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A fantastic bit of soul and house that was woefully overlooked at the time of its release – and one of our favorite albums of the past 25 years! The Blaze production team had been hitting the underground club scene hard for a few years with their raw New Jersey house singles – then Motown grabbed them in the studio, and had them cut this classic album of soul tracks that pays homage to a set of greats that runs from Leroy Hutson, to Donnie Hathaway, to Norman Harris, and a host of others – all with a sense of soulfulness and depth that goes way past their standard work for the clubs! The dancefloor tracks are great, but the album's also got some wonderfully mellow moments too – with tracks that include "So Special", "We All Must Live Together", "Missing You", and "Get Up".

One of the best early soul albums by Roy Ayers! Roy's working here with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Edwin Birdsong, William Allen, Harry Whitaker, and other hip players – a perfect crew to forge Roy's unique blend of jazz and soul. This is perhaps the first record to really have Roy stretching out in this mode – moving more fully away from funky jazz, into a ream of vocal tracks that would make him one of the most unique artists of the 70s. This mid 70s period of Roy's career was remarkably fertile, creatively as well as for sheer productivity – and Tears To A Smile is one of them that shows some the most artistic growth, and also a deeper sense of soul! Features righteous cuts like "2000 Black", "Ebony Blaze", "Time & Space", and "A Tear To A Smile" – plus the mellow "Magic Lady", and a great remake of Earth Wind & Fire's "That's The Way Of The World".

Amazing work from British reedman Bob Downes – a host of previously-unissued 70s recordings, all of them trio numbers with a wonderfully stripped-down feel! Downes is possibly best known for his larger group experiments of the Open Music years – but here, he comes across as much more of a cutting-edge jazzman – blowing a variety of reeds, including flute, tenor, alto, and soprano saxes (sometimes simultaneously!) – with only just bass and drums to back him up! Yet as with most of Bob's other recordings from the time, there's a wonderful sense of rhythm to these cuts – never too free, and always with an inherent groove that hangs somewhere between the modal and the harmelodic. The drummer on all cuts is Denis Smith, and bassists include Barry Guy, Jeff Clyne, and Marc Meggido – on tracks that include "Bamboo Blaze", "Spooks", "Living It Up In Rio", "Desert Waltz", "Circus", "Moonstruck", and "Ghosts In Space".

Man, these guys never seem to miss – and always come up with some great little tunes that snap along in a really compelling way! This album might be easy to overlook in favor of the band's bigger classics, but it's a stone winner all the way through – with a number of tunes that groove on beautifully with tight hooks, skipping beats, warm vocals, and that beautifully compressed production style that always gave Heatwave a sound that slide perfectly into an AM soul radio groove. And sure, there's a few hooks here that feel like they're "borrowed" from some of the bigger hits – but they work wonderfully as a reprise of greatness, and keep us half stepping into the album even more. Titles include "Razzle Dazzle", "Eyeballin'", "Raise A Blaze", "First Day Of Snow", "One Night Tan", "All Talked Out", "Disco", and "Therm Warfare". The Big Break UK remastered edition ahs 5 bonus tracks: "Birthday (7" Version)", "Eyeballin' (US 12" Disco Version)", "One Night Tan (US 7" Version)", "Therm Warfare (UK 7" Version)" and "Birthday" (US 12" Version)".

A classic bit of Chicago house goes mainstream – and a suprisingly big hit from the late 80s. The main reason most folks bought this album was for Louis' "French Kiss", a sex-sound infused house cut with a "fast-then-slow-then-fast" groove that was endlessly dropped into mixes on radio and in clubs at the time. However, like late 80s house contemporaries Blaze, Louis actually turned out to be a pretty interesting soul talent when given a whole album to work with – and although "French Kiss" is on the beat-heavy "dance" side of the album, there's also a pretty interesting "romance" side that has some nice home-made late 80s soul tunes with great warm keyboard-heavy production. Titles include "Lil Tanya", "The Luv U Wanted", "6 AM", and "Brittany".

Three really nice cuts from Kweli! "Never Been In Love" has some instantly identifiable production by Just Blaze. "A Game" hits a little harder on the flip. "Black Girl Pain" features a verse by Jean Grae.

Tracks by Vivian Green, Goapele, Joe McDuphrey, Lizz Fields, Jay Z, Common Thread, Urban Ave 31, India Arie, Venus Malone, Detroit Experiment, Floetry, Little Brother, Angela Johnson, Fertile Ground, Jazzanova, Donnie, Common, Blaze, and Peven Everett. 35 tracks in all!!

Two different sides of Louie Vega – served up to show his rich work for the King Street Records label over the years! CD one features a continuous mix by Louie – one that brings his talents for a dancefloor vibe to the works of other contemporaries – as Vega mixes together their grooves with some of his own – in an extended mix that includes "Vega 1" by Louie Vega, "Gypsyman" by Dazzle Drums, "Seasons Of Love (Blaze club mix)" by Blaze, "Goodbye Love (Alix Alvarez SC fly dub)" by DJ Roland Clark presents Urban Soul, "Found Him (Kerri Chandler Koaz dub)" by Studio Apartment, "Stargazer" by K-Scope, "Inhale" by Mood II Swing, "Where The Music Takes You (Teddy Douglas re-edit)" by Ananda Project, "Transitions" by Dennis Ferrer, and lots lots more – 25 tracks in all. CD two features work of Louie's own – or key mixes for other artists, in which Vega really transforms their sound with the same sort of warmth and soul he brough to his Masters At Work productions! These cuts include "Give It Up (MAW club)" by Rain/A Lil Louis Painting, "Cassio's Theme" by Groove Box, "Vega 3" by Louie Vega, "Hold On (Louie's MAW club)" by 95 North, "Lovery (Louie Vega dance ritual remix)" by Tuccillo & Kiko Navarro, "Souffles H (King Street club mix)" by Mondo Grosso, and "Here With My Best Friend (dance ritual mix)" by Stephanie Cooke.

TI returns with King – featuring production by Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh, Toomp, Keith Mack, Neptunes and others. Tracks include "King Back", "Front Back" feat UGK, "That You Know", "Live In The Sky" feat Jamie Foxx, "Ride Wit Me", "Why You Wanna", "Top Back", "I'm Straight" feat BG & Young Jeezy, "Undertaker" feat Young Buck & Young Dro, "You Know Who", "Goodlife" feat Pharrell & Common, "Told You So" and more.

A stunner of a solo acoustic folk guitar record from Daniel Bachman – one that rivals some of the great archival releases on Tompkins Square – though this one was recorded in 2012, and Bachman is a young player just a couple years into his twenties! Raw, string-buzzing immediacy and dexterous playing from young Bachman – and it's incredibly engaging stuff, too! He's also one of the relatively few contemporary folk instrumentalists – along with with Nashville's William Tyler – who truly evoke the spirit of trailblazers like Fahey and Basho for us. Includes "Copperhead", "Seven Pines", "Sun Over Old Rag", "Long Nights I", "Mount Olive Chohoke", "With Signs Following" and '218 To Caledon".

A rarity from the early 90s funky underground by Bus People Express – who were alternately working as Soul Saints during this period – and they would soon trailblaze the contemporary funk scene as Poets Of Rhythm! "Augusta Georgia (Here I Come)" starts out with stripped-down drums and some gritty call and response group vocals, before the guitar and bass come storming in. Reminiscent of James Brown at his rawest and grittiest, ala Motherlode! "South Carolina" has a slower cooking style with some southern funky soul swagger, as you might guess from the title. A prescient blast of modern funk to come!

The Digables certainly weren't the first or most innovative hip hop group to rely upon cooled out jazz for the backbone of their sound. In fact without Tribe Called Quest's second album, Digable Planets probably wouldn't even have existed, at least not in anything close to the same form. What they did do though was pave the trail blazed by Tribe and De La with pure gold – and Blowout Comb is a fine ride! Loads of tripped out arrangements on live instruments (a huge step after the largely sampled debut), layer upon layer of groovy vocals in addition to the easy rhymes of Butterfly, Ladybug and Doodlebug, and even an appearance by Jeru. One of the catchiest jazz-rap fusion record of the 90s, not that there's anything wrong with that! Tracks include "The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug", "Black Ego", "Dog It", "Jettin", "Borough Check", "Highing Fly", "Dial 7", "The Art Of Easing", "KB's Alley", "Graffiti", "Blowing Down", "9th Wonder", and "For Corners".

Rare grooves from Evans Pyramid – a sweet set of cosmic disco from the end of the 70s – recorded with a lean, almost spiritual vibe – quite similar to some of the great tracks reissued in the Soul Cal series! There's a definite ear for the dancefloor here – lots of upbeat rhythms, touched with sweet keyboards riffs, and layered with vocals that are almost an afterthought – yet have their own sort of message at the right moment. The group's the brainchild of Andre Evans, an artist whose huge legacy of music business work includes stints with Dyke & The Blazers, Little Anthony & The Imperials, and Tribe – as well as a host of key album sessions as well – but the sound is unlike any of those references, and has this great stripped-down late 70s club vibe throughout. The rare album is offered here with unreleased bonus tracks – and titles include "Rubber Band", "Never Gonna Leave You", "Dip Drop", "No I Won't", "Soul Petrol", and "Dance A Thon".

Rare grooves from Evans Pyramid – a sweet set of cosmic disco from the end of the 70s – recorded with a lean, almost spiritual vibe – quite similar to some of the great tracks reissued in the Soul Cal series! There's a definite ear for the dancefloor here – lots of upbeat rhythms, touched with sweet keyboards riffs, and layered with vocals that are almost an afterthought – yet have their own sort of message at the right moment. The group's the brainchild of Andre Evans, an artist whose huge legacy of music business work includes stints with Dyke & The Blazers, Little Anthony & The Imperials, and Tribe – as well as a host of key album sessions as well – but the sound is unlike any of those references, and has this great stripped-down late 70s club vibe throughout. The rare album is offered here with unreleased bonus tracks – and titles include "Rubber Band", "Never Gonna Leave You", "Dip Drop", "No I Won't", "Soul Petrol", "I Got A Rush For You", "Dance A Thon", and "Sugar Stop".

Raw instrumental funk from the mighty Soul Investigators – true trailblazers on the international funk revival scene! This Finnish combo started recording raw, searing takes on classic funk in the late 90s – and from there cut some incredible, and now quite rare funky 45s – and many of those stellar tracks are on the great Home Cooking set. It's a fantastic collection of deep funk instrumentals – and we couldn't be more thankful this group – who paved the way for the thriving, worldwide funky soul scene! Titles include "Home Cooking" (Parts 1 & 2), "Mo' Hash", "Greasy Pork", "Midnight Bar-B-Q", "Deep Fired Chitlings", "Momma's Gravy (Yum Yum)", "Electric Cooker", "Micro Popcorn", "Baby! It's Delicious" and more. This 2012 CD edition also has 3 previously unreleased tracks from the same 1999-2001 recording period: "Funcky Bagg", "Butter Buns" and "Round Two".

Brilliant, uncategorizable instrumental sounds from Woo! The group is the 2-man brother band of Mark and Clive Ives – with guitars, clavinet, bass and bits of vocals by Mark – and percussion, violin and electronics by Clive. They follow the trail blazed by Eno and others, fusing acoustic instrumentation with electronic experimentation – but there's really nothing quite like Woo out there! It's original and innovative, but at the same time, very warm and inviting. Definitely cozy, or "cosy", if you prefer! Truly wonderful stuff – especially when you factor in how many underground experimentalists found bigger audiences and greater acclaim later on! Titles include "Into", "The Western", "Water Drum", "Downtown Suburbia", "Upside Down", "Wallpaper", "Purple Pussy", "It's Cosy Inside", "Marion", "Did You See", "Final Card", "No More Telly", "End Of The Attic", "Overhead" and more.

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks.

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks.

The laid back classic, finally back on vinyl! The Digables certainly weren't the first or the most innovative hip hop group to rely upon cooled out jazz for the backbone of their sound. In fact without Tribe Called Quest's second album, Digable Planets probably wouldn't even have existed, at least not in anything close to the same form. What they did do though was pave the trail blazed by Tribe and De La with pure gold – and Blowout Comb is their shiniest ride! Loads of tripped out arrangements on live instruments (a huge step after the largely sampled debut), layer upon layer of groovy vocals in addition to the easy rhymes of Butterfly, Ladybug and Doodlebug, and even an appearance by Jeru. Probably the catchiest jazz-rap fusion record of the 90s, not that there's anything wrong with that! Tracks include "The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug", "Black Ego", "Dog It", "Jettin", "Borough Check", "Highing Fly", "Dial 7", "The Art Of Easing", "K.B.'s Alley", "Graffiti", "Blowing Down", "9th Wonder", and "For Corners".

Arizona funk from George Bowman and his Memphis Soul – recorded at Phoenix's Audio Recorders studio in the late 60s – completely unreleased until now by Numero! "Don't Down Me People" is purely funky on a couple levels, most notably via the JB-schooled vocals by guitarist/singer/songwriter Mr. Bowman, along with some horn blasts and staggering drums. Those drums purportedly come courtesy of Rodney Brown of Dyke & The Blazers, which certainly makes some sense. The guitar dynamic is what really stands out, though – the riff is unshakable!

A stunner of a solo acoustic folk guitar record from Daniel Bachman – one that rivals some of great archival releases on Tompkins Square – though this one was recorded in 2012, and Bachman is a young player just a couple years into his twenties! Raw, string-buzzing immediacy and dexterous playing from young Bachman – and it's incredibly engaging stuff, too! He's also one of the relatively few contemporary folk instrumentalists – along with with Nashville's William Tyler – who truly evoke the spirit of trailblazers like Fahey and Basho for us. Includes "Copperhead", "Seven Pines", "Sun Over Old Rag", "Long Nights I", "Mount Olive Chohoke", "With Signs Following" and '218 To Caledon".

Another fine couple of slices from Speakerboxx/Love Below! "Way You Move" comes from Big Boi's half, and it finds BB pimpin' his smooth, fast rhyme style over some very soulful modern electro soul beats and handclaps. Sleepy Brown provides the sung chorus over some loud and proud synth for a serious Raphael Saadiq kinda vibe! Andre 3000's "Hey Ya!" rocks that catchy-as-hell synthy funk-n-roll style that NERD shoots for in their electro incarnation – and really nails it too. It could almost be mistaken for a lost Cameo single! Nice stuff on both sides, and another hint that the upcoming double album is gonna be another trailblazer!

Stunning live recordings from Albert Ayler's European tour of late 1966 – during a peak creative period for Ayler – while working with an incredible group! This excellent CD captures them in Stockholm for Swedish radio on November 10, 1966 – followed by an equally well documented set in Berlin from one week prior. The performances themselves are energetic throughout, and in turns elegiac, playful and all-out intense! It's awe-inspiring material with emotional depth – that facet enhanced a bit by the presence of a violin – by Dutch player Michel Samson, who is great here. Donald Ayler's trumpet communicates brilliantly with the violin and William Folwell's double bass. Beaver Harris holds it down on drums, while Ayler blazes away in the leader, taking the group into unpredictable movements. Greatness! Includes "Truth Is Marching In", "Omega (Is The Alpha)", "Our Prayer – Bells" and "Infinite Spirit – Japan" from Stockholm, juxtaposed with differing performances of those titles in Berlin, plus the riveting closer "Ghosts – Bells", also from Berlin.

A very groovy set from Gary Burton – almost funky at points, and a great step forward for his unusual approach to the vibes! The group's definitely a new quartet, with a very fresh feel – and include Michael Goodrick on guitar, Abraham Laboriel on bass, and Harry Blazer on drums – on cuts that include "Open Your Eyes You Can Fly", "Coral", "Tying Up Loose Ends", "Olhos De Gato", and "Mallet Man".

Brilliant, uncategorizable instrumental sounds from Woo! The group is the 2-man brother band of Mark and Clive Ives – with guitars, clavinet, bass and bits of vocals by Mark – and percussion, violin and electronics by Clive. They follow the trail blazed by Eno and others, fusing acoustic instrumentation with electronic experimentation – but there's really nothing quite like Woo out there! It's original and innovative, but at the same time, very warm and inviting. Definitely cozy, or "cosy", if you prefer! Truly wonderful stuff – especially when you factor in how many underground experimentalists found bigger audiences and greater acclaim later on! Titles include "Into", "The Western", "Water Drum", "Downtown Suburbia", "Upside Down", "Wallpaper", "Purple Pussy", "It's Cosy Inside", "Marion", "Did You See", "Final Card", "No More Telly", "End Of The Attic", "Overhead" and more.