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Sure, they're a funk act – but Kool & The Gang also have a great way with a ballad, too – and as the 80s moved on, the laidback mode worked just as great for the group as their groovers! This mellow set features a dozen Kool & The Gang ballads – some gentle love songs that still seem to hold onto the compression we love in their funk – yet turn the energy towards different ends, often without being overly commercial. Tracks include "Strong", "Think It Over", "Jones Vs Jones", "September Love", "No Show", "Cherish", "Broadway", "Too Hot", "Just Friends", and "Special Way".

A nice one from Kool & The Gang – and kind of a transitional record for the group – falling directly between the hard funk and spacey jazz inspired earlier work and the chart-ready grooves that would follow soon after! They weren't about to abandon the heavy horn lines and some grittier grooves just yet – but they seem to know where the commercial winds are blowing – and they work a bit harder on the sweeter group vocals and some string-backed dancefloor soul sounds. Includes the slow-building title track, plus "Dancin' Shoes", "Big Chief's Funkum", "I Like Music" "It's All You Need", "Peace To The Universe" and "At The Party".

Kool & The Gang's a little bit slicker and a little bit smoother on The Force than on earlier classic records – but thankfully, they're still getting on down to the funky sounds! The Force does indeed have more of a spacey boogie than a jungle boogie vibe, but they're still doing what we love to hear from them. Party funk and soul from this legendary group – and the soul comes out especially well on the mellower numbers, which seem to take off from classics on albums like Love & Understanding or Open Sesame. Titles include "Free", "Slick Superchick", "Just Be True", "Mighty Mighty High", "Oasis", "The Force" and "Life's A Song".

A landmark album of funky genius – and one of the first times a batch of funky 45s had ever been so tightly sewn into a full LP! By the time of this album's release, Kool & The Gang were already underground legends – cutting it up in small clubs around the east and midwest, and working hard to push their excellent early singles on the De-Lite label – the kind of indie funky 45s that went on to shape the sound of a generation to come! This album brings together a number of those singles – really great little tracks that you can't really ever find on wax, and which have the group's perfect blend of bass/drum rhythms, choppy guitar, and hard-blaring horns – a massive groove that's still tighter here than any of the countless combos the record went onto inspire. The LP's a non-stop jam all the way through, with funk so pure it could be considered the blueprint for a generation – and titles include "Give It Up", "Raw Hamburger", "Kool's Back Again", "Breeze & Soul", "Sea of Tranquility", and "Kool & The Gang". 2012 remaster – with much better sound than the 90s CD version.

After this one, there was no turning back for Kool & The Gang! The record has them bringing their underground funk sound to the masses – with a choppy riffy groove that stands out almost as a public challenge to all the other pretenders that had been cropping up on major labels during the same time. The band are as tight as they ever were – and they're rolling like a non-stop locomotive with a horn-heavy groove on classics like "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging", while also showing hints of their strong mellow future on the cut "Wild & Peaceful". The album also includes the massive two part jammer "Funky Stuff" and "More Funky Stuff", plus "This Is You, This Is Me" and "Life Is What You Make It".

A magic carpet ride of funky soul from Kool & The Gang – classic Open Sesame from '76 – one that took the group to a higher level! It's not as rawly funky as some of the group's earlier albums, but they do still bring it, just with a cooler spirtual vibe that we never expected – one that opens up their sound even further! The best example of this is the great cut "Little Children", a very righteous jazzy soul number that's been sampled to great use, and one that introduced a great mellow sound for the group. Other cuts include the dancefloor classic "Open Sesame", "Whisper Softly", "L-O-V-E", and "Sunshine". This remastered edition from Big Break UK includes 3 bonus tracks: "Open Sesame (Groove With The Genie) – Part 2 (Single Version)", "Super Bad (Single Version)" and "Open Sesame (Groove With The Genie) (Promotional 12" – Special Disco Version)".

It's the mid 70s, and Kool & Co not only keep the funky groove up, but also expand their style into a moogy style that adds a nice dimension of spacey soul to their rich palette of funk. The funkier cuts – like "Street Corner Symphony" and "Rhyme Tyme People" – sound a bit too much like the hits from earlier albums, but are still pretty nice. But it's the synth heavy cuts – like "Whiting H&G", and the landmark "Summer Madness" – which really open up the record. They're great stuff, and have the group moving into a spacey otherworldly funk realm that had been opened up a few years earlier by Earth Wind & Fire. The long-lasting potential of "Summer Madness" proves that the move was a great one – and we're always stunned at how fantastic the track still sounds today!

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".

Not the disco promised in the title – but a sweet batch of funky tracks from Japanese reedman Jiro Inagaki – easily one of his hippest albums of the 70s! Rhythms are super-tight – very much in the best mid 70s space of Fatback Band or Kool & The Gang – and carried off with some occasional trippy touches in the production, of the sort you'd know from other Japanese albums of this nature. The tunes are mostly instrumentals – focused on the jazzy grooves we'd expect from Jiro – but they often feature a bit of chorus vocals – probably just the musicians shouting out with joy alongside their sweet lead lines. Titles include a great cover of Ripple's "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" – plus "Boogie Joe The Grinder", "Express", "Jungle Boogie", "Living For The City", "Outa Space", "Funky Stuff", and "Loose Booty". CD features the bonus track "Express", in a different mix.

A nicely done compilation of the some of the best of Just-Ice – culled from the legendary Fresh, Warlock and Sleeping Bag recordings – a solid entry point for hardcore hip hop pioneer if you don't already own those records! Includes some the most legendary Mantronix productions, the best of the Just-Ice and KRS-One co-productions and a few of better cuts that Grandmaster Flash produced – and the 2CD set is sprawling enough to bring in some of better 12" versions, too! 23 tracks on 2CDs: "Cold Getting' Dumb", "Back To The Old School", "Latoya", "Gangster Of Hip Hop", "Going Way Back", "Freedom Of Speech", "Kool & Deadly", "The Desolate One", "Na Touch Da Just", "Way Back (We're Going)", "Cold Getting Dumb ('97 Remix)" and more.

KC & The Sunshine band definitely live up to the title here – doing it good, and doing it funky with a great early Miami funk groove! The sound has a lot more sharp edges than their later hits – but is still already plenty darn infectious – a wicked bouncy groove that never lets up at all – making the album every bit a funky party as the best early gems from Fatback Band or Kool & The Gang! Production is great too – that cool Miami sense of spreading out, yet never turned towards commercial ends – as you'll hear on groovers that include "Sound Your Funky Horn", "Do It Good", "Baby I Want Your Lovin'", "All My Love", "Blow Your Whistle", "I'm a Pushover", and "I Need a Little Lovin". CD features bonus tracks – "I'm Gonna Do Something Good To You", "Why Don't We Get Together", "Queen Of Clubs (single)", and "I'm A Pushover (single)".

Wonderful grooves from Push – a funky ensemble who flourished in the Seattle scene at the end of the 70s – turning out some really massive sounds in the clubs, and in the studio! This collection's the only one we've ever seen of their work – a much-needed testament to their stone strength on a very local scene at the time – one in which a group like this could work every night of the week to big regional crowds, yet somehow never manage to crack the big time! Yet the group's lack of fame is also what makes this music great – a fresh approach to 70s territory that you might know from some of the bigger acts of the time – with instrumentation jazzy enough to rival some of the Fantasy Records groups of the time – and a sparkling vibe that recalls some of the bigger crossover groups, like Kool & The Gang or Average White Band! The set features recordings from two different sessions – one in Seattle, the other in Portland – and titles include "I'm Not Alone", "I'm A Dreamer", "It Ain't Never Been This Funky", "You Turn Me On", "The Jealous Type", "Reach", "We Have So Much", "You're Nasty", and "Celebration".

A classic indie cooker from Sugar Billy – a bit funky, a bit clubby – and a really great batch of grooves done in a pre-disco mode! The tracks are all pretty darn upbeat – somewhat warmer than the funk of Fatback or Kool & The Gang, but still with a nicely rough-edged feel overall – one that mixes snapping rhythms with Billy's slightly raspy vocals – all in a groove that's somewhat unique, and which is almost a hybrid of southern soul modes and some of the indie styles bubbling out of the New York scene in the early 70s. Arrangements are by Jimmy Roach, who definitely helps the group groove – and a young Marcus Belgrave is actually in the group on Trumpet! Titles include the classic "Super Duper Love (parts 1 & 2)", plus "Treat Me Like You Don't Know Me", "Love Bug", "Sugar Pie", "Too Much Too Soon", and "Believe In Me". CD also features a great bonus track – the single-only "Freak & You Shall Find", presented in the long version!

Ten years in for the Tabou Combo – and the group's sounding funkier than ever! The album's got a groove that's even tighter than some of their earliest records – and there's a definite funky feel to the music at times – not just Haitian styles, but a nice US influence too – yet one that's filtered through some really unique global influences too! Despite the date of the record, the instrumentation is mostly in a late 70s ensemble funk mode – with harder edges than usual from the combo, and almost a Kool & The Gang influence going on – but, with the Haitian elements thrown in, an overall sound that comes across with the vibe of Banda Black Rio. Really great stuff – with cuts that include "Hoola Hoop Disco", "Let Me Play That Funky Music", "Tabou Disco", "Tania", "Let's Do The Groove", and "Fausse Conception". CD also features bonus extended mixes of "Hoola Hoop Disco" and "Tabou Disco".

A strong, well-assembled History Of Queensbridge – featuring rarities and freestyles from breakout hip hip superstars, blueprint era legends and longtime underground heavies alike – include Nas, Mobb Deep, Kool G Rap, Noreaga, Tragedi Khadafi, Cormega and more! Features MCs from Queensbridge proper and collabos with legends from elsewhere in and around NYC – and the titles include "Testaments" by Cormega, "Black Life" by Mobb Deep & ACD, ""Triple Threat" by Nas, Noreaga & Nature, "Holla Back To Dope" by Kool G Rap & Nas, "Freestyle S**t" by Cormega feat Busta Rhymes, "Real" by Tragedy Khadafi, 'Freestyle 1994" by Mobb Deep, "Gun Ring" by E Money Bags, "Thug Chronicles" by Kool G Rap & Havoc, "Betrayal" by Nature & Tragedy Khadafi and more. 20 tracks in all.

Classic breaks – all the way through! This may not be the most underground stuff in the world to those out there who've been digging through crates for funk and soul for the past ten years, but it is an exquisite compilation that features some of the best funky tracks used as samples by hip hoppers, nearly every one of them a famous cut that you'll probably recognize in a minute! Titles include "I Like It" by The Emotions, "Dance To The Drummer's Beat" by Herman Kelly, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "Hard Times" by Baby Huey, "Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth" by 24 Carat Black, "Kool Is Back" by Funk Inc, "Our Generation" by Ernie Hines, "Heaven & Hell" by 20th Century Steel Band, "Unhooked Generation" by Freda Payne, "Papa Was, Too" by Joe Tex, "Just A Groove In G" by Wilbur Bascomb & The Zodiac, "Be Thankful For What You Got" by William De Vaughn, and "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" by The Detroit Emeralds. 18 cuts in all!

One of the greatest sides of The Blackbyrds' music – their mellower, more chilled-out tunes – all tracks that we like almost as much as their funkier classics! Although the combo first earned their name for upbeat, sharp-edged funky fusion, they also had a wonderful way with a laidback groove – sweetly stepping instrumentals that were often a bit overlooked next to some of their bigger 70s hits, but which are equally great – and perhaps even more so, as they represented a really unique approach to the music at the time! There's a vibe here that we'd rank right up there with Kool & The Gang on "Summer Madness" – an approach that's often spare, and focused around a key instrumental bit – and which is a great antidote to some of the heavier-handed funk of the time! Keyboards are often heavy on these numbers, and although there's some vocals, the instrumentation is almost always center stage – served up over some sweetly stepping rhythms that are really great. Titles include "Lady", "Wilford's Gone", "A Heavy Town", "All I Ask", "At The Carnival", "April Showers", "Love Is Love", "Soft & Easy", "Lady", "Flying High", "The Baby", "Summer Love", "Dreaming Of You", and "Time Is Movin".

One of the coolest albums ever from organist Milt Buckner – a set that not only features his own great work on Hammond, but also some excellent vibes from Gene Redd! This isn't the Redd that was a member of Kool & The Gang, but his pops – and Gene works with Buckner here on arrangements to craft a sound that's much hipper and more soulful than usual for Milt – quite a change from some of his dates for other labels, especially some of the overseas ones. The rest of the group features Bill Willis on bass and Phil Paul on drums – and tunes are awash in cool tones and unusual sounds – handled very differently than in other versions. The album includes nice versions of "Take Five", "Fly Me To The Moon", "All Blues", and "Why Don't You Do Right" – all with a lot more of a soul jazz groove than you'd expect!

One of the sweetest-grooving albums ever from Con Funk Shun – proof that the group was almost better when they tightened things up a bit! The set was produced by Deodato at the height of his hit-making soul powers – and it's got a sharpness that really helps bring the Con Funk Shun groove into focus – a style that's not nearly as commercial as Deodato's work with Kool & The Gang, but which shares a similar blend of jazz and modern soul elements! Most tracks groove nicely, even some of the mellower ones – and Deodato's got a perfect balance in the sound of the set – keyboards, beats, and bass all in the right places, with plenty of soulful vocals flowing warmly over the top. Titles include "Don't Let Your Love Grow Cold", "Hard Lovin", "If I'm Your Lover", "Can You Feel The Groove Tonight", "Indiscreet Sweet", and "Baby I'm Hooked".

Genius from the mind of Kool Keith aka Big Willie Smith aka Poppa Large aka Dr. Octagon. Since his days with Ultramagnetics, no one has mastered the abstract lyrical style like Kool Keith, self-proclaimed inventor of all rhyme styles. 20 tracks, with dope atmospheric features by the Automator and scratches by the legendary Q-Bert, including "Earth People", "No Awareness", "Technical Difficulties", "Blue Flowers", "A Visit To The Gynecologist" and "Bear Witness".

Ahh, the glory days of the Native Tongues. Remember a time when dropping knowledge and keeping rumps bumpin' weren't mutually exclusive? This sophomore LP from the J Beez is a smorgasbord of funky breaks, jazzy samples and lyrical niceness from the golden era of hip hop. An unimpeachable hip hop classic that stands as one of our favorite records of the era. Disc one features the original album, which includes "Doin Our Own Dang", "J Beez Comin Through", "What U Waitin' 4", "Beyond This World", "Acknowledge Your Own History", "Sunshine", "Beeds On A String", "Done By The Forces Of Nature", "Kool Accordin 2 A Jungle Brother" and "Tribe Vibes". Disc two features an assortment of remixes, 12" edits and more classic and rare titles, one-time vinyl exclusives – most on CD for the first time! Also includes some unreleased Janatte Beckman photos from back in the day.

Two great slices of work from Johnny Ray – one a salsa set from the 70s, the other a batch of boogaloo tunes from the 60s! The first 5 tracks here are from a studio set directed by Charlie Palmieri, and done in the best New York salsa mode of the time – with vocals from Yayo El Indio and Adalberto Santiago, and other players who include Barry Rogers on trombone, Ray Maldonado on trumpet, and Manny Corchado on timbales – all grooving tightly in soaring, soulful formation on tracks that include "La Guerra", "Oye Nicola", "Que Risa Me Da", "Descarga No 2", and "Descarga El Tres". The second half of the CD features some real killers from Johnny's boogaloo years as Johnny Zamot – tracks from his Decca albums and other indie sides that bristle with tight, jazzy energy! Tracks include 3 great Pat Patrick compositions – "Catfish Bag", "Gaboom", and "Mambo Village" – plus "Descarga Zamot", "Guadajaljara", "Alma Llanera", and "Kool & The Gang".

Not the rock group promised in the title, but one of the most smoking African combos of the 70s – a brilliantly funky lineup that's got a feel that's almost like the best from Kool & The Gang at the time! There's definitely an Afro Funk approach to the music – but most of the sounds here would sit perfectly next to the best American combos of the time – not just because the group sings in English throughout, but also because they've got a hard-hitting way of serving up the drums and basslines – and often layer in these moogy keyboard lines that are somewhere between "Summer Madness" and P&P Records funk! The album's a killer all the way through – one of the heaviest, most hard-hitting records from the scene at the time – and titles include "Shadow of the Boogie", "Together Again Never To Part", "Let's Marry", "Everybody Get Down", "People Talk", and "Lagos City".

Proof that the US Army had plenty going on during the 70s – as you'll hear from this killer set of military-produced grooves from East Of Underground! The set goes way past the previous East Of Underground reissue – to feature work by the groups Soap, Black Seeds, and Sound Trek – all wrapped up in a beautiful package that's as visually pleasing as the music is funky! The cuts here were all recorded by US Army servicemen during the height of the Vietnam war – as Army-issued albums designed to encourage recruitment (as if a few funky grooves could help offset the bad press the war was getting on TV!) But despite that odd origin, the music here is all pretty great – mostly covers of familiar tunes from the time, but recorded with a nicely gritty quality that's mighty nice – and which makes the overall feel of the records like digging into some lost small studio tapes – ala Numero! Now Again have done a great job of putting together the whole package, too – contributing a wealth of notes and photos, and really digging deep into the scene in which these unique records were created. Not only that, but the packaging also replicates the style of the original odd releases too! The set features a CD each of music by East Of Underground and Soap – plus another CD that brings together an unusual double LP by the groups Black Seeds and Sound Trek. Titles include "I Just Want To Celebrate", "Kool & The Gang", "Walking In The Rain", "Backstabbers", "I Love Everything About You", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Go Outside In The Rain", "Black Magic Woman", "Hell Below", "Higher", "Popcorn/Santana", "Walk On By", "Java Girl", and "Get Together".

An excellent bit of funk that sounds a heck of a lot like early Kool & The Gang! It's no surprise, too, because the album was produced by Gene Redd, has a few Kool & The Gang covers (like "Funky Granny" and "Who's Gonna Take the Weight"), and was issued on the related Red Coach label. The group are head and shoulders above most other early 70s ensemble funk groups – and have a very tight instrumental approach that was only matched by a few other combos, like the early Fatback Band or K & The G. Tracks include "Gold Smoke", "Funky Granny", "Who's Gonna Take The Weight", "Mama Said-Papa Said", and "Funky Gene-Ra-Tion".

Mega-hit material from KC & The Sunshine band – an album issued firmly into the disco years, but which still had the group hitting hard in their trademark Miami sound! The tracks here are a bit longer and more hook-heavy than before – and represent the kind of material that linked harder Kool & The Gang-styled funk with some of the crossover sounds that Miami was famous for at the time – a sound that was still largely pre-disco in its roots, but which also helped set the crossover scene for so many other groups of the 70s. The set is filled with loads of huge hits – like "Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", and "Baby I Love You" – and other tracks include "I Like To Do It", "Come On In", and "Let's Go Party".

Amazing sounds from the last Western years of Iran – really incredible music that shows what a cultural crossroads the nation had become! While some might criticize the culture as embracing the west too strongly at the time, music like this is a great illustration of the way that the cognoscenti were really onto something unusual – able to weave together the local and the global in really cool ways – crafting funk and grooves that are unlike any thing happening in neighboring scenes at the time! The mix of regional and western modes is not unlike Turkish music from a few years before – but the styles here are also much more soul-based, with a range that flows between funk and club, and includes some instrumentation you'd never hear on an American record at all – a perfect complement for the echoey style of vocal recording used on many numbers. The package may well be the most compelling so far from this mighty cool label – and titles include "Kermani" by Zia, "Koolehbaar" by Shahrokh, "Mahigir" by Maziar, "Omadi" by Shoreh, "Tasvire Yek Fal" by Soli, "Be Man Tekyeh Kon" by Shamaizadeh, and "Avazekhian Na Avaz" by Farrokhzad.

Plenty of 80s grooves here – plus a few great 70s numbers – one of the more contemporary volumes of the Steppin Across The USA series! As with previous volumes, the focus here is on tracks that play well on underground dancefloors – especially here in the Windy City, where the Steppers sound still reigns supreme! Most tracks are mellow or midtempo – sliding along on percolating beats, warm keyboards, and just the right touch of soulful vocals – often a shade just away from commercial, but with enough of the best elements to keep things real. Titles include "Yours (12" mix)" by Shai, "Ooh Wee Baby" by Ian Foster, "Missing You" by Chris Walker, "Groovin" by Collage, "Red Lights" by Curiosity Killed The Cat, "Make It Funkier" by Information Society, "Take You Down To Love" by Patrice Rushen, "This Feeling Must Be Real" by Skool Boyz, and "U Send Me Swingin (silky smooth 12" mix)" by Mint Condition. Also features the 70s tracks "I'm Your Lover" by Ronnie McNeir, "Wish You Were Here" by Free Life, and "Can We Pretend" by Bill Withers – a great bit of acoustic soul!

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!

The first new solo effort from Wu Tang gamer Masta Killa in a few years – and a timeless bit of raw, soul sample-based hip hop from one the more underappreciated Wu MCs! It's thankfully light on guest rappers – save for an appearance by Kurpupt and a vault verse from ODB, Masta Killa is the only voice. Production by Mathrmatics, 9th Wonder, Koolade, Inspectah Deck and others. Includes "Soul & Substance", "R U Listening", "Things Just Ain't The Same", "What U See", "Divine Glory", "All Natural", "Wise Words", "Dirty Soul", "Cali Sun" with Kurupt and more.