Juno Recommends Funk / Reissues March 2020

Review: Absolute gold from Earth Wind & Fire that was only ever included as filler track on their 1977 All N All album, it's been a staple sample across house and hip-hop ever since, utilised creatively by everyone from Tribe Called Quest and Danny Krivit. Previously only 80 seconds long, Fryer has managed to unearth a previously unreleased extended version that really digs into those honeyed harmonies. "My Love" takes us four years forward to their 13th album Raise! where the musical emphasis has developed from all-out vocal soul to a more restrained rare groove feel. One per customer, AOTN aren't messing around on this one.

Review: Somewhat predictably, this double-dose of party-hearty Professor Shorthair remixes is as colourful and vibrant as the purple marbled vinyl seven-inch onto which the tracks are pressed. On side A he does his thing with The Unemployed's rugged 1970 funk-rock jam "Funky Thing", beefing up the beats for modern dancefloors while adding a choice selection of scratched-in samples. Arguably even better is his rework of Lee Dorsey's "Occapella", a sweet, lo-slung groover that gets re-cast as a dubbed-out chunk of hazy, bass-heavy hip-hop soul rich in echo-laden vocal snippets, snatches of rap and hazy horns. As Dorsey's vocal says, it's "finger-snapping good"!

Review: The Originals crew kick off their new decade with more red hot funk heat they've got us accustomed to. This time it is jazz-funk great Bob James on the a-side with "Farandole", a classic that has been chopped down the size for this 45 by the crack crew behind DNA. Flip-side "Lions In The Forest" finds DJ Muggs sampling that one and reworking it into a big b-boy tune with rhythms from Planet Asia and a guest spot from B-Real. This is proper heat for the floor that oozes quality.

Review: This one came our back in January but sold out in quick fashion, so a limited edition repress is now here but likely to be gone just as quick. And it's easy to see why as this latest Breaks & Beats offering takes on edits of two massive James Brown classics. Extended with DJ friendly breaks and elongated grooves, the Godfather of Soul's fine original is made into a much more useable tool. Jimmy Smith classic "Root Down" gets similar treatment on the flip as it starts and ends with some very workable drum loops that will liven up any set and party.

Review: The latest volume in Mr Bongo's brilliant Brazil 45 series offers up a pair of MPB gems that have previously never featured on seven-inch before. Side A is all about Marcia Maria's 1978 cut "Amigo Branco", a disco-era interpretation of Djalma Dias' 1974 track "Nada Sei De Preconceito". Maria's cover is jaunty, colourful and ear-catching, pushing jaunty organs, sharp horns and spacey synth lines towards the ear alongside her passionate, full-throated lead vocal. Over on side B you'll find "Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser", an overlooked gem plucked from MPB artist Simone's self-titled 1973 debut LP. More rooted in samba, it's a lilting, string-laden chunk of emotional sweetness.

Review: Secord time around for "wild west" funakteer Daytoner's "Apache Street" seven-inch, which has been in high demand since it first hit record stores in 2018. As the title suggests, both cut-and-paste workouts borrow heavily from the Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache", one of the foundation stones of hip-hop culture. The title track is a fine example of a mash-up that works, with Daytoner layering the horn stabs and vocals from Lou Rawls' "Dead End Street" over the famous "Apache" break. That break is prominent on side B, this time underpinning cheery horns, pianos, bass and guitars from the Skatalites' Ska classic "Beardman Ska". It's a simple idea expertly executed.

Review: Dynamite excel with this rare bit of superb soul from Vernon Burch. "Lovely Lady" is set to be huge on the more heartfelt dance floors out there - the rolling bass loops sweep you off your feet, hip singing claps bring the joy and the vocal is as feel good and heartwarming as you can imagine. It's a tune that just keeps on going before a special dynamite cuts DJ edit on "Joy & Pain" ups the ante with a more driving disco groove. This one is powered by big horns and funk bass riffs, big backing singers and lead guitars that reach for the heavens. Utterly irresistible.

Review: On this sizzling seven-inch, two of Italy's most productive disco talents - Lego Edit and Vito Lalinga - join forces to energetically sprint through two righteous slabs of "Dancefloor Funk". First up on side A is "Afro Funky Now", a loose-limbed, bass-heavy Afro-funk workout rich in addictive organ stabs, delay-laden saxophone solos, Fela Kuti-esque horn blasts, beefy bass guitar and infectious drum breaks. Over on side B, "Booker" is a driving force of nature: a saxophone, trumpet and harmonica laden romp through swamp funk territory with more energetic instrumental flourishes than you can shake a stick at. We're unsure whether they're edits or original tracks (most likely the former), but either way they're ace.

Review: "Slacking Off" came from a Nassauvians session that found the band coming back together in the studio for the first time after a little break, but totally unprepared. Despite this, they struck real aloha gold, with Hawaiian soul, gently lilting funk and Balearic guitars all making it as summery as you could wish for. Flipside "The Time Is Now" is a previously unreleased AOR island recording with Nassauvians man Tommy Goodwin on guitar and pal Don Lepage on harmonica, and will make you nostalgic for a time and a place never known.

Review: He's hardly prolific, but DJ/producer Del Gazeebo has been offering up occasional re-edits, mash-ups and bootleg reworks for longer than some of us have been alive. Here he begins 2020 in fine fashion with two party-hearty reworks guaranteed to get the dancefloor moving. Aside "Barbara Don't Love Me" is a bouncy, subtly beefed-up take on a horn-heavy 1960s soul/rhythm and blues classic that sounds like it would go down well at parties that love Northern Soul. Flipside "Dat Ting" meanwhile is a head-nodding take on a punchy soulful reggae cut underpinned by weighty bass and tight hip-hop beats.

Review: Soul Junction's latest release brings together two sought-after heavy soul cuts from the studio of the Poindexter Brothers: their own 1969 heater "What I Did In The Street (I Should Have Done At Home)" - a sweet, Vibraphone-sporting slab of rasping, full-throated, horn-heavy sixties soul just dripping with emotion - and a killer cut they produced a year earlier for singer Vivian Copeland. You'll find that song, "Chaos In My Heart", on the A-side. Originally released on Bell, it's an attractive and additive mid-tempo number in which Copeland's fine vocals come supported by low-register horns, shuffling soul grooves and some suitably heavenly backing vocals.

Review: To celebrate the dawn of a new decade, Bristolian cut-and-paste maestro Boca 45 has decided to serve up a series of seven-inch singles under a new label, 2020 Donuts (his previous imprint was just called Donuts). A-side "Powerful" is a real treat: an inventive chunk of low-slung, horn-sporting spy-funk goodness topped off with wayward electronic flourishes and a powerful soul vocal by Hannah Williams. Flip-side "Sparky Evans" is a sample-heavy club rocker in the traditional Boca 45 style - all heavy bass, even heavier breakbeats, Sly and the Family Stone style fuck-rock guitars and hip-hop vocal snippets.

Review: While his releases are always rooted in the twin attractions of jazz and psychedelia, Israeli producer Kutiman tends not to stick to one specific sound for very long. Having flitted between numerous styles in the last 12 months he's decided this time to focus on desert funk. He begins by mixing North African and Middle Eastern influences on the hip-wiggling dancefloor fuzziness of "Saluf" - an ear-pleasing affair rich in mazy organ solos, punchy horns, spacey Moog lines and an infectious and potent handclap-heavy rhythm. Flipside "Badawee" is a deeper and more luxurious affair, where intergalactic synthesizer lines and flowery melodies stretch out across a loose-limbed, bass-heavy groove.

Review: Essential Hi-Life & Afro-Funk from Ghana! The legendary K. Frimpong's fantastic rare second album recorded in 1975 at Ghana Films Studio. As a prolific songwriter and singer, this is reissue of his 2nd album, a modern fusion of Hi-life and the traditional beat called Ahyewa. The excellent background is given by the Super Complex Sounds band which makes the Ahyewa beat suitable for specialist dancefloors.A must have vinyl of percussive Afro-Funk & modern Hi-life . Remastered by Frank Merritt at The Carvery, pressed on Deluxe Replika format, fully licensed to the Alhadji Kwame Frimpong Family.

Review: ** REPRESS ALERT ** This timeless classic by American singer-songwriter Shuggie Otis is an instantly recognisable masterpiece of soul. 1971's "Strawberry Letter 23" from his album "Freedom Flight" has endured and become a rare groove touchstone. Flecked with elements of psych and breakbeat, it is prescient, and stuffed with neat tics and tricks. Turn to the flip for an added bonus - "Ice Cold Daydream" is a funk bomb full of bouncing organs and squelching wah wah guitars with Shuggie's trademark vocal tones laid over the top.