Back catalogue: Funk

Review: This killer UK boogie 12-inch by Tony Crockett was originally recorded and released in 1982. It has some brilliant raps delivered in an aloof style, with plenty of swagger, and a touch of campness. They sound dated but in a good, nostalgic way, while the music around still sounds fresh with the sleek bass and big flutes, low slung drums and warm chords. On the reverse is /Plane Jane', another cheeky bit of UK boogie that oozes funk and cool. These are fun tracks for sure and come in a full picture cover.

Review: Andy Meecham's forthcoming ninth album as the Emperor Machine, Island Boogie, is a genuine treat - a wonderfully colourful and effects-laden trip into what the former Bizarre Inc and Chicken Lips man calls 'electronic cosmic disco-boogie'. To get us all in the Mood, Leng have served up this EP of dubs and remixes. In the latter category you'll find a superb, piano solo-laden proto-house rework of 'Devoilez-Vous' by fellow Stafford act T Kutt, and a typically warm, languid Balearic disco interpretation of 'Island Boogie' by Leng co-founder Mudd. Meecham delivers two wonderfully skeletal, wayward and trippy instrumental dubs, lightly transforming 'Devoilez-Vous' and 'La Cassette' in turn. In a word: essential.

Review: Just What The World Needs returns to their own self-titled label with a 14th outing of fiery disco heat. This is potent music that melds together jazz, funk and soul with a lashing of synth goodness. The opener is a real driver with emotive gospel vocals and mad jazz keys. Second is a slower jam with a more dreamy feel then the flip side comes on strong with jazz say leading the way beneath vaping chords and funky, smooth drums. Last of all is a supercharged leftfield bomb with explosive cosmic synths and the sort of energy that stands out in any set.

Review: Italo disco heads take note, here's a quintessential one-hit wonder from a mystery crew known only as Kash. Arriving in 1981, this particular release leans more towards the organic, band-led sound of the 70s with some choice synth flourishes on top, rather than the more driving sound which would catch hold further into the 80s. 'Supercool' is a bubbling, funky-as-hell joint which will loosen up any dancefloor with ease, but 'Percussion Sundance' might well be the popular pick here thanks to its outstanding drums and hazy ambience. It's an essential purchase for anyone who loves a proper disco curveball made the classic way.

Review: Love's Command have been "riding the rocket of Brit funk" ever since day one says ROCit who now serves up a pair of new cuts from them. This record is designed to spread love and pace and it does that with feel-good vibes from the off. 'Aliens From Above' is an out-there funk sound with tight, quick drumming, plenty of neat guitar riffs and a cosmic feel from the lush synths. Add in vocoder vocals and you have a trip to outer space that you will never want to end. Flip it over and you get a more dubbed-out version that is no less of an adventure.

Review: The star-studded Sai Galaxy project returns, bringing together West African legends Steve Monite and Rob with multi-instrumentalist Simon Durrington, guitar maestro Alfred Bannerman, and Egypt 80 trumpet player Bade, for a second EP of vital Afro-disco and soul. Following up 2020's 'Get It As You Move' EP, the likes of 'Sometimes It Rains', the homonymous 'Okere', the truth-to-power 'Rich Man, Poor Man', and the live and swinging coda 'Hold Me Tonight' paint a multifaceted picture of a trio, equally as concerned with groove delivery as they are with narrative storytelling. Most emblematic of Sai Galaxy's approach is their inspiration by analog production techniques of similar Afro-soul albums from the 1970s and 80s, adding a modern touch informed by Simon Durrington's Digital Afrika project.

Review: KC

Review: The UK's Robin Lee is one of the members of much-loved disco gang Faze Action but also he's behind Andromeda Orchestra who return here with an album that offers a cosmic fusion of jazz-funk and disco. It's been put together with Moogs, clarinets, Rhodes and rich analogue textures that make for a mix of nostalgia and sonic richness that sinks you in deep. Blending nostalgia with innovation, Lee creates deep, immersive soundscapes. There are widescreen odysseys like 'Mythical', loved-up bunkers such as 'Thinking About Your Love' and a rare Nick The Record remix of 'Get Up & Dance' that overflows with cosmic melodies and lush, life-affirming strings.

Review: Library music maestro and original member of The Shadows Brian Bennett has a raft of sought-after records to his name, but this is surely one of the most prized. As with the best library music, the execution of the compositions is impeccable - like slipping on silken luxury leisurewear for your ears. The record has been a rich source for sampling over the years, so half the joy is in spotting licks and loops from your favourite tunes, but equally these disco-fied delicacies funk all on their own. Lovers of the Black Devil Disco Club vibe will be more than happy getting down to these tasteful cosmic groovers, unbelievably repressed for just the first time on Isle Of Jura since the original release in 1978.

Review: Hailing from Philadelphia, the Eraserhood Sound label has been fostering a particularly cosmic bend of synths and soul music which is primarily rounded out by their in-house band, Fantasy 15. Following a string of on-point singles, the group now coalesce for a hotly anticipated debut album which delivers on the promise of those early drops. Drop in on 'Ray Gun' and let the thick swathes of brain-tickling synths send you stratospheric - this is hot and heavy boogie colliding with the loftiest prog and coming up trumps. There is a luscious vocal cut featuring Kendra Morris, but primarily this is an instrumental trip to take you very far out indeed.

Review: After their debut collab on this label back in 2020, Afro-Cosmic pioneer Daniele Baldelli and sometime FPI Project member Marco Fratty are back once again with a new album, Graffito that taps into all their many years of experience at the forefront of this sound as producers and influential DJs. It's a record packed with cosmic arps and dazzling synth lines that reach for the stars over heavy, churning drums that lock you in. The track titles give more than subtle hints as to the vibes of these pieces, all of which are utterly timeless and could be long-lost 70s classics or future gems.

Review: One Bjorn Wagner is the mastermind behind the cosmic disco project Magic Source, a natural follow-on after the acclaimed funk outfits Mighty Mocambos and Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band. Voyage Spectral is his second album under the alias, following Earthrising in 2016. It's a dazzling display of synth-laden grooves, inspired not least by the rare and obscure cosmic disco bits made by relatively anonymous artists for European music libraries. Minimal, princely, fast disco cuts like 'Speed Boat To Atlantis' embematize the feel of this album and Wagner's oeuvre, as they nail the chilled-out psychedelic fantasy of magic-carpetting to far-off mythical worlds.

Review: Asha Puthli's triumphant return to the stage after 44 years is marked by tour dates across the US, Australia, and Europe, including iconic performances at Glastonbury and We Out Here. To celebrate this milestone, Mr Bongo has repressed her legendary 1976 album, The Devil Is Loose, on gold vinyl. This album, featuring the psychedelic disco-funk classic 'Space Talk,' exemplifies Puthli's eclectic career spanning 60s psyche, free-jazz, pop, rock and disco. Each track on The Devil Is Loose highlights Puthli's celestial style and sumptuous vocal range, supported by orchestral-infused, disco-enhanced instrumentation. The album transitions seamlessly from the infectious funk of 'Flying Fish' to the cosmic transcendence of the title track, and the choir-channelling 'Say Yes.' Puthli's majestic vocals cast a unique spell, making the album cinematic and captivating throughout. Whether replacing a worn-out original copy or discovering Asha Puthli for the first time, this quintessential slice of her world promises to enchant and inspire.

Review: Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis were amongst the most prolific producers of the disco era - a pair of jazz-trained eccentrics who not only embraced the disco sound, but did more than most to help develop it (they were particularly big fans of synthesisers, showcasing in their work as much as Giorgio Moroder and Patrick Cowley did). They also loved a concept - hence recording and releasing The Seven Deadly Sins, an album-length celebration of disco's sinful side, in 1977. As this Be With Records reissue proves, the album remains a rare beast: a largely instrumental disco album that sparkles from start to finish. For proof, check the seductive, electric piano-and-synth smothered grooves of 'Lust', the heavily electronic proto-techno of 'Gluttony', the solo-laden disco-funk heaviness of 'Pride' and the undeniably epic heaviness of 'Anger'.

Review: First released way back in 1997, The Mood Mosaic compilations found good traction not merely for their compiling of many lesser-known dark/Italo disco artists into singular compilations, but also for their use of implicitly sexual imagery on their front covers - a business-minded pairing, to say the least. This reissue harks back to the comp's enduring legacy, with lackadaisical classics including Marta Acuna's 'Dance, Dance, Dance', Touchdown's 'Ease Your Mind' and Black Devil's 'Follow Me' all appearing in quick succession.