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

A really mind-bending collection of African grooves – one that digs deep into the West African scene of the early 70s – and comes up with a massive batch of tunes that really opens up our understanding of the music! The sound here isn't just 70s Afro Funk – as the tunes include a range of tripped-out styles that make the best use of electric instrumentation, psychedelic production, and important influences from American soul artists at the time. There's some amazing guitar on some of the best tracks – ringing out with a sound that's chromatically complex while also being tripped-out and funky – in a way that complicates the rhythms without totally taking them apart. If you've dug the tunes on previous sets like Africa Funk or Ghana Soundz, this is one to take that sound to the next level – and really open up your ears! Titles include "Keleya" by Moussa Doumbia, "Love's A Real Thing" by The Super Eagles, "Minsato Le Mi Dyihome" by Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo De Cotonou Dahomey, "Porry" by Sorry Bamba, "Allah Wakbarr" by Ofo & The Black Company, "Sanjina" by Orchestre Regional De Kayes, "Ifa" by Tunji Oyelana & The Benders, "Zinabu" by Bunzu Sounds, and "Awon-Ojise-Oluwa" by Gasper Lawal. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) CD

An incredible collection of 70s soul, jazz, and funk – all brought together with the kind of soaring, positive vibe we remember from the classic Free Soul collections! In case you don't recognize the term, it emerged in the late 90s Japanese scene as a way of identifying older American grooves that have a really upbeat sort of sound – a style that's a lot like the cuts that were dug by the rare groove scene, but even groovier and more progressive overall – with a subtle sort of righteous energy that really gives the cuts a lot of power. This set brings together that Free Soul vibe from a host of American indie tracks recently reissued on the P-Vine label – a rare groove treasure trove, with titles that include "Hunk Of Heaven" by Lemuria, "Never Did I Stop Loving You" by Alice Clark, "Loveland" by Spanky Wilson, "Love Means Everything" by Touch Of Class, "Love Oh Love" by Vince Andrews, "A Perfect Day" by Bobby Cole, "In This World" by Billy Wooten, "Inner City Blues" by Placebo, "It's You" by Joyce Cooling, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "Ray Of Hope" by Soul Generation, and "Rainbow In Your Eyes" by Judy Roberts. CD

Remixes and extended tracks galore – and a wonderful package that really opens up the world of the gay club scene in the post-disco years! The tracks are a great array of dance, import, and high energy tracks – some of which carry forward disco energy into the 80s, others of which open up with modes that echo some of the changes in soul via house, electro, and other new styles of the decade – including the big role of the remixer, as many of these numbers are special remixes for the dancefloors! The package is a 7" square book-styled set, with pages of notes, images, and track details by Paul Burston – and the set features 54 long numbers in all – with titles that include "Love Reaction (12" version)" by Divine, "High Energy (ext)" by Evelyn Thomas, "I Like You (ext)" by Phyllis Nelson, "Another Night (dance mix)" by Aretha Franklin, "They Say It's Gonna Rain (Zulu mix)" by Hazel Dean, "Jump (12" long version)" by The Pointer Sisters, "Give Me Your Love (Ultimix)" by Sisley Ferre, "So Many Men So Little Time (ext)" by Miguel Brown, "Male Stripper (ext US rmx)" by Man 2 Man Meet Man Parrish, "No GDM (12" version)" by Gina X Performance, "Memorabilia (non stop ecstatic dancing version)" by Soft Cell, "Why (12" version)" by Bronski Beat, "Relax (New York mix)" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, "Don't Drop Bombs (ext)" by Liza Minelli, "Love In The First Degree (jailers mix)" by Bananarama, "In Private (12" version)" by Dusty Springfield, "Someday (club)" by Cece Rogers, "Break 4 Love (drop the panties)" by Raze, "Touch Me (sexual version)" by The 49-ers, "It's Over Now (Basement Boys mix)" by Ultra Nate, "Promised Land (club mix)" by Joe Smooth, "Wait (long version)" by Robert Howard & Kym Mazelle, and lots lots more! CD

A great collection of grooves – as some of Blue Note's best soul jazz artists of the 60s and 70s take on a host of funky tunes and soul music classics. The vibe is great throughout – and most cuts are instrumentals, based around tunes that you might know, but redone here with that great Blue Note funkosity that made the label so wonderful! Titles include "Think" by Lonnie Smith, "As" by Gene Harris, "Pillow Talk" by Lou Donaldson, "Ain't That Peculiar" by Big John Patton, "If You Really Love Me" by Grant Green, "Feel Like Makin Love" by Marlena Shaw, "Me & Mrs Jones" by Ronnie Foster, "Soul Limbo" by Candido, "I'll Be There" by Hank Mobley, "Mr Big Stuff" by Reuben Wilson, "People Make The World Go Round" by Bobby Hutcherson, "Can't Hide Love" by Carmen McRae, and "Just My Imagination" by Donald Byrd. CD

Jackson 5, move over – because the folks at Numero Records have uncovered a whole host of rare kid soul acts from the 70s – most of them a fair bit funkier than their Motown contemporaries! The tracks here all clearly follow the lead started by Michael and his brothers at the end of the 60s – but the music is way more than just a simple copycat of Jackson modes – as each of these artists have a really individual approach, and a heck of a lot of personality in their music – despite their youthful years. In true Numero fashion, most of the cuts here are from tiny little labels – issued only as singles back in the day, but produced with a great deal of enthusiasm for the music – and a confident, competent sound that's quite striking, given the age of the performers. The package comes with complete notes on the music – opening up a whole world of lesser-known kid soul acts – and titles include the amazing "Trust Your Child" by Patrizia & Jimmy, plus "I'm Not Ready For Love" by Promise, "One Is Enough For One" by Jack & the Mods, "Now That School Is Through" by Cindy & The Playmates, "Jersey Slide (part 1)" by 3 Stars, "You Are My Dream" by 3 Simmons, "Can't Let You Break My Heart" by Quantrells, "If You're Looking For Love" by Triads, "Yellow Ribbons" by Atons, "Sweet Pea" by Altyrone Deno Brown, "Time After Time" by Step By Step, "Time" by Otis The 3rd, and "Little Girl" by Michael Washington. CD