Review: On their debut album, 2016's the Tony Allen Experiments, Naples twosome Nu Guinea re-invented tracks by the legendary Afro-beat drummer as synth-heavy chunks of deep jazz-funk and nu-Balearica. For this follow-up - their first full length entirely made up of their own compositions - the duo serves up a set of jazz-funk, disco and boogie cuts rich in both their trademark colourful analogue synthesizer sounds and live instrumentation. It's a formula that guarantees a string of memorable highlights, from the sun-kissed peak-time brilliance of "Disco Sole" and rubbery, funk-fuelled "Je Vulesse" (a killer vocal number), to the wobbly downtempo trip of "A Voce E Napule" and Mizell Brothers fizz of closer "Parev Ajare", the album's most synthesizer-heavy cut.
Review: REPRESS ALERT!: You know that long hot days are fast approaching when it is Brazilian music that you crave. Thankfully the Scruniversal has got us covered with a second release that is as scorching as the first. It pairs MPB, samba and Latin flair with hard-edged hip-hop and funk stylings across a pair of tunes from Scruscru, each one a different collaboration. The first is alongside Tony Lavrutz and has gorgeous vocals and organic percussion paired with cut-up beats and jazzy keys that will ignite any floor on 'Rave Du Brazil.' It is Los Protos's jazz funk groover 'Primavera' that gets the good vibes going on the flip.
Jamiroquai - "Little L" (Dave Lee Re-Blend) (8:14)
Shelia & B Devotion - "Spacer" (Dave Lee Disco Fantasy mix) (9:00)
Review: Long time house and disco devotee Dave Lee comes through on Z Records once more with a sampler from this years ZR Essentials collection. It features two of his masterful reworks starting with Jamiroquai's 'Little L'. He flips into a funked up cosmic delight with plenty of the original's synth flourishes melodic hooks and orchestration all present and correct but with added slap bass, replayed rhodes and beefy new drums which make this a surefire dancefloor winner pretty much anywhere. On the flip comes Dave Lee's Disco Fantasy mix of Shelia & B Devotion's 1979 hit 'Spacer' which has a more retro disco sound thanks to the masterful original work of Chic. Additional clav, new string parts and solo-ing keys give 'Spacer' the extended DJ mix it never had at the time of original release.
Review: There's no doubt that crate-digger, record collector and renowned Discogs seller Zafsmusic knows more than most about the world of private press vinyl releases. This 12", originally pressed up in super-limited quantities by its' creator, Martin L Dumas Jnr sometime around the turn of the '80s, has long been a must-have for collectors with several thousand dollars to spare. The title track is particularly wonderful - a warm, breezy, loose and fluid chunk of boogie-soul that Zaf has slightly tweaked to suit the needs of modern dancefloors. Flipside "Nonstop To The Top" has a more jazz-funk feel, with intergalactic synths complimenting Dumas Jr's sweet vocal and conscious lyrics.
Review: Two out-and-out rarities from Hancock's Columbia-era output. Strictly the sole preserve of DJ promo back in 79/80, the clue is in the title 'special' disco remixes. Smooth, soulful and arranged with such style, every element of Herbie's essential ingredients is brought to the fore in its own time with its own space. "Stars In Your Eyes" swoons with a soulful ballad feel while "Saturday Night" pumps and jumps with party-pulling allure. Simply essential.
Review: Krewcial is a master of clever cut up and paste and edit jobs. He tackles a big range of old soul and disco sounds that many will know and love and he does it on labels like Gamm, Riot, We Play House and now Vinylators. 'Extended Girl' is a shoe cold classic with big trumpets and drawn out breaks all making the original that bit more club ready. 'Piano Girl' is another edit of the same tune but here with more pianos laced in - no prizes for guessing that one - and Dub Girl is a final version of the same tune that pairs things back to the bare essentials.
Review: This "Special Edition" of Lord Echo's recent third full-length, Harmonies, seems to be aimed at DJs. Whereas the original pressing contained the same tracks on one piece of wax, this version stretches the same tracks over two super-loud, heavyweight records. Formatting aside, the album itself is something of a head-in-the-clouds, feet-on-the-floor treat. It features the Kiwi producer working with a range of collaborators - Tony Laing of Fat Freddy's Drop and regular studio buddy Mara TK included - to serve up intoxicating cuts that brilliantly fuses reggae, dub and rocksteady rhythms with elements borrowed from disco, Afro-soul, Afro-funk, spiritual jazz and, more surprisingly, techno. It's a hugely vibrant and entertaining set, offering a good balance between dancefloor vibrations and more laidback concoctions.
Review: Destination 78/79: Expansion take us deep into the illustrious back cat of revered boogaloo fusionist Willie Bobo for two of his many fiery delights. Side A is his feel-heavy cult instrumental take on Ronnie Laws' disco classic "Always There" while Side B throws us into the heart of his 1979 album Bobo with gutsy raw soul power (and just a few cheeky funk slap bass twangs for good measure) Two stone cold classics together for the first time on 45.
Review: Roy Ayers made a number of killer disco cuts in the late 1970s, though few are quite as essential as 'Running Away', which has now been reissued by South Street Disco. Built around an instantly recognisable (and much-sampled groove), the extended 12" version is rich in rubbery, rising and falling bass, clipped guitars, spacey Rhodes motifs, superb lead vocals from Ayers and even better backing vocals courtesy of the female quintet who would later become Eighties Ladies (who's superb 'Tell Him' was reissued in 2020). Turn to the flip for another chance to savour Fever album-opener 'Love Will Bring Us Back Together', a deeper and more low-down disco groover that boasts some seriously good Clavinet riffs and another inspired Ayers' vocal.
Review: A serious piece of soul sampling history right here. "Evil Vibrations" is instantly recognisable thanks to De La Soul's "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays". Fast-paced boogie blessed with swooping sugar harmonies, it still sounds as smooth as it did when originally released in 78. Touching stargazing ballad "The Star Children" was even more popular with the hip-hop set scoring cameos on cuts by both RZA and Mobb Deep. Both cuts are taken from the album Help Us Spread The Message. Criminally it's their only LP!
Review: Whoever Gallery are, they're a wilfully obscure exercise in metatextuality, with the digital frontispiece of this instrumental disco edits EP depicting two gallery punters idly loitering around the blown-up 12" record, as if fawning over it in a white cube. Whatever the case, these are two mysterious post-mid-70s disco-funk edits, which seem to make a mockery of the exclusivity culture endemic to the art world (a maligned practice that goes comparatively uncritiqued in the realm of dance music) - indeed, so far, the tracks have been played out solely by DJ Harvey and Artwork. Obviously, that means this 12" is worth your one dollar... right?!
The Sweetest Meditation (feat Mara TK - club mix) (6:32)
The Sweetest Meditation (feat Mara TK) (5:55)
The Sweetest Meditation (feat Mara TK - Julien Dyne remix) (6:28)
The Sweetest Dub (6:16)
Review: Soundway Records' marketing team recently described Lord Echo's hook-up with Mara TK, "Sweetest Meditation", as a "high-rolling summertime opus". It's certainly rather good and well worthy of a dedicated 12" single release. The wonderful, jazz-flecked, vibraphone-heavy, dub-disco style original version is featured alongside a brand new Black Ark style instrumental dub (appropriately titled "The Sweetest Dub") which is almost worth the entrance money on its own. There are two fresh remixes, too, from old pal Julien Dyrne and the Lord himself. His "Club Mix", completed on a recent European tour, pushes it further towards leisurely vocal deep house territory whilst retaining many of the elements that made the original version such a sun-kissed summer treat.
Review: This special 12" features two tracks that will not be on the vinyl version of the forthcoming AC Soul Symphony, Disco opus "Metamorphosis" featuring a 20 piece orchestra alongside a whole host of top live players. That makes it an even more vital pick up because both are pure disco fire. 'I Want To See You Dance' has the title's classic refrain repeated over big Salsoul style string licks, funky basslines and soloing piano. 'The Talented Mr Adams' is a tribute to the legendary disco producer Patrick Adams and is a super sweet swooner with golden live strings and brass backing up a loose-limbed rhythm and vamping pianos that get you in the mood for love. These two tracks act as a fine teaser for what's to come on the much-anticipated album from a contemporary version of acts like MFSB and Love Unlimited Orchestra.
Review: Having previously persuaded some of the re-edit scene's biggest names to contribute reworks, Razor-N-Tape has now recruited the Grand-daddy of the scalpel scene: 1970s disco original Danny Krivit AKA Mr K. He begins with "Stuff", a deliciously epic revision of an atmospheric and joyous disco cut rich in snaking synth solos, evocative instrumentation and glassy-eyed vocals. Krivit teases the tune in slowly, eventually cutting loose as the nine-minute edit reaches its final few minutes. Side B is all about "The Story", a jaunty and musically complex instrumental disco number that contains some fantastic orchestration, spacey 1970s synthesizer flourishes and heady female backing vocals.
Review: Detroit's John Beltran can do no wrong if you ask us, and what he does do is always famously varied, from sound design for TV to melodic techno excellence via ambient beauty. Here for MotorCity Wine he revisits his Back To Bahia series with a third volume that finds him flexing his Afro-Brazilian deep house chops. The 7" opens up with the jazzy boogie of Lsaura' which is steeped in Minneapolis funk and will get cultured dancefloors in a spin. 'As The Sunsets' that appears on the flip and is a superbly emotive sound with wispy late night melodies and glowing harmonies and shuffling Latin grooves. Essential.
New Ferrari (Harvey Sutherland Weird Flex 12" mix) (6:09)
Review: Here's a pleasant surprise: a fresh set of remixes of killer cuts from the back catalogue of Melbourne-based band Surprise Chef, whose hard-to-pigeonhole take on cinematic soul contains numerous nods to classic jazz-funk and Brit-funk jams. Masters at Work give their take on 'Crayfish Caper', first joining the dots between Afro-beat, jazz-funk and West London style bruk on the 'Nuyorican Broken' mix, before delivering two house-style revisions - the squelchy, synth-bass-propelled 'Masters at Work Mix' and the tougher, more percussive 'MAW Dub'. The EP's other interpretations come from Harvey Sutherland, whose 'Weird Flex 12" and 'Weird Flex' revisions of 'New Ferrari' add the band's jazz-funk instrumentation and spacey synths to a warming, off-kilter deep house groove.
Review: Back in the late '70s and early '80s, Aquarian Dream's "Phoenix" was something of an anthem on the UK's soul all-dayer scene. While ostensibly a disco record, the band's jazz-funk roots ensured that it was particularly popular with serious dancers, particularly those who headed for the jazz room rather than the main dancefloor. The Norman Connors-produced cut remains something of a must-have for disco DJs who like their grooves to come with a fair dollop of instrumental solos. This timely re-press also includes the even wilder "East 6th Street" - originally included on the 1979 UK re-issue - which features Aquarian Dream band-members trading solos over a killer disco-funk groove.
Review: Given the vastness of his back catalogue, you'd think there would be plenty of re-issue-friendly gold buried in Eddie Palmieri's discography. "Spirit of Love", first released as a single in 1978, certainly ticks a lot of boxes: the spiraling, disco-era chunk of boogaloo/jazz-funk fusion remains popular on specialist dancefloors - especially jazz-dance ones - and original copies frequently change hands online for well over 50 quid. Like the original 7", this edition of the singles also comes backed with the sweaty Brazilian style jazz brilliance of "Lucumi, Macumba, Voodoo", which also happens to be the title track of the LP that "Spirit of Love" was plucked from.
Review: ** REPRESS ALERT ** A couple of all time George Duke greats get the official remastered and reissue treatment here. The American songwriting legend's "I Want You for Myself' from 1979 gets a mighty Tom Moulton rework on the A side - which streamlines the essential groove of the original just nicely. On the flip, the sultry late night mood lighting of "Brazilian Love Affair" is funky, soulful and groovy in all the right amounts - the album of the same name from 1980 was hailed as his most popular. Duke was known primarily for thirty-odd solo albums, as well as his collaborations with other musicians - particularly Frank Zappa.
Doing Our Own Thing (Dimitri From Paris remix part 1) (5:01)
Doing Our Own Thing (Dimitri From Paris remix part 2) (4:57)
Review: Monsieur Dimitri from Paris works his magic on Casbah 73's organic disco grooves with a remix treatment that surpasses all expectations. Casbah's original track may sound like a band-recorded take with added production sheen, but it's actually a deceptively well-made track recorded by a talented solo artist. Dimitri brings added wompy disco-house heat to the track in two parts, with the first part focusing on the more bangerific elements of the original, and the B (part two) stripping things back to focus on the more minimal, solo dubby parts.
Review: .No, this is not a surprise jazz-funk outing from Dan 'Caribou' Snaith, but rather a reissue of the sole single that French outfit Cortex released as Caribou, way back in 1977. Copies of that record are now very hard to come by, so it's great that Trad Vibe have delivered this fresh edition. It's worth picking up for 'Californie' alone. The track is a near perfect fusion of the Gallic ensemble's usual loose jazz-funk sound and energetic, sun-drenched disco - all breathless electric piano solos, memorable guitar licks, dancefloor-friendly grooves and spiralling group vocals. Original flipside 'Stevie', a more relaxed and loved-up affair closer in tone to Cortex's usual material, once again resides on the reverse.
Review: A really cool concept from Expansion here; one side is a reissued seminal classic, the other is a contemporary version. And what a way to start the start the series; hard bop hero Johnny Hammond influenced pretty much every soul, jazz, rare groove and funk artist who've followed in his path, and the joyously unpredictable "Los Conquistadores Chocolates" is one of his best. Naturally Japanese jazz outfit Quasimode are an ideal remix choice. Known for their wildstyle riffage and signature switches, they've paid the utmost respect to Hammond.
Review: More from the mysterious Ron's Reworks series, which appears (though it has never been confirmed) to have been launched in tribute to late, great Chicago DJ Ron Hardy. The shadowy scalpel fiend (or fiends) behind the series begins volume three with "Revelation", a sparkling rearrangement of a life-affirming, piano-laden number that sits somewhere between jazz-funk, Latin jazz, spiritual jazz and disco. It is, beyond a shadow of doubt, one of the most positive tracks you'll hear all month. Elsewhere, "Games You Playing" is a synth-sporting slab of disco-funk heaviness, and "Bada Bongo" a percussive, break-driven, bongo-laden workout guaranteed to get limbs moving on the dancefloor.
Ship Of The Desert - "Count Of Monte Thisgo" (6:00)
Frank Hatchett Dance Explosion - "Super Hero" (1:51)
Cherish - "For You" (3:26)
Jaze - "Wanna Get Down With You" (7:21)
The 21st Century - "One Of These Days" (5:23)
Porno Disco - "Go Down Moses" (4:19)
Cousin Ice - "Catch Your Glow" (feat Zack Sanders) (6:18)
Boobie Knight - "Juicy Fruit My Love" (6:27)
John Lamkin - "Ticket" (6:21)
Review: You can always count on Z Records to bring a deep-digging, dedicated approach to anything they put out, and that goes double for their flawless Under The Influence series. The 10th volume in the series sees them inviting the incredible Chicago-born DJ Rahaan to select some seriously headsy cuts from his collection, carefully cleaned up, de-clicked and remastered for the best listening experience. Given the nature of the series, don't expect the usual suspects, and instead savour the discovery of some of Rahaan's most treasured cuts, presented here on a double LP comp brimming with discoid magic.
Review: Remarkably, almost a decade has passed since the first missive from re-edit crew Heavy Disco (AKA Ashley Beedle, Dave Jarvis and Darren House) landed in stores. Here the London collective returns for the first time in four years with two more tried-and-tested dancefloor rubs. "Run Down World" is particularly delicious, delivering a groovy revision of what sounds like one of the Police's hazier and more groove-based moments (IE there's less reggae influence and more of an AOR disco flex - think great grooves and flanged, spaced-out guitars). On side B it's all about "Times Are Bad", a fine extended revision of Tavares' deep disco/Steely Dan-goes-jazz-funk rub "Bad Times" that seems eerily fitting for the situation the world is in.
Review: Astonishingly, original copies of Energize's 1979 private press single "Piece of Class" have changed hands for over 500 quid online. Helpfully, Rain & Shine have decided to save us all a few bob by slinging out this licensed reissue. The title track is something of a bustling disco-funk gem - a genuinely wonderful fusion of hazy vocals, dueling horn solos, spacey synthesizer flourishes and driving bass guitar. B-side "Star of the Disco" is an even more up-tempo affair, with mazy saxophone solos, rasping horn stabs and starry jazz-funk keys riding a walking bassline and high-octane disco drums.
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: At the tail end of the '80s, Sylvia Striplin quit Norman Connors' jazz-funk group Aquarian Dream in order to pursue a solo career. Joining forces with producers James Bedford and Roy Ayers, she recorded 1981 debut album "Give Me Your Love", a well regarded but largely overlooked set that has since become a sought-after item amongst soul collectors. This Expansion reissue presents the album on vinyl for the first time in two decades. As with many soul albums of the period, it sashays between jazz-funk, boogie and heartfelt slow jams, contrasting memorable dancefloor workouts (see stone cold classic "Give Me Your Love" and a stellar cover of Roy Ayers favourite "Searchin") with more saccharine, loved-up fare.
Destiny II - "I'm Here For This" (feat Aria Lyric) (4:54)
Review: Z Recordings chief Dave Lee has teamed up on this one with Omar, a prolific multi-instrumentalist who was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to music. The result is 'Starlight', a serving of emotive soul funk with a nod to legend Stevie Wonder. Over on the flip, we have the late night boogie-down vibe of Destiny II's 'I'm Here For This' featuring Aria Lyric's powerful vocal delivery, underpinned by an uplifting arrangement that has summertime vibes abound. A new project by Lee, it debuted earlier this year with the excellent 'Play 2 Win'
Review: This classic electro funk track Maxx Traxx called 'Don't Touch It' is about as desirable and rare track as any 1980s record is. Originally released in 1982 by the Chicago soul group Maxx Traxx, the records are scarce for a small price. When word got around that the record would get reissued, it sparked interest from Another Taste to do a cover for the flip side and honour the event, an excellent homage to the original while injecting their own creativity and showmanship. Impossible to choose a favorite, let's just enjoy both excellent pieces of spacey funk music. This edition comes on purple 7".
Review: A momentous reissue of Funk Masters' 1981 disco/jazz funk hit. Out of print for over 40 years, 'Love Money' was a staple of the New York underground scene, spun everywhere across the city from Larry Levan's Paradise Garage to David Mancuso's Loft. With a low swung, funk-geared groove, 'Love Money', is a truly timeless track, encapsulating the sheer energy of disco, funk, and proto-house across eras. On the B-side, Bo Kool's '(Money) No Love' is a track steeped in historical significance - it's one of the earliest examples of UK rap. With nods to the reggae and dub culture at the root of the UK's club scene, it's no surprise to learn the track was produced by Jamaican reggae DJ and producer, Tony Williams. We're delighted to hear this lauded record make a triumphant return to record bags and dancefloors.
The 1860 Band - "Keep That Same Old Feeling" (5:07)
Otroshakers - "Siempre Tu" (3:23)
Daniel Bechet - "Astral Dance" (4:32)
Renato Anselmi - "Quiet Fire" (3:42)
Pedro Ruy-Blas - "Despertar" (3:56)
Majoie Hajary - "Prologue" (4:00)
Review: Favorite Recordings founder Charles Maurice - initially better-known by his production alias Pascal Rioux - has long been regarded as a dusty-fingered crate digger, so his new compilation series, Fusion Global Sounds, is hotly anticipated. He says it will be an outlet for jazz-funk and fusion tracks of the 1970s and early '80s, mostly made by artists in different parts of the world whose fame never spread further than their own local scenes. You'll find numerous highlights on the series' debut, from the breezy, morning-fresh loveliness of Renato Anselmi's 'Hello Mr Acuvis' and the sun-soaked, afternoon shuffle of The 1960 Band's 'Keep That Same Old Feeling', to the dream pop-influenced sparkle of Otoshakers' 'Simpere Tu' and the righteous dancefloor hedonism of Sundance's 'Buster'.
Review: Expansion Records' continues to delve into the bulging archives of Roy Ayers' influential Uno Melodic Records imprint, which issued some superb jazz-funk, soul and boogie throughout the 1980s. Here they offer a new pressing of Ethel Beatty's sought-after, Roy Ayers' produced 1981 double A-side. For some reason they've reversed the running order, with side A offering original flipside 'It's Your Love', a Dee Dee Bridgwater co-authored slow jam that's soulful, seductive and sumptuous. Over on the reverse you'll find the more celebrated ''I Know You Care', a deep disco number full of glistening guitar riffs, smooth chords and warming grooves. In a word: luscious
Review: When Atmosfear released "En Trance" in 1981, jazz-funk ruled UK dancefloors. The British outfit's lauded debut album reflected this fact, brilliantly joining the dots between jazz-funk, soul, disco, jazz-dance and the soundsystem dub influences that were becoming increasingly prevalent in British music at the time. As this re-mastered Mr Bongo reissue proves, it remains a potent and hugely enjoyable album all these years on. Check, for example, the dub effects, sweet vocals and punchy sax riffs of "Free Tonight", the rubbery dub disco/jazz funk fusion of "Creator's Dream", the Azymuth-esque antics of "Interplay" and the synth-laden former single "Invasion".
Dave & Omar - "Starlight" (Grant Nelson extended mix) (6:16)
Chocolate Fudge Band - "Everything" (DJ Fudge extended mix) (6:57)
Dave & Maurissa - "Look At The Stars" (Dave's Starshine club mix) (7:48)
Opolopo - "Looking For You" (Peter's extended Organ) (6:02)
Review: Soul meets speed garage on this new V/A EP from Z Records, blurring the lines between the genres in just the way we like it. The opening track - Grant Nelson's mix of 'Starlight' by Dave & Omar - is a euphoric, piano-laced uplifter which both sonically and lyrically urges us to reach for the sky. That's followed by the DJ Fudge production 'Everything' by Chocolate Fudge Band, featuring lots of live instrumentation and a Curtis Mayfield style vocal, while over on the flip, 'Looking For You' proves to be a deep and bouncy cut filled with soulful Motown vocal chops and an organ workout worthy of any Sunday service, over a beautifully wonky house framework.
Review: Jay Kay's powerhouse of crossover Brit funk maestros never stayed in one lane, but progressed from album to album without missing a beat. On 2001's A Funk Odyssey, they folded some explicitly floor-focused house and disco ingredients into their soul stew and came up trumps, smashing the hits out while staying true to the elevated musicianship they marked themselves out with in the beginning. There are monster hits like 'Little L' and cheeky bangers aplenty dotted throughout this pearler of an album, and despite how long ago it came out, it hasn't aged a bit.
Review: With a streak of hits reaching back to the early 90s, chart-topping Brit funk phenomenon Jamiroquai have plenty to celebrate. In 2006 they decided to remind everyone how much heat they've gifted to the world with High Times, a definitive overview of the singles that thrust them onto prime time radio and beyond. Now that compilation makes its way to vinyl for the first time, giving us the chance to spin such classics as 'Too Young To Die', 'Virtual Insanity' and 'Canned Heat' to our hearts' content - all killer, no filler.
Review: First released way back in 1980 on the album of the same name, 'Coming To You Live' is one of the most beloved dancefloor jams in the sprawling catalogue of sorely missed soul-jazz organist Charles Earland. Here reissued on seven-inch (and therefore presented in edited form), the track blurs the boundaries between Latin-tinged disco and jazz-funk - all heady female group vocals, heady horns, spacey Herbie Hancock synths and infectious grooves. Over on the flip you'll find original B-side 'Street Themes', a breezier, similarly Latin-tinged jazz-funk cut that features some sensational keys-playing from Earland. In a word: essential.
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