Review: Australia's Choi Records drop their second release in the shape of two powerful cover versions either side of a devilish little 7" by The Traffic. The A-side, "White Lines", is a funky, horn-led reinterpretation of Grandmaster Flash's original tune : an instrumental brass ode to the original beast. On the flip, there's "Smack My Pitch Up", another mighty instrumental rework of The Prodigy classic, complete with a string of trumpets that imitate the original's inimitable vocal loop.
Review: Melbourne, Australia based sextet The Traffic, headed up by Ivan 'Choi' Khatchoyan, serve up a special MJ feature funk 45. Presented in a special pressing in red vinyl with black splatter, we get awesome renditions of Michael Jackson tracks 'Beat It' and 'Thriller' from his iconic Thriller album from 1982. The big band energy of the players make these cover versions worthy your attention, with a killer horns section imitating the king of pop's falsetto to great effect.
Review: Now here's a traffic jam we're all happy to be in... Aussie funk super troupe The Traffic (comprising members of The Bamboos, Cooking On 3 Burners, Pickpocket and Punkawallahs) come correct with this follow up to their debut last year. Come for the awesome party-melting, wall-shaking Daft Punk cover on the A, stay for the groove-based soul-laced broken beat jam "Chasin' Feels". Both poles in their clearly broad and skilful musical scope, we can't wait to hear what they've got coming next.
Review: South London's Trambeat return with a double punch of funk and soul on LRK Records 13 years after first being formed by Graham Potter and Des James. The Croydon-based band brings classic Northern Soul energy with sharp modern flair to their latest 7", featuring 'Blow Up The Groove' and 'All Killer, No Filler'. Both channel dancefloor euphoria with turbocharged horns, breakneck grooves and bold vocals over strutting basslines and all-nighter anthems. Trambeat's shift from DIY collective to stage-commanding soul machine is great, and if their debut 'Don't Hold Back' teased their potential, this release kicks the doors wide open.
Review: Transport's Move Your Body is a thrilling rediscovery from a once short-lived Portland outfit, featuring members from Ural Thomas' 1960s band. This eleven-piece disco-funk powerhouse recorded an album's worth of gems in 1978, but they remained buried for over four decades. The steady groove of the A-side captures their original essence, yet it's their dynamic rendition of 'Always There' that steals the showiarguably the finest cover of Ronnie Laws' classic to date.
Review: The late Italian film composer Armando Trovajoli was best known for his Italian expressionist / exploitation soundtracks. It's not so known that he made funk: 'Sessomato' and 'Kinky Peanuts' is as such a lesser known rarity, and consists of two made as part of his soundtrack to the film Sessomatto. With vocals from Edda Dell'Orso, the two tracks here are whispry, clean, tambourine-rattling and erotic; trumpets and drums buzz away on the A, while the B opts for clavichordy samba goodness.
Review: Unearthed from the vaults of funk veteran Tim Tucker, this fantastic Got That Energy EP delivers two unreleased boogie gems from the 80s that have been reworked by SoCal DJ and producer Knoe1. A lifelong musician and unsung hero of the scene, Tim always brought raw authenticity, while Knoe1 sharpens the sound for modern dancefloors. Title track 'Got That Energy' is a high-octane ass-shaker packed with punchy bass and irresistible swagger. On the flip, 'Don't Hesitate' slows the pace by blending emotional vocals and synth-soaked soul. This is pure summer heat for a range of different settings.
Review: Boogie and funk don Tim Tucker hails from Northern Cali and is half of the Love Cryme duo. He has been digging in his vaults to offer up two songs for this limited new vinyl release on Trusechool and they have both been reworked by Knoe1. First up is the brilliantly blissed-out boogie and retro synth work of 'U Cant Run' complete with a sultry vocal that soon gets under the skin. 'Disco Lights' (Knoe1 rework) then keeps it deep and smoochy with jumbled disco percussion and noodling jazz chords all topped off with some superb synth work. Two real gems here, then, on a mad-limited 7".
Review: A Black Man's Soul is an instrumental album by Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm from 1969. Turner wrote the songs with a host of other musicians and it showed off a side to him that hadn't been heard before. It was packed with traditional and simple funk that was as raw and lo-fi as you like, and one of the bigger tracks from it was "Getting Nasty" which has been synced to a number of films and adverts over the years. It's an authentic cut that bristles with gauzy textures and realness. On the flip, "Getting Nasty" (Conomark & Hong Kong edit) is more playful and funky.
Tony Alvon & The Belairs - "Sexy Coffee Pot" (2:27)
Review: After much work, Berlin-based reissue label Matasuna Records is finally able to fully and officially reissue these funk classics. After so many bootlegged versions of these it is great to have a high-quality vinyl pressing on nice loud 7". Both of these legendary funk tunes come from the vast vaults of Atlantic Records and have never had their own standalone releases before. On 'Getting Uptown (To Get Down)' United 8 cook up infectious sounds and mix up horns, guitars, drums and bass while on the flip 'Sexy Coffee Pot' from 'Tony Alvon & The Belairs' is an explosion of raw funk energy.
Review: Two premium Latin funk documents on one limited 45, Mr Bongo deliver once again: Marcos Valle needs no introduction to Brazilian music enthusiasts. "Mentira" is a self-cover as Valle takes his 69 classic "Mentira Carioca" and develops the dynamic with a vocal style that's highly reminiscent of Donovan. Flip for Toni Tornado's Black Rio anthem "Me Libertei". Fusing sleazy rock n roll with jazzy Latin soul, madly this is the first time it's ever graced a 45!
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.