Today Only: Funk Soul & Jazz sale vinyl

Review: Legendary Bristol-based funk and breaks master Boca 45 is back with more of his battle-ready DJ tools. This 7" takes the form of a second volume of Tools on the Cold Beer Music label and it offers a brilliant brace of cut n' paste, surefire party starters and floor fillers. 'Kick That' has old school feels with classic piano chords from a certain Fatboy Slim tune that really will get the floor going mad. 'Unwind Your 909' taps into another iconic sample, this time from a sax, with break-neck breaks and plenty of chopped-up energy.

Review: Rome label Maledetta Discoteca Records encouraged a bunch of talented local musicians to get together and play live, embrace spontaneity and do their improvised best. What results is this new record, which is funk at its core, but which is coloured by so much more around the edges. Recorded in the historic Auditorium 900 studios with sound engineer Fabrizio Piccolo, the record takes in everything from 70s instrumentals to progressive funk, Hispanic rock and more with all manner of wah wah guitars, synths and organ bringing each groove to life in tiles fashion.

Review: Robert Chini (pronounced keeney), a native of Southern California, is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter who began his musical journey as a drummer at the age of five. With a star-studded career as a touring member of many a famous band including Peaches And Herb, Tower Of Power and Air Supply, Chini's efforts have still yet to falter or fly under the radar; quite to the contrary, he's still going strong, currently performing as both a solo artist and studio operator. 'Doin' It all For You' was written and recorded in 1979, while the B-sider here, 'Everlasting Love', was written and recorded three years earlier. Both songs hear Chini sing of commitment and dedication to love, narrating a journey from internal preoccupation with the self to finding a sense of eternity in devotion to another.

Review: Written by James Ernard, 'How Close' is a poppy funk track with as much history as killer synths. Written after his previous Ohio-based group Perfect Element declined opening for Prince on tour, Ernard left to set up his own label (which met a similar end as he and co-founder Kennith also had a falling out over creative differences). 'How Close' is a sensational piece of 80s American pop history, with a killer synth line and earworm vocals that'll have you shaking your hips before even realising. Side B has a nippy little remix by an undisclosed producer (which is sometimes the case with such niche pieces of history), that nonetheless breathes even more life into such a colourful track. It's often the 7" records that tell us the full history of the music industry behind the scenes at that time, and this release is no different - a perfect addition to that niche 7" collection you've been building up...

Review: Colemine step up with another sure shot of impeccable modern soul, this time coming from Australian outfit Dojo Cuts. 'Here We Are' is a slow jam with sadness in its heart, but it hits hard. That's in no small part down to the impassioned vocal turn from Carlton Jumel Smith, who gets his message across with conviction on this classically styled ballad. One for rainy days and poignant moments, with the instrumental on the flip when you want the music to carry you away.

Review: Maverick Japanese producer Yasushi Ide's 2020 album Cosmic Suite was widely heralded and critically acclaimed. It now gets a welcome follow up with a second volume that features an a-list of international artists including Don Letts, Josh Milan, Japanese diva UA, Afrika Bambaataa and many more. As such all sorts of sounds from dub to house, broken beat to Afrobeat, freeform, jazz, post-punk and more feature. It is a future-facing collection of cuts all masterminded and conducted by Ide from his Grand Gallery HQ in Tokyo.

Review: Best known as a titular member of Durand Jones & the Indications, a group whose signature soulful sound has seen them reach international audiences, Wait Til I Get Over marks Jones' first foray into solo work. Using this as an opportunity to delve into the more personal, storytelling potential of solo artistry, the record is firmly situated in his hometown - Hillaryville, Louisiana - a town initially founded as a form of reparations to previously enslaved African Americans. The first single to be released from the album, Lord Have Mercy, travels through Jones' family history, recalling his grandmother's memories of moving to the town as a child, via cathartic, wild and raucous vocals. This is a release that masterfully bridges the internal conflict of feeling connected to a place that's at once home but also a historically complex space for its African-American community. Note this edition is a limited gold and blue pressing exclusive to Juno.

Review: For the second release on their new joint venture Mixed Signals, Henry Jones and Seance Centre founder Brandon Hocura have decided to offer-up a selection of tracks from Harold Lucious' overlooked 1990 album "Connected". Lucious' far-sighted blend of soulful house, new jack swing and what us Brits would call street soul comes to the fore on opener "Let The Feelin' - Turn You Out", a stripped-back, synth-heavy chunk of deep house-soul, and on the much more upbeat club cut "What Does It Take". It can also be heard, too, on delicious flipside opener "I Like It", where Lucious' layered vocals ride a tactile, lo-fi deep house groove. Our pick of the bunch though is sumptuously slow closing cut "Try My Love", which is much closer in tone to street soul.

Review: It's five up for the Palmetto Street label and this one finds them turning to Ben Pirani & The Means Of Production who manage to again find new ground in this great EP. The lead single from the 7" is a soft and melancholic sad song with none other than Brian Jackson (who collaborated with Gil Scott Heron) playing the flute parts. He cuts through the smokey mood with daring harmonies while on the flip things get even more forceful with 'Something So Precious'. Pirani goes it alone on the vocals for this one while a strong quartert adds the sumptuous melodies.

Review: A unique smashing of worlds between funk and hip-hop, this fantastic, vibrant, red-and-black splatter 7" brings together a host of collaborating greats, all of whom have contributed in major ways to both sounds over the years. With Dan Ubick on guitar (Breakestra, Big Daddy Kane), Julius Augustus on bass (The Sandollars), Dan Hastie on organ (Orgone, Alicia Keys), Steve McCormick on dobro and Professor Shorthair on the cuts and edits - and mastered by Dave Cooley (J Dilla, Madlib) - this is a mournful yet masterful example of live-recorded battle breaks.

Review: Ravi Shankar is often cited as one of the most famous and influential sitar players in the world and none of his albums do quite as much justice to that claim than Shankar Family & Friends, first released in 1974. Unlike many of his former albums, this LP places a front-and-centre focus on Shankar's family members, with whom he collaborates throughout the album. Though, that's not to say it doesn't also come with commercial draws - indeed, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Tom Scott also make cameo appearances. For all its humble harkenings-back to familial source, Shankar does not hesitate to fuse his own ancestral Indian classical music with the Western pop and jazz elements of his friends. The likes of 'I Am Missing You' and 'Jaya Jagadish Hare' are nonetheless utter dreamscapes, and thanks to this reissue via the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab series, this version comes as the highest-quality version of the record yet.

Review: Sio's latest album is a deeply personal and emotive journey, featuring her impeccable storytelling and soul-stirring lyricism across 11 tracks. Produced in collaboration with Daev Martian, the album reveals a new level of vulnerability from Sio. Standout tracks like 'Twilight' and 'No Lymyt' blend neo-soul with Amapiano and with spoken word interludes adding depth to the sonic experience, Sio's poetic magic shines through. An exploration of life, introspection and legacy.

Review: Down & Wired 7: A Dose Of Psychedelic Funk & Blue Eyed Soul is a gold mine of rare 60s gems, carefully curated for lovers of soul, psychedelic and garage rock. This compilation, released by Perfect Toy Germany, offers a cost-effective way to enjoy tracks that would otherwise be difficult and expensive to acquire, with original copies often fetching hundreds of dollars. Highlights include The General Store's "Love Is You," a fusion of psychedelic rock and funk that sets the tone for the collection. The Comin Generation follows with the swinging 60s vibe of "Hey Girl," while Function's "Free Style" delivers a funky riff-driven groove. Tracks like The Third Stone's 'Happiness Is Coming' and Whiz Kids' 'Take' continue the journey through the era's diverse sounds. Songs like Dandy King's 'Flowers Peace Love' and Synod's 'Places To Do,' this compilation is perfect for anyone looking to explore the eclectic sounds of 60s rock and soul.