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: It's a damn shame Cool Runners aka the duo of Paul Tattersall and Chris Rodel and was such a short-lived group because the tunes they made are next level. This reissue proves that with their 1982 single 'Checking Out' served up on a 12" with the sought-after 'High on a Feeling' on the flip. The open is lush street soul with boogie bass and twanging funk guitar riffs topped off with a gorgeous vocal. The second offering 'High On A Feeling' has leggier drums and more of a disco feel, but still plenty of brilliant boogie in the bass. Two cult classics, then.
Review: Freestyle 'Turn Up The Music' courtesy of this new 12" from Roy Hamilton, Cosmo Bowen and Dennis Palmer. The trio worked together way back in the 80s and back then it was as part of a nine-piece outfit known as Breeze. Anyone who attended the iconic Ronnie Scott's in London back then will probably have heard them play upstairs with the likes of Hi Tension and Gonzalez. In 1984 they decided to lay down this one and only 12" on the HBS label they ran. It's a stomper but a laid-back one that is now well in demand on the funk and soul scene.
Aldo Vanucci - "You're All Show" (feat Kylie Auldist - Smoove remix Craig Charles edit)
Lack Of Afro - "The Outsider" (part 2)
Mop Mop - "Run Around" (feat Fred Wesley & Anthony Joseph)
Euro Cinema - "Koekwaus"
Saskwatch - "Second Best"
The James Taylor Quartet - "Blow Up"
The Bongolian - "The Riviera Affair"
Hot 8 Brass Band - "Ghost Town"
Hidden Jazz Quartett - "High Heels" (feat Omar - Lack Of Afro remix)
The Perceptions - "Bite The Bit"
Jessica Lauren Four - "Happiness Train" (featt Jocelyn Brown)
Omar - "There's Nothing Like This" (feat Pino Palladino)
Dr Rubberfunk - "Creek Walk"
Cookin' On 3 Burners - "Cars"
Deep Street Soul - "What She Said"
The Sweet Vandals - "Feel Alive"
Emma Beatson & The Hawkmen - "Do It" (Mako & The Hawk version)
Tape Five - "Geraldine's Routine"
Review: Self-proclaimed "complete package" Craig Charles (actor, poet, DJ, radio host, stand-up) seems to be enjoying life as Britain's most famous funk and soul fan. Here, he curates a second installment of his Funk & Soul Club compilation series. Predictably, there's plenty to tickle the fancy, from the reggae-soul-house shuffle of Lack of Afro's remix of Hidden Jazz Quartet's "High Heels", and the psychedelic funk madness of The Bongolian's "The Riviera Affair", to the celebratory release of Jessica Lauren Four's "Happiness Train" (featuring a brilliant vocal from old Jocelyn Brown), and a pair of ripsnorting cover versions (Cookin' On Three Burners' fantastic take on Numan's "Cars" and Hot Eight Brass Band's famous remake of the Specials' "Ghost Town").
Nostalgia 77 - "Seven Nation Army" (feat Alice Russell)
Prince Fatty - "Insane In The Membrane" (feat Horseman)
Lack Of Afro - "A Time For" (feat Wayne Gidden)
The Stiff Naked Fools - "Rocket Man"
The Apples - "Killing"
Treva Whateva - "Singalong"
Federation Of The Disco Pimp - "More Than Dancing"
The Haggis Horns - "The Bump"
The Fantastics! - "Cold Case" (feat Sulene Fleming)
The Incredible Bongo Band - "Satisfaction"
Frootful - "Fish In The Sea" (feat Angeline Morrison)
Al Wilson - "The Snake"
The Mighty Showstoppers - "Shaft In Africa"
Speedometer - "Dragging Me Down"
Tape Five - "A Cool Cat In Town" (feat Brenda Boykin)
Review: Having re-invented himself as the UK's favourite funk and soul selector via shows on BBC 6 Music, comedy actor-turned-Corrie cab driver Craig Charles brings his wildly successful Funk & Soul Club brand to CD for the first time. Pitched at newcomers rather than confirmed diggers, it features a mix of well known nu-funk floor fillers (The Apples' version of RATM's "Killing In The Name", Nostalgia 77's ubiquitous White Stripes cover), lesser-known cuts from modern soul 'names' (Speedometer, The Haggis Horns, The Bamboos), older gems (Al Wilson, Incredible Bongo Band), a dash of reggae and a few curveballs (Treva Whateva's long-forgotten banger "Singalong"). Good times guaranteed.
Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - "Foolish Girl" (feat Alex Ligertwood)
The New Mastersounds - "Tantalus"
The Getup - "Hush"
Orquesta Akokan - "Mambo Rapidito"
Gizelle Smith - "Scared Of Something"
Menagerie - "Spiral"
Review: Craig Charles' annual "Funk & Soul Club" compilations are fast becoming as much of a Christmas tradition as turkey, dodgy decorations and ill-advised snogs at office parties. As with its predecessor, this sixth volume does a good job in showcasing the best in modern funk, soul, Afrobeat and heavy Latin jams, with a few stone cold classics thrown in (see the Mighty Ryeders' peerless "Evil Vibrations"). Look out for deep and heavy funk gems from the Bamboos, the New Mastersounds and Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum, some suitably smooth fare from Courtney Pine and Omar, a scintillating, salsa-focused cover of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by Scotland's Grupo Magnetico, and a dash of dancefloor goodness from funk breaks scene stalwarts Smoove and Turrell.
The Allergies - "Love That I'm In" (feat Andy Cooper)
The Andy Tolman Cartel - "You What!"
Nicole Willis & UMO Jazz Orchestra - "(Everybody) Do The Watusi"
Charles Bradley - "Change For The World"
Joyous - "Galaxia"
Henri-Pierre Noel - "Funky Spider Dance (The Reflex Revision)"
Brian Augers' Oblivion Express - "Inner City Blues"
The Hawkmen - "Love Is Blind"
Scone Cash Players - "Year Of The Rooster" (part 1)
Tanika Charles - "Endless Chain"
Kylie Auldist - "Body"
Anatoly Ice & Dariya - "Talking Black"
Carleen Anderson - "Begin Again"
Niteshifters - "Show Me What You've Got" (original mix)
The Filthy Six - "Mr Morris" (Spectra Sonic Sound Session - live)
Lack Of Afro - "Back In Business" (feat Wax & Herbal T)
Ginger Johnson & His African Messengers - "Nawa"
Daytoner - "I Get By"
Review: We can think of few finer stocking fillers for funk aficonados than this fifth Funk & Soul Club compilation from actor/comedian-turned-radio host Craig Charles. As with previous volumes, the Red Dwarf star and BB 6 Music host has included a mixture of original funk era cuts and recent revivalist gems. In the latter category you'll find a stellar instrumental cover of Rick James' "Super Freak" by The Traffic, the dancefloor-burning sound of Nicole Willis and the UMO Orchestra and the brilliant boogie revivalism of Australian singer Kylie Audist. In terms of deeper older selections, look no further than the 1973 jazz-funk re-make of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" by Brian Auger's Oblivion Express and the Afro-funk explosion that is "Nawa" by Ginger Baker & His African Messengers.
John Heartsman & Circles - "Talking About My Baby"
The Tibbs - "Next Time"
The New Mastersounds - "In The Middle"
Fulton Street - "Young People"
Telmo Fernandez Trio - "I Can't Get Satisfied"
Review: Craig Charles' CD round-up of cuts that have done that business at his popular Funk & Soul Club events is becoming something of an annual tradition. This fourth volume in as many years is, predictably, stacked high with high quality fare. While there are plenty of straight-up funk and soul cuts - check The Traffic's killer cover of "White Lines", Brian Auger & The Trinity's 'Black Cat', and John Heartsman & Circles' tasty "Talking About My Baby", for starters - Charles's on-point selection also include nods to jazz-dance, Afro-funk, Latin beats, retro-futurist boogie-soul, and simmering torch songs (a sublime contribution from '80s star Lisa Stansfield).
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