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Review: Originally part of the 2014 album I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy Without Me, 'Hit 'Em Like Ali' stands out as a vibrant and infectious track in Australian artist Chelsea Wilson's collection. Its energetic and riotous vibe has earned it a place as an unheralded modern deep funk classic. Spasibo Records now grants it a well-deserved single release on nice coloured vinyl. Co-produced by Jake Mason of Cookin' On 3 Burners, the heavyweight instrumental backing track, making its debut on the flip side, showcases Melbourne's top funk musicians. With blistering breakbeats, heavy horns, flanged guitars, and weighty bass, it's a track designed to captivate.

Review: The Soul Surfers & Shawn Lee have linked their creative energies once more with a new pair of singles for the cultured Spasibo Records. Both tracks on this limited gold vinyl were recorded in 2018. One was captured at Moscow's Magnetone studio during Lee's visit for the premiere of a movie documenting his prior recording with The Soul Surfers, and the other was recorded remotely with The Soul Surfers at their Nizhniy Novgorod headquarters and Lee at his London studio, The Shop. The collaboration is a fruitful one with two sublime and timeless funk cuts featuring some bittersweet replaying of classic melodies.

Review: German funk act The Poets Of Rhythm have more than left their mark on a scene that wasn't so popular back in their heyday. They have got plenty of great albums to explore and several superb singles, of which this is one. 'Practice What You Preach' is a track from their debut album released on Soulciety in 1993. Despite a hiatus from albums until their return with a Ninja Tune LP in 2001, the band remained active in the 7"s circuit. Surprisingly, a part two to the same track exists, serving as an instrumental version of the original 1993 release. On the B-side, a fresh funk track, previously released under the alias Mighty Continentals, features Bo Baral delivering a rare solo guitar performance alongside ambiguous lyrical content.

Review: Spasibo Records introduces a new 7" vinyl by St. Petersburg outfit the Vicious Seeds, this time on yellow and green wax. In an unconventional move, vibraphonist Pavel Chizhik takes the spotlight and the result is that he truly enhances the band's signature sound. 'Village Hassle' offers a unique blend of rare groove and instrumental reggae-soul - the A-side highlights Chizhik's vibraphone prowess, intertwining it with a dynamic instrumental backbeat. On the flip side, 'Monthly Rainfall' delves into a soulful journey, characterized by cross-sticked snares and offbeat chord plucks which create an atmosphere reminiscent of slow-jammed soul with a contemporary twist.

Review: Spasibo Records has been busy lining up plenty of great funk sounds that all seem to be dropping at once. One of them is this limited yellow and red marbled vinyl from The Great Revivers. The band hail from St Petersburg in Russia and these two instrumental tunes are perfect examples of their lush library funk sound. Both were recorded pre-pandemic back in 2019 at a vintage studio in an old church. The organs really shimmer and bring the heat to opening cut 'Adventures Begin' while 'Estrellas' dial down into a more late night and intimate atmosphere before the funky breaks and neat guitar riffs come on with full force.

Review: Wonky meets jazz in this impressive new jazz mini-LP from Japan. Takuya Kuroda is a highly respected trumpeter and arranger born in Kobe, Japan and based in New York City. 'Midnight Crisp' is Takuya's seventh studio album, entirely self-produced and following 2020's highly acclaimed 'Fly Moon Die Soon'. Learning jazz in a higher education environment, he's reapplied his skills to a new solo outing here, blending with his one true loves, afrobeat and hip-hop. The ensuing album is one of myriad midnight moods, tempered by many a virtuosic and mournful piano, digitally-edited drum brush, and trilling trumpet from the mouth of Kuroda himself.

Review: 'Maledetta Quella Notte' is the first EP by Il Mago del Gelato, a new band from Milan (IT) with a strong Mediterranean imprint. This first album of theirs runs through funk, afrobeat and jazz; all the divergent strands make up the project, later convergent and blending in a nigh-perfect balance. Warm, watery, jazz-futuristic and easy on the ears, it's all held together by the uniquely Milanese fusion of vocoder, percussion, 80s synths, and roots guitars.

Review: Dynamite Cuts continue doing good justice to the label's obsession with Jon Lucien, the soul and funk crooner who eluded overt popularity but refused to let that crimp his style. Four of his most timeless classics here get the reissue treatment, and are compiled into one EP, traversing the lengthy ranges of b-boy breaks ('A Sunny Day'), percussive soca ('Ghetto Song'), post-highlife prayers ('Listen Love'), and everything in between.

Review: Next up for BBE is a package of remixes that invites several key artists to add their own spin to Jazzanova's superb reimagining of Sam Sanders's iconic 'Face at my Window'. Kyoto Jazz Massive are first to tackle the single which first appeared on 'Strata Records - The Sound of Detroit - Reimagined by Jazzanova' and bring some intimate jazz clubs vibes. After a Yoshi edit and version with vocalists Sean Haefli, musclecars bring a touch of New York and Chicago house classicism to their version. Both remixers bring new perspective to this timeless classic.

Review: Earlier this year, French disco and jazz-funk combo Chatobaron joined forces with fellow Parisian Dimitri From Paris for the rather good 'I Like (The Music That You Play)'. While that was a wholehearted disco workout, this speedy sequel sees the band (and their high-profile collaborator) explore their West Coast jazz-funk influences via an inspired workout full to bursting with killer instrumental solos, dusty grooves, memorable motifs and a genuinely killer, cowbell-sporting percussion brerak. This time round, there are no Dimitri From Paris remixes; instead, dubbed-out disco favourites the Idjut Boys are on hand to smother the track in tape echo and dub delay. The result is a typically spaced-out, low-slung affair that naturally makes the most of the band's killer bassline and layered percussion sounds.

Review: The state51 Conspiracy label comes very much correct early on in the New Year with this two-track grey marbled vinyl 12" in a fancy spot-varnished sleeve. It takes the form of two fresh Santaka reworks of original compositions by Rytis Mazulis and avant-garde choir Melos Collective which were first released back in 2020. Santaka, which means "confluence" in Lithuanian, is the coming together of DJ and producer Manfredas and drummer and producer Marijus Aleksa and here they layer up disembodied vocals and dark jazz melodies on 'Ramybe' and then 'Autoportretas' is a textural ambient exploration packed with fascinating sound designs.

Review: Discodelic obviously rates this latest 7" of theirs because they have released it in more than one format. As well as a straight back wax version you can also cop it on this pink & blue splattered vinyl complete with a booklet that provides some extra context about the music from Cizana and La Nueva Generation. Both tunes are flame-hot and bristling with energy. The A-side is all joyous flutes, hand drums and percussive Latin grooves then the flip slows things down and ups the brass. Two belters and this one looks as good as it sounds, too.

Review: A cinematic sensation and an instant classic and record breaker, Disney's animated movie 'Frozen' celebrates its ten-year anniversary this year with this special zoetrope double picture disc featuring scenes from one of the, now, most iconic movies of all time moving before your eyes. Included is, of course, Idina Menzel's award-winning score 'Let it Go' which charted around the world and wormed its way into the ears of parents to this day. Not to be slept on, though, is Demi Lovato's rendition that plays over the credits sequence or 'Fixer Upper', the jovial chorus musical number.The perfect Christmas gift for the fan in your life, and trust us, there is statistically one somewhere, no matter how old.

Review: BDQ Records is the outlet for jam quintet BunnDebrettQuintet, who emerged out of 90s acid jazz titans Mother Earth. Their sound has refocused on a raw and rasping strain with a live, in-the-room electricity which comes through brilliantly on this new single with Lydia Sharpe. Taking a few cues from a Led Zeppelin classic, Sharpe strikes a fierce, sultry figure on top of the sizzling hot Hammond organ vamps and low slung rhythm section. It sounds dangerous like a niche 50s cut, but there's plenty of meat on the bones of the production, while the familiar vocal hooks will go down a storm with a busy dancefloor.

Review: BDQ's next limited 7" is a superb three-way collab between Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity. Their long-lost version of classic dancer 'Jeannine' is powered by wandering basslines and swinging Hammond Organ chords that bring warmth to the free-flowing jazz vocals up top. It has never before been on 45rpm and has been all but unknown for the last 50 years but was recently rediscovered while the label head was looking for something else for the recent 'Auger Incorporated' compilation on Soul Bank Music. On the flip is a mod jazz dancer who is just as hip and ready to make an impact.

Review: Kalita Records are proud and honoured to announce the first ever official reissue of the four choice tracks from Randolph Baker's privately pressed sought-after 1982 disco album 'Reaching For The Stars', plus an unreleased instrumental take of 'Party Life' sourced from the original 24-track analogue master tapes.

Originally recorded at Jim Morris and Rick Miller's Tampa-based Morrisound Studios, 'Getting Next To You' features both a mixture of both local Florida talent plus jazz superstar Nat Adderley and bassist John Lamb at their finest. Originally pressed in a limited run of just one-thousand copies, with no distribution and most copies being sold in the local city and on Randolph's own merchandise table at the back of live gigs, original copies have long been sought-after by both collectors and DJs alike, acknowledged as a true grail and masterpiece in the disco scene and deservedly demanding extortionate figures to those lucky enough to find their own.

Here, in collaboration with Randolph, Kalita Records have chosen to re-release the four choice tracks from the album: 'Getting Next To You', 'Jazzman', 'Callin' Me' and 'Party Life'. The former is an in-demand horn and chant-filled disco masterpiece, which, as Randolph explains, concerns unity and "everyone on the same level in other words, everyone just loving life". It is arguably the song that Randolph is most well-known for in the disco and funk scene and perfect for the modern discerning dance floor. 'Jazzman' is an instrumental track with prominent trumpet and saxophone solos working with funky basslines to produce a truly great jazz-funk groove. It was "a tribute to Nat Adderley and Duke Ellington's bass player, John Lamb, for being so generous and saying yes to the project". 'Callin' Me' is a soulful disco number featuring the lead vocals of Laurie Erickson and is "about being on the road and ensuring loved ones that you will always come back home no matter what. It was like a promise to ensure loved ones they didn't have to worry". Lastly, 'Party Life' is a joyous disco track with a strong funk bassline and horns. As Randolph recalls, it "was the joy like after an actor finishes a movie. There was nothing but joy. It's finished; let's celebrate big time. Where everyone in the studio yelled at the top of their lungs - The End!" Here, with access to the 24-track master tapes we have been able to include the original version plus an unreleased instrumental take, allowing us to focus on the infectious bassline and make it even more ready for the modern dance floor.

Accompanied by extensive interview-based liner notes and never-before-seen photos.

Review: The impact of Weldon Irvine's music across a wealth of genres cannot be overstated with his jazzy piano playing and compositions regularly passed down to newer generations. Artists like Q-Tip and Mos Def are noted admirers of the jazz-funk artist, and the distinct sounds of Irvine echo across the ages in samples etched into hip-hop history. The album version of Time Capsule was originally released in 1973, and this 10" features two versions of 'Deja vu' on the A-side and 'Feelin' Mellow' and 'Watergate --- Don't Bug Me!' on the B.

Review: Piero Umiliani aka Moggi, is the man behind Omicron Records and plenty of seminal library records from the 1970s. The Italian jazz musician, most famous also for scoring many film soundtracks, here has one of his most dance-y tracks served up by Four Flies. It features an original version as well as a special edit retouched by Jolly Mare. The original was recorded in 1978 under one of his many other monikers, Rovi, as a way of not over saturating the market with his name at the time. It is a cosmic beats that chimes with the emergence of that sound and still does today.

Review: ,Joe Bataan has been busy in East L.A. with Orquesta Rene for this new Latin jazz double 7" courtesy of Steady Beat. It features four all new pieces drenched in soul and percussion, starting with 'So Fine' (feat Big Sandy), a mid tempo groove with vocal longing and languid horns. 'Mestizo' is a more steamy and intimate piece with sung-spoken lyrics and glowing, golden chords. 'Mom & Dad' (feat Claudia Lennear) has s steamy shuffle to its rhythms and classic Latin percussive sounds next to a call and response vocal and 'Time After Time' closes with a sentimental feel.