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Rare funk from the New Orleans scene of the late 70s – work by an obscure combo with a great ear for the dancefloor! The overall sound is much more like music coming from Chicago, Detroit, or New York at the time – a post-Earth Wind & Fire style of funk that's got lots of tight ensemble grooving and vocals, on rhythms that are equally balanced between boogie and disco! Despite the obscure nature of the record, it's got a wonderfully professional feel – all top-shelf all the way through, like something that could have been issued on Columbia Records during the same stretch – with a warmly jazzy undercurrent that makes for a much greater depth than you might expect! Instrumentation includes great keyboards and bits of horns/ Titles include "I Don't Know Why", "Dr Music", "For The Love Of Disco", "There Must Be An Answer", "We Are Somebody", "Nowhere To Run", and "All We Have Is A Song". This Japanese CD edition also includes 3 more previously unreleased tracks: the 1975 recording of "I Don't Know Why", plus "Make A Change" and a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" from that same year – and "Our Love's Gone By" and the 1975 version of "There Must Be An Answer", both previously released on rare 45s.

A killer Kenny Dope take on this lost club classic! "I Want To Be Loved By You" is a perfect blend of soul, club, and funk – a track that shows that the underground club vibe of the late 70s wasn't always restricted to the east coast scene of P&P and other labels! The track's got a bubbling bassy groove, spacey keyboards in the mix, and some full-on righteous vocals that are totally great – and on this version, Kenny seems to kick up the drums a bit more, bring a bit more hardness to the bass, and really spin the whole thing out with even more cosmic energy than before! There's loads of great keyboards too – a sweet little solo in the middle – and lots of heavy bass on the bass mix too.

It's been a couple years since we last saw a Galactic Zoo Dossier, but Plastic Crimewave, a great group of contributors and publisher Drag City have delivered the best yet – 100+ pages of both legendary and deep underground psych obsessions! It's got interviews with Arthur Brown, Rodriguez, Black Widow, Susanjacks & Craig McCaw of Poppy Family and more – and hand-drawn (natch!) In Memorium section of heroes departed since #8 – Bert Jansch, Gil Scott-Heron, Eugene McDaniels, Alex Chilton and more – and page after glorious b&w page of psych coverage and comics. Pieces on Bob Segar, Moody Blues, Texas Acid Punk, Quo, "Psychedelicanada" and more! Also comes with perforated sheets of trading cards – dozens of "Astral Folk Goddesses" and "Damaged Guitar Gods". Also includes a free CD with 23 tracks by The Revelation, Mainlier, The Goblins, Results, The Joy Poppers, Roscoe, Mission Sisters and many more.

Early work from Gwen Guthrie – produced by Sly & Robbie, but with a sweet modern soul sound that's got a lot less of their influence than you'd guess! The sound is much more New York than Jamaica – and that's probably due to some great instrumental backing on keyboards by the likes of Harry Whitaker, Bernie Worrell, and Wally Badarou – all massive talents that bring a nice sweet jazzy sound to the best cuts on the record. There's a definite 80s sing-song groove going on – in that not-yet-top-of-the-charts soul sound that you'd hear on the better small urban stations at the time – moving back and forth nicely, in a strong link between the mainstream and the underground clubs! Tracks include "Hopscotch", "Seventh Heaven", "Oh What A Life", "Younger Than Me", and a nice cover of Sly Stone's "Family Affair".

Early work from Gwen Guthrie – produced by Sly & Robbie, but with a sweet modern soul sound that's got a lot less of their influence than you'd guess! The sound is much more New York than Jamaica – and that's probably due to some great instrumental backing on keyboards by the likes of Harry Whitaker, Bernie Worrell, and Wally Badarou – all massive talents that bring a nice sweet jazzy sound to the best cuts on the record. There's a definite 80s sing-song groove going on – in that not-yet-top-of-the-charts soul sound that you'd hear on the better small urban stations at the time – moving back and forth nicely, in a strong link between the mainstream and the underground clubs! Tracks include "Hopscotch", "Seventh Heaven", "Oh What A Life", "Younger Than Me", and a nice cover of Sly Stone's "Family Affair". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Padlock (Larry Levan special mix)", "Hopscotch (Larry Levan rmx inst)", and "Peanut Butter (Larry Levan special mix)".

Some of the funkiest, clubbiest work we've ever heard from the African scene of the 70s – great grooves that would be right at home on the New York dancefloors of the time! The style here is definitely drawn from disco, yet is a lot more funk-based too – more in the farther reaches of the disco underground of the late 70s – with some of the offbeat touches you might hear from some of the P&P family of labels. Basslines are often stronger than the beats – and although strings and other elements are sometimes used to sweeten the grooves – the approach is never too commercial, and never softens up the funky rhythms at the bottom. Kiki plays keyboards, sings a bit, and does a great job on production – working under his own name, and with some other key projects as well. Titles include "Disco Dancer", "24 Hours In A Disco", "Sexy Dancer", and "Keep On Dancing" by Kiki Gyan – plus "Loving You" and "Disco Train" by KG Band, and "Pretty Pretty Girls" by The Twins.

Rock forbears of all things sludgy and metal, Black Sabbath get the much-deserved critical respect of a cover feature for Mojo – which includes an exclusive interview on the eve of their reunion album and tour! A couple more vital reunions are covered in this issue, too – including an interview with The Breeders and a talk with Iggy on The Stooges. Also includes pieces on Wings, Creedence, Deerhunter, Rod Stewarts' mod years and more. The free CD is Heavy Nuggets Vol 2 – 15 Hard Rock Gems From The British Underground – featuring The Pretty Things, Blossom Toes, Mighty Baby, Possessed, Jerusalem, Family, Twink and more.

One of the biggest 70s moments from underground club maestro Patrick Adams – an amazing talent who's best known for his work on his own P&P family of record labels – but who steps out here with an even tighter sound! The album's brimming with the sorts of sweet moogy touches that Adams always brought to his work – that heavy use of cosmic keyboards that's continued to have a huge influence for years to come. But in addition to the spacey disco grooves on the bottom, the set's also got some great vocal help too – as Patrick brings in some heavy talents from the underground – including Leroy Burgess, Venus Dodson, and Donna McGhee – all of whom add a heck of a lot to the set! Titles include the seminal club track "Weekend", plus "I'm A Big Freak", "Have A Good Day", "Everybody Loves A Good Thing", "May My Love Be With You" and "Much Too Much".

One of the biggest 70s moments from underground club maestro Patrick Adams – an amazing talent who's best known for his work on his own P&P family of record labels – but who steps out here with an even tighter sound! The album's brimming with the sorts of sweet moogy touches that Adams always brought to his work – that heavy use of cosmic keyboards that's continued to have a huge influence for years to come. But in addition to the spacey disco grooves on the bottom, the set's also got some great vocal help too – as Patrick brings in some heavy talents from the underground – including Leroy Burgess, Venus Dodson, and Donna McGhee – all of whom add a heck of a lot to the set! Titles include the seminal club track "Weekend", plus "I'm A Big Freak", "Have A Good Day", "Everybody Loves A Good Thing", "May My Love Be With You" and "Much Too Much".

The second volume in this strangely named compilation series – and like the first, a nice collection of underground grooves from a variety of labels! The styles are a mix of downtempo, exotic themes, and some uptempo soulful groovers – with plenty of tracks that criss-cross the London and German scenes. Titles include "Hymn To The Sun" by Anjali, "So Blue It's Black (Heavy Manners mix)" by Underwolves, "Slow Hot Wind" by Block 16, "I Have Seen" by Zero 7, "Get Misunderstood" by Troublemakers, "Family & Friends" by Gator, "RFO" by Fug, "Oh So Dear" by Fellman & Louise, "Unconditional" by Jacksoul, "Western Wind (lo-beat rmx)" by Sidsel Endressen, "Feelin Me Feelin You" by Waiwan feat Loretta Heywood, "French Letter" by J-Walk, "Pabadam" by Yonderboi, and "Eple" by Royksopp.

Way more than just "hits" – given that this hip box set features tracks from every single 12" released by the legendary P&P family of labels – a massive amount of underground dancefloor work from the late 70s and early 80s, and a set that gives new meaning to the word discography! If you know even just a bit of the P&P sound, you'll know you've got a revolutionary listening experience in store – music that goes way beyond conventional club and disco, with lots of weird little twists and turns – in both the instrumentation and production, which often use these cool little homemade spacey touches! Vocals are often right in synch with the offbeat grooves – and just about every cut on here is massively funky, too. Package features work by Cloud One, Milton Floyd, Sons Of Darkness, Jesse Gee, Scoopy, Rudy Stuart, Little Scotty, Henry Brooks, Fly Guy, Ahzz, Super Jay, Otis Turner, Sherod, The Destiny Orchestra, Bobby Mann, and many others – from singles that originally appeared on labels like Queen Constance, La Shawn, Land Of Hits, Golden Flamingo, Heavenly Star, Clarence, Destiny, Mr Brown, P&P, Sound Of New York, and others. 185 songs, on 15 CDs, packaged in cool slim sleeves in a tight box set – over 18 hours of music, and all of it great!

A funky & far reaching compilation on Perfect Toy! Shake-A-Leg features Afro Beat, jazz funk, funky hip hop and raw soul – compiled by Tobias Kirmayer and Jerker Kluge – highlighting the kinds of grooves they spin at their monthly club nights in Munich! It has a timeless feel, thanks in no small part to the duos penchant for selecting numbers that stretch as far back to the 70s roots, as well as some of best tracks from the diverse contemporary funk underground. Includes hip hop funk from Othello & DJ Vajra and Breakestra feat Chali 2na, Soup, Double K & Mixmaster Wolf, classic jazz funk era heroes Grant Green, Joe Thomas and Eddie Jefferson, modern Afro Funk from Ikebe Shakedown, Latin Beat from Cesar's Salad and much more! Titles include "Family Rap" by Breakestra, Chali 2na & others, Grant Green's cover of Kool & The Gang's "Let The Music Take Your Mind", "You Can Bet Your Swet Bippy" by The Joe Thomas Group, ""Outlines Part 3" by Ernst Arno, "Hard Steppin" by Ikebe Shakedown, "Yenyere" by Cesar's Salad" and more.

A completely sublime collection of spiritual jazz numbers from the 70s – put together by the legendary Kev Beadle, one of the first cats to spin the music with Gilles Peterson on the UK scene! The package is a great mix of essentials from years back, plus some under-discovered nuggets from the American underground – all with a nice emphasis on the grooves and rhythms – in a way that you might have heard back at Dingwalls on a Sunday afternoon! The set's a great reminder that music can be progressive and groovy at the same time – and the whole thing's overflowing with righteous treasures that include "Jessica" by Roy Porter, Namaste" by Seeds Of Fulfillment", "In Every Way" by Reverie, "Open Your Mind" by Southern Energy Ensemble, "Flying Colors" by James Williams, "Dipping" by Johnny Walker, "Here Comes The Family" by Peter Giger's Family Of Percussion & Archie Shepp, "Brotherhood" by Kamal Abdul Alim, "Sun Shower" by Byron Morris & Unity, and "Freedom Road" by The Pharoahs.

Some of the funkiest, clubbiest work we've ever heard from the African scene of the 70s – great grooves that would be right at home on the New York dancefloors of the time! The style here is definitely drawn from disco, yet is a lot more funk-based too – more in the farther reaches of the disco underground of the late 70s – with some of the offbeat touches you might hear from some of the P&P family of labels. Basslines are often stronger than the beats – and although strings and other elements are sometimes used to sweeten the grooves – the approach is never too commercial, and never softens up the funky rhythms at the bottom. Kiki plays keyboards, sings a bit, and does a great job on production – working under his own name, and with some other key projects as well. Titles include "Disco Dancer", "24 Hours In A Disco", "Sexy Dancer", and "Keep On Dancing" by Kiki Gyan – plus "Loving You" and "Disco Train" by KG Band, and "Pretty Pretty Girls" by The Twins.

Some of the funkiest, clubbiest work we've ever heard from the African scene of the 70s – great grooves that would be right at home on the New York dancefloors of the time! The style here is definitely drawn from disco, yet is a lot more funk-based too – more in the farther reaches of the disco underground of the late 70s – with some of the offbeat touches you might hear from some of the P&P family of labels. Basslines are often stronger than the beats – and although strings and other elements are sometimes used to sweeten the grooves – the approach is never too commercial, and never softens up the funky rhythms at the bottom. Kiki plays keyboards, sings a bit, and does a great job on production – working under his own name, and with some other key projects as well. Titles include "Disco Dancer", "24 Hours In A Disco", "Sexy Dancer", and "Keep On Dancing" by Kiki Gyan – plus "Loving You" and "Disco Train" by KG Band, and "Pretty Pretty Girls" by The Twins.

A set that's gotta be one of the most righteous school band records ever – way more than just a bunch of students doing big band numbers, and instead a killer batch of spiritual jazz numbers, directed by the legendary Alvin Batiste! The record's one of a rare few 70s sets of this nature – one that shows a group of younger musicians really reaching out for bold new sounds – every bit as complex and soulful as work on labels like Strata East or Black Jazz, with a firey power that signals a new generation of the jazz underground! And while Batiste is at the head of the group, there's plenty of other great younger players too – including Henry Butler on piano, Henry Scott on flute, Kirk Ford on tenor, Reginald Houston on baritone, Raymond Deggs on trumpet, Julius Farmer on bass, and Herman Jackson on drums! Side one features burning ensemble numbers that include "Music Came", "Tunjii", "Straight Life", and "North American Idiosyncrasy" – and side two features early material by the Henry Butler Trio, on titles that include "So What", "In My Solitude", and "Milestones".

Tripped out, spiritual and oddly entrancing sounds from underground legends Father Yod & The Source Family – jams circa '73 & '74! It's raw, ragged and off the deep end, as you might expect from Father Yod/Source Family/Yahowah13 collective, but it's also playful and charming in a weird way, with rambling spiritual lyricism that's logical enough in the weird world created here for it! Includes "Seed Of Yahowaha", "The Goddess Earth/All My Sons Are Jesus", "Sleepy Heads", "Osiris/Isis", "Spin Around Part One", the 19+ minute second part of the jam and more.