Juno Recommends Funk / Reissues October 2020

Review: Canadian Jorun Bombay is a long time remix master who now lands on Soundweight Records with his latest cut up and reworking efforts. The A-side finds him take on Blondie's legendary 'Rapture', which mixed slick raps with post-punk guitars. Here it becomes sweet rolling funk gem with molten chords and plenty of soul. The flip-side is a tropical rework of 'Don't Pay Any Fuller' that ups the bass and beefs out the drums, while layering in steamy chords and percussion that brim with character. These are two more classics in the spotless catalogue of Jorun Bombay.

Review: Not to be confused with the mascara-clad indie rock band of the same name, Placebo was a 1970s Belgian jazz-funk combo founded by legendary European jazzman Marc Moulin. Within the rare groove and jazz-dance community, the group's sophomore set 1973 has long been considered a hard-to-find "must-have". Here Matasuna Records celebrates reaching a quarter-century of releases by offering up a seven-inch featuring two of the album's most celebrated cuts. A-side 'Polk' is a genuine jazz-funk delight: a storming dancefloor workout in which mazy, ever-more-intense electric piano solos ride a relaxed but floor-friendly groove. Flipside 'Balek' is, if anything, even better, with spacey synths, sharp horn lines and fluid electric piano solos sparring over another leisurely groove.

Review: On his last two singles on Soopastole, mash-up maestro DJ Soopasoul smashed together elements of Stevie Wonder and Redman/Method Man, and James Brown and Crooklyn Dodgers. For his latest trick he's decided to pepper an edited version of "People All Over The World" by Philadelphia Soul legends MFSB, with raps from a stone cold classic Beastie Boys tune. It's the sort of thing that shouldn't work, but the Beasties' flows work perfectly over the flanged guitars, undulating bass and unfussy 4-to-the-floor Philly Soul grooves of the MFSB track. You can hear his instrumental rework of that track on the flip; it's so good that it's arguably worth the entrance price on its own.

Review: If you've not already picked up a copy of Mutaksuku Records' superb reissue of two of reggae musician Devon Russell's greatest Curtis Mayfield covers, we'd suggest grabbing one of these Juno exclusive white vinyl versions, which also happens to ship with a tasty wooden "45" adaptor. You may already know Russell's incredible '84 version of 'Move on Up', which re-imagines it as a languid, post-disco reggae-soul anthem that just oozes sun-soaked positivity. On this seven-inch, it comes backed by something equally as essential: the artist's lesser-known 1993 take on 'Give Me Your Love', which turns the much-loved song into a colourful, synth-laden trip through Balearic reggae territory. In a word: essential.

Review: More from the bulging back catalogue of Park Rangers, an obscure Japanese reggae band who have spent the last decade delivering surprising cover versions of well-known pop, rock and disco songs. On side A there's another chance to wonder at their 1960s rocksteady style re-make of Pharrell Williams' mega-hit happy, in which the Neptunes star's lead vocal is replaces with a cheery Hammond organ solo. It's the kind of cover that can't help but put a smile on your face. The same could be said about their similarly minded flipside cover of Prince classic 'Kiss'. While it's not as instantly recognisable, it has a similar feel thanks to the band's canny fusion of tuneful Hammond organ solos and retro-futurist reggae riddims.

Review: Black Cash & Theo AKA Thelonious Beats are Galaxy Sound Co's most experienced editors, having served up already nine excellent offerings on this label. Their latest careful bit of studio splicing work is again a cosmic and mind expanding jazz funk fusion with righteous grooves and life-affirming riffs. The A-aide is a sweet and seductive sound that comes up from below to sweep you off your feet and carry you away to the stars, then 'The Moving Finger' is a little more rooted on planet earth with its knotted bass riffs, glowing harmonies and rickety lead guitar riff, all finished off with some spiritual sax work.

Review: Here's something to seriously set the pulse racing: a limited-edition quintuple "Brazil 45s" boxset curated by the effervescent DJ Format, and featuring ten tracks unearthed on his most recent crate-digging trip to South America. In keeping with his much-loved style, most of the material can be loosely described as "psyche break-beat", all of which was initially recorded and released in the 1960s and '70s. That means a blend of hallucinatory Brazilian funk and soul rich in sweaty, often densely layered drums, booming basslines, trippy vocals, eccentric production, mazy Hammond organ lines and rousing horns. The quality bar is set so high that picking individual highlights is tough; suffice to say, you need all ten tunes in your life (and in your record box).

Review: It's a while since we last heard from Pigalle Connection, an all-star group of Mocambo-signed musicians helmed by Hammond B3 master Guillaume Metenier. In fact, our records suggest that this is the occasional outfit's first 45 for almost five years. On side A's 'Casino & Church' they pay tribute to Peter Thomas via a fiery, floor-rocking fusion of Incredible Bongo Band style grooves, heavy organ chords, Afro-funk guitar motifs, hazy horns and Blaxploitation style riffs. The heaviness continues on the flipside's 'Vendetta James', where Ennio Morricone style spaghetti western trumpet lines and spacey synthesizer flourishes rides another weighty Euro-funk groove.

Review: On their previous deep dives into the archives of Trindadian-American multi-instrumentalist and producer George Semper, Dynamite Cuts has largely focused on reissuing obscure, private-press releases. Here they go one step further, offering up two unheard versions of Semper composition 'Knowbody's Gonna Love You (Like The Way I Do)'. On the A-side you'll find Semper's demo version, a cheery chunk of summery soul bliss blessed with fantastic group vocals, a superb lead vocal from the man himself, and some deliciously chiming melodies. Over on the flip you'll find a fuzzy, more horn-heavy soul version from vocalist Joanna Vent that was previously pressed to an acetate but never released

Review: Northern Soul diggers have spent many frustrating hours trying to track down copies of Roy Redmond's notoriously hard to find 1967 single 'Ain't That Terrible', which was initially released on cult label Loma. Listening to this timely and much-needed Record Store Day 2020 reissue, it's easy to see why. The track is exactly the kind of surging, stomping, up-tempo number that makes Northern Soul dancefloors go crazy, all topped off by an excitedly rousing lead vocal from Redmond. Over on the flip you'll find original B-side 'A Change Is Gonna Come', a lusciously arranged, performed and produced version of the Sam Cooke favourite smothered in melancholic horns, jazzy guitars and sustained organ chords.

Review: Remarkably, the Commodores 'Assembly Line' has never before featured on a 7" single - officially, at least - despite the track's killer drum-break being a long-time favourite of B-boys and B-girls. Helpfully Dynamite Cuts has decided to offer-up this fully licensed "45" pressing, backing the superb, life-affirming and organ-heavy funk-soul cut with another track from the band's 1974 album Machine Gun. 'Gonna Blow Your Mind' is an even heavier, weightier and more floor-friendly affair, with the legendary Motown combo adding energetic vocals, crunchy Clavinet lines and spacey synthesizer sounds to a super-heavy, Blaxploitation funk style groove. In a word: essential!

Review: This collection of the Aussie funk and soul band The Bamboos' favourite cuts is a celebration of their 20 year anniversary. It culls cuts from 2007's Rawville and 2010's 4 and is a limited release with a full colour gatefold sleeve. Led by guitarist and main songwriter/producer Lance Ferguson, The Bamboos have been hugely prolific over the years, putting out no fewer than nine studio albums, two live albums, twenty-seven singles, and all while serving up many incendiary shows. They draw in elements of funk, pop, rock, psych, hip-hop, indie and soundtrack music into their own unique sound.

Review: When Names You Can Trust was first establishing itself in the late 2000s, few of the label's artists did more to raise its reputation than 21st century Cumbia fusionists Frente Cumbiero. Via a series of seriously good singles, the Mario Galeano Toro-helmed outfit established themselves as a cumbia band like no other. They've been fairly quiet of late, so this belated return to the Brooklyn imprint is undeniably long overdue. A-side 'Porrovia' is simply superb: a fuzzy, bass-heavy Cumbia shuffler laden with buzzing analogue synth sounds, beefy sub-bass, punchy horns and stacks of quality Colombian percussion. Deeper, warmer and more rhythmically complex flipside 'El Metodo De La Cera Perdido' is equally as impressive, if a little subdued in comparison to the illustrious A-side.

Review: Athens of the North's Euan Fryer is not the only collector and selector who believes that the Leaders' obscenely rare 1971 single '(It's A) Rat Race' should be considered a genuine deep funk classic. In fact, it was deep funk specialist Keb Darge who first brought the record to the attention of DJs and dancers in the UK in the early 2000s. Happily Fryer has tracked down the band and got their permission to reissue their sought-after classic. Formidably funky, the A-side version features fantastic group vocals rising above a bed of hazy horns, bustling drums, warm bass and razor-sharp, Blaxploitation style guitars. The accompanying instrumental take is superb, too, with a variety of woodwind and brass solos - often drenched in reverb - replacing the group's fine vocals.

Review: Summer may be well and truly over - in the UK, at least - but the sweaty, steamy and sunny seven-inch singles keep on coming. As the title suggests, Vito Lalinga's latest offering is an undeniably tropical affair, with Mariachi style trumpet solos, rousing Afro-beat horns, tactile electric piano keys and flanged guitar riffs dancing atop a punchy, jazzy and bass-heavy funk groove. It's the kind of joyous excursion that should appeal to a wide variety of DJs, particularly those who dig funk, hip-hop and jazz-funk. Label chief Lego Edit gets his virtual scalpel out on the flip and reinvents the track as a driving chunk of four-to-the-floor Afro-funk. It's a weighty revision with serious dancefloor chops.

Review: This special 180g, peach-coloured version of Sign O' The Times is a faithful reproduction of the original, but there is also a super expanded reissue due that unveils a real wealth of unheard songs that are sure to send fans wild. That said, the original from 1987 is already classed as a masterpiece amongst many fans of The Purple One. As well as the well known singles, it serves up cold minimal funk, party jams, musings on the bleak realism of life and all manner of impossible fusion of jazz, soul, rock, pop, synth and gospel that only this most special of artists could have pulled off.

Review: More fabulous, funk-fuelled brilliance from the Beat Bronco Organ Trio, who earlier in the year delivered a fine debut album on Swiss imprint Rocafort Records (the must-check Road Trip). This two-part missive is not featured on that set, and instead sees them deliver a decidedly tropical fusion of loose-limbed, Tony Allen-style polyrhythmic drums, bubbly organ riffs, warming bass and reverb-laden guitar riffs that reminded us a little of both heady psyche-rock and Ghanaian Highlife. 'Missoula-Nairobi (Part 1)' is arguably the more potent and focused of the pair, with just a little more dancefloor grunt, though the flipside 'Part 2' version, with its extended solos and more freestyle feel, is every bit as alluring.

Review: Legendary 70s funk band Ripple are back with two original members making new music again. Curtis "Kazoo" Reynolds & Keith "Doc" Samuels now go by the name of Ripple 2.20 and their first work is a new version of John Edwards' "Exercise My Love." It is a cover, but not as we usually know it - they lay down an incredible new vocal and play the parts with a real sense of sensuousness. On the flip is a new remix of some of Ripple's original material in the form of Fashion's take on "I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky", a raw, dirty, sleazy jam to get you in a sweat.

Review: Japanese heavyweights HHV continue their ongoing trawl through the back catalogue of long-serving hip-hop producer, DJ, record collector and self-styled King of Diggin', Muro. Here they present the second part of the dusty-fingered hero's turn-of-the-millennium Pan Rhythm series of 12" singles, this time presenting it on a tidy seven inch single. 'Hip-Hop Band' is a weighty, floor friendly, horn-heavy re-make of the Stetsasonic song of the same name, with local mic man Boo delivering tweaked versions of the U.S crew's verses in his native Japanese. While jazzy, the bombastic backing track - which can be heard in full on the flipside instrumental version - is forthright and club-ready, making the single a must-have for working hip-hop DJs and those who love the more up-tempo end of the rap spectrum.

Review: Jalepeno continues to offer-up must-have singles from the Allergies most recent - and, in our view, most impressive - album, Say The Word. This double A-side "45" features two of that set's most impactful cuts. On the A-side you'll find 'Get Yourself Some', a bustling vocal funk workout laden with gnarly funk-rock guitars, punchy horn blasts, bluesy harmonica motifs and wild Hammond organ licks. On the reverse, mic men Dr Syntax and Skunkadelic lend a hand on 'I'm On It', where the pair's deep-throated raps ride an Incredible Bongo Band style groove punctuated with jaunty sax lines and heavy organ riffs.

Review: Pepite Records have a brilliant Holy Grail reissue on their hands here with two world music oddities that send seasoned collectors into fits of excitement. They come from French composer Jean Claude Oliver, who was a noted talent in his day and possible the first Parisian to own a sitar in the sixties. He worked with Serge Gainsbourg amongst others, while also working as Derboukas. Two of his finest experiments are served up for the first time here and mixes oriental vibes with eastern bossa. The original of the a-side is impossible to find and the 'Caravan March' gem on the B-side is a welcome addition that fuses psychedelic pop grooves with lush cello.

Review: Athens of the North has barely put a foot wrong of late, but even by their high standards the label's latest 45 is rather special. It sees them flip a thoroughly obscure modern soul seven-inch originally released in 1980 on a "tiny local label" in the U.S called Shore Records. It was, and remains, the sole release by the mysterious E.S Funk. A-side 'Funny Feeling' offers a delicious fusion of floor-friendly grooves - check, in particular, the crunchy, snare-heavy beat - immaculately played and produced instrumentation and a catchy chorus. 'Shake Your Body (At The Disco)' is an altogether funkier, club-focused affair whose most prominent features are a rubbery slap-bass line, dancer-friendly drum-breaks and horn and synth lines that seem to be playfully sparring with each other.