Juno Recommends Funky House: August 2022

Review: Dave Lee's Z Records digs deep here to come up with a brilliant EP that reissues an original single from 1980s afro-beat outfit Kabbala. The Ghanain brothers of Michael and Isaac Osapanin formed in London and made music from 1982 to 1987. 'Ashewo Ara' is one of their standout tunes from early on and it blends Afro drums with jazz and funk to make for real dance floor heat. An A Capella is included next to edits from Dave Lee and Doug Gomez. It all adds up to a red hot package.

Review: Baltimore-based DJ Oji has been in the house music game for a long time now, starting out with his own Poji label alongside DJ Pope around 1994 and steady trucking since then with his warm, approachable brand of deep house. Known for his collaborations with strong female vocalists, on this latest release for Foundation Music he teams up with Tracy Hamlin for 'Cranes In The Sky', a sentimental piece steeped in soulful composition. Pope steps up for a remix which strips the tune back without losing the message, while on the flip Joe Goddard brings his brand of bumpin', off-kilter floor-filling magic to bear, and then Star One drops the 'KDA Meltdown Dub' in a tougher, techier style which has plenty of fun dicing up Hamlin's vocal for a fresh and fruity version.

Review: Local Talk welcome back Shaka two years after the well received The Riverwalk EP. Once again this two tracker heads down a nice deep and funky path with plenty of soul soothing jazz-funk grooves nailed to a deep house beat. The drums sway, the chords glow and the compositions are brilliantly loose and fluid. Jazzy house does come along this deep and real very often so do not sleep on this one. If Roy Ayers had ever recorded house cuts for Strictyl Rhythm, this is maybe what they would have sounded like.

Review: The so-called French touch sound that emerged from France in the 90s and beyond will always be one of the Gallic country's most famous musical exports, certainly in electronic terms. Its god fathers are of course Daft Punk who fomented filter heavy, textural, and loopy jams that are bustling and overflowing with good vibes. But many an artist followed and added their own spin, plenty of whom are included here on a second volume of the genres finest moments. Standouts come from greats like Justice, St Germain, Alex Braxe & Fred Falke and more.