Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Bob Blank is one of New York's most revered producers of all time. This compilation from Strut, is the very first retrospective on him and his work at his independent studio, Blank Tapes. This was one of NYC's most influential spots during the city's thriving art scene of the mid 70s and 80s. This exclusive compilation even includes the very first track ever recorded at the studio in addition to some hidden gems that have come straight from the studio's vaults.

Review: For many Londoners, it wouldn't be summer without the Notting Hill Carnival and Norman Jay's long-running Good Times Soundsystem. The hat-wearing MBE owner is celebrating 30 years of carnival parties this summer. What better excuse, then, for another breezy, party-centric trawl through the veteran DJ's epic record collection. As usual, the Good Times 30th Anniversary Edition features a selection of festival-friendly grooves, from dusty old disco, flute-sporting funk and classic soul to bouncy disco-house, head-nodding hip-hop and Red Stripe-swigging reggae riddims. By now, we all know what we're getting, but it's still great fun!

Review: For many Londoners, it wouldn't be summer without the Notting Hill Carnival and Norman Jay's long-running Good Times Soundsystem. The hat-wearing MBE owner is celebrating 30 years of carnival parties this summer. What better excuse, then, for another breezy, party-centric trawl through the veteran DJ's epic record collection. As usual, the unmixed Good Times 30th Anniversary Edition features a selection of festival-friendly grooves, from dusty old disco, flute-sporting funk and classic soul to bouncy disco-house, head-nodding hip-hop and Red Stripe-swigging reggae riddims. By now, we all know what we're getting, but it's still great fun.

Review: 
Strut re-kindle their involvement with one New York's most revered DJs and re-edit pioneers, Danny Krivit, with a fresh album of essential new, rare and classic re-works, past and resent.

As a producer, Krivit is the acknowledged "King Of The Edit" and has been a major influence on today's re-edit culture. From early classics like the 'Feelin' James' and 'Rock The House' JB cut-ups during the mid-'80s, he has released over 300 unique versions, often under the mysterious 'Mr. K' moniker. After releasing a batch of his finest edits on the 'Edits By Mr. K' compilation in 2003, Strut now delve back into the tape cupboard for an all-new edition, bringing together some of Krivit's secret weapons in a wide-ranging selection covering soulful disco, funk and jazz.

Review: Having offered up two previous mixes full to bursting with tongue-in-cheek New York disco classics and little-known underground anthems, this third instalment in the Horse Meat Disco series sees residents Jim, James, Luke and Severino broaden their horizons. The first disc, in particular, focuses more on recent disco scene hits, with notable re-edits from Gazeebo, Todd Terje and Leftside Wobble sitting next to contemporary productions from Mungolian Jet Set, Wild Geese and the Glimmers. Yet it's the second CD of lesser-known older nuggets - proto house, string-laden disco, wonky synth-pop etc -that really hits the spot, with a clutch of superb HMD re-edits, a dash of disco-funk and Marcel King's slept-on Hacienda classic "Reach For Love".

Review: The third edition of Horse Meat Disco's cowbell revue arrives on Strut at a time when the genre is in the midst of a golden period and thus it's no surprise to see the concept behind this collection mirrors that. Whilst the two previous editions have focused on the underground NYC disco sound of the late 70s/early 80s, this third selection bridges the gap between then and now with the first twelve inch strictly contemporary productions chosen by Jim Stanton and Severino. It's a smart selection too ranging from the gritty arpeggiated funk of Leftside Wobble's revision of L.I.F.E.'s proto house cover of Marvin Gaye to Yam Who's bottom heavy diva anthem "I'm In Love" and Tom Trago in glistening disco pump mode. James Hillard and Luke Howard take the controls for the more vintage sounds, with the camp flex of Rose Lauren's "American Love" and the MOR Philly disco of Idris Muhammed particular delights. Presented in a gatefold sleeve that's lined by some insightful notes from the excellent Daniel Wang, it makes for another killer release from the Strut stable.

Review: Having previously explored the richly mined archives of Nigerian Afrobeat, Strut's Nigeria 70 series now turns to the lesser-known delights of high life, juju and Afro-funk. For those with a passing interest in the development of African dance music, it should essential listening. While there are revelatory or life-affirming moments around every musical turn (check the wonderful "Viva Disco" by Tunde Mabadu), it's the juju selections that really stand out. The epic "It's Time For Juju Music" by Admiral Dele Abiodun & His Top Hitters International offers a perfect musical definition of the genre (whilst, it should be added, going off an a wonderfully psychedelic tangent), but there are also superb selections from Ali Chunkmuwah, Sina Bakare and Etubo Rex Williams.

Review: The tireless Strut Records operation presents this excellent retrospective of Celluloid Records! This 80s NYC imprint is described by Strut as the "label whose output so closely mirrors the full spectrum of what we love" so the 26 track Change The Beat: The Celluloid Records Story 1980 - 1987 can be viewed as something of a personal coup. Typically for a Strut release, Change The Beat manages to superbly represent a label whose output includes a rather intimidating 100 plus albums that veered between no wave, nascent hip-hop, afro infused experimental disco and more, and neatly encapsulates New York's vivid music scene in this period. Bill Laswell was central to the Celluloid story and features prominently here in his Massacre and Material incarnations as well as other key productions. Celluloid's involvement with early forms of New York hip-hop is also a key narrative of this compilation yet there's room for so much more in the tracklisting. Rare photos from the Celluloid archives and extensive interviews with label boss Jean Karakos, Bill Laswell, Afrika Bambaataa, Time Zone's Rusty Egan, John Lydon make this a definitive retrospective!

Review: Strut continues to explore the vast archives of Disque Debs, a long-running, Guadalupe-based label that, over the course of half a century, released a wealth of music from the Caribbean. In the process, Henri Debs imprint helped launch the careers of countless French-speaking artists while not only showcasing stylistic movements such as zouk, bouyon and merengue, but also bold, colourful and tropical takes on existing Caribbean, Amercian and European sounds. Highlights include - but are in no way limited to - the slowly unfurling, synth-heavy shuffle of Sadi Lancreot's club-ready 'Dou Se Vou Ki Siwo' and the horn-heavy tropical disco brilliance of Dominuque Parol's 'Come On Baby'.

Review: A Record Store Day spectacular, Vuolo & Grande's Desert is as special as it gets; not only has the obscure Italian library records release been highly sought after for years, it's also a very formative instrumental psychedelic record in terms of utilise synthesisers in such a cosmic way. Cue references to Goblin and Tangerine Dream. You could even throw recent Demdike Stare material in that reference pit, too. Highlights include the warped, syncopations and battling twangs on "Transvesuvian" and the grand opening rock-out "Take Flights" but you really need to tuck in from start to finish to fully experience this. Way ahead of its time.

Review: Iconic label Strut have really hit their stride in 2010 with a veritable slew of retrospectives, compilations and artist albums covering everything from disco to Sowetan Jazz. They round off a fine year with the auspicious introduction of a new series of mixes called Disconnect with Leo Zero at the helm. The concept behind this series is to invite Strut's favourite DJs and producers to explore the darker, more extreme corners of their record collection. Armed with this creative freedom, Leo Zero has delivered 75 minutes of delightfully subversive music that sets the standard high for subsequent volumes. Commencing with the lilting afro beat of Desmond & The Tutus - surely Tigersushi's most underrated act? - Leo draws on his fifteen years experience as a DJ and producer with a Balearic mix in the truest sense, veering effortlessly between spiky 80s punk funk, reggae that sound tracked Zero's Soulsonic parties, a Sting cover version, nu beat chuggers, kraut rock and EBM throbbers. This is an invitation to consume the lesser broadcasted reaches of a record collection you should not turn down. Golf claps to Strut for including a bonus CD that has eleven of the tracks in unmixed format!