New releases last eight weeks: Breakbeat

Review: Bobby Byrd's classic 'I Know You Got Soul' was originally recorded with James Brown's band The J.B.'s back in 1971 and soon became a club staple. It has endured in original form ever since but now it gets subtly reimagined by Mister Mushi. He offers a fresh, funky remix that's perfect for both crate diggers and DJ sets with the standout feature being the open drum break, which is a percussion lover's dream and has been designed to be sampled and looped for fun. Mister Mushi's impeccable mix stays true to the original funk spirit and the whole thing has been pressed on high-quality vinyl so it sounds superb.

Review: Masters At Work's discerning left brain Kenny Dope left but one of many crinkle-cut marks on the sliced hot potato of dance musical oral history with 'Supa'. Born in Brooklyn, Kenny emerged from the underground hip-hop scene before lending a crate-digger's mentation to his work, obsessively chopping samples by way of tri-wielded MPC60, MPC3000 and E-mu SP-1200 machines. We're not sure which went into the making of 'Supa' and its two comprising versions, but this is a serious funk-jungle precursor, medleying ATCQ-Lou Reed instrumentals contra the acapella line from Super Cat's 'Nuff Man A Dead' (1991). Drop either of these tunas into an otherwise +160BPM set for a breezy, halftime surprise, one that nonetheless maintains the rolling energy.

Review: Yet another early Masters At Work proto-jungle cut gets released on the inimitable Kay Dee recs. 'Blood Vibes' (Demo Version) is a desirous gemstone whose best facets reflect reggae, hip-hop and party breaks, though each side can only partially bend the unmissable light that is Kenny Dope" Gonzalez's production touch. Built around elements of Junior Reid's reggae classic 'One Blood', 'Blood Vibes' came about amid the pose-striking ballroom craze in New York in 1991, and even now we can hardly prepare ourselves for the riot that ensues on the following B-side, 'The Madd Cry'.

Review: 'I'll Take You There' by Leon Mitchison, featuring mixes from Kenny Dope, is a standout release from Kay-Dee Records, in a rare label head-to-head with Now-Again Records. This special edition tosses us an unreleased remix from Kenny Dope, infusing his signature funk-in-the-trunk style into an authentic and primally mixed track, working directly from Mitchison's original 8-track tapes. Acclimatising the first's deeper grooves to Dope's dope, breaks-heavy production, the artist is truly deft at upcycling vintage sonic garms.