Funk / Reissue Recommendations August 2012

Review: Germany's Tramp records puts out killer reissues on nice thick vinyl - end of story. And they've done us all a mahussive favour this year by bringing back "Panama" the infamous Roy Porter Sound Machine 7", the origina being near mythical now. The vocal version is simply one of those essential boogie tracks and we'd all feel incomplete without it in out bags. The instrumental is also a stratospheric masterpiece - that percussion glides up and down so well it's sickening. No, but seriously, you NEED this.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Arriving at their fourth release, Emotional Rescue's knowledge of forgotten musical gems and their commitment to give them the chance of wider appreciation they fully deserve cannot be in question! After digging out that Bob Chance classic, the focus switches to something of an equally balearic nature with the release of Jaki Whitren & John Cartwright's lost folk rock album International Times. Originally released as a private press on the obscure French label Living Records back in 1983, this eight track album is filled with dusty soul nuggets which are given extra life by the silky vocal stylings of Whitren - formerly a backing singer for Alan Parson. Opening track "Stay Cool" sounds quite ahead of it's time, whilst there are some true dancefloor gems for the more adventurous DJs out there, such as the title track and the laid back bump of "Go With The Flow."

Review: Killer reissue alert! Hendrix's good name has been sullied by all sorts of unnecessary bootlegs and crude edits over the years... But Tex's repurposes are the exception that proves the rule. Two twists on the matchlessly funky "Foxy Lady", both are awesome. And have been since he first delivered them in 2008. The original is straight up funk with big organs and a powerful groove while the dub is exactly that. Mildly skanked and hotter than heater, it will melt any floor you care to address with it.

Review: Blimey....not one single, not two but three 45's housed as a triple pack of essential re-issued releases from New Orleans label Seven B via the mighty Jazzman label. This package picks out possibly the rarest and best tracks from the label which traverses the genres of breakbeat funk, Northern Soul and original Rhythm n Blues flavour. One highlight for us here at Juno towers is the infectious "Something Out Of Nothing" from Lenny McDaniel & The New Era which starts off with a stompy organ and fierce brass section before a thumping bass and fat beat drums take over the proceedings. Elsewhere there's the amazing Roger & The Gypsies jam "Pass The Hatchett" which starts off with a growling bass, picked rhythm guitar before Roger drops those immortal lines.''Let Me Chop It.. Let Me Chop It'' over b-boy drums. Pure gold!

Review: Since launching at the tail end of the noughties, the Sofrito label has tickled the fancy of a wide range of DJs, with releases regularly topping the Juno sales charts. It's no fluke. By joining the dots between the past and the present and offering listeners formidable, floor-flaying material tailor-made for open-minded dancefloors, Sofrito has picked up a reputation as a must-buy label - a notoriously tricky feat in these days of falling sales and digital overload. Here, they return to Strut for a second compilation. Whereas the first, 2011's Tropical Discotheque, had a distinct theme, Sofrito International Soundclash takes a more wide-ranging approach. The results are predictably enjoyable and deliciously heavy. Opening with the classic Soca of Lord Shorty & Vibrations International, the album moves through world music styles past and present at a furious rate. The whole thing is gloriously upbeat and very, very memorable. Aside from the enthusiasts that gather at Sofrito parties in London and Paris, where many of these tracks are dancefloor staples, few will know much about many of these styles of music, let alone the artists who make them. But that's the point: through International Soundclash, the Sofrito crew are opening our eyes and ears to brilliant sounds we never knew existed. For that reason alone, this comes highly recommended.

Review: Street Soul bring the retro boogie flavours hard once again on their latest release, a dinky seven which sees Danish funkateers Cool Million line up alongside two modern pioneers of UK soul in Kenny Thomas and the Westcoast Soulstars. Thomas leads the way, lining the Cool Million arrangement of squelching modern up-tempo boogie with his own distinctive soulful refrain for "Without Your Love." Complementing this, "We Can Work It Out" sees the Westcoast Allstars deliver an almighty example of life affirming harmonies on top of an expert brass led production.

Review: Whilst Rayko and Onur Engin are the undoubted stars in the Glenview arsenal, Italian producer Suonho is showing some promising signs of matching those two soon. His first release for the label arrives in fully finished form, having slipped out on clear vinyl white label earlier this summer. Anyone with a cursory grasp of popular music history will recognise the A Side, which sees Suonho add some beat laden chunkiness to the Ben E King classic, whilst the flip reworks a soul rock standard from Eskew Reeder.

Review: Parisian record store and label Superfly present this beautiful high quality 180 gram vinyl reissue of a 1974 release replete with a heavy card sleeve. Henri Guedon was a Martinique percussionist and this album is a perfect example of West Indian Latin Fusion, and a mint original pressing of Cosmozouk Percussion would set you back several hundred pounds. Percussion is understandably the focal point throughout the album and it's a hot pot of mostly French vocal and instrumental tracks with hints of Brazilian with the sultry ''Tou Patou Feme'', uptempo jazzy Latin numbers such ''Negro Lucumi'' and the killer descarga track ''Volcano''. There's an overall organic yet funky element all the way through with strong bass lines, upfront brass and keys with less influence from electric instrumentation that was coming through around this time. Wonderful stuff.

Review: Jon Kennedy from Stockport in northern England and possibly most famous for his output on Manchester label Grand Central, teams up with Vinylize who specialize in making eyewear with frames from recycled vinyl records. This limited edition two track 7 inch kicks off with the b-boy breaks laden effort of ''Shake'' with a repetitive saxophone lick. On the flip ''The Shakes'' is a similar outing with energetic rhythms offset by plucked acoustic guitar and a UK rap from Sixth Letter.