[ aquarius records — Soul Funk ]

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Showing results 151 through 200 of 794.

Talk about obscure funk unearthed, this one takes the cake! East Of Underground were a group of US Army servicemen stationed in Germany who recorded an amazing record of Soul and Funk covers in 1971 in the Armed Forces Network studios in Frankfurt. Who knew there was a soul counterpart to the beloved Monks. Comprised of covers of tracks by folks like Sly & The Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and Funkadelic, this isn't merely some servicemen who worshiped the soul and funk greats of the time, these guys had major talent of their own. Vocal melodies delivered with sweet perfection, tight and gritty instrumentation and a sense of ease and conviction that's usually absent in cover songs. Only one known copy of the original LP was kept by the Army but luckily it was hunted down and used as the master for this disc, which marks the first release on the new musical wing of Wax Poetics, the amazing magazine dedicated to all things soul and funk. A pretty great way to start their record label as East Of Underground oozes with charisma and killer chops.

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Superstar DJs/collectors Peanut Butter Wolf and Egon from the Stones Throw/Now-Again label are back with another from-the-vaults '70s funk find: Indianapolis' Ebony Rhythm Band, who recorded the cuts found here circa 1969-70. You heard a taster on the The Funky 16 Corners compilation. Now here's all the eleven tracks that have been unearthed from the ERB. Mostly instrumental funk from pretty hot band with rock/psych influences, who were also heavily into The Meters. They do some funky, soul-jazz cover versions of pop/rock hits of the era (including "Light My Fire" and "Sunshine Of My Love") but the highlights might be the ERB's originals, including their winning tune from an anti-drug music contest entitled "Drugs Ain't Cool" (reportedly performed live with all band members stoned and, I guess, uncool). Comes with with extensive, illustrated liner notes in the thick cd booklet. Along with the recently released/reviewed Midwest Funk compilation, definite proof of how the funk once flourished in the fly-over states, not that any was necessarily needed.

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As promised last list, when we reviewed Rob's Make It Fast, Make It Slow, here's the other killer African '70s reissue that the folks at the Soundway label just blessed us with, the 1973 Projection One album from Ghana's Edzayawa band, their sole release. Once again, this proves that the international groove scene of yesteryear just won't quit. Deep digging labels like Soundway are getting nowhere near to the bottom of the barrel, if albums like this are any indication. Edzaywa is top flight stuff, funky and kinda freaky, with tight percussive grooves in complex patterns arranged into what amount to mostly-instrumental, dark & intense "Afro-prog" workouts. There's often someone jamming away on the organ, also outbursts of some slightly surfy guitar twang, occasional emphatic vocals (usually in an African dialect), and even an interlude or two of crazy whistling flute (?). But it's the staggering rhythms, ticking away steadily, speeding up, slowing down, sometimes with echoing, almost dubbed out production, that will keep you in thrall. Hot stuff. Finding just one awesome obscure album like this would be an accomplishment for most reissue labels, for Soundway it apparently ain't no thing. By the way, there's a vinyl version too, but it's currently on backorder....

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Out of all the great rare-groove productions Roy Ayers did for other artists, Ramp, Ethel Beatty, Bobbi Humphrey, and Sylvia Striplin, the sole 1980 full length by Eighties Ladies may be the most sought after cult boogie classic. Their most well-known single, the monster jam, "Turned On To You", has been featured on so many DJ mixes and has been sampled rather heavily over the past couple of decades that for a long time, we thought that the track was their only output. Of course we're proven wrong by this hefty reissue. Hefty in the sense of the mean boogie (Rick James plays in the backing band!) and sass these five ladies bring to the groove, marrying Sylvester's sensual disco to Bettie Davis's harder-edged empowered funk. What the reissue lacks in backstory, more than makes up in eight fine jazz-laden funkified gems. These Eighties Ladies could have been better named, they were the template for all the eighties r&b/funk girl groups to come: Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, Mary-Jane Girls, The Flirts and Klymaxx. Listen in and get schooled!

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This could be a risky proposition: a live band interpreting instrumental versions of songs by one of the most iconic hip-hop groups ever, The Wu-Tang Clan. But the risk pays off, because this band is not only super tight, but they approach the material with an economy of touch, keeping the arrangements minimal and the grooves mean but still highly cinematic. Led by Brooklyn organist and drummer, Leon Michels (who also co-runs, the Truth and Soul label), the El Michels Affair really know how to tap into the sounds of hip-hop source material, the rare groove of '60s and '70s soul, jazz and deep funk, without it being pastiche. Their 2005 debut, Sounding Out The City, proved this was the soul-jazz group to watch, having previously released a single on the Daptone label. It was Raekwon, from The Wu-Tang Clan that tapped El Michels Affair to instrumentally rework Wu-Tang beats for a series of 12"s called The Shaolin Series which led to this full record. Peppered with samples from martial arts movies, the group even venture into some of the Wu-Tang offshoots, including an amazing version of Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" with a chorus sung by kids. Also be sure to lookout for the hidden 37th track! This kills!

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El Michels Affair and Budos Band should have some crazy battle of the amazing modern soul/funk bands sometime, because both groops are such heavy hot groovers in their own takes on instrumental soul/funk. Last time we heard from El Michels Affair they were interpreting the work of Wu Tang Clan in a way that was strong and soulful and not at all some sort of gimmick. They have returned, doing the same to the amazing music of Isaac Hayes, paying tribute to him by interpreting his songs (both his hits and more obscure tracks) in such a rich and free flowing way. They don't try to mimmick the originals, instead they really do inject a new vibe and energy into them, and they help remind us all that Isaac Hayes was much more than just Shaft, or a cartoon character on South Park, but in fact one of the most brilliant musical minds of our time. This sizzles and burns with such delight! Some parts remind us of the slinky grooves on that Xero soundtrack by Rockford Kabine.

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Big ups to Daptone for pulling together this smoking collection of tracks from 45's by one of the most underrated masters of souk/funk out of Benin in the 1960s and '70s. We first heard El Rego (Theophile Do Rego) on the awesome Analog Africa compilation, Legends Of Benin, in one of his many incarnations as El Rego Et Ses Commandos, and we totally dug that track so much, that we were stoked to realize he had a golden vault of tracks hidden away, all from this magical era. El Rego has a similar sound, energy and spirit to folks like Fela Kuti, James Brown, and Archie Bell, while also having the ability to slow things down and allow the rich grooves to drive the meditative focused vocals into a blues like trance. It makes sense that Rego was not only a performer, producer, and engineer, but also owned nightclubs, as his sense of timing and the importance of creating a mood and making bodies move is undeniable in these stellar tracks. The vinyl edition comes with a bonus 7" of one of his most sought after funk tracks, while the cd comes in deluxe packaging including a booklet filled with photos, artwork from the original 45's and El Rego's story of his life and music.

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How many other groups can you think of that have been equally embraced by the house, the hip hop, and the punk scenes? There ain't no one but ESG. The four black Scroggins sisters from the South Bronx formed their band in the late '70s (mom bought 'em intruments to keep them off the streets). They released their first single on Factory in the UK, and on 99 Records (No-Wave home of Liquid Liquid, Glenn Branca, etc) in the US. So not only did they play with groups such as The Clash and Gang of Four, but their single "Moody" was a bona fide disco hit, and the B-side of that single "UFO" has become one of the most recognizable, most sampled parts in the history of hip hop. Everyone from LL Cool J to 3rd Bass to Marley Marl to Big Daddy Kane has sampled ESG, you will be AMAZED when you listen to these original tracks. Super stripped-down, raw percussive tracks with enough groove to make a girl forget she's not swimming in jewels. Three full lengths and a couple of singles later, ESG (Emerald Sapphire and Gold) gets the best-of treatment in this excellent compilation of the group's best tracks (including Windy's personal favorite "Erase You": "Well I got news for you boys / I'm gonna erase you / just like a drawing / Erase you / flush you like my toilet / Pump it up girls!"

RealAudio clip: Erase You

Rarities discs from most bands usually seem superfluous or at the very least only for their most obsessed fans, but when it comes to ESG, we'll gladly take any kind of extra material we can get! If you don't already own the first volume of A South Bronx Story we hereby demand that you stop reading this and get it right away! It's an all time AQ favorite that you can still hear blasting in the store all the time, and it's one of those records that just about everyone we've ever played it for has totally fallen head over heels for. Volume 2 features lots of alternative mixes, b-sides and unreleased tracks, from their early days all the way up until their more present incarnation. The day this arrived we of course immediately threw it on and every single person in the store at one point or another made their way up to the counter to find out what was playing. It was so cool because they were all folks who don't normally gravitate toward dance minded music, but their ears obviously knew that this was the real deal, and no matter what your regular sonic inclinations may be, it's pretty much impossible not to be swept up by the wholly unique sounds of ESG. Highly recommended!

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With a brand new record released earlier this year and their first ever live show here in SF, it's for sure been nonstop ESG fever here at AQ. We could probably write the longest most glowing review ever of that live show but suffice to say it was a mind blowing experience which we aren't soon going to forget. When ESG were on tour last year in Japan they realized that people were spending hundreds of dollars to get their hands on their rare second album called Come Away With ESG, so they asked Soul Jazz to reissue it and now here it is, all gussied up and at a nice price. Originally released in 1983 on 99 Records, the great NY underground label that also put out records by folks like Glen Branca, Bush Tetras, Liquid Liquid, etc. While the bulk of these songs can be found on the great A South Bronx Story collection it's still so thrilling and a little mind blowing to understand how an entire album can actually sound like the best greatest hits album you've ever heard. Pretty much hands down the best dance music made in this quarter century. ESG have been sampled on countless hip-hop records, helping to inspire an entire generation of forward minded dance/punk/dub/funk artists, and have thus continued to keep their vision alive and well. For those who already have A South Bronx story there are a few absolute gems on here not included on that collection. And for those who don't have any ESG yet in their collection, get this right away!!!

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Thank God for simple joys! ESG is just like the energizer bunny: they keep going and going. Just when you think the Scroggins sisters are going to falter or that their revival stock has dried up, they drop this bomb on us, their first single in four years, just in time for summer. Spare but ever sooo sly and infectious, this simple jam is just under 3 minutes of bass, drums and vocals (there is also a "tambourine mix"), but its economy and precision are the payoff, wisely refusing to add even an iota of window-dressing (Are you listening, Peaches?). The best part is you can slow the end drum break to 33 and spin anything you mix with it into liquid gold! We can't wait for the full length!

Little did ESG know, 20 years ago, when they first hit New Yorkers with their dub influenced, soul fired, minimalist funk, proto-hip-hop sound that they would impact future generations of post-punk dance minded music makers all over the globe. From Le Tigre to Tussle, M.I.A. to LCD Soundsystem, Erase Errata to Peaches, the influence of the Scroggin sisters has been felt in a HUGE way. In 2000 the world finally got to hear their prescient sound when Soul Jazz released A South Bronx Story, a killer collection of their, until that point, quite obscure recordings. Which in case you missed school that day, is absolutely an essential record for any music lover. What's so great and unique about ESG is their ability to cross, blur and erase genre lines. Sounding more minimal n' stripped down than ever, ESG show that subtlety can be the greatest weapon when you want folks to keep moving. We like their new moves and as always AQ loves our ESG!

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Hard and heavy funk from the Motor City! This reissue of the Counts' sole album on Cotillion is full of floor shakers and skirt blowers, played with effortless authority by a staggeringly tight and muscular band. The Fabulous Counts' sound is HUGE: dueling saxes trade off leads, while off-kilter guitar and popping Hammond organ provides the melodic bed, and it all gets anchored together by a supremely funky rhythm section made up of drums, conga and bass. The result is an album of hard-edged instrumental funk that mixes the slickness one would expect from a top shelf Detroit band in the '60s with more Southern soul and R&B flourishes (there's definitely some chicken pickin' and honkin' sax happening here) to create a sound that is at once totally raw and powerful but still maintains an almost military degree of precision. We're going to give drummer Andrew Gibson a lot of credit for this, as his ability to beat the ever-loving shit out of his kit without losing a hint of swing is remarkable; it gives the rest of the band the freedom to stretch out and pushes the whole thing to some remarkable, sweaty, and deeply funky heights. Jan Jan contains a mix of tracks taken from the band's early 45s, a few originals and a number of covers (James Brown's "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World," Sly Stone's "Sing A Simple Song" and a surprisingly great version of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" to name three). The tracks from the group's first two 45s are some of the standouts ("Jan Jan" and "Dirty Red" in particular), but the whole thing is solid. Recommended!

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Besides the incomparable freakiness of Betty Davis, and sheer force that is Chaka Khan, we don't see too many female soul singers that can equally seduce us with their soulful wiles, then go in for the kill with their hard-hitting funk edge, and still make us feel their pain. Beginning her career as a featured singer for the James Brown Revue, Fair cut her teeth at Motown recording a single with Marvin Gaye that made Motown producer Norman Whitfield (Undisputed Truth, Rose Royce) take notice, producing a string of singles in the early seventies. Her lone album, The Bitch is Black has been thankfully reissued by Reel Music and features her version of The Temptations classic "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On", Stevie Wonder's "Tell Me Something Good" and her UK hit "It Should Have Been Me", a spurned lover's soul-shattering breakdown. Just check out the cover, you don't want to mess with this 'bitch'!

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Damn, the Numero Group does it again! At this point we don't need to go on about what an amazing and trusted label NG is. As their Eccentric Soul, Cult Cargo, and Wayfaring Stranger series continue to offer up so much amazing music that might otherwise have gone unheard. Gathering dust in some garage for the last three decades due to the worst side of the music industry, this deep hitting, politically charged soul record finally gets to see the light of day. Father's Children were from the nations capitol, and took the influence of groups like the Stylistics, the Delfonics and the Dramatics and doused those sounds with fiery social consciousness and a slow burning psychedelic undertone. Like early Earth Wind & Fire, crossed with Curtis Mayfield's less funk and more full on deep soul moments. It's a record that really encompasses the most lasting and satisfying sides of '70s soul. The kind of record you can imagine inspiring folks like Erykah Badu, The Roots, Common, and Lauryn Hill. As always packed with endless love and care featuring amazing photos and the story of the group's history.

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God DAMN! Lee Fields has SOUL, ladies and gentlemen, and just in case a couple decades of watered down, completely non-visceral R&B has made you forget exactly what that means, let this record remind you. He's got the funk and the pride like James Brown, the smooove moves like Isaac Hayes, and he's here to spread the love and the grooves straight from the gut. And it feels sooo good! Mr. Fields has been making funk records since the seventies, many of which are highly sought-after collectables. Respected in the funk community, he earned the nickname "Little J.B." for good reason, but he's definitely got his own thang going on -- plus, when was the last relevant record from the godfather of soul? Uh huh, exactly. Enter Lee, who has been making kick ass heavy funk records with the Soul Providers and Sugarman Three as well as recording under his own name for the excellent nuveau rare groove label Soul Fire (kin to Daptone in the recent funk 45 resurgence). This will set fire to your behind, make sweet love to you, then give you advice on how to keep your woman. OK, the last part may be ill advised, but when Lee Fields brings it on with such sincerity it's hard not to believe in him.

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Leave it to the Numero Group to dig up a soundtrack so lost that the film it accompanies was never even made. Cut back to 1975, when the blaxploitation film era was at its peak before its downhill slide from socially uplifting noirs to clowning ninja-pimp buffoonery, and you have the seeds of a film in the making. A former gangster turned preacher who robs the robbers and gives to the poor. Brotherman! But first, before casting, before even finishing the script, what's needed is a Grade A soundtrack. Cue guitarist, songwriter and arranger Carl Wolfolk and his fledgling Chicago-based vocal group, The Final Solution. Dipping into the SuperFly well, but with enough uniquely inventive guitar work that allows it to stand apart firmly on its own, Wolfolk created an amazing score of songs and instrumentals that still sounds remarkably fresh and non-cliched. Using flamenco style funk guitar flourishes that stab around the four part harmonies, Wolfolk interjected socially smart song-writing with sweet Northern soul nuances. Unfortunately, the plug was pulled on the film before even a still was shot, leaving Wolfolk to carry around his masterwork for more than 30 years, hoping someday the music would be released. Well, Brotherman, your time has come!

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The newest release by Matt Wobensmith's A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. label -- following his last release by LA "gayngsta" rapper Deadlee. Matt: "You probably won't want to carry my latest release." AQ: "Why not?" Matt: "It's too R&B for you. It's not indie rock or experimental or a recording of elephants." AQ: "We like R&B." Matt: "It's not avant garde enough." AQ: "We could still carry it." Matt: "What if I lied and told you that -- instead of being a release by an amazing rapper who sounds like Q-Tip -- it was really a concept record built from samples of Lightning Bolt or the sound of earthworms burrowing to the surface of the earth or the sound of monkeys playing drones?" AQ: "We'd probably carry it." Matt: "Well, it's not. It's a straight-up R&B, Prince-influenced gay hip hop jam about gay marriage." AQ: "Just bring us some."

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This is Roberta Flack's debut from 1969 and it's not only one of the best soul debuts of all time but one of our all-time favorite records. Many of us didn't even know there had been a cd version of this, but were excited to discover there was considering we've worn out our cherished lp versions, which we've cherished and always kept close to our turntable, even amongst the piles of our ever growing record collections. But since there is indeed a cd version (not new or nothin') we had to take a moment to rave about it. First Take is an album brewing with such strong emotional weight, when Roberta sings it she means it, and while the word 'soul' has been reduced to a meaningless tag-name of a genre this reminds us what true soul is really all about. Elegant and moody string and horn arrangements by William Fischer, impeccable playing from a band that included the amazing Ron Carter on bass, and the stunning and often covered album opener "Compared To What" penned for Roberta by the enigmatic Gene (Eugene) McDaniels. First Take shares a special place next to records like Sam Cooke's Night Beat, Nina Simone's High Priestess Of Soul and Roy Orbison's In Dreams, another record that you can turn to time after time when you really need to check in with sounds that are filled with honesty and core conviction. There is no doubt that it's this record that has influenced everyone from Cat Power to Erykah Badu. First Take is as sexy as it is spiritual. Raw and unpolished yet so sensual and the closest thing you can get to trying to find any real peace of mind in this world. Absolutely recommended, a record that will always be close to our hearts!

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This record is so wackadoo, and we mean that in the best possible way! Flying Lotus records have always been more about the whole than their individual parts, often built around a large abstract metaphysical concept, where multiple ideas and spaces can congeal and separate. This time around, that concept is revealed in the title, and this album is a journey of short vignettes where like the process of death, there is a hectic loss of control, regrets and fears bubble to the surface, and then there is the quieting and majestic expanse, and sometimes this happens all in one track. When we first put this on, some of us were like, 'What in Jaco Pastorius hell is this?' The sound of prog jazz fusion may not be everyone's cup of tea - regular Flying Lotus collaborator, Thundercat, who makes his own George Duke inspired soul jams, provides the fret-hopping bass and Herbie Hancock (!!) is on the Fender Rhodes! But, those fusion sounds are tempered by some of the most sublimely beautiful ambient passages. What keeps this from being overtly indulgent are the short track times (mostly every track is under 3 minutes) and the genre-jumps from instrumental hip-hop to jazz prog, from cosmic ambiance to mind-rattling raps provided by Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog, and Flying Lotus alter-ego, Captain Murphy - who has a vocal affectation of stuffed-up worry that could easily be a voice from one of the Fat Albert kids. You're Dead may be the aural equivalent of the film Enter The Void, but with a sharper focus and an incredible all-encompassing flow that really feels like we have been through a life-altering event. Nothing else out there sounds like this, a black prog beauty!

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Newly discovered Soft Soul album.

Here's a rare Afro funk/soul record, now officially reissued on vinyl, that lives up to the 'holy grail' hype, in part due to featuring a precocious, charming 7-year-old singer! That'd be Francis Mbarga, aka Francis The Great. Recorded in Paris in 1977, the album was produced by The Great's dad, and benefits from the presence of a bunch of talented French and Cameroonian musicians, backing up the boy with burbling soukous rhythms, trippy synth, and funky guitar. There's two side-long, 12 minute jams, "Ravissante Baby (Negro Phasing)" and "Look Up In The Sky (Negro Nature)", both headnoddingly hypnotic and irresistibly groovy - and the weird, extra X-factor of the little kid vocals (with some deep lyrics) gives this an even more special vibe.

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So this is the first time any Aretha Franklin record has been reviewed on the aQ list. And of course with some artists it's just kind of universally known how amazing they are and most of you probably don't need us to gush about the obvious. But we do know, that with certain larger then life artists who have been reduced to so many collections and best of's, its easy to sometimes miss out on the mind blowing actual albums that are in their back catalog. Young, Gifted And Black is an absolute essential album created in 1971, right in the heart of our favorite era of the queen of soul's undeniable prowess. This is one of those start to finish mind blowing records without any filler in the mix. While so much soul from this era was about singles, Aretha had the ability to craft such rich and full sounding records and this is really one of the most satisfying examples of her brilliance. All of us can remember the first time we heard "Rock Steady" as it's one of the most groove filled burners of all time. A song that still makes dance floors shake all these years later. But the record has so much range and is so dynamic, this is what true soul, gospel, and funk really sounds like. Named after the Nina Simone song which she also covers on the record, Young, Gifted And Black is the work of someone fully coming into their own and owning their moment with such fire and conviction. When we saw this was being reissued on vinyl at a really low price we knew we could finally gush about Aretha, and so now if you don't somehow own this record already, we really believe it's time you did!

Latest single by former members of !!!.

The funk equivalent to the Stooges' "Funhouse"! Very very LSD etc. damaged funk-rock, weirder even than it is funky. The second album from the Funkadelic.

1971 debut from Detroit's psychedelic freak-funk-rock army, led by chief funkateer George Clinton. Amazing, essential shit. Swampy, soulful, good ol' FUNK. If you need to find out more, well, track one is for you: "Mommy, What's A Funkadelic?"

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UK import of this early live P-Funk document. Live in Michigan, Sept. 12th, 1971. Of course, pretty great!

What's that? A whole disc of unreleased vintage Funkadelic jams?? You don't gotta say that twice, we're on it like Michael Phelps on any passing bong. Yep, we were pretty excited when this showed up here, as Funkadelic are one of our favoritest bands ever. Early '70s psychedelic funk rock genius, y'know. If you're not already hip to the whole Parliament-Funkadelic "thang" (which we don't have room to properly enthuse over here), this wouldn't be the first disc of theirs to get, though it would certainly whet your appetite to hear more. If you want our advice, noobs should pick up Maggot Brain and Up For the Down Stroke and a few other "actual" P-Funk albums first, before getting Toys. For folks who are already fans, though, we heartily recommend this disc to y'all!! Toys features four songs with vocals and five live-in-the-studio instrumentals, the best of which really let Funkadelic axemaster Eddie Hazel show off his Jimi Hendrix inspired wah-wah wailin'. There's alternate (slower, heavier, harder) versions of "You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure" (herein called "Heart Trouble") and "The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg" (sans vocals) which appeared on later Funkadelic and Parliament records, respectively. Other tracks, like the nearly 11 minute long "Slide On In", are total (and totally badass) improvs. Though not all are so extended, to wit the brief laidback goof "2 Dollars & 2 Dimes". Meanwhile, poppier, songi-er fare includes "Talk About Jesus" (a gospel-ly tune, duh) and "Stink Finger", a bright and sunny number, which you might not guess from its title. Now, we'll admit this buried treasure ain't all gold, one of the lesser tracks here to our ears would be the just a bit too straight jazzy "Magnifunk", though this keyboard-led jam does get wilder as it goes on. But Funkadelic's throwaways are still way better than most other bands' best stuff, of course. Also this includes an alternate "karaoke" version of the throbbing freakfunk classic from Maggot Brain, "Wars Of Armageddon", the original of which probably inspired half of that Wicked Witch album we highlighted recently. And another reason to buy Toys is for the bonus mpeg video clip, a 16mm promo film shot for "Cosmic Slop" featuring the band in outlandish outfits frolicking in the streets of New York City circa 1971. Wow. It's about the coolest thing ever. What a bunch of groovy freaks!! Can't imagine true Funkadelic fans not wanting this. We only wish could dig up even more from the Westbound vaults! And it's nicely packaged with colorful graphics, and lengthy, enlightening liner notes by P-Funk expert Peter Bowman.

MPEG stream: Heart Trouble aka You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure
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MPEG stream: I'll Bet You
MPEG stream: I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody's Got A Thing

Once again, hot on the heels of reissues by Edzayawa and Rob, international groove digging label Soundway come up with a winner! And since this Nigerian band is named The Funkees, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect already, right? Of course, if a band from around here, now, called themselves The Funkees, they would probably be terrible if they played funk - and probably still terrible if the name were ironic and they played, like, acoustic indie rock or floorcore dronemusic. But a band from Africa, back in the '70s, called The Funkees, reissued by Soundway? Yep, they're good. Good and funky. Good enough to become East Nigeria's number one band, and their region's closest competitors to Lagos-based big city contemporaries like BLO. And good enough to move to London, and score a record deal. This "best of" anthology includes the tracks from all of The Funkees' early Nigerian singles, plus crucial selections from the two albums that they recorded in while England. 18 tracks total, packed with irresistibly groovy rhythms, energetic arrangements, jamming organ, and fuzz guitar excess. Heck there's actually even a song here titled "Acid Rock"! They also do an Afrofunk cover version of "Slipping Into Darkness" by War. Hell yeah, it's "Dancing Time" all right... Packaged with full liner notes that include an interview with original member Sonny Akpan.

MPEG stream: Abraka
MPEG stream: Point Of No Return
MPEG stream: Dancing In The Nude

Ten booty-shaking disco funk hits for a bargain price! Includes "Steppin' (Out)", "Humpin'", "Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)", and the incredible P-Funk worship of "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Oops)". There's a couple of smooth soul ballads as well, but for the most part this is dancefloor dynamite. A damn good excuse to have a party.

MPEG stream: Nissim
MPEG stream: Apparitions
MPEG stream: In The Dark

This is not only one of our favorite blaxploitation soundtracks, it may also be one our favorite Marvin Gaye Record too (though I Want You may be a close second). While the movie itself might be rather unremarkable, the soundtrack stands apart from its more well known contemporaries, like SuperFly and Shaft by focusing less on a hard hitting urban funk grit and more on a cool detached noir vibe that somehow feels more menacing. Mostly everything is performed and arranged by Gaye, with Moog synths, piano and saxophone being the main instruments. There is of course some wah wah-ed guitar in the theme, but its low-key laid back swing seems to illustrate a more plausible reality for the title character, one of reserved violence as opposed to say, Isaac Hayes' uptempo go-get-'em macho swagger for Shaft. Still, there is plenty of urban grit. The tense set-ups of "'T' Stands for Trouble" and "The Break In", the pensive ambiance of "Deep-In-It", the love themes tinged with sadness, and the troubled vocal harmonies of "Cleo's Apartment" and "Life Is A Gamble". But the topper of them all is "'T' Plays It Cool", a stone cold groove that is deadly as it is funky. All killer, No filler! So happy it's now been reissued on vinyl - and we got the bargain-priced cd version in stock as well.

MPEG stream: Trouble Man
MPEG stream: 'T' Plays It Cool
MPEG stream: 'T' Stands For Trouble
MPEG stream: The Break In (Police Shoot Big)

Deluxe vinyl reissue of one of the greatest albums of all time!