All Categories — 12-inch  

The title track to Fanga's great Natural Juice album is served up here in a sweet extended version – one that spins out with all the skittish percussion, scratchy guitar, and snakey keyboards of a 70s Afro Funk number! The keyboard work is almost moogy at times, but never too thin – just nicely spooky – and the vocals are chanted strongly at the start, then drop out for plenty of long instrumental jamming! "I Didn't Know" is another great groove with a really Fela-like feel, and some especially nice horns – and the bonus beats on the single are both nice percussive breaks!

Group therapy is Nas, B Real, KRS One and RBX, with production by Dr Dre.

An offshoot of the 4AD rock scene from the UK, this number sampled Rakim from "Paid In Full" to great effect – and it made quite a bit of sense that the track was issued on 4th & Broadway in the US (probably also a legal move, so that the label wouldn't sue 4AD for copping a sample from one of their artists! The record features a bit of scratching by CJ Mackintosh, with a bubbly beat that made it huge on both sides of the Atlantic.

Deep dubby almost techno feeling tracks from the first generation of house by Adonis with some help from Frankie Knuckles on the mix.

Produced by Frankie Cutlass.

Beautiful! "Beat Box" is one of those songs we couldn't live without – a blast of sound and noise, taking a hip hop cut and paste aesthetic to a whole new level! Here, the famous track is presented in two of the many ZTT remixes – versions that took the concept of remixing to a whole new level with their expansion and re-working of the original themes!

Remix by Stretch Armstrong.

The Fat Boys, before they became known as such, with production by Kurtis Blow, and some nice early beat boxing from Buff.

Was there ever a greater house team than Larry Heard and Robert Owens? Owens soulful vocals over a very driving track from Heard that still has his signature jazzy warmth makes this single one of our favorite hard to get first generation Chicago house tracks!

"Victory" features Mos Def and Sizzla. "Fallen Soldierz" features Dead Prez.

A track that doesn't need to get remixed, is revisited ina number of different forms. AS you'd expect the "classic", "bonus beats", "Zulu funk" and "instrumental" mixes don't differ much form the original, and it gets a little down south flavor for th e"whoomp" mix and a ragga vocal for the "ragga easy" version.

The debut from Mad Skillz, with production by The Beatnuts on "The Nod Factor" and Large Professor on "Skillz In 95".

Classic beats and lyrics from one of our favorite mid-90's groups that never quite made it commercially. The Buckwild remix features some dope verses from Busta Rhymes in his pre-"Put your hands..." days.

Produced by Shawn J. Period and Stretch Armstrong.

With Biggie.

Rare single by Bam and the Soulsonic Force off the Beat Street soundtrack.

After "The Bottle", Joe's big remake of the Gil Scott Heron song in 1975, "Rap-O Clap-O" was probably his second biggest club cut. The track's got a very catchy groove – with sort of a stomping beat that Joe used to cook up his own dance. Arranged by the great Marty Sheller, so it's still got some Latin soul cred.

After "The Bottle", Joe's big remake of the Gil Scott Heron song in 1975, "Rap-O Clap-O" was probably his second biggest club cut. The track's got a very catchy groove – with sort of a stomping beat that Joe used to cook up his own dance. Arranged by the great Marty Sheller, so it's still got some Latin soul cred.

The funky titans are at it again! "Deuces Up, Double Down" is a killer new track from the group – an original tune written by drummer Miles Tackett, with a heavy scattershot beat at the bottom, and lots of loud, fast, honking horns over the top. The guitar player's licking away at the cut too, and the whole thing's a delightful romping funky groove – offered up here in an extended mix! The 12" also includes a great cover of "Humpty Dump", the scratchy guitar groover originally cut by The Vibrettes – plus "Humpty Dump" bonus beats.

Legendary hip hip figures Phil Most Chill and Paul Nice team up as The Fabreeze Brothers! "Power Man & Iron Fist" kicks off with Bruce Lee vocal snippet on the art of fighting – and all business from there – with the raw beat, no nonsense rhymes, terse scratches and some unpredictable changes that play like a history of classic rap! Also includes a clean version and essential instro. The flip "Phyllis Diller" might be titled for an iconic comedienne, but it's no joke – another salvo from pair of true school hip hop's illest killers!

Timbaland comes correct again, with a solid beat that has his trademark funky syncopation but with a nod towards the old school, and while no ones going to give Missy any awards for her rhymes, she's still better than the half a dozen soft porn on the mic of the moment female MCs out there.

Featuring vocals from Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Mr. Lif and cuts by DMC champ DJ Craze, this track has a much straighter beat than some of the more abstract electronics you might expect from Push Button. Plus the b-side "Breaker's Delight" a squishy electro track, ripe for your moonwalking pleasure.

Banquet of Sarcasm has that noisy distorted underground sound, but with a little more energy and a little less abstract/off-beat vocals. Mr. Complex and D-Story of the Arsonists are featured on Three Men In A Bar.

One of the numerous politically motivated singles aimed at South Africa's then apartheid government in the mid-80s, this one brought to you by Jerry Dammers' post Specials group featuring the English Beat's Ranking Rogers and produced by Elvis Costello, with an uptempo ska inflected groove!

Modern psych funk torchbears The Stepkids deliver once again for Stones Throw – a 12-inch tease for their 2013 record Troubadour! "Sweet Salvation" is one of the trippier tunes we've heard from the group – one that's anchored by a funky bass and stable beat – with some light, atmospheric bits of keys and percussion and some strange, but soul-steeped group vocals. It almost feels like that there's a Tom Tom Club influence to the more atmospheric bits of sound, which is never something we'd complain about! There's also a remix by Yacht and instrumental version – plus the crazier, but equally cosmic "Bitter Bug".

A spacey club track, with some hip rapping from vocalist Mark Murphy! Murphy doesn't really sing or scat on the track, but he does beat-esque monologue in the middle, which breaks the track up nicely. Snowboy plays percussion, and the track's got some nice electric piano too!

A solid 12-inch split single from ESL and Ghostly International – pairing up the labels' top shelf talents of Thievery Corporation and Tycho! The A-side features Thievery Corporation's "Fragments", with a steady, hypnotic beat and some sweet keyboard atmosphere floating over. The first side also includes a remix by Tycho – and it's got a spacier style. On the flip is Tycho's slow-building "Ascension" – plus a nice remix by Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation.

Rare promo only 12", with three different mega mixes of Tommy Boy's best from the early days, with 3D (Ralph D'Agostino, Tommy Musto and Tommy Sozzi) dropping bits of "Renegades Of Funk", "Play That Beat", "Looking For The Perfect Beat" and more in a continuous mix of electro classics.

Dope female posse record with Bahamadia, Heather B, Rah Digga, Nicki D, Precious P, and Paula Perry over and aggresive underground beat. Another one of those overlooked singles from Franchise/Buds that are still nice all the way through.

What can we say? "Ring My Bell" was one of the biggest crossover disco tracks of the late 70s – with a cool electronic groove on the beat, and lyrics and production by Frederick Knight, making the southern soul singer one of the more unlikely disco forces of the time. This 12" single features the full 8 minute version – with the "Midnight Mix" by Richie Rivera.

An obscure later tune by The Whatnauts – issued years after their classics for All-Platinum in the early 70s – but proof that the group is always great, no matter what the setting! This tune's got a mean mean boogie groove – and was sampled to great fame by De La Soul in "Ring Ring Ring", but stands beautifully on is own. There's a rollerskating bounce to the track that's completely sublime – and the tune steps on and on and on without missing a beat! Not on any LP, either!

Jazzy dancefloor grooves from the legendary Azymuth – with remixes by Theo Parrish and LTJ Xperience – who work some magic on a couple of classic numbers from the Light As Feather record! Both producers are respectful of the original jams – with the spacey soul keys and funky bass on "Avenida Das Mangueiras" in full effect – and a nice club ready beat underneath – courtesy of Theo Parrish. The LTJ Xperience remix of "Partido Alto" is sweet, too – with a thick bassline and overall hazy, tripped out disco feel.

A mix of contemporary club and Afrobeat – served up in a sweet limited edition single! "More Heavy" starts with a bouncing beat, but gets more Afro Funk as things move on – adding in percussion and horns with a nice 70s vibe – then mixing things up even more with some excellent vocal chorus bits too! "Dem Know" has a snapping snare-heavy groove that almost feels like a classic break – lifted and reworked – but then also moves into some excellent vocals that echo Fela's sort of righteousness!

A great split record – worth it alone for the rare Sun Ra cut from 1979, but also featuring a cool remake as well! The original "Door Of The Cosmos" is wonderful – Ra and the Arkestra in a Lanquidity mode – moving with a slightly funky vibe, and some great spacey keyboards – but more than enough great horn parts to underscore the cut with plenty of soulful energy too! Machinedrum serves up his own take on the tune on the other side – a bit more beat-heavy, but with some reed lines that still keep up the jazzy tip of the track!

A vinyl sampler for Glenn Underground's stellar Forgotten Art (Music) – a record that features some of the Chi deep house mainstay's best work in years – and an exclusive remix! Both cuts bring a soul jazz depth to the contemporary deep house scene that's really wonderful. "Forgotten Art (Music)" has steadily danceable beat underneath some great jazzy keys, which span the whole side – along with some other slow-building atmosphere. The remix of "Strumming & Thinking" has more of a cosmic vibe, thanks to some spacier keys and tripped out bits of vocal – but it's still plenty jazzy – with some horns in the mix, too.