Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Jalapeno jive maestro Soupasoul had another standout year, in 2024 and only heightened his reputation for crafting exceptional edits that bring new life into funk standards and hidden gems. With a sharp focus on the groove-rich breaks, he is back once again with another instalment that will ignite dance floors everywhere. This time his scorching rework of 'Give It Up' spotlights dynamic horn interplay and soulful jazzy choruses and 'Rock Steady' celebrates Aretha's powerful vocals paired with a killer breakbeat. These finely tuned edits honour the originals while adding fresh energy.

Review: "One Step Ahead" by American soul singer Aretha Franklin was released by Columbia Records in 1965. The A-side of the single reached the Rhythm & Blues singles chart of the time and ranked at #18. On the flip, "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face" was taken from her 1964 album entitled Runnin' Out Of Fools. The single was released two years before Aretha achieved stardom when she joined Atlantic Records. The A side cut was not included on any of her Columbia studio albums and remains one of her rarest releases. The song has risen in familiarity due to its use in recent films, such as the music documentary Muscle Shoals and in the Academy Award winning drama Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins.

Review: Over the past few years, American producer Amerigo Gazaway has delivered some of the most inspired mash ups and bootleg remixes around, including a number that breathe new life into recordings by genuine soul and hip-hop greats. He's at it again here, crafting two killer cuts featuring the late, great Aretha Franklin. He first offers up a head-nodding take on 'Young, Gifted and Black' that cleverly combines his own beats, extended raps from Tallib Kewli and Mos Def as Black Star, and snippets of Aretha at her powerful best. Flip the disc for 'Chain of Fools', a stomping fusion of hip-hop and Detroit soul which sees him flit between Gucci Mane raps and more Aretha goodness.

Review: Vanucci and Gazeebo's Soul Flip guise cracks its editing knuckles for a second roll of the party dice and the results are every bit as funky as you'd expect. Edwin Starr's 1968 super-funk belt-out gets supersized with a rolling big beat break while Aretha Franklin's formidable rhythm & blues stomper "A Change" is given a subtle thrusting for modern day floors. Absolute dynamite.

Review: On March 5-7, 1971, the one and only Queen of Soul headlined Bill Graham's world-famous rock venue Fillmore West. The triumphant three-night series of sold-out concerts, which the legendary singer has since called a career highlight, was the vision of Atlantic's Jerry Wexler, who'd signed Aretha and produced her classic studio recordings. In looking to win her a broader audience, Wexler turned to the musical home of San Francisco's flower children for crossover success. Her connection with the enthralled audience proved intense, and the shows were a seminal breakthrough for Aretha's own peerless legacy and for the popularisation of soul music overall. Backed by the super-charged rhythm section of King Curtis and The Kingpins, Aretha is in peak form on a diverse set of classic songs that dramatically show why this 15 x Grammy winning artist - and the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - is one of music's all-time greats of any genre. Two CDs featuring two hours of concert magic, remastered to sound better than ever-the original classic live album plus a second disc of alternate rarities. Disc 1 features the original single-disc album, updated to present two previously edited tracks in their entirety including Franklin's momentous duet with Ray Charles on "Spirit In The Dark." Disc 2 is comprised of rare alternate versions previously available only on the very limited edition, now out-of-print, Rhino Handmade title Don't Fight The Feeling: The Complete Aretha Franklin & King Curtis Live At Fillmore West. Highlights include 'You're All I Need To Get By' 'Mixed-Up Girl' and 'Dr. Feelgood' and more.