A definite set of crown jewels from the Big Crown label – especially as most of these gems were only ever around as funky 45s – some now gone forever, and all compiled on this nicely-priced full length set! The package shows the real evolution of Big Crown in recent years – as they have moved from just the funk and soul of their roots into a range of other styles too – including a bit of garage, Latin Soul, and other modes too! Titles here reflect that change in a great way – and titles include "Veolodrome" by Surprise Chef, "The Otherside" by Bobby Oroza, "Grateful" by El Michels Affair & Black Thought, "Joy & Pain (Pete Rock rmx)" by Lady Wray, "So Low" by Synthia, "The Healer" by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, "Ain't That The Way" by Holy Hive, "Trip To Japan" by The Shacks, "Awkward (take 2)" by El Michels Affair meets Liam bailey, "Beri Cinta Waktu" by Thee Marloes, and "Love & Flowers" by Les Imprimes. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully heavy sounds from Black Market Brass – a group who started out with more of a global funk approach, but who emerge here with the intensity of some lost funky soundtrack – all with the sort of edge you might expect from the cover! The style here is really revolutionary – unlike anything else we've ever heard from a group with "brass" in their name – in part because the group has some very cool distortion on the keyboards and guitar, which gives those electric elements a very sinister sound next to the straight ahead fire of the horns – served up with really hard-driving rhythms throughout, in a way that seems to pull together older traditions of Afro Funk, Nola Brass, and even some of the southern college bands – but all with a very 21st Century vision. Titles include "So Who (parts 1 & 2)", "Into The Thick", "War Room", "Cheat & Start A Fight", "Undying Thirst", and "NBT". (Global Grooves, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic mix of heady sounds and heavy funk from The Heliocentrics – and a record that continues the vibe of their previous set – in which the team of Malcolm Catto and Jake Ferguson were joined by the lovely vocals of Barbora Patkova! Patkova's presence is just what the group needs to really ground their sound – a female singer up front, but one who's as equally comfortable with distortion, fuzz, and echoey spaces as the two instrumentalists – a trio who continue that unique tradition of psychedelic funk that we first loved in Catto's early work on Mo Wax! Titles include "99% Revolution", "Hanging By A Thread", "Nonsense (part 1)", "Light In The Dark", "People Wake Up", "Burning Wooden Ship", and "Elephant Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with maybe the sharpest edge of any of the titles in this excellent series – a set that's certainly more jazz-based than most, thanks in part to the presence of the legendary Henry Franklin on bass, and some superb work on guitar from the great Jeff Parker! Although Franklin is best known for his famous 70s albums on the Black Jazz label, he's continued to be a strong force on the west coast scene for decades, and has issued some sublime records on his own label – and this time around, it's almost as if the team of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad have stepped back a bit, and let Franklin act more as a leader than some of the other artists on previous Jazz Is Dead recordings. Tracks are long, and filled with a sense of exploration that's nicely different than some of Franklin's own records, but equally inspired – with work from other players who include Clinton Patterson on trumpet, David Urquidi on alto, Scott Mayo on tenor and flute, and Nicholas Baker on percussion. Titles include "African Sun", "Feedback", "Cafe Negro", "People's Revolution", "Karibu", "The Griot", and "Memories Lost". CD

A record with maybe the sharpest edge of any of the titles in this excellent series – a set that's certainly more jazz-based than most, thanks in part to the presence of the legendary Henry Franklin on bass, and some superb work on guitar from the great Jeff Parker! Although Franklin is best known for his famous 70s albums on the Black Jazz label, he's continued to be a strong force on the west coast scene for decades, and has issued some sublime records on his own label – and this time around, it's almost as if the team of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad have stepped back a bit, and let Franklin act more as a leader than some of the other artists on previous Jazz Is Dead recordings. Tracks are long, and filled with a sense of exploration that's nicely different than some of Franklin's own records, but equally inspired – with work from other players who include Clinton Patterson on trumpet, David Urquidi on alto, Scott Mayo on tenor and flute, and Nicholas Baker on percussion. Titles include "African Sun", "Feedback", "Cafe Negro", "People's Revolution", "Karibu", "The Griot", and "Memories Lost". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album from this groundbreaking Latin combo from Chicago – one who've got an inclusive spirit that grabs together so many different elements of music and unifies them as one! The style isn't quite salsa, isn't Latin rock or jazz – but instead has so many strands of sounds coming together at once – not colliding, but really merging and making something beautiful and new in the process – always with a sound that's proud, righteous, and very aware of its power to change! In a time of borders and boundaries, the approach is especially welcome – and it's our guess that we'll be hearing plenty from Dos Santos in years to come. The album features some guest work from the Antibalas horns, arranged by Nick Mazzarella – plus cornet from Ben LaMar Gay – on titles that include "Cordva", "Purisma", "Manos Ajenas", "How Far Are We From Here", "You Are My Revolution", "Caminante", "Logos", "Return Y Regreso", and "Acabame". (Latin, Deep Funk) CD