Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Matasuna Records, based in Berlin, kick off their 2025 with a ladling of fresh soul soma food, this time by Barca's finest one-girl band The Blaxound (Marta Roman), in collaboration with singer John Vermont. Building on irreverent, vintage 60s pop from Spain, whose sound is categorically fiendish to replicate, the two artists have nonetheless managed a close hewing here. 'No Es Por Ti' showcases Vermont's throaty singing, lyrically playing out the eternally relatable breakup trope of "it's not you, it's me." Then 'Qu Ms Te Da?' follows with an affectingly syncopal rhythm, with a tightened snare played only on the 4, heightening the erotic tensity of the scene, driven by shuffling hats alone, whilst the artists' respective cools are kept.

Review: All Right Fresh serve speciality brews of West and East Coast nu-funk, soul and hip-hop. Here they welcome DJ Spinna and J Rocc for the very latest edition in their Wrecka Stow Edits series, which hears two further majestic remixes of classic r&b reelers. First up is Spinna's version of Prince's 'Starfish & Coffee' with the renamed 'Maple Syrup Jam', which strains and thins Prince's already prickly granules to provide that extra ophiuroid zing. Then J Rocc follows up with 'Re Purple Music', also a remix of a Prince cut, 'Purple Music', providing ever further filtrated disco-funk panache.

Review: Be Strong Be Free's 7" series is on fire this year and now comes back with a third instalment. It is 'Nuit De Fievre' and it comes from label owner Gratts, aka the "Belgian down under," who revisits disco's golden era by assembling a stellar studio team starring the Moody Mae band in the company of Reinhard Vanbergen on violin and Jaj from Paris on vocals. What they cook up in return is elegant boogie and disco that will chime well with fans of Dimitri From Paris. The B-side features Pellegrino's jazz-funk rendition, adding Mediterranean flair straight from Vesuvius. Both sides promise deliciously uplifting grooves for any disco enthusiast.

Review: The Jackson Sisters are next up on the latest 45 from Tower Vinyl, which has in recent times done a superb job of serving up some timeless and effective vintage soul sounds from across different niches and eras. This one kicks off with the well high energy sound of 'Miracles' with its big vocals, bigger drums and raw horns that are well known to cinema goers everywhere. 'Boy You're Dynamite' is a more raw and emotive sound with a striped back rhythm but superbly gut wrenching vocal deliveries.

Review: Accomplished keyboard player Hank Jacobs enjoyed much renown on the American West Coast live music circuit at the height of the soul era, having already scored a recorded instrumental hit with 'So Far Away' in 1964. His subsequent gigs as a session musician might've proven him capacious only for life in showbiz as a sideman, but this possibility would be firmly and permanently negated by 'Elijah Rockin' With Soul'. The record emerged by lucky chance from a recording session with arranger Arthur Wright, and Jacobs afterwards went on to make four further releases on Alton Scott's Call Me label at Wright's behest. Now, spanning two favourite Jacobs 'sides with different regional appeals, this new one from Kent Soul hears 'Elijah' as the A track - a precocious future compliment for the Northern soul scene - and 'East Side', an instru *mental* recording with a walloping full-colour sound, more propitious to the LA scene.

Review: This classic Japanese funk tune has long been adored by erudite boogie, 80s funk and soul fans in Japan but also more internationally, and for the first time here it is now available as a 7" single. Produced by Toshiki Kadomatsu, the release includes one track each from the Jadoes albums It's Friday from 1986 and Free Drink in 1987, both of which are considered iconic in the Japanese boogie canon. 'Summer Lady' is full of glossy 80s drums and sparking melodies that bring unbridled joy and 'Friday Night' is a little more paired back but the stepping drums and male-female vocal interaction is a thing of beauty.

Review: The legendary James Taylor Quartet will soon return with a much anticipated new full length but before that they offer a glimpse not what to expect from it with new single 'Hung Up On You.' Taylor himself has explained that 'Hung Up On You' was left over from a writing session from his other band The Prisoners and that it was "interesting to see how my JTQ guys, usually funk players, took to this approach." It channels the gritty punk and new wave essence of Medway to deliver a fast-paced rock'n'roll anthem that passionately rants about an enduring, unreciprocated love.

Review: 'Miss Your Life' is a punky new wave track that was originally penned as a poem before evolving into a song. It critiques British apathy, complacency, and a pervasive sense of powerlessness and pessimism that we can all relate to. The song itself serves as a rallying cry to resist and take action before it's too late. The James Taylor Quartet's guitarist Mark, typically known for his more intricate parts, nails the punky intro with precision and the track captures this outfit's defiant spirit and youthful energy while also blending joy and rebellion as they revisit their adolescent years with a powerful message.

Review: The fantastic James Taylor Quartet delivers a punk-infused track with a powerhouse chorus here that channels the energy of Taylor's time with The Prisoners when supporting The Ramones during their 1986 UK tour. Of that time he has said The Ramones were "incredible-watching their three-hour sets every night at 21 had a huge impact on me. It took until I was 60 to find a way to act on that inspiration." Though The James Taylor Quartet has always had a punky rock 'n' roll vibe in their live shows, this feels fresh and like a new discovery, despite the influence always being present on some level.

Review: Only 300 copies of this tantalising 7" single from the esteemed Soopastole Edits label are available, so act quickly to secure yours because they all sold out fast back in 2016 upon original release. As usual, Soopasoul, a regular on Jalepeno Records, is at the helm, deftly wielding his scalpel to craft two scorching interpretations of a lesser-known gem from the 'Sex Machine' sessions. On side A, 'Shake Your Money Maker (Part 1)' showcases Maceo Parker's electrifying saxophone solos soaring over Soopasoul's tightened-up version of the JB's infectious groove. Flip to the B-side for more saxophone magic and a groove that delves into the original track's percussive sections, delivering irresistible hip-swinging and toe-tapping thrills.

Review: What we gonna do right here is go back, way back. You already recognise that refrain, don't you? That's because it is one of the most sampled refrains in dance music history. Now it gets pressed up on to 7" for this year's Record Store day as a 7" double header featuring two of the most impossibly huge hits from the Jimmy Castor Bunch, namely the million-plus selling 'Troglodyte', and on the reverse, 'It's Just Begun'. A true funk masterpiece that made its mark lighting up parties in the Bronx in the 70's before it set a fire under those who went on to create hip-hop's earliest blueprint, it remains a classic to this day.

Review: The latest 45 from Durand Jones & The Indications, out on Colemine Records, brings together two tracks from their previous LP, Private Space. Now lovingly refitted for 7" play as only the best cinematic soul should, the A-side of this record contains the album's title track. It comes in the form of a laid back, string-strung, smoothened progression, on which guitarist Blake Rhein plays minimal but on-the-money strokes, and the ever falsetto'ing Durand Jones sings creatively of and in tribute to the many cordoned-off corners, hiding places and hind spaces of the world; the essential vectors of lovemaking. The flip shakes up the ambiance to a higher set of stakes, deploying an upper-tempo, flunkie disco-funk, to hearsaid but hopeful talk of seas of love.

Review: Yet another killer 7" from Durand Jones & The Indicators for Colemine; here we've a premiere condensing of two of the star cuts from their most recent, eponymous record, also called Private Space. First we've of course 'Private Space', a string-laden, refractive meditation on longing, separation and inaccessibility; there is a sense of this feeling having been engendered involuntarily, as a result of separation, between lovers, as is so implied in Jones' devastatingly high vocals. Then the B-side boasts 'Sea Of Love', at which point it seems as though the floodgates of separation have been opened, the sluice of passion lowered; here an unstoppable of torrent of pianified disco-soul opens into an amorous estuary of swing. But of course, there's no way an ocean can be privatised (we hope).

Review: Jstar and Dubmatix's Scenario is an infectious mash-up of A Tribe Called Quest's 1992 classic, seamlessly blending hip-hop with dub and reggae influences. The remix revitalises the iconic track, infusing it with a modern, bass-heavy groove while retaining its original energy and lyrical parts. The instrumental version stands out on its own, showcasing the intricate production work and the deep, resonant basslines characteristic of Dubmatix. This remix respects the legacy of the original track while introducing it to a new generation.

Review: Mr. Bongo credit themselves with taking a selection of the most in-demand and asked-for titles in their Brazil '45s catalogue, lending them all a loving repress in due homage to the music of the nation. This time, they focus their energies on the synergy shared between the late composer and record producer Nonato Buzar and drummer Jose Roberto, both of whose contributions to the MPB canon are unmissable, referent sonic studs. Nonato's 'Cafua' is a powerful eurythmic, its strigiform vocals proving a suitable narcotic to offset to the track's otherwise restless horns and post-bossa-nova drum clacks, which hit like quick patterings against soft cartilage. Roberto's 'Crioula Multicolorida' is a more vintage recording, erstwhile bringing rare "samba rock" grooviness and reflective, call and response lyricisms to a redolent rhythm.

Review: Soul Junction revisits the Scot-Tees Capri master tapes here to unveil two previously unreleased tracks. First is 'My Sweet Polly' by The Scott Brothers, a late 60s dance tune inspired by Howard Scott's former girlfriend. Coupled with this is a studio version of Judson Moore's "Everybody Push & Pull," a crossover hit influenced by Rufus Thomas. The Scott Brothers evolved from the 'Elpeccios' in 1958 to the Scott Brothers Band in 1963 and were instrumental in Chicago's music scene. Their label, Capri Records, produced hits like 'We Like Girls' and worked with legends like Garland Green. Judson Moore was a veteran singer who thrived under their mentorship and went on to leave a lasting legacy.

Review: In the early 80s, Chicago-based funk band Southside Movement teamed up with soul singer Jackie Ross who was already well known for her work with Chess and Brunswick. Though this collaboration produced incredible music, it was largely forgotten since only a few test pressings existed so it never spread too far. However, in 2023, P-VINE reissued their only full-length album on vinyl for the first time and now, the standout track from their partnership, 'You Are The One That I Need' comes on its own special 7" which is the first time it has been available in this format. It's a wonderful and previously long-lost collaboration that is well deserving of your attention.