Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Joe Claussell is a proper legend of the scene and New York powerhouse who has a sound so emotionally intense it brings people to tears. Here, he breathes new life into the Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra with a powerful remix of 'Black Sun' that arrives exclusively for Record Store Day 2025. Since debuting in 2014, the Orchestra, which features Azymuth's Jose Roberto Bertrami and Alex Malheiros, has attracted top remixers like Theo Parrish and DJ Spinna, and Claussell now joins that esteemed list by infusing the original with his signature spiritual energy and rawness. The result is a euphoric journey towards pure ecstasy driven by Heidi Vogel's soaring vocals as classic disco and grooves collide in pure magic.

Review: Originally released in 1979, this is a highly sought-after gem due a reissue to bring its soulful, classic charms back into the spotlight, complete with the original B-side. The opening track, 'Hollywood Dreaming', is a smooth, catchy piece that expertly blends a funky rhythm with a rich horn section and excellent vocals. The infectious melody and creative arrangement make it a standout in the band's catalog. It's a track that embodies the essence of late '70s soul and funk while still feeling fresh and timeless. 'Shine On' delivers a late-night disco groove, heavily influenced by the genre's rise during the era. Its funky bassline and smooth rhythm provide a perfect soundtrack for dancefloors and intimate settings alike. The track oozes with soulful energy, showcasing the band's ability to seamlessly merge funk and disco influences into a cohesive sound. Father's Children, formed in Washington, D.C., originally as a doo-wop group, evolved into a funk and soul powerhouse by the late 70s. It is certainly bittersweet to hold this piece of music in your hand - and especially without having to take out a second mortgage.

Review: The Treasure team keeps up the momentum of its early release with another fruitful dive into the annals of house history. This time, they have dug up more nuggets from FR and have refined them for contemporary floors. 'ET Is Coming Home' (vocal) is a slow and dubby cut with percolating live bass and muted horns next to some Ubiquity style vocal soul. The instrumental allows the superbly loose-limbed and live drums room to really shine, and then comes an epic, 10-minute-plus jazz-drenched house odyssey that's alive with swirling cosmic radiance and busy chords and synths. A real trip for proper music heads.

Review: After their hair-dropping debut LP Latin Freaks, Funkool Orchestra keep the stovetop hot with a high-energy 7" vinyl, bridging the delta between their first and second albums. A Maledetta Discoteca production, 'Tengo Che Ffa' blends Mediterranean funk, disco, and Neapolitan groove into an allusive proto-P-funk prance, especially if, at least, the B-side's title is to be believed. The latter alternately named 'Dance With Pezz', we hear them pick up the pace with a clav-spiced, conga-crammed number. Take it from us: the record is a clavi-net good.

Review: Vincent Lemieux and Guillaume Coutu Dumont are the producers who combine as Flabbergast and now they unveil their full-length debut, Consolation in Constellation. As you would expect from those two artists, it is a boundary-pushing journey through sound that is rooted in improvisation, classical training and deep electronic exploration. The album fuses jazz, acid house, breakbeatand cosmic textures into a seamless exploration that adds up to a sonic constellation-carefully composed, yet full of spontaneity. 'Binary Star' is like IDM, minimal and electro all distilled into a siren new sound, 'Orion Belt' is rich in pixel thin pads and glinting chords and 'Phaser' is a slithering, high speed electro workout from another world and with a playful charm despite its highbrow design.

Review: London beatsmith and "city rivims" producer Footshooter is one of a small cadre of inner city artists whose work makes a point of fusing UK jazz, West Coast-ish hip-hop and UK dance production, all tied together by an experimental bow. His latest LP, The Oasis, unveils itself as an upended jazz and broken beat finesser, all while nailing a collaborative form, with studio-mates James Mollison (Ezra Collective), Natty Wylah and Brother Portrait all in tow. Where lead track 'Cycles' evolved from a simple loop, growing in depth and space, Mollison's saxophone brought appended magic; meanwhile, tracks like 'Boomerang' and 'Surrey Canal Road' underscore a mood of hyperlocal, industrial South London poignancy.

Review: Frank Popp Ensemble returns via its fourth studio album, recorded and produced in Spain throughout 2024. Known for their sleek combos of flared orchestration with retro soul motifs, Popp once again brings in a wide array of guest vocalists: Gerard Love, formerly of Teenage Fanclub, on the strings-laced rework of his own deep cut 'Save' from 2004; then Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters, Entombed, Imperial State Electric) on 'Caught In A Web', a high-energy Northern soul workout reproduced in full Magic Touch style. An impeccably done cinematic indie soul rouser, wrestling the nubby essence of a sound to the ground.

Review: Since his debut with Schema Records in 2001, Gerardo Frisina has poured his soul into modernising styles such as Latin jazz, funk, and soul. In Sight Vol. 1 now introduces a fresh batch of such cosmo-futuristic moodsetters, continuing a trend that was first set in motion with his debut Moving Ahead (2020). Now the new album, preluded by singles 'Mindoro' and 'Desejar', hears seven tracks, including a cinematic bossa supernova 'O SoNho' as well as an exclusive cut from a rare and revered 10" deep cut from 2009. Frisina's attention to detail ensures the standout vibe of each composition, bringing a one-of-a-kind club-orientation to a rich atmospheric mantle.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve split at the top but otherwise in great condition***


Zoltan Nagy AKA P60 has spent the last four years slowly building up his Midnight Fashion label and its dedicated downtempo offshoot, Midnight Fashion Chill. Following a handful of solo EPs on the latter imprint, Nagy has now decided to offer up a first imprint compilation - one that not only showcases his work, but also that of Marcel (AKA sometime Cookin' Records artist Marcell Dudas) and Plastic City regular Forteba (AKA Hungarian stalwart Krisztian Dobrocsi). Musically, the set lives up to its' title, offering an enticing and undeniably blazed mix of DJ Calm style trip-hop, warming 1990s style downtempo grooves, slow-burn Baleric soundscapes, Onra-esque neo-boogie beats and warm, deep and languid, jazz-flecked mid-tempo house.