Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Australian DJ and producer Dave Mathmos serves up an obscure edits entree, sampling/reworking a whopping seven disco cuts from the late 1970s and early 1980s, but adding just enough modern flair to essentially make them his own. A well-rounded, sticky quality is heard on this septagonal crock of heaters, with the downtempo slink-funk of 'Late At Night' and the equally sumptuous, string-backed plod of 'Wonderful Feeling' remaining our highlights.

Review: Ralph White's early ventures into disco are finally gathered in one place with the first official anthology of his 1978 recordings at Sydney's Albert Studios. Better known at the time as a session player and producer in the city's studio scene, White was tapped by M7 to craft four disco pieces aimed at an emerging dance market. Over just two days in the studio and a small group of local players - including a young Tommy Emmanuel - he recorded four standout cuts, together which remain some of the most refined Oceanian disco ever put to tape. Though the original 12"s saw limited success domestically, M7's distribution push into markets like Canada, India and Argentina helped cultivate a quiet cult following. Now remastered and housed in a deluxe spot-UV sleeve with inserts featuring new liner notes and White's biography, this reissue shines overdue light on a forgotten chapter in Australian dance music.

Review: Spanish funk-rock group Barrabas formed in the 70s and had big success through that decade and the next. Drummer and producer Fernando Arbex lead the band and fomented a fusion of Latin rock and jazz-funk initially, before moving into a more disco orientated sound later on. Power was the band's second album and it came in 1973 with country-tinged tunes such as 'Boogie Rock', high speed funk workouts like 'Keep On Moving' and then more jazzy library sounds such as 'The Horse.' The second half of the album touches on busy dance floor funk like 'Casanova' and more stripped back and deep cuts like 'Children.'

Review: Discom continues to unearth genuine gems from the former Yugoslavia. The dusty-fingered reissue imprint's latest pick comes from 1983. It's the sole, self-titled album from Boom Selekija, a relatively short-lived eight-piece made up of funk and soul musicians from other Belgrade bands, who disbanded shortly after the LP was released. Musically, the album pairs vibrant and authentic disco-boogie instrumentation - with some Eastern European flourishes - with impassioned Serbian-language vocals. It's a quietly impressive set all told, with our picks including the spacey and loved-up stomper 'Studentski Stan', the rubbery bass guitar, rock-style guitar solos and intergalactic synth textures of 'Vladina Gitara', the subtly jazz-funk-infused, slap bass-propelled 'Juljaz Me', and the almost beat-free jazz-funk sleaze of 'Frizerka Naja'.

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 three slabs of wax, there's naturally 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: Originally self-produced and released in the mid-70s by members of Kitakyushu City University's Knights, a light music club, Knights Company was a rare two-disc set that came as an LP and EP and was sold in very limited quantities. Virtually unknown even among collectors, this album combines the high-energy soul influence of James Brown with a bluesy, melodic West Coast and AOR sound. Decades later, its appeal is undiminished as it captures the youthful spirit and talent of northern Kyushu's finest. This masterpiece has been revived as a compilation with high-quality remastering by 8ronix and a striking new design that makes it collectible all over again.

Review: A krautrock/punk funk/no wave/post disco hit-fest from the prolific American-born/London-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Shawn Lee. Lee, who was the drummer in the now disbanded Welsh band Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18, has made an album that's a left-field indulgence for sonic wanderers. There's a strong Neu! or Can feel to the opening and closing tracks - the bookends, if you will - so these songs are a homage to late 60s and 70s experimental music, but as invigorating as the golden generation's attempts. Elsewhere, 'Lost In London' has more of a new wave feeling; it's like a more hypnotic Gang of Four. And 'Lost In Tokyo' is a really smooth number, so the perfect soundtrack to when you feel like you can take on the world.

Review: Tullio De Piscop is an Italian drummer of some repute. He worked solo and with his quartet and interest in his records, many of which were recorded back in the 70s, has piqued recently resulting in a load of reissues. Sotto E 'Ncoppa is one of them and it was recorded back in 1976 and has since gone up in value and rarity. It's a jazz-rock fusion album with a whole host of electric guitar, bass, saxophones and pianos on it that embelish each cut and make the whole thing packed with detail.

Review: Since launching eight years ago, Too Slow To Disco has now become the go-to compilation series for all those interested in AOR disco, glossy West Coast blue-eyed soul, yacht rock and slow-motion disco. This belated fourth instalment - volume three landed in stores five years ago - is every bit as alluring as its predecessors, with an even more obscurity-heavy track listing. Highlights are naturally plentiful, with our picks including the eyes-closed wonder of James Felix's deliciously loved-up 'Open Up', the low-slung shuffle of 'Music In Me' by Stephen Enchilidas, the synth-splashed Balearic rock haziness of Jimmie Spheeris's 'Beautiful News', and the quietly funky brilliance of Severin Browne's 'Stay'

Review: Mark GV Taylor and George Arthur are the deep diggers behind this new compilation on BBE and it takes its same from their own Reference Point events which pop up all over the place. They are known for travelling far and wide through various genres to explore lesser-known niches and that's what they do here with a broad and brilliant mix from across the ages. Across 15 cuts they serve up jazzy vocals numbers, 1970's Brazilian jazz and everything from soul, jazz, fusion, electronica, yacht rock and plenty more. Many of the tunes are hard to find in their original form, but some are much cheaper but totally less well-known - until now.