Juno Recommends Funk / Rare Groove / Reissues : June 2023

Review: Here's a cover which can't fail to please a huge crowd, as Betty Black takes on Eurythmics' eternal 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)'. Black has been hitting her stride as a modern day soul diva after moving on from her accomplished roots voicing some iconic UK garage tunes, and her cover of 'Cry Me A River' is no joke either. Backed up by The Family Fortune and bringing an undeniable 60s sass to her performance, she makes the track her own. As well as the full vocal version on the A-side, the B-side has the slightly edited, dubbed out 'Work Out' version for when you want to work up a sweat.

Review: Berlin-based Voodoocuts knows how to mix up floor-filing sounds from across a range of genres and eras. Now the sonic shapeshifter serves up a first EP for Adeen that packs in five killer cuts. 'La Culebra' kicks off with big horns and Latin rhythms which carry on through the dance-heavy 'Mi Amor'. 'B-boy Paco' completes the first side of vinyl with lively rhythms, horn stabs and florid Spanish vocals. 'Que Rico' kicks off on the flip with another dense arrangement packed with cowbells, funky bass riffs, woodblock hits, shakers and plenty more. 'Linda Negra' is a sleazy yet seductive samba shuffle that brings the heat and will get any party heated up.

Review: Cumbias En Moog's Cumbia De Sal is an exemplary psychedelic cumbia single - from the main pushers of the niche South American genre, Vampisoul - which this time offers a distinct usage of the Moog synth. The Cumbias En Moog project began in Colombia as a wilfully unique vision that combined traditional cumbia rhythms with vintage synthesizers; two of the group's choicest cuts make it to vinyl here, 'Cumbia De Sal' and 'Cumbia Sobre El Mar'. Far more synthy than guitarry (most cumbia falls into the latter camp) the tracks pit an offbeat, goofy rhythm with stark Moogs, resonant leads and happily crude playing, while their haunting choral vocals add a human touch to said robotics.

Review: The Record Store Day 2023 specials are coming thick and fast and thankfully the quality seems high this year. This 7" in particular is a crucial one for any Southern soul fans. It is a mega rare one from the vast JB Records vaults that due to popular demand finally gets an official reissue. It's not one that appears often in original form - the last copy fetched over 400 quid several years ago now. And it's easy to see why - the Baton Rouge crossover soul of Cynthia Sheeler's 'I'll Cry Over' will melt your heart and lift you off your feet all at once.

Review: The Solo 500 label is back with another dynamite pair of edits, one of which has never before made it to 45rpm. The A-side is 'Que se sepa' by Roberto Roena, a legendary Puerto Rican salsa percussionist and orchestra leader that originally landed in 1970. Here the Latin funk is front and centre as the banging salsa rhythms really hit home. Reverse this one and you'll find an edit of 'Peasant Dance' that is just as sun-kissed and full of synth-funk, squirming leads and shuffling beats. With summer around the corner these arrive just in time so do not sleep.

Review: Fingier Records is a new Acid Jazz sub-label that is back with a brand new 7" from The Kevin Fingier Collective. It's a real dance floor heater that is perfectly aged and authentic as it mixes up Northern Soul and r&b with driving guitar rhythms and steamy piano chords. The horns are killer but the vocal is the icing on the cake. On the flip things get Latin flavoured with the bossa-tinged mod jazz of 'The Great Akerman' which is defined by lush flute and organ vamps. This is a great taster of the full length to come from The Kevin Fingier Collective.

Review: Like many releases for Record Store Day, this is a rather rare and super expensive classic that gets a welcome reissue to make it available to us all once more. The Dome City Rock Orchestra hailed from New Orleans made heavy jazz funk sounds with tight as-you-like musicians all excelling on their instruments. The A-side is packed with energy, swirling synths and big bongos, wild flutes and cosmic vibes all making for a thrilling dancefloor gem. Part Two carries on where Part One left off, and both leave you feeling breathless but ready for more.

Review: Miami's legendary TK Disco label has swung open the doors to its vital back catalogue and allowed some of the most golden gems to be reissued here. These are two stone-cold breakbeat classics and b-boy delights that come kissed by the sun and ready to get your party started. 'Dance To The Drummer's Beat' opens up with plenty of joyous vocals and loose percussion over fresh and funky breaks. On the flip of this 45rpm is 'Do The Handbone', a hard-hitting and raw cut with big vocals and plenty of lively trumpet action. Both are surefire winners.

Review: The Rhythm Makers were a chameleonic Bronx-based band: debuting with an album in 1976 as Sabu And The Survivors, they then changed their name to The Rhythm Makers but saw commercial failure under the moniker. Metamorphosing once more into GQ, they became disco stars and then fell back into obscurity in the mid 70s. It wasn't until the new millennium in which they returned to The Rhythm Makers name and proffered a new, retrospective version of 'Soul On Your Side' to a much tighter audience - it was was soon to become their rare and sought-after retainer. The title track is a veritable classic thanks to its samplage by many hip-hop artists; the rest of the album consists entirely of zingingly sticky disco-funk cream.

Review: Pangea reissue two rather serene, perhaps 'tropical' cuts from 21-Century soul outfit The Sand Dollars. Particualrly, these songs were recorded in the early 2000s and come as two covers: the A-side hears a beguiling take on The Kinks' 'Waterloo Sunset', while the latter is an instrumental version of 'Get Thy Bearings' by Donovan. While the originals are obvious greats, a clear enduring throughline was established, as the B-side was later rather quickly sampled by both pop artist Lilly Allen and Biz Markie on 'I Told You', perhaps owing to its quality atmospheric horn trillings and nicely noir drumsmithery.

Review: Germany's Mighty Mocambos are one of the flagship funk outfits on the scene right now and this new 45rpm on Rocafort Records shows why. It was recorded live on tape during the Queen 16 B-Girl battle in Berlin back in 2022. Opener 'International Cypher' brings a fresh take on funk with oriental overtones thanks to an electric Phin, which is a Thai guitar, being heavily deployed throughout over bristling drums that are raw and hit hard. On the flip, 'Queen 16 Theme' is more lively and loose limbed with a jumble of drums and expressive horns leading the charge.

Review: KC

Review: MD Recordings mark their first outing of 2023 in fine style with this raw Philly funk classic from Alfreda Brockington. She is a well known and loved artist who has a wide ranging style that gets from sweet soul and gospel through to northern soul gems and sister funk slammers. The a-side here is real crossover goodness that was written by Howard Ravitsky who was closely associated with Lash Records. The backside gem is sweet and smooth soul with the textbook yearning of Alfreda's anguished vocal backed by great backing singers and lush soul chords over smooth and funky bass.

Review: Lonnie Liston Smith's legacy in the world of spiritual jazz, soul and funk is huge, but he remains an often overlooked figure only discovered by those with a dedication to the music. As such, his albums are always worthy of reissue to hopefully reach more ears in need of the gifts they possess, and while Expansions is rightly considered his landmark offering, this swift follow up with The Cosmic Echoes is just as essential. Just melt into the bubbling, fast-slow reverie of 'Beautiful Woman' and let Smith's exquisite talents carry you away. If you already know the music, then take a chance to cop a freshly remastered edition, and if you're not familiar with Smith's work then take this golden opportunity to expand your horizons.

Review: Wagram's seemingly endless thirst for compilations means we have another one on the racks this week. This time out, after focussing on everything from disco to blues, techno to soul, it is Sampled Disco Funk in the spotlight across four sides of vinyl. There are plenty of nicely sought out sounds here from a mix of artists that we all know and love such as Leon Ware, but also plenty of lesser known artists such as Lafayette Afro Rock Band and Celi Bee & The Buzzy Bunch. These are characterful sounds from the world of funk, with plenty of fire in their breakbeats and richness in the bass.

Review: First released way back in 1997, The Mood Mosaic compilations found good traction not merely for their compiling of many lesser-known dark/Italo disco artists into singular compilations, but also for their use of implicitly sexual imagery on their front covers - a business-minded pairing, to say the least. This reissue harks back to the comp's enduring legacy, with lackadaisical classics including Marta Acuna's 'Dance, Dance, Dance', Touchdown's 'Ease Your Mind' and Black Devil's 'Follow Me' all appearing in quick succession.