Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Rhythm Rhyme Revolution, alongside DJ Tabu, delivers a fantastic EP with Summertime / Sunshine Girl. 'Summertime (nuacidfunk)' gradually escalates into a disco crescendo, enriched by Dan Lipman's jazz flute/sax and Gareth Tasker's steaming sitar riff. On the flipside, 'Sunshine Girl' boasts a slinky Afro percussive groove, with DJ Tabu's vocals celebrating love in the sunshine, complemented by Barrie Sharpe's infectious hooks. The ensemble work, featuring Kenny Wellington's jazzy trumpet and vibrant guitar, creates a dynamic sonic landscape. The EP also includes the original version of 'Summertime,' reminiscent of Motown classics. Sharpe's masterful tease and impeccable mood-building make this record a touch of class, leaving listeners thoroughly enchanted.

Review: To celebrate 20 years of BBE, the label has asked Keb Darge to gather together his personal highlights from the Legendary Deep Funk series he's been compiling since 1997. Naturally, his dusty-fingered selections - which can be heard in full on disc two - are undeniably spot-on, meaning that there's little in the way of filler or fluff. In fact, highlights appear at a rapid rate, from the James Brown style grunt of Ricky Calloway and Latin-influenced cheeriness of Sandi and Matues, to the anthem-like heaviness of Zebra's "Simple Song". These dancefloor hits are put into context on disc one, where turntablist extraordinaire Mr Thing cuts, scratches and juggles his way through Darge's superb selections.

Review: Like deep funk? Then you'd surely know of the legendary Keb Darge: the Scottish DJ who invented the term. Known as a leading authority on funk and soul music of the 1960s and beyond, he went from modest beginnings in Wigan, before moving to London in the '70s, bringing the sounds of Northern Soul to punters in the capital. Namely His 'Legendary Deep Funk' night at Soho's seminal strip club turned music venue Madame Jojo's. Following up his last compilation put together with Paul Weller; 2009's Lost & Found (Real R'N'B & Soul) LP, Darge presents hits from the 'Deep Funk' series to celebrate BBE's 20th year. Diggers will most certainly appreciate appearances on here such as Soul Drifter's "Funky Brother", Kenny Dope's edit of Family Of Eve's much sampled "I Wanna Be Loved By You", Joe Washington's "Blueberry Hill" and the classic "Love Call" by Ramsay and Company amongst many others.

Review: With crate digging partner Kon otherwise engaged producing in-demand disco edits, DJ Amir has kept himself busy. Here, he delves into his seemingly bottomless crates to put together a compilation of "rare music from across the Americas". Interestingly, much of the music - and, let's be honest, you won't be familiar with any of the featured artists - was recorded in New York during the 1960s and '70s, largely by immigrant musicians from Brazil, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. That ensures a heady mixture of salsa, boogaloo, mambo, Latin-tinged funk and soul, rhumba, and Afro-Cuban jazz. In other words, it's a killer collection of lesser-known Latin gems. What's not to like?

Review: 'Strata Records: The Sound Of Detroit Volume 1' is a careful yet exquisite collection of soul, funk and jazz classics from Detroit's rich musical history, throwing back to a time before techno took the Motor City by storm. DJ Amir has curated a diverse selection of songs from the Strata Records catalog, showcasing the label's extensive roster of artists (the likes of Kenny Cox, The Soulmates, and Charles Mingus), and in some cases restoring tracks whose recordings have suffered a loss of quality over the years, for an ultimately soul-bearing listen.

Review: Given the depth of his record collection, you'd expect crate-digging hero Andy Smith to be able to put together a rather good disco and boogie compilation. That's exactly what he does here. Named after his disco-themed DJ collective, Reach Up does a great job in joining the dots between familiar anthems (Disco Dub Band's "For The Love of Money", World Premiere's "Share The Night", Freedom's break-diggin' fave "Get Up & Dance" and Sure Thing's modern electrofunk smash "Holding Me Tight") and slightly deeper, often overlooked selections (Advance's boogie killer "Take Me To The Top" and Jimmy Bo Horne's "Is It In" being great examples). Smith's mix on disc one is typically smooth, entertaining and on-point, while the unmixed second disco offers an opportunity to own the same cuts in full-length, DJ-friendly form.

Review: It would be fair to say that Bristolian selector Andy Smith has extremely deep crates. It's for this reason that he's been responsible for tons of killer compilations over the years. This one, the second in his disco, boogie and proto-house focused "Reach Up" series, is another gem. It cheerily moves between disco old and new, mixing tried-and-tested classic cuts from the likes of the New Jersey Connection, Ted Taylor, Chain Reaction and The Gibson Brothers with more recent retro-futurist cuts (see his subtly house-friendly re-edit of Will Session and Amp Fiddler's superb "Lost Without You" and Full Intention and Nick Reach Up's modern electrofunk treat "Night of My Life"). While confirmed disco enthusiasts may own some of the tracks already, there's enough lesser known goodness to make the compilation an essential purchase.

Review: It would be fair to say that Bristolian selector Andy Smith has extremely deep crates. It's for this reason that he's been responsible for tons of killer compilations over the years. This one, the second in his disco, boogie and proto-house focused "Reach Up" series, is another gem. It cheerily moves between disco old and new, mixing tried-and-tested classic cuts from the likes of the New Jersey Connection, Ted Taylor, Chain Reaction and The Gibson Brothers with more recent retro-futurist cuts (see his subtly house-friendly re-edit of Will Session and Amp Fiddler's superb "Lost Without You" and Full Intention and Nick Reach Up's modern electrofunk treat "Night of My Life"). While confirmed disco enthusiasts may own some of the tracks already, there's enough lesser known goodness to make the compilation an essential purchase.

Review: Andy Smith's Reach Up - Disco Wonderland Vol. 3 continues his exploration of the "Discosphere" with 16 more and one again carefully curated tracks. Featuring artists like Buscrates, Trailer Limon, and Rena Scott, the compilation also includes stellar edits and remixes by Full Intention, Yam Who, and Skratch Bastid. Initially curated during pandemic lockdowns and inspired by virtual DJ sets, Andy continues to share his superb collection via the legendary BBE Music label and once again this triple vinyl LP offers a treat for DJs, collectors and audiophiles alike.

Review: Bristolian turntablist and crate digger Andy Smith has long been renowned for the depth of his funk, soul and hip-hop selections, though it's only in recent years that we've discovered the quality and diversity of his disco collection. He continues to flex those credentials on the third instalment in his Reach Up - Disco Wonderland series. While there's plenty of obscurity on show, as you'd expect, Smith has chosen to include contemporary nu-disco cuts and fresh re-edits alongside vintage picks. So, while we cuts from The Sunshine Band, the disco-highlife of Orlando Julius and some late 70s electro-disco courtesy of French outfit Quartz, we're also treated to fresher tracks and edits from BB Soul, Birdee and Nick Reach Up, Yam Who and Full Intention. Throw in a killer DJ mix of the same material by Skratch Bastid and you have a genuinely essential collection.

Review: The concept behind this new collection on BBE is a simple but effective one: sommelier Frederic Beneix has picked out a selection of wines, and beat maker DJ Cam has dug deep to serve up some rare but fitting musical accompaniments that were produced in the same year. Wine4Melomanes, therefore, is a unique collection of sounds from all over Europe that connects the complexity and sensuality of a tipple with the rhythm and melody of a song. Most are lush and sophisticated jazz cuts that sound good whether you're drinking or not. Delicious.

Review: Japan's revered DJ Muro has put together his first ever compilation for BBE. Diggers Dozen is a real gem with 12 tracks of Japanese jazz-funk and Latin-jazz goodness that fuse traditional instrumental with traditional melodies. These tunes were originally made for the 70s for Nippon Columbia by legendary composers of the time such as Kiyoshi Yamaya, Tadaaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys, Kifu Mitsuhashi, Toshiyuki Miyama and more. Finding these cuts on their original pressings is rare and expensive so don't sleep on this real collector's essential.

Review: Japan's revered DJ Muro has put together his first ever compilation for BBE and this version comes on CD, with cassette and vinyl versions also available on Juno. Diggers Dozen is a real gem with 12 tracks of Japanese jazz-funk and Latin-jazz goodness that fuse traditional instrumental with traditional melodies. These tunes were originally made for the 70s for Nippon Columbia by legendary composers of the time such as Kiyoshi Yamaya, Tadaaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys, Kifu Mitsuhashi, Toshiyuki Miyama and more. Finding these cuts on their original pressings is rare and expensive so don't sleep on this real collector's essential.

Review: BBE release this 14-track double LP containing some of Perception and Today Records' best tracks from the 60s and 70s. There are highlights aplenty: The Eight Minutes' "I Can't Get No Higher" opens proceedings with a soulful, mournful and infectious blend of Motown aesthetics, with the rough, raw production value and loose funk capturing exactly what Perception was all about. Elsewhere, The Fatback Band's "Njia (Njia) Walk" is characterised by a driving beat and climbing bass line, creating the illusion of disco trapped inside the mind of funk. Madhouse's "Get Some Of This" features some fantastic drum work, going at once from a sparse break to a rattling, break-neck cacophony of percussion. In a word, essential.

Review: Perception Records specialised in releasing music from Manhattan's black music scene in the 60s and 70s, and BBE have shrewdly chosen to re-release some of the highlights from that era. On Part 2 of the vinyl series, Black Ivory's "Surrender" is a highlight, with crashing percussion and a bass line that immediately captures your attention. Bartel's "Boogie" meanwhile opens with spectacular horn work, running rings around the rhythm, the drums subtly driving the beat along while impressive jazzy guitars flick away. Elsewhere, JJ Barnes' "Wishful Thinking" is a track that skirts the line between funk and Motown with aplomb - the trio of female harmonies stand behind the lead singer, a choir of soul adding gentle textures to a slow love song. Highly recommended.

Review: Some 13 years after the first volume we find ourselves at Volume 5 of Spinna's Strange Games & Funky Things series. Rare gems and well trodden classics of 70s rare groove, disco, funk and soul are all given a new lease of life; there's out and out floor fillers in the shape of Richard Evans' "Capricorn Risin" to Brazilian classics like ''Ramons Desire'' by Franisco Aguabella. Elsewhere you'll find string laden disco with ''For The Love Of Money'' by The Philly Armada Orchestra and jazz fusion with Hiroshi Fukumura's ''Hunt Up Wind'' and a barrage of lesser known classics .Sample spotters will have a field day whilst the rest of us will just immerse ourselves in two slabs of wax filled to the brim with sublime and classic grooves of days gone by. Essential!

Review: With a collection that takes in everything from jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk and boogie to house, garage and broken beat, DJ Spinna is in an ideal position to assess the work of Perception and Today Records, two of New York's more interesting underground labels of the last 50 years. Here he picks out two discs' worth of highlights from the imprints' combined catalogues, presenting a fuzzy mix of blistering funk (see Debbie Taylor's "Too Sad To Tell"), quirky jazz (Dizzy Gillespie), heavy soul (Madhouse), Latin flavours (Astrid Gilberto), string-laden sweetness (Black Ivory) and piano-laden sunniness (Tyrone Washington).

Review:  DJ Spinna is known for many things; his productions, sublime DJ mixes and many a hip hop classic as half of Jigmastas. He's also a complete Stevie Wonder obsessive who runs a popular Stevie-themed club night called Wonderful. A series of albums that expand on the party's concept was a logical next step and The Wonder Of Stevie now arrives at a third volume. This edition has clearly been painstakingly curated by Spinna and BBE, consisting of other people's covers of the man's work. Highlights include sweet and sugary 'Buttercup" by The Jackson 5, the bluesy honky tonk jam "It's My Pleasure" by Billy Preston and Quincy Jones' pure liquid funk version of "Betcha' Wouldn't Hurt Me".

Review: Singer/songwriter Katrina Blackstone first collaborated with DJ Vadim back in 2014, making a number of ear catching guest appearances on the veteran beat-maker's Dubcatcher LP. Since then, the pair has extensively toured together and here deliver their first join full-length. Blackstone, a formidable songwriter and distinctive vocalist, seems to have a knack of getting the best out of Vadim, because Double Sided contains some of his best production work for some time. More reliant on drum machines and synthesizers than the samples of old, the storied Russian lays down "riddims" that variously draw on digi-dub, dancehall, R&B, hip-hop-soul, skewed synth-pop and alien boogie, all the while putting Blackstone's brilliant voice front and centre.

Review: Singer/songwriter Katrina Blackstone first collaborated with DJ Vadim back in 2014, making a number of ear catching guest appearances on the veteran beat-maker's Dubcatcher LP. Since then, the pair has extensively toured together and here deliver their first join full-length. Blackstone, a formidable songwriter and distinctive vocalist, seems to have a knack of getting the best out of Vadim, because Double Sided contains some of his best production work for some time. More reliant on drum machines and synthesizers than the samples of old, the storied Russian lays down "riddims" that variously draw on digi-dub, dancehall, R&B, hip-hop-soul, skewed synth-pop and alien boogie, all the while putting Blackstone's brilliant voice front and centre.

Review: A recent relocation to Berlin seems to have inspired BBE to throw themselves into the musical heritage of the techno capital. A forthcoming mix from celebrity Berlin DJ types Sick Girls represents the present and future of the city, whilst this GI Disco compilation is borne out the blog of the same name. Run by Kalle Kuts and Daniel W Best, GI Disco is their conduit to express their profound love for the funk, soul, disco and proto new jack swing that flooded 1980s Germany when US Soldiers were stationed on Cold War duty. There's some stone classics on this such as Freeze's Arthur Baker produced "I.O.U." and the Fonda Rae sung "Touch Me" from Wish, but it's the lesser spotted gems which make this compilation worth investigating. Caprice's "100" and "Riccochet" by BB & Q Band in particular delight with their raw electro boogie vibe.

Review: The 5th instalment of the definitive vinyl junkie compilation series is the world's first official breaks mix CD.'The Kings Of Diggin' series brings you a selection of rare and classic tracks hand-picked by the top names from the genre in question. Next up, Kon & Amir and DJ Muro blow the dust off some of their favourite hard-to-find vinyl breaks for the two-disc 'Kings Of Diggin' album. Kon Taylor and Amir Abdullah started as fans of hip-hop and then as the music slipped and slid into the mainstream, they worked backwards just to find a new and fresh sound through dusty vinyl. Amir is the Vice President of Sales and A&R at Fat Beats Distribution, and Kon is a fixture as a DJ in Boston and in NYC. Kon & Amir rose to recognition with their unofficial bootleg 'Ontrack' mixtape series, which took them to 'platinum' status on the streets. DJ Muro has been constantly reinventing the shape of Japanese hip hop for over ten years. As a DJ he has played venues over the world and is also well-known as a label owner, A&R producer and owner of the hip hop store Savage. His Blue Note & Stones Throw compilations for the Japanese market have both sold over 10,000 copies. The 5th instalment of 'The Kings Of Diggin' series features artwork from Rolling Stones photographer Michael Joseph. The CD also comes in a reversible English/Japanese package. The tracks on the album have never appeared on a compilation album before. Therefore the sounds are fresh, will make you smile, dance and start diggin' in the crates yourself.

Review: The 5th instalment of the definitive vinyl junkie compilation series is the world's first official breaks mix CD.'The Kings Of Diggin' series brings you a selection of rare and classic tracks hand-picked by the top names from the genre in question. Next up, Kon & Amir and DJ Muro blow the dust off some of their favourite hard-to-find vinyl breaks for the two-disc 'Kings Of Diggin' album. Kon Taylor and Amir Abdullah started as fans of hip-hop and then as the music slipped and slid into the mainstream, they worked backwards just to find a new and fresh sound through dusty vinyl. Amir is the Vice President of Sales and A&R at Fat Beats Distribution, and Kon is a fixture as a DJ in Boston and in NYC. Kon & Amir rose to recognition with their unofficial bootleg 'Ontrack' mixtape series, which took them to 'platinum' status on the streets. DJ Muro has been constantly reinventing the shape of Japanese hip hop for over ten years. As a DJ he has played venues over the world and is also well-known as a label owner, A&R producer and owner of the hip hop store Savage. His Blue Note & Stones Throw compilations for the Japanese market have both sold over 10,000 copies. The 5th instalment of 'The Kings Of Diggin' series features artwork from Rolling Stones photographer Michael Joseph. The CD also comes in a reversible English/Japanese package. The tracks on the album have never appeared on a compilation album before. Therefore the sounds are fresh, will make you smile, dance and start diggin' in the crates yourself.