Review: Iconic jazz funk hero Roy Ayers has been sampled as much as anyone out there and few tunes have been in the spotlight as much as his 'Chicago.' For the first ever time here it gets its own 7" pressing. It's a track that oozes cool late night funk - the cute Rhodes, the spoken word samples and funky bass riffs all manage to be warm and seductive but also hint at a little menace. Things get more sentimental on 'DC City' (offered up here as a special extended 7" mix) with the breezy vocals and ad libs, the cosmic synth work and textbook Roy Ayers funk all being as inviting as you like.
Review: 'Good Good Music' and 'Chicago' are two gems taken from Roy Ayers's 1983 disco funk album Silver Vibrations, which was last reissued back in 2019 by BBE. This 7" pairs off two of its most vibey cuts. 'Good Good Music' has mad synth squelchy, big organic disco licks and a diva vocal full of soul. On the flip is a late-night romancer, a slow motion smoother with under vocal wishers, low slung funk bass and rich, golden chords for a luxurious feel. Two very different but equally devastating tunes.
Review: Expansion Records' continues to delve into the bulging archives of Roy Ayers' influential Uno Melodic Records imprint, which issued some superb jazz-funk, soul and boogie throughout the 1980s. Here they offer a new pressing of Ethel Beatty's sought-after, Roy Ayers' produced 1981 double A-side. For some reason they've reversed the running order, with side A offering original flipside 'It's Your Love', a Dee Dee Bridgwater co-authored slow jam that's soulful, seductive and sumptuous. Over on the reverse you'll find the more celebrated ''I Know You Care', a deep disco number full of glistening guitar riffs, smooth chords and warming grooves. In a word: luscious
Review: Rhythm, blues and funk outfit The Blackbyrds were formed in Washington, D.C. in 1973, and as we have noted numerous times over at Juno, their music hardly saw the light of day around the time, save for a re-formation in 2012 after renewed interest brought their music back to light. The Washington fusion group were initially mentored by trumpeter Donald Byrd, but their sound came to differ from his sultry and slow tones, working in a more melancholic yet upbeat style, and flowery trumepeteering to boot. This 7" comes in stunning new vinyl quality, showing off a further two lost instrumentals, 'Rock Creek Park' and 'Gut Level'.
Review: The Blackbyrds' 'Reggins' is an instrumental jazz-funk masterpiece that originally hardly saw the light of day around the time of the group's formation in the early 1970s. The Washington fusion group were initially mentored by trumpeter Donald Byrd, but their sound came to differ from his sultry and slow tones, working in a more melancholic yet upbeat style, and flowery trumepeteering to boot. This 7" comes in stunning new vinyl quality, with unmatchable audiophile sound lent to two of their best instrumentals.
Review: Cicero 'Corey' Blake was a big name on the Chicago soul scene of the 60s. He himself actually hailed from Jackson, Mississippi and became most well known for the superb reissue 7" presented here. It was recorded in 1975 having been written by Phillip Mitchell and in the years since has become a real modern soul room classic that never fails to detonate any crowd all over the world. It will cost you upwards of a money for an original copy if you can find one and here it is pressed up with the original Sam Dees tune 'Your Love Is Like A Boomerang' on the flip. Essential soul for real heads.
Review: North Carolina outfit Brief Encounter have long been a cult band amongst funk, soul and disco collectors, leading to reissues of both of their albums (1977's Introducing... The Brief Encounter and 1981's We Want To Play). Here Expansion Records continues the trend of delving deep into their catalogue by offering a new edition of 1976 single 'What About Love'. The title track is undeniably excellent - a sweet, funky and attractive chunk of disco-era dancefloor soul just dripping with emotion. Over on the flip you'll find original B-side 'Get Right Down and Do It', a heavier slab of horn-toting disco-funk pleasure that boasts a seriously addictive bassline and some surprisingly surprising synthesizer flourishes.
Review: Expansion's offshoot label is back with a second release and for the occasion have put together a special eco vinyl 10" here that is strictly limited to just 100 copies and is fully deserving of that treatment: Tom Browne Feat. Carol Woods combined to great effect in the 80s on this soul classic that now gets a first-ever single release. It's the sort of immediately heartwarming tune that draws from soul, jazz funk, disco and more to cook up a steamy and excellent groove. On the flip is Diplomats Of Soul with their own super cover of 'Brighter Tomorrow' featuring Brit funk and acid jazz greats Incognito & Imaani.
Review: Collins And Collins were originally at the Top Of The Stairs back in 1980 when this one first landed. It has since become a revered underground classic much loved on the modern soul circuit as a timeless gem. The song was first composed by Ashford & Simpson who recorded their own version but when playing live would switch to the Collins & Collins version. The tune first came on CD via Expansion back in 1993 and now gets a first official 7" version back with the exceptionally rare version of Gamble & Huff's 'You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good' which first was recorded by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes in 1975.
Bembe Segue - "Mother Of The Future" (live version)
Review: Serious jazz dance fusion from 1974, Norman Connors' cover of Carlos Garnett's "Mother Of The Future" drives with shamanistic fury before the firing keys, heaving horns and deep soul vocals fly into the mix. For a more contemporary jazz take, flip for Bembe Segue's emphatic live version. Lavished with her distinctively rich vocals and stern spoken word and complete with wild bass runs and a thick bed of percussion, it's an instant show-stopper. Two incredible covers, one special 10".
Review: Expansion have been busy recently with a wealth of superb releases all dropping in relatively quick succession. This one comes from 70s and 80s Us soul family, Family Brown. They put out just one album in 1978 and a couple of singles with these two tunes now pressed onto 45rpm some of the best. On the a-side is the slow motion stepper 'Never Had A Love' which has pirouetting strings and male and female vocals playing off in seductive fashion. On the flip is the more groovy but just as melodically lush 'Listen.'
Review: Hilton Felton's 'Be Bop Boogie' is a delightful classic from the man originally from Norfolk, Virginia. The jazz organ player worked with the likes of Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers as well as Eva Cassidy at points in his career, and his debut solo album from which this is taken is impossible to find these days. This rare groove jazz funk nugget was recorded in the same place as 'The Bottle' by Gil Scott heron and uses all of its seven minute play time to really get deep under your skin. On the flip is part 2, a rare Japanese 7" edition from 2011.
Review: A really cool concept from Expansion here; one side is a reissued seminal classic, the other is a contemporary version. And what a way to start the start the series; hard bop hero Johnny Hammond influenced pretty much every soul, jazz, rare groove and funk artist who've followed in his path, and the joyously unpredictable "Los Conquistadores Chocolates" is one of his best. Naturally Japanese jazz outfit Quasimode are an ideal remix choice. Known for their wildstyle riffage and signature switches, they've paid the utmost respect to Hammond.
Give Me The Sunshine (extended UK 7" Grapevine RED 3 mix) (4:40)
Review: Leo's Sunshipp is an iconic rare groove record that gets a reissue here on Expansion. The special Record Store Day 2021 limited and hand-numbered 7" offers up two different versions, both of which are primed and ready to add at least 10 degrees of heat to even the sunniest DJ set. The original US 7" mix is languid and long legged, laidback and in a hurry to go nowhere fast. The soaring strings and steamy vocal, tumbling perc and distant horns capture a lazy afternoon soaking up some rays. The extended UK 7" Grapevine RED 3 mix ups the ante a little for slightly more energetic moves.
Review: Yet another reissue of this enduring classic. Legendary Miami songstress Gwen McCrae had plenty of huge hits in her arsenal, from '90% Of Me Is You' to 'It's Worth The Hurt.' Her biggest tune by far is the sure fire dance floor heater 'Keep The Fire Burning.' The strident disco funk beats, the soaring vocal and the impossible warmth and soul of it all never fail to make a mark. Here it is backed with the more slow and deep cut funk of 'Funky Sensation,' which gets those hips swinging and hands clapping.
Review: Legendary Miami songstress Gwen McCrae had plenty of huge hits in her arsenal, from '90% Of Me Is You' to 'It's Worth The Hurt.' Her biggest tune by far is the enduring classic and sure fire dance floor heater 'Keep The Fire Burning.' The strident disco funk beats, the soaring vocal and the impossible warmth and soul of it all never fail to make a mark. Here it is backed with the more slow and deep cut funk of 'Funky Sensation,' which gets those hips swinging and hands clapping.
Review: Freda Payne began her career in the 1960s and is best known for recording plenty of soulful sounds up until the 80s Fun fact - she is the older sister of former The Supremes singer Scherrie Payne, and is best known for her 1970 hit 'Band of Gold'. Here Expansion have carefully dug out a pair of classic gems that offer two different vibes. 'Tell Me Please' is a lazy and rolling soul sound for Sunday afternoons on the sofa, while 'I Get High (On Your Memory)' has cosmic feels and sensuous vocals for a different kinda trip.
Review: A veritable wall of soul sound comes from Pleasure, the Portland, Oregon band whose works were sampled by the likes of LL Cool J and Michael Jackson. 'We Have So Much' is an example of mega-falsettoing, climactic funk, urgently laying home the fact that 'it's now or never', and that, baby, 'it's time to talk about it'. Meanwhile the B-side cut, 'Joyous', meanwhile, hears the aftermath of said relationship's end. A gem from Sherman Davis and co.
Review: Michigan-via-Ohio gospel group Rance Allen have been going for decades, and thanks to Expansion Records, two of their best known tunes now have a chance at relistenership. 'I Feel Like Going' on barely saw a resurfacing on YouTube, but just one listen and we're sure... this is a shockingly important slice of wax, with slapping electronic disco-soul production embedding sax, viola and castanets in what ought to be considered a criminally undersought pair of dance opals. A modern soul masterclass.
Review: "Give Me Your Love" was produced by Roy Ayers and James "Jaymz" Bedford in 1981, this digger's delight was the one and only single by American singer Sylvia Striplin. It is an irresistible serving of soulful disco that really captures the spirit of the times. The track has been sampled on numerous occasions, but most famously on the classic track by Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Notorious B.I.G. production) on their song "Get Money" in 1995 and also by Armand Van Helden on "Full Moon" in 2000. On the flip is the sexy and lo-slung "You Can't Turn Me Away" featuring some sexy funk guitar licks and bass beneath Striplin's powerfully seductive vocals.
Bill Summers & Summers Heat - "Don't Fade Away" (4:10)
Review: This rare groove reissue by Expansion Records looks back on the best work of New Orleans percussionist Bill Summers, whose efforts lent revolutions to the latin jazz styles of the early 80s. These are choice bits taken from disparate points in his career; 'Come Into My Life' is a sultry, subtle, slow slice of emotive soul recorded with Earth Wind & Fire's Skip Scarborough. 'Don't Fade Away', meanwhile, features the backing band Summers Heat, and raises the stakes with a striking vocal feature from Leo Miller.
Review: Washington D.C. jazz funk group released their album Vibes Of Truth in 1975 on Fantasy, and it was bursting with elevated soul which would almost certainly appeal to fans of The Temptations, Gil Scott-Heron and the like. 'If Only I Could Prove To You' is a deep cut from the album, and it's been unearthed by Expansion and given pride of place on this 7", backed up by the album's opening track 'I Need You Girl'. This is life-affirming, classically-crafted stuff with a richly ornamented production, and it's loaded with enough sunshine to brighten the darkest depths of a winter's day, so imagine how good it sounds while we're in the summer months.
Review: Destination 78/79: Expansion take us deep into the illustrious back cat of revered boogaloo fusionist Willie Bobo for two of his many fiery delights. Side A is his feel-heavy cult instrumental take on Ronnie Laws' disco classic "Always There" while Side B throws us into the heart of his 1979 album Bobo with gutsy raw soul power (and just a few cheeky funk slap bass twangs for good measure) Two stone cold classics together for the first time on 45.
Review: Splash down to 1978-80: influential Philly funk troupe Breakwater gave the world two albums over two years.Full focus on slow jams and soulful fusion, the Breakwater melting pot is just as strong in jazz and Latin as it is soul and funk. Here we're treated to a selection of the best moments from Breakwater and Splashdown (minus the famous Daft Punk-sampled "Release The Beast") such as the unforgettable Floydian chorus of "That's Not What We Came Here For", the soaking wet bass and tight bright horns of the raunchy boogie jam "Do It Till The Fluid Gets Hot" and the sunshine soul of the sublime "Say You Love Me Girl". A sharp insight into a band that was criminally short-lived at the time..Rumour is there is a new album on the horizon and they still play live -there were two live uk dates in Jan 2017 already !
Review: Neville 'Breeze' McKeith is undoubtedly a legend of Black British music - albeit one not known to the majority of listeners. His CV is impressive; as well as being a founder member of jazz-funk outfit Light of the World, McKeith was also an integral member of Beggar & Co (known for disco hit '(Somebody) Help Me Out') and currently wields his guitar for The Brit-Funk Association. Unusually, this is only his second solo album, and arrives 41 years after his first. It acts as a showcase for his virtuoso guitar playing (he switches between lead, rhythm and acoustic guitar across the set), offering a mix of jazz-funk, fusion, contemporary jazz and soul songs and instrumentals. It's mostly new original material, but wisely McKeith has also included a handful of rather good interpretations of classic cuts.
Review: Hilton Felton's A Man For All Reasons LP from 1980 is is signature work. It is almost impossible to find an affordable copy these days so move quick on this special Record Store Day drop. The Norfolk, Virginia jazz organist recorded the album int he same studio as Gil Scott Heron's jazz-funk classic The Bottle and reaches similar heights with the likes of rare groove dancer 'Be-Bop Boogie.' Slow jams like 'Blues For A Weary Man' are rich displays of his artistry with big band swing and lush melodies and 'Loves' Losers' really captures the downbeat feel of romantic despair.
Review: At the tail end of the '80s, Sylvia Striplin quit Norman Connors' jazz-funk group Aquarian Dream in order to pursue a solo career. Joining forces with producers James Bedford and Roy Ayers, she recorded 1981 debut album "Give Me Your Love", a well regarded but largely overlooked set that has since become a sought-after item amongst soul collectors. This Expansion reissue presents the album on CD for the first time in two decades. As with many soul albums of the period, it sashays between jazz-funk, boogie and heartfelt slow jams, contrasting memorable dancefloor workouts (see stone cold classic "Give Me Your Love" and a stellar cover of Roy Ayers favourite "Searchin") with more saccharine, loved-up fare. This edition also boasts a couple of bonus cuts, including the superb 7" mix of "Give Me Your Love".
Steve Harvey - "Where Has The Love Gone" (feat KK)
Millie Jackson - "Somethin' Bout Cha"
Review: For the seventh year running Expansion Records have compiled the best of the year's most played modern soul tunes, both new and 'revived'. With some exclusives added into the mix, "Soul Togetherness" is once again the year's most essential compilation for any discerning soul fan. We also revive two 70s gems by Millie Jackson and Luther Ingram with a brilliant remix of a track by the queen of soul herself, Aretha Franklin. Album released to co-incide with the massive Togetherness soul weekender which this year makes a historic appearance at the Blackpool Tower in November.
Steve Harvey - "Where Has The Love Gone" (feat KK)
Millie Jackson - "Somethin' Bout Cha"
Luther Ingram - "Do You Love Somebody"
Kirk Franklin - "Looking For You"
Review: For the seventh year running Expansion Records have compiled the best of the year's most played modern soul tunes, both new and 'revived'. With some exclusives added into the mix, "Soul Togetherness" is once again the year's most essential compilation for any discerning soul fan. We also revive two 70s gems by Millie Jackson and Luther Ingram with a brilliant remix of a track by the queen of soul herself, Aretha Franklin. Album released to co-incide with the massive Togetherness soul weekender which this year makes a historic appearance at the Blackpool Tower in November.
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