Back catalogue: Funk

Review: When it comes to mash-ups and unofficial reworks, sometimes the simplest ideas are the ones that make for the most effective versions. That's certainly the case here, as Soul Mates main man Amerigo Gazaway crafts four slabs of funk/hip-hop fusion fusing funky beats with hip hop accapellas plus the all essential instrumental versions...only 300 copies. Don't sleep !

Review: When it comes to mash-ups and unofficial reworks, sometimes the simplest ideas are the ones that make for the most effective versions. That's certainly the case here, as Soul Mates main man Amerigo Gazaway crafts a fresh slab of funk/hip-hop fusion out of three key elements: a legendary Biggie Smalls acapella, sections lifted from James Brown classic "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and his own head-nodding hip-hop beats. There's not much more to it than that, but the resultant cut, "Big Poppa's Got a Brand New Bag", sounds like a guaranteed dancefloor winner. The A-side version is the full vocal take, while the flipside is a Biggie-free instrumental mix.

Review: Dynamite Cuts latest double seven-inch presentation takes us back to 1973, and James Brown's often-overlooked soundtrack to Blaxploitation crime movie "Black Ceasar", a set previously described by one critic as "a full-frontal funk attack". What we get is four of the soundtrack's strongest cuts: electric piano solo-laden funk shuffler "Blind Man Can See", one of Brown's most celebrated and best-loved songs, "The Boss" (sample lyric: "look at me, what do you see? A bad mother!"), the softly sweet, strings-and-solo laden breeziness of "White Lightning", and the crunchy heavy funk strut of "Make It Good To Yourself". As the old saying goes: all killer, no filler.

Review: Having enjoyed a successful 2020, DJ Soopasoul strides into the new year in confident mood via a fresh Soopastole Edits release focused on the work of one of his favourite artists, the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown. Interestingly, the legendary artist doesn't actually feature all that much on the A-side vocal mix of 'Boston Drop', with Soopasoul limiting his involvement to a few excited yelps, grunts and instructions to the backing band. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, because the musical accompaniment - which can be admired further on the tight, DJ-friendly instrumental take - offers an enticing mixture of hard, sun-bright guitar licks, heavy drum-breaks, handclaps and chunky bass. Like the rest of the series, it sounds like a guaranteed floor-filler.

Review: This James Brown 7" release is a must-have for any soul and funk aficionado. The Side-1, 'Never Can Say Goodbye' from the There It Is LP, is a quintessential Brown track with irresistible grooves, a punchy bassline, and killer horn lines that showing his creativity of funk. On Side-2, 'You Took My Heart' from Get Up Offa That Thing offers a lush, swinging rhythm with a captivating movement that highlights Brown's soulful versatility. Both tracks are presented on a highly desirable 7" vinyl, making it a perfect addition for DJs and rare groove enthusiasts. The grooves are tight, the energy is infectious and this release truly captures the essence of James Brown's legendary sound.

Review: Get on Down conclude the series of deluxe 7" reissues from the vaults of Mr James Brown on their People Records sub label with a real gem from the Godfather Of Soul himself! A highlight of the Hot Pants LP, "Escapism" also holds historical importance as the record that launched Brown's People Records label in 1971 (from which Get on Down took the name for their own sublabel). The three part track will be instantly familiar with any JB scholars out there with the excitable funk frontman doing his trademark grunts and call and response patter over a parping sax and taut breakbeat.

Review: Edited version of one of the Godfather's best moments, 'Papa Don't Take No Mess'.

Review: Check out James Brown at the hammond organ on this killer, mostly instrumental funk jam (bar a few grunts and vocal phrases from James himself). An underground hit from 1968 for the northern soul dancers, it was also embraced by the funk fraternity with gusto. On The flip, "I've Got Money" is early funk/R&B from 1962 which has the drummer furiously knocking out the rhythm whilst James screams about how he's rather have some good old fashioned lovin' instead of money. The vocal performance is offset by a big brass section and a throbbing electric bass - way ahead of its time, and quite unique. Classic stuff.

Review: The Breaks & Beats 7" series is crucial for those who love, well, breaks and beats. It turns out high powered tackle for had working DJs and often draws on classic material for its source sounds. This one is a reissue of a recent 7" that is again hand numbered and limited. First up is James Brown's 'Give It Up Or Turn It Loose' with its big horns, guttural vocal cries and relentlessly funky drums. The flip side Duralcha cut 'Ghet-To Funk"' is more languid and loose, with rolling drums and fat bass. d.'

Review: Flipping heck! Soul Flip invite everyone's favourite big glasses wearing editor DJP to the fold for some twists on two seminal, genre-affirming party joints. James Brown's "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" gets a cheeky beat facelift with a fresh set of peppy breaks while Eddie Floyd's tree chopping sing-along enjoys a similar mix-friendly shake-up with a slower, roomier drum arrangement ensuring all the power of the '67 original is kept in check. Flip some switches.

Review: This one came our back in January but sold out in quick fashion, so a limited edition repress is now here but likely to be gone just as quick. And it's easy to see why as this latest Breaks & Beats offering takes on edits of two massive James Brown classics. Extended with DJ friendly breaks and elongated grooves, the Godfather of Soul's fine original is made into a much more useable tool. Jimmy Smith classic "Root Down" gets similar treatment on the flip as it starts and ends with some very workable drum loops that will liven up any set and party.

Review: Given James Brown's sizeable contribution to hip hop in terms of samples flipped, it's a mark of the diggers knowledge shown by Originals that the Godfather of Funk has only featured intermittently on the series across it's 20 plus releases. Nonetheless, the opportunity to indulge in the ripe funk of James Brown has proved too hard to resist any longer for Originals, who square in on "Make It Good To Yourself", a contribution to early '70s Blaxploitation flick Black Caesar. On the B Side some classic early '90s hip hop from Percee P is the sample flip of choice, with producer Richard Todd Ray's usage of the track on "Lung Collapsing Lyrics" quite superb.

Review: Dimitri From Paris returns with a fresh installment of his celebrated DFP Vaults series, highlighting deep cuts that reinforce his status as a top-tier remixer, DJ, and a true connoisseur of dance music's hidden gems. This release holds particular significance for Dimitri, as it pays homage to the legendary James Brown, a figure whose influence in music is beyond measure. The release features Dimitri's 'Special Version' of 'Funky Men,' a track from James Brown's Soul Syndrome. Originally overlooked by Dimitri in 1981, it now shines with a unique disco beat that he's reimagined using both vintage and modern editing techniques. The track has already proven its power on the dance floor. On the flip side, Dimitri revisits 'Just Wanna Make You Dance' by The J.B.'s, featuring Maxxi. This rare disco track, with its Caribbean flair, gets Dimitri's expert touch, enhancing its dancefloor appeal. DFP Vaults, the sister label to Le-Edits Records, presents this release with meticulous attention to detail, featuring state-of-the-art mastering and vintage-inspired packaging.

Review: New 7" label Beats & Breaks present "Funky President" which is a funk song originally released as a single in 1974, by the hardest working man in show business at the time - the Godfather of Soul - James Brown. It appeared on his 4nd (!) album entitled 'Reality' released that same year. According to Brown, the song's title referred to U.S. President Gerald Ford - who succeeded Richard Nixon in the White House shortly before it was recorded. It is one of Brown's most frequently sampled recordings. The rhythmic portions of the song have been used on dozens of hip hop tracks. On the flip, The Vibrettes' "Humpty Dump" is another killer funk number that was recorded by one Roscoe Porter and originally released by Lujon back in 1973. The sample source for many a respected beat by such legends as J. Dilla, Four Tet, 2 Bad Mice and even Aphex Twin.

Review: For the second in their series of clear vinyl reissues of some of their most sought-after "sevens", the mysterious Breaks & Beats crew have chosen to revisit their fourth 45, which originally landed in early 2018. It's well worth picking up, if only for the version of James Brown classic "Funky Presisdent", which features extended grooves and breakbeats for added DJ pleasure and double-up opportunities. That said, we're also big fans of the mystery scalpel fiends' light-touch revision of the Vibrettes' brilliant, voodoo funk favourite "Humpty Dump (Part 1)". This, too, makes more of the original's short drum breaks and strutting instrumental grooves, before unleashing the female vocal group's great vocals.

Review: Comapared to many of his contemporaries, James Brown usually left politics well alone but this infectious funky single from 1974 does show shades of the empowering times he was living in, urging his audience to buy land and "save your money like the mob". As well as being well ahead of its time by mentioning rapping, this has everything you want a track from the Godfather of Soul, namely plenty of vocal gymnastics, a drum break that practically screams 'sample me', a rock hard rhythm section and scratchy superfly guitar. Gets our vote! It's backed up by The Vibrettes' 'Humpty Dump', another track whose breakbeat has been heavily plundered but remains vivacious enough to fill most dancefloors in seconds.

Review: It would be fair to say that the latest edition in DJ Soopasoul's "Soopastole" edits series is one of the producer's biggest yet. A-side "Sex C.R.E.A.M" is particularly potent, with the mash-up maestro layering the vocals from Wu-Tang Clan classic "C.R.E.A.M" over a chunky beat crafted out of classic James Brown samples. To our ears, it's arguably better than the Wu-Tang original, or at least a little more dancefloor-friendly. Fittingly, Brown gets the treatment on the flip with Soopasoul getting busy with the EQs on a suitably heavy but stripped back "dub edit" of all-time-classic "Sex Machine". While it probably didn't need tampering with, he's done a very good job of delivering a version that successfully takes the track in a different direction.

Review: The godfather of soul found himself dipping into jazz on this classic but lesser-known album, Soul On Top (Verse By Request Series). Now getting a proper reissue treatment it is sure to convert many new fans to his abilities across the six sizzling tracks from this 1969 album, which includes the classic 'It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World' and a new version of 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag'. Brown provides the vocals to a 18-piece big band set up that was led by drummer Louis Bellson and arranged by Impulse! star Oliver Nelson. Brown always said he was a jazzman at heart and this goes some way to proving that, with saxophonist Maceo Parker adding plenty of vital swing.

Review: Vintage funk fans rejoice because this classic mid-60s collection is now available to you once more. James Brown's appropriately entitled Night Train - Mighty Instrumentals album is a high-class assembly of plenty of potent, hard-hitting funk as well as more tender and slow-burning soul sounds. These timeless, loveably lo-fi joints have plenty of low end heft to cut through modern dance floras while also offering up some authentic and original funk allure. It comes on nice heavyweight wax so sounds brilliantly loud and clear.

Review: James Brown's 44th album, Everybody's Doin' The Hustle & Dead On The Double Bump enjoys its first official vinyl reissue in decades and it remains every bit as funky and cool as it was when it was released 41 years ago. Beyond the usual suspects (the punchy lead title track and version of "Brand New Bag") there are some of JB's most criminally overlooked jams such as the laid back restraint on "Turn On The Heat And Build Some Fire" (which is ironically very cool) and the muted trumpet tooted jazzy adventures "Superbad & Superslick" and the almost bluegrass "Calm & Cool". Timeless soul magic.

Review: This popular and on going edit series returns after two big instalments from J. Period. Now it is Amerigo at the helm and he pulls together an all-star league of funk, soul and hip hop giants, then rewires their musical DNA into new tribute tracks that are full of life and built from essential James Brown building blocks. Bob Marley is first to be stitched into "Who Is Mr Brown?", which becomes a lazy dub of the highest order. Elsewhere Busta Rhymes, Notorious BIG and Mobb Deep all lend their considerable vocal skills to "Sex Machine" and "Godfather Of Soul."

Review: The unstoppable Get On Down label doesn't like to discriminate between genres, and through the years they've put out a wide breadth of material from hip-hop, soul and funk artists alike. What we have here is the marvellous fourth instalment of the Get On Down With James Brown series, live at the mythical Apollo, and that means a fully-loaded James Brown experience alongside other big-hitters such as The JB's, Lyn Collins and Bobby Bird. You know the score, this is the hit you need. Get Upp-ah!