Review: The Budos Band are the quintessence of Staten Island Soul. Since the release of the 2005 debut, their exciting new afro-influenced take on the instrumental music has been captivating listeners across the globe. "The Budos Band II" is an amazing release on Daptone.
Review: Soundway surpass themselves again with this wonderful reissue from the Ghanaian artist Rob, who released two albums back in 1977 for the West African Essiebons label. Rob was a seasoned musician in the 70?s, having recorded and toured with many well known bands. The album is a somewhat Spartan, brooding affair where less is most definitely more as slow burning, hip swaying cosmic funk drenched compositions are offset by wonderful punchy brass arrangements. A slow burning pulse is present throughout with highlights being ''Loose up Yourself'' and the irreplaceable carnal conquest anthem '' Make it Fast, Make it Slow''. Songs of celebration sit alongside other pieces of introspection and socially conscious topics; some might criticise the odd duff notes and occasional raw vocal edge, but this just adds texture to the overall performance and vibe. Without question one of the best reissues of 2012.
Review: Following 2012's fourth volume that celebrated the existential work of Tim Maia, here we find Luaka Bop exploring the legacy of William Onyeabor. A high chief and Kenyan diplomat who allegedly refuses to discuss his music, he self-released eight albums in the 70s and 80s and these are some of the many highlights. Stretching from the New York-influenced post-punk synth funk of "Good Name" to the most authentic Afro fusion of "Why Go To War", Onyeabor's range not only reflects his clear creative skill, but also the ever-developing international language of music during the fruitful period he was active. Who is William Onyeabor? Press play and find out yourselves...
You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure (Alton Miller mix)
Get Your Ass Off & Jam (Marcellus Pittman remix)
Cosmic Slop (Moodymann mix)
Music For My Mother (Andres Wo Ahh Ay vocal mix)
Undisco Kidd (Gay Marvine edit)
Super Stupid (Dirtbombs version)
Take Your Dead Ass Home (The Fantasy version)
Music 4 My Mother (Underground Resistance mix)
Let's Take It To The Stage (Amp Fiddler Laugin @ Ya mix)
Standing On The Verge (Anthony Shake Shakir & T dancer remix)
You & Your Folks (Claude Young Jr club mix)
Be My Beach (Mophno & Tom Thump mix)
You & Your Folks (Claude Young Jr dub)
Let's Make It Last (Kenny Dixon Jr edit - mono)
Looking Back At You (Ectomorph Stripped & dubbed)
Maggot Brain (BMG dub)
Review: Given the brilliantly simple concept behind this fine compilation - contemporary Detroit producers remix Funkadelic - we're rather surprised nobody's done it before. With 17 varied re-rubs stretched across two hugely entertaining CDs, there's plenty to enjoy. Highlights come thick and fast, from the deep house/P-funk fusion of Alton Miller's take on "Get Your Ass Off and Jam" and Andres' loose, hip-hop influenced revision of "Music For My Mother", to the thrusting loops and heady late night hypnotism of Anthony Shake Shakir and T-Dancer's version of "Standing on the Verge". While many of the versions stay relatively faithful to the original, the more "out-there" interpretations - see BMG's outer-space ambient dub of "Maggot Brain" and Moodymann's epic revision of "Cosmic Slop" - are also consistently impressive.
You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure (Alton Miller mix) (5:17)
Get Your Ass Off & Jam (Marcellus Pittman remix) (6:46)
Cosmic Slop (Moodymann mix) (9:26)
Music For My Mother (Andres Wo Ahh Ay vocal mix) (5:23)
Super Stupid (Dirtbombs version) (4:30)
Music 4 My Mother (Underground Resistance mix) (5:41)
Undisco Kidd (Gay Marvine edit) (5:46)
Take Your Dead Ass Home (The Fantasy version) (7:46)
Let's Take It To The Stage (Amp Fiddler Laugin @ Ya mix) (6:11)
Standing On The Verge (Anthony Shake Shakir & T Dancer remix) (5:37)
You & Your Folks (Claude Young Jr club mix) (6:43)
Be My Beach (Mophono & Tom Thump mix) (6:08)
You & Your Folks (Claude Young Jr dub) (5:55)
Let's Make It Last (Kenny Dixon Jr edit) (7:32)
Looking Back At You (Ectomorph Stripped & dubbed) (6:12)
Maggot Brain (BMG dub) (10:09)
Review: Given the brilliantly simple concept behind this fine compilation - contemporary Detroit producers remix Funkadelic - we're rather surprised nobody's done it before. With 17 varied re-rubs stretched across three slabs of wax, there's naturally plenty to enjoy. Highlights come thick and fast, from the deep house/P-funk fusion of Alton Miller's take on "Get Your Ass Off and Jam" and Andres' loose, hip-hop influenced revision of "Music For My Mother", to the thrusting loops and heady late night hypnotism of Anthony Shake Shakir and T-Dancer's version of "Standing on the Verge". While many of the versions stay relatively faithful to the original, the more "out-there" interpretations - see BMG's outer-space ambient dub of "Maggot Brain" and Moodymann's epic revision of "Cosmic Slop" - are also consistently impressive.
Review: Eight years on from its previous reissue (that time courtesy of Analog Africa's "Limited Dance Edition" series), Mr Bongo is offering up a fresh, licensed re-press of Rob's eponymous 1977 Afro-funk masterpiece. If you missed out in 2011, the set is definitely worth picking up because it's rock solid heat from start to finish. Check, for example, the heavily percussive Afro-beat/Afro-funk fusion of "Funky Rob Way", the flanged funk guitars and heavy brass action of "Boogie On", the jazz guitars and loved-up vocals of "Your Kiss Stole Me Away" and the William Onyeabor-does-James-Brown heaviness of closing cut "More".
Review: Last year, Amsterdam-based Turkish band Altin Gun delivered one of the most potent - and arguably overlooked - debut albums of the year, "On". 12 months on they return with album number two, "Gece", an inspired fusion of heavyweight Turkish psychedelia, funk, freak-folk and intergalactic rock. While the songs and recordings are brand new, the band's choice of instrumentation - vintage Moog synths, gnarled funk-rock guitars, skittish drums and fuzzy bass guitar - and 1960s style production gives the whole thing a deliciously retro feel. It's a recipe that guarantees thrills and spills, with "Yolcu", "Sofor Bey", "Derdimi Dokersem" and spacey "Gesi Baglari" among the many highlights.
The Reverend Barrington Stanley - "Cookie Jar" (5:01)
The Sorcerers - "The Terror" (3:55)
Ivan Von Engelberger's Asteroid - "Thought Forms" (4:13)
The Lamplighters - "Moscow Central" (4:05)
The Mandatory Eight - "Sucker Punch" (3:19)
The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra - "Hawkshaw Philly" (3:26)
The Cadets - "What We Are Made Of" (3:46)
Review: Back in 2014, Here & Now Records released a sampler for an as-yet unfounded Leeds-based label called ATA Records. The compilation featured "rare soul, funk and Afro" tracks from friends and regular bandmates Neil Innes and Pete Williams under a variety of pseudonyms. ATA emerged a year later, so to celebrate the label's imminent fifth birthday, ATA chiefs Innes and Williams have decided to reissue the compilation under a tweaked title. There's much to enjoy throughout, from the sweaty, James Brown-inspired "The Flip" and the breezy, easy listening-influenced soul shuffle of "Brother Move On", to the deep funk hustle of "Cookie Jar" and the Mod-style soundtrack slowness of "Moscow Central".
Review: A-grade diggers, label, shop and reissuers Mr Bongo are back with another of their essential offerings, this time in the form of a 7" taken from Swedish artist Sven Wunder's debut album Do?u cicekleri on new label Piano Piano. The resulting record is a seamless fusion of bright colours and bleeding pigments, real instruments and synthetic sound that is as worldly as they come. "Magnolia" here is the intoxicating a-side with its freewheeling drums and big lead lines, while "Lotus" takes us into a more oriental sound, with gypsy funk and dark-soul stylings making it delightfully hard to pin down.
Tierney Malone & Geoffrey Muller - "Transmission For Jehn: Gnossienne No 1" (Exclusive Spoken Word Piece) (4:58)
Review: Khruangbin might be the most logical and fitting choice for a Late Night Tales compilation in recent memory. The Texan psychedelic chill artists have always had a sense of the exploratory and unknown running through their blissful grooves, and the fundamental idea behind this series was always about opening up doors to new musical discoveries for listeners.
In many ways, the Houston trio have gone above and beyond. Melding a breadth of sounds that have emerged from an equally diverse set of cultures, we visit Hindi-disco, South Korean rock, African bass, Belarusian folk. Capped off with an exclusive version of Kool & The Gang's 'Summer Madness' conceived by the compilers themselves, it's a case of 15 gateway tracks all of which belong to artists and genres that are crying out for you to dive in.
Review: Italian duo Nu Guinea has previously proved adept at creating humid, sultry deep house and tropical-infused electronics. Here, they focus a little more on the latter with a concept album based around the distinctive Afrobeat rhythms of legendary drummer Tony Allen. With his blessing, and that of the Comet label on which he's been releasing since the 1980s, the Early Sounds Recordings pair has cut-up and re-constructed Allen's drums, combining them with their own steamy electronics, vintage synthesizer lines and classic drum machines. It's an intoxicating and hugely entertaining blend that sits somewhere between their previous outings, Danny Wolfers' material under the Nacho Patrol guise, and the dreamy late '80s/early '90s work of forgotten Italian producer Mr Marvin.
Review: Acid Jazz Records' has got a licensing agreement with legendary Benin label Albarika Store that is seeing them put out some of the best music to have ever come from West Africa. Benin's almighty Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Dahomey made plenty of it. This latest 45 is another stunner with plenty of raw screams, wails and grunts all adding extra life and vitality to the already trilling guitars and bustling drum rhythms. Add in heavy percussion and you have a real heavy Afro psych-funk tune. The flip is more deep and soulful, and just as good for different reasons.
Review: Spanish funk-rock group Barrabas formed in the 70s and had big success through that decade and the next. Drummer and producer Fernando Arbex lead the band and fomented a fusion of Latin rock and jazz-funk initially, before moving into a more disco orientated sound later on. Power was the band's second album and it came in 1973 with country-tinged tunes such as 'Boogie Rock', high speed funk workouts like 'Keep On Moving' and then more jazzy library sounds such as 'The Horse.' The second half of the album touches on busy dance floor funk like 'Casanova' and more stripped back and deep cuts like 'Children.'
Review: Since launching a few years back, Jannis Sturtz's Habibi Funk label has done a terrific job in sourcing and reissuing generally brilliant music from North Africa and the Middle East. The label's second multi-artist compilation does a good job in proving this point by offering up a pleasingly eclectic range of "historic popular music from the Arab world". There's much to enjoy, from the Steely Dan-esque West Coast warmth of Douaa's 'Haditouni' and the heavy psych-funk of 'Ahl Jedba' by Fadoul, to the synth-sporting riff on the Bee Gees' 'Staying Alive' that is Najib Al Housh's 'Ya En Daly', and the slow motion, reggae-driven sunshine pop of Ibrahim Hesnawi's 'Tendme'.
Review: Insanely funky business from Senegal's famous Orchestra Baobab (who are still touring and toiling 40 years later), "Kelen Ati Leen" is a really sweaty, heavy slab of funk that stares west for inspiration and a mild psychedelic Hendrixian sheen. "Souleymane", released three years after the A-side in 1978, takes more of a Latin influence as the horns get steamy over a rigid highlife spine to create a detailed and very physical groove.
Review: The Paralytics have a timeless sound that is laid bare on this new, heavily limited 7" featuring 'Ghetto Funk.' The original on the a-side is a lo-fi sound with dusty drum breaks and prickly guitar riffs all overlaid with his idiosyncratic vocal mutterings and murmurings. It's expressive and emotive and hugely effective despite being low-key. The flip side instrumental strips back those vocalisations to allow the funky drum breaks extra room to do their thing. A fine pick up for those who like it raw and paired back.
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou-Dahomey - "It's A Vanity" (4:21)
Clement Melome Et Le Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - "Nougbo Vehou (La Verite Blesse)" (4:49)
Review: The legendary Afro funk fusionists Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou Dahomey have got unlimited amounts of big tunes in their back catalogue and the fiery 'It's A Vanity' is one of them. It has fat and chunky drums with trademark horns leading the way next to the impassioned vocals. The tune twists and turns on a vibe as it funks you up and then on the flip is the more lo-fi and stripped back, earthen funk sounds of 'Nougbo Vehou' (La Verite Blesse). Anotehr killer 7" reissue from this great collective.
Review: Japanese jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa's blistering 'Uganda (Dawn Of Rock)' makes a piognant claim as to the origins of rock n' roll, blending traditional African drumming workouts with the futuristic tropes belonging to psychedelic rock and fourth world music. Consisting of just four movements ranging from formless to the watery and rhythmic, its recording lies in the basis of just one legendary drummer, but in all its sonics sounds as though an enormous ensemble were behind it. A well-sought J-psych rarity.
Review: Berlin-based Turkish singer and multi-instrumentalist Derya Yildirim fronts Grup Simsek - a psych-pop delight which channels the unmistakable lilt of Anatolian musical tradition. After releasing the first instalment last year, the band return to deliver the second half of their double album DOST. In the interim since that first half dropped they've recorded a BBC Radio 6 Music session, been featured all over the place and played internationally. The release of DOST 2 should cement their ascendance in a swirl of 70s informed funk driven by Yildirim's enchanting vocals and the fluid grooves of her backing band.
Bachir Baba - "Dounia" (Babach Flagerman mix) (8:54)
Muharaqa (7:25)
Chouia (4:37)
Review: The intriguingly named Humus Per Tutti label has made us wait well over two years for a seance EP after the tantalising first volume of this self-titled series. It comes from a section of artists who are all editing some worldly source material. First off is a Jean Kefta edit that locks you in a guitar loop while intoxicating vocals up top bring the charm. The Babach Flangerman mix of the A1 is another loopy disco cut with a Middle Eastern flavour and the comes Jean Kefta & Max Houmous's snake charming and psychedelic disco groover 'Muharaqa'.
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Review: Manu Dibango's grooves will never dull with time. The Cameroonian sax man made some of the most infectious, feel-good funk to ever transmit from the African continent, and here's one of his heavy-hitting high-watermarks, reissued by Soul Makossa. African Voodoo originally came out in 1972, a year that saw nearly all Dibango's most revered jams cut loose on an unsuspecting public. These sessions were recorded in France with Yvan Julien on trumpet, Slim Pezin on guitar, Jacques Bolgnesi on trombone and Lucien Dobat on drums to name but a part of the line-up, but of course it's Dibango holding court on the vibes, marimba, sax and organ who brings the unmistakable magic to the music.
Eesti TV & Raadio Estraadiorkester - "Meie Aeg" (instrumental) (4:04)
Marju Kuut & Apelsin - "Maskeraad" (3:01)
Laine - "Nuud On Mul Muusika" (3:32)
Raivo Parind & Eufoonia - "Hei, Paike!" (3:55)
Jaan Kumani Instrumentaalansambel - "Mind Veel Ei Ole" (instrumental short version) (3:21)
Collage & Apelsin - "Memme Vaev" (5:32)
Magnetic Band - "Liiklus" (2:42)
Ulle Ernits & Admiral - "Ma Tahan Olla Siin" (2:31)
Eesti TV & Raadio Estraadiorkester - "Malestus" (short version) (4:47)
Teravik - "Hoia Ennast Koos" (4:12)
Els Himma - "Veerev Paev" (3:14)
Pirita - "On See Hea" (instrumental) (4:30)
Review: There could have been no better way to escape the Soviet than through the music of the Groove of ESSR compilation series which now returns with a second volume. This time Funk Embassy serves up 11 cuts from between 1973 and 1984 and they are a mix of dance floor-ready sounds and more pensive material for somewhere else. Most of these tunes are getting their first-ever release here and the 12" comes with a 30-page booklet featuring some great background as well as thoughts from some of the artists. The likes of likes Gilles Peterson and DJ Tahira played tunes from the first one which tells you how good this series is.
Review: After relocating from Colombia to Spain in the early 1970s, sibling duo Elkin & Nelson recorded a string of albums that became hits across the Latin world. 'Angeles Y Demines', a 1974 double-album that has here been given the remastered reissue treatment, is arguably the strongest of the lot. It's certainly the one that Balearic heads return yo regularly, featuring as it does the scene classic 'Jibaro (Enrolle)' alongside many more slices of Latin/Flamenco/Funk/Jazz-Funk fusion. Their sound was unique but undeniably weighty and dancefloor-ready, with the album's many highlights including 'Abran Passo-Ahoa (Enrolle)', 'Anacaona', and their dense, sunrise-ready cover of 'Ain't No Sunshine'.
Review: The late Helen Nkume began her music career in Nigeria in the early 70s, forming the Young Timers and crafting a strain of highlife which caught on in the East of the country. By the late 70s she had self-produced her two best albums, which were constrained to the region she resided in and were of course incredibly hard to come by. The diligent folk at Dig This Way came across those records in a village near Umahia and embarked on a mission to connect with her family, gather any material they could about Nkume and present some of her incredible music to the world, which has resulted in this perfectly formed four-tracker of Afrobeat goodness.
Nico Gomez & His Afro Percussion Inc - "Lupita" (7:16)
Review: Mr Bongo continue to churn out top-quality re-edits and here they enlist Danny Krivit aka. Mr. K, the New York producer who has longstandingly helped prop up the dance scene there since the early 1960s. Krivit is responsible for perhaps some of the earliest and most significant disco and funk edits on Earth, so we're more than happy to hear these new ones out, in which he lends his ear to two mambi from Latin extraordinaires Sabu Martinez and Nico Gomez. Percussive clanks and boxy slaps abound on this audiophiles' charm.
Review: Belgian-Moroccan singer Aicha Haskal is at the heart of this fabulous project which sees her joining creative forces with super-talented musicians from the Belgian scene. Between them, the group has a mad diverse spread of backgrounds and influences which means their music too is broad in scope - psychedelic sounds and funky grooves, Arabic melodies and European rhythms all feature in this album as do rap and parlando. Egyptian poet Abdelhamid Farag penned their first single 'Ghalat' and now this album expands around that with music that fights the oppression of women and fights for revolution.
Review: Altin Gun has a famously recognisable sound and it is once again laid bare heart for all to enjoy. This new album is a triumphant return for the much-loved sextet from Amsterdam and one that is high on energy levels throughout. Though familiar in that way, this Ask album finds the band ditching some of their synth-drenched former sounds and 80s and 90s pop leanings to return to their 70s Anatolian funk of their roots. It almost sounds like a live album such is the hustle and bustle of the music with the results sounding all the more warm and welcoming.
Review: We really have a soft spot for the Four Flies late out of Italy. Their mix of world, Latin, library, jazz and plenty of other cultured in-between sounds always brings a smile to our face and dancers to our dance floors. This new 7" takes the form of a second single to be taken from Psyche's (aka Naples collective Marcello Giannini, Andrea De Fazio and Paolo Petrella) debut long player which is due in May. It's a compelling cut that offers a rich exploration of rhythm and the movements of an imaginary ritual dance. Synths and drums, guitar and bass and percussion all interplay delightfully.
I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody's Got A Thing (3:53)
I Wanna Know If It's Good To You (5:59)
Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On (3:18)
Hit It & Quit It (2:46)
Cosmic Slop (5:21)
Can You Get To That (2:50)
Loose Booty (3:16)
Funky Dollar Bill (3:06)
A Joyful Process (2:55)
I'll Bet You (6:14)
Review: This is a first-ever CD-reissue of legendary funk outfit Funkadelic's Greatest Hits album - known amongst fans as 'the sheep album' - from back in 1975. It came on Westbound and has plenty of the most enduringly iconic tunes as one of George Clinton's group's most iconic covers in a catalogue full of them. The tracks here are taken from the band's first six albums and features 45 mixes, LP mixes and an edit of the instrumental 'A Joyful Process' which has never before been reissued. The whole thing has been remastered as the original was known for being a little thin in the low end.
Review: Not to be confused with 80s synth-poppers or an early Carl Craig alias, Psyche is in fact a crack team of players from Naples who have been active for some two decades. In more recent times you might have heard Marcello Giannini, Andrea De Fazio and Paolo Petrella playing as part of Nu Genea's touring band, but after their first tour in 2018 they formed this project as a means of exploring a more minimal, flowing approach to playing their chosen instruments. If Psyche is in some ways a back to basics record, it's also a showcase for their incredible talent at weaving gently psychedelic grooves from simple ingredients. The sound has a perfect treatment, with plenty of reverb and analogue warmth in the mix, all the better to savour the laconic instrumental pieces the band perform.
Review: We are extremely thankful of the existence of Altin Gun, a Dutch band who focus their efforts on playing Turkish folk/psychedelic rock. Three albums so far have served to establish their sprawling sound. Their latest, Ask, does particularly well to chuck additional funk and disco edges into the mix - but contemporaneously comes On, a reissue of their debut LP released in 2018. In reissuing it, French label Le Vinyl Club document the band's eureka moment and subsequent splash onto the scene that eventually won them a Grammy. Beautiful cuts such as 'Goca Dunya' hear well-polished takes on trad Turkish folk, but with an added energy and verve brought to the fore by not only an electrifying backing band, but a whopping two vocalists, Merve Dasdemir and Erdinc Ecevit Yildiz.
Review: Naya Beat Records specialise in uncovering the otherwise forgotten sounds of 1980s Bollywood movies, shedding fresh light on the tracks that might still spark some interest for the present day. The project focuses exclusively on the musical output of CBS Gramophone Records & Tapes India Ltd: a label active during India's peak disco era and became a home for experimental, B-movie and straight-to-VHS soundtracks. 'Awaaz' compiles rare, overlooked or not-previously-on-vinyl music by composers such as Bappi Lahiri, R. D. Burman, Ilaiyaraaja, Kalyanji-Anandji, Anand Milind, Raamlaxman and Kirti Anuraag - all were released between 1982 and 1986. Shockingly catchy, the tracks are joyous fusions of both South Asian traditions and Moogy electronic and acid stylings, perfect for curios and DJ diggers alike.
Review: New Mexico musical stalwart, John Wagner, is best known in these parts as the producer of Freddie Chavez's Northern Soul classic, 'They'll Never Know Why'. Throughout his career, John produced various styles of music, flying the flag for the New Mexico sound. His longtime friend and collaborator, the singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist David Nunez, released a couple of albums in the 70s with John on production duties. Prior to these LPs, a batch of unreleased songs were recorded and recently unearthed from John's archives. Izipho Soul is now honoured to play its small part in preserving the musical legacy of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with two of Nunez' songs freshly pressed on a 7" single!
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