Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Summer is Dam-Funk season. The synth funk pioneer's sounds never seem more fitting than when cruising about on an early summer evening, top down (at least in your mind) with the sky turning burnt orange. He soundtracks that moment four more times here with 'Rise' being a more downbeat and pensive vibe, then 'Make It' getting a little more playful on the bump-n-grid beats and squelchy boogie bass. 'From A G Perspective' has low-riding Cali-funk in its bones and 'Free' closes with more lush analogue textures and shimmering chords on this vital, limited 12".

Review: As far as the Juno Records review team care, the DC based Peoples Potential Unlimited have been on a run of 100% boogie heaters roughly since their inception in 2008. The latest transmission from Andrew Morgan's label sees a 12" presentation of disco funk holy grails from Milwaukee act Dazzle ahead of a PPU released long player Made In The Shade. Not to be confused with the Patch Adams and Leeroy Burgess fronted group of the same name, Dazzle was the work of Donald D. Smith and this 12" presents three tracks originally recorded in 1981. "Explain" is the outright jam here, heavily stacked with thick analogue leads and brisk funk riffs. All hail PPU!

Review: William Devaughn's most famous song has been covered umpteen times over the years, in all kinds of styles, but sometimes nothing can beat the original. 'Be Thankful For What You Got' is just one of those universal messages, delivered in such smooth, engaging insistency you feel it from the first time you hear it. Now Demon Singles Club are pressing it up as a single backed with the equally excellent but perhaps less well-known 'Blood Is Thicker Than Water'. The 1974 track tracks the same groove as its A-side counterpart and offers up a different lyrical message on top - something you'd normally associate with reggae, but when the backing track is this perfect it translates very nicely over to soul too.

Review: Few other artists are making the sort of high-calibre, future-minded boogie that Diamond Ortiz specialises in. The US producer is on fire at the minute, so it's no surprise that the Austin Boogie Crew, perhaps the most poignant of all the current Texas-based imprints, have chosen to pick up his services. "Rite Back Atcha" flows with the same sort of tenacity and suaveness as some of Daft Punk's recent material, from the vocoder business all the way to the heavy electro bass waves; "Hit The Spot" travels at a similar sort of pace and elegance, except here it's all about the low tones. Flip the disc and you got "NBC (Nothin' But Cuties)", a heavy stab of classic boogie funk backed by sultry female vocals and their robot friends, leaving the title tune "Goodies" to provide the final, synth-driven dance attack to ward off absolutely all chances of a meagre B-side. In fact, this EP just gets better and better throughout. Summer's here!

Review: Sampled by everyone from J-Lo to Jay-Z, Manu Dibango's 1972 classic is perhaps one of the most influential and heavily referenced afrofunk tracks of all time. Echoing with shades of every genre we know and love today, it still sounds just as timeless, infectious and ultimately agenda-setting today as the first time you heard it. If your collection doesn't sport this original yet, now is most certainly the time.

Review: Parisian jazz-funk, disco and boogie band Chatobaron - an outfit helmed by multi-instrumentalist Frank Chatona - have previously worked in the studio with house and nu-disco mainstay Art of Tones, so it's no surprise to see them recruiting the mighty Dimitri From Paris to mix their latest single. His A-side 'Club Vocal' mix is a genuinely riotous and celebratory affair, with strong group vocals (singing about how much they love 'your' music) and heady horns rising a jolly and joyous, piano-sporting disco-funk groove rich in low-slung bass and Cerrone style percussion. It comes accompanied not by one of Dimitri's deconstructed dubs, but rather an equally excitable 'Club Instrumental' mix that boasts all the goodness of his A-side mix minus the vocals.

Review: Earlier this year, French disco and jazz-funk combo Chatobaron joined forces with fellow Parisian Dimitri From Paris for the rather good 'I Like (The Music That You Play)'. While that was a wholehearted disco workout, this speedy sequel sees the band (and their high-profile collaborator) explore their West Coast jazz-funk influences via an inspired workout full to bursting with killer instrumental solos, dusty grooves, memorable motifs and a genuinely killer, cowbell-sporting percussion brerak. This time round, there are no Dimitri From Paris remixes; instead, dubbed-out disco favourites the Idjut Boys are on hand to smother the track in tape echo and dub delay. The result is a typically spaced-out, low-slung affair that naturally makes the most of the band's killer bassline and layered percussion sounds.

Review: Mysterious edits pushers Discotecas worship a mysterious figure known as 'Gwen', the artist supposedly responsible for making these EPs. Their second instalment here comes in the form of a laid-back, electro-balearic affair replete with several layers of bass guitar, lolling synth and acoustic-mimicking percs. A remix of Sade's 'Paradise' leads the charge, centring her harmonious vocals at the core of the mix, while two further unknown re-edits cement the overall nine minute disco vibe.

Review: During the first half of the 80s, Andy Sojka and Richard De Jongh wrote and produced countless UK jazz-funk, electro, soul and boogie jams, working with both obscure and relatively well-known acts (Atmosfear included). They also released a handful of singles of their own under aliases, including this one as Distance. Long out of print and finally getting a reissue courtesy of Freestyle, 'Just One More Kiss' is a superb chunk of breezy, synths-and-drum-machine driven chunk of British electrofunk featuring sweet lead vocals from Janet Halley. Over on the flip you'll find the original instrumental/dub version, 'Just One More Mix', a fine alternative take that wisely concentrates on the groove, guitars and synths and largely avoids cheesy 80s production trickery and stuttering edit effects.

Review: Reissued from a 1981 album known as 'I Feel It Rising', Doctor Rhythm's most infectious single ever, 'I'm So Strong Now', hears a reissue on Voom Voom South. "What does it matter to you, if you hurt my pride?" sings the 80s South African supergroup's lead singer, as a lumbering slow string-centric soul bit unveils itself for the humble listener. Following that up are three remixes, one of the A track and two of the group's hustling disco number 'Hook It Up'. A varied, though unmatchably energetic disco release for the heads out there.

Review: The Demons Singles Club is back with more devilishly good funk here in the form of Doris Duke's version of Marlena Shaw's 'Woman Of The Ghetto.' It first appeared on her 1975 alum Woman and is a searing take with full-bodied vocals full of fire. It's an urgent sound that adds weight to the social commentary of the lyrics and the b-side tune from Rhyze is just as essential. 'Fire' is a massive disco cut with stomping drums, funky bass riffs and plenty of noodling guitar riffs that make it effervesce.

Review: Star Creatures' latest release titled The Chicago Boogie Volume 2: This Love Will Last picks up where Attack of the Chicago Boogie Volume 1 left off, with Tim Zawada and Kool Hersh curating more selections of rare Chicago boogie tracks in collaboration with the Munster Boogie crew. Originally released last year, this reissue includes music written, produced, recorded and pressed proudly in The Windy City itself, with this vinyl edition featuring art from Ben Marcus based on versions of compliment cards and flyers from the scene in the 80s.