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The Beasties' masterpiece – and one of the original nightmares for sampling opponents everywhere – the cut & paste hip hop classic Paul's Boutique! The Dust Brothers unapologetic way of weaving very famous samples with soul, funk and film score obscurities would steal the show if not for the infectious, boisterous rhymes of the Beastie Boys – they couldn't possibly have cared less about alienating the massive frat boy fan base built with License To Ill, and it's a joy to behold. It's one of those mindblowing pop transformations on par with the Beatles (who the Beasties and Dust Brothers were so brazen to sample several times on this album) and the Beach Boys on the pop maturation scale from earlier hits to later artistry – even if the wild lyrics and deft back & forth rhymes by the Beasties are the antithesis of maturity. From classic rock dinosaurs to soul and disco classics, from the Jaws score to "Dueling Banjos", it all finds it's way into the beatcraft – and both mainstream pop and underground hip hop are better now because of this record. Tracks include "Hey Ladies", "Shake Your Rump", "High Plains Drifter", "Shadrach", "Johnny Ryall", "Eggman", "Car Thief", "What Comes Around", the "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" suite and more.

The crossover rap classic from Tone-Loc! Temporary pop phenom this is not – the biggest couple of hits are still ubiquitous decades later – and Loc himself, with that raspy voice and smooth charisma, still stands as one of more unique voices of late 80s hip hop. On top of those attributes, Loc-ed After Dark is an early proving ground for the soon-to-be mega-producers The Dust Brothers. This 2012 CD edition features the original album and 7 bonus tracks. 3 cuts produced by the Dust Brothers – "Cutting Rhythms", "Next Episode", and "Don't Get Close" – plus the hits "Wild Thing", "Cheeba Cheeba", and "Funky Cold Medina", the title track, "On Fire (Remix)" and more. Bonus tracks include "On Fire (New Flavor)", "The Homies (On Tilt Mix)", "The Fine Line Between Hyper And Stupid", "Funky Beats" and more.

Crossover pop chart hip hop from the tailend of the 80s – the Delicious Vinyl classic Stone Cold Rhymin from Young MC – boisterous, funky good time rap with production by the Dust Brothers and exuberant, fun, uncomplicated, stone cold rhymes from Young MC! Includes the unforgettable hits "Bust A Move" and "Principals Office" plus "I Come Off", "Fastest Rhyme", "Know How" & "Stone Cold Buggin'", "Roll With The Punches" and more.

If Paul's Boutique was the Beasties heavily mind-blown Dust Brothers dusted psychedelic hip hop Sgt Peppers, then Check Your Head is their down and dirty back to basics raw funk run at something like Never Mind The Bollocks. Their first outing without the guidance of an outside producer, though the trio did bring in ringers like Money Mark and Mario Caldato Junior, this set's a ride into a whole other mindset, still fueled by sunny So Cal vibes and the Beasties own take on rhyme science. It's hard to imagine an album that would produce so many anthems for true heads and the Lollapalooza crowd alike, but this is it. 20 tracks in all, including "Jimmy James", "Pass The Mic", "Gratitude", "Finger Lickin' Good", "So Whatcha Want", "Time For Livin'", "Something's Got To Give", "Groove Holmes" and "Professor Booty".

If Paul's Boutique was the Beasties mindblowing, Dust Brothers-dusted psychedelic hip hop Sgt Peppers, then Check Your Head is their down and dirty back to basics raw funk run at something like Never Mind The Bollocks. Their first outing without the guidance of an outside producer, though the trio did bring in ringers like Money Mark and Mario Caldato Jr, this set's a ride into a whole other mindset, still fueled by sunny So Cal vibes and the Beasties own take on rhyme science. It's hard to imagine an album that would produce so many anthems for true heads and the Lollapalooza crowd alike, but this is it. 20 tracks in all, including "Jimmy James", "Pass The Mic", "Gratitude", "Finger Lickin' Good", "So Whatcha Want", "Time For Livin'", "Something's Got To Give", "Groove Holmes" and "Professor Booty".

If Paul's Boutique was the Beasties heavily mind-blown Dust Brothers dusted psychedelic hip hop Sgt Peppers, then Check Your Head is their down and dirty back to basics raw funk run at something like Never Mind The Bollocks. Their first outing without the guidance of an outside producer, though the trio did bring in ringers like Money Mark and Mario Caldato Junior, this set's a ride into a whole other mindset, still fueled by sunny So Cal vibes and the Beasties own take on rhyme science. It's hard to imagine an album that would produce so many anthems for true heads and the Lollapalooza crowd alike, but this is it. 20 tracks in all, including "Jimmy James", "Pass The Mic", "Gratitude", "Finger Lickin' Good", "So Whatcha Want", "Time For Livin'", "Something's Got To Give", "Groove Holmes" and "Professor Booty".

Rare hillbilly gospel, bluegrass and Good Word treasures in other styles from the 30s onward to around the mid 70s (though skewing largely to the period between) – great stuff from a couple recognizable acts and many more that are fresh to our eyes and years! Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies features both fun and more profoundly righteous numbers alike by The Delmore Brothers, Rev Harold Smith, Curt & Faye Bartmess, Blue Sky Boys and many more. Includes "Dust On The Bible" by The Blue Sky Boys, "Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies" by The Anglin Twins, "No Drunkard Can Enter There" by The Delmore Brothers, "Joy Bells In My Soul" by Charlie Monroe's Boys", "I Want To Rest" by Brother Claude Ely, "Electricity" by Jimmy Murphy, "Set Your Watch" by Curt & Faye Bartmess, "Crying Holy Unto The Lord" by Martha Carson and more.

An amazing tribute to London's Acid Jazz label – an imprint that's had an undeniable influence on all the things we do here at Dusty Groove! The massive package is way more than just a collection of the label's classics – and instead, it offers up a range of sounds that influenced the acid jazz scene in the UK at the end of the 80s – and others that go on to show the development of funk and soul in London as the 90s moved on. The package features a 52 page hardcover book, filled with Acid Jazz artwork and images; another 20 page book with the story of the label; a DVD with an interview and video footage of Snowboy, James Taylor Quartet, and other label stars; a 7" single with two unreleased tracks – "Never Stop" by The Brand New Heavies with Jan Kincaid and "Rock Steady (inst)" by The Brand New Heavies; and 4CDs worth of music with songs by Alice Clark, Small Faces, Dinosaur L, Charles Earland, Mark Murphy, The Quick, Jose Feliciano, Pharcyde, Forest Mighty Black, Mr Scruff, Paul Weller, Gang Starr, One Creed, Humble Souls, Tribe Called Quest, Nuyorican Soul, Soho, Ballistic Brothers, and many others. 65 tracks in all – and that's just the music!

Dancefloor cookers from the prime Northern Soul years – all instrumental numbers on this sharp compilation on Kent – 45 sides from a labels like Money, Villa, Swan, King, Epic and Warner Brothers! For all the wonderful Kent soul compilations we've gotten our dusty fingers on over the years, it's a wonder they're never been one devoted to instrumentals – until now! Rhythms roll along at a tight tempo, the tight guitars punch it up, some strings soar, and a pounding Northern beat keeps it all stomping! Those core elements are key, but others weave in an out, from hand claps on the beat, to organ grooves, bursts of brass and more. 24 tracks in all: "Double Cookin" by Checkerboard Squares, "Make Me Yours" by Arthur Wright & His Orchestra, "Festival Time" by San Remo Golden Strings", "The Sounds Of Lane" by Tracks To Your Mind, "Champion Pt 1" by Willie Mitchell, "The Guys From Uncle" by The Spy, "Stirrin Up Some Soul" by The Mar-Ketts, "Hey America (Sing Along)" by James Brown, "California Montage" by Young-Holt Unlimited and more.

A very different sound here than the first volume in the series – one that goes strongly for a later take on R&B influenced soul jazz! There's a strong groove here for the steppers on the Windy City scene – a blend of jazzy soul and smoother jazz that's set together nicely without the too-slick spots that always clutter up other collections – and which represents the few modern tracks that were able to penetrate the mostly-dusty steppers scene back in the day. Production and overall instrumentation is relatively electric, even in the percussion, but there's always a few nice acoustic touches to round things out on the best tracks. Titles include "Mama Dadu" and "L'Amour" by Vodu 155, "Piano Groove" by Piano Negro, "Can We Try Again" by Braxton Brothers, "Soul Manifesto" by Rodney Jones, "Tik Tok (inst)" by Lorenzo Smith, "Laid Back" by Jerald Daemyon, "Modern Life" by Tom Saviano, "Pacific Love" by David Patterson, "Cycles Of Re-Elevation" by Michael McEvoy, "Forever's A Long Long Time" by Orquestra Wax, "Groovin In The Midnight (inst)" by Maxi Priest, and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" by Grant Green.

A beautiful book on the development of highlife music in Ghana – and one that's way more compelling than the usual historical tome on African music – given the highly visual style of the volume! The book's put together almost like an album cover art collection – as it's overflowing with vintage images of older record covers, 78 rpm labels, and rare photos too! Yet it also contains a huge amount of top-shelf writing, too – information on the growth of the genre from the 50s through the 80s – with detailed sections on longtime Dusty Groove favorites like Ebo Taylor, Osibisa, African Brothers, Joe Mensah, K Frimpong, and many others. Equally cool is the fact that the book features both French and English text – the full amount of each – making it a wicked bi-lingual package. Full color throughout, and a nice oversized package!

A great set of old school funky numbers – the kind of indie soul 45s that first helped define the sound of rare groove back in the 80s – still as brilliantly bumping all these many years later! Most tracks here are from small label 45s of the early 70s – tracks that weren't issued on LP, and were often by artists who didn't ever even get to cut full albums – but who hit some great underground fame for their sharp grooves and wicked approach to instrumentation and vocals! The set's got loads of classics we've loved for years, but which haven't been reissued often in recent sets – cuts that include "Mr Brown" by African Music Machine, "It's Your Thing" by Toddlin Town Sounds, "Keep On Dancing" by Alvin Cash, "Somebody Help The Beggar Man" by Jackie Beavers, "Right On Jody" by Bobby Patterson, "Gossip" by Cyril Neville, "Good Book" by The 8th Day, "Close Your Big Mouth" by The Politicians, "Hunk O Funk" by Scott Brothers Orchestra, "Ace In The Hole" by Honey Cone, "Miss Funky Fox" by Exit 9, "Gotta Get Away" by Harolyn Montgomery, and "Know What To Do When You Get It" by The Genies.

This volume of the Chicago-based Steppin Across The USA series goes farther back than previous volumes – to the 60s "dusty steppers" sound that first got the city grooving decades ago! The package includes a number of great singles from the Chess, Atlantic, and Motown catalogs – including many that aren't in print elsewhere! Titles include "Oh My Angle" by Bertha Tillman, "Dedicated To You" by Willie Tee, "Oh Cindy" by The Vibrations, "I'm Over You" by Jan Bradley, "Say You" by The Monitors, "Standing On The Dancefloor" by The Isley Brothers, "Let Love Be True" by The Naturals, "Write To Me" by The Isley Brothers, "I Want You I Need You I Love You" by Hector Rivera & The Latin Renaissance, and "I'll Do The Best I Can" by Jame's Phelps.