Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Dave Barker of 'Double Barrel' fame is back on the mix here for the Original Gravity label. This is the second form the many in as many months and is on the faster end of the reggae tempo scale so prepare to be swept up and skanking in no time. The lo-fi 60s reggae and early ska vibes are strong on this one as the dancing Hammond organ chords compliment Barker's effortless flow. Horn stabs and drums with infectious swagger complete the a-side 'Peace of Mind'. On the flip, The Regulators offer up a nice and laidback, deep-cut dub version with 'Jamaican beat.'

Review: Susan Cadogan's first live performance in Italy with The Magnetics was recorded in 2019 and is now getting released on long player. The vinyl features her chart-topping hit 'Hurt So Good,' which was produced by the legendary Lee Perry, alongside tracks from her 48-year career. Highlights include the 2017 comeback single 'Take Me Back,' and 'My Oh My,' which was a duet with The Magnetics that quickly sold out its 7" release. The LP overall captures a magic night that showcases the greatest hits from Cadogan's illustrious career.

Review: George and Glen Miller are undoubtedly best known for their West End Records released 1982 boogie-soul classic "Touch Your Life". They released plenty of other records that flitted between soca, reggae, disco, and - in the latter stages of their career - electrofunk. "Easing", which appeared at some point at the turn of the '80s on London label Third World, remains one of their most potent releases - and, in its original form at least, formidably hard to find. This Soundway reissue wisely replicates the track list of the original release, beginning with the title track - a deliciously percussive, musically intricate chunk of peak-time disco smothered in sharp, Afro-funk style horns and George and Glen Miller's lilting reggae-soul style vocals. The flipside "Version" strips out the vocals, allowing listeners to hear in greater detail the pair's impeccable arrangements and instrumentations (particularly the fine orchestration and rich groove).

Review: Japan meets Jamaica in Tokyo Riddim Band's latest single where illustrious keyboardist Izumi 'Mimi' Kobayashi joins forces with Jamaican singer Ras Tavaris. This track revives Kobayashi's 1981 hit, 'Lazy Love,' originally from her sought-after Coconuts High LP recorded in LA. Featured on Time Capsule's 2024 Japanese reggae compilation Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985, the song now transforms from soulful pop to a deep dub cut. The Tokyo Riddim Band brilliantly blends Japanese and London sounds and infuses the track with big energy, reggae rhythms, funky bass lines, and smooth City Pop guitar, all enhanced by Prince Fatty's studio magic.

Review: Is there a more celebrated combination in all of reggae than Lee Perry & The Upsetters? The master producer and his iconic backing band laid down many of the genre's most vital sounds and helped subtly evolve it across the seventies and beyond. This single 'Jungle Lion' came right in the midst of that in 1974. An original 7" will cost you upwards of 500 quid, and that's if you can find one. Here it gets reissued on the young but already well-formed Skank & Groove label and is backed with a version by The Upsetters named 'Freak Out Skank' that gets even more warm, cavernous and dubby.

Review: Reggae Disco Rockers are Japan's leading reggae and lover's rock band. They have been active since they dropped their first ever single way back in 1996 and since then they have put a steady stream of sounds including six full albums and many more singles. This one is a cover of an absolute soul classic. 'What The World Needs Now Is Love' here becomes a slow, weighty dub with splashy cymbals, nice incidental melodies and a re-sung vocal that conveys the same emotions. Flip it over for a more steamy, sax-laced Silent Dream version.

Review: Tappa Zukie gives us his one effort into a reggae fired disco dub spaced out journey with fine results. Killer stuff

Review: Last year, legendary disco label T.K released a pair of 12" singles featuring fresh Todd Terje reworks of classic material from K.C & The Sunshine Band. It was such a success that they've decided to repeat the exercise, recruiting Aussie rework specialist Late Night Tough Guy to breathe new life into Timmy Thomas' impassioned anti-war record and the recent subject of sped-up sampling by Drake, "Why Can't We Live Together". Typically, his version is built around a lolloping, disco-friendly house groove, onto which the original record's killer organs and vocals sit. It's tastefully done and hugely playable, of course, though some disco DJs will still prefer to reach for Thomas' impeccable original. Handily, T.K has included that heartfelt slice of soul brilliance on the A-side.

Review: Yet another Studio One classic. Willie Williams was one of many artists to feature on Soul Jazz's 'Studio One Soul' series, which documented the throughline between reggae and soul in Jamaica. 'No One Can Stop Us Now' is a dreamy and wall-of-soundy slice of goodness from the mournful crooner, documenting the Jamaican dub vocalist's master plan. The song is a paean for anti-populist motivation - despite the naysayers who sit and criticise, no-one's gonna stop us now.

Review: Tchiss Lopes's Stranger Ja Catem Traboi is as good a debut album as you could ever wish to hear. It is a world fusion of great rhythms, high-energy grooves, politically and socially aware vocals and reggae and funana collisions that brims with life and vitality. It was recorded in Rome after the artist spent 11 months at sea and was drawn from his personal and collective experiences of hardship, education, love and the loss of lives at sea. Though now 40 years old, the album has stood the test of time musically and lyrically and now gets a welcome reissue on CD.