Review: A Skillz and Krafty Kuts are veteran names by now but at one option they were some of the hottest new DJs and producers in the game. They pioneered a breakbeat, cut-up and paste sounds 20 years ago that was high on energy and with plenty of character. Now they look to the roots of the sounds they used to draw from and serve up a new single on Jam City that is all about disco. 'Lit Up' has loose, jumbled drums and funk basslines with some great vocal flourishes up top from Gizelle Smith. A remix on the flip takes things into deeper new soul territory.
Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Band - "What Can You Bring Me?" (2:45)
Review: You just cannot miss with this superb label which is now up to release number 33 in this series. And the latest is a golden-era classic featuring legendary mic men A Tribe Called Quest and top soul boy Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Band. The A-side features the track taken from A Tribe Called Quest's Love Movement album so is packed with their signature beats and bars. On the B-side, you are treated to the funky original sample source from Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Band which delivers a raw, infectious groove. If you love classic hip hop and funk, and why wouldn't you, this is a great pairing.
Review: A 10" featuring the finest that highlife has to offer, Crentsil was a figurehead of Ghanian music during the 70s and 80s who was introduced to highlife music at the turn of the 90s - a combination of pop, jazz, disco, and funk. 'Obi Baa Wiase' and 'Sika Be Ba' are two tracks with a close-knit message of gratitude, hope and faith between them, with the former being the staple track of Crentsil's long career after being played at weddings, festivals, and live concerts by local bands. A pair of incredible tracks produced by Charles Amoah utilising limited equipment to create an authentic party atmosphere, jovial flutes and plucky strings are the accompaniment to A.B. Entsils's proclamation of joy - put this on at the party and the room are sure to start moving.
Review: Neil Anderson's Original Gravity loves to look back and revive forgotten classics and that is what it does again here with a quick reissue of something it dropped back in March. This time out it is two more massive slices of tasty Latin funk getting served up. The first is Abram & Nestor's 'Four Minutes Of Funk' which is indeed four minutes of funk that will unite dancefloors from here to eternity with its big organ magic. Nestor Alvarez' 'El Trombonista' is as you might guess denied by its big trombone and also boasts some great horn work. Do not sleep.
Curtis Baker & The Bravehearts - "Fried Fish ’n’ Collard Greens" (2:40)
The Native Yinzer - "The Hip Strip" (2:33)
Review: The fourth edition in Original Gravity's Down In The Basement series, which gathers instrumental soul and swing cuts onto worthy 7" slabs, resounding the fervent 1960s decadal gap in which mod reigned supreme. With juleps flowing and kneecaps knocking, Abramo & Nestor bring newfangled electric pianistic swing with 'Dig It!', while a twinned "hit it!" injunction is heard from Floyd James & The GTs on the reissued 'Work That Thang'; James' voice is tubed and speed-delayed to terrific effect, achieving a sprung intonation. Curtis Baker brassifies the bonanza with the lively 'Fried Fish 'n' Collard Greens', while The Native Yinzer's exiting excitation 'The Hip Strip' quilts our ears with a mnemic, down-feathery Hammond-breaks bit.
Review: A new take on a Jonathan Richman classic from 1977 which has lit up clubs for 45-odd years, especially during the punk era. The track's infectious rhythm has inspired various reggae remixes but now it's getting a fresh cumbia twist. Cumbia and reggae share a common groove, making them a perfect match for DJs to mix and this one was recorded in Lima by Pancho Acosta, founder and guitarist of Company Quinto, who transforms the track into an upbeat cumbia gem. The flip side features Acosta's 'Carnaval de Jujuy' blended with Money Chicha's modern take on Peru's fuzzed-out chicha sound.
Ivano Fossati - "Night Of The Wolf (Tema Del Lupo)" (4:00)
Review: Measured Mile records puts two classy soul tracks onto the same 7". Originally released in 1974, Act 1 - 'It's The Same Old Story' is often looked over classic of the era. Act 1 hailed from Detroit and featured Raeford Gerald, Roger Terry, Reggie Ross and George Barker. The band had two minor hits but often people recall 'It's The Same Old Story' as their favorite of their only full album. Ivano Fossati's 'Night Of The Wolf' is found on the B-side. A jam song that verges slightly into Latin music, asks for quite a sum of money for its original copy. Both tracks add up to a real gem of a 7".
Review: Addmoro were a lesser known Los Angeles-based disco outfit active throughout the late 70s and early 80s, and their sound was unique for its ahead-of-its-time weight and phonk, not to mention a difficult-to-match versatility, both traits evidenced by this Kalita reissue of the obscurity 'Rock & Roll Skate' here, first released on their very own Addmoro Records. The titular A-sider and 'Keep On Tryin' were released originally in 1985, with the former coming as a ploddy but groovy hard-hitter - which could've easily predicted the reams of modern-day producers who would the style on for size decades later (but not quite achieve it so well) - and the latter a surprise-taking curveball in a stumbly-funky, disco-electro mood.
Review: This release was deftly crafted by Visceral Grooves in collaboration with Dig. Find. Listen. Sample. Chop. Repeat., featuring the duo of LA artists Sankofa and J. Dankworth. Side A is a killer instrumental hip-hop cover of the Billy Brooks' classic 40 Days, while side B is a slow-burning original composition by the band Aesthetic, lifted from the forthcoming album 'Anesthetic'.
Review: African Dubplate delivers a thrilling selection of classic and rare Afro jams, reworked and pressed with a disco single flair. Though the mysterious artist behind the project remains anonymous, it's clear the source material hails from the rich well of African rhythms. Each track brings fresh energy to timeless sounds, crafted with the dancefloor in mind. Be sure not to miss out as this limited stock release is sure to fly off the shelves. Grab yours while you can!
Review: The long-running Mushi 45 label from Japan is back with another big serving of Afro-tinged funk. This 45rpm is limited to just 300 copies and features both parts of Afro Breed's Toootee. It is our first brush with this artist but we like what we hear here - 'Tootee (part 1)' has a James Brown-style take on funk with trilling acoustic guitar and tumbling drum breaks under big vocals. 'Tootee (part 2)' introduces a more libidinous sax sound that is steamy and sultry and seductive.
Review: Still peddling pure and fast jazz-funk disco, and coming straight from the source, Afrodisia are an ingeniously named German band whose stated intent was to transcend colour and creed through the mode of music. The band barely squeezed by with four EPs and an LP to their name; these two new cuts were recorded for a second album, which never saw the light of day. The A cut is the highlight, being the dreamiest and creamiest of the two.
Mahmoud Ahmed - "Aynotche Terabu" (with Equators Band) (4:02)
Girma Beyene - "Ene Negn Bay Manesh" (2:24)
Review: The Afro 45's / Mr Bongo lineage has produced some of the hottest, most sizzling funk reissues from around the globe, and this tasty two-header from Mahmoud Ahmed - who has appeared heavily on Portland's monumental Mississippi label - and Girma Beyene, two greats of the African soul / funk heritage. Ahmed's "Aynotche Terabu" is backed by the Equators Band, and the man's voice rides like crispy waves over the dusty percussion and charging trumpets of the outfit; Beyene appears with a less moody but equally brilliant jazz-leaning piece named "Ene Negn Bay Manesh", bringing through the spirot of greats such as Mulatu and the rest of the African luminaries.
Akiko & Masayasu Tzboquchi - "Love Theme From Sparticus" (feat Mbanja Ritchy aka B-Bandj - Clear Day mix) (4:34)
Review: Tom Browne's 1980 single 'Funkin' For Jamaica' has long been something of an anthem - a hybrid funk/boogie classic that remains a staple in sets of hip-hop, disco and soul DJs alike. Given its ubiquity, covering the song is fraught with danger, but remarkably Japanese producer Akiko and guest vocalist Mbanja Richy have successfully put a new spin on it. Their take is subtly tougher and more synth-heavy, with bilingual French/English vocals, nods to Zouk music and a bassline so squelchy it could have been lifted from a P-funk record. Over on the flip, the pair go mellow, deep and laidback on a pleasingly skewed hip-hop soul cover of Terry Callier's legendary vocal interpretation of Alex North's 'Love Theme' from 'Spartacus'. Inspired stuff all told.
Review: Excursions in Gwoka vol. 2 is another adventurous outing for the Beauty & the Beat label that takes them ever deeper into the gwoka scene of Guadeloupe. it is the celebrated carnival outfit Akiyo who are in focus here with two tracks taken from second and supremely hard-to-find long player, Mouvman, in 1993. 'Deboule' is a real heater with bustling drum funk and chatting tribal vocals all run through with synth wizardry from Marie-Galante Jacques-Marie Basses. 'Blo' is just as steamy and intern with percussion, whistles and big beats all making quite the impact. Breakplus adds a London twist to 'Deboule' while CW adds a cosmic air to 'Blo.'
Review: AkizzBeatzz and Lego Edit join forces to mutually reinforce what they both do best: making disco edits and reworks of classic funk, soul and Afrobeat, and occassionally offering up the odd original track. The 12" 'African Groove' is a downtempo and weighty meditation on what it means to hail from the continent, with Akizz' A-side 'I'm An African' playfully laying down a diasporic big beat excursion, replete with regional instrumentation and defiant political vocal samples. Lego Edit's 'Sahara Adventures', meanwhile, works a chugging beat around a central algaita line.
Review: Back in 2017, Four Flies Records unearthed and released a previously unheard "Afro-cosmic funk" EP from Italian soundtrack and library music legend Alessandro Alessandroni. Three years on, they've decided to give the 1978 recording the remix treatment. Bolissa and guests Calibra 35 kick things off with a densely percussive, out-of-this-world take on "Afro-Voodoo", before Pad re-imagines "Afro Darkness" as a chugging chunk of beatdown-disco laden with colossal chords, arpeggio bass and intergalactic electronics. Over on side B the "Jolly Mare Lifting" version of "Afro Discoteca" is a veritable leftfield disco stomper notable for its low-slung bass and spacey Moog lines, while Luca's "Quirky Version" of "Afro Darkness" is the kind of hallucinogenic, Marimba-tinged number that you can imagine Daniele Baldelli playing at the Cosmic Club circa 1981.
Review: Alessandro Alessandroni (often said to be the most famous whistle in the history of film thanks to appearing on famous spaghetti western 'A Fistful of Dollars') is a legendary composer and musician who very much had a big say in the characteristic sound of Italian soundtracks during the 60s and 70s. This lovely 7" from Four Flies showcases that with two well chosen cuts that have been taken from a dusty tape found in the great man's vault. 'Shine On' is superbly stylish funk with some seductive vocals and rolling drums all peppered with golden chords and dynamic horns. 'Prohibition' is a little more mellow but still features magic Rhodes and characterful horns.
Review: The Alex Santos Orchestra is a self-described "orchestra" orchestrated for the express purpose of sanctifying one Alex Santos' lifelong love for jazz and Latin music. Following the much loved 'Alex Santos Y Su Orquesta', 2021's next step in Latinizing said quasi-conceptual ensemble, we've now landed in the project's live ambit. 'The Alex Santos Orchestra On Tour' captures just two live highlights from a much more recent outing (given the mystification surrounding the project, this may or may not have happened). Whatever the case, these recordings span both potentialities, retaining something of a highly-strung Hammond organ come upfront-drumkit drama on the B-side, 'Mr Clean', and an equally stirring version of the main theme from 'The Godfather' on the A.
Review: Bernard "Pretty" Purdie and his Playboys were an iconic funk group of the late 70s who had big hits with the likes of Gil Scott Heron on his seminal 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' single. A year later on the same label, Flying Dutchman, they served up the 'Heavy Soul Slinger' single which gets reissued here. It's driven by big drum breaks and funky hits, with plenty of lush chords and rolling basslines all taking you on a high class and sophisticated trip. On the a-side is Harold Alexander 's 'Mama Soul' from the same era, but with a much more experimental sound rooted in wordless ad libs and frantic flutes.
Review: American jazz and gospel singer came up in Chicago and world the local scene - both playing in the clubs, but also as part of an a cappella choir for a number of years. She moved to LA to pursue her dreams in 1962, and the move paid off. She recorded 24 albums and nearly as many EPs right up until the mid nineties. 'Baltimore Oriole' was originally recorded in 1957 but this version is from 1977 . It is a glorious bit of uptempo Afro-Cuban jazz with lush jazz, funk and soul stylings all topped off by a fine vocal.
Review: Jalapeno remains one of the hottest and most spicy labels out there for hip hop lovers, and now it is The Allergies who bring the heat on a new and limited edition 7". They kick this one off with 'Stanky Funk' which features Bootie Brown and brings some old school cool, plenty of retro organ chords and noodling basslines that will tie the dance floor in knots. 'Never Gonna Let Go' then ups the ante with even more raw and hard hitting breaks next to big vocals and driving brass.
Review: Times may change and life may evolve, but the Allergies will always be unashamed party-starters whose records are both pleasingly heavy and instantly accessible. By now, you shouldn't need further proof og their skills in this department, but if you do, the Bristol combo's latest "45" is a lesson is dancefloor-igniting goodness. 'Lean on You' is a live and funk-fuelled as you'd expect, with distinctive flash-fried funk-rock guitar riffs, bustling, interestingly slung breakbeats and a fine lead vocal from Dynamite MC. Over on the flip, 'Working on Me' is a more bluesy, cut-and-paste funk breaks number that's guaranteed to get feet moving out on the dancefloor.
Review: Nestor Alvarez's Midnight in Havana on Original Gravity delivers an electrifying Afro-Cuban instrumental jam that transports listeners to the vibrant streets of Havana. With a mesmerising flute lead and dynamic jam sessions, the track exudes a captivating energy that feels like a theme song for the city's bustling nightlife. The infusion of Cuban soul adds depth and authenticity to the music, immersing listeners in its rich cultural heritage. On the B-side, Alvarez offers a creative cover version of the Happy Mondays' 'Kinky Afro,' reimagined with a Cuban twist. The fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms and the iconic melody of the original song results in a fresh and exciting interpretation that showcases Alvarez's versatility as a musician. Fans of Latin and Cuban dance music are sure to eat this up.
Review: Original Gravity's very own identity-invention Nestor Alvarez returns with yet another two new and hot Latin funk productions. 'Plata O Plomo' takes its namesake from an old Spanish adage, literally translating to English to mean "silver or lead", implying that the recipient of the phrase must either accept a bribe or lose their life. In keeping with this heavy-handed theme, the track is punchy and surface-tense as a bullet yet to exit the barrel. Meanwhile, 'Reality For Nuttin' gets at an equally nihilistic and existential theme, all while finding joy in the conundrum of life with huge rhythm guitars and pop-out pianos and brasses.
Review: This is another reissue of a record that remains an ongoing favourite. Original Gravity delivered again with the original pressing featuring two unique versions of 'Burning Spear'. Nestor Alvarez opens with a lively, Latin-inspired rendition filled with fluttering flute melodies, raw drum beats and vibrant dancing keys that radiate sunny energy. On the flip, La Machine D'Argent takes a more cosmic approach, smoothing the vibe and layering spaced-out sounds for a dreamy, immersive journey. This release showcases Original Gravity's knack for reimagining funk with flair by offering two distinct yet equally good takes on a timeless groove.
Review: Mr Bongo kickstarts a new Afro 45s series with serious intention; all-girl troupe from Guinea Amazones De Guinee take the lead with a live recording from Paris, 1983. Taken from their Au Coeur De Paris album, it's the perfect example of a live recording with the balance of musicianship and crowd participation precision tuned. Flip for the previously rare 1980 recording by Ivory Coast's Moussa Doumbia whose smoky vocals and JB-level shrieks hit hard over a clam-tight Afrofunk rhythm. What a way to start a new series.
Review: Australian soul singer Stella Angelico has been at it since 2012, and now, signaling yet more to come, we hear a fresh 7" documenting her work with Cookin' On 3 Burners, a Melbourne-based band whose specialism is Hammond organ funk and soul. On the A we've got 'I'm Comin' Home To You', a nimble pop-soul of impeccable quality, expressing the joy of a long-awaited return. The B-sider, 'Whole Woman', is more of a monologue and slow jam, expressing the joy of staying fully embodied and grounded.
Review: Montreal producer and keyboard maestro Anomalie offers a full-MOT servicing of funk-jazz on 'Velours', a choice track that presaged his 2018 EP 'Metropole'. Born of a chilled bedroom jam, the first iteration of this track was uploaded to YouTube in 2017, and utilised stacks of Yamaha pianos as well as sleek, sexily designed sample pads. Anomalie provides a rich, honeyed set of chordophonal can-cans over nothing but a swung backbeat, bringing seemingly boundless phonic fruition from little nutrient. Now the song hears a full reproduction and repackaging in vinyl form via Devins 7s.
Review: 'Anything Goes Vol. 7' the latest vinyl release EP from Rollover Edit Service, a subsidiary of Anything Goes, is back. Delve into the Italian music scene of the 70s and early 80s with four meticulously edited gems; all four versions here are billed as originals, credited to contemporary producers' hands (Black Pomade, Pablot, etc.) yet are heavily built around each respective sample. Our highlight is the hard-won, twangy B4, 'Prima O Poi Ti Prendero'.
Review: Destination '77: Nigerian troupe The Apostles lay down their third album Banko Woman. And, with it, this widescreen vibe excursion that's been a go-to for Afrobeat diggers since it was released on Love Day 40 years ago. "Banko Woman" is a firing, energetic funk jam layered with vibrant levels of instrumentation that gradually strip back at points to let you feel the raw tempo of the groove. "Faith Luck & Music" is at once both more bluesy, thanks to the sliding, melting guitars, and spiritual, thanks to the traditional rhythm and chords. A rare and long-awaited reissue.
Review: ARN4L2's first-ever solo vinyl project is a doozy. Across five cuts he looks to the dance floor from his own unique perspective and mixes up Congolese soukous, Colombian Bullerengue, Nigerian highlife, Caribbean soca, and good old house music. His style is colourful and psychedelic and it really is fresh across the hurried, skittish percussive rhythms of 'Rompecuero' and deeper Afro-funk and soul of 'Caribe.' 'Kampangola' brings great instrumental displays and 'Papasukus' is pure summer music. A super strong EP from an artist well worth watching this year.
Review: After the roaring success of his last outing here, the '3 Woman EP,' Art Of Tones is back on GAMM with a 12" that brings male ovals to the fore. They are all very different in style but all highly effective. 'International Truth' opens with strident and funky disco drums and noodling guitar lines with soulful tones lighting up the beats. 'Don's Expensive Afro' is a rework of a rare Afro-disco track with more expressive vocals instructing the floor to move. Last of all is a stunning reimagining of an overlooked Stevie Wonder gem, 'Stevland's Run', which is off-balance and unusual funk madness laden with psyched-out guitar work.
Review: You always know what you are going to get from Mr Bongo's Brazil 45 series and that is pure fire in musical form. This 100th release suggests the label has no intention of slowing down nor is it running low on top source material. This one from As Meninas on the A-side has beautiful female vocal-group arrangements with flutes that soar up top and plenty of ass-shaking samba shuffles down low. It's a tune that oozes soul and charm and was first released back in 1967. It's a super sweet but short song that is backed with 'Brasileiro' on the flip. It's taken from Jorginho Telles' self-titled 1971 album on Copacabana Records and mixes up raw guitar sounds with r&b vibes into something unusual and alluring.
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