Funk / Reissue Recommendations July 2014

Review: One of edit culture's current heavyweights returns as The Reflex drops two straight up, stone cold dancefloor bombs for the Revisions series from the GAMM crew. "Bongle Joogie" takes the Kool & The Gang classic "Jungle Boogie" and polishes up the drums and adds a sparkle to the killer hook to offer something new on a track that's seen plenty of turntable rotation. On the flip, The Reflex shows off his subtler side with "Sept-amber" a rendition of Earth Wind & Fire which includes some spellbinding vocal layering. Proof that edits don't always need to be plundered from the deepest realms of planet obscurity... Classics are classics for a reason.

Review: Ten years deep, First Word showcase just how timeless their output has been by exploring their vaults and repurposing some of their finest classics 10" re-releases. Never press to vinyl before, each of these cuts surges at the very forefront of hip-hop, funk and world music. Each track is a highlight; "African Kings" is quintessential Afrofunk laced with warm keys and undeniable groove infection, "The Nuts" is futuristic homage to Danny Breaks, Marc Mac conjures the spirit of the Steve Miller Band on his Homecut remix and the Capstone remix of the Andreya Triana-fronted "Good Morning What's New?" is a drum-heavy jazz daydream you'll never want to awake from. Here's to another 10 years!

Review: Edits don't get much more naked than this latest batch from the Afro Breaks camp. Both "Confusion" and "You" take an array of Fela ingredients and strip them right back to the bare carnal backbone. The results are super-spacious beat tracks coated in dubbed out flurries of activity. The lolloping bass and reverbed snare on "Confusion" will instantly hypnotise while the cut-strut guitar and percussive insistency on "You" will have hips shaking from the dancefloor right through to the smoking area. Bona fide beat treats.

Review: DJ Snatch sharpens his knife for a seven-strong collection of exemplary edits and reversions. Ranging from Elvis to Louie Armstrong, some of his touches are simple extensions while others see him totally repurpose the groove with hip-hop drums (such as Louie's cover of "Mack The Knife" and Howlin' Wolf's classic "Spoonful"). With a range of international flavours, this genre-bounding collection reminds us that the spirit of editing is fun and dedicated to the party. A worthwhile addition to the collections of all selectors.

Review: Kudos to the Archive label for this much needed 12" edition of "Fugitive Dub" a storming funk track that featured on The Legendary Skatalites In Duba the long out of print LP from King Tubby Meets The Skatalites. Primed just in time for those outdoor parties over the summer months, there's an undeniable insouciance to the original version of "Fugitive Dub" from The Skatalites, which is more than complemented by the killer dub rendition from King Tubby on the flip. Get ready to hear Ras Micheal's drumming skills ricocheting at angles you didn't think were mathematically possible.

Review: Not got the dusty fingers to match DJ Muro? That's okay as the Japanese selector, editor and crate digger has started this new series of 7" shaped accompaniments to his much loved I love 45s mix CD series that lifts out some of the rarities featured on them. As you'd expect these won't hang around for long, and rightly so when Muro's seen fit to include some personal tweaks of some real funk bombs like the A Side uptempo boogaloo crusher "Getting T'Gether Man" from The Classitors. Hit the flip for a more head nob on "Food Stamp" which will appeal to the breakers out there, whilst "Grazin In The Grass" does bugged out JBs funk to the extreme.

Review: Forget what certain mobile phone networks might tell you, the future is green and it's filled with funk! The Venice label come through with a killer archival seven from Italian sextet The Green Future or The Green Future Orchestra as they were sometimes known; under their shorter guise, the group delivered one LP of funk and soul called Uncle Jim for the Vedette Records label, teaming up with Pinto Varez aka the label's alias happy art director Francesco Anselmo. Both these cuts are lifted from that album and bristle with joyous funk with the A Side reminiscent of The Mohawks and "Honey, Rhythm & Butter" on more of a Latin groove. Tip!

Review: A highly impressive debut from an interesting new funk act The Beta Club. They claim to be international but it seems the nucleus hail from the much-maligned UK city Coventry. Sometimes the most beautiful art can come from the darkest of places, right? For the music, both cuts are a total trip. "Brassa Nova" is a hugely cosmic affair as weaves of fuzzy guitars and far-away horns fuse in a way that's not dissimilar to Herbaliser when they're deep in Sessions mode. "Freak Beat" takes the band's 70s narrative even further thanks to vast space amid the instrumentation, the Mancini-style horns and alluring sitar twangs. A band to tattoo to your radar... Remember where you heard about them first.

Review: An everlasting echo of Far Out's most formative roots, the Friends From Rio story began 20 years ago. Updated sporadically over the two decades, this opus is the series zenith as some of the most significant label friends collide for an set made almost exclusively of original recordings (bar an outstanding cover of Jorge Ben's universally renowned "Mas Que Nada"). Written and performed by the likes of Alex Malheiros, Hyldon, Carlos Dafe, Aleh Ferreira, Robertinho, Sabrina Malheiros and many more talented Brazilian musicians we shake, shuffle and slide across the Rio soundscape from the sharp horn punctuation and disco bubbles of "Fogo No Chao" to the slinky lounge jazz of "Veneno" via the vibrant Hammond sprinkles of "Lembrancas Do Lincoln". Whether you've been on Far Out's journey from the beginning or you've only invested in your first Latin one-way ticket, this is an exceptional adventure.

Review: Once known as Little JB, Lee Fields continues to deliver his distinctive, heartfelt goods with as much power, weight and soul as ever. Well over 12 albums deep into his 45 year career, he still sounds as clear and emphatic today as he did in 1969, as proved by this broad range of timeless flavours: from the touching JJ Cale cover "Magnolia" to the big band insistency of "Eye To Eye" via the bluesy minor key funk of "All I Need", Lee Fields is one of the few original soul soldiers still recording. What's more, he's recording with welcomed purpose. An essential slice of modern soul history.

Review: Released in 1977 Isis Voyage was, in part, a product of jazz's identity crisis. Funk and rock had pilfered almost all its younger listeners and bold moves needed to be made. Miles Davis did it with Bitches Brew, Herbie Hancock did it with Headhunters and Stanton Davis and his Ghetto Mysticism troupe did it with this. Now re-explored through a series of alternative recordings and mixes, the frenetic funky spirit remains at the very core of this work. From the never-heard-before star-gazing shamanic crescendo "Space-A-Nova" to a mesmerising instrumental of "Funky Fried Tofu" via some interesting reversions from Al Kent, this is an exciting new chapter to Stanton Davis's most compelling narrative.