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The title track of one of the few albums cut by this Chicago dancefloor trio – done in a skipping clubby mode that's not entirely disco, not entirely soul. The track's playful enough to live up to the title – kind of a jaunty groover with nice back/forth action.

Massive! An incredibly sweet, funky batch Black Ark reggae – killer cuts by Leo Graham, The Imposters, Dillinger, The Gladiators and more, most especially, the mighty Upsetters! A number of the vocal tracks have a sweet harmony sound, and while other compilations often pair dubs and vocal versions, this one skims the cream instead, only pairing up a few cuts that way, but don't worry, there's no shortage of Upsetters jammies here. Scratch drops just the right amount of murky sauce on these numbers recorded between '73 and '75. Titles include Leo Graham's "Jump It", Sam Carty's "Life Is A Flower", Dillinger "Cane River Rock", The Imposters "Have Some Fun" and "Nature Man", The Gladiators "Time" and The Upsetters' "Vampire (horns)", "Jamaican Theme" and 'Perceptive Dub".

Classic Black Ark soul sides served up here with their funky Upsetters versions! Scratch is fully in his element here, a showcase of jaunty rolling island grooves. It's perhaps not his best known work, but like so much of what he cooked up at the Black Ark, totally essential, from the organ driven rhythm of Juks Dread & Big Youth's "23rd Psalm", to the murky, soulful "Ethiopian Land", to the Upsetter's chugging groove under "Well Judged Dub", voiced as "Judgement Day" by Clive Hilton. Also includes Mystic's "Forward With Jah Orthodox", The Bluebells "Come Along", Watty & Tony's "Rise & Shine" and more. 17 tracks on this CD edition.

An excellent lost session from the Black Ark! Tracked by Perry with Upsetters in 1975, these stripped down dubs feature some of the dopest, funky rhythms Scratch ever cut, while others have a super spare, loping Jamaican groove. The sound is crisp and tight, without the giant thunderclaps and echo drops you'd here in a Tubby mix, but chirping guitars and sublimely funky bass ducking in and out of the mix. From the same sessions that gave us the Kung Fu Meets The Dragon set, you know it's right with titles like "Last Blood", "Deathly Hands", "Dragon Slayer", "One Armed Boxer", "Fists Of Vengeance", "Samurai Swordsman" and "Final Weapon", plus the CD includes 2 bonus tracks, "Experience" with Delroy Butler and the extended mix of "Living My Life".

Hard hard hard soul from the great Cicero Blake – a singer who's better known these days for his down-home blues work, but who was a heck of a great soul artist in the 60s and 70s! This wonderfully-done set collects together 23 singles from Cicero's diverse recordings of the 60s and 70s – pulling together recordings that were issued on a variety of different labels, but when taken together show Blake to be an incredibly powerful singer, with a depth to rival that of his Chicago contemporaries, like Tyrone Davis or Syl Johnson! And honestly, even though we'd heard the odd single by Cicero here and there over the years, we'd never gotten a complete picture of his career until this wonderful set – and we're extra-thankful to the folks at Grapevine for doing such a great job on the notes and track selection. Titles include "See What Tomorrow Brings", "Sad Feeling", "Soul Of Pain", "Take It From Me", "Loving You Woman Is Everything", "Shing A Ling", "Here Comes The Heartache", "Should I Go", "Could This Be Love", "Face The Case", "Don't Wait Until Tomorrow", "Bad But Beautiful Bag", "Doin What Comes Naturally", "Dip My Dipper", "Be Good To Me", "Your Love Is Like A Boomerang", and a bonus 90s sweet soul number, "Don't Wanna Blow My Chance With You".

Enigmatic folk rock and soulful bluesy vocals from Karen Dalton – her legendary lost 1971 album that's credited with inspiring some the most idiosyncratic work by folk rock superstars and contemporary freak folk heroes alike! Karen was a fixture on the 60s NY folk scene – Dylan even gives her props in his Chronicles Vol 1 memoirs – but she rarely recorded. Her voice carries a huge Billie Holiday influence – but the delivery is wholly unique in her earthy folk phrasing, a real dip back into Harry Smith territory. Her guitar and banjo picking is strong, too! In My Own Time was recorded for Paramount at the end of 1970 and beginning of '71, with really rich and surprisingly soulful backing on an interesting selection of material written or popularized by Dylan & The Band, George Jones, Paul Butterfield, and even a folksy soul take on "When A Man Loves A Woman". Light In The Attic shines a huge light for this reverential reissue – pristinely remastered, with a thick booklet of liner notes by Lenny Kaye, Nick Cave and Devendra Banhart. Other tracks include "Something On Your Mind", "In My Own Dream", the traditional "Katie Cruel", "One Night Of Love" and "Are You Leaving For The Country".

Enigmatic folk rock and soulful bluesy vocals from Karen Dalton – her legendary lost 1971 album that's credited with inspiring some the most idiosyncratic work by folk rock superstars and contemporary freak folk heroes alike! Karen was a fixture on the 60s NY folk scene – Dylan even gives her props in his Chronicles Vol 1 memoirs – but she rarely recorded. Her voice carries a huge Billie Holiday influence – but the delivery is wholly unique in her earthy folk phrasing, a real dip back into Harry Smith territory. Her guitar and banjo picking is strong, too! In My Own Time was recorded for Paramount at the end of 1970 and beginning of '71, with really rich and surprisingly soulful backing on an interesting selection of material written or popularized by Dylan & The Band, George Jones, Paul Butterfield, and even a folksy soul take on "When A Man Loves A Woman". Light In The Attic shines a huge light for this reverential reissue – pristinely remastered with notes by Lenny Kaye, Nick Cave and Devendra Banhart. Other tracks include "Something On Your Mind", "In My Own Dream", the traditional "Katie Cruel", "One Night Of Love" and "Are You Leaving For The Country".

There's a nice sense of strut to the groove of "My Faith" – a bold sort of snap in the drums that's echoed by a baritone sax line – all to set the scene for James Dockery's cool vocals in the lead! James has this style that's pretty unique – deep, but trilling at the same time – really reaching out nicely towards the chorus, with a bit of a dip that recalls The Impressions in a few spots. "Giving You" is slow and moody – almost spiritual in its construction, but with a sense of devotion that's definitely secular too!

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".

A wicked dip into Colombian music – focused around the work of two true giants of the scene! CD1 features 21 massive tracks from Fruko – one of the hardest-hitting artists working in Colombia in the 70s – often in a sound that starts out in New York salsa, but takes all these weird little twists and turns as it adapts to the local rhythms! Joe Arroyo's tracks start where Fruko's leave off – pushing the groove even more with a bolder, more confident Colombian style – still filled with some great jazzy riffs that you'd hear in salsa, but moving into some especially nice tropical touches too! The production on the material for both artists is great – often filled with some sweet studio tricks – and the booklet features notes on the artists, plus images of lots of vintage album covers too. 38 tracks in all – with tracks billed to each artist separately, or The Latin Brothers, La Verdad, or Afrosound – on titles that include "El Preso", "El Violento", "Tu Sufriras", "La Pintosa", "Ocho Dias", "El Esclavo, "Tifit Hayed", "San Juan De Puerto Rico", "Palenque", Pobre Naci, "El Son Del Caballo", "Baila Simon, "Musa Original", "Matigua", "Vuelve", "Son Apretao", and "En Barranquilla Me Quedo.

Amazing stuff – a really incredible dip into the life, mind, and music of Billie Holiday – with some rare studio banter that's almost as compelling as her famous recordings for Verve! Amazing package, too – a real standard-setter for CDs when it came out!

Stunning vocal work by this hip late 60s group – the ultra-groovy Jumping Jacques, a vocal ensemble who really knew how to swing! The group feature male/female voices blended in a style that's reminiscent of some of the best European 60s soundtracks – harmonizing in a mode that's jazzy, but also infused with some very mod touches, snapping along in grooves that dip and turn nicely, with some very swinging moments. Place these guys right next to the best work by Les Double Six, I Cantori Modern, The Gimmicks, or Brasil 66 – but give them a lot of credit for their unique and psychedelic approach to the style, making a record like this mad work that's uniquely their own! Titles include "Chili Peppers", "Haunted House", "Double Francoise", "La Terre Le Ciel Et L'Eau", "Lucinda", "Just A Little Midnight Swim", and "Whispering".

Lovely work from Kimiko Kasai – easily one of the best female jazz vocalists on the Japanese scene in the 70s! Kimiko's got a wonderfully deep range – an ability to dip into lower notes when needed, but not in any sort of gimmicky way – just this full-voiced quality that makes her interpretation of American standards come across with a really rich groove! Backing is by a piano trio, and Kasai's right out front in the arrangements – on titles that include "The Good Life", "Get Out Of Town", "Bewitched", "Just In Time", "Wild Is The Wind", and "Sunny".

Keith Murray's finest moment, introducing the word to his mic skills, the most complex of the Def Squad MC's. Erick Sermon provides the bottom heavy east coast funk style on the beat side. Includes the single that got everyone open on Keith "The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World", plus "Get Lifted", "Dip Dip Di", "Take It To the Streetz", "Herb Is Pumpin'", "Sychosymatic", "How's That", "Escapism", "Bom Bom Zee", "Danger", "Straight Loonie" and more.

A wonderful batch of Latin Jazz grooves – played by a group who more than deserved the right to call themselves the Latin Jazz Quintet! The core sound features vibes and piano jamming away nicely, really hitting some great modal rhythms – but this album's also got an added bonus in the presence of alto player Bobby Capers, an old bandmate of Mongo Santamaria, and a real killer of a player on a hard Latin groove! Capers really makes this album shine – cutting in some hard-edged sax solos amidst the warmer pulse of the vibes and piano – and titles include some hard grooving classics like "Rip a Dip", "Dilly Dali", "Blues Waltz", "Milestones", "Red Top", and "Sunday Go Meetin'".

Incredible work from neo soul maestro Frank McComb – the kind of a record that will have you saying "dang, what's that classic jam" – and then being amazed that it's a brand new set from Frank! The record surpasses even the quality of Frank's amazing album The Truth – and sparkles with a deeply soulful approach that we'd rank right up there with the best work by Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway! (And mind you, we're not making that comparison lightly – as we know the risks of ranking Frank so highly!) The keyboards on the set are every bit as great as the vocals, too – and dip, turn, and sneak around with all these seductive little touches – like bending notes that seem to "sing" of their own accord next to the vocals. We've got Frank to thank for finally letting this record free – and these copies come from the maestro himself, sent to the world on a pillow of soulful love. Titles include "I'd Be A Fool", "To The Left", "The Thing I Failed To Do", "Each Day", "King Of The Open Road", "Morning Glory", and "The Things That You Do".

2 of the greatest albums ever by Jack McDuff – back to back on one CD! Soulful Drums of Joe Dukes was originally issued under the name of McDuff's famous mid-60s funky drummer, Joe Dukes – but it's actually a McDuff session, recorded with the classic quartet lineup that includes Red Holloway on tenor and alto, George Benson on guitar, and Dukes on drums. The album's got an incredible sound, with Dukes' unique approach to drums scattering all over the kit, creating these complicated dancing rhythms for the organ, sax, and guitar lineup. The album's filled with excellent groovers, like "Moohah the D.J.", "Soulful Drums", "Greasy Drums", and "My Three Sons" – and the whole thing's great! Equally sublime is the album Hot Barbeque – probably the strongest of all of McDuff's mid 60s albums, with a coherency and a solidness to the playing that you'd have to work hard to find on other organ group sides from the time. Jack's work on the Hammond is incredible, filled with sharp changes and turns that will leave you breathless, and which will soon make him your favorite organist ever. Benson's guitar is incredible, too – filled with energy and intensity, vamping away at a pace and accuracy that's simply inexplicable. Every single cut's a gem – and the album includes the vocal-driven groover "Hot Barbeque", plus "Hippy Dip", "601 1/2 North Poplar", "The Three Day Thang", and "Briar Patch". All That, and the CD also includes the rare bonus track "Redwood City"!

A 60s party from drummer and madly grooving instrumentalist Sandy Nelson – way more than a frat party – this one's for the beaches, basements, drag-strips and anywhere else! This is the second dip into the wealth of Imperial singles and albums cut by Sandy – into the mid 60s here – storming instro groovers all the way! It's got rugged takes on TV and movie themes, surf, garage and bits of exotica – all with a tightly thumping, bottom heavy groove that's as insistent as can be! 24 tracks in all: "Nothing's Too Good For My Baby", "Batman Theme", "Sabre Dance', "Just Like Me", "Tim Tom Drum", "The Jerk", "Pipeline", "Peter Gunn", "Good Thing", "Work Song" and more.

A surprisingly pleasing little set from The Pointer Sisters – a lot more soul than pop, and really held together with some solid production and songwriting! Despite the hit cut "He's So Shy", with its over-heard catchy chorus, the rest of the album has the trio moving in a somewhat sophisticated territory – almost taking some cues from The Jones Girls at points, especially on the mellower moments. Sid Sharp handled most of the larger arrangements, which dip, turn, and groove nicely – and most numbers feature one of the sisters stepping into the lead, with support from the others. Big Break UK remastered edition includes "Could I Be Dreaming", "He's So Shy", "The Love Too Good To Last", "Special Things", "Where Did The Time Go", "Evil", "Save This Night For Love" and the bonus track "Movin' On".

14 cuts, including "Flipmode Iz Da Squad", "Get The Money & Dip", "Wild For Da Night", "Flipmode Enemy #1", "Take It To the Streets" and "we Getz Down (rmx)".

The second album from Spirit – and a standout powerhouse of late 60s rock! The combo have a great way of hitting a groove without losing their cool – as heard on the classic "I Got A Line On You", which leads off the set – and unlike most of their contemporaries, who could be too bluesy for their own good, or too indulgent to keep a good hook going, Spirit here really know how to dip around all the best bits of the late 60s underground, and bring them into tighter focus for deeper penetration into the mainstream. The sound is driven strongly by drums from Ed Cassidy and guitar from Randy California – but the record's also got some nicely sweeter moments too, bits of jazz that slide into a few of the best tracks to complicate the vibe. Titles include "I Got A Line On You", "It Shall Be", "Poor Richard", "Drunkard", "Silky Sam", "Jewish", "Dream Within A Dream", and "She Smiles".

An excellent album of funky electric jazz – and possibly the best one that Phil Woods cut with his European group! The quartet's a very hip group that's way hipper than its clunky name – with Gordon Beck on electric piano and organ, Daniel Humair on percussion and drums, and Henri Texier on bass, flute, and African percussion – all instrumentalists who dip heavily into the deep bag of their mighty talents for the date, helping to push Phil's music into some very cool new territory! The album cooks a lot harder than Woods' previous MGM date with the Rhythm Machine group in Europe – and has a really freewheeling vibe, and a sound that's almost outside at points. All tracks are long, with a modal electric approach that's very nice – and funky in the best parts – and titles include "Chromatic Banana", "Ultimate Choice", "The Last Page", and "The Day When The World".

Rarities from the mighty Yabby You – with some remarkably strong, though little heard rootsy dub from Yabby and his extended brethren – including some recently discovered bits! The title Deeper Roots works on dual fronts. It's got pretty rare material, discovered by the always deep diggers at Pressure Sounds – but the material has deeper spiritual resonance, too – with a nice Rasta vibe running throughout! Yabby is joined by King Tubby, Barrington Spence, the rarely recorded Prince Pampidoo, King Manuel, The Prophets and others. Includes "Valley Of Joeasaphat" and "Joeasaphat Rock" with Smith & The Prophets, "Don't Touch I Dread" with Barington Spence", "Tutch Dub" with Prophet All Stars, "Dip Them Bedward" with Prince Pampidoo, "Dub Them Bedward" with Prophet All Stars, "Forward On The Track" with King Miguel, "Caymamas Rock" with King Miguel & The Prophets, "Cleo's Dub" with Hot City Allstars and more. Also includes some exclusive dub plate mixes with King Tubby – featuring Tommy McCook, The Prophets and others! 19 tracks in all!

One of the coolest sets the Numero Group has ever released – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given their already-mighty catalog! Although the label issued a previous dip into the enigmatic Boddie Recording company of Cleveland, this massive package brings together a whopping 57 tracks from the Boddie studios and related labels – many of which have never been reissued before, even by Numero – and all of which offer up a mindblowing microcosm of the American scene in the 60s and 70s – a wealth of rare funk, soul, psych, gospel, and more – all of it the kind of gritty material that 45 collectors die for! But just as cool as the music is the package itself – a heavy box with a flap that fits around five LPs, two booklets, flyer reproductions, and even a Boddie greeting card! There's loads of rare photos, band information, studio details, and more – billed by Numero as a "self-contained record industry" in one box. Musically, the whole thing's right on par with other Numero releases – maybe even above them, given the wide range and depth of the collection – and artists include Bo & The Metros, Inter Circle, King James Version, Ricky Hodges, Jackie Russell, Angela Alexander, Frankie Pighee, Chantells, AC Jones, Harvey Hall, Headlines, Modern Detergents, Penny North, JC Akins, Little Anthony Mitchell, Gospel Fabulators, Royal Kings, Corinthian Singers, Brother Bill, Victory 5, and many more.

Perhaps the greatest volume in this always-great series! Mr Bongo take another firm dip into their Brazilian bag – and come up with an excellent batch of dancefloor tracks, old and new alike, that sum up the best of funky Brazil! The track selection here is great – with less familiar numbers than on other volumes, and a seamless blend of styles that shifts effortlessly between older and newer material – funky samba grooving with sweet dancefloor beats, with lots of soulful vocals, and a very solid approach that will please newcomers and crate-diggers alike! Titles include "E Isso Ai" by Paulo Lima, "Chega No Suingue" by Seu Jorge, "Riacho" by Guem, "Misapeque" by Sao Benitez, "Maria (One Rascal main mix)" by Bazedo, "Para Ti (Criancas mix)" by Malena, "Saudacao A Toco Preto" by Candeia, "Nao Adianta" by Trio Mocoto, and "Kriula" by Clube Do Balanco. 11 tracks in all.

A deep dip into forgotten, politically-motivated Americana from the impressive diggers at Omni – and a surprisingly strong collection of material from singers who served as the American right's response to the largely left-of-center folk singers of the mid-to-late 60s – and we're not gonna lie to you, reactionary conservatism never sounded so groovy! It's pretty amazing stuff – not only serving as an answer to the left's protest song ideals, but it's full of well-crafted, well-produced, creatively worthy songcraft. It features multiple tracks by 3 artist – pulling together rare songs from 45 EPs by Janet Greene, album and 45 tracks by Vera Vanderlaan, and the rare Cry, The Beloved Country album by Tony Dolan. Given just how far social, political and musical culture has progressed in the decades since, it's easy to listen to these songs, and their warnings of insidious Commie threats and other supposed left wing terrors waiting to happen, as a bit of a novelty item – but on the other hand, there's plenty of contemporary parallels to consider. While some of the songs border on self-parody, others are actually reasonable and pretty fair-minded – and nearly all of it is irresistibly listenable! Includes "Fascist Threat", "Commie Lies", "Poor Left Winger", "Run" and more by Janet Greene; "Abolish, Abolish!", "Cuba Will Be Free", "Cry, The Beloved Country", "Remember Bloody Budapest", "Harry Pollitt", "New York Times Blues" and more by Tony Dolan; "Freedom Is A Hammer", "Hello World", "Stand Up And Be Counted", "Red Fire" and more by Vera Vanderlaan. 29 tracks in all – and it includes a detailed booklet with bios and artist facts, as well as some fascinating right-of-center newsletter stills, shots of rally posters, etc. from the period.

A massive collection of soulful groovers – tunes that packed the dancefloors in the days before disco, and which definitely show the harder edge of the soul spectrum! The set starts off with mid-60s tunes based around a simple rhythm and a quirky dance gimmick – then branches out into some hard-hitting sock-soul numbers from later in the decade, and eventually slides into some sweet 70s funk! The overview of tunes is a great one, with some tasty familiar numbers, some great obscurities, and a few tracks that have been massively hard to find on CD! Titles include "The Greasy Frog" by Jeb Stuart, "The Matador" by Major Lance, "The Dip" by The Whispers, "Jerk It" by The Gypsies, "The Chicken" by Jackie Lee, "The Meditation" by TNT Band, "Broadway Freeze (parts 1 & 2)" by Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds, "Walkin The Duck" by The Triumphs, "Temptation Walk" by The Entertainers IV, "Moon Walk (parts 1 & 2)" by Joe Simon, "Bumpin & Stompin" by Garland Green, "Bus Stop" by Fatback Band, and "Do The Sissy" by Albert Collins. 26 tracks in all!

An amazing dip into the widest reaches of the Universal Music vaults – an incredibly groovy set of dancefloor numbers in a variety of genre – rare soul, deep funk, modal jazz, bossa nova, French pop, and more! The set's every bit as great as other Mojo Club entries – beautifully chosen tunes that include loads of under-reissued gems – all put together as a massive 18 track package that gives you plenty of great music for the money. Titles include "Day By Day" by Greetje Kauffeld, "Descarrego" by Emilio Santiago, "Big Mama Cass" by Don Sebesky, "Noir C'est Noir" by Johnny Hallyday, "Sir Henry The Dancer" by Casey & His Group, "I Likes To Do It" by People's Choice, "I Love Every Little Thing About You" by Syreeta, "Dona Flor" by Tania Maria, "Sophisticated Wheels" by Gabor Szabo, "I Believe In Miracles" by The Jackson Sisters, and "O Orvalho Vem Caindo" by Meirelles.

More funky breaks than Evel Knevel after the Snake River Canyon jump! The groove hounds at BGP records were set loose on the Ace catalog – which includes holdings from Atlantic, Stax, Volt, Westbound, and other funky classic labels – and they managed to come up with a killer batch of funky cuts, even though this is their 3rd dip into the crates! If anything, perhaps they dipped even deeper this time – especially as some of the once-trusted sources for breaks, like the famous Ultimate Breaks & Beats series, are now disappearing from the market. Titles include "Soul Pad" by The Coasters, "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins, "T Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye, "Nappy Dugout" by Funkadelic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jimmy Ponder, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by The Mad Lads, "The Rose" by 50 Foot Hose, "Holy Ghost" by The Bar Kays, "No Strings Attached" by The Mad Lads, "After Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, "River's Invitation" by Freddie Robinson, "This House Is Smokin" by BT Express, "Music Man (parts 1 & 2)" by Pleasure Web, and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter.

A well-done overview of underground Neo Soul from the US – one that features some of the best work we've been stocking over the past few years! The scope here is really great – with a very careful focus on the individual artists, and the tracks chosen – at a level that's far better than most of the cheapo Neo Soul collections out there on the market. Many of these folks are ones that we sell in full LP form, but this set's a great way to dip into their work at a lighter level – with a total of 16 tracks that include "Fell In Love" by Antoinique, "Let Love In" by Trace Ellington, "If" by Heston, "Just Because" by Conya Doss, "U Told Me" by Monet, "Ivory Moon" by Rhian, "I Found Love" by Emerald Jade, "You Know What Happens" by Alison Crockett, "Like No Other" by Maya Azucena, "Love Serenade" by Marlon Saunders, "Darkside" by Mayron, and "Honeydew" by Geno Young.

Incredible choral harmonies – recorded in a way that really captures the intensity of this unique style of spiritual music! The convention features the voices of a hundred or so regular folks – farmers, tradesmen, and their families – all coming together to work through songs from The Sacred Harp – a compendium of four-part hymns that are handled by the members of the group with amazing interplay! The rising voices dip and turn, merge and split – all with a sonic intensity that much more strongly recalls choral modes we know from Eastern Europe or Russia. Alan Lomax had tried to record the convention before, but to no avail – and this 1959 recording marks the one time he was able to capture their magic on record. The package comes with an insert of notes – and was done in conjunction with the Alan Lomax archive!

One of Nina's first for RCA – a mixture of jazz and soul tunes handled with some classy arrangements by Sammy Lowe, most of which feature nice electric bass work at the bottom by Gene Taylor! Taylor's bass gives the tracks a nice "dip" that's not exactly funky, but does provide a strong kick that keeps things moving along nicely – in a way that points towards the direction Nina would take in the 70s, and which makes this album a fair bit hipper than some of her Philips work! Nina's not as over the top as on other records, but still lays it out quite hiply – and tracks include "Consummation", "Go To Hell", "Love O Love", "It Be's That Way Sometime", "Turn Me On", and "Some Say". CD features bonus tracks "Save Me" an d"Why Must Your Love Well Be So Dry".

A mighty dip into the legendary vaults of King Records – and one that manages to come up with a motherlode of funky grooves, even though none of them feature James Brown! The package is an essential look at the hinterland of King – artists who mostly just cut singles for the label in the 60s and early 70s, but who managed to match the groove of some of the bigger talents who charted more successfully for the company. There's plenty of gritty, funky cuts on the set – some done as soul numbers with a funky undercurrent on the bottom – others done as heavy funk cuts with a few nice soul touches on the vocals! The set was hand-picked by Mr Finewine – well known for his genius on the Vital Organs collection – and tracks include "Peter Rabbit" and "Which Way" by The Presidents, "Soul Jerk It Baby" by Jeb Stuart, "How Do You Feel" by Peggy & Artie, "Book Of Love" by Clarence Murray, "I Got It Made" by James Duncan, "Football" by The Swinging Seven, "Jo Ann" by Robert Moore, "You've Got To Be Strong" by James Duncan, "Fat Gal" by Mickey Murray, "Your Key Don't Fit Anymore" by Marie Queenie Lyons, "Let Me Be A Steppin Soul" by Charles Spurling, "Thunder" by Lord Thunder, and "Chopper 70" by Wayne Cochran.

A Latin monster – and one of our favorite albums from the New York scene! The record is the only one we've ever seen from pianist Earl Coleman – and it's a groove-happy fiesta that's every bit Spanish Harlem at its best. Earl's piano is flowing and free, and the band grooves through tracks that dip, turn, and soar like some of the best hard-jamming numbers from Joe Cuba, Ray Barretto, or Joe Bataan from the time. Some tracks feature soulful English vocals, and the titles alone should give you the feel of the set – "Hippy Heaven", "Latin Love-In", "Banana-Loo", and "What You Gonna Do".

Veteran hip hop from the Hiero camp! Pep Love & Opio team up as First Light – with guest appearances by Phesto, Casual, A-Plus, Tajai, Knobody, Cold Showdda, Knowbody and Del The Funky Homosapien. Includes "Greetings" with Phesto, "Valley Of The Kings" feat Casual, "Over The Top", "Los Lobos", "Lighters" with A-Plus, Casual and Del The Funky Homosapien, "Shinin'", "Do What I Want", "Rock Raw", "Dip Dip Dive", "Make It Pop" feat Tajai, "Mission", "Libel" and more.

Stunning vocal work by this hip late 60s group – the ultra-groovy Jumping Jacques, a vocal ensemble who really knew how to swing! The group feature male/female voices blended in a style that's reminiscent of some of the best European 60s soundtracks – harmonizing in a mode that's jazzy, but also infused with some very mod touches, snapping along in grooves that dip and turn nicely, with some very swinging moments. Place these guys right next to the best work by Les Double Six, I Cantori Modern, The Gimmicks, or Brasil 66 – but give them a lot of credit for their unique and psychedelic approach to the style, making a record like this mad work that's uniquely their own! Titles include "Chili Peppers", "Haunted House", "Double Francoise", "La Terre Le Ciel Et L'Eau", "Lucinda", "Just A Little Midnight Swim", and "Whispering".

A Tico Records classic from the legendary Pupi Legarreta – one of the few cats who can really make a violin groove! The set's cut in a lively charanga mode – great instrumentation from the leader over these choppy, percussive rhythms – plus smoking jazzy flute lines that dip, turn, and twist all over the place – spurred on by some mighty tight piano as well! The sound is about as perfect as you can get for a charanga date of this vintage – and titles include "Mi Abuelo", "No Seas Boba", "Toda La Verdad", "Ay Senor", "El Caballo", "Mariquita", and "Pensamiento Guajiro".

Just Wailin is right – as the album's a real cooker in the classic Prestige mode of the late 50s – and a record that shows lots of early bite from a young Herbie Mann! Mann's in the frontline, working alongside the heavy tenor of Charlie Rouse – and in company like that, it's hard not to sound great – especially when other group members include Kenny Burrell on guitar, Mal Waldron on piano, George Joyner on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The album's got a tighter groove than a blowing session date – with lots of focused energy from all group members – yet more than enough breakout solo space for the stars. Titles include "Minor Groove", "Blue Echo", "Blue Dip", "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", "Trinidad", and "Gospel Truth".

2 of the greatest albums ever by Jack McDuff – back to back on one CD! Soulful Drums of Joe Dukes was originally issued under the name of McDuff's famous mid-60s funky drummer, Joe Dukes – but it's actually a McDuff session, recorded with the classic quartet lineup that includes Red Holloway on tenor and alto, George Benson on guitar, and Dukes on drums. The album's got an incredible sound, with Dukes' unique approach to drums scattering all over the kit, creating these complicated dancing rhythms for the organ, sax, and guitar lineup. The album's filled with excellent groovers, like "Moohah the D.J.", "Soulful Drums", "Greasy Drums", and "My Three Sons" – and the whole thing's great! Equally sublime is the album Hot Barbeque – probably the strongest of all of McDuff's mid 60s albums, with a coherency and a solidness to the playing that you'd have to work hard to find on other organ group sides from the time. Jack's work on the Hammond is incredible, filled with sharp changes and turns that will leave you breathless, and which will soon make him your favorite organist ever. Benson's guitar is incredible, too – filled with energy and intensity, vamping away at a pace and accuracy that's simply inexplicable. Every single cut's a gem – and the album includes the vocal-driven groover "Hot Barbeque", plus "Hippy Dip", "601 1/2 North Poplar", "The Three Day Thang", and "Briar Patch". All That, and the CD also includes the rare bonus track "Redwood City"!

One of Hank's most solid sessions from the mid 60's – recorded with a hard-biting lineup that has Lee Morgan, Harold Mabern, and Larry Ridley – coming together under Mobley's expansive style of the time! The record's a key turning point in his career – as Hank moves from a straight hard bop sound closer to the modally-inflected soul jazz styles he was turning out at the end of his career – emerging as an extremely talented writer with hip original tunes like "Ballin", "The Vamp", "The Dip", and "The Break Through". The sound is incredible – full, rich, soaring – uniquely Mobley's own vision, and not a copycat approach to the styles of Coltrane, Rollins, or other 60s tenorists.

A long-overdue tribute to the legendary Moondog – one of the true visionaries of American music in the 20th Century! Moondog got his starts as a blind musician working the streets of New York at the end of the 40s, but he did so (as you'll note on the cover photo) with a range of unusual instruments of his own invention, and in a minimal, rhythmic style that linked together primitivism with higher musical ideals. Moondog's often been called "the father of minimalism" – and while his experiments of the 50s prefaced the work of Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and others, his work was also much more personal, and had an earthy intensity that's still tremendously powerful even decades later! This collection is one of the first to dip into the earliest of Moondog's recordings – his recordings for the Mars, SRC, Brunswick, and Moondog labels – which are presented here alongside selected tracks from his albums for Epic and Prestige, also of similar vintage. Nearly all the tracks here offer a very primitive blend of percussion that's sometimes mixed with unusual woodwind or stringed instruments – nearly all of Moondog's own invention – and the package also features some great notes on his long career, plus some photos that are as gripping as the music itself! Titles include "Down Is Up", "Big Cat", "Bumbo", "Rimshot", "Rabbit Hop", "Instrumental Round", "Be A Hobo", "Dog Trot", "Oasis", "2 W 46th Street", and "Why Spend The Dark Night With You".

One of Nina's first for RCA – a mixture of jazz and soul tunes handled with some classy arrangements by Sammy Lowe, most of which feature nice electric bass work at the bottom by Gene Taylor! Taylor's bass gives the tracks a nice "dip" that's not exactly funky, but does provide a strong kick that keeps things moving along nicely – in a way that points towards the direction Nina would take in the 70s, and which makes this album a fair bit hipper than some of her Philips work! Nina's not as over the top as on other records, but still lays it out quite hiply – and tracks include "Consummation", "Go To Hell", "Love O Love", "It Be's That Way Sometime", "Turn Me On", and "Some Say".

One of the coolest sets the Numero Group has ever released – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given their already-mighty catalog! Although the label issued a previous dip into the enigmatic Boddie Recording company of Cleveland, this massive package brings together a whopping 57 tracks from the Boddie studios and related labels – many of which have never been reissued before, even by Numero – and all of which offer up a mindblowing microcosm of the American scene in the 60s and 70s – a wealth of rare funk, soul, psych, gospel, and more – all of it the kind of gritty material that 45 collectors die for! But just as cool as the music is the box itself – a slipcover that fits around a hardcover book, which contains individual pockets with CDs that focus on the core labels from Boddie – then other pull outs that include a big booklet on the studios, another on the artists, and a third set of bonus inserts! Musically, the whole thing's right on par with other Numero releases – maybe even above them, given the wide range and depth of the collection – and artists include Bo & The Metros, Inter Circle, King James Version, Ricky Hodges, Jackie Russell, Angela Alexander, Frankie Pighee, Chantells, AC Jones, Harvey Hall, Headlines, Modern Detergents, Penny North, JC Akins, Little Anthony Mitchell, Gospel Fabulators, Royal Kings, Corinthian Singers, Brother Bill, Victory 5, and many more.

A great soul scene finally gets its due! The Carolinas aren't nearly as famous as Memphis, New Orleans, or Muscle Shoals as centers of southern soul – but during the 60s and 70s, both the states were a hotbed of indie activity, and turned out some really great music! This set dips into the Reflection Sound label from Charlotte, NC – and features some stunning work that you've most likely never heard before, all restored nicely with a strong set of notes. The 20 tracks on the set are only the beginning of what could be a rich dip into the Carolinas scene, and the styles on the CD offer a really fresh take on southern styles – with a sound that's quite different than other work you might know. Titles include "It's Your Time To Cry" by Louis King, "Love One Another" by Toby King, "Love Is Gone" by Ron Henderson & Choice Of Color, "Here I Am" by Arthur Freeman, "Operator" by Toby King, "Ooh Baby" by Eldridge Holmes, "I Don't Want Nobody" by Carol Humphries, "I'm Leaving You In Jody's Hands" by Tyree Davis, "Hello Baby" by Dottie Pearson, "Come On Home" by Louis King, "Love Affair" by Eldridge Holmes, and "Played Out Playgirl" by Arthur Freeman.

An amazing dip into the jazz archives of Hans Wewerke – easily one of the hippest producers working in the German scene of the 60s, with a great ear for unusual grooves and cross-cultural influences in the music! A good portion of the tracks here are previously unreleased – except for a few more from standout classics of the time – and the overall style is very much in the best early MPS/Saba mode – rhythms that often pick up modal and Eastern tinges, instrumentation that's complicated, but also deeply soulful, and tunes that explode with a sense of freedom and exploration that's hardly been matched again! The players here are top shelf throughout, and although a follow up to the Forum West CD, this volume's actually even better – a real treasure trove of amazing music that includes "Macedonian Fertility Dance" by Mal Waldron, "Colours Of Sea" by Joe Haider, "Blues 10" by Milcho Leviev, "Suite Fur Jazz Orchester" by Pavel Blatny, "Saga Se Karame" by Dusko Goykovich, "Nachtvogel" by Kamil Hala, "Down Town" by Peter Korinek, and "Shangri La 1" by Hans Posegga.

Amazing – and the best yet in this legendary series! Like the other volumes, this is a collection of funky work produced by James Brown for other artists, most of it lifted from his legendary People Records imprint. However, unlike the others, or at least unlike the first volume, this volume's got some amazing stuff that almost never shows up on other reissues – and it's even got some incredible unreleased material! The whole thing's a super-heavy super-funky dip into some of the rarest James Brown-related material you can find – if you can find it at all in any other format. Titles include "Pick Up The Pieces One By One" by AABB, "There Was A Time" by Dee Felice Trio, "Doin The Do" by Bobby Byrd & The JBs, "Who Knows" by Beau Dollar, "Talkin Loud & Sayin Nothin (original rock version)" by James Brown, "Mr Hot Pants" by The Believers, "Give It Up Or Turnit Loose" by Lyn Collins (a 45-only track), "How You Gonna Get Respect?" by Hank Ballard, "Hang Out & Hustle" by Sweet Charles (a 45-only track), and "Blow Your Head (undubbed version)" by The JBs! Great stuff – and at this price, you'll be funky and rich!

An incredible dip into a nearly-lost source for jazz – the 60s and 70s output of the Electrecord label in Romania, served up here as part of Jazzanova's ongoing search for some of the most groundbreaking work of the Eastern European scene! The vibe here is a bit similar to that laid out on previous collections in the series – like Formation 60s, Go Right, Forum West, and Focus Jazz – but the sound is even more fresh, too – given that Electrecord is one of the rarest imprints to be examined so far, as none of these titles have ever made it to the CD era of reissues! There's a sense of freedom and expression here that's hard to believe, given that most of the work was recorded during the repressive Soviet years – and a fair bit of the tunes have a soaring, modal quality – similar to MPS at the end of the 60s, or some of the hippest grooves to come from Impulse in the US. And speaking of US, there's a surprising appearance here by a 1969 group from the University Of Illinois with Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet – plus titles by Italian pianist Guido Manusardi, as well as more local Romanian artists. Titles include "Blues For Vali" and "Arriving Soon" by Guido Manusardi, "Cercuri" by Vocal Jazz Quartet, "Xybaba" by Marius Popp, "Balada" by Johnny Raducanu, "Iarna Iarna" by Aura Urziceanu, "Blues Minor" by Johnny Raducanu, and "Latino" by Orchestra Universitatii De Jazz Din Illinois.

More funky breaks than Evel Knevel after the Snake River Canyon jump! The groove hounds at BGP records were set loose on the Ace catalog – which includes holdings from Atlantic, Stax, Volt, Westbound, and other funky classic labels – and they managed to come up with a killer batch of funky cuts, even though this is their 3rd dip into the crates! If anything, perhaps they dipped even deeper this time – especially as some of the once-trusted sources for breaks, like the famous Ultimate Breaks & Beats series, are now disappearing from the market. Titles include "Soul Pad" by The Coasters, "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins, "T Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye, "Nappy Dugout" by Funkadelic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jimmy Ponder, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by The Mad Lads, "The Rose" by 50 Foot Hose, "Holy Ghost" by The Bar Kays, "No Strings Attached" by The Mad Lads, "After Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, "River's Invitation" by Freddie Robinson, "This House Is Smokin" by BT Express, "Music Man (parts 1 & 2)" by Pleasure Web, and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter.

Rockin soul from the legendary LaVern Baker – a killer collection of classic 50s work for Atlantic Records – tunes that went on to have an undeniable influence on the sound of female soul in the 60s! Baker's vocals are amazing right from the start – raw, but with a vocal range that's really impressive – able to soar, dip, and turn on a dime – even when Atlantic's giving her some larger backings, the sorts of sounds that might hold back another singer – but hardly slow LaVerne at all! The package is the first full LP to bring together Baker's classic singles for Atlantic – with titles that include "Jim Dandy", "Tra La La", "Bop Ting A Ling", "Tweedle Dee", "Still", "Soul On Fire", "I Can't Love You Enough", and "Get Up Get Up".

The first big Paul Desmond solo album of the 60s – and a standout set that's very much in the tradition of his best work on RCA! This rare side was cut for Warner Brothers during a time when they were taking a brief dip into jazz – and it's a rarely-heard set that features Jim Hall on guitar, Connie Kay on drums, and Percy Heath on bass, all backing up Paul with a spare "after hours" sound that's a marked change from his tightly woven work with Brubeck. Desmond's alto is full of possibilities here – working wonders with familiar tunes like "Greensleeves", "You Go To My Head", "Time After Time", and "East Of The Sun" – as well as with the John Lewis modern number "2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West".

An amazing dip into the best years of Japanese jazz – that special time when the nation was really finding its own musical voice – and turning out some sounds that are still pretty darn incredible all these many years later! Despite the dates in the title, most of these tracks hail from the cusp of the 70s – the late 60s/early 70s stretch when things really took off in Japanese music, and players began to really experiment with new sounds and styles! All tracks here are groovers – and some have exotic elements that echo their Japanese origin, while others take on complex rhythmic modes, or use trippy electric touches – almost always with pretty darn soulful results. Titles include "Babylonia Wind" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto, "Blue Soul" by Modern Jazz Sannin No Kai, "Tabaruzaka" by Nobuo Hara & Hozan Yamamoto, "Like Miles" by Teramasu Hino, "Favela" by Kazuo Yashiro, and "My Favorite Things" by Sadao Watanabe.

A shapely set of grooves from the Tru Thoughts label – a double-length set at half the price of a regular CD – and one that also features a fair bit of rare mixes and hard to find tracks! The package is a great way to dip into the richness of the label – one of the few leftfield imprints that are still going strong these days, and continuing to push boundaries with its fresh approach to a 21st Century groove. Creative production and soulful vocals abound – and titles include "Heroine" by Freddie Cruger & Anthony Mills Are Wildcookie, "Sleepwalker (Ambassadeurs rmx)" by Nostalgia 77, "Darkrum" by Anchorsong, "The Why" by Mark De Clive-Lowe, "Swing Samba" by Drumagick, "Big Fat Liar" by Kinny, "Fairplay (Zed Bias old skool mix)" by Zed Bias, "Sleepwalker (Lanu rmx)" by Nostalgia 77, and "Crash & Burn (Hint club mix)" by Hint. 2CD set features 29 tracks in all!

An early hardbop gem from Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino – quite different than you might think from his more famous work of the 70s – with a rolling, soulful groove that would almost be at home on 60s Blue Note! Given Hino's chosen instrument, we'd probably link this one best to some of the more creative late 60s sides from Lee Morgan – still with an ear for a hard-edge groove, but also stepping out a bit too – with work from Takeru Muraoka on tenor, Hiroshi Suzuiki on trombone, and Masabumi Kikuchi on piano. Cuts include a nice cover of Duke Pearson's "The Magilla", a groovy version of "Feelin' Good", and a trippy take on "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" – plus the tracks "And Satisfy" and "Mississippi Dip".

Jazzy 45s galore – and a huge dip into the vaults of Prestige Records! This tasty set brings together 18 classics recorded in the heyday of the jazz funk years at Prestige – the late 60s and early 70s, a time when the soul jazz sounds of previous years were being forged into a leaner, meaner, harder-hitting groove. And although the LP was the growing format during these days, there was actually a heck of a lot of great work issued on 45s – still spinning strong with the jukebox crowds in the clubs and tap rooms, and still getting major play on radio stations, where the single was still king. The set features many 45 mixes of funky classics that you might know from LPs – and intersperses them with some other more obscure numbers pulled from full albums – making for an all-solid, all-funky set of tracks from one of the hippest jazz labels ever! Titles include "Fire Eater" by Rusty Bryant, "Don't Knock My Love" by Idris Muhammad, "Jungle Strut" by Gene Ammons, "Express Yourself" by Idris Muhammad, "Right On" by Boogaloo Joe Jones, "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" by Melvin Sparks, "Sing A Simple Song" by Charles Earland, "Son Of Man" by Houston Person, "Listen Here (part 1)" by Freddie McCoy, "Black Talk (part 1)" by Charles Earland, "Message From The Meters" by Leon Spencer, "Reelin With The Feeling" by Charles Kynard, "I Want You Back" by Harold Mabern, and "Thank You (part 1)" by Melvin Sparks.

Japanese grooves galore – and a great way to dip into these overseas goodies before spending a fortune on full length albums! The collection is wonderful – filled with funky jazz nuggets from the 70s that you'd never hope to find on this side of the Pacific – given that even back in the day, very few Japanese records of this nature ever got exported. Many of the tunes are electric – with at least a bit of guitar, bass, or keyboards – but there's also some brilliant acoustic soloing too, especially the horn parts. Titles include "No More Apple" by Takeo Moriyama, "Movement" by Ryusei Tomoyose, "Great Harvest" by Makoto Terashita, "Jumping Cats" by George Otsuka, "Dawn" by Mabumi Yamaguchi Quartet, "Wolf's Theme" by Seiichi Nakamura, "Soran-Bushi" by Norio Maeda, and "Moki" by Ryojiro Furusawa.

A long-awaited full length set – one that finally brings together all of the amazing Tony Allen reworks done by the Honest Jon's label! These "chop up" tracks were originally issued over a range of limited 12" singles, and they're really amazing stuff – not just remixes of Tony Allen's work, but re-recordings and re-interpretations as well – a batch of music that stands amazingly well on its own, even if you're not a fan of Tony originally – and which takes his music into even more exotic territory than just Afro Funk! The choice of artists here is key to the set – as players from other Afro-influenced genres really take a new spin on Allen's music – and are allowed to strongly bring their own sounds to the set. Titles include "Ole (Cairo version)" by Salah Ragab, "Sankofa" by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, "Kilode (rmx)" by Carl Craig, "Awa Na Re (rmx)" by Bonde De Role, "Mark's Disco Dub" by Mark Ernestus, "Reggae Land Dub" by Wareika Hill Sounds, "Samba" by Son Palenque De Colombia, "Kilode (rework)" by Wajeed, "Ole (rmx)" by Moritz Von Oswald, "Fuji Ouija" by Diplo, and "One Tree (TP's spirit of unity mix)" by Terrence Parker.

Oscar Brown moves into a funky 70s mode – working here with some great soul-based arrangements by Chicago soul legend Richard Evans! There's lots of funky clavinet grooving on the record by Tennyson Stephens and Marvin Yancy – and other players include Chess/Cadet session groovers, like Henry Gibson, Phil Upchurch, and Art Hoyle. The record was recorded in Chicago and produced by Jerry Butler – and it's clearly one of his efforts from the days when Jerry was dipping into the hip Chicago underground of the early 70s. Oscar reprises a number of classics – like "Hazel's Hips" and "But I Was Cool" – and the album includes some newer tunes like "Rilly?", "Ghetto Scene", and "Bull 'Bleep'", all a bit more righteous than before.

Love the drums on this one – all skittish and snapping at the beginning – really setting the scene perfectly for the Afro Funk-styled horns that top off the tune and really set the tone! The track's like some lost Nigerian 45 from the 70s – and given excellent production to really suit the mood! "Ghost Walk" isn't nearly as spooky as it sounds – and has this amazing bassline that dips down in ways you wouldn't expect – kind of like The Meters, but as if they're messing themselves up a bit on purpose – all to set up a groove that's equally savage as the a-side, but completely different in sound!

Complex rhythms from reedman Steve Coleman – as you might guess from the title, or from some of the other excellent work by his Five Elements group! The bass and drums are definitely at the core of the set – handled by Anthony Tidd and Sean Rickman, respectively – but the alto of Coleman and trumpet of Jonathan Finlayson also have plenty of rhythmic qualities – arcing, dipping, and turning together with effortless ease – in a way that takes us back to some of the new rhythmic energy of the New York scene of the 80s. Guitarist Miles Okazaki acts as the fifth element on about half the album's tracks – and titles include "Cardiovascular", "Limbic Cry", "Sinews", "Cerebellum Lean", and "Adrenal Got Ghost".

A massive set from Nigeria's CS Crew – and a set that definitely lives up to its title! The bass is super-heavy on these grooves – way more so than on other Afro Funk records of the time, and in ways that easily match, if not beat, the early best by Fatback Band and Kool & The Gang – grooves that have amazing dexterity that few others could match, yet which always come through right on the money every time! The bass dips, turns, soars, and drops magically on each number – setting things up strongly for the group's riffing guitar, sweet keyboard lines (including a big of moog!), and few horn moments – which themselves often come across more like an American group than a Nigerian one. Vocals have this rough approach – often part of the rhythm more than anything else – and titles include "Love Is Peace", "Freaky Funkyfied Fix", "Bread Power", "Doin The Good Thing", "I've Found Love", "Last Day", and "Dig In With Time".

A massive set from Nigeria's CS Crew – and a set that definitely lives up to its title! The bass is super-heavy on these grooves – way more so than on other Afro Funk records of the time, and in ways that easily match, if not beat, the early best by Fatback Band and Kool & The Gang – grooves that have amazing dexterity that few others could match, yet which always come through right on the money every time! The bass dips, turns, soars, and drops magically on each number – setting things up strongly for the group's riffing guitar, sweet keyboard lines (including a big of moog!), and few horn moments – which themselves often come across more like an American group than a Nigerian one. Vocals have this rough approach – often part of the rhythm more than anything else – and titles include "Love Is Peace", "Freaky Funkyfied Fix", "Bread Power", "Doin The Good Thing", "I've Found Love", "Last Day", and "Dig In With Time".

A pair of genre-splicing, party rocking 12"s by Diplo – each with Serato Control Tone B-Sides for the producers among us – plus 2 slipmats – all that's missing as a full house to spin it for! Diplo brings together influences from dancehall, to New Orleans bounce to and beyond – plus representative guests like Elephant Man to Nicky Da B and more. Includes "Express Yourself" with Nicky Da B, "Barely Standing" with Datsik & Sabi, "No Problem" feat Flinch & My Name Is Kay, "Move Around" feat Elephant Man & GTA, "Butters Theme" feat Gents & Jawns and "Set It Off" with Lazerdisk Party Sex. Each record features an A-Side with tracks and a B-Side with Serato Control Tone.

A couple of killer cuts from Iowa's funkiest combo – The Diplomats Of Solid Sound! "Back Off" a raw, funky soul rave up with tight rhythms, grooving organ and great vocals. B double O G-A-L double O brings heat on the flip.

A great lttle early 80s album from Eek-A-Mouse! This one finds the Eek-A-Mouse chatting on the mic nicely, over sweet production by the legendary Linval Thomson. The Mouse is backed by the then ruling rhythm section of Roots Radics – and the set includes the track "Sensee Party", "Looking Sexy", "Modelling Queen", "Fat & Slim", "Where Is My Baby", "You Na Love Reggae Music", "Do You Remember", "Na Make Me Girl Go Away" and "Always On My Mind".

"Step Off" may not have been as big of a hit as other work from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – but the cut's a great one nonetheless, with a darkly dipping "For The Love Of Money" bassline that's totally great! The O'Jays must have winced when Furious Five ripped off the tune – but the groove's so great, you can easily forgive them! (Oddly, for some reason, on this single Sylvia decided not to give Flash the top billing.)

Amazing music – at an equally amazing price! The set features every studio album ever recorded by Serge Gainsbourg – monumental sounds that completely transformed the world of French music in the 60s and 70s, and have gone on to have a global impact well into the 21st Century! The sounds here are amazing right from the start – a mix of jazz, Latin, and other hip modes – all set to playfully sinister lyrics by Serge – which get even better as the 60s move on, and Gainsbourg dips into fuzz, funk, and other amazing elements to push out some far frontiers in his music! The 70s sees some great electronics, classic collaborations with Sly & Robbie, and gives way to some surprisingly great 80s material towards the end of Serge's too-short career. Box features 14 albums on 12 CDs – with records that include Du Chant A La Une, No 2, L'Etonnant Serge Gainsbourg, No 4, Gainsbourg Percussions, Initials BB, Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire De Melody Nelson, Vu De L'Exterieur, L'Homme A Tete De Chou, Aux Armes Et Caetera, Mauvaises Nouvelles Des Etoiles, Love On The Beat, and You're Under Arrest.

A great little album of southern funk from the 70s – cut by the team that provided musical backing on many of the classic Hi Records sessions from the time! The groove is a bit different than usual for Hi – not compressed, burning deep soul – but tight, funky, and flanged-out – a bit like what classic P-Funk might have been like, had it been recorded in Memphis! The group's super sharp in their playing – with great bass and electric keyboards – but they've also got kind of a trippy feel that's very surprising, given the more restrained soul quality of much of the stuff on Hi. The album's all original material, and most cuts have cool vocals slinking in and out of the funk – and titles include "On The Loose", "Skinny Dippin'", "Superstar", "Purple Raindrops", and "You Got Me Comin".

A great little album of southern funk from the 70s – cut by the team that provided musical backing on many of the classic Hi Records sessions from the time! The groove is a bit different than usual for Hi – not compressed, burning deep soul – but tight, funky, and flanged-out – a bit like what classic P-Funk might have been like, had it been recorded in Memphis! The group's super sharp in their playing – with great bass and electric keyboards – but they've also got kind of a trippy feel that's very surprising, given the more restrained soul quality of much of the stuff on Hi. The album's all original material, and most cuts have cool vocals slinking in and out of the funk – and titles include "On The Loose", "Skinny Dippin'", "Superstar", "Purple Raindrops", and "You Got Me Comin".

Fantastic stuff – and a beautiful album of modal grooves that really deserves wider recognition! Horn plays alto and flute in a groovy west coast quintet with Emil Richards on vibes and Paul Moer on piano – and the overall feel is very similar to his stellar Something Blue album on the HiFi label. Tracks begin with some tight bass and drum workouts, then the piano of Moers sets down lines that let horn and Richards groove over the top. Wonderful stuff – with only a hint of Horn's later hippy-dippy work, and some great tight jazz soloing. Titles include "Fun Time", "Now Hear This", "Abstraction", and "Straight Ahead".

A wickedly wonderful album by Jobim – recorded in LA in the mid 60s, and a perfect meeting of styles that makes for one of his most compelling albums of the 60s! Jobim sings and plays over pillowy-soft arrangements by Claus Ogerman – lightly dancing numbers that weave strings and woodwinds into a wave of sound that dips, turns, and sometimes hits a surprisingly nice groove. Dick Hyman plays a bit of organ on the set – which we always love – and Dom Um Romao's working in the group somewhere on drums. Lyrics are in English, sung in a warm and fragile style by Jobim – and the album's got a great organy version of "Surfboard", plus "Zingaro", "Bonita", "Off-Key", and "Photograph".

A wickedly wonderful album by Jobim – recorded in LA in the mid 60s, and a perfect meeting of styles that makes for one of his most compelling albums of the 60s! Jobim sings and plays over pillowy-soft arrangements by Claus Ogerman – lightly dancing numbers that weave strings and woodwinds into a wave of sound that dips, turns, and sometimes hits a surprisingly nice groove. Dick Hyman plays a bit of organ on the set – which we always love – and Dom Um Romao's working in the group somewhere on drums. Lyrics are in English, sung in a warm and fragile style by Jobim – and the album's got a great organy version of "Surfboard", plus "Zingaro", "Bonita", "Off-Key", and "Photograph".

Sexy soul magic from LJ Johnson – not to be confused with ex-Dramatic LJ Reynolds, but a great singer in his own right! LJ's got a sweet vocal approach that's almost that you'd hear from earlier years, on east coast vocal group records – but here, he's working in a fuller, richer mode that often dips into disco-based territory with full arrangements, driving percussion, and a set of female voices behind LJ's own. And these upbeat tracks are all pretty nice, thanks to some Danny Leake arrangements – but our favorite numbers are the mellower ones – especially the tunes "Staring in Space" and "Things Will Work Out in the End" – both of which have this great stretched out feel, with a heavenly spacey quality that we just love!

The long-anticipated second album from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings is a stunner – undoubtedly stronger than the group's fantastic debut – and a record that not only transcends the late model funk revival genre, but stands on footing as solid as the best hard funky soul of the late 60s and early 70s! If you're expecting a rehash of the heavy funk jams that burned on the Dap Dippin' album you won't be disappointed, but get ready for a deep, natural (hence the title) soulfulness that not only caught us off guard, but really forms the big, hard-beating heart of the album. The frothing, frenetic funk is as tight as ever, and in spots just as furious, but the attention to songcraft this time out is just as searing and indelible. The eight piece Dap Kings continue to be the best band in the land – with El Michels on baritone sax, Neal Sugarman on tenor, Homer Steinweiss on drums, not-so-secret weapon Bosco Mann on bass, vibes and piano. Guest appearances include fellow Daptone powerhouse vocalist Lee Fields on the the duet "Stranded In Your Love", and strings courtesy of the Bushwick Philharmonic, but make no mistake, this is the band's album. Amazing stuff from in indispensable group – an album that'll keep spinning in our circles for as many years as the great albums by the gritty soul forefathers do! Tracks include "How Do I Let A Good Man Down?", "Natural Born Lover", "My Man Is A Mean Man", a soulful reading of Woodie Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land", "Your Thing Is A Drag", "Fish In A Dish" and "All Over Again".

One of our favorite Atlantic albums by the great Yusef Lateef – an incredible session that has him dipping back into his earlier exotic roots, yet still hitting the sweeter soulful groove of some of his other Atlantic sides! The sound is tremendous – wonderfully righteous, at a level that really set the tone for more ambitious soul jazz projects of the 70s – and carried off to perfection by a hip group of players that include Roy Brooks, Sonny Red, Blue Mitchell, and Hugh Lawson. All tracks are original, and titles include "Sun Dog", "Moon Cup", "Othelia", "Like It Is", and the groovy "Juba Juba".

One of the funkiest cissies we've ever heard! Preston Love wails it loud and hard on this excellent number – guitars snapping over drums on a heavy popcorn groove, the whole band vamping like a line full of dipping birds in the window of a gift shop during an earthquake, Preston coming in with a nice dose of sax to funk things up a bit more! Brenda George's tune – "I Can't Stand It" – is one of her funkiest numbers, a nice blend of bassy bass and sock-soul lyrics, with a piano hiding at the bottom, vamping on the beat with a slight edge to it!

A killer cut by The Metros – one of Detroit soul's best secrets in the 60s! The track is amazing – dipping, turning, and soaring with this groove that even knocks out most Motown classics – and it's backed here by an equally great number, making for one hell of a 45!

A killer single from The Notations – one that has all the sublime harmonies of their Twinight work, but a slightly groovier feel overall! "That Girl" has this wicked guitar part that really gets the groove going – and the group's vocals more than step into line too, by dipping and turning wonderfully along with the hook! "This Time" has a similar sort of vibe – almost a precursor to modern soul with its warmth, yet with the kind of vocal interplay that's always made the group so great!

Important early work from the legendary Harry Partch – a rare album that features some of the best passages from his larger Bewitched composition – recorded here in a rootsy style that really gets at the groundbreaking nature of the music! Passages are pulled from the larger story – and almost offer up more of a focus on the instrumental quality of Partch's music – which here has some of the percussive qualities you might hear in Moondog's more sophisticated work of the time, without some of the more hippy-dippy elements of the vocals. Instrumentation includes lots of Harry's cool instrument inventions – including "marimba eroica", "bass marimba", "cloud chamber bowls", "spoils of war", and "boo" – and the set comes with a great booklet that reproduces the original liner insert too!

Probably one of the most controversial records to be issued on Elektra at the end of the 60s – a rough-edged batch of hippie dippy tracks that shares a fair bit of energy and humor with The Fugs! The tunes here are perhaps a bit more focused than the work of The Fugs, but the group explore similar territory too – not just the drug references in the title, but also the kind of offbeat word play and double-entendres that were common at the time. The set was recorded "live on the streets of New York" – and Peel sings, and plays harmonica and guitar – with other instrumentation that includes two 12-string guitars, bass, and tambourine. Titles include "Mother Where Is My Father", "Here Comes A Cop", "Up Against The Wall", "I've Got Some Grass", "I Do My Bawling In The Bathroom", and "Show Me The Way To Get Stoned".

One of the first albums ever by this legendary bossa singer! Even at this young age, Elis Regina diplays a talent for interpretation and an emotional power that few other Brazilian vocalists could match – a way of putting over a tune that brought a whole new level of sophistication to Brazilian music in the 60s! On the set, Elis manages to give the songs a great deal of life, without smothering them in the heavier over-emotional style used by other Brazilian singers at the time – and works with light, lively, jazzy backings that are totally great. The result is a crackling batch of samba and bossa tracks that shines with warmth and imagination. The set includes a lot of tracks by Edu Lobo, and titles include "Sou Sem Paz", "Reza", "Por Um Amor Maior", "Joao Valentao", "Aleluia", "Ultimo Canto", and "Preciso Aprender A Ser So".

One of the first albums ever by this legendary bossa singer! Even at this young age, Elis Regina diplays a talent for interpretation and an emotional power that few other Brazilian vocalists could match – a way of putting over a tune that brought a whole new level of sophistication to Brazilian music in the 60s! On the set, Elis manages to give the songs a great deal of life, without smothering them in the heavier over-emotional style used by other Brazilian singers at the time – and works with light, lively, jazzy backings that are totally great. The result is a crackling batch of samba and bossa tracks that shines with warmth and imagination. The set includes a lot of tracks by Edu Lobo, and titles include "Sou Sem Paz", "Reza", "Por Um Amor Maior", "Joao Valentao", "Aleluia", "Ultimo Canto", and "Preciso Aprender A Ser So".

Terry Riley's masterpiece, and an enduring classic that never grows old – and which never lapses into the hippy dippyness of some of his other work! The piece features 53 short musical passages, played in an order defined by the players, in minimal repetition, moving in and out of phase synchronicity – ever shifting, turning, and drifting – all to create a remarkable tapestry of sound, texture, and melody. This recording of the work is still the best, and it was produced with excellent care by David Behrman, as part of Columbia's great "music of our time" series. Wonderful throughout – and always a treat!

A really unique funky gem – and a near-legendary single from Scorpio & His People! "Unforgiven" has a brilliant blend of deep funk and falsetto vocals – stepping slowly over the top with a surprising amount of power, while the band turns, dips, and chugs along heavily at the bottom – all with a bad-strutting groove that's heavy on the bassy end of the spectrum – which makes for a great contast to the lyrics! "Theme From Movietown Sound" has a similar blend, but a different groove too – thanks to these heavy piano lines that roll back and forth with the rhythms!

A classic of spiritual, soulful jazz – and one of Archie Shepp's greatest albums! The set was recorded in New York after a few free and festive years in Paris, and it's an amazing about-face that has Archie stepping into a world of righteous, full-on, political, and funky themes – the likes of which are far more outspoken than any of his previous recordings. The group on the set is quite a large one – hip New York underground players, a small string ensemble, and even a few singers – like soul diva Joshie Armstead and vocalist Joe Lee Wilson. Overall, the sound's somewhere in the same place as the Art Ensemble of Chicago's amazing Les Stances A Sophie – in that the record comes from a free jazz tradition, but moves into a more rhythmic focus in order to communicate its message. The added vocals and recitations are wonderful – very moving, and much less hippy-dippy than on other Shepp records of the time – and the whole thing holds together with a unique sound and substance that's made it a treasure that holds up again and again. A true gem, and one we'll never part with! Tracks include "Quiet Dawn", "Goodbye Sweet Pops", "Steam (parts 1 & 2)", "Attica Blues", "Blues For Brother George Jackson", and "Ballad For A Child".

A classic of spiritual, soulful jazz – and one of Archie Shepp's greatest albums! The set was recorded in New York after a few free and festive years in Paris, and it's an amazing about-face that has Archie stepping into a world of righteous, full-on, political, and funky themes – the likes of which are far more outspoken than any of his previous recordings. The group on the set is quite a large one – hip New York underground players, a small string ensemble, and even a few singers – like soul diva Joshie Armstead and vocalist Joe Lee Wilson. Overall, the sound's somewhere in the same place as the Art Ensemble of Chicago's amazing Les Stances A Sophie – in that the record comes from a free jazz tradition, but moves into a more rhythmic focus in order to communicate its message. The added vocals and recitations are wonderful – very moving, and much less hippy-dippy than on other Shepp records of the time – and the whole thing holds together with a unique sound and substance that's made it a treasure that holds up again and again. A true gem, and one we'll never part with! Tracks include "Quiet Dawn", "Goodbye Sweet Pops", "Steam (parts 1 & 2)", "Attica Blues", "Blues For Brother George Jackson", and "Ballad For A Child".

The SOS Band's second album – and a masterpiece of 80s groove! The album's wonderfully tight, and wonderfully right on the money – held together like a pile of money dipped in honey – keyboards, bass, percussion, and vocals all sweetly grooving with that post-70s funky feel that the group virtually invented at the time! These guys have a way of putting over a groove that few of their contemporaries could ever match – never too commercial, always with plenty of passion, yet also as razor-sharp as any combo like this could ever hope to be. A few mellow moments round out the set nicely – and titles include "Are You Ready", "For The Brothers That Ain't Here", "Unborn Child", "Stay", "You", "There Is No Limit", "Do It Now", and "It's A Long Way To The Top". CD features some bonus tracks too – "There Is No Limit (long version)", "You (long version)", "Do It Now (long version)", "Do It Now (parts 1 & 2)", and "Do It Now (part 1 – short)". Great book-styled cover too – with full notes and new remastering!

A cool contemporary combo, but one who draw heavily from the sound of Italian film scores of the 70s – all with an approach that easily makes this album a perfect partner for any giallo soundtracks you might love! Instrumentation is nice and dark – a cool mix of strings and keyboards, with some slight and subtle rhythms – all used together in ways that are never too jamming, and which really preserve a strong sense of tension throughout – but also offer up some melodic moments as a respite, too – that balance between darkness and light you'd find in the best film scores by Ennio Morricone! The overall presentation is wonderful – truly classic, and worthy of the great cover as well – and titles include "Sotto Il Sole", "Gli Occhi Della Dolcezza", "Uccelare", "Canto Del Cigno", "Agente D'Oriente", and "Senza Calore".

Tari Stevens really knocks it out of the park with "False Alarm" – a tune that's got a sing-song groove that's mighty nice – pure 60s Philly all the way through, but with these dips and turns in the vocals that really make for a compelling approach! "The Way I Feel About You" burns in a more straightforward way – really sending things over the top as Bonnie & Lee trade the vocals back and forth!

A great bit of boogie from the Chicago scene of the early 80s – a set recorded with a nice jazzy bounce overall, and a strong ear for a catchy hook and tight groove – very much in the mode of Omni or Zoom from the same period! Alfonzo's got a warm vocal style that soars up to falsetto one minute, but dips down deep the next – a perfectly fluid approach that works well with the dynamic grooves of the record. And throughout, the whole thing stays nice and cool – nice and classy – never too over the top or schlocky, and in a really timeless way that's held up great for years! Titles include "Gimmie", "Forever", "Only A Winner", "Gimmie Your Love", "Make It Feel Good", "Gotta Be Love", and "Our Love Is For Keeps".

A work of incredible brilliance – a lost treasure from the late 80s that's been one of our favorite records for years! The album's quite different than most other work by David Sylvian – not nearly as open-ended and loose as his more experimental, soundscape-like projects – nor as sweet and romantic as some of his earlier solo work, or his albums with Japan. Instead, there's an acoustic, organic quality to the record – really focusing on Sylvian's amazing vocals, set amidst light instrumentation that swells and dips like the sun on rises in the land on a late afternoon hike in the autumn. There's a subtle poetry to the whole album, delivered in a style that is somehow free from pretension, or any of the cloying qualities a work like this should have. Tremendous stuff – one of those rare records that's never been duplicated again! Titles include "September", "The Boy With The Gun", "Maria", "Orpheus", "When Poets Dreamed Of Angels", and "Let The Happiness In".

Tight guitars riff away beautifully on this one – picking up an nice groove right from the start, and giving the vocals of Emanuel Taylor an infectiously funky sound all the way through! Taylor dips and turns with the cut nicely – soaring one minute, snapping with the beat the next – and the cut's got a great blend of sweetness and clubby rhythms! "Society" has a wicked drum break at the start – a bit fast, but picked up by a bassline too – and rolled together in a horn-heavy groove that's made even better by Emanuel's vocals!

A wicked groove from Third Coast Kings – a cut that has the same title as an old Curtis Mayfield composition, but which comes across with a totally different vibe! The track begins with these sinister dipping horns, then quickly gets into gear and unleashes a badass female soul vocal over the top! "Tonic Stride" is another great female funk track – lots of riffing guitar, all nice and scratchy – and very bold vocals and horns.

Jimmy James has some great bass work going on "I Can't Dance" – a line that dips, turns, and grooves amazingly – all underneath vamping horns that set the stage for Jimmy's excellent vocal – spoken at first, then sung with a raspy, gritty kind of groove! "Waiting At The Station" is slower and more deep soul – a nicely burning number with a southern soul undercurrent that shows off a whole different side of Jimmy's talents!

A fantastic self-released album by the enigmatic Roland Young – an unusual blend of organic sounds and slight electronics – all put together with the careful creativity of older albums by members of the AACM! Roland plays all the instruments here himself – in a set of tracks that mix electric bass clarinet with kalimba, bells, chimes, soprano sax, and a bit of "electronic drone" – all at a level that's really compelling, and much more hippy dippy than you might guess from the date of the record! The electric bass clarinet is especially great – almost moogy or wah wah-esque at times – and tracks are longish and open-ended. Titles include "Flutter Fly Flounce", "Row Land", "Crystal Motions", "Velvet Dream", and "Loveliness".

Diverse dancefloor funk – Volume 1 in the Afrodisia Club series – featuring an international roster of modern funk combos including Diplomats Of Solid Sound, Brother Soul, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Hi-Fly Orchestra, Port Angels, New Mastersounds and more! Great stuff all around, from neo classic funky soul, mod funk, modern DJ tooled hip hop funk, straight up raw small combo cookers and more. 13 tracks in all: "If You're Wrong (I Don't Want To Be Right)" by Diplomats Of Solid Sound Featuring The Diplomettes, "Cookies" by Brother Soul, "Angel Food Pt 1" by Port Angels, "Soupy" by Maggie Thrett, "Don't Stop" by Patrick & Eugene, "Crosstown Traffic" by Hi-Fly Orchestra, "Thirty Three (Ju Ju Orchestra remix)" by New Mastersounds, "Soul Burger" by Soulful Torino Orchestra and more.