Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Two much over soul vocalist from the North Soul era step up on one mighty 7" here with Tyrone Davis' essential version of Clarence Carter's 'Slip Away' on the first side. It has never been available as a single before and with the brass build and funky groove, it's irresistible. Flip it over and drop that needle for a different but equal good sound, this time as Gene Chandler builds a high energy and intense vibe as he covers James Brown's huge 'There Was A Time'. Sharp, driving and high impact, it's the second sizzler on this fine 7".

Review: Reaching deep into the earliest foundations of his voluminous collection, Danny Krivit presents a psychedelic pop classic rearranged for today's sound systems and setlists. Recorded in the Beatles' Abbey Road studio at the height of the Summer Of Love, the Zombies' "Time Of The Season" is firmly linked in pop culture to the late '60s and the Vietnam era, although it almost never made it out to a wider audience. Ignored on its initial release, it was given a second chance by the label as the last gasp from a band that had officially split up a year before. This time around the song steadily gained fans and word-of-mouth plays in the U.S. and by the summer of 1969, two years after it had been recorded, "Time Of The Season" was ubiquitous and well on its way to being firmly enshrined as an emblem of the era.

Krivit's edit highlights the parade of lush sonic textures that ornament the hip composition, from the iconic, exquisitely echoed bass-clap-exhale riff that opens the song to the cascading Hammond organ solos of Rod Argent. Naturally, this MEU issue keeps the audio quality at its highest level, the better to appreciate these nuances. "It's a song from my childhood that really struck a chord," Danny says. "Over the years I often played a rough edit which always seemed to go over great. The song seemed to get better and better, and age like fine wine." We agree!

From flowers and incense, we move to glass and steel. "Theme For Great Cities" envelops us in a soaring, intense groove, as emblematic of the post-punk no wave style of 1981 as "Time of the Season" was to its own era. Produced by Gong's Steve Hillage, this futuristic instrumental is a bit like Bowie's wordless works with Eno, with an added downtown edge. "The original really struck me," Danny recalls, "especially at Roxy in the early '80s hip hop nights, on that Richard Long sound system... It really blew me away with its atmosphere!"

Danny's edit combines the lean and mean original with a trackier remixed version, cleanly lifting off on an epic ride that clocks in at nearly ten minutes. With the revised rhythm section and its quick-punched low end sandwiching the meat of the original's punishing drums and aggressive, picked bass line, Mr. K gives us the best of the expanded sonics of the remix without losing the atmospherics of the original take.

Review: Onyx formed in 1972 with the original line up of Aaron and Wendell Basey, Malvin Scott, and Ronald Busby. They came up in the Bay Area of San Fran and worked with various other bands and producers before the Basey Brothers went it alone. They set up the NIA label and kicked it off with the two soul gems presented here. 'Help Me' is a golden cut with big horns and strings, driving rhythm section and vocal harmonies to swell the heart. 'Spellbound' then sends you into a spin with its soaring vocals reaching up to the heavens, gentle drums and warming keys.

Review: Aru Takamura wanted to be a singer from her early teenage years and she soon made it happen. She had a few albums out and many EPs in the 80s and always brought a unique sound to soul. She later settled on singing in her native Japanese tongue but on the lead single here 'I'm In Love' she also dropped in a bit of English, specifically on the big chorus. The tune is a vibrant disco banger here touched up by Yoshioka Dynamite, who also tackles the more downbeat and sentimental 'Appeal To You' with its harmonica melodies and bubbling synth bass.

Review: Two years ago, Z Records gave Colin Curtis - one of the UK's longest-serving DJs, and a pioneer on the Northern Soul and jazz-funk scenes - a chance to dig deep into the crates and showcase some of the music he's used to make jazz dancers spin, shuffle and footwork over the previous 50 years. Here he delivers a sequel, and the good news is that it's also full-to-bursting with Latin jazz, fusion and jazz-dance treats. The plentiful highlights include - but are in no way limited to - the high-octane heaviness and life-affirming piano solos of Marita Alban Juarez Quartet's 'Upa Neguinho', the carnival-ready cheeriness of Steven Kroon's 'Tombo 7/4', the deep jazz-dance soul of 'Brasila' by Raffaela Renzulli Ensemble and 'Manteca', a killer drum workout by Jam Session Goes Latino.

Review: It was way back in 2008 that multi-instrumentalist and beat-maker Hiroto Uyama first released debut album A Son of the Son, a sparkling, emotion-rich set that set out his jazz-meets-hip-hop fusion blueprint. Now available on vinyl for the very first time (it was previously only available on CD and digital download), the set sees Uyama combine jazzy piano motifs, striking strings and additional jazz instrumentation (think clarinet, flute etc) with head-nodding beats, dust-encrusted samples and occasional rap vocals courtesy of Pase Rock and Golden Boy. It's a formula that worked wonderfully first time round and still does now, thanks in no small part to Uyama's ability to deliver hazy, laidback and life-affirming thrills throughout.

Review: The amount of ultra-rare, hard to find, essential Northern Soul classics seems to be infinite. Here comes another reissue that aims to right that wrong with an officially licensed pair of tunes from the Phase One Network that has artwork based on the original promo version. 'Don't You Worry Baby The Best Is Yet To Come' is brimming with soul and immediately swells your heart with its elegant strings, graceful piano chords and swirling sense of groove all lifting you off your feet. 'Try To Leave Me If You Can' is a heartbroken slow song to conjure up memories of all the loves you've lost, or maybe never had.

Review: Munich's Jazz & Milk label has now been releasing music for 15 years. As a result, founder Dusty is in a celebratory mood and has decided to offer-up this compilation style EP of previously unreleased treats from label artists old and new. Fusing organic and electronic instrumentation while fusing a myriad of interconnected styles, the EP's six tracks offer an excellent snapshot of the label's distinctive sound. Our picks include the sun-kissed Afro-South American fusion of Bongani Give Thanks' 'Indoda (African Reprise)', the bruk-up soul of Moe Fabrik's brilliant 'Sassy Boy', the intergalactic future soul shuffle of Steve Spacek's superb 'Do You Want My Love' and the sub-heavy Latin house percussion-fest that is Abase's excellent closing cut, 'Fallen Statues'.

Review: This must-check dinked 45 brings together two killer and influential jazz recordings from the early 1960s. On the A-side you'll find Yusuf Lateef's inspired cover of Alen North's 'Spartacus Love Theme', a shuffling, Latin-tinged, piano-laden affair that inspired many subsequent interpretations from fellow musical titans (think Ramsey Lewis, Carlos Santana, Eddie Harris and Bill Evans, for starters). It's an effortlessly breezy and life-affirming version that stands apart from the hard-bop jazz jams that Lateef was recording at the time. On the flip you'll find the scarce 7" edit of the Cannonball Alderley Sextet's recording of 'Brother John', a cool jazz interpretation that famously features a rare oboe solo from the track's composer (and Sextet member), Yusuf Lateef.

Review: Celebrity BBQ Sauce may be a new name, but its' members - Gerald Mitchell and Billy Love - have long been members of the extended Underground Resistance family. They're both an established part of the Motor City music community, and their self-titled debut album for Moodymann's Mahogani Music is undeniably rooted in Detroit's ongoing musical story. Effortlessly soulful and musically rich, its' eight killer cuts various touch on Parliament/Funkadelic style P-Funk (the superb title track), up-tempo, slap-bass propelled '80s boogie ('Music is My Hustle'), warming deep house-soul ('Please Don't Fail Me'), beatdown (the sleazy brilliance of the Amp Fiddler-esque 'Formula of Passion'), and inspired fusions of all of the above ('Lifeline').

Review: Horatio Luna is Melbourne composer, bassist and producer Henry Hicks. A key part of the city's vibrant jazz and broken beat scene, he has an inescapably funky ability to play bass and is founder of hip hop /soul collective 30/70, who have released on Rhythm Section here in the UK to great acclaim. This new album is focussed more on the dan floor than previous works but still displays plenty of virtuoso musical skills, with house grooves and jazz energy intertwining perfectly. 'Fuck The System' even adds rap verses, while 'Be Free' channels the spirt of funk legend Prince.

Review: Given their shared musical heritage - both are members of the extended Firecracker Recordings crew - it's perhaps something of a surprise to find that Face The Facts marks the first serious collaboration between Linkwood and Gav 'Fudge Fingaz' Sutherland AKA Other Lands. It's less surprising that the album is really, really good. Touching on warming synth-boogie, head-nodding downtempo jams, mutant beatdown, Balearic beats, sunset-ready soundscapes and warming analogue deep house, the 13-track set is notable for the pair's extensive use of dusty old drum machines, tactile instrumentation (think smooth Rhodes solos, languid guitar solos and blissed-out synths) and Sutherland's hazy, sometimes seductive singing voice.

Review: Since they made their debut in 2012, Potatohead People's music has been championed by some serious players in the instrumental hip-hop and downtempo grooves community, most notably Nightmares on Wax, Phife Dawg and Big Boi. Listening to Mellow Fantasy, their third full-length and first in two years, it's easy to see why. From start to finish, the album lives up to the promise of its' title, with the Vancouver-based duo delivering rich and warming cuts that make extensive use of some seriously seductive and jazzy instrumentation. While rooted in hip-hop (there are a number of rap cuts scattered across the set), the album's genius lies in the Canadian twosome's ability to also turn their hand to jazz-funk, broken beat, P-funk flavoured soul, seductive slow jams and decidedly Balearic, synth-heavy soundscapes.

Review: Here comes the first single from the upcoming Chico Mann album "Double Life". The acclaimed producer and guitarist is back with his first work since 2013, and is in fine fettle. Once again finding new ways to collide hard rock and West African funk, first up is 'Come Inside', which has been a firm favourite in his live shows and is a collaboration with bassist JP Maramba that's full of fierce energy. Reeves it and you'll get a psyched out cover of Fela Kuti's 'Sorrow Tears & Blood' with a hooky groovy and powerful underlying message.

Review: This record is a re-make of a Carmen Amez disco and boogie gem from 1983. The original goes for well over L200 and isn't even that good a pressing. This cover first saw the light of day as a 12" in September that was only acquired by certain DJs. It soon started trading for high prices as people wondered what the hell it was, who it was by, and whether it was a shifty bootleg. That's all resolved now as it gets a proper out with a freshly re-recorded version with strings, horns, bells, whistles and Vanessa Haynes on vocals. It's a lush bit of floor filling heart swelling disco, funk and soul gold with soaring strings to boot.

Review: Eglo continues to offer up choice reissues of killer cuts from the back catalogue of Sam Shepherd AKA Floating Points. The latest to get the treatment is 2011 12" Marilyn, which appeared at a time when Shepherd was just beginning to expand his sound palette following a few years of distinctively-swung deep house singles. The title track still boasts the distinctive, jammed-out synthesizer lead lines that were then a hallmark of his productions, as well as the shuffling house beats that we all love dearly, but also makes use of lots of extra percussion, Motor City-influenced chords and some sweet scat singing. Flipside 'Farukx' is a little more revolutionary, with the Eglo co-founder wrapping jazz-fired broken beats in drowsy chords, twinkling synth sounds and wavy female vocal snippets. Likethe A-side, it's one of Shepherd's best.

Review: Enois Scroggins was an American funk and gospel singer from Tulsa, Oklakhoma who developed his own style that he called 'E-Funk'. He passed away in 2019 due to a heart attack, but his legacy certainly lives on, with French label Dd Lahouve Production reissuing some of his finest work here from back in 2012. The neon-lit boogie-down vibe of 'Under My Skin' (featuring Misty Lane) will get you moving with its proper west coast flavour - he was said to be based in Los Angeles for most of his career. On the flip, the low slung disco funk of 'Love Is You' (vocal) provides more reliable mood music.

Review: Parov Stelar is an acclaimed Austrian musician who was born Marcus Fuereder and is often said to be the founder of a sound known as electro swing. It has taken him all over the world and earned him hundreds of millions of YouTube views and Spotify streams. This is his 10th full length and is a collection of the EPs he has put out over the last year. The music is playful, big swinging and designed to get crowds spinning. The album features the single 'Brass Devil, which reached top spot on the iTunes Electronic charts in the US, as well as the previously unreleased 'Sophie And the Hacker'.

Review: Earlier in 2020, Tenderlonious presented the first part of a very personal project: an EP of stunningly original fusions of jazz and traditional Pakistani and Indian music, which he recorded in Lahore last year with local "anything goes" quartet Jaubi. As the title suggests, this full-length excursion continues the journey, offering intoxicating 21st century ragas full of suspenseful held-note chords, exotic tabla rhythms, delay-laden instrumentation (guitars and brass instruments as well as Tenderlonious's trademark flute solos) and dreamy ambient textures. It's a unique and genuinely interesting set that somehow manages to be both groundbreaking and hugely entertaining. Don't sleep!

Review: Ace Records are she-pop experts who have kept a constant stream of high quality offerings from the 1960s coming. Featuring mostly British and American artists the label now widens its net to serve up a pair of high impact tunes from their well-received Ciao Bella! Italian Girl Singers Of The 1960s compilation CD. Brunetta's 'Baluba Shake' has big and cavernous drums, plucked guitar riffs and rollicking great chords next to lung-busting vocals. It's a real dancer. Things get more impassioned on the high speed funk chase that is Rita Pavone's 'Il Geghege.'