Funky 45's — All Formats  

The 8 X 7" box set version of this classic batch of instrumentals from J Dilla – one that strongly transcends the hip hop genre – and perhaps his rawest, and most adventurous listening experience ever! The loopy soul samples, rich synth/electro shine, and thumping bass and soul beats that Dilla largely made his name on are laced throughout, but he also takes things a step into stranger territory – with spacey elements that buzz as much as they groove! The cuts are never less than soulful and funky, and never really steps into his peer Madlib's brand of the weeded out style, either. We love how raw this all feels, too! It's easily identifiable as the work of Jay Dee, but at the same time, wholly unpredictable! One of the best releases that Stone's Throw ever released – instrumental or vocal! Includes "Donuts (Intro & Outro)", "Workinonit", "Waves", "Light My Fire", "People", "Mash", "Airworks", "Lightworks", "Stepson Of The Clapper", "One Eleven", "Don't Cry", "Geek Down", "Thunder", "Gobstopper", "Walkinonit", "U-Love", "Last Donut Of The Night" and more. Extra Bites bonus 45 includes "Signs", plus "Sniper Elite" and "Murder Goons" with Ghostface & MF Doom.

Heavy funk from our friends at Colemine – great stuff from Cali combo Monophonics plus a different, but just as great psych funk styled cut by Destruments! "Like Yesterday" is solid as can be, a hard-hitting number with walloping drums, punchy horns, and powerhouse vocals – a track that starts out like it's going to slow cookin' jam highlighted by bluesy soul guitar, but it heats up quickly! "Freedom" by Destruments is an atmospheric gem that's not too easy to describe – which is a good thing! The beat and rhythm are stable, with densely atmospheric horns and spacey flourishes. A cool split single that demonstrates the far-reaching creative capabilities of the contemporary funk scene!

Brooklyn boogaloo from Spanglish Fly – a joyous couple of numbers for their second funky 45 for Electric Cowbell – recorded at Truth & Soul! "Me Gusta Mi Bicicleta" – kind of a Latin party soul love letter to urban cyclists! Female lead vocals and chorus backup with killer percussion and cool horn arrangements. The groove changes halfway through, too – it's almost modern boogaloo suite unto itself. "The Po-Po" is another winner – sirens sound out of horns and percussion and some playful back & forth vox. We sure love what we've heard from this combo thus far!

A mindblowing 7-inch EP from Nashville's DeRobert & The Half-Truths and the GED Soul team – who've shown enough potential thus far to make us think they'd eventually rise to the upper tier of neo classic funky soul collectives – and with this exceptional EP we think they've made it! Tight, punchy raw soul from the group and it's sung with grit, heart and truth by boss DeRobert Adams. It works as timelessly raw southern soul – drums, organ, guitar, bass and horns – but they bring uncommon elements to like steel pan and other bits to the table without sacrificing any of the soul. We've dug all we've heard by the group to date, but they take it a steep deeper and more effectively on this EP. Don't sleep! Includes "Beg Me", "Just Don't Care", "Finger Tips", "Reachin' Out" and "Call Me".

Raw, spacey and garagey funk from Sputnik-1 – who also record as The Soul Surfers! As Sputnik-1, they their rolling with a Russian space race-theme – and it's groovy stuff! "50,000 Lightyears" has raw funky drums back drop, with some tripped out bits organ and synth grooves. The drums and keys lead with way, but the thick bass groove and psych funk guitars aren't trailing too far behind! "Space Race" is almost like a "Part 2" – extending the groove from the other side nicely!

A funky funky riffer from Charles Bradley and his Bullets! "Now That I'm Gone" is one of the best pieces of new deep funk we've heard in a long time – with searing guitars that rip through the whole thing, and give the tune a really sinister edge that seems to push Charles' vocals even farther than on any of his other singles! The flip's got a very similar feel – with all the right elements in place – just slowed down a few notches, for a sly slow funk groove!

Tight-stepping soul from the well-named Hank "Soulman" Mullen – a great groover that moves at a Northern pace, but has a deeper soul feel overall! Hank's vocals are totally great – warm and raspy, almost in the best Memphis tradition – and the rhythms of the track are tightly vamping with some nicely skittish guitar and horns blasting over the top! "Listen" is great too – a mellower number with a great southern soul feel – like a lost gem from the far-reaches of the Muscle Shoals recording scene!

Marc Mac takes it back, way back – with some great 70s styled sounds mixed in with his 21st Century vibe! The package is a great one to be issued on a limited 7" box, given the style of the music – and cuts include "Shaft In Africa (Addis)", "Funky Fanfare", "Apache (battle dub)", "Jungle Green Outlines", "Swahililand", "Luanne From Harlem", "Back In Time", and "Oil & Water".

A dark soul groover from Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators – easily one of Nicole's deepest tracks ever, and another proud outing for the mighty Timmion label! Willis is an excellent singer with a range that goes far beyond most other funk divas – and the tune itself has complicated jazzy changes that make it sound much more like a true classic from back in the day, and not just another retro funk tune. The instrumental is great too – with some great drums and warm inflections on guitar!