the slow-burn soulful delights of string-laden torch song "Puppet On A Chain". Over on the second 7", "No More City, No More Country" is a more hard-spun Blaxploitation funk affair, while "Hole In My Shoe" is a horn-fired slab of J.B's style funk-soul fusion.
Review: Masterminded by Jeff Dynamite Silverman, 10th Street is an all-star studio band comprised of some of NYC's best disco, funk and soul musicians of the last two decades (including members of Antibalas, the Dap-Kings, The Expressions and El Michels Affair). The collective's self-titled debut album, which dropped earlier this year, is a genuine must-listen and offers a near perfect distillation of disco, soul and funk flavours of the 1970s. This 7" single sports two of that set's standout cuts: hazy, mid-tempo, laidback disco-funk number 'Livin' In New York City', where Blaxploitation guitar licks, spacey synths, sustained organ chords and eyes-closed female vocals catch the ear, and the weightier, more percussive and undeniably dancefloor-friendly instrumental 'Moodie's Basement'. In a word: essential!
Review: 10th Street is one of those devotional funk projects which sounds like it would wholly pass for the real deal, despite being made in recent times by a crack team of NYC musicians from bands including El Michels Affair, Lee Fields & The Expressions, The Dap-Kings and Antibalas. Following Mighty Eye's release of the group's self-titled debut album in 2022 comes this single, which tasks Tom Noble with whipping up a remix of 'E.A.R.L.'s Theme'. Whether you plump for the juiced up Noble remix or the sizzling groove of the original, you have the chance to cop some genuine dancefloor dynamite right here.
Review: The brilliantly entitled 1619 Bad Ass Band covered myriad different styles from mellow sound to furious funk on their superlative and self-titled debut long player back in 1976. Two of it's standout tunes now get pulled and pressed on this red hot 7" from P-Vine, complete with a flip-back sleeve. That LP is a rare one amongst the famous TSG catalogue and first up from it is the mid-tempo dance gem 'Nothing Can Stop My Loving You' while on the flip there is the more heavy funk sound of 'Step Out' which anyone who has listened to any DJ Shadow will know he sampled.
Review: Little is known about this early 1970s psychedelic soul group from Germantown, Philadelphia. However, their record was recorded in 1969 and released in 1970 as one of two releases on Michael Nise's Round Records (Nise Productions INC). Now, remastered from an original pristine vinyl copy in collaboration with Nise Productions, this marks the first official reissue of the album. The group's music captures the essence of the era's soul and psychedelic influences, making this a long-awaited release for collectors and fans of vintage soul.
Review: Fryers presents 'I Need You Girl' from The 3 Pieces. In the early 1970s, Detroit-born jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd moved away from his previous hard-bop jazz base and began to experiment with jazz fusion, jazz-funk, soul-jazz, and rhythm and blues. Teaming up with the Mizell Brothers, they produced 'Black Byrd', which was enormously successful and became Blue Note Records' highest-ever selling album. The Mizell Brothers followed up their success with more albums for Byrd: 'Places and Spaces', 'Steppin' Into Tomorrow' and 'Street Lady' were also big sellers, and have subsequently provided a rich source of samples for acid jazz artists such as Us3. Another Donald Byrd production was for The 3 Pieces, a vocal trio signed to Fantasy Records. Until now the their music has been confined to their 1975 album 'Vibes of Truth', so it's about time that someone took the two strongest tracks from their masterpiece and cut them onto a 45. Not only that but Fryers got hold of the master tapes and did a special transfer just for the 45. So now you have two of the most sublime '70s soul dancers on 7", sounding better than ever: rich soulful strings, crispy sharp drums and deep ranging bass. 1975 never sounded so good.
Review: 400 Years Of What dropped this often talked about, but seldom seen, single on Counterpart Records back in the heyday of Black Power but the record barely made it out of Ohio. With original copies nearly impossible to uncover, it has only been through deep-pocketed collectors and DJs that anyone has gotten to hear the amazing A-side. Features a burning instrumental track with extended drum breaks and an irresistible groove. The B-side is just as strong, a funkadelic-esque stoned head-nodder with chanted vocals.
Review: Only 230 copies of this hot-to-trot seven-inch exist, so you'll have to move fast to secure a copy. It's certainly well worth picking up, thanks to the quality of the cut-and-paste antics on show from Gimme Some More main men the 45 Brothers. Taking a similar approach to Double Dee and Steinski, "Next Level" sees them stitch together a variety of killer funk grooves and sweaty breakbeats, which are then peppered with all manner of classic hip-hop vocal samples. Flipside "Right On" is an altogether deeper affair with a hazier, more undulating feel and excellent use of deep Rhodes chords, flanged guitar licks and drifting female vocal samples.
Review: looking for a drum and breaks heavy 45 to destroy your dancefloor ? Try this for size picking up props from those big DJ's in the know - Limited to 200 hand -numbered copies . Don't sleep !
Review: The 45 King was given unprecedented access to the rescued master tapes in the archives of the recently relaunched Westbound Records label in order to create the beats for this bumper album. The music of Junie Morrison and Ohio Players features heavily of course as The King pays tribute to the original iconic breakbeats that helped make him such a don in the hip-hop world. This box has seven singles in all, with 13 of these new tunes all appearing across seven differently coloured slices of wax.
Review: Brit-funk combo 52nd Street are undeniably best-known for their 1983 single on Factory Records, "Look Into My Eyes", which came accompanied by some killer remixes from John "Jellybean" Benitez and sailed closed to the NYC electro sound. The Manchester outfit's roots were in jazz-funk though, as this essential reissue of their 1982 debut single proves. "Look Into My Eyes" is simply superb: a warm, woozy and gently groovy affair full of attractive lead vocals, elastic slap bass, colourful synthesizer lines and dreamy chords. If you're after some more up-tempo dancefloor pressure, check out flipside "Express" - a riotous affair rich in hammered-out Clavinet lines, jaunty lead lines and energetic percussion.
Review: 7th Wonder - "Daisy Lady" is such a special and in-demand tune that no matter how many times it gets reissued it always sells out. This latest pressing on Breaks & Beats is a hand-numbered and limited edition 7" that is backed with Blackbusters's 'Old Man'. It's a cosmic funk workout with some great synth magic drawn out and weaved into funky breaks with all the bells and whistles (literally.) But really that 7th Wonder jam is the one here with its pumping drums and lavish horn sections all making for a colourful and vibrant wedge of irresistible funk.
Review: 9th Creation's Superheros album was a treasure trove of soulful disco tunes that have since become hard to find and ever more desirable. Now the Dynamite Cuts 45s Series has two of the gems from it on this special new 7". It's the first time there a-side has been on its own piece of vinyl and that tune 'Whats Shakin' goes first. It's gloriously glossy and high quality disco with funky horns and big bass, a lush vocal hook and luxuriant sound. 'Much Too Much' is on the reverse and is another floor facing disco tune with a heart swelling vocal and smooth chords that can often fetch L150 on its own.
Review: Dynamite Cuts is one of the most apply named labels of them all. Once again here it brings the serious funk heat on a tidy 7" from The 9th Creation. Both of these super sexy killers are taken from the mega rare Bubble Gum album and it's not hard to see why it has become such a highly sought after record. The title tune is only just over two minute long but has steamy spoken word vocals with Moog funk bass. 'Rule Of Mind' is longer at over five minutes, and the way the keys shimmy into your affections and the lead sax brings the lustre is second to none. What an EP.
Review: Soon to be followed by two more from the mighty Ratio - ACR:EPC and ACR:EPR - EPA is the opening chapter in a triptych born from nothing. Or at least no fixed plan or specific agenda. A day spent jamming in the studio with close friend of the band and regular vocal collaborator, Denise Johnson, the recordings here and on the pair still to come represent the work they did that day, shortly before the world lost the woman in question forever.
Passing away in July 2020, well before her time, this is ACR paying tribute to another integral part of the Manchester music Factory. From the hypnotic and woozy 'Wonderland', where Donna Summer meets acid jazz, to the more straight-laced disco material - delivered with an edge you'd expect in terms of instrumentation and vocals - EPA is a fitting way to honour her legacy.
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