Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Use Vinyl looks back to two iconic tracks from the 70s and 80s here for source material for a new remix EP by the Vannelli family. Joe T remixes 'Thrill Me' by The Wonderland Band into the sort of direct and funky house sound that brims with early dance music charm while the Vannelli Bros offer their rework of 'Party On' by Pure Energy which comes with plenty of energy for club contexts. Both tracks are presented as Classic Mix versions and bring plenty of new life to the original hits without forgoing the timeless, catchy and meaningful melodies that define the originals. House music like this is as authentic as it gets.

Review: Prolfic producer Neiro 'Papik' Poggi founded the Soultrend Orchestra almost 15 years ago as a vehicle for his acid jazz, funk, soul, disco and jazz-funk fantasies. The project has been 'on ice' for a while, with Now Imagine, officially the band's second studio set, appearing a decade after its predecessor. It's a typically musically rich affair with a string of guest vocalists joining the expansive 'orchestra' to run through happy, sun-splashed tracks. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from a lightly Latin-tinged cover of Sister Sledge disco classic 'Lost In Music' and the Jamiroquai-esque warmth and soul of 'Wiser' (featuring Wendy D Lewis), to the vibraphone-wielding smooth grooves of 'Touched By Your Love' and the glossy jazz-funk-goes-house rainbows of 'You Came Along' (featuring Steve Biondi).

Review: This compilation is a vibrant celebration of Gnonnas Pedro, the legendary Beninese composer and musician. Spanning his career from 1967 to 1985, it showcases Pedro's remarkable versatility and eclectic musical palette; featuring 21 tracks that traverse genres with ease, from the Afrobeat energy of 'Pas De Petard' and 'L'Indomptable Gnonnas Pop' to the salsa rhythms of 'Tembleque' and the soulful grooves of 'How Much Love Naturally Cost'. Pedro's music is a fusion of influences, blending traditional African sounds with funk, soul and Latin flavours and highlights here include the irresistible 'Dadje Von O Von Non', the funky 'Yiri Yiri Boum', and the soulful 'Bailando Mi Solo'.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


A fresh compilation album documents the best of the late 70s disco-funk-jazz-everything band Phyrework, synthesising a pyrotechnist's hand and a cutting engineer's ear. The Texan group were signed to Mercury in 1978 and released a hotly acclaimed debut album, and while their talents matched the likes of Sly And The Family Stone and Earth, Wind & Fire, they remained criminally under-world, resulting in the band's disbandment after the release. So this is a salvaging effort worth your while; a whopping nine of the songs have never been heard before, and only a complementary two appeared on the original early 80s single. All produced by Michael Cooper of Con Funk Shun, the likes of 'My Funk', 'Never Felt Like This' and 'What Happened To Us' command an extra jerkiness and synthweight bolshiness not nailed by many of their much-more-famous contemporaries.

Review: NPG Records and Paisley Park Enterprises, in partnership with Warner Records, are pleased to announce the release of a brand-new audiophile Blu-ray featuring 2024's Dolby Atmos mix of Prince and the Revolution's iconic 1984 album, Purple Rain, as well as Prince's original 1984 stereo mix, in high-definition 24bit / 96kHz audio.

Prince shattered all expectations and made music history when he released the album Purple Rain, followed by the hit movie of the same name weeks later. The 9-track LP went on to win two Grammy awards ("Best Rock Performance by a Group" & "Best Album of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture"), two American Music Awards, a Brit Award, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. In 2012 the Library of Congress added the album to the National Recording Registry, which only accepts sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." Purple Rain spent 24 weeks at #1 on the Billboard album charts, sold over 25 million copies worldwide, and appears on countless 'Best Of' polls, most recently achieving the #4 spot on Apple Music's Top 100 Albums Of All Time.

The 2024 Atmos presentation of Purple Rain featured on this Blu-Ray, was meticulously mixed from the original multi-track master tapes by Prince's protege and Best Engineered Grammy nominee Chris James. It was released via all participating Digital Service Providers on June 21, 2024. "In 2024 we started our year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of Purple Rain, we are thrilled to present Prince's masterpiece in ATMOS, providing an immersive, surround auditory experience of Prince's legendary album. This highly crafted release will present Prince's iconic work with more space and depth while preserving the beautiful songs that have shaped music and popular culture, and touched the lives of countless fans around the world." - Paisley Park Enterprises

Region code: universal

Review: Prince Buster, born Cecil Bustamente Campbell in 1938, was a key figure in the birth of ska and rocksteady, and infamously embodied the term "rude boy"; he'd come to enshrine a symbol of rebellious youth culture in Jamaica. A leading conspirator in early soundsystem culture, Buster's story stretches as far back as the days of systems such as Tom The Great Sebastian as well as variou Kingston-bound stacks operated by Coxsone Dodd. Now this eagerly awaited third volume from Rock A Shaka continues to compile Buster's best works, the standouts among them being 'A Tribute to The Toughest' from 1967 - believed to be a precursor to the long-loved 'Ghost Dance' - and his cover of James Carr's 'Dark End of the Street,' Ernest Ranglin's 'Come Get Me,' and Winston Samuels' 'I'm Still Here.'