Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Some serious gospel-soul action here from one of the most storied gospel groups in history, the Clark Sisters. The album, which was co-produced by their mother, the legendary choir director Mattie Moss Clark, first landed in US record stores way back in 1980. It's a stunning album all told, with the sisters' incredible vocals rising above backing tracks marked out by interesting arrangements, changes of mood and tone, and plenty of authentic soul and jazz instrumentation. The superb title track and the infections 'Ha-Ya (Eternal Life)' - the latter the subject of a number of re-edits over the years - are the best-known cuts, but other highlights include 'Pure Gold', the epic 'Speak Lord' and 'Salvation Means More To Me'.

Review: These seven tracks of scuzzy, lo-fi indie are ingrained with the sound of London streets. The trio of musicians behind it - guitarist Barrie Cadogan, bassist Lewis Wharton and drummer Malcolm Catto - draw on all their 25-year plus experiences of working in multiple genres to serve up blues and rock collisions, psyched-out indie trips, gauzy, summer of love sonics and breakbeat and jazz fusions. The tracks were recorded with minimal overdubs making for an expansive and all consuming sound where the driving rhythm sections do the heavy lifting while the swirling sonics up top take things to a higher level. It might be deeper and darker than you'd expect of this band, but what else would you expect of a record made during this most weird of years.

Review: "Of all the many noble attempts of the prog rockers to create a grand compositional style which blended elements from classical music with rock, none, in my view, ever reached the intensity, complexity and raw savage excitement of the great Magma masterworks." When you make music that feels like the love child of a rock & roll musical, gospel choir, Frank Zappa and Ziggy Stardust, why should anyone expect you to be even remotely humble when describing your own back catalogue. Magma's 1974 epic is nothing short of batshit crazy in the true sense - bordering, perhaps sprinting well beyond, the point of genius and capable of rendering any room speechless. A stunning example of how wild, exploratory and experimental the music industry was once so proud to be.

Review: 1997's Slow Traffic to the Right found Bennie Maupin navigating between cerebral jazz and deep funk with style and ease. Though generally known for his abstract leanings and serious musical demeanour, here he showed a lighter side - not least because he is actually smiling on the album cover - while diving into grooves shaped by his time with Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. With help from rhythm masters like Mike Clark and Paul Jackson, Maupin swaps out ECM austerity for signature Oakland bounce, so tracks like 'It Remains to Be Seen' and 'You Know the Deal' excel with newfound swagger without abandoning his jazz roots. It's a compelling pivot into accessible, funky and smart jazz soul.

Review: Strut present an exclusive collaboration between two jazz greats, multireedist Bennie Maupin and percussionist Adam Rudolph, on Symphonic Tone Poem For Brother Yusef, originally commissioned by the 2020 Angel City Jazz festival in Claremont. This long yet impressive album weaves across a sonic landscape in five movements, blending electronics, sax and voice and binding them all together via the deft use of intervals and improv. A strong and moving debut from the clear clarinetist and the percussive polymath.

Review: KC

Review: Still active on the scene, McKenzie & Gardiner are a UK-based electro, funk and boogie duo. Prior to the turn of the century, they'd only released one single, 'From Time' - an impeccable-quality UK boogie tune meditating on the passage of time and its mediation on an important romantic relationship. Ironically, lots of time has passed since then, and the pair's obsession with time doesn't seem to have stopped them from biding it. Now, after honing their craft for so long, we finally get their first official album, 'Timestamp', unveiling the official and mastered versions of precious songs that otherwise existed as raw demos.

Review: Funky Africa is an album that, as the title suggests, totally embodies the sound of Africa. Composer, guitarist, and producer Almon Memela imbues his sounds with everything that makes Afro music great from the wild trumpet lines to the throbbing rhythms and spiritual vibes that run through each tune. It first came in 1975 and has long been one of those cornerstone albums for those in the know. It has been ultra rare since first issue and packs in romantic sounds next to dance floor bait, all with great style and showmanship.

Review: Big repress alert! This is the much-loved debut album from the Menahan Street Band, which is a talented collaboration of musicians including the great Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, El Michels Affair, Antibalas and the Budos Band. Led by producer Thomas Brenneck (who has worked before with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Budos Band and also Amy Winehouse), the record was recorded in the bedroom of his Menahan Street apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn. It is a soulful, instrumental exploration that showcases the immense talent of the group and draws on all of their diverse influences to create a unique and captivating sound that pushes the boundaries of instrumental music into sumptuous and soulful worlds.

Review: Recorded in 1975 with the classic lineup, Live At Great American Music Hall, San Francisco is the long-overdue live album that showcases The Meters at their peak. Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste and Cyril Neville all showed top form in a performance highlighting tracks from 'Rejuvenation' and previewed its follow up, Fire On The Bayou. The nine-song set features extended jams, some nearing 20 minutes, with the band blazing throughout. It has previously circulated only as a rare bootleg, so this official release offers a complete, well-mastered version on coloured vinyl, making it the ultimate edition.

Review: The second release from Want Some Records features the first album by The Mighty Cavaliers from Kenya. Though not released in its original sequence, this album is a stunning showcase of Kenyan funk-inspired music. Each band member contributed to the songwriting process during the making of the album which means it has resulted in a diverse and unique collection of tracks where each has its own distinct character. Originally released in 1976 and 1978 as Fisherman, this masterpiece is now being reissued for the third time in a very limited edition of 500 copies with a fresh cover design. It's an enduring favourite so don't sleep on this latest chance to cop it.

Review: Over the last few years, German deep funk heroes the Mighty Mocambos have taken to capturing their live performances - not just at concerts, but also record shop 'in-store' sessions and soundchecks - via a mobile recording studios. Scenarios, their self-proclaimed 'live album with a twist', features some of their favourite recordings. What makes it extra-special - aside from the quality of the music, of course - is that it features acoustic and semi-acoustic fare (composed for and performed in a lockdown live stream) as well as the heavyweight, floor-friendly jams that we know and love them for. Of course, there's loads of highlights in the latter category, including killer covers of 'Axel F' and 'Let The Music Play' and the squally funk-rock treat that is 'Munich Pyscholympics'.

Review: The Modulations released their album It's Rough Out Here in 1975, not only impressing both industry and laity with the singles 'Rough Out Here and 'I Can't Fight Your Love', but also spurring the considerable career of a funk quartet whose merit outdoes their reputation alone. The Modulations recorded extensively with MFSB, the house band of the famed record label Philadelphia International; these sessions yielded this album, one considered a gem of 1970s soul music. Exemplary of the long, wistful titles of the Philly funk era and beyond, the titular roughness of the record is also nonetheless embedded in a sea of audible Romance; the Modulations' hard knocks don't exclude the necessity of letting emotion in, with 'Head On Collision With Heartbreak' being an indelible example of this sense of being swept up in one's own emotions in the face of heartbreak, away from the perseverance aesthetics of "gritty" realism one might expect from a title like this.

Review: Since it was first reissued a few years ago, Steve Monite's Only You album has gone from being a stupidly rare Nigerian boogie "holy grail", to an easy-to-access "must have" for anyone with even a passing interest in African disco and electrofunk. If you've yet to acquire a copy, we'd recommend picking up a copy of this officially licensed Soundway repress. It contains two different takes on the now anthemic 'Only You' - an infectious Lagos boogie delight - plus the pleasingly dubbed-out, piano-heavy electrofunk gem 'Things Fall Apart (Disco Jam)' (the original mix is also included at the end of side B), the slick and sweet 'Welcome My Love' and the more downtempo 'I Had a Dream'.

Review: Mork is a duo that hails from Budapest and works in a world where jazz and soul collide into something fresh. They make their usual sounds with an unusual mix of tools and have delivered them in climbing halls, tea rooms, living rooms and kindergartens, all to great acclaim and with support from the likes of BBC 6 Music and Jazz Fm. Still Dreamin is their new album and is a nice track dive into lush synth work, gentle broken beats, r&b vocal hooks and a great bend of old school nostalgia and fresh, future ideas.

Review: Brighton based record label, publishers, cinematographers and legendary former London record store Mr Bongo present the first installment in their new 'Mr Bongo Record Club' compilation series. It features, in their words "a selection of favourites, recent discoveries and sought after obscurities, which form the basis of our DJ sets and our radio show of the same name." There really is some great music on here that has been sourced from all corners of the globe and as much as they're oldies: they certainly are goodies. Our favourites weren't limited to: Brazilian duo Lemos E Debetio's charming "Morro Do Barraco Sem Agua", the African funk explosion of Lantei's "Fish & Funjee (Komi Ke Kenam)" and some truly hot reggae vibes in the form of Big Youth's 1977 unclassic "Mammy Hot Daddy Cool" among many others on this fine compilation.

Review: Idris Muhammad, a prominent American jazz drummer and bandleader, has left an indelible mark on contemporary music as one of its most sampled drummers. His 1976 album House Of The Rising Sun likely fuelled this reputation, thanks to Muhammad's impeccable rhythmic precision. Renowned for his tight, rubbery style, Muhammad's mastery shines through in the six long jazz-funk tracks on the LP. Each piece showcases his unwavering commitment to the craft, delivered with ultra-crisp quality. Despite his acclaim, it's doubtful Muhammad ever faced flying cymbals during his illustrious career, a testament to his undeniable skill and professionalism.

Review: Yumi Murata's Uterus Uterus is a jazz-pop classic from 1985. Yumi is a vocal coach and former singer who was active from the late 70s and through the 80s before opening her own Murata Yumi Vocal Training Room in 1991 and teaching ever since. This long-player was a later one out of the seven she released in all and is one of her most popular as it mixes up fusion, new wave, funk, pop and jazz across synth sounds. These are enjoyable and sophisticated sounds from this talented vocalist.

Review: Mixed by Japanese producer and DJ Muro, who has a background in hip-hop, this connoisseur is never short on deep cuts and takes us on a journey through soulful, vintage AOR sonics from his home country. Whilst no two tracks are by the same artist, there's a cohesion to the tracklist thanks to Muro's ear in pulling out things that sit so well together. Asakawa Mak's 1988 cut 'American Night' is a smooth nod to sophisti pop greats Prefab Sprout; whilst Seri Ishikawa's elegant and lush number, 'Eternal 1/2', highlights how innovative she was in forging new sounds back in 1985. These two cuts are just the tip of the iceberg, yet this compilation is an ideal entry point to some of the finest Japanese music of the late 20th century. You can bank on Muro delivering the goods.

Review: Renowned DJ and selector MURO is a Jedi-level compiler and this new collection of his delves into Victor's extensive archives to spotlight a world of Japanese jazz, fusion and AOR. It take sin plenty of internationally known names like Yasuko Agawa on the sunset sounds of 'L.A. Night', Sadistics who offers the more psyched out guitar leans of 'On the Seashore', Yuji Ohno's neo-Balaeric bliss-out 'The Dawn of Seychells' and Hiroshi Fukumura's soul soothing Ry Ayres-style melodies on 'White Clouds.' These are luxurious sounds and timeless tracks with MURO's signature funky perspective making this a brillaint choice for brighter, warmer days.

Review: The long-lost disco-soul-funk album You Can Be by the Music Makers Band is finally seeing the light of day on vinyl once more with new mixes from original multi-track tapes by Kenny Dope. Forgotten in a linen closet in Macon, Georgia since 1979, this reel-to-reel treasure contains recordings from the group that previously released 'Black Gold' as The Mighty Chevelles in 1977. By 1979, now known as Music Makers Band, they captured this disco-funk gem at Capricorn Studios and here each track shines anew thanks to the fine work of funk lover Kenny Dope's work.