Underground club from the New York scene of the 80s – a mix of late disco, early hip hop, and some prime boogie groovers! The tracks are relatively long – mostly pulled from 12" singles – and there's a nicely eclectic mix of tunes here, really showing the scope of styles that played on the 80s dancefloors in the Big Apple – the kind of creative cuts that never charted big, but had plenty of impact back in the day. Titles include "Somebody's Loving You" by Klassique, "Let's Do It" by Convertion, "Rapper's Revenge" by Mike Gee, "On The One" by Lukk, "Hold On" by Kremecicle, "Just How Sweet Is Your Love" by Rhyze, "This Beat Is Mine" by Vicky D, "Main Thing" by Shot, "Please Don't Break My Heart" by The Affair, and "Share The Night" by World Premier. CD

The story of one of the most legendary soul clubs in the UK – home to the great wave of Northern Soul enthusiasm that burst big in the 60s – plus a fair bit of hanky panky as well! This collection shows a decidedly raw side of the club's roots – American soul from the 60s, plus a fair bit of R&B as well – a groove that's rougher than you might find on other Northern Soul collections – which often tend towards some of the tighter Detroit productions of the period. The CD features a whopping 28 tracks in all – with lots of tracks from Chicago and the Motor City – and titles include "Road Runner" by Bo Diddley, "Good Times" by Gene Chandler, "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Bobby Blue Bland, "Do The 45" by The Sharpees, "Get Down With It" by Bobby Marchan, "I Spy For The FBI" by Jamo Thomas, "And Get Away" by The Esquires, "I Can't See Your Love" by The Ballads, "Searchin" by Alvin Robinson, and "You Shot Me Through The Grease" by Alvin Cash. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

A great look at one of our favorite sub-genres of 60s soul – tunes that deal with the ins and outs of big city life, most of which were recorded as uptown soul tunes with really great production! It's hard to describe the charm of this work accurately, but the tunes are almost mini-movies, or sound snapshots of urban life at the time – often penned by Brill Building songwriters with a slight fantasy of life in the farther-flung boroughs of the city. Some of the tunes here are well-known, but lots more are obscure – really compelling tracks by singers who bring great life to the songs, and manage to make these little musical moments live on wonderfully over the years! Titles include "Nights In New York City" by Jan Bradley, "Street Talk" by The Tymes, "No Butterflies" by Walter Jackson, "I Love New York" by Marva Josie, "In My Apartment" by Dee Clark, "Big New York" by Chuck Jackson, "On Broadway" by The Cookies, "Concrete Jungle" by Arthur Alexander, "I Don't Want To Hear It Any More" by Jerry Butler, "Second Window Second Floor" by Clyde McPhater, "I Found A Daisy In The City" by Barry Darvell, "Song Of The Street" by Donald Height, "Strange Neighborhood" by The Imaginations, "Up In The Streets Of Harlem" by The Drifters, "City Of Fools" by Colette Kelly, and "That Old Neighborhood" by Eric Williams. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

A wealth of rare funky 45 and album cuts – served up here in a selection that really lives up to the "rare soul" promise of the title! Some of these cuts are rare groove classics from back in the day – the big years when UK DJs first started playing older 70s cuts – and some of them are numbers that have been discovered in more recent years, showing that the field for rare soul collectors is always wide open, if you know where to dig! Titles include "Smooth Sailing" by Three Shades Of Soul, "Look What You've Done For Me" by Al Jarreau, "Every Day's A New Day" by Teresa Graves, "Take My Best Shot" by Liberation, "Be Your Man" by The Harmonics, "If We Don't" by 94 East with Prince, "You Put A Hurtin On Me" by Mary Mundy, "I'm Walking Away" by Gene Townsel, "I'm Crazy About You" by Brief Encounter, and "I Love You Pretty Baby" by Touch Of Class. (Soul, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A massive selection of work from the contemporary underground scene – cuts that previously appeared as limited edition 7" singles on the excellent Colemine labels – one of our favorite sources for contemporary funk! The set's got as much vintage vibe as you'd guess from the label styles on the cover – and this limited vinyl version is beautifully pressed, with sound that may well even be more fantastic than the 45s. Titles include "Ice Breaker" by Bubaza, "Winston Theme" by Winston Brothers, "Slipshot" by Jungle Fire, "Rome" by Dojo Cuts, "Morning In America" by Durand Jones & The Indications, "Standing With You" by The Resonaires, "Nothing But His Love" by The Harlem Gospel Travelers, "Sommer" by The Ironsides, "No Laggin & Draggin" by Renaldo Domino, "Sunk In The Mist" by Jr Thomas & The Vocalos, "Step Down" by Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, "Over You" by Aaron Frazer, "Fo Sho" by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, "More Than A Memory" by Ben Pirani, and "One & Only" by Oliver James. LP, Vinyl record album

Majestic male soul from Brunswick Records – the label who recorded some of the best material ever from singers like Gene Chandler and Jackie Wilson, and who also gave lots of other singers a great shot too! This set moves way past obvious Brunswick hits, and includes loads of lesser-known singles that are totally great – some funky, some laidback, and lots of them very very groovy – in that totally hip Chicago soul mode that Brunswick did so well. There's a number of artists here who only recorded briefly for Brunswick, before hitting fame elsewhere – and others who are remembered for the few rare gems they left behind at the label – all brought together here in a wonderful 25 track set. There's plenty of surprises throughout – and titles include "Doing The Feeling" by Alvin Cash, "Contract On Your Love" by Chuck Bernard, "I'll Bet You" by Billy Butler, "Sweet Sweet Revenge" by Alvin Valentine, "Hold On" by Marvin Smith, "This Melody Is For My Baby" by Ben Monroe, "Sweet Temptation" by Isaac Hayes, "Wrapped Up In Your Warm & Tender Love" by Richard Parker, "A Mean Thing" by Donald Height, "Just A Little Misunderstanding" by Johnny Williams, "You Got Me Walking" by Cicero Blake, "Once You Fall In Love" by Eddie Mcloyd, "Just A Thing Called Love" by John Parker, and "You Are" by Bobby Reed. CD