Cultures Of Soul US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Destination '77: Nigerian troupe The Apostles lay down their third album Banko Woman. And, with it, this widescreen vibe excursion that's been a go-to for Afrobeat diggers since it was released on Love Day 40 years ago. "Banko Woman" is a firing, energetic funk jam layered with vibrant levels of instrumentation that gradually strip back at points to let you feel the raw tempo of the groove. "Faith Luck & Music" is at once both more bluesy, thanks to the sliding, melting guitars, and spiritual, thanks to the traditional rhythm and chords. A rare and long-awaited reissue.

Review: Cultures Of Soul have absolutely hit the nail on the head by getting Benjamin Ball on their side, and it's shed a light on one of South Africa's best boogie artists from the 80s. This is the sort of gear that'll make just about any decent collector jump with excitement, not only because of the quality of the music, but also because of its sheer rarity. The wonderfully loose "I Just Keep Dancing" is form Ball's debut LP Paulina, and it really is the sort of tune that'll please just about any sensible crowd. Ball's own vocal flex has enough funk in it to outdo the James Browns out there, and coupled with those snappy drums and raw electro bass makes means that this is the rarest of gems. Soul Clap's remix makes for a nice addition, but it's clear that no man can test the vibes of Benjamin Ball. What a killer!

Review: Boston's Cultures Of Soul present some edits here of underrated Belizean artist Bredda "David" Obi whose musical style known as "Kungo Muzik" mixes key flavours from his home with reggae and calypso to rock and funk to formulate a modern tropical style. Years later, DJs and record collectors found his music in basements of record stores in Los Angeles and Brooklyn - some of which are featured here. Sol Power All-Stars will get you stoned into the groove with their acid-inflected rework of "Dancin'", L.A.'s DJ Duckcomb works the original's lo-slung dub influence on "Experience" while the ever reliable Justin Van Der Volgen similarly accentuates the reggae swagger of "Sunshine". A tribute to a legend!

Review: Most are familiar with Junior Byron's brilliant 1983 single "Dance to the Music", but few are well acquainted with the boogie/reggae fusionist's '85 jam "Trying to Hold On". Helpfully, Cultures of Soul has decided to reissue it for the first time, accompanying the original vocal version - a super-sweet, spaced-out synth-boogie workout complete with a thrillingly soulful and sun-kissed reggae vocal from the effervescent Byron - and stripped back "Version" (intergalactic boogie-dub of the highest order) with a fresh rework from Gerd Janson. The Running Back chief does a brilliant job in combining elements of both versions, adding more dub effects and emphasizing Byron's brilliant vocal in all the right places. It's a stunning rework of a little-known classic.

Review: Greg Belson is a world leading gospel collector and DJ who had great success with his Divine Disco series. He continued his vital work with Cultures of Soul on the Devin Funk compilations series and now the label are serving up the many highlights on 7". Here we have
Pearl Farano & The High Lights Of Joy with 'Who's Your Boss', a high speed funk gem with in the pocket drum playing and energetic guitar riffs. The real star of course is the coarse vocal that cannot help but light your fires. On the flip, Zella Jackson's vocal soars next to summery flutes and raw, dense rhythm sections.

Review: Betty Griffin's 'Free Spirit' gets served up as two new remixed versions in honour of the 10 Year Anniversary of Greg Belson's noteworthy radio show, Divine Chord Gospel Show on Dub Lab. Greg himself joins up with Paulo Fulci as Divine Situation to add their own special fire to the already hot originals. Their first Downlow rework rides on some psyched-out guitar lines with the chunky, percussive rhythms riding rough below. Then, on the flip, the Maceo's dub is more smooth, streamlined and cosmic with its widescreen synth lines.

Review: While putting together last year's brilliant Tokyo Nights - Female J-Pop Boogie compilation, Cultures of Soul commissioned boogie revivalist Saucy Lady to record fresh covers of two of her favourites from the set. The Japan-born American has predictably done a bang up job. We're particularly enjoying the vocal and instrumental covers of Minako Yoshida's "Town"; while both contain a few contemporary touches - the beats are naturally closer to house than the '80s original - the synths, vocals and production touches are all faithful to the Saucy Lady's source material. She slows things down a little on the flipside, pushing her vocals to the fore on a gentle and rubbery cover of Toshinobu Kanesaka's "Honey Bee". Superb stuff, all told.

Review: Last year saw Cultures of Soul, American crate diggers extraordinaire, serve up a fine compilation of Caribbean disco, soul, and boogie in the shape of Tropical Disco Hustle. Clearly they were only getting started as a year later we find a second installment from Cultures of Soul which broadens the remit to take in the flavours of St. Lucia and Guadeloupe too. Trinidad & Tobago calypso act Wild Fire feature prominently, providing three tracks of which the Moog laden "Try Making Love" is a compilation highlight. "Music Makes The World Go Round" by The Hamilton Brothers being another, a delicious horn laden, rasping disco bumper that DJs will find a lot of mileage in. A fine compilation.

Review: The "Mighty" Greg Belson has a bit of a soft spot for gospel disco, a sub-genre that proved popular in some of the genre's more righteous clubs. In Divine Disco, he offers up a lesson in the style, gathering together mostly little known gems originally released between 1974 and '84 (plus, it should also be noted, two tasty contemporary re-rubs from Rahaan and Steve Cobby). It's perhaps a little more varied than you'd expect; contrast, for example, the hands-in-the-air, can-I-get-a-witness enthusiasm of Gospel Ambassadors' "What Kind Of Man Is This", and the smooth, slowed-down torch song feel of "Give Yourself To Jesus" by Herman Harris & The Voices Of Faith & Love.