Back catalogue: Funk

Review: With its "Meets" concept, "Grow" stands in the tradition of big dub and reggae soundclash albums of the seventies and eighties. Alternately, track by track, Kabanjak and Protassov introduce the listener to the many facets of their work, while creating a diverse and wholesome big picture: downbeat, dub and hip-hop alongside funk rollers and nujazz up to modern breaks define the spectrum of the sounds of Kabanjak and Protassov on this, their first 'own' album. Switchstance is especially proud to present the first long-awaited collaboration tunes with the Jungle Brothers on "Grow". The two legendary US rappers Afrika Baby Bam and Mike G have quickly become fans of the Sounds of Switchstance and work in the label's studios in Moers and Essen regularly by now. On "Grow", "Cruise Control" with Protassov and the Kabanjak production "Brain In Dub" a dubby remake of their classic "Brain" show the good ol' JBeez are in top shape.

Review: Headed up by Benin-born Kaleta - a guitarist who has previously worked with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade and Lauryn Hill - Super Yamba Band is a New York collective whose decidedly psychedelic fusions of Afrobeat, Highlife and Afro-funk have been getting rave reviews. "Medaho" is their debut album and it more than lives up to the hype. With Kaleta's variously fuzzy, sun-kissed and flash-fried licks to the fore, the band trips its way through nine mostly dancefloor-friendly workouts that wrap heavy funk instrumentation, rousing horns and Afrobeat style organ riffs around polyrhythmic drums that recall the distinctive swing of Tony Allen. It's a stylistic blend that guarantees results, as the sheer volume of highlights triumphantly proves.

Review: A recent relocation to Berlin seems to have inspired BBE to throw themselves into the musical heritage of the techno capital. A forthcoming mix from celebrity Berlin DJ types Sick Girls represents the present and future of the city, whilst this GI Disco compilation is borne out the blog of the same name. Run by Kalle Kuts and Daniel W Best, GI Disco is their conduit to express their profound love for the funk, soul, disco and proto new jack swing that flooded 1980s Germany when US Soldiers were stationed on Cold War duty. There's some stone classics on this such as Freeze's Arthur Baker produced "I.O.U." and the Fonda Rae sung "Touch Me" from Wish, but it's the lesser spotted gems which make this compilation worth investigating. Caprice's "100" and "Riccochet" by BB & Q Band in particular delight with their raw electro boogie vibe.

Review: Last year, NuNorthern Soul treated us to a much-needed reissue of Japanese jazz guitarist Ryo Kawasaki's sublime 1983 LP Lucky Lady. Now Mr Bongo has decided to deliver a new edition of another full-length gem from the late, great musician's catalogue: 1976's jazz-funk and fusion-flavoured Juice, which has previously not been released on CD outside of Japan. It's an exceptionally vibrant set all told, with the virtuoso Kawasaki being joined by a range of similarly talented musicians to race through tracks that generally slap hard, boast infectious breakbeat-driven rhythms, and come blessed with a range of exciting, life-affirming solos. Critics of jazz-funk often point out that in the wrong hands it can get self-indulgent and noodly; Juice never falls into this trap and remains thoroughly tight and on-point throughout.

Review: Florian Keller, one of the world's top funk & rare groove DJs, with part two in his "Partykeller" series. 12 super dope funk related tracks, old vs new from Lefties Soul Connection, Discoconductor, Sidewinder, Natural Self, Charmaine Burnette, Orgone, etc. Florian Keller has been spinning since 1988 and is among the top 7 of all rare groove/funk DJs, standing in a line with Keb Darge (BBE), DJ Shadow, Egon & Peanut Butterwolf (Stones Throw) or DJ Muro from Japan. Round two? Another selection of open minded funk influenced sounds. This compilation was originally planned as another side project and is a collection of music from folks who made independently and wonderful interpretations from more recent years, being influenced by the first wave of funk and soul creators, but spanning it a bit wider than just the temporary neo-funk scene. To start with breaking the rules immediately and to start again with a catchy reggae tune, this charming version of the Chicago soul classic "Am I The Same Girl" from the 80s just seems the perfect choice. "Piece Of Mind" is a perfectly heavy instrumental and the first track that was available only on vinyl 45 before (as Pan Atlantics and Orgone and 12" as Sarah Winton and Discoconductor) The vocal version is included on the Baker Brothers album "With The Out-Crowd". Serengeti Stroke by Pan Atlantics - another disguise/side project of the Poets Of Rhythm, features the fattest break ever done by the godfathers of new funk. On Party-Keller Vol.1 you heard the Giorgio Moroder original of DJ Shadow's "Organ Donor", here you get the mean and irresistible Dutch treatment from Lefties Soul Connection. The LA based Orgone - who you might see on stage somewhere around backing the hip hop heroes Pharcyde - gave Funky Nassau a Afrobeat treatment, and they did it so damn well. Some seven years before that, With Bula, London's "Pnu Riff" made this pioneer piece effort of new Afrobeat. What Raw Deal started in the mid 90's, Brighton's Keno 1 aka Natural Self continues, here with "The Sound". A perfect example how 'retro' develops forward into something new and exiting. In 2003 there was this outstanding 7" from Sidewinder, Ego Riot. which never really left my DJ-box - and that for a reason. Fully functional and indeed a great homage to disco funk. One of my favourite acappellas to play around with in my sets is Vowel Movement by South London's hip hop routineer Fabian Stephenson aka Travis Blaque, and so it came quite naturally to do this little Old School flavoured remix. Disco Rhythms is one of the many great edits/collages coming from Stockholm in the recent years - done by a surprisingly small group of persons with that monstrous list of aliases. I can't tell why Sarah Winton's 1993 and only (?) album got totally lost in the byways of obscurity since: it is a sheer masterpiece. Thinking Backwards one of the class-a tunes on "You Can't Keep A Good Woman Down". Around the same time "Unconditional Love", a Canadian 12" came out, so deep and warm like nothing since the early seventies Terry Callier. Can't miss here.

Review: During the late 1970s and early '80s, Miami was a hotbed of percussion-rich disco-funk that blended popular Black American grooves of the day with nods to the drum-heavy rhythms of Afro-Cuban music. Herman Kelly & Life were amongst the outfits at the vanguard of this movement, though unusually they only released one album, 1978's Percussion Explosion! Here it gets a remastered CD reissue. It's naturally best-known for boda-fide disco anthem 'Dance To The Drummer's Beat', but there are plenty of other hot, break-heavy classics on display - not least the low-slung, high-octane brilliance of 'Who's The Funky DJ?', the string-drenched disco-soul sweetness of 'Share Your Love' and the low-down, extra-heavy funk rinse-out that is 'Do The Handbone'.

Review: "Better Days" was recorded in the traditional way - mostly one take, in an analogue studio. The Sound is rich , lush, string laden, beautiful disco music, full of joy with phenomenal musicianship. It is Al Kent's biography told in music.

Review: R&B saxophone giant King Curtis was at the top of his game on three consecutive nights in March 1971 when he was the opening act for Aretha Franklin at a trio of historic concerts at Bill Graham's storied Haight-Ashbury venue (he also led the backing band for the Queen of Soul's headline sets). Originally released one week before Curtis' tragic murder in August of that year, this extraordinary live disc spotlights the musical mastery that made him a legendary talent. Curtis rips through a soulful tour de force of top R&B, rock, and pop hits of the day, backed by his ace rhythm section the Kingpins, organist Billy Preston, and the Memphis Horns throughout. Famed writer Dave Marsh noted in a four-star review for the Rolling Stone Album Guide that "Curtis the bandleader is at his absolute best . . . . The powerful communication these players had with each other produces a set that is a model of intelligent choices made without sacrificing spontaneity" Almost 70 minutes of stellar concert highlights, remastered to sound better than ever. Captured live at San Francisco's Fillmore West on March 5, 6 and 7, 1971 from original master recordings produced by Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin. Features King Curtis on tenor and soprano saxophone solos leading the Kingpins, the Memphis Horns, and Billy Preston on organ. The original 1971 album plus five bonus tracks, alternate versions and unused songs, previously available only on the very limited-edition, now out-of-print Rhino Handmade title Don't Fight The Feeling: The Complete Aretha Franklin & King Curtis Live At Fillmore West. Includes the classic 'Soul Serenade', and 'My Sweet Lord' featuring Billy Preston on vocals.

Review: Released on David Byrne's Luaka Bop label, a haven for rare gems from around the world comes Milwaukee-based funk phenomenons Kings Go Forth. The brainchild of rare funk DJ Andy Noble, these guys have come a long way very quickly - their first ever gig was supporting the ultra-tight Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings in front of 700 people!



Though similar in many ways to the Dap's winning revival of retro-funk and soul, what sets the Kings' apart is having three male singers upfront and harmonising beautifully just like the Four Tops and the Temptations before them. You're The One for example is drenched in harmonies during the choruses, while the gritty live sound of the bass and drums is captured perfectly. In fact you'd have to have a sharp ear to realise that this is not some unearthed treasure from 1971, similar to Dj Shadow's re-releases of vintage Texan funk band Mickey and the Soul Generation. The vibe on songs like Get A Feeling is not only perfectly authentic, it's also made for dancing and throwing funky shapes to! Now We're Gone and I Don't Love You No More are fast and energetic to the core, propelled by some fantastic fatback drums. There are some delightful slow tunes too which make great use of the three-part harmonies such as High On Your Love, a doo-wop ballad like you've never heard before, and the anthemic and R&B flavoured Fight With Love.



To make this an even more essential debut, disco production god and inventor of the remix Tom Moulton gets his hands on Don't Take My Heart - an epic Philly soul belter with Moulton's requisite mid-song extended breakdown present and correct of course! Whether you're a hardcore crate-digger or just a fan of sweet soul music, there's so much to get out of this fine debut it would be criminal to give it a miss.

Review: After several Funk releases on Perfect Toy Records, the Creative Musicians Records and the first part of Tobias' Movements series Perfect Toy drops the second part of this rare 45 monster compilation! 15 funk/soul rarities from the 1960s/70s compiled by Munich's Tobias Kirmayer (Tramp Records, Soul Popcorn Jazz Kombinat). Comes with comprehensive inside notes. Featuring the talents of Phil Flowers, Emperor Soul 69, Harmonica Paul, Ray Anthony, 1984, Sisters Love, Bill Thomas & The Fendells.

Review: The classic 1991 debut album from Zev Love X Subroc and Onyx a seamless blend of funny skits and uniformly slick breaks laced with biting wit. Now available as a limited DJ friendly special 2xLP edition with full colour pic sleeve shrink wrapped and with original centre label artwork.

Review: Re-issue of a classic album from legendary Finnish sax player Eero Koivistoinen, originally released in 1970 on Otava.

Review: Kokoroko, a London-based eight-piece featuring musicians with disparate cultural roots and a love of improvised performance, have long been tipped as future stars of British music. Could We Be More, the award-winning outfit's debut album, more than delivers on the promise of their previous singles, offering up a set shaped by their communal love of Afrobeat, dub, Highlife, percussion workouts, spiritual jazz and smooth grooves. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the deep and sun-splashed shuffle of 'Ewa Inu' and the warming, sunset-ready soul-jazz of 'Dide O', to the horn-heavy celebration that is 'We Give Thanks' and the Balearic, beat-free bliss of 'Home'.

Review: You can hear it in the songs of Amerie, Amy Winehouse, Kanye West, Mark Ronson and Timbaland. Even in this digital age, the beating heart of modern r&b and hip-hop is still vintage soul, funk and jazz. Whether it's Winehouse sampling Motown's finest or Timbaland hijacking Nina Simone's "Sinnerman", the sound of the sixties and seventies has never been so sought after. Modern producers, searching for music of integrity continue to scour dusty racks of records for inspiration. What Kon and Amir have done is make their lives easier. The first collection in the five part "Off Track" series contains twenty-eight superb songs that you've probably never heard of. From a disco tribute to Muhammad Ali to a slice of soulful South African jazz, this is music for the connoisseur. Just don't be surprised when you hear it being sampled on the next big r&b anthem.

Review: BBE unearth another batch of rare and underexposed disco cuts on Off Track Vol 3. Compiled by the crate digging New York/Boston based duo Kon & Amir, the release gives an authentic representation of Brooklyn’s ghetto, funk and afro music scenes. Sophisticated tracks for real music heads

Review: The 5th instalment of the definitive vinyl junkie compilation series is the world's first official breaks mix CD.'The Kings Of Diggin' series brings you a selection of rare and classic tracks hand-picked by the top names from the genre in question. Next up, Kon & Amir and DJ Muro blow the dust off some of their favourite hard-to-find vinyl breaks for the two-disc 'Kings Of Diggin' album. Kon Taylor and Amir Abdullah started as fans of hip-hop and then as the music slipped and slid into the mainstream, they worked backwards just to find a new and fresh sound through dusty vinyl. Amir is the Vice President of Sales and A&R at Fat Beats Distribution, and Kon is a fixture as a DJ in Boston and in NYC. Kon & Amir rose to recognition with their unofficial bootleg 'Ontrack' mixtape series, which took them to 'platinum' status on the streets. DJ Muro has been constantly reinventing the shape of Japanese hip hop for over ten years. As a DJ he has played venues over the world and is also well-known as a label owner, A&R producer and owner of the hip hop store Savage. His Blue Note & Stones Throw compilations for the Japanese market have both sold over 10,000 copies. The 5th instalment of 'The Kings Of Diggin' series features artwork from Rolling Stones photographer Michael Joseph. The CD also comes in a reversible English/Japanese package. The tracks on the album have never appeared on a compilation album before. Therefore the sounds are fresh, will make you smile, dance and start diggin' in the crates yourself.

Review: Dutch funkateers Kraak & Smaak have never quite achieved the wider acclaim their music probably deserves. While unfashionable in many regards, their records - an entertaining blend of classic funk, live disco, rubbery electrofunk and, more recently, old skool piano house - are rarely anything less than enjoyable. What's more, their live shows are superb. Perhaps Electric Hustle, their first full-length since 2008, will be their breakthrough record. In truth, it's as unashamedly joyous as any of their previous sets, and once again flutters between boogie-licious house, elastic funk, electrofunk, vocal showstoppers and even the odd bittersweet ballad. It's not clever, but Electric Hustle is certainly big.

Review: 
Strut re-kindle their involvement with one New York's most revered DJs and re-edit pioneers, Danny Krivit, with a fresh album of essential new, rare and classic re-works, past and resent.

As a producer, Krivit is the acknowledged "King Of The Edit" and has been a major influence on today's re-edit culture. From early classics like the 'Feelin' James' and 'Rock The House' JB cut-ups during the mid-'80s, he has released over 300 unique versions, often under the mysterious 'Mr. K' moniker. After releasing a batch of his finest edits on the 'Edits By Mr. K' compilation in 2003, Strut now delve back into the tape cupboard for an all-new edition, bringing together some of Krivit's secret weapons in a wide-ranging selection covering soulful disco, funk and jazz.

Review: Ophir 'Kutiman' Kutiel is a newcomer from Tel Aviv. The Afro beat anthem "No Groove Where I Come From" caught the attention of Melting Pot and people like Gilles Peterson and Diplo. His first album is phenomenal music touching Afro beat, west Indian grooves, psychedelic funk and soul.