Most Excellent Unltd Vinyl & CDs

Review: Tokyo tag-team Kei and Nagi Sugano, aka Dazzle Drums, have been responsible for secret weapons in the bags of some of the finest DJs since their debut in 2005. In addition to supporting Danny Krivit each time he plays in Tokyo, the duo periodically floats him exclusive edits to test out during his expansive sets. Two of these in particular have become regular features on M. K's dance floors, and it is these prime choices that have been selected for the latest release on Most Excellent Unlimited.

"Brothers Gonna Work It Out" takes the cinematic soul classic and toughens it up with a propulsive drum track and immaculate editing to extend and energize the already powerful tune. "Get Down Boy" is a relentlessly driving disco cut whose dramatic synth-and-string heavy instrumentation provides a plush bed for seductive female vocals before giving way to a tremendous bass break that is certain to leave dancers in a sweat.

Reverently mastered and spread over a wide-grooved 12-inch single, it's another MEU sure-shot.

Review: 1971: Isaac Hayes redefines what a movie theme can be with the worldwide sensation "Shaft," single-handedly making wah-wah rhythm guitar and racing hi-hats a prime ingredient for the decade of music to come. The huge success of "Shaft" meant Hayes was in demand to bring his vision of cinematic funk to other films, and in 1974 he scored (and starred in) the Blaxploitation B-movie Truck Turner. It's from this soundtrack that "Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile" is drawn. The progression Hayes made as a composer is clear: "Pimpmobile" uses complex layered guitar lines with brass and string sections that build and cascade over each other and takes the "Shaft" formula to an entirely new level.

The song became a firm favorite with funky DJs in the '70s, from the refined space of Mancuso's Loft to Bronx and Harlem jams. Indeed, when the Zulu Nation DJs began spinning at a downtown roller disco / dance club called The Roxy in the early '80s, it was firmly entrenched as one of their favorites. Another resident DJ at The Roxy was Danny Krivit, who was already well acquainted with the song and the effect it had on dancers. For this latest addition to Most Excellent Unlimited's steadily expanding catalog of Mr. K 7-inch edits, the master editor distills the sprawling nine-minute original down to a fit five-and-change, maintaining all the muscle that made this one a perennial champion of New York City's varied dancefloors.

The quirky "Isabelle And The Rain" was also a key cut for deeper DJs, uptown and downtown, albeit often on bootlegs as the original was, and remains, extremely scarce. Very little is known about the obscure jazzy cut, the work of a largely anonymous bunch of Los Angeles studio veterans led by keyboardist Mike Lang, whose electric piano solo is the song's defining feature alongside the driving drums, which get plenty of space to shine on Mr. K's Breakdown Edit.

The audio fidelity and peerless editing of these essential tracks - virtually nonexistent on 7-inch vinyl before now - makes the latest from Most Excellent Unlimited a can't-miss addition to the playout box of any DJ with a funky floor to rock.

Review: House legend Danny Krivit is back on our charts with this uber-lush compilation pack that was originally put together for RSD 2018 but that, thankfully, we managed to secure a few copies for you on here! The pack comes in the form of his alias, Mr. K, and you'll seriously struggle to find better, more well-produced edits than these. Called The Funk Box, there is nothing on here you won't enjoy if you're a fan of soul, with most of Krivit's edits leaving enough space for the original to flourish while still pushing it far enough onto the middle of the dancefloor. And that's exactly it - if Mr. K touches one of your tunes, it will become danceable.

Review: For this entry in the ever-expanding series from the master Danny Krivit, we turn to two productions from the legendary Lamont Dozier. Both songs are artfully rearranged by Mr. K and appear here on 12-inch vinyl for the first time.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record has very light surface marks/scratches, but otherwise in perfect working condition***


We know that there are tons of re-edits around and some tend towards the pointless, but it's always worth paying attention with the editor involved is Danny Krivit AKA Mr K. His edits are rarely less than brilliant, in part because the veteran New Yorker is usually able to breathe new life into classic cuts just through rearrangement and occasional use of additional instrumentation. 'Street Player', his latest rework of the Chicago classic of the same name, is a brilliant example of this. We all know and love the original, but Krivit's take is vastly different thanks to a lengthy, percussion-heavy build up and next to no chorus. It's a genuinely brilliant revision. Over on the flip he presents a short 'breakdown edit' of a sweaty old James Brown jam.

Review: The new batch from the bottomless edit archives of Danny Krivit is an uptempo, guitar-heavy excursion into two cuts of danceable rock from opposite sides of a decade. The sound is crisply remastered for club play, and stretched over the breadth of a 12-inch single. Both of these tracks are appearing on the long-format player for the first time.

Review: Mr. K is back with a killer double-sider of African funk and Latin disco. Loud and cut for the dancefloor on a small-hole 7-inch, it's another Mr. K sure shot!

Review: Mr K (Danny Krivit) is back once again with another vital selection of his edits kicking off with the title track 'It Should Have Been Me' a lazy and heart wrenching soul jam with deep cut bass, guttural female vocals that are as raw as you can imagine and some lush strings. It's a great vision of a stone cold classic that will never fail in any setting to get tears going. On the flipside, 'Brand New Lover' picks up the pace with a silky disco-funk-soul groove to carry you into a lovely headspace.

Review: Mr. K (Danny Krivit) transports us to the golden era of David Mancuso 's New York Loft with two disparate but equally heavyweight classics from the Mancuso oeuvre mastered and cut loud, deep, and clear for club play. First up is an edit of a track that embodies the spirit of early '80s downtown NYC. Originally released in 1982, 'Konk Party' was Konk's calling card and first hit and represented their multicultural, no wave, hip-hop/disco hybrid perfectly, the opening sax riff itself a giving sly nod to Wild Sugar's breakbeat classic 'Bring It Here' that the Beastie Boys would later sample. It was considered such a Loft staple that the video was even filmed there, as well as being played widely across the influential clubs of the day. The easy-going groove, heavy percussion and low-slung bass, complimented by bilingual lyrics from Angel QuiNones, still sounds ready for action, especially In this new edit from Mr. K. On the flip, 'Hold On To Your Mind' was first released in 1970 by Northern Irish rock group Andwella, is a heavy, psychedelic tour de force. Mr. K outdoes himself with his new mix, a supercharged blend of extended percussion breaks absent on previous 7-inch mixes, plus driving vocals, and fuzz guitar.

Review: We know that there are tons of re-edits around and some tend towards the pointless, but it's always worth paying attention with the editor involved is Danny Krivit AKA Mr K. His edits are rarely less than brilliant, in part because the veteran New Yorker is usually able to breathe new life into classic cuts just through rearrangement and occasional use of additional instrumentation. 'Street Player', his latest rework of the Chicago classic of the same name, is a brilliant example of this. We all know and love the original, but Krivit's take is vastly different thanks to a lengthy, percussion-heavy build up and next to no chorus. It's a genuinely brilliant revision. Over on the flip he presents a short 'breakdown edit' of a sweaty old James Brown jam.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Outer box damaged with very minor surface marks/smudges/scratches on two records, but otherwise in perfect working order***


Mr. K and Most Excellent Unlimited are back with another must have motherlode of ten essential cuts on 7-inch, assembling a serious cross-section of diverse jams that were particularly popular at The Garage, majority of which appearing on 7-inch for the very first time in any form, let alone in these unique quintessential edits. Patrick Adams and Greg Carmichael production, female diva classic "Let's Get Together" backed with a previously unreleased NYC Peech Boys demo version of "Somebody Else's Guy." Tough South Bronx funk "Standing In Line". Synth epic, Krivit's classic edit of "Evolution". Disco Funk edit of Larry Levan's "Slap, Slap, Lickedy Lap". With much more in this diverse and remarkably sought after tracklist, surprises, like "Catch The Rhythm" (the only Boris Midney production regularly played at The Garage), along with Mr. K's previously Japan-only edit of Loleatta Holloway tour de force "I May Not Be There When You Want Me". Five singles impressively mastered with maximum fidelity and playability for an exclusive Record Store Day, including a bonus pair of newly designed, Mr. K seven-inch slipmats.

Review: Mr. K and Most Excellent Unlimited are back with another must have motherlode of ten essential cuts on 7-inch, assembling a serious cross-section of diverse jams that were particularly popular at The Garage, majority of which appearing on 7-inch for the very first time in any form, let alone in these unique quintessential edits. Patrick Adams and Greg Carmichael production, female diva classic "Let's Get Together" backed with a previously unreleased NYC Peech Boys demo version of "Somebody Else's Guy." Tough South Bronx funk "Standing In Line". Synth epic, Krivit's classic edit of "Evolution". Disco Funk edit of Larry Levan's "Slap, Slap, Lickedy Lap". With much more in this diverse and remarkably sought after tracklist, surprises, like "Catch The Rhythm" (the only Boris Midney production regularly played at The Garage), along with Mr. K's previously Japan-only edit of Loleatta Holloway tour de force "I May Not Be There When You Want Me". Five singles impressively mastered with maximum fidelity and playability for an exclusive Record Store Day, including a bonus pair of newly designed, Mr. K seven-inch slipmats.

Review: Danny Krivit returns to the vinyl source with two killer edits for Paul Raffaele's Most Excellent Unltd. Label. He kicks off with a Cymande version that's been lurking in his crates for well over a decade. Taking the iconic bassline and stretching the Dickens out of it, it's a kindly reminder of how well Danny understands groove dynamics. Absolutely perfect for teasing a crowd before dropping the classic original. Flip for a shake-up of Niagara's "Sangondongo". A dedication to the drums whipped up with shamanic feels, say hello to your brand new favourite secret mixing weapon.

Review: The legendary edit king Mr. K is back with more of his trademark sonic treatments here, this time focussing on some lick funk sounds from the Motor City. His mid-tempo selections on this Detroit-themed 7" open-up with G.C. Cameron, a Motown mainstay with a wide vocal range as demonstrated on this classic rare groove cut, 'No Matter Where.' On the backside is more rare groove from Detroit but this time from the 80s and Candye Edwards's 'Time Is What You Need.' Edwards was part of the Detroit funk powerhouse One Way and through that got connected with songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kevin McCord. They cooked up real gold together on a solo debut album with this being the standout cut from it. Perfect for warm outdoor dancing.

Review: Legendary DJ and edit king Mr K is back on Most Excellent Unlimited with the latest in their essential collaborative series. As always this is a slab of wax that offers up two gorgeous cuts that have been skilfully cut down to a maximum 7" 45rpm format. The first is Luther Vandross's 'Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)' which David Bowie later reworked to become one of his many hit singles 'Fascination.' In its original form, it has rickety soul grooves and lavish stings next to the soaring vocals. The tune second is Zulema's 'Giving Up' which has a dramatic intro, Mr K remasters it and allows the rolling piano, great string ensemble and guitar sounds to really cut through clearly. Two bonafide dancefloor delights.

Review: Wonderful edit king Mr K is back with more of his superb scalpel work on his own Most Excellent Unltd label. This latest 7" tackles some mighty original material in the form of Thelma Houston's gloriously uplifting 70s Motown classic 'I'm Here Again'. It's just as life-affirming and joyous in Mr K's hands with some extra drum weight and drawn-out grooves that will energise any dancefloor. On the flip is 'Time Of The Season' which taps into some golden funk and soul with soaring vocals and big horns over a killer, infectious bassline.

Review: The wonderful Mr K is back with more edit magic on his own Most Excellent label, this time adding his own spin to 'Wela Wela', a hard edge and raw funk cut from Black Blood, a band of musicians from central Africa but who were based in Belgium. This one was never a hit back in the day for some reason but is built on a killer groove that Mr K reworks and tweaks for more suitable dance floor deployment. It was formerly on his Grass Roots record but now makes its way to a handy 7". On the flip is 'Komi Ke Kenam (Fish & Funjee)' which has tough breaks and funk bass that will ensure 'floors get down and dirty.