Review: Israeli funk powerhouse The Apples have a fiercely unique approach to the timely tradition of heavy grooving live musicianship, and they lay it down in no uncertain terms on their long awaited return to Freestyle Records. On the A side they're having a whole lotta fun covering Blur's 'Song 2' in a raucous style, bringing an almost rave-ready energy to the track and pouring barrel loads of their own personality over the version. 'The Power' nods plenty to the roots of funk as well as its descendents - just check the turntablism cutting its way through the sweet sax and slick guitar chops.
The Quartertones - "Caffeine" (DJ Format's Getaway version)
Review: In anticipation of the forthcoming follow up to the hugely popular "Stay On The Groove" compilation, Freestyle drop another couple of sublime modern funk nuggets on 45. Beaming in directly from Israel, The Apples give us the insanely catchy "Attention!" - lifted from their debut album of the same name, this is an essential slice of dancefloor funk. Updating the classic funk sound, The Apples drop heavy instrumentation over a looped up break, alongside some fresh cuts and scratches. Rumoured to be a live experience not to miss, we hope to be able to bring you more from this energetic set. Over on the flip, Canada's finest The Quartertones drop another hefty chunk of funk with the highly charged "Caffeine". Stepping up on remix duties is the UK's very own DJ Format who applies the brakes and beefs up the beats with his trademark funk sound. Sounding like the theme to the worlds funkiest car chase, it's hard to imagine this not killing it on the dancefloor!
Review: Kylie Auldist is a heavyweight Aussie soul singer whose powerful lungs have graced many a hit over the years. Now, with the help of Lance Ferguson and Graeme Pogson, she's recorded a solo album, Family Tree, and this here EP features a selection of tracks from it. Gone is the raw funk vibes of old with Auldist opting for a bright and synthetic mid-'80s pop-soul sound instead. It largely works too with the Donna Allen-esque "Sensational", the chrome and carpet grooves of "Family Tree" and the late-'70s US funk style of "Rewards" as standouts.
Review: Taken from the long-awaited debut album from Latin funk collective, Brownout, these 2 tracks will no doubt make international
noise as the real deal Latin funk. Two and a half years in the making, the album was recorded in rare down-time from their main
project Grupo Fantasma (who recently toured as backing band to Prince). The band hit analog tape machines, home studios
and laptops to create their full length introduction to the world, chock full of Latin, afro, funk and psychedelic sounds that will
challenge you to sit still without snapping your neck. Here they drop their cover of Manu Dibango's 'African Battle', which is an
up-tempo, break-riding banger which has been played constantly at b-boy jams worldwide for the last few years. Over on the flip
is the bands own 'The Sexican' more deep fried Latin funk fo that ass.
Review: 'Hard Times' is a mega rare outing from Chequers which they dropped back in 1983 at the height of popularity for this sport of sound. It's irresistible electro-boogie that will get you in a spin in no time. The squelchy bass, r&b vocals and withering sci-fi disco synths all bring real colour. Flip it over and you will find the equally stellar 'If You Want My Love'. This is the first time this one has ever been reissued by its Freestyle label. Don't sleep on this surefire party starter and underground classic.
Review: Reissued on 12" wax after its long germination as a mega-rare promo white label, Rick Clarke's very first and massively sought-after single 'Potion', from 1981, gets light shed on it once more. Revered by boogie collectors in particular, this one is best known for its instrumental, which appears in all its glitzy glory on the B side. On the song, as you'll recall, Clarke urges us to "get, get down" and drink from his disco elixir; we gladly oblige.
Review: Two big cuts taken from the Melbourne trio's sixth album Blind Bet, here the band flip two sides of a ridiculously funky coin. "Mind Made Up" features the vocals of Tru Thoughts starlet Kylie Auldist. Her rich emphatic vocals fit the 70s soul licks perfectly. Smooth and dynamically delivered with big horns, subtle strings, major chords and an instantly catchy chorus, you'll make your mind up on this long before the last horns blast a final cheerio. "Skeletor", meanwhile, is a much more party-focussed jam where big breakbeats provide the back bone for sharp horns, heavy Hammond slapping and warm gravelly vocals.
Review: Cookin' On 3 Burners are Australia's foremost organ trio, joining the dots between funk, soul, boogaloo and jazz. Long time partners Lance Ferguson (guitar), Ivan Khatchoyan (drums) and Jake Mason (organ) have taken their home brew of 'soulful Hammond get down' everywhere from national jazz festivals to after hours bars and clubs. "Cook It" is released on Freestyle.
Review: Australian funk troupe Deep Street Soul have become stalwarts of the Freestyle label since their debut back in 2008. Soul Come Alive is a dinked 7" sampler for what to expect on their upcoming album for Freestyle, Come Alive!, and we can't wait to hear it on the basis of these two tracks. The grit is deep with this crew! Lead track "Soul Come Alive" sees the vocal might of May Johnson's singing centre-stage, orchestrating the other band members into delivering a genuine slab of soul music. Complementing this, "Done Me Wrong" sees the band let loose and head deep into the funk for a true gritty shaker. Big moves from Freestyle and Deep Street Soul.
Review: Deep Street Soul are back on Freestyle with another dinky seven containing excellent cuts from the group's latest LP, Look Out, Watch Out. As you'd expect from Deep Street Soul, it's down town funk all the way, sitting neatly between the sounds of the old school greats such as Marva Whitney and the new jack funkateers like Sharon Jones and The Dap Tones. "Hold On Me" is an excellent little slice of stomping funk and is backed with the more jazzy popcorn swing of "This Love Ain't Big Enough".
Review: Blimey...not for the faint hearted this one as Aussie band Deep Street Soul head for the jugular with this funk stormer! New vocalist May Johnston gives the likes of Marva Whitney, Spanky Wilson and Sharon Jones a run for their money with a screaming funk anthem on the A-Side; on the flip Shirley Davis stamps her identity on the band's version of "Masterpiece" with swirling hammond organ and brass stabs.
Review: Freestyle Records has got a brilliant and rather rare bit of boogie here in the form of Eddie Capone's 'I Wont Give You Up.' This is the first officially licensed reissue of this 1985 gem by the reggae, funk and soul mainstay of that decade. He played with various noted outfits such as Chairmen of the Board, Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come and Edwin Starr and was also in the short-lived band Casablanca. He founded the Treatment band in the early 1980s and played with a rotating cast of musicians. The tunes included on this 7" are some of them with Diane Jones providing vocals on the A-side, which is the standout gem.
Review: Freestyle Records delivers another UK boogie gem with Eddie Capone's Treatment, reissuing the 1985 white label rarity Only You Know What I Like. Limited to just 300 copies worldwide, this release shines a light on Capone's legacy. A stalwart of the UK's reggae, soul and funk scenes since the 70s, Eddie Capone formed Treatment in the early 80s, blending a rotating cast of talent. The track has become a sought-after deep cut for selectors, continuing Capone's influence across generations of musicians and DJs.
Speedometer feat Ria Currie - "Answer To Mother Popcorn"
Review: Freestyle serve up 2 James Brown tributes as a sampler for the recent Modern Funk compilation. It has been argued that 2007
was the year that the underground funk movement finally started to make its presence known in the mainstream. Huge selling
artists such as Mark Ronson, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse spearheaded a movement towards a more organic and authentic
sound, selling thousands of records in the process and whisking bands, who have been gigging in small sweaty clubs in the UK
for years, off on world tours. The music itself harks back to the golden years of Motown, Watts and Stax, as well as hundreds of
unknown smaller labels, but given the all important production values of the 21st century, making it perfect for the dancefloor -
hence the tag 'Modern Funk'. The a-side finds The Fantastics (previously known as Reverend Cleatus and The Soul Saviours)
getting busy with The Godfather's 'Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose', sticking pretty close to the original but slapping their unique style
all over it. Over on the flip Speedometer and Ria Currie take on 'Answer To Mother Popcorn', originally a Vicki Anderson number,
giving it a update for the dancefloor in 2008.
Review: New Zealand-born Lance Ferguson has been the beating heart of Melbourne's modern funk and soul scene for the best part of two decades. It's this that allowed him to gather many of the city's best musicians together to record "Rare Groove Spectrum", an album of fresh covers of rare and classic funk, soul and Latin jams. This sampler seven-inch contains two killer covers. On the A you'll find Ferguson and company charging through the deep funk brilliance of "Egg Roll", an instrumental track that first rose to prominence when Keb Darge reissued an un-credited test pressing of mysterious origin. Over on the flip, Ferguson's charges deliver a heady, exotic and intoxicating interpretation of "The Dump" by Soul Vibrations.
Review: Jet-set instrumental funk from Lance Ferguson, sifted from his rare early release 'Rare Groove Spectrum Vol. 1'. The pieces are technically covers; the A, of Earth, Wind & Fire's 'Brazilian Rhyme', and the B of 'Sweet Power Your Embrace' by James Mason. This Japanese 7" edition contains no end of wally funk, baggy brass trills and bossa nova clave, musically emanating straight from the heart of Melbourne, Australia.
Review: Hailing from Brighton, The Grits were formed in late 2005 by guitarist Stuart Carter and organist Nick "The Organizer" Harris with the intention of playing proper funk in the style of The Meters, Eddie Bo, The Gaturs, The JB's and countless other anonymous funk heroes. Drummer Johnny and bassist James were then recruited to make the rough, rare, grimy and greasy instrumental funk you have before you. With the simplest of line-ups, every last drop of funk is squeezed out of each tune. "Boom Boom" is a great release on Freestyle.
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