Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Working in partnership with Light in the Attic and curated by Grammy-nominated producer, DJ and journalist Kevin Howes this wonderful new collection chronicles a vital musical migration: in late-1960s Toronto, Caribbean immigrants infused the city with ska, rocksteady and reggae and recorded some of the era's toughest tracks. Originators from Studio One, Treasure Isle and Trojan Records all united and broke racial and cultural barriers to build an influential yet under-appreciated Canadian reggae scene that is now showcased with a 20-page booklet with archival images, artist bios and essays on this double vinyl set.

Review: The 18th-anniversary edition of Studio One Soul 2 brings back a long out of print classic and one of Soul Jazz Records' best-selling collections. This second volume delves into Jamaica's deep connection with American soul and funk and features legendary reggae artists like Horace Andy, The Heptones, Ken Boothe, Jackie Mittoo, and more. These Studio One veterans reinterpret classic and obscure tracks by soul icons such as Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, and Al Green. The album showcases a mix of classics, rare and unreleased tracks, all digitally remastered, so it stands tall as one of the best celebrations of the enduring influence of American soul on Jamaican music.

Review: Soul Jazz Records continues to trawl through the vast archives of Jamaica's Studio One label and its many offshoots. This time round, they're focusing on uplifting, feel-good rocksteady and soulful reggae cuts from the late 1960s and early '70s. As you'd expect, it's an excellent collection that not only showcases classic cuts and well-worn "riddims", but also obscurities and the sort of rare gems that make reggae collectors go weak at the knees. With such stars as Alton Ellis, John Holt, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, the Heptones and Jackie Mittoo all featured, and exhaustive sleeve notes from reggae scholar Rob Chapman, Rocksteady Got Soul is another essential Studio One compilation from the reliable Soul Jazz Records crew.

Review: The Emotional Rescue label has done a superb job of shining a light on the British post punk scene over the last decade or so. It now does so once more in fantastic fashion with a compilation of tunes from Bristol's short lived but much loved Recreational Records. The 10 tunes have been remastered and recut and they all sound as good now as ever. Highlights include X-Certs - 'Untogether' and Electric Guitar's 'Don't Wake The Baby' which sum up the collection perfect with their jangling dub rhythms, heavily treated vocals and oodles of delay all twisting your melon. This releases was included in Bandcamp's Essential Releases 2022.

Review: After the success of last year's inaugural Disco Reggae compilation from Stix, it's no surprise the long running reggae focused offshoot of Favorite Recordings have returned with a second collection. All the usual Stix suspects are present and correct here with Matcher, 7 Samurai, Mato, and John Milk all contributing to the nine tracks that will nice up any dancehall that's got a sense of humour. Stand out cuts include the 7 Samurai Electro Dub take on Levan classic "Stand On The Word" and the Grandmagneto cover of "Tainted Love". The Mato mix of "Happy" is as chalk or cheese as the original from that fella in the big hat.

Review: Studio One Soul 2, the highly anticipated second volume of Soul Jazz Records' acclaimed Studio One series, dives deep into Jamaica's enduring love affair with American Soul and Funk. This special 18th anniversary edition features a vibrant array of legendary reggae artists like Horace Andy, The Heptones, Cornell Campbell, and Ken Boothe, all of whom got their start at Studio One before achieving global success. The album features a unique blend of classic and obscure American Soul and Funk tracks, reimagined with a distinct Jamaican flavour. Standout tracks include Cornell Campbell's stunning recut of The Mad Lads' Curtis Mayfield-penned 'Ten to One,' Winston Francis' soulful interpretation of The Five Stairsteps' 'Don't Change,' and Devon Russell's powerful take on 'Make Me Believe in You,' which arguably rivals Mayfield's original. This collection, featuring a mix of classics, rare gems, and previously unreleased tracks, has been meticulously remastered. Perfect for a serious reggae enthusiast, this compilation embodying the Studio One ethos of reworking influential soul records into a Jamaican soundscape.

Review: Compiling a slew of tracks that are either impossible to find or which have never been issued, the legendary Jamaican label Studio One have put together a fresh selection of all the best songs recorded by its women artists over the years. Harkening all the way back to the early '60s and through to the '80s, this boundless, romantic blossom of lovers' bass and vox charts both covering and original hits from the likes of Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley and Hortense Ellis.

Review: Nowhere Like Here: Love Songs From The Caribbean & Diaspora is a perfectly escapist new double album from Emotional Rescue that has been drawn from the "off kilter digging of archivist, DJ and collector Bruno." It's a sister collection to the Perfect Motion album that focuses on new wave and leftfield pop and is already a cult classic. This lovely album also makes ten years of this fine label and is a tasteful assembled selection perfectly befitting of that occasion from this much-loved imprint. Here's to the next ten years.

Review: This legendary compilation from Soul Jazz has seen many iterations, but now it comes out in its most comprehensive glory to date, with versions on vinyl, CD and cassette in tow this January 2023. Charting the very best and funkiest tracks from the revered reggae musical imprint known as Studio One, greats from Jackie Mitto (covering Booker T & The MGs' 'Hang Em High'), Soul Bros (reinterpreting the James Bond theme tune, '007') and Alton Ellis (with the snappy reggae cut 'It's A Shame') render this a highbrow compilation of rare soundtrack cuts, originals and classics.

Review: Sometimes all you need is a classic with a stylistic twist. This is the fifth installment of the very functionally named 'Disco Reggae', a series of compilations of reggae covers of disco classics. French outputters Stix are the brains behind this one, being the sub-label of Favorite Recordings, who specialise exclusively in reggae remixes. Everything from slow-jam nighttime disco ('What You Won't Do For Love' by Bobby Caldwell) to high-energy glitterballers (Labelle's 'Lady Marmalade') appear here, flaunting the easier-to-bridge-than-you'd-think gap between disco and reggae.

Review: As well as it coming on lovely smoky red wax, this first-ever solo album under his own name from Victor Axelrod also comes on original black vinyl. If you don't know his name then rally you probably know his music if you have ever listened to anything put out by Daptone Records. He is a producer, arranger, recording and mixing engineer, and keyboardist who has had a huge hand in the label's many releases over the last two decades. This collection has plenty of his singles from between 2007-2023 as well as some previously unreleased gems from Sugar Minott and Binky Griptite.