Florence Germany Vinyl & CDs

Review: The Florence label is back with more of its high grade funk here with the eponymous artist or artists behind another healthy dose on this new 7". 'Dancing' is a raw sound with slapping drum hits and plenty of noodling synth lines that elevate the whole thing next to big horns. But the icing on the cake is of course the raw vocal lead that is offset by some more sooth female coos. A more funky and bouncy break is the foundation of the flipside joint 'Be My Baby' with its alluring vocals and raw 60s aesthetic serving to get you up on your toes.

Review: The limited edition Florence Funk sub-label returns with a ninth volume of steamy sounds, this time with a pair of rare gems pressed up to wax. 'Hey Mama' opens up with some psyched 60s guitar bringing a great lead to some raw instrumental funk beats while a guttural male vocal finishes it off up top. Flip it over and you'll find 'Gimme', a more celebratory sound with some big horn leads and plenty of percussion detailing the percolating drums. Both of these are sure to heat up any floor this winter and beyond.

Review: The eighth release on the limited edition Florcene Funk sublabel brings two formerly unreleased cuts to our ears. On the A comes 'Tryin' Everything', a lyrical homage to keeping one's options open and not losing one's spirit - "tryin' everything, gotta check it out!" - whilst the B urges the collective listener to climb off its high horse, with 'Get Off An Jam' - through which we are implored, by way of a South Side Coalition sample, to "hey, get down, get off your seats and jam."

Review: Calling all locked-groove stickerers, needle twisters, and/or tonearm weight worriers, prepare your ears and needles for a wonderful trove of breakbeat bullion, ripe for the looping and the zealous hunching over. This modern rare groove emulation by Florence, 'Funky Song', lays down a phantasmically funky original breakbeat, fleshed out and swollen unto the most maximal of proportions. Then, don't forget, there's 'Let's Dance', which reworks Jimmy Bo Horne's 'Dance Across The Floor' for a rare and never-edited-before take on the perseverant, provocative hip roller of a track.

Review: For the seventh release on the all-limiteds Florence Funk imprint, we're met with two rare gems of the nu-funk and soul variety from Florence, the one themself. On the A, 'Funky Feeling' impresses with its dynamic yet still crunchy bottling of the funk, with all its *je ne sais qoui* intact, and in which occasional Omar Santana-style cut-ups can be heard, to giggle-inducing effect. The B, meanwhile, brings us the 'Heat' and insists we 'feel' it, but we hardly need to be told, as we're willing partners in this dance; this track, like the one before it, places its kicks and snare-clap layers front and centre, retaining the central sample but encouraging an extra danceable flavour, not usually heard on original disco recordings.