Back catalogue: Funk

Review: With 'breaking' making its debut in the 2024 Paris Olympics, it seems an apt time to go back to where it all began and showcase some of the music that first made break-dancers move in the early years of hip-hop culture. Soul Jazz Records clearly agrees, hence this two-disc retrospective of early 'breaker' favourites curated by Arthur Baker - a man who's productions and remixes soundtracked many dancefloor battles in the early 80s. It's a suitably strong selection all told, with dusty funk, soul and funk-rock favourites (Johnny Bristol, James Brown, The Jimmy Castor Bunch, Spanky Wilson) being joined by disco-funk jams (Herman Kelly and Life), extra-percussive workouts (Manu Dibango, Mongo Santamaria, Candido) and a smattering of key Baker productions (Afrika Bambaata and Soul Sonic Force's 'Planet Rock' and his own infectious 'Breakers Revenge').

Review: By the time they released Saci Perere in 1980, carioca outfit Banda Black Rio were amongst Brazil's biggest dance music stars - an outfit whose blends of samba, jazz, disco, funk and MPB moved the heart and feet of the country's dancers. The set remains a timeless Brazilian classic - hence this much-deserved CD reissue. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the leisurely sundown headiness of 'Saci Perere', and horn-heavy jauntiness of 'Melissa', to the funky samba-jazz fusion of 'Subindo O Morro', synth-laden downtempo sunshine of 'Amor Natural' and the atmospheric Latin disco-funk of 'Broto Sexy'. An album that should be in every Brazilian music fan's collection.

Review: Benson's first album since rejoining Warner Music Group earlier this year, it was originally recorded in 1989 but was never released. It features the celebrated composer-arranger Robert Farnon and his orchestra and Farnon's lush arrangements beautifully complement Benson's soulful vocals and fluid guitar work on American standards like 'Autumn Leaves,' 'At Last,' and 'My Romance', as well as reimagined pop classics such as the Beatles' 'Yesterday' and Leon Russell's 'A Song For You.' The album was delayed and subsequently lost until recently rediscovered in Benson's archive and with the help of pianist, composer and arranger Randy Waldman, Benson has revived and remastered the recordings, adding new overdubs and choral arrangements. This release adds a new chapter to Benson's illustrious career, following his tenure with Warner Records from 1976 to 1993, during which he released 12 studio albums, including the triple-platinum Breezin'. Recognised as a jazz master by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) in 2009, Benson continues to be a giant in both jazz and contemporary music.

Review: Funkadelic superstar George Clinton knew many a side project as a producer; one was the ingenious, part-cyborg duo, The Brides Of Funkenstein. It was Clinton's idea that two other backing singers, Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva, become the Brides Of Funkenstein, a character he invented for the 1976 Parliament LP, The Clones Of Dr Funkenstein. So popular were the brides that Clinton wasted no time in signing them to Atlantic Records; their debut album here followed the rip-roaring fan feedback that ensued from their debut single 'Disco To Go' / 'When You're Gone' in the US. The decision to break the male-fronted P-funk mould was intentional: simply *that many* Clinton instrumentals could not be credited to the man alone. "He's got thousands of tracks. He's got a whole cupboard full of them. He's got enough tracks to keep him in albums for two years," once chimed Mabry. Enchanting each jam with mecha-augmented femme flair, we're urged to be taken to the limit, across a blistering seven, smackout tracks. Mark 'Warship Touchante', the star tune by far: a wonky hi-NRG nutter, splattered with surreal, performative electronic vocal effects.

Review: Since emerging in their home country a decade ago, Caixa Cubo have flitted between labels (most notably Heavenly Recordings and Jazz 'N' Milk) while establishing trademark sound that expands on the jazz-funk-meets-samba-jazz template created by fellow countrymen Azymuth (like that band, they're a trio based around drums, bass and organ/electric piano). Unsurprisingly, they've now found a home on Joe Davis's Brazil-focused Far Out Recordings, a stable that has done much to champion Azymuth in the UK. Modo Avia (air mode) is typically warm, breezy and gently tropical, fusing killer grooves and infectious, off-kilter rhythms with brilliant solos, infectious riffs and far-sighted musical flourishes. It feels like the sort of set that will be talked about in hushed tones in 30 or 40 years, and we can think of no greater praise than that.

Review: We can think of few finer stocking fillers for funk aficonados than this fifth Funk & Soul Club compilation from actor/comedian-turned-radio host Craig Charles. As with previous volumes, the Red Dwarf star and BB 6 Music host has included a mixture of original funk era cuts and recent revivalist gems. In the latter category you'll find a stellar instrumental cover of Rick James' "Super Freak" by The Traffic, the dancefloor-burning sound of Nicole Willis and the UMO Orchestra and the brilliant boogie revivalism of Australian singer Kylie Audist. In terms of deeper older selections, look no further than the 1973 jazz-funk re-make of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" by Brian Auger's Oblivion Express and the Afro-funk explosion that is "Nawa" by Ginger Baker & His African Messengers.

Review: Bristolian turntablist and crate digger Andy Smith has long been renowned for the depth of his funk, soul and hip-hop selections, though it's only in recent years that we've discovered the quality and diversity of his disco collection. He continues to flex those credentials on the third instalment in his Reach Up - Disco Wonderland series. While there's plenty of obscurity on show, as you'd expect, Smith has chosen to include contemporary nu-disco cuts and fresh re-edits alongside vintage picks. So, while we cuts from The Sunshine Band, the disco-highlife of Orlando Julius and some late 70s electro-disco courtesy of French outfit Quartz, we're also treated to fresher tracks and edits from BB Soul, Birdee and Nick Reach Up, Yam Who and Full Intention. Throw in a killer DJ mix of the same material by Skratch Bastid and you have a genuinely essential collection.

Review: Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., better known as Dr. John, left an indelible mark on the music world with his unique blend of New Orleans R&B, blues, jazz, funk and rock. As a teenage prodigy, he cut his teeth as a songwriter, arranger, and producer for Ace Records before becoming a sought-after studio musician in Los Angeles during the 1960s. His debut album Gris Gris in 1968 catapulted him into the spotlight as Dr. John The Night Tripper, captivating audiences with its mystical allure. Hits like 'Iko Iko' and 'Right Place Wrong Time' solidified his place in music history, earning him six Grammy awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now, Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya: Singles 1968-1974 collects his early singles from his influential years with Atco/Atlantic, offering 26 tracks of pure musical medicine. The iconic 'Such A Night,' alone makes this compilation is essential for both seasoned fans and newcomers alike. With liner notes from Gene Sculatti, it serves as a perfect entry point into the timeless world of Dr. John's music and a nostalgic journey through his classic Atco/Atlantic albums.

Review: Dance, No One's Watching is a vibrant tribute to the joyous act of dancing and a night out from the anticipation of evening to the early morning hours. Written during Ezra Collective's whirlwind 2023 world tour, which saw them become the first jazz act to win the Mercury Prize, the album reflects the global dancefloors they experienced, from London to Chicago, Lagos to Sydney. Dance and rhythm unite us all, a spirit celebrated in these tracks. Recorded at Abbey Road studios, the sessions transformed into a live celebration with friends and family, adding a communal warmth to the music. The album features collaborations with Olivia Dean, M.anifest, Moonchild Sanelly, and Yazmin Lacey, who sings on the lead single 'God Gave Me Feet for Dancing.' This new album follows their acclaimed Where I'm Meant to Be, and continues to showcase Ezra Collective's innovative contributions to contemporary British music.

Review: Given the brilliantly simple concept behind this fine compilation - contemporary Detroit producers remix Funkadelic - we're rather surprised nobody's done it before. With 17 varied re-rubs stretched across two hugely entertaining CDs, there's plenty to enjoy. Highlights come thick and fast, from the deep house/P-funk fusion of Alton Miller's take on "Get Your Ass Off and Jam" and Andres' loose, hip-hop influenced revision of "Music For My Mother", to the thrusting loops and heady late night hypnotism of Anthony Shake Shakir and T-Dancer's version of "Standing on the Verge". While many of the versions stay relatively faithful to the original, the more "out-there" interpretations - see BMG's outer-space ambient dub of "Maggot Brain" and Moodymann's epic revision of "Cosmic Slop" - are also consistently impressive.

Review: Soul legend Isaac Hayes' enduring legacy as a soul visionary echoes through this second volume of his singles, which picks up from where the first left off. The collection spans 1972 to 1976, a time when Hayes transitioned from Stax to his own Hot Buttered Soul label. Tracks like 'Hung Up On My Baby' and the relentlessly funky 'Chocolate Chip' showcase his blend of lush orchestration with raw, gritty grooves, a style deeply rooted in the soul-rich streets of Memphis, where Hayes' early musical foundations were laid. As he moved away from Stax's structure, Hayes embraced a new sense of creative freedom, merging cinematic soul with the emerging sounds of disco, perfectly captured in 'Disco Connection'. The production, unpolished and alive, channels the intensity of Hayes' sound from the early 70s, pushing boundaries while remaining deeply personal. This release is a reflection of the man's profound influence on soul music, one that continues to reverberate through generations.

Review: Karl Hector and the Malcouns are an interesting proposition. While ostensibly a funk band, their output regularly touches on Afrobeat, exotic Indian instrumentation, trippy psychedelic rock, atmospheric soundtrack fare and wonky, drum-Laden sci-fi weirdness. This sophomore set - their debut, Sahara Swing, dropped in 2008 - includes all these influences and more, offering a vivid, off-kilter journey taking in psychedelic jazz-funk, Arabic instrumental soul and Hammond-laden psychedelic freak-outs. It's hard to pin down, for sure, but that just adds to its' humid, kaleidoscopic allure.

Review: During the late 1970s and early '80s, Miami was a hotbed of percussion-rich disco-funk that blended popular Black American grooves of the day with nods to the drum-heavy rhythms of Afro-Cuban music. Herman Kelly & Life were amongst the outfits at the vanguard of this movement, though unusually they only released one album, 1978's Percussion Explosion! Here it gets a remastered CD reissue. It's naturally best-known for boda-fide disco anthem 'Dance To The Drummer's Beat', but there are plenty of other hot, break-heavy classics on display - not least the low-slung, high-octane brilliance of 'Who's The Funky DJ?', the string-drenched disco-soul sweetness of 'Share Your Love' and the low-down, extra-heavy funk rinse-out that is 'Do The Handbone'.

Review: Journey Through Life witnesses Afrobeat pioneer, pallbearer and powerhouse Femi Kuti's very latest transformation in sound, as we witness the artist turn vividly, self-reflectively inward. The LP proposes a rare self-produced window into Femi's personal evolution, spanning childhood memories to fatherhood and, of course, the unshakable presence of family. As he puts it: "At the end of the day for me family is all that matters. The essence is to manage such events and let love prevail." Long celebrated for his uncompromising political voice, Femi leans evermore into an already evident vulnerability, revisiting earlier material through several, pylonic stylistic anchors: his signature horn-laced grooves, not to mention themes of personal legacy and posterity.

Review: The Last Poets, pioneers of revolutionary spoken word and proto-rap, return with a powerful new album that blends their fiery lyricism with the infectious rhythms of Afrobeat. 'Africanism' sees the legendary duo, Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan, collaborating with a stellar cast of musicians, including the late Tony Allen, Prince Fatty, and members of Seun Kuti's Egypt 80. The result is a potent and timely exploration of social and political issues, delivered with the same raw energy and uncompromising spirit that has defined The Last Poets' music for over five decades. Abiodun revisits classics like 'When The Revolution Comes' and 'Gash Man', their messages of social justice and self-empowerment still burning bright. Umar's 'Niggers Are Scared Of Revolution' and 'Just Because' remain as potent and provocative as ever, their unflinching commentary on race and inequality cutting through the noise of contemporary discourse. The album's musical landscape is equally captivating, with Tony Allen's polyrhythmic drumming providing a driving force, complemented by the soulful melodies and intricate arrangements of the contributing musicians. A powerful reminder of the transformative power of music and spoken word.

Review: Curyman II, set for release via Diamond West Records, is the highly anticipated follow-up to Roge's US debut album. This album honors the roots of Brazilian music while pushing its boundaries, showcasing Roge's evolution as an artist. Collaborating with legendary figures such as Seu Jorge and Arthur Verocai, who arranged strings for both Curyman albums, Roge creates a vibrant tapestry of sound that bridges the past and future of Brazilian music. With a career spanning over two decades and multiple accolades, including a Latin Grammy nomination, Roge is a pivotal figure in the resurgence of Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB). His previous release, Curyman, produced by Thomas Brenneck of the Budos Band, celebrated samba infused with messages of resilience and hope. Curyman II promises to build on this success, delivering even more infectious samba rhythms and thought-provoking lyrics. As Roge continues to evolve, he remains dedicated to sharing Brazil's rich cultural heritage with audiences worldwide, making this album an exciting invitation to immerse in his soulful musical world once again.

Review: Famously, Shadow's Sweet Sweet Dreams album was panned by critics when it first appeared way back in 1984. In the years since, it has attained cult status, with collectors of Trinidadian music particularly enjoying its curious blend of bustling boogie electronics, Soca rhythms, traditional instrumentation and sassy disco-pop style. As this tasty reissue proves, the album has lost none of its lustre over the last 30 years. Put simply, it still sounds ahead of its time, with intergalactic dancefloor workouts such as "Let's Make It Up" (with its "we're gonna have a party" refrain) and "Way Way Out" resonating particularly loudly.

Review: Steel pan, disco and dub from the 1970s in Steel An' Skin's 'Reggae Is Here Once Again'. Yet another lost gem from EM. Ultra-postive consciousness from Afro-Caribbean London, circa 1979. Members of the legendary 20th Century Steel Band (one of Grand Master Flash's favourites) sailing Trinidad-wise over gratifyingly intricate African ritual rhythms. Strong vocals compliment reggae, funk, disco and soul influences to form a relentless groove machine. Steel 'n' Skin, a unit composed of young nightclub musicians born in Ghana, Nigeria, St. Kitts, Trinidad and the U.K., who once performed with Ginger Johnson's Afrikan Drummers, a highlife band under the tutelage of the late Ginger Johnson and played at Johnson's Iroko Country Club in Hampstead, London. Steel 'n' Skin began performed concerts and workshops in London schools, expanding nationwide to schools, prisons, psychiatric hospitals and summer festivals, including the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival. The group combined a mix of musical forms with community outreach, non-cynical and untainted by preachiness or "social work." Good feelings from good hearts. This EM reissue consists of Steel 'n' Skin's 1979 debut 12 inch single "Reggae Is Here Once Again", featuring "Afro Punk Reggae (Dub)", a fine disco-dub workout, plus 2 tracks from their 1984 LP ACID RAIN as well as one un-issued track. Also included is documentary DVD by Steve Shaw featuring commentary from Steel 'n' Skin's founder Peter Blackman, killer live and rehearsal footage of the band, workshop scenes (check out the 1970s suits and parkas!) and devastating views of inner-city Liverpool. Steel 'n' Skin soars above the 1970s ruins.

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".

Review: International favourites on the boogie-and-beyond selection circuit, Horse Meat Disco deliver the first edition in a brand new compilation tracking yet more heat disco of a Brazilian flavour. Some 13 years in the making, much love and attention has been poured into this compendium, which unearths tracks from the seemingly endless urban goldmines of Brasilia and Rio, twin obsessive loci, nurtured by founding member Luke Eagle amid an extended exploration of the South American nation's dance music culture. Having learned to dance samba and paraded the Rio Carnival, this is a compilation rooted in worldly experience, made up largely of 7" finds. Chief among the brilliants are Ze Carlos' Italoesque wonder 'Venha' and the well-spiced 'Sol De Verao' by Lafayette, spanning years' worth of digging.

Review: The concept behind Luke Una's first solo compilation as a selector may be a little bit fuzzy - fundamentally, it's music for watching sunrises and feeling spaced out after a night on the tiles - but the music he's decided to showcase is uniformly fantastic. In-keeping with his famously eclectic approach to music, the 13 tracks on E-Soul Cultura include forays into spiritual jazz (Chene Noir), luscious Brazilian sunshine music (Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti), acid-jazz-goes-deep house (Brand New Heavies), British neo-soul (Typesun), jazz-funk (King Erisson, Yussef Lateef), chant-sporting proto-house madness (Nar'Chiveol), a prime slices of sub-heavy Sheffield brilliance (On's sought-after cover of 'Southern Freeez') and a blissed-out chunk of minimalist electronica from Roman Flugel's Soylent Green project.

Review: The UK's number one independent soul label Expansion Records commences each year with the label's most anticipated collection, Luxury Soul. The success of the series comes down to the quality of tracks sourced from independent soul artists, focusing on the major and emergent names of the year - this time including Will Downing, Con Funk Shun and Narada Michael Walden. For many of the 35 tracks featured on the compilation, this is the first time they'll have ever appeared on CD, having landed in the soul charts either at number one or in the top ten over the last 12 months. Further exclusives include The Requestors feat. Vivienne McKone, Kloud 9 feat. Kenya, and The Paradise Projex with an exclusive mix of 'Here & Now'. The release is to coincide with the Luxury Soul Weekender in January 2024, and includes tracks by three artists performing live at the event.

Review: Favorite Recordings' superb Disco Boogie Sounds series continues. Following Waxist's recent exploration of French productions from the period, they've decided to drop a second collection of high-grade Brazilian material. Renowned crate-digger Charles Maurice has done a terrific job of gathering together dusty, obscure cuts that perfectly encapsulate Brazilian musicians' sun-kissed, soulful approach to disco and boogie. Highlights are naturally plentiful, and include the starry, jazz-funk tinged warmth of Christina Camargo's "Minas Do Rei Salomao", the Chic style brilliance of Almir Ricardi's "To Parado Na Tua", and the cosmic, horn-heavy leftfield disco thrills of Kaito's "Cara Feia".

Review: Tramp Records celebrate a whopper milestone, with the label's 125th record taking shape as a reconnaissant celebration of 1970s soul jazz and funk, forming part of the Praise Poems series. Launched to fare an interminable journey through the many privately pressed, furtively released and/or criminally undersung jazz-funk-soul records of yore, and with an international focus, this is a rather special case of one such compilation series making it to its tenth edition, and still retaining the kind of quality control and assiduity most comp-curators may only dream of. From the opening, ultra-headsy 'Fields Of Laughter' by the chartless American band Color Me Blu, to instrumental AOR from pianist George Melvin's short-lived Quintet, you can expect to hear super-rarities here, with some originals only having heard but two acetates to their names at first press.

Review: Cultures of Soul have a reputation for digging deep for inspiration, so it's little surprise to see their latest compilation shine a light on the previously unheralded South African synth-disco scene of the early 1980s. Compiled by label boss Deano Sounds and Johannesburg digger DJ Okapi, Boogie Breakdown gathers together 12 hitherto hidden gems from six seminal South African acts. There's naturally much to admire throughout, from the spacey synths and celebratory vocals of Harari's "Party", and the slick, soulful electrofunk of Don Laka's "I Wanna Be Myself", to the reggae and P-funk flavoured thrills of Benjamin Ball's "Flash A Flashlight", and the sensual, late night synth-soul of Al Etto's "Hold On To Love".

Review: The "Mighty" Greg Belson has a bit of a soft spot for gospel disco, a sub-genre that proved popular in some of the genre's more righteous clubs. In Divine Disco, he offers up a lesson in the style, gathering together mostly little known gems originally released between 1974 and '84 (plus, it should also be noted, two tasty contemporary re-rubs from Rahaan and Steve Cobby). It's perhaps a little more varied than you'd expect; contrast, for example, the hands-in-the-air, can-I-get-a-witness enthusiasm of Gospel Ambassadors' "What Kind Of Man Is This", and the smooth, slowed-down torch song feel of "Give Yourself To Jesus" by Herman Harris & The Voices Of Faith & Love.

Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from the popular Too Slow To Disco series, namely glassy-eyed, pitched-down disco, boogie, yacht rock, blue-eyed soul and AOR with a distinctive soft-focus flex. Naturally, there's plenty to savour on the series fourth edition, much of it either obscure or previously overlooked. Our picks of a predictably strong collection include the horn-totin', much-sampled Pleasure classic 'Nothin' To It', the lusciously loved-up cosmic soul of Prime Time Band's 'Fall in Love in Outer Space', the eyes-closed, Rhodes-sporting AOR soul of 'Stay The Night' by the Farragher Brothers, the slow release swell of Alan Price's 'Groovy Times' and the sun-splashed jauntiness of Max Leake's 'Tell Me The Reasons'.

Review: Paul Weller is perhaps one of the best non-soul musicians to ask to compile a rare soul compilation. Rather than documenting soul music as it proliferated in the 1960s, Ace Records' soul aim was to capture a genre, fashion and style as one man saw it in retrospect, in light of his involvement in the mod revival of the mid 1970s. Weller would later go onto form and front The Jam, but in late 1974, shortly before his involvement in the punk movement, he was about none of that business at all. Punk partly grew on febrile tissues of mod, which was in turn an offshoot of 60s soul; and it is true that we may hear a foetal form of the sound in the brasher cuts on this record, be it Billy Stewart's 'Summertime' or James Carr's 'Pouring Water'. Also clock Brother To Brother's 'In The Bottle', a super-early drum machine blues gem perfect for the house heads.