Back catalogue: Funk

Review: A year after dropping his acclaimed album 'Billy Valentine And The Universal Truth' with Flying Dutchman and Acid Jazz Records, Billy unveils a fresh take on a soul classic. Recorded at LA's prestigious Henson Recording Studio, alongside producer Bob Thiele Jr. and a stellar band including Larry Goldings, Pino Paladino, Jeff Parker, James Gadson, and John Philip Shenale, he introduces three new tracks. His rendition of Gil Scott-Heron's 'Lady Day & John Coltrane', debuted on Gilles Peterson's BBC6Music, mesmerising live audiences. This special edition 7" includes a unique edit of 'Home Is Where The Hatred Is', not previously available on vinyl.

Review: For the latest volume in their ongoing Brazil 45s series, Mr Bongo has decided to change tack. The two tracks showcased here are from the golden age of Brazilian boogie. On the A-side you'll find Marcos Valle's "A Paraiba Nao E Chicago", a largely overlooked cut from his 1981 full-length Vontade De Rever Voce. While not as instantly as infectious as some of his better-known singles, it's still superb; a breezy, blue-eyed soul cut full of rising horns and sweet Portuguese vocals. On the B-side, you'll find Don Beto's 1978 disco-funk jam "Nao Quero Mais", a superb track that was seemingly inspired by the Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Running".

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!

Review: Austin's Vapor Caves enlist funk heavyweights XL Middleton and E. Live for a powerful remix release that brings plenty of dance floor goodness. On the A-side, XL Middleton, who is rightly dubbed the 'Modern Funk King', delivers a high-energy boogie-blast that elevates the original track to new heights. Flip to the B-side and you will find E. Live crafting a smooth, jazz-infused remix with a relaxed, soulful vibe that's sure to win over any right-thinking dancefloor. Star Creature is on a winning streak at the moment and here delivers yet another essential joint for fans of modern funk.

Review: Vaudou Game returns with a funky Afro Cumbia workout that marks the first single from their fifth album. The French Afro-funk band expands its influence here by blending high-life guitars with Cumbia rhythms and crossing into Afro-Latin sounds, especially elements of Colombian music. 'Raler' features the captivating vocals of Spanish-English singer Clara Serra Lopez and is a mix of fresh funk and traditional rhythms while 'Koliko' pays tribute to West African street food, particularly sweet donuts found in Lome and Cotonou. Delicious.

Review: Featuring sister funk paired with a beautiful ballad, this release is a true gem for aficionados of 1960s indie soul music. It comes from The Velvet Vettes via Tramp and is a limited pressing so don't sleep. A-side cut 'Give Me A Little Bit Of Time' is a lively one with plenty of Northern soul energy as well as lung busting vocals and great backing harmonies full of soul. Flip it over and you will find the much more slow and sentimental sounds of 'I'd Like To Know' which is a real heart melting crooner.

Review: 'Funky Broadway' by The Villagers appeared on the well-received Movements Vol.12 compilation album and was a clear standout amongst standouts. As a response to that it now makes its long-awaited debut release on standalone vinyl. It's a soul-stirring gem that brings classic sounds and heart-melting grooves. On the B-side comes the red hot garage-rock gem 'You're My Baby (Don't You Forget It)' which is originally from 1966, and which coincided with Dyke & The Blazers' original recording of 'Funky Broadway' in the same year. Neat.

Review: The Voices Of East Harlem were an ensemble of vocalists who for Just Sunshine Records recorded two albums under the direction of Leroy Hutson and Curtis Mayfield. "Cashing In" is one of their most classic songs, a highly sought after track on original 7" fetches a small fortune on the collectors market. First recorded and released in 1973, it has all the hallmarks of a Leroy Hutson composition and an established audience that crosses the boundaries of northern, crossover and modern soul. The song is coupled here with "Take A Stand', another highly regarded and sought after modern soul room dance floor tracks, never previously released on 7" single until now

Review: Produced by Leroy Hutson and Curtis Mayfield, released by Just Sunshine Records, over the course of five years, the community-based collective Voices Of East Harlem blessed the world with three albums and a whole string of funky singles, including these two cult tracks. "Wanted Dead Or Alive" is straight up funk with a strong splash of gospel. One of their most popular cuts, it was taken from their 1973 self-titled album. "Can You Feel It" on the B offers much more of a rare groove and funk vibe with keys and some powerful backing vocals. It still sounds as fresh as it did 45 years ago. You feeling it?

Review: Those with knowledge of rare groove should be well aware of The Voices of East Harlem's 'Wanted Dead Or Alive', a 1973 album track from the band's eponymous second album that was reissued in 1988 due to its popularity on London's rare groove scene. Here the superb, string-laden, Leroy Hutson produced classic appears on seven-inch for the first time, courtesy of Dynamite Cuts. This time round it comes backed with another killer jam from the same album: the proto-disco soul swell of 'Little People', which was famously sampled by Young Disciples on their 1991 skit 'Get Yourself Together'. Essential stuff all told.

Review: Guts is a renowned French producer, DJ and vinyl connoisseur known for curating impeccable selections of global sounds. He has done so three times before for this series on Heavenly Sweetness and now returns with a fourth volume that arrives just in time for party season. This essential compilation traverses vibrant Latin rhythms, dynamic Afrobeat, soulful grooves and infectious tropical rhythms to make for a far-travelling listen. Again it shows off Guts' unmatched ability to uncover hidden gems and present them with fresh energy in an eclectic yet cohesive celebration of music's global spirit.

Review: A UK club culture icon for all the right reasons, Luke Unabomber has put in a helluva shift over the years bringing the best tunes to the best parties for decades upon decades. He might be just as visible these days as a social media raconteur-comedian, but his depth of knowledge is unfathomable and a compilation like this is the perfect vessel to realise just a little of what he possesses in his fabled record shelves. Away from direct dancefloor firecrackers, this is a chance for Una to show off some jaw-dropping mellow cuts spanning soul, jazz funk, spaced-out electro and scores more obscurities besides. It's a collection like no other, featuring fully fledged songs that will burrow into the soundtrack of your own life without even a shred of resistance.

Review: Given that Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker's Cuba: Music and Revolution - Culture Clash in Havana is one of the standout compilations of 2021, hopes are naturally sky-high for this speedy sequel. Like its predecessor, volume 2 focuses on music and made and released on the Caribbean island between 1975 and '85, this time round largely focusing on rare fusions of salsa, Latin jazz, disco, soul and funk, mostly licensed from records that have never been available outside Cuba. It's another stunning selection all told, with highlights including the heady Cuban disco/salsa fusion of Orquesta Los Van Van, the fiery disco-funk of FA 5, the heavily percussive hedonism of Luis Carobonell and the fuzzy psychedelic rock of Grupo De Experimentacion Sonora Del ICAIC. In a word: essential.

Review: Under The Influence is Z Records' effort to document and preserve lost, forgotten soul-and-funk-feeding-into-house finds. Rahaan, from Chicago, here gets their attention and praise; a DJ and early progenitor of Chicago house, these tracks (unearthed from the vaults) are expensive and weighty forays through italo, disco and new wave, all carefully chosen by the man himself.

Review: International favourites on the boogie-and-beyond selection circuit, Horse Meat Disco deliver the first edition in a brand new compilation tracking yet more heat disco of a Brazilian flavour. Some 13 years in the making, much love and attention has been poured into this compendium, which unearths tracks from the seemingly endless urban goldmines of Brasilia and Rio, twin obsessive loci, nurtured by founding member Luke Eagle amid an extended exploration of the South American nation's dance music culture. Having learned to dance samba and paraded the Rio Carnival, this is a compilation rooted in worldly experience, made up largely of 7" finds. Chief among the brilliants are Ze Carlos' Italoesque wonder 'Venha' and the well-spiced 'Sol De Verao' by Lafayette, spanning years' worth of digging.

Review: The concept behind Luke Una's first solo compilation as a selector may be a little bit fuzzy - fundamentally, it's music for watching sunrises and feeling spaced out after a night on the tiles - but the music he's decided to showcase is uniformly fantastic. In-keeping with his famously eclectic approach to music, the 13 tracks on E-Soul Cultura include forays into spiritual jazz (Chene Noir), luscious Brazilian sunshine music (Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti), acid-jazz-goes-deep house (Brand New Heavies), British neo-soul (Typesun), jazz-funk (King Erisson, Yussef Lateef), chant-sporting proto-house madness (Nar'Chiveol), a prime slices of sub-heavy Sheffield brilliance (On's sought-after cover of 'Southern Freeez') and a blissed-out chunk of minimalist electronica from Roman Flugel's Soylent Green project.

Review: By now, we should know exactly what to expect from Mr Bongo's superb Record Club series of compilations: inspired selections, across a range of complimentary styles, from the esteemed label's staff and roster of in-house DJs. Predictably, volume seven is another must-check treat, with the plentiful highlights including the sun-soaked samba shuffle of Yvette's 'Upa Neghuino', the jazzy MPB excellence of 'O Espaco' by Os Panteras, the joyous and spiritual dancefloor soul-jazz of Roman Andren's 'Captain's Sword', the gritty funk-rock of Truth & Devotion ('Bless My Soul'), the heavy disco of 'Come Inside' by The Shades of Love, the self-explanatory (but hard to pigeonhole) brilliance of Tony Wilson's 'Hangin' Out In Space (dub mix)' and the hard-to-find excellence of JC Lodge's 'In Between The Sheets', a far-sighted Jamaican street soul jam from 1993.

Review: Tramp Records' Movements Vol. 12 offers an excellent trip through rare rhythm & blues, mod-jazz and mid-70s funk. This latest installment in their acclaimed series is a treasure trove of obscure gems and infectious grooves, each track a testament to the label's dedication to uncovering hidden musical gems. Opening with Johnny April's 'She Had A Pikanese,' featuring the Mat Matthews Quartet, the compilation sets a tone of rich, soulful rhythms. Lu Elliott's 'Common Sense' and Lloyd Fatman's 'No Big Thing' follow, with a variety of underappreciated r&b delights. Billy J's 'Teacher Teach Me' and Wayne Johnson's 'Scram Gravy Ain't Wavy' continue the vibe, offering distinctive flavors of classic soul. The compilation dives into deep funk with 'Hipper Snapper' by 4 Dimensions, reminiscent of Charles Wright's 'Express Yourself.' Other tracks like Gus Brendel's 'Sax On The Rocks' and The Hornets' 'Seven Days To Tahiti,' perfect for dance floors. Bret Breitinger's 'Jive Samba' and Downtown Trio's smooth 'Summertime' add to the eclectic mix. Overall, Movements Vol. 12 is a triumph, delighting with its rare finds and impeccable curation, solidifying the series' reputation as a flagship of musical discovery.

Review: Tramp Records celebrate a whopper milestone, with the label's 125th record taking shape as a reconnaissant celebration of 1970s soul jazz and funk, forming part of the Praise Poems series. Launched to fare an interminable journey through the many privately pressed, furtively released and/or criminally undersung jazz-funk-soul records of yore, and with an international focus, this is a rather special case of one such compilation series making it to its tenth edition, and still retaining the kind of quality control and assiduity most comp-curators may only dream of. From the opening, ultra-headsy 'Fields Of Laughter' by the chartless American band Color Me Blu, to instrumental AOR from pianist George Melvin's short-lived Quintet, you can expect to hear super-rarities here, with some originals only having heard but two acetates to their names at first press.