Deep Funk — All Formats  

Raw funk from Diazpora – a contemporary cut, but one with the same sort of gritty edge you'd expect from the Tramp label's usual rare funky 45s! "Non Sports" has an odd title, but an incredible groove – a right-on-the-money blend of fast drums, blasting horns, and riffing guitars – backed by the even greater "Kate", which has this romping groove, and a nice dose of organ – almost like a Meters' cut, but lots weirder with these strange horn passages!

Ragged rhythms and gritty guitar – a wicked little groover from Dokkerman, with a slightly exotic vibe too! The set begins like a sweet slow funk number – then offbeat reed lines come in over the top, and almost shade the tune with a snakey Ethiopian music sort of vibe! "Plan B" is more upbeat, with Hammond bubbling along with the fast bassline and drums – and some wah wah guitar that slides in to give a 70s funk feel to the sweet groove!

Contemporary grooves, but all pretty darn funky – thanks to an excellent track selection by Tobias Kirmayer – the same guy who brought us the excellents Movements collections! A few of the titles here are of older vintage, but most are pulled from the same deep funk underground that Kirmayer services with his Tramp Records label – groups steeped in the styles of the 60s and 70s underground, but who serve up new work that's filled with plenty of funky roots! Despite the wide range of styles promised in the title, most of the titles here are on the grittier side of the spectrum – which is a good thing for us – and even the few tracks that are a bit more programmed still work with plenty of soulful and jazzy elements to keep things real throughout. Titles include "Nothin But A Party" by The Blenders, "Get Clean" by The Nitesounds, "Skins Funk" by Skin Williams & His Dominoes, "Bubbles" by The Boogoos, "Violet" by Hi-Fly Orchestra, "Rhythmo" by Dusty, "Get High" by Dr Sonnenschein, "Barbados Stew" by Caldonia, "First Time Around" by Sagaflex & Rudy Tee, and "Trip To Afrika" by Baccarola.

Hammond beat grooves from The Qualitons – representing funky Budapest! The Qualitons are a unique group in the funky organ underground, regardless of region – drawing from a well of influences that range from rave up funk to wild-eyed vintage R&B & garage rock. It's really exciting stuff, and feels no more or less authentic than the influences – generally with a hard driving undercurrent of heavy drums and thick washes of organ. The strains of beat group and garage rock give it them an incendiary edge that we just love, but they slow it down in spots that show quite a range, and these guys can seriously play! The group is armed with a couple vocal tunes and a bunch of great instrumentals. Titles include "C'mon Baby", "Get Heavy With Me", "Overdose", "Ejjel A Sotetben", "Wandering Will", "AC Blues", "Soul Bowl/Kekfeny", "Aua", "More Plutonium" and more.

Highest-quality modern funk from The Qualitons! "Rolling The Bones" is a real scorcher – highlighted on the instrumental front by some limber drum work augmented by handclaps – and with the organ and guitar grooves playing off each other in a really exciting way! This one's got some raw soul guest vocals by Andy Helfer, too. Nice one! The flip is entirely different style of funk – a cut with more of an organ and horns-heavy Afro Funk approach – and it's a strong one. 2 sides of one stellar combo!

The grooviest work so far from the Hi-Fly Orchestra – a set that moves even farther past the sublime territory of their debut, into a really classic blend of soul jazz and Latin rhythms – produced to perfection with a wonderfully solid feel! Instrumentation here is all live – a blend of sax, flute, trombone, Fender Rhodes, piano, and plenty of percussion – all handled with a feel that takes us back to some of our favorite territory on Verve Records from the 60s, those wonderful records that blended elements from the Latin underground with some of the harder jazz leanings of the period – a legacy these guys are happy to add to with their wonderful grooves. Miriam Aida guests on vocals on two cuts, but most titles are instrumental – and tunes include "Afro Boo", "Carioquinha", "Polonesa", "Mrs Shing A Ling", "Hi Fly Stomp", "Mambo Atomico", and a surprisingly groovy cover of "Crosstown Traffic".

Hypnotic grooves from Kaleta – a searing set of Afrobeat titles that really burns with a lot of energy! There's a complexity here that goes beyond most other contemporary Afro Funk ensembles – one that takes especial joy in the solo parts, which are really well-crafted, and have an almost jazz-like sophistication at times – especially on the reed parts. But the complexity never gets in the way of the rhythms, either – as these are right on the money, and a great balance between African roots and funkier elements – every bit what we'd expect from a release on the mighty Tramp Records label! LP features 4 long tracks – "Get Up", "Baba Nla Iya", "Shake Your Nyansh", and "Fimile".