Tramp Germany レコード& CD

Review: Feeling lucky? With grooves as raw, sizzling and energetic as these, there's a strong chance you might be. Hot on the heels of their "Mesquite Beat" 45 comes this equally earthy and frank doublet. "'Bout To Blow" is a big pant swinging blues affair while "Saints & Beggars" takes us up a notch with a whirling 6/8 signature whirling waltz where the horns and drums take the lead and we follow in their every dreamy footstep. Look out for the album Mesquite Suite coming on Tramp very soon.

Review: Like many of the records they choose to reissue, the D.M Movements' sole single, 'Ooo Wee Baby', is seriously obscure and hard-to find. It was one of just a handful of releases on John T Johnson's private press imprint Jay-Tone Records and saw him transform girl group the Satin Dolls (who's harmonious, feelgood releases also appeared on the label) into a laidback funk outfit. The A-side 'Part 1' is the full vocal take, with the band's sassy singing riding loose-limbed funk breaks, heavy organ licks and a heady bassline. Arguably even better is the flipside 'Part 2' version, a largely instrumental take (albeit with some breathless backing vocal) with wilder Hammond licks and a slightly harder-edged groove.

Review: While Philly's Don Gardner is largely famed for hits such as "I Need Your Loving" and "Glory Of Love", it's releases such as this 1967 Cedric 45" (among other notable and highly rare 45"s on Verve and Sedgewick) that have really stood the test of time and stood out to collectors happy to pay thousands. And for good reason; "Tighten Up Your Love Bone" is a gutsy power R&B soul joint while "Is This Really Love" takes its foot off the gas for moments of pure come-to-bed soul many years before White and Hayes made it their signature. Don really was the real deal.

Review: A northern soul rarity of the highest order, one 45 wonder Hank Hodge's two sided emotion bounty has been known to pass hands for over $1000 and was famously covered up by premiership diggers such as Colin Law to hide its identity. Now democratised by Tramp, both sides still pack an incredible punch: "One Way Love" pumps with a real urgent passion and dramatic horns while "Thank You Girl" should be reserved for a little later in the night with its straight up soul dynamic, big backing vocals and sympathetic orchestration that droops into the background enough to let Hodge cut through with overwhelming power.

Review: Mid 70s soul and funk from the little-known Walter Jenkins. Originally pressed on Apollo off-shoot Faderkat, original pressings have been known for pass hands for a few hundred and it's not hard to understand why: "Back In My Life" is a swooning soul ballad with enough strut to move a floor while "Funky Walk (The Money Talk)" is a pumping northern crossover with big band leader style orders from Walter himself. Shake your money makers.

Review: George E Johnson's "Wake Me Up" is another of those killer funk rarities that very few people know about. It was released at some point in the dim and distant past on C.R.S Records, a deep funk imprint from Philadelphia that will soon be the subject of a Tramp Records compilation. This reissue, then, is something of a teaser for that set. "Wake Me Up" is a suitably heavy number, with George E Johnson delivering an impressively impassioned lead vocal over a fuzzy, intoxicated groove rich in distorted guitars, psychedelic-era Hammond organ licks, snaking sax lines and bustling drum-breaks. B-side "The Penn Walk" strips out Johnson's vocal, allowing the backing band's killer instrumentation to really shine.

Review: Junior & The Classics dropped these super heavy funk cuts on Lenny LaCour's Magic Touch label and now Tramp reissues them for us all to enjoy once more. This is the first time they have been available on 45rpm and first up is 'Kill The Pain.' It's a raw one with big breaks and lung-busting lyrics next to horns to make you spin. 'Mix Up' (A Go Go) is another one that rustles up a raucous funk vibe with layers of busy drums, wooden percussion and vocals that have a hint of 60s swing and soul to them.

Review: Predictably, Tramp's latest killer reissue comes from an artist that very little is known about. The sought-after "Steppin' Stone" (an original copy will set you back three figures) is little Mary Staten's only known release, and first appeared on the short-lived GME imprint sometime in the 1960s. The title track is predictably fuzzy - the kind of impassioned, on-point soul cut that Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings spent a career trying to capture. On the flip you'll find the equally impressive "Helpless Girl", a gospel-influenced, organ-rich slow jam in which Staten recounts the heartache felt after discovering the behaviour of an errant, bad-boy lover.

Review: Feeling peckish? Then chow down on this firing piece of deep blues funk. Riddled with James Brown style screams and grunts, Tramp have unearthed this 1984 classic, delivered it on sweet one-sided 7" and it's not to be overlooked. With the lolloping fretless bass runs and clear band direction from Johnnie, if this doesn't satisfy your funk appetite, very little will.

Review: Little is known about obscure Seattle combo Mr Clean & The Cleansers, other than that they release one single, "Karate", on a label called Camelot sometime in the mid 1960s. The single has previously been included on a couple of similarly obscure CD compilations put together by crate digging DJs, but this is the first time it has been given a worldwide release on vinyl. "Karate (Part 1)" sets the tone, delivering a fiendishly fuzzy, martial arts themed chunk of Detroit style seemingly inspired by Stevie Wonder classic "Uptight". The flipside "Part 2" version is a little looser, with improvised, freestyle vocals and even more righteous horn lines.

Review: Tramp Records' latest reissue is, somewhat unsurprisingly, of another exceedingly deep release. The two-part 'Mustang' was the sole release by jazz quartet The New Philadelphians, and originally came out on the tiny Quaker City Jazz imprint sometime around 1968. The A-side 'Part 1' version is particularly potent, seeing the band's saxophonist and organist trading solos and riffs over a bustling rhytyhm and blues-goes-jazz-rock groove. The second part is, if anything, even sweatier and more club-ready, featuring as it does the kind rising horn licks and wild organ solos that always set temperatures racing out on the dancefloor.

Review: "Determination"; a funk jam so heavy it requires two parts, little is known about the largely lauded Soul Express but this has been a treasure for collectors for years. Drenched in sweat, heaving horns, wah wahs that go on for miles and a real fuzzy, heads down groove, this has caused frenzies on dancefloors for decades... Especially "Part 2" with its lavish naked drum break that clocks over one minute of creative mix (or sampling) bliss.

Review: From his rockabilly roots to his raw funk to this silky soulful serenade, Johnny Stark enjoyed a vibrant musical journey throughout his career. "Who Do You Love" marked a complete change in vibe from the rich warm crooner. A swooning Motown flavoured joint with big backing harmonies and a dreamy tint, it's Stark at his softest. "Forever" ups the tempo for a late night 70s LA club joint. More swooning backing power and some seriously strident strings, it sits just on the right side of epic.