Funky Compilations — CDs  

The sprawling soul sounds of Motown, circa '72 – with all the amazing singles from January to July of that huge and historic year – collected here in the first of a 2 box set grand finale for the Complete Motown Singles series! Creatively, the first half of '72 was an incredible period. Veterans like Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and The Four Tops sound freshly inspired, Marvin Gaye is hitting his peak, Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 are in full stride, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas and The Supremes are still cutting gorgeous singles. In other words, there's still a whole lot of distinctively Motown magic happening! But '72 also finds the label branching out into funk, funk rock and both sunnier and grittier material by a variety artists – from Undisputed Truth and Sisters Love, to Frankie Valli and Rare Earth. The label would soon make the move to the west coast, so it's truly the end of an era – therefore as apt of a point as possible for Hip-O Select to begin closing up their beautiful series. Vol 12A has 113 tracks on 5CDs – encased in a hardcover, 130-page full color book with essays and notes on each track – including songs by all the above, plus Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, David Ruffin, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, The Commodores, Syreeta, Edwin Starr, Thelma Houston, The Devastating Affair, Bobby Darin, Blinky, Posse, The Marvelettes, Blue Scepter, GC Cameron, The Originals, Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knght & The Pips and more! Also includes a bonus 45 by The Blackberries – "Somebody Up There" backed by "But I Love You More" – with the Mowest logo on the inner label! Love this! Can't wait for Vol 12B!

A warm, easygoing and sprawling 2CD set from the Expansion and Jazz FM team – the third and best yet in their Funky Sensation series – with both hits and relatively underappreciated numbers! It's wonderful stuff all the way – and well chosen by Mike Vitti & Ralph Tee – with full-length treasures by Roy Ayers, Rick James, Cameo, Rene & Angela, Willie Hutch, Dazz Band, Charles Earland, Teen Marie and The Gap Band to name but a few. What we love about the Funky Sensation series is the sort of informal, unfussy vibe. It's not so much about shining a lot on particular labels, producers or well-defined scene – and very much about simply putting together some sensationally funky, jazzy and soulful music, nearly all of it from the mid 70s to early 80s, together in a generous double-sized set! 26 tracks on 2CDs – and over 150 minutes of music. Includes "Running Away" by Roy Ayers, "Circles" by Atlantic Starr, "Now That We Found Love" by Third World, "So Fine" by Howard Johnson, "Man Power" by Lalomie Washburn, "I Believe In Miracles" by The Jackson Sisters, "I Need Your Lovin'" by Teena Marie, "I'l Be Good" by Rene & Angela, "Get It Up For Love" by Tata Vega, "Outstanding" by The Gap Band, "Let The Music Play" by Charles Earland and many more.

Classic Latin, beautifully remixed – as a host of Fania Records gems are given a fresh twist by Louie Vega, Joe Claussell, Gilles Peterson, and others! The package is way more than you might expect – not clunky remixes of Latin styles, but some beautiful numbers that really expand the warmth and spontaneous energy of the originals – mostly keeping a strong 70s vibe intact, and approaching the project with a really loving feel overall! In fact, the sound is almost as if Schema got their hands on Fania – since there's echoes here of some of the updated Latin modes you'd find on that label too. Titles include "Saona (Gilles Peterson & Simbad rmx)" by Noro Morales, "Me Voy Ahora (Sacred Rhythm dance version)" by Ismael Miranda, "Siembra (Joe Claussell rmx)" by Ruben Blades, "Mi Gente (Louie Vega eol rmx)" by Hector Lavoe, "Take Five (Nicola Conte rmx)" by Roberto Roena, "Morris Park (Bonde De Role rmx)" by Lenni Sesar, and "O Elefante (Shh rmx)" by Ray Barretto.

Don't let the title or the bunny on the cover put you off, because there's nothing toy-like about these tunes – and the package is an excellent batch of rare German grooves put together with the same high level as other collections on the Perfect Toy label! Ex-Spinning Wheel mainman Marcus Hacker put together this one – and the grooves remind us a lot of some of the older SW sound library compilations – all awash in flavors borrowed from Brazilian bossa, American funk, Brit easy, and other genres – remodeled into a German economic miracle mode by a variety of jazz and studio players! The sound here is really really fresh – funky, but with lots of odd little touches and unusual instrumentation – a bit in the In Kraut mode, but more direct overall, and slightly less kitschy (although the set does have a few charming moments in that respect.) A number of tracks have vocals – some sung, some scatted – and titles include "Photographs" by Swegas, "Cameleon" by Kaate Frits Quartet, "Drift" by Orchester Heinz Kiessling, "Soul Samba" by The Earthquakers, "Guarana Guaranar" by Grupo Veneno, "Sara" by The Voices, "I Mimi" by Idili Tsaliki, and "Memories Of Yesterday" by Othella Dallas.

An amazing dip into the widest reaches of the Universal Music vaults – an incredibly groovy set of dancefloor numbers in a variety of genre – rare soul, deep funk, modal jazz, bossa nova, French pop, and more! The set's every bit as great as other Mojo Club entries – beautifully chosen tunes that include loads of under-reissued gems – all put together as a massive 18 track package that gives you plenty of great music for the money. Titles include "Day By Day" by Greetje Kauffeld, "Descarrego" by Emilio Santiago, "Big Mama Cass" by Don Sebesky, "Noir C'est Noir" by Johnny Hallyday, "Sir Henry The Dancer" by Casey & His Group, "I Likes To Do It" by People's Choice, "I Love Every Little Thing About You" by Syreeta, "Dona Flor" by Tania Maria, "Sophisticated Wheels" by Gabor Szabo, "I Believe In Miracles" by The Jackson Sisters, and "O Orvalho Vem Caindo" by Meirelles.

Funky sounds from the Harlem scene – an incredibly rich collection of work from the Rojac and Tayster labels – a set so massive, it's like finding a box of rare funky 45s and deep soul singles in the back of some old record store! The package offers up way more work than we might have expected from our knowledge of a few key funk classics from the labels – a treasure trove of under-discovered gems from the grittiest years of the New York scene – most of them cut in the pre-disco years, with raw edges that almost feel more like southern soul and funk than other work from the Big Apple! This overstuffed set also comes with a sweet booklet of notes – really telling the tale of the labels and related enterprises – plus 44 tracks that include "Where Were You" by Kim Tolliver, "Meet Me Halfway" by Lillie Bryant, "Old Love Never Dies" by Big Maybelle, "Something Special About My Baby" by Clarence Reid, "I Love My Baby" by International GTOs, "No Better For Ya" by Jo Armstead, Love Love Love" by Chuck Flamingo, "Christmas In Vietnam" by Private Charles Bowens & The Gentlemen From Tigerland, "Everybody's Going Wild" by Curtis Lee & The KCPs, "Lovin Lies" by Third Guitar, "This & That" by Jo Armstead, "Don't Lose Your Groove" by Lavell Hardy, "Nwanne Nwanne Nwanne" by Aleke Kanonu & Tolbert The Miracle Man, "Lucky Man" by Damn Sam The Miracle Man, "Baby Don't Cry" by Third Guitar, and "Whip Ya" by Chuck A Luck & The Lovemen Ltd.

A far reaching triple platter of Afro Colombian grooves from the late 60s & 70s – propulsive percussion, bursts of brass, hot and heavy Afro Latin funk & soul, with some surprisingly heady and otherworldly sounds permeating some of material – all culled from the vaults of Colombia's Discos Fuentes label! Afrosound Of Colombia Vol 1 is one of best compilations yet from Vampi Soul – shining a much needed light on Discos Fuentes, but on top of that it's simply a great collection of funky Afro Latin sounds you may not have heard before! The numbers cover a lot of territory – salsa, cumbia, boogaloo, tropical funk, and chicha recordings abound – but the shared elements of killer percussion and feverish vibes overall make for a cohesive flow throughout. Excellent! 43 tracks on 2 CDs plus excellent liner notes, photos and artwork. Titles include "El Abanico" By Wganda Kenya, "Cumbia De Sal" by Cumbia En Moog", "Caliventura" by Afrosound, " El Ascensor" by Los Corraleros De Majagual, "La Negra Celina" by Los Golden Boys, "El Caminante" by Fruko Y Sus Tesos, "Nostalgia Campesina" by Rodolfo Con Los Idolos, "Rosalia" by Wganda Kenya, " Salsa Boogaloo" by Sexteto Miramar and much more!

Rare British disco, club soul and jazzy funk from the late 70s & early 80s – compiled by Joey Negro – hard to find numbers from Mirage, Incognito, Hudson People, Intrigue and many more! Negro has long been a trusted compiler and he does a terrific job here – many tracks from the end of the 70s and start of the 80s that wonderfully blend the soaring, dancefloor soul and disco with masterful musicianship of jazz and funk steeped rhythms. It's not a DJ mixed set, the tracks are unmixed – but there are a number of nice Joey Negro edits. 23 tracks on 2CDs: "Summer Grooves" by Mirage, "Keep In Touch" by Freeez, "Trip To Your Mind" by Hudson People, "The Wiggle" by Stikki Stuff, "Zero One" by Surface Noise, "Sore Lip" by Ritual "Express" by 52nd Street, "Parisienne Girl" by Incognito, "Latin Dream" by The Antilles, "Bentley Boogie" by Ed Bentley, "I Wanna Dance" by The Cool Notes, "You Know Too Much" by MBT and more.

Funky sounds from the Harlem scene – an incredibly rich collection of work from the Rojac and Tayster labels – a set so massive, it's like finding a box of rare funky 45s and deep soul singles in the back of some old record store! The package offers up way more work than we might have expected from our knowledge of a few key funk classics from the labels – a treasure trove of under-discovered gems from the grittiest years of the New York scene – most of them cut in the pre-disco years, with raw edges that almost feel more like southern soul and funk than other work from the Big Apple! This overstuffed set also comes with a sweet booklet of notes – really telling the tale of the labels and related enterprises – plus 44 tracks that include "Where Were You" by Kim Tolliver, "Meet Me Halfway" by Lillie Bryant, "Old Love Never Dies" by Big Maybelle, "Something Special About My Baby" by Clarence Reid, "I Love My Baby" by International GTOs, "No Better For Ya" by Jo Armstead, Love Love Love" by Chuck Flamingo, "Christmas In Vietnam" by Private Charles Bowens & The Gentlemen From Tigerland, "Everybody's Going Wild" by Curtis Lee & The KCPs, "Lovin Lies" by Third Guitar, "This & That" by Jo Armstead, "Don't Lose Your Groove" by Lavell Hardy, "Nwanne Nwanne Nwanne" by Aleke Kanonu & Tolbert The Miracle Man, "Lucky Man" by Damn Sam The Miracle Man, "Baby Don't Cry" by Third Guitar, and "Whip Ya" by Chuck A Luck & The Lovemen Ltd.