Parktone Japan Vinyl & CDs

Review: By now, we've become accustomed to Japanese outfit Inosakira Rangers offering up reggae and vintage rocksteady style cover versions of pop and dance tracks of old. Their latest cover, of James Brown classic 'Sex Machine', is a little different. It's no less warm, dusty or on-point than its predecessors, but there's no reggae or rocksteady flex - just a warmer, more laidback take on the funk classic, complete with distinctive lead vocals from Keichi Sokabe. They're back in lazy, Sunday afternoon rocksteady mode on original B-side 'Nagoriyuki', a sweet and quietly soulful number that pushes the band's bassist and organist - or more specifically their fine instrumentation - high in the mix for added nostalgic pleasure.

Review: Over the last couple of years, we've been treated to numerous reissues of classic cover versions by Japanese reggae/rocksteady combo Inokasira Rangers, including takes on Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', Pharrell's 'Happy' and New Order's 'Blue Monday'. Here we're treated to another, as the band's 2017 take on Underworld anthem 'Born Slippy' gets a fresh pressing. It's certainly a revolutionary revision, with Keichi Sokabe's surprisingly Karl Hyde-sounding lead vocal rising above a lusciously languid, sub-heavy reggae groove. Over on the flip they take on 'Groove Tube', a 1991 indie-pop-meets-acid house single from Japanese outfit Flipper's Guitar, reframing it as a baggy, glassy-eyed rocksteady number.