Soul Jazz Vinyl & CDs

Review: Curated by the legendary producer Arthur Baker, Breakers Revenge is a comprehensive compilation of original funk, soul, Latin, disco and electro tracks from 1970-1984. These tracks, ranging from well-known classics to hidden gems, have become legendary in the world of breakdancing. Featuring seminal tracks like Dennis Coffey's 'Scorpio', The Jimmy Castor Bunch's 'It's Just Begun' and Afrika Bambaataa's groundbreaking 'Planet Rock', this collection embodies the essence of breakdancing culture. The percussive breakdowns and infectious beats of these tracks have not only been the soundtrack to countless block parties and park jams but have also been sampled by numerous hip-hop artists and producers. With extensive liner notes and track-by-track breakdowns, Breakers Revenge is perfect time capsule for fans of breakdancing, hip-hop and music enthusiasts.

Review: It's been 50 years, give or take a few months, since Juliet Lawson bestowed Boo on the world. Landing on the Sovereign record label, the debut album was as confident as it was vulnerable and forward thinking, marking the arrival of a bonafide super talent who would emerge in tandem with a slew of incredible British songwriters (Nick Drake, Christine McVie, Vashti Bunyan). But even in and among that landscape, this one was something truly unique. Over the next half century, Boo rightly achieved cult status, giving Lawson her only real commercial success, despite the fact the record refuses to pander to anything like commercialism. Now rarer than British sunshine in November, this new pressing of the LP on vinyl, with bonus 7" single featuring two early demo tracks produced by ex-Yardbirds founder Paul Samwell-Smith, should not be missed.

Review: Soul Jazz Records is back with another crucial reissue, this time of Dedication by Tribe, a rare gem from the 1970s funk, soul and jazz era as a special limited-edition coloured vinyl for Black Friday 2024. It has been fully remastered and comes with original artwork and mirrors the eclectic sounds of Mandrill, The Blackbyrds and Kool and the Gang. Tribe, led by multi-instrumentalist Earl J Foster and producer Big Dee Ervin, blended funk, jazz, rock, Latin and soul into a singular style on the album which was originally released independently in 1977 and has been out of print for over 45 years. Dedication is a masterpiece that offers a deep, spaced-out fusion.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


It's time to track back 20 years to one of the true gems from Soul Jazz's heavyweight range of compilations. Miami Funk takes into the beating heart of the late 60s-early 70s scene hovering around Florida's most famous city, and introduces us to some of the hip underground cats who were laying down the sweetest grooves at that time. Some it's rocking, some of it rolls, at times it's sweet and elsewhere it's nasty, but as you'd expect the quality never dips. This one has been long out of print, and now a limited run is making its way back, with this coloured vinyl edition sure to fly out, so don't sleep!

Review: Roll out the linoleum for breakdancin' in the streets to Soul Jazz's expertly curated Electro Throwdown: Sci-Fi Inter-Planetary Electro Attack on Planet Earth 1982-89. The compilation documents a distinct period of prolific creativity and sonic futurism, delivering thirteen body-rockin' classics, obscurities, and deep cuts from the '80s. Leading the charge is Professor X's 'Professor X (Saga)', outlining his self-referential bodypopping beat manifesto in sound, while certain other emblematic come procured by originators like The Rickie Clark Company, Jonzun Crew, Mo-Jo, The Troids and Jazaq. Harking to a time when the only prerequisite for rocking a crowd was a TR-808 and a sense of groove, we're more than happy to be beamed back.

Review: Reissued almost ten years on from its first appearance, Soul Jazz's Rastafari compilation resurfaces once more. Famed for its recognition of the religion's influence on the emergence of dub and reggae in the early 1950s through to the 80s, this compilation proves Rastafari's influence and core ideas as inexorable from its sonic expression. Chief among reggae's pioneering players is Oswald Williams, aka. Count Ossie, whose influence is heard here is a sort of orthopaedic sonic stem from which all offshoots follow. Ossie's many posthumous contributions to this compilation, largely with The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, laid the foundations of reggae as we know it, and are charted from his various nyabinghi chants and drum workouts, and come peppered by those of his sono-spiritual antecedents - the likes of Mutabaruka, Rod Taylor and Bongo Herman.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Secret Superstar Sounds, courtesy of Soul Jazz, offers an eclectic and excellent collection of oddball punk and powerpop rare cuts from little-known bands from the late 70s, including but not limited to The Squares, The Meanies, The Monitors, Plummet Airline, and Krypton Tunes. Falling between the cracks of punk, new wave and post-punk, these unfairly overlooked and forgotten to time gems came from a slew of DIY ethos purists inspired by the messaging of bands like The Desperate Bicycles, Sniffing Glue fanzine and early UK punk labels like Stiff, Chiswick and Rough Trade, recording everything in-house, then sending their recordings to the likes of John Peel and labels with hopes of some airplay or recognition, little of which came. A long-lost micro-genre of unfairly forgotten underground punk (but not punk) gems awaits.

Review: A brand new repro and showcase of one of Studio One's best ever compilations, which has remained long out of print. Formerly only available on Record Store Day as a limited edition 7" box set, this fresh and inductive intro to Studio One's less obvious gemstones - The Studio One Showcase 45 - now hears an expanded edition on 2xLP. Getting into these cuts will inform a veritable levelling-up in your dubbing capacity and appreciatorship. Bob Marley is the most famous feature, with his original Wailers version of 'One Love' serving as a nodal flow-point through which we may discover the vigilant lights of Judah Eskender Tafari ('Danger In Your Eyes'), Joe Higgs ('Dinah') and Liberation Group ('Namibia').

Review: Out of print for over 15 years, the Soul Jazz distributed Do It Yourself compilation offers up a bevy of both essential and niche acts from the realms of punk, post-punk, punk-funk, dance-punk and even further afield electronic experimentations where the term "punk" becomes utterly redundant. All UK artists recorded between the late 70s and 80s, the collection sonically details the aftermath of the British punk movement in real time, complete with legacy names such as Buzzcocks, A Certain Ratio and The Last Gang to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and even Throbbing Gristle. Housed in a gatefold sleeve and spread across translucent orange vinyl 2xLP, the collection has been fully remastered and features extensive sleevenotes and photography as well as interviews with key behind-the-scene players, providing a unique insight into just how much the landscape of independent music changed after the advent of punk.

Review: The 18th-anniversary edition of Studio One Soul 2 brings back a long out of print classic and one of Soul Jazz Records' best-selling collections. This second volume delves into Jamaica's deep connection with American soul and funk and features legendary reggae artists like Horace Andy, The Heptones, Ken Boothe, Jackie Mittoo, and more. These Studio One veterans reinterpret classic and obscure tracks by soul icons such as Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, and Al Green. The album showcases a mix of classics, rare and unreleased tracks, all digitally remastered, so it stands tall as one of the best celebrations of the enduring influence of American soul on Jamaican music.

Review: Secret Superstar Sounds, courtesy of Soul Jazz, offers an eclectic and excellent collection of oddball punk and powerpop rare cuts from little-known bands from the late 70s, including but not limited to The Squares, The Meanies, The Monitors, Plummet Airline, and Krypton Tunes. Falling between the cracks of punk, new wave and post-punk, these unfairly overlooked and forgotten to time gems came from a slew of DIY ethos purists inspired by the messaging of bands like The Desperate Bicycles, Sniffing Glue fanzine and early UK punk labels like Stiff, Chiswick and Rough Trade, recording everything in-house, then sending their recordings to the likes of John Peel and labels with hopes of some airplay or recognition, little of which came. A long-lost micro-genre of unfairly forgotten underground punk (but not punk) gems awaits.

Review: Studio One Power Mix! is a vibrant and essential compilation from Soul Jazz Records that dives deep into the influential sounds of reggae, ska, rocksteady and more, focusing on the late 1970s, 1980s and beyond. This collection captures the essence of Studio One, the legendary Jamaican label founded by Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd, which has been at the forefront of every major development in reggae music since the 1960s. By the late 1970s, Studio One had already established itself as the undisputed leader in the genre, nurturing the careers of icons like Bob Marley & The Wailers, Marcia Griffiths, The Skatalites, and Dennis Brown. During this period, long-standing artists such as Alton Ellis and Jackie Mittoo returned to the label, producing some of their most creatively fulfilling work. Meanwhile, new talents like Sugar Minott, Johnny Osbourne, and Freddie McGregor propelled Studio One into the dancehall era, pushing musical boundaries while honoring the label's roots. The compilation features a dynamic range of tracks that celebrate this golden era, from classic hits to hidden gems. Each song reflects the creativity, innovation, and unmistakable groove that have made Studio One a cornerstone of reggae history. Whether you're a seasoned reggae enthusiast or new to the genre, Studio One Power Mix! offers a great tracklist through the evolution of Jamaican music, celebrating the enduring legacy of one of its most influential labels.

Review: Soul Jazz Records' new Miami Sound 2 is a superlative collection of 70s soul, funk, disco and boogie featuring tracks from legendary artists such as Betty Wright, Timmy Thomas, Gwen McRae, Milton Wright, T-Connection and many more, all released on the mighty TK Records musical empire based in Miami, Florida. Centring on the curatorial efforts of TK Records founder Henry Stone, who is credited by Soul Jazz as one of the tastemaking pioneers of boogie, after the early ferments of gritty funk and soul formed out of the arrival of disco in the mid-70s. This compilation snaps up a distinct, unforgettable moment in the pivot from disco into soul, with essential tracks from Betty Wright, to Timmy Thomas, to Raw Soul Express, to T Connection all in tow.