Funk / Reissue Recommendations November 2015

Review: Number 30 in the originals series highlights the link between Dynavoice Records and the Daisy Age hip hoppers who sampled many of the label's releases. We are of course talking about Posdnuos, Dave, and Maseo, aka De La Soul, with Originals wisely squaring attentions on the Northern Soul monster "Soup" by Maggie Thrett and the De La classic "Jenifa Taught Me" which featured ample sampleage. This Originals edition of "Soup" is the first time it's been available in the 7" format since it's initial release in 1965 and is the sort of cut you can drop in a funk jam and see the crowd melt. What more is there to say about "Jenifa Taught Me"? It's a classic mate!

Review: Having re-released Rim Kwaku's long lost Rim Arrives album, BBE follow it up with more dusty disco treasures from the Ghanaian hit maker's repertoire. From the blistering horns and thundering drum rolls of the near-nine-minute romp "Shine The Ladies" right the way through the looser, more Afrobeat-focussed "Peace Of Mind" by way of the emphatic Stevie Wonder-style showmanship of "I'm A Songwriter" it's a collection that still sparkles with soul 30 years after they were recorded. If you're unaware of Rim's story, you'd be wise to check it; from Quincy Jones endorsements to homelessness in the space of 24 hours, Rim's tales are as serious as his music is funky.

Review: Dreamy mid '70s funk from Caribbean (St Maarten to be precise) trio Cool Creations: "Wish Upon Love" struts with a Boz Scaggs-style confidence and a deep, cloudy finish that would make Faze-O proud. Flip for a straight-up cloud burst as "Night On Beach Island" lives up to its name with measured pace, cosmic trumpets, sandy pianos and lavish, lolloping wave-lapping double bass. Beautiful.

Review: A hot and steamy funk jam on the A, a swooning samba with a hectic climax on the B: dynamically this is pretty much the perfect 45 as it ticks all funk dancefloor scenarios. Sonically it's just as sweet with widescreen production, fireside harmonies and pianos that could meander on for days and you'd never get bored. Previously rarer than unicorn knickers, this Underground Resurrection re-release comes our way the same week as the Second Resurrection 45. AOTN are clearly working on biblical form right now.

Review: Chop-walloping funk soul: AOTN bossman Fryer has allegedly spent the past 15 years trying to secure this '70s rarity. Silky, youthful and compounded with an insatiable groove, it's dangerously close to Jackson 5's best output and no one would blame you if you thought it actually was. Flip for "Dimona", a slower burner that swoons and shows the band's more mature side. This is the first time either side has seen a 45... You know what to do.

Review: Obscure Californian group The Real Thing (not the Liverpool 4 piece ) who recorded for US label Whiz enjoy a very special spotlight on Super Disco Edits. Both cuts previously unreleased; they're as fizzy as the product they share a slogan with... "Give It Up & Turn It Loose" takes James Brown to turbo charged pastures, tearing up the funk rule book so rapidly they've got friction burns. "It's A Family Thang" brings us back down to earth with such unified tightness and positivity it would make Sly and the Stones blush. The real deal.

Review: Joe Tex's backing band (and occasional co-writers), Second Resurrection are one of the most successful bands you've never heard of. Having performed and toured with the likes of the Isley Brothers, Shalamar, Rufus & Chaka Khan and many more, it's no surprise they only released one record... They were too busy. These unearthed recordings prove they should have recorded more. Never released before, both "Keep On Keeping On" and "Wise Up" are unrelenting, pumping slices of upbeat disco funk. The former is mildly psychedelic with bold harmonic touches while the latter slows things down just a tad, switches synths for horns and gets preachy with a full spoken word vocal. Apparently AOTN have more Resurrections planned in the near future too. We can't wait.

Review: Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One's on/off funk boogie project Tuxedo gets the remix treatment from an all-star/all-genre cast that could only make sense on a label like Stones Throw. Kaytranada adds a loose Plant Life style swing, long-time Snoop confidant Battlecat retains more of the synth juiciness while adding his own west coast funk signature while Jean Tonique flips the disco bird with a lavish almost Balearic twist that you could instantly imagine Greg Wilson or Luke Solomon playing. All complete with instrumentals this is a very well dressed package. Dapper.

Review: If you know Blunt's story then you'll already know how genuinely cool, exciting and creative he is. If you don't, look it up - he didn't even start learning to playing music until his mid-30s and he regularly touted his lo-fi, wonky community-spirited fuzzy funk by busking and performing at old people's homes. A big influence on Luka Bop founder David Byrne, Dean Blunt, Dam Funk and many more, this is the first time his work has been available since his highly sought after self-released album Gentle Persuasion. Scuffed, scratched and strangely mixed down, his status as an 'outsider funk' spokesman makes complete sense when heard in all his glory. Genuinely unique.

Review: Resense return with another bubbling cauldron of international funk; "Mambo Perez" is a muted trumpet freakfrest with a one way ticket to Cuba by way of Lisbon. Precision diced edits and a really crisp break ensure chaos wherever you play this in the world. "EGO" flicks the samba switch as Greek Panama Cardoon gets wild with Mexican Audry Funk giving her stacks of space for a powerful vocal-focussed hip-slinker. Stunning contemporary funk for all quarters.

Review: His twelfth album in as many years, G-funk enthusiast XL Middleton should be known to all boogie devotees. Opening with two synth-charmed instrumental jams, things get real as the Chromeoisms of "High On Your Love" start nagging at your singalong psyche and the Zapp & Rodgers-style robo-erotica of "Exception To The Rule" kick in midway. By the time you've jittered and spluttered to the crazed slap-bass of "I'm Ready" and swooned to the retro R&B delights of "You Know It's True" you'll be ready to rewind and press play all over again. Liquid brilliance.

Review: One man funk machine Gene Dudley dishes up two more sticks of groove gelignite from his album Zambidoose earlier this year. Frequent collaborator Anne Frankenstein fronts the soul train chugger "Dynamite In The Still Of The Night", giving space for Gene's constant stop/start teases. "Pearl Baby, Pearl" whacks with more of a Booker T twang thanks to the lavish use of Hammond keys while E provides a rich gravelly vocal sheen. Grab this, then check the album if you haven't already - Gene is modern funk genius.

Review: Underdog Records is continuing to reissue some of its most standout albums, and Janko Nilovic's Soul Impressions from 2015 certainly fits the bill. The Montenegrin-French composer and arranger, is a mad skilled keys and percussion man as well as singer and producer who was born in Turkey. He put out more than 35 albums from the late sixties onwards and this one is a raw fusion of prog rock, jazz, edgy funk, blues and east listening. It's unpredictable but hugely absorbing and comes pressed here on heavyweight vinyl.