Big Crown US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Still scorching from the heat of their debut album 55, Hamburg's mysterious steel pan handlers return with a dope little 45 that features one of the excellent covers from their album plus an exclusive that we guarantee will drive your next floor crazy... Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio" takes the lead with its instantly distinctive break and pace. Flip for Sugarhill's "8th Wonder" that's riddled with confidently swung drums, smoky trumpets and a groove so funky you might just have to drop it twice. Give the drummer some.

Review: Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Sunny and the Sunliners were one of Texas's most successful groups. They specialised in "Tejano music", a Tex-Mex fusion of popular American and Latin American styles. "Should I Take You Home", which was first released on 7" single in 1969, is arguably one of the group's "straightest" tracks; a sweet, laidback soul ballad full of Stax style horns, close harmony backing singing and a sublime, emotion-filled lead vocal. Flipside "My Dream" is similarly heartfelt and saccharine in feel, with bandleader Sunny Ozuna's vocal alternating between impassioned sweetness and world-weary melancholy.

Review: Nicole "Lady" Wray has reinvented herself in recent years, swapping the contemporary, radio-friendly '90s R&B of her youth for a sound heavily influenced by vintage, 1960s and '70s soul and funk. It's a blend that was explored on last year's superb Queen Alone full-length. The two tracks showcased on this 7" were both featured on that album. "Underneath My Feet" is particularly potent, with Wray offering a rasping, impassioned vocal that seems to soar above the triple-time backing track. "Guilty", with its sweet guitars, harmony backing vocals and rock solid funk breakbeat, sounds a little like some of Sharon Jones' more poignant moments.

Review: The faultless Big Crown label revisits one of its biggest hits from back in 2016. New York City-based collective 79.5 is made up of seven musicians and singers and their gorgeous 'Terrorize My Heart' 45rpm reached some heart aching disco highs. Now it comes with in two new forms - the disco dub with its seductive drums and bass and airy, soulful vocal, and a remix from hip hop royalty Tall Black Guy. He deconstructs the tune and rebuilds it as a smoky, jazz tinged slow motion hip hop beat. The chords are warm and cuddly, the vocal is more meandering but still acts as the perfect icing on a delicious cake.

Review: Big Crown is one of our favourite labels here at HQ. The funk and soul they serve up is perfectly aged yet never overly nostalgic and this new one is another case it point. It's the latest from the Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band and features two singles take from their latest and greatest album Expansions which landed back in June. As always they bring their own unique steel drum sounds and tropical Caribbean vibes to funk music. 'Raise It Up' is a deep cut joint with big horns and rippling steel drums puddles while 'Space' is a more lumpy groove with the drums more front and centre.

Review: A low-key 7" split single, this stripped back soul beauty is El Michels Affair's latest in a slew of new singles and EPs. The sultry A-side 'Stack The Deck' is a mood-resetting embrace of chance. The B-side, 'Things Done Changed', is a smooth, gorgeous take on The Notorious B.I.G.'s original, curtailing its suicidally string-laden confidence for a much more soulful, horn-laden rendition.

Review: Cinematic soul legend El Michels Affair has written a superb album Glorious Game which is due for release later in spring. Before that full-length with Roots co-founder and lyricist Black Thought - which is a meditation on the state of the hip-hop scene in the early 2020s - we get this taster single from it. 'Glorious Game' as you would expect as all the lush instrumentation and dark soul sounds you'd expect from this artist by now with the added extra of some superbly thought-provoking mic work. 'Grateful' is another heart-wrenching and alluring sound that more than gets us excited for the full length.

Review: Thee Marloes are next up on the popular and brilliant Big Crown label with two seductive soul sounds. This is a 45rpm debut from this band and a fine one too that comes all the way from their homeland of Surabaya, Indonesia. As such this is a wide mix of sounds from American soul, jazz, and pop with plenty of local culture and influences. The A-side is an upbeat jam with dancefloor grooves and ear worm melodies while the flip is a different vibe entirely with wide open space used beautifully and great Indonesian vocals.

Review: Lady Wray's Piece of Me is a second sizzling album of superb soul. It marked something of a homecoming for the artist as she debuted on this label back in 2016 and found her leaning towards her usual soul and r&b as well as more hip-hop influences than ever: classic boom-bap drums and chunky bass hist loud and proud and for that reason the originals are ripe for remixing as they are here. Two legends of the game in Pete Rock and Ghostface Killah step up and bring their own signature sound and dusty drum beats to make for a crucial little 7".

Review: Norwegian outfit Les Imprimes have already found their feet with their earliest outings on Big Crown. As they continue to build towards their new album Reverie they drop another single from it here in the form of 'Falling Away' backed with 'Still Here'. Both cuts are beautiful and display fine musicianship, the sort of soul that melts your heart and breezy grooves that bring calm to your mind and body. Vocals enrich each cut and on this evidence, the upcoming album is going to be special indeed.

Review: The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band has become the latest jewel in the Big Crown. Lead by Bjorn Wagner, they have stopped several essential recordings not he label, all defined by their famous steel pan sound. Often they turn to covers of the classics such as they did back in March and this time around they take aim at the much loved and low slung hip-hop classic 'Nuthin' But A G Thang' by Dr Dre. In their hands it becomes something else entirely but still delightfully low slung and sleazy. This one is backed with 'How We Do' which is another loveably fresh sound.

Review: Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is an enigmatic steel pan collective from Hamburg that has a hardcore fan following around the world and a new album on the way that is superb. They are loved for their covers of hip-hop classics and last year served up a version of the Stranger Things theme tune but this time out we get 'Love For The Sake Of Dub' of 45 rpm. It is another pair of funky tunes with the signature brass sounds front and centre as the fat bottom rhythms roll deep and fleshy. Another gem from this leftfield outfit.