Back in stock: Funk

Review: Chicago's Altered Tapes crew offer up their own unique take on a West Coast gangster rap classic with the A-side of this one on US label Heat Rock. It's the label's seventh outing and places focus on Memphis soul and funk territory. 'The Break Down' is a big, horn led jam with funk beats and crisp rhythms. Reverse this limited 7" to find Oakland's own DJ Platurn. He smashes out a drum heavy, break-heavy edit that pays homage to a cut and paste great. It's funky, filled with vocal samples and mad keys and packs real heat.

Review: Heat Rock Records' latest double-dose of cut and paste madness is as incendiary as you'd expect, with both tracks adding elements of classic dancefloor workouts to fat beats and plenty of added percussion. Chicago's Altered Tapes handles side A, thrillingly re-imagining Dee-Lite classic 'Groove is In The Heart' by utilising more percussive elements (including a killer, cowbell-driven drum-break) from some of the tunes that the New York band originally sampled on their chart-topping house classic. B-Boys and B-Girls the world over will love it! On the flip, Bay Area native King Most combines the vocals from a Salsoul disco classic to a backing track that cleverly combines elements from a Ramsay Lewis style jazz number and a JB's-esuqe funk bomb.