Review: There's not a lot of information out there about Arcade of Serpe, so let's skip the back story and cut to the chase. If that's really an appropriate turn of phrase here. Nothing about Cave Adventure feels rushed. Nothing. In fact, it's quite the opposite, opening on dub-wise bass and playful organs, the atmosphere - somewhere between lackadaisical, come down, BBQ, and psychedelic - subtly rises, although not to a crescendo as much as a delicate fade out after a few minutes strutting to the funk-laden groove. Flip it to find more explorations in the sonic ether, with 'Unicorn Rider' smoothly stepping out into a surreal track that uses space and emptiness to accentuate the noises that are there, which mirror, if not directly reflect, the opening title tune. It's quiet, but you won't forget it in a hurry.
Review: Astral Quartet was a group that changed their name and evolved into Centre El Muusa. They never played live nut managed to record just two tunes back in 2018. Now, five years later, they finally get to see the light of day. They could be 50 years old such is the quality of the musicianship - fusions of jazz and funk that brim with character. The band is made up of Monika Erdman, Rauno Vaher, Volodja Brodsky and Misha Panfilov who mix up cosmic Wurlitzer sounds, languorous synths and fresh drums, turning it into something laidback and psyched on the b-side and more funky and up-beat on the a-side.
Review: Russian psych-rockers turned acid funksters Bamma Gamma have only one previous release to their name, a fine cassette-only mini-album that dropped last year. This, then, marks their first appearance on wax. The seven-strong outfit gets straight to it on "Back To The Zoo", where wild-eyed guitar solos, kaleidoscopic synth solos and deranged animal noise rise above a fuzzy funk-rock groove. Flip to the B-side for "Cannibalism", an altogether deeper - if no less glassy-eyed - affair that makes great use of layered guitar jazz guitar solos, snappy drum breaks and the kind of hazy backing track that not only suggests the use of vintage recording equipment, but also heavy consumption of smoke-able plants.
Review: Bamma Gamma returns with a sizzling slab of funk in the form of 'Omelette' via Detroit's renowned Funk Night Records. This one is a digger's dream, raw, gritty instrumental funk with break-heavy drums, tight guitar licks and basslines so greasy they practically drip off the record. True to Funk Night's underground sound, Omelette is unapologetically retro and authentic and serves up irresistible dancefloor heat that feels like a lost '70s cut that has been newly rediscovered. For DJs looking to inject some analogue soul into their sets, it's a no-brainer.
Review: Funk Night Records' latest limited-edition "45" comes courtesy of The Blassics, an expansive Finnish band whose self-released albums regularly join the dots between funk, Afrobeat, jazz-funk, soul and, more surprisingly, space-age jazz. "Bongo Rap Version" is a little more straightforward than that their eclectic approach suggests, offering a tidy mix of Incredible Bongo Band style grooves, undulating bass, occasional Afrobeat horns and raw guitar riffs. They opt for a more laidback approach on "Sensuous Encounter", wrapping a more laidback Afro-funk style groove in flanged guitars and echoing electric piano solos.
Review: Funk Night Records continues to offer up new slabs of fabulously fuzzy funk from The Blassics, a nine-piece outfit from Finland that has been operative for the best part of a decade. Remarkably, this is the band's fifth single this year. On the A-side you'll find the "Slofat Version" of their tribute to the polyrhythmic percussion, raw bass and dancing horns of Afro-funk, which is aptly named 'Afro Cookie'. It's a chunky musical biscuit that looks set to energise dancefloors with its sugary delights every time it's dropped. Despite its title, flipside 'Psych Afro Funk' is not that psychedelic; it is, though a rather fine and pleasingly laidback ramble through the more relaxed end of the Afro-funk spectrum.
Review: There are tens of members of The Blassics crew from Scandinavia, including Joona Venalainen, Juha Sarkkola, Ville-Pekka Jarvinen and several more, and they are expert genre-fusionists who draw on funk, soul, jazz, hip-hop and more to cook up their brilliant instrumental sounds. They have been doing it for more than a decade and have plenty of great albums to their name. Here they return to Funk Night with another red-hot 45 rpm. 'Fishing Break (45 mix)' is powered by raw drum breaks with brassy horns and cowbells for company, then 'Nokova' slows things down and allows a more sultry trumpet to take the lead. 'Lunki Mood' slows it down even further for late-night and loved-up jazz-funk introspection.
Review: The Blassics is a creative crew from Scandinavia featuring the likes of Hanna Lotti, Joona Venalainen, Juha Sarkkola, Ville-Pekka Jarvinen and several more musicians. They have turned out several brilliant instrumental albums over the last decade and show their chops again ion this new 7" via Funk Night. 'Addis Hop (part 1)' collides funk, jazz, spy theme soundtracks and hip-hop into a storytelling sound with a driving bassline and shimmering chords and keys. It comes in two parts, and both are effortlessly evocative and mesmerising.
Review: For their latest 45 missive, Funk Night Records has decided to offer-up a double-header of fresh instrumental funk from two Scandinavian combos. The A-side features Finnish scene stalwarts The Blassics, whose 'Silver Mercury' offers a fiendishly fuzzy mix of low-slung drum-breaks, clipped guitar riffs and all manner of tipsy horn solos. Fellow Scandi-funk outfit Broaks take over on side B, building on the smoky, seductive sound of their recent self-titled debut album. 'Her Ability to Transform' is a weighty but sparse and stripped-back trip into hip-hop influenced Afro-funk territory that comes laden with drunken horn blasts, Tony Allen style drumming and some nimble, subtle turntablism.
B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition
The Blassics - "Silver Mercury"
Broaks - "Her Ability To Transform"
Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***
For their latest 45 missive, Funk Night Records has decided to offer-up a double-header of fresh instrumental funk from two Scandinavian combos. The A-side features Finnish scene stalwarts The Blassics, whose 'Silver Mercury' offers a fiendishly fuzzy mix of low-slung drum-breaks, clipped guitar riffs and all manner of tipsy horn solos. Fellow Scandi-funk outfit Broaks take over on side B, building on the smoky, seductive sound of their recent self-titled debut album. 'Her Ability to Transform' is a weighty but sparse and stripped-back trip into hip-hop influenced Afro-funk territory that comes laden with drunken horn blasts, Tony Allen style drumming and some nimble, subtle turntablism.
Review: The Blassics is a multi-member collective known for the excellent blend of jazz, funk, afro and soul across a series of standout records over the last decade. They take care of the a-side of this red hot release from Funk Night with 'Flowman Break', a bubbling, loose limbed funk bumper that is full flavour and full of playful funk. Tatasomba's 'Kaleidoscope' is a little more paired back and coy, with a conversational bassline and jangling cow bells that keep you on the move.
Review: The on point Funk Night label returns with these raw and emotive jams from Rickey Calloway & The Tennessee Band. The tidy two track 7" opens with the raw soul jazz sounds of 'Everybody Say Yeah' with its blasts of horns, expressive vocals and rolling rhythm section all cutting deep. Flip it over for the slightly more loose feeling 'Mr Meaner,' an instrumental version with the backing singers left in place to inject some human warmth to the lo-fi grooves.
Rickey Calloway & His Tennessee Band - "Do It On The One (Stay In The Pocket)" (3:10)
The Tennessee Band - "Ain't It A Crime" (instrumental) (3:06)
Review: Funk Night cop a couple of fine funk gems here from Rickey Calloway. He is an r&b singer, as well as a rhythm guitar musician and songwriter from Jacksonville, Florida. His Tennessee Band helps him serve up funk that comes direct from the 70s, James Brown style. Both of the singles here are [rimed to fire up the floor, with 'Do It On The One (Stay In The Pocket)' the more direct of the two and the flip side 'Ain't It A Crime' (instrumental) going deeper.
Review: A lovely new 45 from Detroit funk/hip-hop label Funk Night Records .Rickey Calloway started his music career at the tender age of 13, clowning around in rest periods doing James Brown imitations. It's with the spirit of Brown's backing band The JB's that the Daptone label's house band, The Dap Kings, turn Rickey's vocal track original into a groove led funk set of instrumentals. This version is heavy on the guitar licks with smatterings of bongo percussion, smouldering Hammond organ and punchy brass stabs without the confines of vocals. Highly recommended.
Review: This latest seven from Frank Raines Funk Night label is so hot there is steam rising off the wax! It sees funk troupe The Soul Surfers team up with vocalist Coko and we hope it's the first of several collaborations as there is a real studio chemistry on display here. There's a raw energy to Coko's vocal delivery that is reminiscent of Betty Davis and her vocals and the backing accompaniment sit perfectly on a killer groove arrangement from The Soul Surfers. The partnership shows a different side on the flip with "Wicked" a pensive Blues number that is fairly dominated by Coko's raspy singing.
Review: Two of Funk Night Records' most distinctive and innovative acts join forces for two outstanding pieces of psychedelic fiery funk fusion. Estonian duo Misha Panfilov Sound Combo set the bedrock on "Soul Strut". All fuzzy, unkempt and energetic, it sets the scene for Detroit's Coco Buttafli to lay her scorched heart on the line in an almost metal-like style. "Electrifying Woman" takes us even deeper into the psychedelic mindset as the groove is given a swampy, dizzying feeling while Coco spits spoken word with such a savage honesty you can't helped but get sucked into the story. Two of a kind.
Review: You likely haven't heard of Russian rare groove, until now. Moscow funk quintet Diasonics routinely lay claim to a sound they call 'Hussar funk', an "outernational" style of psych-funk that draws on their native Eastern European musical traditions. Continuing their recent slew of 7" singles comes a pair of slick instrumental covers, straddling Northern soul and US hip hop respectively. The A-side dedicates itself to an uptempo, chromaticized rendition of the Four Seasons' 'Beggin', while the B throws a noughties curveball - a stripped-back version of Outkast's 'Miss Jackson'. A brave yet no less enthralling soundtrack to your next Sunday afternoon.
Review: Serial alias addict, Kris Holmes returns with a double side of split personality: The Disciples is a rough, bluesy layered piece of slo-mo surf rock where the drums only just keep up and the organs provide heavy soul salvation. "He Spoke" shows Kris on much more of an African inspired trip. Similarly hefty organs power the main groove but there's more uplift in the riff and instrumentation. Insatiable.
Review: The irrepressible Funk Night come son stone girth another red hot wedge of the good stuff. There isn't much info out there about Funkool Orchestra but on this evidence it is a collection of high skilled musicians with plenty in their arsenal - funk, soul, Latin, bossa, jazz and soul. All of the feeds into the opener here: 'Funkool Orchestra' is lead by a magnificent horn section that powers ahead over glossy chords and silky funk bass riffs. The impassioned vocal is the icing on the cake. Things get a little deeper and more nuanced on the flip with the catchy 'Boogie With Your Baby.' The groove slides like a hot knife through butter and again the horns bring real energy but the boogie bass is hard to look past.
Review: Tenth 45 release from Producer/Song writer/Arranger/Musician/D.J. Andrew Gillespie from Gloucester, UK who has also released three other 45s as The Aries Vibration and La Glosta Nostra
This is Andrew's seventh release for Funk Night Records, Detroit run by D.J./producer Frank Raines
This time we have a driving Gospel flavoured sister funk cover version featuring Gloucester based Church singer Tricia Bailey covering the famous English Anglican hymn All Things Bright And Beautiful written by Cecil Francis Alexander first published in her Hymns For Little Children in 1848
THE LINE UP
Andrew Gillespie - Congas/Flute/Producer/Arranger
Chris Lujan - Hammond Organ/Guitar/BassGuitar /Mixer
Tricia Bailey - Vocal
Sam Fryer - Drums
Manuel Trabucco - Tenor & Baritone saxes
Tim Kersey - Trumpet/Flugelhorn
Review: Andrew Gillespie first came to our attention last year via the release of his first Gillespie & Co seven-inch, Sunshine People - a fine chunk of celebratory summer soul for sweltering afternoons and deep orange sunsets. Here he switches tack slightly, recruiting vocalist Raphaelia to sing positive lyrics over a carnival-friendly barrio-funk workout (think whistles, epic drum fills, jaunty flute solos and all manner of layered hand percussion). Turn to the flip for "Papa's Getto" [sic], a wonderfully loose, fluid and all-action instrumental version that allows Gillespie's punchy horn lines, scratchy funk guitars and stacked percussion hits a little more room to breathe.
Review: Boom: straight back to the 70s via Gloucester, Andrew Gillespie gets his wah-wahs out for the lads and his flutes out for the lasses with this powerful raw-funk jam. Super-charged with rich vocals from soul sister Raphaelia, her "good riddance to bad rubbish" vibe gives the groove that extra bit of pep before we drop into a crispy percussion break that rolls for days. Loaded with a tighter, beat-focused version from DJ Tron, this one hustles hard. The one for you.
Tight Situation (with Reverend RA Yates - part 1) (2:39)
Tight Situation (part 2) (3:22)
Review: More raw funk genius from Kris Holmes: "Tight Situation" is a tight Hammond and guitar groove with just a mild drum break stroking the background to keep the time. Holmes' Yates persona takes over the A with demonstrative preaching power while the instrumental on the B gives you more than enough time to really lose yourself in the woozy washes of organ and endless bendy twangs. Praise worthy.
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