Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Welcome to Volume 2 A & R re-edit and remix collection . You'll find here Outkasts "Ms Jackson" a special reggae version. A classic reggae tune "This Is Reggae Music". Also a hard to find version of Kool & The Gang's "NT Reggaeversion" and a very special dancefloor version of "Funky Nassau". All re-edited and remastered for maximum listening and dancing pleasure! A& R goes in all directions, as long as its funky!

Review: Adelle First luckily came up in the late '80s to early '90s tradition of cut-up house. 'Don't Give Up' is her defining moment; a precious South African disco piece that is unusually sensitive and detailed in disposition, and which features a brilliant dub mix on the B, that shows off every production aspect of this tried but true style with a startling sense of intricacy. First released in 1986, the flair of producer Tom Mkhize together with First's lolling vocals is once more put on display on this 2022 reissue.

Review: Alex Puddu's Afro Soul Prophecy project continues to blaze into the year with pure molten lava grooves. "Daddy's Groove" is a perfect summer heater with its laid back horns that ooze over the wah wah licks and strutting rim-shots. "Let Me Be Your Lover" takes more of a Latin approach with its upbeat rhythm and bossa tendencies. Listen out for those cosmic guitars in the background... Dreamy business.

Review: Hot on the heels of "Super Jam" is "Rec", on the Fun Weapons label, a mid-tempo juiced track that All Good Funk Alliance is famous for. The track fuses dancehall-like vocals with darker edged beats, horns and bass. The Ancient Astronauts (Switchstance) drop a more relaxed remix.

Review: A Good Funk Alliance kick off with the "AGFA Theme" a bell bottom, big collar funky jam followed by "Where I Need To Be" a tongue twisting hip hop anthem. Flip over for "Queries Bailar" and a remix of "Queries Bailar" by Ed Royal and DJ Enne.

Review: Crowbar come correct with this belting little slice of mid 70s funk by J.T. Allen and Little Richard's Band, originally issued on the Delmar label out of Atlanta in 1975. Sales notes suggest one collector offered Crowbar a sizeable sum to not reissue this gem, but the label was not interested, adamant that funk of this calibre needs to be granted a wider audience in fully licensed and remastered fro,. Raise your glasses to Crowbar then, as both cuts here will liven up the funk dance. "Working Hard" has a certain Motown edge to it, thanks to the rolling percussion and harmonies whilst "Freeway Crowd" finds JT and company veering off into grittier territory.

Review: Honest Jon's release jazzy reworks of the Afrobeat original, "Kilode".

Review: In the City of Chi a DJ is only taken seriously when playing his edits, so it doesn't come as a surprise that Stilove4music can tap into a never ebbing fountain and as always delivers more of the prime stuff. The A-side holds a early 80s dance essential from the sharpest trombone player in soul and funk music, who went solo without the godfather on this track. Each time the original gets played the place goes off, therefore the intro has been extended, drums and piano line tease with expectation then BANG! in come those famous horns, twisting, turning and forcing your head to nod profusely. The flip holds another early 80s funk monster stripped down bare naked and raw. Catchy like Anthrax.

Review: Soul fans rejoice because this is a truly cockle-warming gem that gets a much-anticipated reissue on Tramp. Amazin' Five's 'Only With You' pairs gorgeous and clean vocals with golden chords and backing trumpets that add warmth and luxury. It is a truly breezy cut that will work as well on dark winter nights as it will bright sunny afternoons and it comes with a Russian vocal as well as the English a-side. The Russian one appears on the flip and brings a more international feel. This is another fine move from Germany's Tramp label.

Review: The Mighty Eye label has been mighty fine in its work so far and this 16th outing is another doozy for funk lovers. The Ancient Cosmonauts are at the helm and that's a perfect name for a band that blends classic funk with cosmic moods. 'Free As I Wanna Be' is conversational and instrumental brilliance with sombre lead horns and gentle live drums sinking you into a mellow mood. 'Intergalactical Travel' takes flight on more astral lines and has a little more bite in the drums but this is still a warm, heartfelt sound.

Review: The saying goes that no one likes a tattle tale, but any self respecting funk collector would be hard pressed to give up on the chance of owning this latest dinker of the same name from the esteemed Antibalas collective. Composed by crew member Victor Axelrod, "Tattletale" has been a long term fixture of live sets by Antibalas and it's great to see them finally commit it to seven inches of wax. Laid down during the recording sessions for their last Daptone long player, its spread across two parts on this seven and is a sublime slab of Ethiopian funk that sees Antibalas doffing their collective cap to '70s pioneers Mulatu Astatqe, Wallias Band and Mahmoud Ahmed.

Review: Fresh early 70s Cali soul, Edward 'Apple' Nelson and his citrus compadres self-released this on their own Sagittarius imprint back in 1971.Highly limited, it never got the justice it deserved... Until now. Thanks to Jazzman we can now enjoy the positive licks and charms of northern soul-fave "Love Brings Out The Best Of You" and get all reflective and romantic with "My Baby" as if they were recorded and released yesterday. Fruity.

Review: Steve Arrington's 'Way Out' is a classic Atlantic soul/funk re-issue, a rare release that still has the hard funk of earlier years, yet which also has Slave sweetening
up their sound in a great sort of 80s groove way. The tracks kick along with that great rolling bass sound that the group practically invented, and which has been
their everlasting legacy to mainstream funk. Steve Arrington's vocals stamp the sound and give the grooves even more. Includes original versions of 'Way Out' &
'Steal Your Heart'. Don't Sleep On This One.

Review: Outside of record collecting circles, few have heard of Axis's 1984 cut "Silver Satin" - though given that it was only ever released as a private press single (some 200 or so copies were apparently pressed), that's hardly surprising. Here, new record label Ice City gives it the reissue treatment. The track is a brilliantly spacey chunk of slap-bass propelled, P-funk era boogie full of eyes closed guitar solos, impassioned vocals and swirling synthesizer chords. On the flipside you'll find a previously unreleased track, "Runaway Love", which was written, produced and performed by main main Byron Bordeaux in 1986. Closer to '80s soul but with guitars and bass reminiscent of electrofunk-era jazz-funk jams, it's almost better than the A-side, and that's saying something. In other words, this is an essential reissue.

Review: Ahead of their latest long player excursion on the Far Out imprint, iconic Brazilian trio Azymuth drop this twelve inch shaped sample of what to expect with the added bonus of a remix from Italian disco funk deity LTJ Experience. "In My Tree house", purportedly delivered over a two week period of recording and fine tuning in a Rio studio, is a track dear to Azymuth member Jose Roberto Bertrami - dedicated to the great oak tree that obscures the view from his bedroom window. More importantly its vintage Azymuth, packed with tons of tight jazz funk hooks and vocal melodies. The flipside remix of "Crazy Clock" is a late night funk bomb filled with tight guitar lines and woozy moog flourishes sitting pretty on top of a delightfully low slung groove.

Review: The Moiss Music label seems to like to drop their EPs two at a time. They did it in February and they're doing it again in May. This eighth outing collects four more lively disco cuts, each with their own subtle influences. Berobreo's 'White Rabbit' for instance has funky undertones with loopy guitar riffs and nice breaks. The Magic Track's 'Jamming With Mom' meanwhile is more sensuous and deep, with late-night synth work and seductive vocals. Oldchap's 'I Want To Show You' has an expressive soul vocal with more low-slung grooves and Alexny's 'Not Bad' then gets quick, clipped and loopy for its lip-pouting disco thrills.

Review: There aren't many copies of this deep funk double header around, so we'd recommend moving sharpish if you want to get your hands on one. It boasts cuts from two significant contemporary U.S funk bands. Side is handled by BT ALC Big Band, whose Ropeadope-released set The Search For Peace was one of our favourite funk albums of 2019. Their contribution to this EP, 'The Iguana', is a rousing and righteous affair, with jazz style guitar and punchy sax solos rising above a heavy, Hammond-sporting funk groove. Equally as impressive is mystery outfit Agent 3's flipside cut 'Secrets Below The Embassy', a bustling future Hammond funk classic that boasts some of the gnarliest funk-rock guitar solos we've heard in some time.

Review: An extra special 45: Jack Costanzo's nickname Mr Bongo inspired the label's very name. One of the most prolific band leaders of his time, the drum-heavy "Jive Samba" was originally released on Tico in 1968 on his Latin Percussion With Soul album. For more percussive precocity flip for Al Escobar's take on Archie Bell & The Drells' classic northern soul anthem "Tighten Up". First released as The Modern Sound Of Al Escobar, original pressings have long since vanished or found a place in collections, making this an even more attractive release.

Review: Resense return with another bubbling cauldron of international funk; "Mambo Perez" is a muted trumpet freakfrest with a one way ticket to Cuba by way of Lisbon. Precision diced edits and a really crisp break ensure chaos wherever you play this in the world. "EGO" flicks the samba switch as Greek Panama Cardoon gets wild with Mexican Audry Funk giving her stacks of space for a powerful vocal-focussed hip-slinker. Stunning contemporary funk for all quarters.

Review: The Fantastic Freeriding's "The Next Chapter EP" contains four flamin' new tracks by all Switchstance heads, painting the by now trademark collage of the label's various styles all anew in bright and shiny colours. Opening the EP is Gypsy Soul by Kabanjak - a dreamy yet percussive reflection that takes you right back to a campfire near the mediterranean shore. New March is pure Protassov: Beats, way fatter than his own bum, plus sounds, melodies and samples that go their own ways but always right forward. Deela here makes a glorious return (were they ever gone?) with Ghost Song, a fine specimen of broken beats that is sure to rock the more advanced dancefloors. Closing the EP is an uptempo funk track that was conceived right after Ancient Astronauts survived their first DJ trip to beautiful Greece - involving hardly any sleep, a near plane crash and totalling at a hectic 36 Hours. All tracks on the "The Next Chapter EP" are exclusives and not included on the album of the same name, to be released in July '06. "From spliffed up beats to jazzed out grooves, Switchstance is the source for dope tracks across the board!" - Fort Knox Five (USA) , "From Jazz to Cinematic sounds, from Rare Groove to Reggae and from Hip Hop to Post Rock: this is a trip and you'll go far beyond ! Congratulations for the album, this is really good!" - Kid Loco (FR), "Thank God for Switchstance! Mellow, deep, dubby freeriding for the folks out there that wonder what happened to Kruder and Dorfmeister. Now I've got my soundtrack for Summer!" - Gunnar Hissam (Om Records/USA), "I enjoy the many different shades & moods of the music presented here, hold together by a passion for funky hip-hop breaks & laidback atmospheres. Relaxed, soulful & deep while still danceable. I'm lovin' the whole compilation!" - David Borsu (Counterpoint Rec./B), "Switchstance Recordings continue establishing their unique sounds with another strong release. Respect!" - Karsten John (Vinyl Vibes/D), "Great label that always brings the funk!" - Rob Life (Breakin Bread Rec./UK), "Expect to see "36 Hours" as No. 1 in my next chart, it's a Jelly Jaz rocker cut!" - Pete Isaac (Jelly Jazz/UK), "Amazing EP!!! Chart: #1 This really really blew me away! All amazing tracks but will be caining the '36 Hours' track this time next year! Fast & funky! will be in the box for a few months!" - Diesler (Tru Thoughts/UK.)

Review: Having coaxed greats like Roy Ayres and Gwen Guthrie into the studio to collaborate, German producer Ferry Ultra has done it again by guiding Northern Soul legend Ann Sexton into the booth on "Rising Up". His album mix keeps faithful to the brassy and organic sounds of classic Northern Soul, but with enough sequenced beats in it to pack a punch. Atjazz sparkles on the remix, aiming it squarely at the floor with minimal clear-as-crystal kicks and some spacey atmospheric pads. South African Trancemicsoul also goes on a deep soulful adventure with Sexton's vocals, as does Soul Minority who superbly brings out the yearning in the singer's voice.

Review: Perennial party boosters, Breakbeat Paradise dive into spring with a fire quartet of modern funk. With bands repping across Europe, it's a global groove affair as longstanding German funkateers buss up big boogie hooks on "Get On Down", Swiss soulboys Grand Mothers Funck up the tempo with the sweaty floor-focussed groove of "The Dog" and Nasa Funk fly the p-funk flag so hard and proud they need a new pole. UK's A Man About A Dog rips up the finale with a scratched-out Latin heater. Original.

Review: Gold standard funk fanatics Mukatsuku again look to Latin American for their latest volume in their ongoing Colombian Latin Funk & Salsa Gems series. Both of the cuts here have been carefully picked from Disco Fuentes back catalogue with Adolfo Echeverria Y Su Orquesta's 'Sabroso Bacalao' first up. The pianos are killer from the off, with shuffling percussion and nimble drum work all finished with fiery vocals. Fruko Y Sus Tesos's 'Mi Verdadero Son' is on the reverse and has more infectious vocals and wild brass stabs that make you want to flail your every limb around way above your head. Pure heat as ever here and hand-numbered to just 500 copies. Strictly no repress.As played by DJ Koco..Gilles Peterson..The Allergies.. Dom Servini... Skeme Richards..Bobbito..

Review: Vanucci and Gazeebo's Soul Flip guise cracks its editing knuckles for a second roll of the party dice and the results are every bit as funky as you'd expect. Edwin Starr's 1968 super-funk belt-out gets supersized with a rolling big beat break while Aretha Franklin's formidable rhythm & blues stomper "A Change" is given a subtle thrusting for modern day floors. Absolute dynamite.

Review: Don't be fooled by the smoky jazzy horns on the intro: The Allergies are still at the front of the party queue! They were just lulling us into a false sense of security before hitting us with a precision range of big soul swingers and dynamite party killers; both "Hold You Close" and "Since You've Been Gone" pop with big beat bangs, "Entitled To That" stamps and sweats like Wigan Pier is still holding the best dances in the country, "Main Event" parps and pumps while long-standing affiliate Andy Cooper reminds us who's boss while "It Won't Be Me" (also with Cooper) is coded with so much horn and guitar powered gusto you could be fooled into thinking Ugly Duckling are back. Yet another triumphant album from one of Jalapeno's most exciting acts.