A hip little set that's as groovy as its cover – a whole batch of cat-themed tunes from the 50s and 60s, most of them in a hip jazzy sort of style! Things are never too kitty-creepy – as they are with that lady down the street who owns way too many cats – and instead, most of the numbers here have a clean, lean sort of sound that's more in the mode of a 50s jazz "cat" than that of the four-legged, furry type. About half the numbers here are instrumentals with a really mod feel, and the rest are vocal numbers, of a variety of different genres – all put together in a way that's surprisingly fresh, and plenty darn groovy throughout. Titles include "The Cat" by Eddie & Ernie, "Three Cool Cats" by The Coasters, "Cleo" by Rene Hall, "Kitty Kat" by Paul Ott, "El Pussy Cat" by Mongo Santamaria, "Sneakin Up On You" by Peggy Lee, "Cat Nip" by Dave Baby Cortez, "Cat Hop" by The Dodgers, "Walkin My Cat Named Dog" by Norma Tanega, "The Cat" by Jimmy Smith, "The Cat Came Back" by Sonny James, "That Darned Cat" by Buddy Greco, "The Kitty Kat Song" by Lee Dorsey, "If You Play With Cats" by Charles Brown, "Tom Cat" by The Rooftop Singers, and "Top Cat Theme Song" by Top Cat Orchestra. CD

Hammering stuff! This is one of the hardest of the Goldmine compilations – with a heavy-duty garagey mix of soul, R&B, and beat-heavy tunes that fit perfectly together. The overall sound is super-mod, with the kind of grooves you'd expect to find at some wonderful underground party in London during the late 60s – where original soulboys are dancing all night long to a color-blind mix of storming chunes. Titles include "The Snake" by Al Wilson, "Jump & Dance" by Carnaby, "Exus Trek" by Luther Ingram, "Alligator Boogaloo" by Sandy Nelson, "These Boots Were Made For Walkin" by The Happy Cats, "Charley" by The Soul Runners, "Coffee Pot 2" by Bo Junior, "Crawling Up A Hill" by John Mayall, "Wobble Legs" by Tommy Dark, "Chain Gang" by The Powerhouse, and "Baby You Got It" by The Truth. 20 cuts in all – and all hardcore! LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy funk and mod grooves – the fab second installment in the Soul Shaker series, and even better than the first! Nick the Record has really sharpened his ear for a tune with this one – and has picked out some of the best bits from recent years of the funk and mod instrumental revival scenes – a great assortment of tunes from around the globe, showing a world that's wonderfully united through straight-grooving use of Hammond organ, soulful sax, electric guitar, and funky drums! CD features 17 tracks in all – including "Coming Back" by Smoov with Jess Roberts, "Gogo Sitar" by Kahuna Kawentzmann, "I Can't Believe What You Say" by Slow Slushy Boys, "Don't Joke With A Hungry Man" by Quantic with Spanky Wilson, "Sweet Little Apples" by Link Quartet, "If You Reap" by Boogaloo Investigators, "Just Dropped In" by Sharon Jones, "Kelvin Stardust" by Big Boss Man, and "Your Pleasure Is Our Pleasure by Voodoo Trombone Quartet. (Deep Funk, Funky Compilations) CD

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The Perfect Toy label has an amazing way of coming up with grooves we've never heard before – really rare tracks that make us dig each new release from the label – just as they keep on digging for more rare records to make their releases great! We've been Hammond fans for decades – and always have searched ourselves for all sorts of rare organ jazz and soul gems – yet even with that experience, we'd never come across most of these cuts – which are from rare singles and obscure albums, and show that there's a heck of a lot to discover in the world of jazz organ, once you get past Blue Note and Prestige Records! Most numbers here are small combo funk – and titles include "Beware Of The Dog" by The Group Solo, "Miss Delores Funk" by Soul Brothers, "A Soulful Feeling" by The Tears, "Corporation" by Timmy Sims & His Organ Combo, "Nervous Conclusion" by The Cherry Fogg, "A Ritual Melody" by Black River Circus, "Harbor Melon" by The Young Ones, and "Theme For Billy" by Kurt Watkins & Soul Sister 7. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully groovy set of Christmas tracks – one done in a style very similar to the Get Easy Snow compilations – as you might guess from the title! The selection here is great – with a few perennial favorites, a few rare gems, and a great middle stretch of wonderful bits from some of the grooviest artists of the 60s and 70s – a great antidote to some of the too-played holiday music you might hear during the 12th month of the year! Titles include "Santa Claus Is Definitely Hear To Stay" by James Brown, "Close Your Mouth It's Christmas" by Free Design, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Jimmy McGriff, "Snow" by Claudine Longet, "Black Christmas" by The Emotions, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" by The Temptations, "Christmas Gift" by Margie Joseph, "Winter Warm" by Bob Crewe Generation, "Snow Flakes" by The Ventures, "Winter Symphony" by The Beach Boys, "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway, "Children Go Where I Send Thee" by Kenny Burrell, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" by Ray Anthony & His Bookends, "Swinging Christmas" by Helmut Zacharias, and "Jingo Jango" by Bert Kaempfert. (Holiday Music, Funky Compilations) CD

The funky side of Hi Records – music that goes way past the mellow burning soul you might normally know from the label – served up here in a wealth of rare singles from the Memphis powerhouse of soul! Hi had a lot more going on in the 70s than just the big hits and classic albums that most people know – and the cuts here show a version of the label that was working every bit as hard as Stax to come up with fresh grooves and unusual ways of mixing southern soul and funk for the new generation! The set list is huge – 25 numbers, many of which should be pretty fresh to your ears – and titles include "Sweet Thing" by Willie Walker, "Slidin In & Out" by The Memphians, "Got To Find My Baby" by James Gadson, "Fried Chicken" by Rufus Thomas, "Everybody Got Soul" by Gene Miller, "Disco Hustle" by Heinsight, "If You Can't Please Your Woman" by Tuxedo, "Love Map" by Lyndon, "You Made Me What I Am" by Erma Coffee, and "Patricia" by George Jackson. CD

This great series keeps on going – and it seems that with each new volume, the realm of Cosmic Discotheque just keeps on getting bigger! As with previous volumes, the feel here isn't standard disco – and the tracks are upbeat, but have a variety of fresh approaches that go far past the mainstream modes of the late 70s clubs – some with European production and instrumentation that really changes things up, some from easy listening sources going for the disco scene, some with global influences stripped down for grooves, all with an approach that will have you digging this volume as much as previous entries! Titles include "Bumerang" by Petr A Pavel ORM, "Hypno Dance" by Who's Who, "I Love Paris" by Zamulo, "Ride The Sky" by Mystic Moods, "Super Woman (inst)" by Surprise Band, "Griffo" by Boro, "Funk Disco Sounds" by The Yetians, "Sugar (part 2)" by Freddie Cannon, "Caliente" by Caliente Orchestra, "Surprise" by Fantastic Soul Invention, and "Shaba Da Ba Dam" by Obah. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the cookingest funky compilations we've ever carried – a monster batch of 10 funky Hammond organ tracks, all pretty darn obscure! The set was done under the supervision of New York Funk 45 DJ Mr Fine Wine – and features a stunning batch of tunes that are all plenty darn hard to find – and filled with heavy drums, roaring basslines, and super-smoking work on keyboards! Plus, unlike lots of other dodgy sets on the market, the whole thing's totally legit – and very well researched and thought out. Titles include "Cool Dad" by Ross Carnegie, "The Hatch" by The TMGs, "Every Time part 2" by Buddy McKnight, "Soul Power" by Jimmy Willis, "Foot Stumping" by The Organics, "Put Your Weight On It part 1" by The Filmore St Soul Rebellions, "Shimmy" by Toussaint McCall, and "Don't Give A Damn" by King Cain/Silvertone Band. Great! CD

Cool cuts from around the globe – all brought together in one wonderfully funky set! The music here all draws heavily from American funk and psych styles – and often uses some slightly different instrumentation, or more regional inflection – to make the usual psych funk styles sound even more groovy and exotic – in a mindblowing way that makes the entire set a real musical delight! Most tracks are instrumental – heavy on drums and fuzzy guitar – but there's a few vocal moments, too – and the funk current is super-strong, way more so than on other collections that promise a heavy bottom, but usually just present offbeat psych. Titles include "Jet Pop" by Bana Pop Band, "Foxy Lady" by 49th Blue Streak, "Karate Chop" by The Tijuana Brats, "Stari Dvorac" by Pro Arte, "Nie Przejziemy Do Historii" by Krzysztof Klenczon, "Louis Louis" by Friar Tuck, "Time Of Machines" by Sergio Ferraresi, and "The Shaman's Dance" by Alexandr Sergeyevich. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great take on the style of the funky compilation – one that mixes in lots of gritty garagey rock tracks along with a bit of vintage soul! The blend here is surprisingly seamless – as the rocking tracks often have a funky kind of groove, and the soul cuts sometimes have trippier elements in the mix – which makes the whole thing come together with a strongly color-blind sense of sound – even though things are pretty darn soulful throughout! Most numbers are from rare singles, but there's also some unreleased cuts – and very detailed liner notes that shed plenty of light on these very groovy sounds. Titles on volume 1 include "Mojo" by Van Broussard, "Girl Give Me Love" by The Little Bits, "Jamm (part 1)" by Frozen Sun, "You're No Good" by Phlegethon, "If You Can't Love Me Pity Me" by The Chapters, "B Side" by The Looking Glass, "Good Thing Going" by The Four, and "Ashtray Candle" by Pump. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection that's maybe unlike anything we've heard before – music that's acoustic, but groovy – easygoing, yet funky – served up by a really wide range of artists, but presented with a style that's a really unified whole! Just about every artist here is completely obscure, but together they represent this amazing underground that's dedicated to crafting work that goes far beyond the obvious, and way past any sort of cliches you might expect! The vibe is almost as if a bunch of folk and acoustic musicians were hipped to spiritual jazz of the post-Coltrane generation – then set out to make music from their new inspirations – on titles that include "Let Me Ride" by Peter Campbell, "The Ballad Of Ho Chi Minh" by Mike Glick, "Morning Brings The Light" by Grand Union, "Wild Canada" by Dan Donahue, "Song Of Creation" by Chris Rawlings, "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Summer Rain, "Prospect Of Wealth" by Henry Parker, and "Change Is Me Change Is You" by Harris & Crane Band. LP, Vinyl record album

A wild set of work from the Swedish scene of the 70s – work that's all inspired by a spiritual current in the artists, but which comes across with a vibe that you really wouldn't expect! It might be the shift in language – the Swedish lyrics mean that most of us can't understand the religious message of the vocals – but there's also a freewheeling sense of style going on too – including plenty of the funky currents that you'd find in Godspell or Jesus Christ Superstar – upbeat, lively, and stepping out with a really positive vibe! The instrumentation is great – a blend rock, soul, funk, and jazz – often in the same cut at once – and the whole thing is wonderfully groovy – filled with work we never would have heard otherwise, by artists who include Tomas Ernvik, Sabandet, Tillsammans, Mobilen, The Vergers, Mission Possible, Sanggruppen Liv, Obadja, Ingegerd, Humlans Funkykappe, and many others! LP, Vinyl record album

A great groovy take on the sound of the legendary Hi Records – the Memphis soul powerhouse that gave us so many wonderful records in the 70s! The sound of Hi here is a bit different than you may know from the hits – as the label is seen through the great filter of the Free Soul series – which focuses on mellow groovers and midtempo tracks that have a bright, bubbly approach to soul – all work that still has all the deep soul roots of Hi at its best, but which also features rhythms and grooves that are less familiar in the label's catalog! There's some very choice singles here, next to overlooked album cuts by artists who got to issue full length sets for Hi – and as always with Free Soul, you get plenty of music for your money. Titles include "Little Things" by Phillip Mitchell, "Got To Find My Baby" by James Gadson, "Roots Of Love" by Quiet Elegance, "Too Much Mystery" by Otis Clay, "Look At The Boy" by Jean Plum, "I Don't Do Windows" by OV Wright, "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright" by Willie Mitchell & Don Bryant, "Somebody's On Your Case" by Ann Peebles, "Save The Last Dance For Me" by Henry She, "Let Them Know You Care" by George Jackson, and "I'm So Thankful" by Al Perkins. CD

Not really the house of ages – given that most of these cuts are so rare, they're only making their first appearance here – but a great little collection that reminds us that there's still so much to discover in the funky underground of the last few years of the 20th Century! Jeremy Newell really knocks it out of the park with this one – and comes up with a deep, soulful collection of house tracks from the farthest reaches of the scene – either work that only appeared on very obscure singles, or didn't even make it past tape back in the day – leaping forth here with a wickedly groovy sound that's more than worth the wait. Titles include "Take Me Higher" by Jimi Polo, "I Promise (more beats for passion mix)" by Mark Rogers, "Keep On Pressing (KOT orig mix)" by Sean Grant, "More I Get" by Teleport feat Russell Patterson, "Yo Razor" by Arts & Craft with Razor Cain, "Don't Run Away" by Soul Dhamma, "When I See You (tight voc)" by Frank Youngwerth with Ernie, "Freak It (Tony Humprhies inst mix)" by Johanna, "Mainline (Roger S Ego trip mix)" by Tribal House, "We Can Make It (unreleased dub)" by UBQ Project, and "Deeper (Benji Candelario's deeper than deep unreleased mix)" by Susan Clark. CD

A weird and wonderful collection of tracks – funk, soul, and plenty more – all put together without any sort of boundaries or focus – which makes the whole thing one hell of a groovy record! The set's one of the flagship titles for the Seth Rogan-owned Houseplant label – one of their few vinyl releases, designed to fit in with the lifestyle of their other products – but even without that pedigree, there's plenty of great and well-chosen cuts here – and the assortment makes the whole thing way different than any standard funky compilation! Titles include "Good News" by Eamon, "Together (down dumbing rmx)" by Quel Maker, "Night Dancer" by Split Decision Band, "Leave My Beat Alone" by Raw Soul & Dorsey Brockington, "Cars That Go Boom" by L'Trimm, "Green & Money (good woman rmx)" by Maker Bishop Lamont, "Ombele" by Karl Hector & The Malcouns, "Blister In The Sun" by Violent Femmes, "Beat 100" by Benny Sings and Cola Boyy, "Pimp" by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, "Oxtanding" by Roc C, "Summer Madness SA" by Karriem Riggins, "Come & Get Your Love" by Family Tree, "Love Dub" by World Quake Band, and "Drop" by The Pharcyde. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic funk, rare soul, and contemporary goodies too – all served up in a beautiful package designed by the folks at Seth Rogan's Houseplant! As with the previous set, this one is divided into three modes – one record sativa, one indica, and the third a hybrid – capturing different moods with each record, but with an all-soul, rock-solid selection of tunes throughout! As with previous volumes, the classic and contemporary come into play in a really great way – and this volume also features some great international titles too – a set list that includes "Follow The Wind" by Coletta Woodson, "Cookin" by Tortilla Factory, "Bra" by Cymande, "High Beams" by Tkay Maidza, "Lupita" by Nico Gomez, "Pretty Woman Pass On By" by Richard Marks, "Norma Jean" by Napoleon Demps, "Bizness" by Tune Yards, "Right On" by Carleen & The Groovers, "The Love You Left Behind" by Syl Johnson, "Groovy Babe" by Durand Jones & The Indications, "Kill Dem" by Jamie XX, "Aminata Du The" by Amadou Balake, "Help Me To Understand" by Harlem Gospel Travelers, "Will I See You Again" by Thee Sacred Souls, "Grow Forever" by Lizette & Quevin, "Tearz" by El Michels Affair & Lee Fields, "Everything That Looks Good" by Charles Suggs, "Raggio Verde" by Il Quadro Di Troisi, "Let's Do It Today" by The US, and "When We Would Ride" by Kendra Morris & Eraserhood Sound. LP, Vinyl record album

A set that really digs deep into the British scene of the early 70s – a package pitched around the idea of opening acts for supergroups at a rock festival, and one that serves up a whole host of groups who never fully got their due on our side of the Atlantic at the time! These aren't underground or experimental groups – and most recorded for major labels – but they also weren't chart-topping acts, or those that have gone into the classic rock pantheon – which makes for a really great discovery to most ears not fully acquainted with this moment in UK rock! The set was put together by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs – who've given us other seminal sets of UK music from the 70s, and groovy 60s compilations too – and they really do a great job here of setting the scene, and picking the best cuts from groups who are top-shelf in their effort and execution. As always with the pair, the notes with the set are as illuminating as the music – and titles include "Taken All The Good Things" by Stray, "Out Demons Out" by Edgar Broughton Band, "One Way Glass" by Manfred Mann Chapter Three, "Hold On To Your Mind" by Andwella, "Big Boobs Boogie" by Slowload, "Third World" by Paladin, "For Mad Men Only" by May Blitz, "Met Pies Ave Come" by Stack Waddy, "Ricochet" by Jonesy, and the surprising inclusion of some rocking KPM sound library tracks – including "Hot Pants" by Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw, "Led Balloon" by Steve Gray, and "Confunction" by Dave Richmond. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

A set that really digs deep into the British scene of the early 70s – a package pitched around the idea of opening acts for supergroups at a rock festival, and one that serves up a whole host of groups who never fully got their due on our side of the Atlantic at the time! These aren't underground or experimental groups – and most recorded for major labels – but they also weren't chart-topping acts, or those that have gone into the classic rock pantheon – which makes for a really great discovery to most ears not fully acquainted with this moment in UK rock! The set was put together by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs – who've given us other seminal sets of UK music from the 70s, and groovy 60s compilations too – and they really do a great job here of setting the scene, and picking the best cuts from groups who are top-shelf in their effort and execution. As always with the pair, the notes with the set are as illuminating as the music – and titles include "Taken All The Good Things" by Stray, "Out Demons Out" by Edgar Broughton Band, "One Way Glass" by Manfred Mann Chapter Three, "Hold On To Your Mind" by Andwella, "Big Boobs Boogie" by Slowload, "Third World" by Paladin, "For Mad Men Only" by May Blitz, "Met Pies Ave Come" by Stack Waddy, "Ricochet" by Jonesy, and the surprising inclusion of some rocking KPM sound library tracks – including "Hot Pants" by Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw, "Led Balloon" by Steve Gray, and "Confunction" by Dave Richmond. (Rock, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A completely sublime collection of spiritual jazz numbers from the 70s – put together by the legendary Kev Beadle, one of the first cats to spin the music with Gilles Peterson on the UK scene! The package is a great mix of essentials from years back, plus some under-discovered nuggets from the American underground – all with a nice emphasis on the grooves and rhythms – in a way that you might have heard back at Dingwalls on a Sunday afternoon! The set's a great reminder that music can be progressive and groovy at the same time – and the whole thing's overflowing with righteous treasures. Vinyl version features some exclusive tracks not on the CD – "Safari" by Frank Walton, "Padali" by Chuck Flores, and "I See Chano Pozo" by Jayne Cortez & The Firespitters – plus "In Every Way" by Reverie, "Open Your Mind" by Southern Energy Ensemble, "Brotherhood" by Kamal Abdul Alim, and "Freedom Road" by The Pharoahs. LP, Vinyl record album

A well-done look at a genre that kind of snuck in under the wire – music that carries some late traces of electro, touched with underground club styles, but also delivered in a way that's plenty darn catchy, with a great ear for a hook and a groovy sort of sing-song lyric! The music is heavy on beats, basslines, and keyboards – all bursting out with plenty of energy – maybe a brightened up take on street soul from the early 80s, but usually with a younger female singer, which helps the music bubble along in a really great way! The package is new territory for Ace Records, but they've done a great job of bringing together both key cuts and overlooked gems – all hand-picked by Bob Stanley, with a set list that includes "Two Of Hearts (12" version)" by Stacey Q, "Don't Be Shy (radio voc)" by Janelle, "Lover Girl" by Meg, "Let's Go (radio)" by Nocera, "Funky Little Beat" by Connie, "When I Hear Music" by Debbie Deb, "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, "Together Forever (radio)" by Lisette Melendez, "Dreamin" by Will To Power, "Take Me In Your Arms" by Lil Suzy, "Thief Of Hearts" by Cynthia, "Fascinated (12" version)" by Company B, and "Baby Talk" by Alisha. CD

A well-done look at a genre that kind of snuck in under the wire – music that carries some late traces of electro, touched with underground club styles, but also delivered in a way that's plenty darn catchy, with a great ear for a hook and a groovy sort of sing-song lyric! The music is heavy on beats, basslines, and keyboards – all bursting out with plenty of energy – maybe a brightened up take on street soul from the early 80s, but usually with a younger female singer, which helps the music bubble along in a really great way! The package is new territory for Ace Records, but they've done a great job of bringing together both key cuts and overlooked gems – all hand-picked by Bob Stanley, with a set list that includes "Two Of Hearts (12" version)" by Stacey Q, "Don't Be Shy (radio voc)" by Janelle, "Lover Girl" by Meg, "Let's Go (radio)" by Nocera, "Funky Little Beat" by Connie, "When I Hear Music" by Debbie Deb, "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, "Together Forever (radio)" by Lisette Melendez, "Dreamin" by Will To Power, "Take Me In Your Arms" by Lil Suzy, "Thief Of Hearts" by Cynthia, "Fascinated (12" version)" by Company B, and "Baby Talk" by Alisha. LP, Vinyl record album

The great folks at Motor Music in Germany have compiled a bunch of groovy tracks from swingin' films from the late 60's, and patched them together into a really cool package with excellent liner notes for the fan of soundtrack stuff and mod 60's music. Excellent selection, with a real emphasis towards hard to find tracks, like Harpers Bizarre's "Malibu U" (the theme to a short lived TV show about a beach school), Mark Lindsay's "Somethin' Big" (a great lost Bacharach track), the theme to The Party, and loads more groovy vocal and instrumental tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

Our favorite kind of funk is Super Funk – and this fab entry to the long-running series definitely keeps up the groove! As before, there's plenty of rare tracks here – most pulled from obscure singles of late 60s/early 70s vintage – and some even from rare studio tapes that were never issued at the time! Most tracks are short, with a nicely gritty groove – the kind of funky 45 madness that will always keep us digging for rare 7" singles – put together by the BGP crew with a real understanding of the groove! There's some especially nice female singers in the mix – almost creating a mini Sister Funk focus on the package – but there's also great guy singers and groups too. 20 tracks in all – with cuts that include "The Sneak" by The Douzer, "Queen Of Losers" by Eleanor Rigby, "Groovy Baby" by Kim Tamanga, "It's Mookie Time" by Cleveland Eaton & The Kats, "Party Time" by James Carpenter, "Moving Woman" by 87th Off Broadway, "Bad Bad Woman (part 1)" by Marie Franklin, "He Say She Say" by Chet Ivey, "Cold Sweat" by Julio Zavalla, "Shakin Up The Nation" by The Radiations, "One Sweet Song" by Gloria Lucas, and "I'm Moving Home" by Mary Alice McCall. LP, Vinyl record album

Sammy Davis Jr is looking pretty darn hip on the cover – and all the artists inside are sounding pretty darn hip as well – coming together during the glory days of soul jazz, at a time when blues, vocals, and R&B were also criss-crossing into other styles too! There's an upbeat, soul-drenched, ultra-cool vibe to the whole thing – not too-familiar retro jazz numbers, but instead a wealth of rare cuts that often come from the sort of 7" singles that change hands for big money in the funky 45 underground, next to obscure album cuts too – mixed with the kind of unreleased material that the Ace/Kent label has always done such a good job of digging up! The package explodes with groovy musical delights – and titles include "What Is love" by Bobby Jenkins, "Out House" by Eddie Bridges & His Lowriders, "Empire City" by Gene Walker & The Combo, "Pushin The Button Of Soul" by Hank Jacobs, "Fat Man" by Montego Joe, "The Bold" by Russell Evans & The Nite Hawks, "Hey Mrs Jones" by Jimmy Witherspoon, "Poppa Nickel" by The Tempo Rhythms, "Sherry's Party" by Ray Johnson, "Hot Tamale Man" by Harold Betters, "Shank & Grits" by Ray Shanklin, "Pluckin" by Jimmy Mayes & The Soul Breed, "East 24th Ave" by Billy Graham & The Escalators, and "Do The Thing" by Gate Wesley. CD

Very groovy stuff! Most of the cuts on these albums were pulled from rare 50s and 60s sides – and although you might recognize the artists, the material is hard to find, especially on vinyl! There's a total of 16 cuts in a groovy package, and titles include "Milestones" by Mark Murphy, "The Squash" by Hank Marr, "Dem Tambourines" by Don Wilkerson, "Soul Dressing" by Booker T & The MGs, "Mambo With Moody" by James Moody, "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (part 2)" by Jimmy Smith, "Kingston Calypso" by John Barry, "Goodness Gracious Me" by Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren, and "Just One Of Those Things" by Lalo Schifrin & Bob Brookmeyer. CD

A rare look at a very obscure sound library from the European scene – the Belgian Selection label, home to some very groovy sounds from the late 70s! The music here resonates with Belgian soundtrack and jazz work of the period – and shares some musicians from those genres too – and the titles within mix funky jazz with larger arrangements – all instrumental, and handled in a strong array of styles – some upbeat, some midtempo, and some cool and laidback! Titles include "Black World" by Stern Selection, "Space Shuttle Jazz" by Jacques Siroul, "Crystal Waltz" by Rene Costy, "Chief Of Freen Bean" by Bob Porter, "No Thoroughfare" by Jordan Stevy, and "Osmoses" by Leonard D Messina. (Sound Library, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Really rare grooves from an incredibly obscure scene – and that's saying a lot, given how many global sounds have been circulating in recent years! The cuts here represent a unique outpouring of funky club styles from the nation of Surinam – tracks recorded by a handful of groups in the wake of their mid-70s independence – and as filled with as much joy and positive energy as you might imagine from such a political moment! The grooves are surprisingly great – upbeat funk, with lots of jazzy inflections – in a space that's somewhere between the sound of Fantasy Records in the mid 70s, and Capitol soul at the start of the 80s – tight, but never too slick – and as cool as it is classy. Lyrics are in English, and titles include "Sweet Dream" by Alwin Reingoud, "Groovy Weekend" and "Disco Party" by Erwin Bouterse & The Group Roetoe, "Try Try Try" and "You Are Gonna Miss Me" by Solat, "Funkin In Your Mind" and "Going Insane" by Sumy, "Here's To You" by Thunderstorm, and "Waiting For Your Love" by Usje Sukatma. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) CD

A pretty incredible legacy of jazz from the scene in Belgium during the late 60s and early 70s – a place that never got the kind of exposure as the jazz worlds of the UK, Scandinavia, and Germany – but one that was making some really amazing work at the time! Take the "progressive" in the title a bit loosely – this is neither prog jazz rock, nor work that's too academic to be groovy – as the groups here are often a bit funky, and play with a surprising degree of soul – just the right space between the notes to make for tunes that cross over very well to fans of American funky jazz from the 70s, with some moments that also rival the best in Brazilian 70s jazz too! The rhythms are wonderful – sometimes full-on funky, sometimes more modal and spacious – and the tracks mix electric and acoustic instrumentation perfectly – mostly instrumental, but with a few vocals from time to time. Some of the artists are ones here you might not normally associate with Belgium – and that's just because they're finally getting their due here, in a well-collected package that also illuminates the connections with a great set of notes. Titles include "Vas Y Voir" by Brussels Art Quintet, "Pathetic Dreams" by Koen De Bruyne, "Archangelo" by Raphael, "Memphis Talk" by Philip Catherine, "Naima" by Lou MacConnell, "Pro Forma 1" by Babs Robert, "Utopic Cities" by Solis Lacus, "SUS" by Placebo, "Face Reality" by Jacques & Micheline Pelzer, "Tohubohu (part 1)" by Marc Moulin, "Open Sky" by Open Sky Unit, and "Sakara" by Clarke Boland Big Band. LP, Vinyl record album