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Classic mid 70s dub – purportedly with King Tubby handling the controls on one side, and Lee Perry on the other – and Winston Edwards and the Natty Locks laying down the unstoppable backing tracks! The King Tubby side is particularly heavy – with the bass and percussion rumbling so strong underneath some sweetly soulful bits of horn and guitar – straight-up excellent mid 70s dubs! The purported Upsetter side isn't as heavy in mood or tricked out – but it's still pretty great – and in a way that really allows the Natty Dread backdrops to stand up strongly in their own light. With "Blood Of Africa", "Wood Roots", "Luke Lane Rock", "People From The Grass Roots", "Crime Wave" and "No Justice For The Poor".

The first, independent, Roots LP with so many classics that never made it to their later import and major label releases. What more can we say... Tracks include "The Roots Is Comin", "Pass The Popcorn", "The Anti-Circle", "Writers Block", "Good Music", "Grits", "Leonard I-V", "I'm Out Deah", "Essawhamah? (Live At The Soulshack)", "Popcorn Revisited", "Common Dust", "The Session (Longest Posse Cut In History)", "Carryin' On", "Peace", and more.

DJ Wrongtom takes on the canon of Roots Manuva – giving some dubby Caribbean flavor to Roots Manuva's modern UK hip hop classics! There's not much in the way of consessions to trendy dubstep here, and that approach works very well! Includes the new track "Jah Warriors" feat Ricky Ranking, plus Roots revisits with fresh riddims, including "Butterfly Crab Walk", "Chin Up", "Worl' A Mine", "Son Of Bodda", "Motion 82", "Rebuff", "Lick Up Ya Foot" and more.

A set of roots reggae from the immediate post rocksteady years – great late 60s and early 70s reggae with more earnestly soulful vocals and sweet Caribbean rhythm! Includes numbers by Johnny Clarke, Cornell Campbell, Linval Thompson, Horace Andy, Barry Brown, Leroy Smart and more. 14 tracks on the LP: "Roots Natty Congo" by Johnny Clarke, "Bad Minded People" by Leroy Smart, "Skylarking" by Horace Andy, "Declaration Of Rights" by Johnny Clarke, "Trying Youthman" by Barry Brown, "Politricks" by Cornell Campbell and more.

A cool little compilation that's as groovy as you might guess from the title – and one that finally brings to light the lesser-known genre of chica – an odd fusion of cumbia rhythms with more psychedelic-styled instrumentation on farfisa, organ, and guitar! The core grooves remind us a bit of familiar cumbia, but the overall presentation is often a bit more rough-edged and almost garagey at times – a youthful interpretation of the genre that's pretty free with its approach to the music – and which often uses cool electronic touches and weird production techniques to create some really great sounds! Many tracks feature vocals, but the emphasis here seems mostly on the instrumentation – and titles include "Sonido Amazonico" by Los Mirlos, "Carinito" by Los Hijos Del Sol, "A Patricia" by Los Destellos, "Ya Se Ha Muerto Mi Abuelo" by Juaneco Y Su Combo, "La Danza De Los Mirlos" by Los Mirlos, ", "Linda Munequita" by Los Hijos Del Sol, and "Linda Nena" by Juaneco Y Su Combo.

A wonderful bit of spiritual jazz from this richly collective ensemble! The album's got a groove that's as promising as its title – and features a large assemblage of percussionists, singers, and instrumentalists – all coming together in longer tracks penned by Wainwright, with a feel that's like the best Strata East sides from the mid 70s! Wainwright himself plays percussion on the session, and the tunes shift mood from number to number – sometimes coming on full on and soaring with a full vocal chorus – other times stepping out with a mostly-instrumental array of sounds that includes some nice work on vibes by Ricky Kelly! The whole thing's great, and extremely solid and visionary all the way through – with tracks that include "The Healer/Don't Break", "Imani", "Ayoka", "Our Song", and "The Mfecane".

A real stroke of genius from pianist Andrew Hill – and a surprising one too! After an initial legacy of groundbreaking experimental sides for Blue Note, Hill returns to his "grass roots" on this excellent session of straight ahead, fairly funky, soul jazz piano tunes! In the notes, Hill claims a desire to get back to the people – and in a really unusual turn, he shakes off his previous modernist trappings and goes for territory that's much more in the mode of Lee Morgan, Horace Silver, or Hank Mobley on Blue Note! Yet despite this turn, and amidst some more conventional arrangements, Andrew's work on piano is still quite dark and moody – filled with beautiful clashing lines and haunting off-beat changes that open up the session way more than you'd expect! Booker Ervin joins in on tenor – on what would become one of his last recordings – and the rest of the group includes Lee Morgan, Ron Carter, and Freddie Waits – all plenty darn hip players who really get the unusual balance of soul jazz and modernism that Hill's going for here! Tracks include "Mira", "Bayou Red", "Venture Inward", "Grass Roots", and "Soul Special".

Classic mid 70s dub – purportedly with King Tubby handling the controls on one side, and Lee Perry on the other – and Winston Edwards and the Natty Locks laying down the unstoppable backing tracks! The King Tubby side is particularly heavy – with the bass and percussion rumbling so strong underneath some sweetly soulful bits of horn and guitar – straight-up excellent mid 70s dubs! The purported Upsetter side isn't as heavy in mood or tricked out – but it's still pretty great – and in a way that really allows the Natty Dread backdrops to stand up strongly in their own light. With "Blood Of Africa", "Wood Roots", "Luke Lane Rock", "People From The Grass Roots", "Crime Wave" and "No Justice For The Poor".

The Roots Of Dub from The Dub Master – the one-and-only King Tubby. That's pretty much all you need to hear to know that this album rumbles with floor shaking bass, thunderous reverb drops and chattering echo, nicing up the heavy duty rhythms laid down by the Aggrovators. Hail to the King! Includes "Natty Dub", "Dub Magnificent", "A First Class Dub", "the Stepping Dub", "Rude Boy Dub", "Dub You Can Feel" and "Dread Locks Dub".

One of Mingus' classic sessions from the middle period – a legendary blending of jazz with bluesy gospel touches, in a mode that seemed to move away from the politics of some of the late 50s years, and open up his work to a whole new audience! The band is an all-star ensemble all the way through – tentet that features Jackie McLean, Booker Ervin, John Handy, Pepper Adams, Jimmy Knepper, Willie Dennis, and Horace Parlan – cutting a line perfectly with Mingus on the album's 6 original tunes. Includes the oft-copied "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting", plus "My Jelly Roll Soul", "E's Flat Ah's Flat Too", "Moanin", and "Tensions".

A less tense and caustic Roots than the crew that hit us on the majority of Rising Down a couple years earlier – and this one's as strong of an album as they've delivered since moving over to Def Jam. In truth, we were a little scared when we saw some of the guests credited – Monsters Of Folk, John Legend, Joanna Newsom and other headscratchers on top of more likely collaborators such as Phonte, Blu, Peedi Peedi and Dice Raw – it gets over very, very well here! How I Got Over is a Roots effort through and through, with contemplative and soulful tracks that simmer and stew in tried and true fashion. The tracks with those indie rock guests turn out to be among the Roots-iest tracks on the record. Believe that! So you can rest easy, the Roots are The Roots here, just what we wanted and just what we get! Includes "A Peace Of Light" feat Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian & Haley Dekle, "Walk Alone" feat Truck North, PORN & Dice Raw, "Now Or Never" with Phonte & Dice Raw, "Dear God 2.0" with Monsters Of Folk, "The Day" feat Blu, Phonte & Patty Crash, "Doin It Again", "Tunnel Vision" and more.

What can we say? Another nice one from Philly's finest, including guest appearances from Mos Def, Common, Erykah Badu and JazzyFatNastees.

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!

A killer collection of champeta work from the Caribbean coast of Colombia – music that still has plenty of local touches, but also shares a lot with African imports of the time – a really unique little hybrid that makes for plenty of heavy rhythms! The sound is quite unique – a slight echo of more familiar Colombian music at points, but often a more full-on approach to rhythm – with plenty of heavy percussion at the bottom, driving Afro rhythms, and some occasional Caribbean touches in terms of the production – which can make things nicely trippy at just the right points! Soundway have done a great job of introducing us to this unique genre – thanks not only to a wicked selection of tunes, but also a full complement of notes and photos, which really open up our understanding of the music. Titles include "Yoro" by Wganda Kenya, "El Scususu" by La Nelda Pina, "Tetero" by Cumbia Moderna De Soledad, "Esclavo Moderno" by Manuel Alvarez Y Sus Sangers, "Bumburumbumbum" by Cassimbas Negras, "Naga Pedale" by Cumbia Siglo XX, "Pim Pom" by Wganda Kenya, "Tetero" by Cumbia Moderna De Soledad, "Palenque Palenque" by Son Palenque, and "Shacalao" by Lisandro Meza & Su Conjunto.

A really unique little record – and one with a trans-Atlantic heritage too! The sounds here are all from Martinique, but are heavy in African roots as well – and offer up a criss-crossing of rhythmic and tropical modes that's mighty unique! The grooves have some vocals, but are often mostly focused on the instrumental interplay – some great percussion that moves at a very skittish pace – topped with these guitar lines that are both light and jagged, and which have a pulsing rhythmic intensity that's pretty darn hypnotic! Horns are nice, and get some great solos too – and there's a quality the record that's both airy and deep at the same time. Titles include "Chimen Ta La", "Bochet", "Ansinel", "Flabo Pep La", "Omaj Pou Danyel", and "Endepandans".

The bass is right out front in the picture of the band on the cover – and it's also right out front in the sound of their music as well – helping to drive the rhythms of this Turkish combo with a rolling sound that's almost funky at times! Bunalim hail from the same Turkish scene as Erkin Koray – and the group's founding bassist also played on Koray's classic Elektronik Turkuler – a record that's quite similar to this one with its mix of Turkish roots, psychedelic roots, and trippy production! And although the group is represented here with material recorded over a 3 year period, with a shifting instrumental lineup – there's still a core sound that's really unified, with plenty of great Andalusian elements in the mix! Titles include "Basak Saclim", "Bunalim", "Tas Var Kopek Yok", "Yollar", "Yeter Artik Kadin", "Guzel", "Ayrilik Olmasaydi", and "Bir Dunya Da Bana Ver".

A pretty compelling record from the Chicago scene – one that brings together the city's historical music roots and some of the best improvisers working today! Side one features these cool little cuts from Nick Butcher – made up of "microsamples" of older Chicago jazz and house records, and really deconstructed so that you can hardly hear a trace of the original sounds at all – nicely obtuse, and sounding a lot like Nick was working from scratch! Side two features other musicians each given a track from side one, then encouraged to play their own live improvised take on the track – each with a very different flavor! So on the first half, you've got Nick serving up cuts like "Cozy Kitchen", "Great Lake", "Formats", and "Implements" – and side two features 6 solo numbers, each with a different artist – Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Keefe Jackson on tenor, Jason Roebke on bass, Tim Daisy on marimba, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, and Mike Reed on drums! Very nice package, too – with a hand-printed die-cut cover and sleeve!

A roots-oriented 70s classic from Willie Colon – one of his standout albums of the decade! Willie continues his "life of crime" approach for the early 70s – moving into an old west look on the cover, and matching that with a slightly rootsier sound on the album! The real difference is the presence of Yomo Toro – who plays cuatro on the album, and gives it a sound that stretches back to earlier Afro-Cuban styles – a groove that's a lot more rootsy, mixed in with the soaring salsa style of Colon in the 70s. Lead vocals are by Willie, Hector Lavoe, and Ruben Blades – and arrangements are by Marty Sheller and Willie. Tracks include "Toma", "Dona Tona", "Potpourri III", "Cua Cua Ra, Cua Cua", "I Feel Campesino", and "Que Bien Te Ves".

One of the best full lengths by The Cramps! By the time A Date With Elvis came out in the mid 80s, The Cramps had pretty much perfected their wild mix of ghoulish innuendo and truly devoted roots rock/garage revivalism. The sex club and monster movie imagery was for show, but their love of rootsy rumbles was no joke! The record is dedicated to the memory of Ricky Nelson and the dedication is not ironic. Great, ghoulish Cramps at their mid-decade peak. Oh, and by the way. . .Elvis couldn't have handled a date with Ivy. She'd have wrecked that boy. Includes "How Far Can I Go?", "The Hot Pearl Snatch", "People Ain't No Good", "What's Inside A Girl?", "Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?", "Kizmiaz", "Aloha From Hell", "Cornfed Dames" and more.

A totally fun later record from The Cramps – with solid roots rock, fuzzed out garagey stormers and vintage B-Movie imagery as brilliantly as always! By this point, The Cramps were understandably being championed for their killer live show more than their records, which is too bad, because this a gem that's been largely buried in the early 90s crypt. It's a nice mix of faster than usual paced punky numbers and their trademark, slower grooving melange of Chess Records, surf, rockabilly and all around mix of both pivotal and obscure influences. Includes "Dames, Booze, Chains And Boots", "Two Headed Sex Change", "Blow Up Your Mind", "Hardworkin' Man", "Miniskirt Stomp", "I Wanna Get In Your Pants", "Bend Over, I'll Drive", "Eyeball In My Martini", "Hipsille 29 BC" and "The Strangeness In Me".

Funky Bo Diddley – one of Bo's key early 70s sessions for Chess Records – all of which have him stepping out in a much harder groove than years past! The sound here is relatively tight – with Diddley guitar and vocals on top of some larger arrangements from Bob Gallo – backings that mix together sounds from contemporary rock and soul, but always with an ear for the roots that Bo inspired in the first place – put forward towards a new generation with nicely kicking rhythms and really fuzzy guitars! The standout number here is the break classic "Go For Broke" – a drum-heavy instrumental that's worth the price of the record alone – and other titles include the great original "Pollution", plus versions of "The Shape I'm In", "Down On The Corner", "Lodi", "Bad Side Of the Moon", and "Bad Moon Rising".

Groovy organ jazz session from the late 60's that has Bill's funky keyboards backed by a larger group that includes players like Billy Butler, Chuck Rainey, Jimmy Castor, and Ray Lucas. The set's got reprises of a few of Doggett's classics – like "Honky Tonk" and "Hold It" – but the sound has a lot more of a groovy feel than his late 50's sessions for King. The organ's got less of the "roller skate" sound that made some of the older sessions not as good, and the production is very sharp, with a good "mod" sound. Tracks include "Bueno", "C'Mon Git It", "Booga Man", "Ko Ko", "Mr. Man", and "Doctor Joy". A nice return to his soul jazz roots after some weaker sessions in the mid 60's for major labels.

An excellent groover from Kenny Dorham – possibly one of his best ever albums for Blue Note – a record that shows how much he was pushing past his bop roots in his later years! The tracks are extremely long, and with a Latiny feel that's surprising when you look at Dorham's earlier material. He's helped along in his endeavors here by a fresh group of modernist geniuses that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Joe Henderson on tenor, Butch Warren on bass and Tony Williams drums – and the album's got 3 long, incredible Dorham originals: "Una Mas" fills up side one, and "Straight Ahead", and "Sao Paulo" cover the flip.

A seminal album by El Kinto – a short-lived but crucially important group in the Uruguay rock scene of the late 60s! El Kinto were a seminal link between the beat group sounds of the earlier South American scene, and some of the headier, tripper work to come in the psychedelic years – and their music was an unusual blend of local roots and more ambitious rock – served up in styles that were somewhat different than the candombe music of other artists on the scene. Core rock instrumentation was often augmented by a bit of Latin percussion – used in a way that created a nicely earthy feel at the bottom of most of the tunes, which was in contrast to the cleaner, but also somewhat spare use of guitars on the top. There's a criss-crossing sensibility here that's not unlike Brazilian Tropicalia at times – although clearly not as politically motivated, nor as culturally radical – and what really blows us away about these tunes is the overall sense of sound – a simple, but extremely effective placement of all the simplest elements, to create music without easy comparison (even though we've been trying for the last few lines!) Group members include percussionist Ruben Rada and South American rock legend Eduardo Mateo – and the album features 14 tracks that include "Jose", "Mejor Me Voy", "Don Pascual"," Voy Pensando", "Esa Tristeza", "Yo Volvere Por Ti", "Estoy Sin Ti", and "Pippo". Great reissue – very heavy vinyl and cover, and with an insert with notes!

Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson more than live up to their title as the Mighty Two just as this heavy compilation more than lives up to the title of nothing but scorchers! Gibbs and ET showcase their mastery of all styles here, veering from hard and heavy roots to sweet lover's numbers and even a few bouncing tracks aimed a the dancehall! Top notch singers and dee jays are all featured over throbbing rhythms at the hands of Gibbs' Professionals crew, with 28 tracks in all, including "Two Sevens Clash" by Culture, "Babylon Too Rough" by Gregory Isaacs, "Cool Out Son" by Junior Murvin, "Boxing Around" and "No Man's Land" by Cornell Campbell, "Just Like A River" by the Mighty Diamonds, Left With A Broken Heart" by George Nooks, "Funeral" by Prince Alla,"Rockers A Nuh Crackers" by Glen Washington, "Jah Bring I Joy In The Morning" by Bobby Melody, "Burn Babylon" by Sylford Walker, "Keep On Knocking" by Jaco Miller, "Virgin Girl" by Eek-A-Mouse, "Hello Carol" by Enos McLeod, and "UptownTop Ranking" by Althea & Donna.

A rare non-soundtrack record from Goblin – but done in a style that's equally wonderful as their famous music for horror films! The set really shows the progressive roots from which they sprang – with a sound that's a bit fuller than some of their soundtrack work, and which also has vocals too – sung in Italian, but with a very Peter Gabriel sort of edge to them. Keyboards figure heavy in the mix, and there's also some really nice dark undercurrents too – on titles that include "La Danza", "Mark Il Bagarozzo", "Terra Di Goblin", "Un Ragazzo D'Argento", and "Notte".

A rocketing bit of South African funky soul – and of the few great records released on Ahmad Jamal's short-lived Jamal label! The session's a lot hipper than some of the South African work that was issued in the US around the same time – and the feel here is almost more in a London post-colonial mode, with a strong criss-crossing of elements, but also a good sense of roots. There's an undercurrent of funk, too – tightly vamping rhythms, killer percussion, and it's peppered with sharp jazz solos from Gwangwa on trombone and Du Du Pukwana on sax – an overall groove that's almost like some of the Perception/Today label jazz funk of the early 70s! Some cuts feature vocals from Mamsie, and titles include "Dark City", "Switch #2", "Switch #1", "Szaba Szaba", "Kwatula", "Chant", "Who", and "African Sausage".

An excellent session that was one of Herbie Hancock's first free-flowing fusion records of the 70s! Herbie's playing Fender Rhodes with a sound that's at once cosmically beautiful, soulfully fragile, and spacily grooving – and he gets some excellent accompaniment from an all-hip group of players that includes Benny Maupin on bass clarinet and flute, Buster Williams on bass, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, and Julian Priester on trombone – plus percussion from Jose Areas and Ndugu Chancler. The roots of later classics like Sextet and Flood all start with this session – and the album contains 3 long tracks – "You'll Know When You Get There", "Ostinato", and "Wandering Sprit Song".

An amazing record from the young Lee Hazlewood – recorded in the years before working with Nancy Sinatra, and done with a very hip edge that stretches way past its date of origin – to a time ten years later, when the LA scene would be in the midst of a fascination with country and roots music! Hazlewood is the lost link in that tradition, and this album is key proof of that fact – served up with a mixture of warmth, cynicism, and just plain wit that was extremely unusual for the early 60s. Lee uses the fictional town of Trouble as the setting for the 10 little story tracks in the album – which are great little songs about love, life, not loving, and not living. The music is deceptively simple, and Hazlewood weaves the songs together with narration that brings the whole thing alive nicely – really showcasing the warmth and wit that makes his music so special. Titles include "We All Make The Flowers Grow", "Six Feet Of Chain", "Trouble Is A Lonesome Town", "The Railroad", "Run Boy Run", "Son Of A Gun", and "Look At That Woman". Rare mono mix, beautifully presented with great sound and loads of notes – and also features a huge amount of bonus tracks too! Bonus tracks include "It's An Actuality", "Forth Worth", "I Guess It's Love", and the incredible promo-only "Lee Hazlewood Autobiography" – which features Hazlewood telling his life story set to his own acoustic guitar playing, with even more wit than on the album – plus two vocal tunes with Duane Eddy – "The Girl On Death Row" and "Words Mean Nothing" – and four more recorded under the name of Mark Robinson – "Pretty Jane", "Want Me", "Can't Let Her See Me Cry", and "I've Made Enough Mistakes Today".

A rare and beautiful Andrew Hill session, and one of the classic Blue Note entries into the "jazz and voices" sound that the label pioneered with Donald Byrd and Eddie Gale. Hill leads a core jazz group that includes Woody Shaw, Carlos Garnett, Richard Davis, and Freddie Waits – and the group is backed by a vocal ensemble with a very spiritual vibe. The sound is a lot more hip than the Donald Byrd & Voices albums, and the playing of the core jazz group is very very soulful – along the lines of Hill's Grass Roots album, which was also from the same period. The record's similar to the Max Roach/Billy Harper vocal work around the same time, and titles include "Ghetto Lights", "Hey Hey", "Two Lullabies", and "Love Chant". A very unique album for Andrew Hill!

Amazing sounds from Roscoe Holcomb – a set recorded in the mid 70s, but one with a timeless quality that belies Holcomb's deep roots in eastern Kentucky! All tunes feature just a bit of guitar or banjo, and Holcomb's incredible vocals – inflected with a life's worth of rich experience into a mode that's almost more blues than folk at points – a key illustration of the way the genres can blur across cultural lines, if you know where to look. Titles include "Motherless Children", "Train That Carried My Girl From Town", "Frankie & Johnny", "In London City", "Walk Around My Bedside", and "The Village Churchyard".

Rare Memphis soul from David Hudson – work recorded at the Royal Studios with producer Willie Mitchell – issued here for the first time ever! The material is great, and really augments David's too-small catalog of recorded works – with a style that's kind of a modern evolution of older southern modes, as Hudson still stays vocally strong in his roots, yet moves into some warmer modes too. Mitchell's production style is in a post-Hi Records sort of approach – and Willie also wrote all the tracks on the set, titles that include "When I'm Loving You", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Ally My Love", "Be That Way Sometimes", "Let's Make Love", and "Something Good".

The sound of Zambia, circa 1975 – a heady brew of psychedelic styles and deeper African roots – served up in the unique blend of modes that would come to be known as Zamrock! The album's got a dark feel right from the start – one of those records where it feels like something's a bit off, psychically – but in a great way that really keeps things compelling throughout – and which makes the music way more interesting than some of the other 70s African hybrids that were aiming for a much more mainstream market. Instead, the sounds of Rikki Ililonga and group are very much their own thing – sticking to territory that's very sharp and bracing – as you'll hear on cuts that include "The Hole", "Shebeen Queen", "Zambia", "Hot Fingers", "The Nature Of Man", and "Sansa Kuwa".

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too far over the top – catchy, compelling numbers that played well all over the world of pop – but which still hang onto just a little part of his soul roots too! That balance is a key factor to the success of this set – a record that helped re-ignite interest in Jackson's music, and introduce him to a whole new generation – while still keeping most of the older fans plenty pleased too. Titles include "Just Good Friends", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", "Another Part Of Me", "Man In The Mirror", and "Speed Demon". 3LP version is filled with great bonus material – a huge amount of tracks that include "Free", "Song Groove", "I'm So Blue", "Don't Be Messin Round", "Streetwalker", "Fly Away", "Price Of Fame", "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu", "Je Ne Vieux Pas La Fin De Nous", "Bad (Afrojack rmx)", "Speed Demon (Nero rmx)", and "Bad (Afrojack club)".

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too far over the top – catchy, compelling numbers that played well all over the world of pop – but which still hang onto just a little part of his soul roots too! That balance is a key factor to the success of this set – a record that helped re-ignite interest in Jackson's music, and introduce him to a whole new generation – while still keeping most of the older fans plenty pleased too. Titles include "Just Good Friends", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", "Another Part Of Me", "Man In The Mirror", and "Speed Demon".

One of the greatest records we've ever heard from Jazzanova – a set that really returns the group to their roots, and features live funk instrumentation, and ultra-soulful vocals from singer Paul Randolph! The sound is unlike anything Jazzanova's done in the past – even tighter, and more soulful than their excellent Of All The Things album – with a lean groove that's light years away from some of their too-electric moments from a decade ago! A number of tunes here are tracks from the group's more electronic years, but redone with much warmer live instrumentation –and the evolution in the music is mindblowing, with stunning results – a record filled with instant classics – as funky drums mix with jazzy horns, and set up a perfect vibe for the complex yet soulful sound of Randolph's vocals. Titles include "Little Bird", "Flashback", "No Use", "Lucky Girl", "I Human", "Let Me Show Ya", "Theme From Belle Et Fou", "Fedime's Flight", and "Boom Clicky Boom Klack".

They might be borrowing her band, but they sure can't dampen her soul – because Sharon Jones is strongly back in action, and sounding funkier and more deeply soulful than ever! Given that Sharon wasn't singing back in the 60s, it's hard to think we'd be calling her the real deal – but in a world of crossover classic-copping soul singers, or slightly rewarmed older acts, Jones is a true treat through and through – the kind of soul singer whose work still recalls the best era of the funky 45 underground! The mighty Dap-Kings are in full force here – snapping along the groove with a range of classic soul influences – styles borrowed from Memphis, Miami, Muscle Shoals, and more – all sifted down to some of the tightest grooves any singer ever had the chance of working with! The production is amazing – as sharp-edged as the music – and handled by Bosco Mann with a sound that's as faithful to the roots as the cover might imply. Titles include "100 Days 100 Nights", "Tell Me", "Be Easy", "Nobody's Baby", "When The Other Foot Drops Uncle", "Something's Changed", "Keep On Looking", "Answer Me", and "Humble Me".

Joy Division recorded live at The Prince Of Wales Conference Center, below the YMCA – and a pretty stunning document of the pioneering band's mix of raw intensity with heavy mood – in a rare live setting! It's a legendary set – one that kicked off a 4 night series of shows at the venue that also included Throbbing Gristle, The Teardrop Explodes, Echo & The Bunnyman, Scritti Politti and others. Joy Division brings an intensity that shows their roots in punk rock, but also hints at the moodier sounds to come. It's a soundboard recording and of much better quality than is often found in similarly captured performances by underground heavies of the era. Includes "Dead Souls", "Disorder", "Wilderness", "Autosuggestion", "Transmission", "Day Of The Lords", "She's Lost Control", "Shadowplay", "Atrocity Exhibtion" and "Insight".

Cool compressed grooves from Raoul K – music that's offers up a really unique blend of African roots and contemporary club – but in ways that are a lot more abstract than others working in the genre! Raoul really abstracts the instruments in his music – so that the core elements fuse together as the set rolls on – with a sound that's contemporary, yet has an earthiness too – kind of timeless roots buried somewhere in the background – not in ways that hit you over the head, yet which really inform the music! Titles include "Somassi", "Bardot", "Sierra Leone (Deetron mixdown)", "Belebeleba", "Rainforest (Chicagomix)", and "Mande (Griotmix)".

10 excellent roots rock rhythms given a nice dub treatment, and though we're selling this record as most shops do, as a King Tubby side, we'd be willing to wager he actually wasn't around his studio when this was mixed, and certainly wasn't around Joe Gibbs' or Bullwackies when the cuts included here from those spots were mixed. Still it's a great set of rhythms, all with excellent spaced out dub mixes, and burning performances at the hands of Sly & Robbie, Family Man, Bagga Morris, Santa Davis, Augustus Pablo and others. With "Rocker's Almighty Dub", "Dunza Dub", "Storm & Lightning", "Something Nice Bout Da Dub", "Upful & Positive Dread", "Hold this Dub" and "21 Gun Salute to Brother Marcus".

The roots of The Knack – and some really amazing tracks that were recorded years before their famous debut on Capitol! The sound here is great and gritty – mostly just Doug Feiger and Berton Averre working out tunes in the studio – using guitar and bass, and serving up the vocals with a nicely sneering style! Even more amazing is that most of these tunes were recorded in 1973 and 1975 – yet already show the pair's tremendous ear for a tight riff and unstoppable hook – that core essence of everything we love about The Knack – but with an even rawer feel too. Titles include "Who'll Set You Down", "Little Lies", "Flower My Fate", "Weiss On Rye", "Have A Heart", "Corporation Shuffle", "Get On The Plane", "Lazer Days", and "Good Girls Don't".

Reel-y great grooves from Shawn Lee – perhaps his funkiest record in years, and one that has a definite cinematic feel too – as you might guess from the title! The style here is blacksploitation funk at its finest – stripped down to its best core elements, and served up by Lee with a lean, mean groove that shows that he really understands the roots of the genre – and knows how to get the sound just right – while still bringing in some of his own core touches too! As we've come to expect from Shawn, the beats are mighty nice – and the album's overflowing with breaks – plenty of funk to drive along the album's heavy keyboards and guitar riffs in the lead. Titles include "Boomwack", "The Definition Of Funk", "Big Ben", "Rocks On Rocks", "Soho Chase", "Straight To Video", "Piano Milano", "Daylight Robbery", and "Biker Chick".

Amazing work from the great Jon Lucien – and probably his best-ever record! The album has Jon hitting a totally unified vision of spacey soul – bringing in elements of Brazilian music and touches of his Carribean roots, fusing them together with a sweet jazzy style and one of the most compelling voices we've ever heard in soul music. It takes courage to be this gentle and sincere, and although the record was never a hit when it was released, it's been a perpetual favorite of groovers for many many years – thanks to the depth of Lucien's lyrics, and the unique range of rhythms in the set! Includes the funky "Would You Believe in Me", the space "Lady Love", and the tracks "Kuenda", "Satan", "Love Everlasting", and soooo many more. Essential soul from one of the 70's most righteous artists – and probably the best place to start sampling his rich career!

A great little project that's very much in the same spirit as the Havana Cultura project on Brownswood – a set that features British producer Mala working with a host of contemporary Cuban musicians – all in a groove that takes their roots, and pushes them very firmly towards the future! Mala's not shy about his input here – and really works a lot of electronics and production techniques throughout the set – taking the core acoustic sounds, and moves them into some of the more 21st Century modes that you'd hear from other artists on Brownswood! Things get somewhat abstract at times, yet still have plenty of soul – and titles include "Ghost", "Curfew", "The Tourist", "Change", "Noches Suenos", "The Tunnel", "Mulata", and "Tribal".

Sweet grooves from the great Bob Marley – a set cut at a time when Marley was really riding his international fame – and able to create the kind of music that reached out way more than conventional reggae! The Kingston roots of the sound are still very firmly in place – but there's also a more globally-expansive vision here too – partly the tight production on the music, partly the warm feelings that ebb and flow throughout the entire set – a vibe that's very different than American soul, and which has turned out to be surprisingly encompassing over the years. Titles include "Is This Love", "Running Away", "Kaya", "Satisfy My Soul", "Easy Skanking", "Sun Is Shining", "She's Gone", "Misty Morning", "Crisis", and "Time Will Tell" – plus this reissue adds "Smile Jamaica" as a bonus track.

Early work from a group who later grew into the famous Ikenga Super Stars Of Africa – recording here in London with a great raw sound – and an unusual mix of modes that's part Afro Funk, part something else entirely! The set's got that unique post-colonial vibe of some of the other great London recordings of the early 70s – such as work by Cymande or Demon Fuzz, both of whom have some dubby similarities to the Nkengas work on this set – possibly because the whole thing was served up for the Orbitone Records label – usually a home to sounds from Jamaica! There's a nice use of echo that really abstracts the basslines and percussion – although the grooves themselves are still more straightforward than any from Kingston at the time – and definitely echo the Nigerian roots of the group. Tracks have a lot of cool little funky corners and sharp edges that really set them apart – and titles include "London Special", "Ndu Bu Isi", "Anyi Bundi Igbo", "Jungle Beat", "Anyi Buofu", and "Ube Frank Special".

Pan-African rhythms from Ray Stephen Oche – topped with some great jazzy elements as well! The set's one of Ray's classics from the Paris scene – a set that draws heavily from his Nigerian roots, yet also takes full advantage of the wider cultural vibe going on in France at the time – echoes of free jazz in the instrumentation, righteous soulful elements in the vocals, and a complicated rhythmic approach that brings in plenty of funk from the other side of the Atlantic as well! The album's a killer all the way through – and tracks include "Kano City Sky", "Ayipe Assa", "At The Jazz Fountain", "Ada Ode", "Trumpet Calls The People Of Nigeria", "Peace Upon Kenemaland", and "Down Beat Special".

The excellent early 80s side – with a tight Channel One production at the hands of Jah Thomas! Triston Palma is astandout singer, but nevertheless, he seems to have been relegated to the sidebar in reggae's history. Nice roots rock numbers from the cusp of the dancehall era, riding more laid back rhythms from the then-hungry Roots Radics crew! 10 tracks in all, including the excellent title track, plus "Lonely Man", "Give Me Give Me Your Love", "Innocent Man" and "Peace And Love In The Ghetto".

A heck of a cool group – with a really wonderful sound! The Peddlers were a late 60s British trio, with a sound that's part soul, part jazz, part supper-club vocals – all done with a clean, clear, hard-grooving approach – and strong instrumentation that often includes a heavy dose of Hammond organ! A big chunk of the work on this album has a gently funky sound that really takes it miles from its original roots – as familiar numbers get transformed into nicely party-rocking tunes with a very hip groove – making for a few tracks that have nice breaks, and others that cook with a nice mod little sound! Keith Mansfield's helping the trio get their groove on here – and titles include their classic break take on "On A Clear Day", plus "Nobody Likes Me", "I'm A Boy In Love", "Comin Home Baby", "Just A Pretty Song", "Prime Of My Life", and "Lost Continent".

The great Luv N' Haight album of unreleased material by legendary Chicago soul jazz group Pharaohs – live tracks that serve as a vital document of the group outside the studio! There's 5 long tracks here, 4 of them recorded live, plus an unreleased gem from the Awakening sessions. Standouts include is a spacey version of "People Make The World Go Round and the extended drum suite of a closer – but it's excellent throughout! Other titles include "Pharaohs Love Y'All", which is a stellar funk jam, plus "African Roots". Nice heavy vinyl, too. Essential!

Two rare soundtracks from the quirky Bruno Spoerri – both of them a very cool blend of jazzy reeds and lots of electric touches! Teddy Bear is from the early 80s, and is one of the later records we've heard from Spoerri – a set that definitely bears the pedigree of its time, through cool use of Lyricon, Prophet, and Emulator keyboards! Bruno often blows his sax into the keys, then processes the reedlines in a very cool way – with a style that's more soulful than usual keyboard styles of the time, given the acoustic roots of the sounds – yet which still has a great 80s vibe overall. Things are almost in the offbeat style of some of the instrumentals from the German AtaTak scene of the time – and titles include "Too Much Smell", "The Silliest Song", "Reanimation Of A Filmmaker", "Small Talk", "The Arrest Of Groucho", and "Baby Baby". Lilith is from a few years before, and has a more conventional 70s approach – great electric piano lines over tight rhythms, with Bruno handling both tenor and Lyricon – on tunes that mix sound library funk with some of the weirder, more offbeat sounds you might know from other Spoerri soundtracks. Titles include "Singing In The Dark", "Winding Down", "The Dance", "Prepare For The Show", "Train", "Going To Work", and "Fanfare".

Early work by the James Taylor Quartet – one of the group's first hard-hitting Hammond-driven albums, and a killer batch of retro funky tunes with a 60s R&B instrumental feel! James is really wailing on the Hammond on this one – blowing out some hip solos that romp with a mod late 60s London groove, stomping his way through hip covers of tunes that include "Blow Up", "Mission Impossible", "Alfie", "Mrs Robinson", and "Goldfinger" – and laying down some great originals like "Be My Girl", "The Stooge", and "Untitled No 1". A really great album – and the kind of record that shows the raw roots of James' early career, the ones he's returning to in his recent excellent funk recordings!

Brilliant work from Jimi Tenor and his Kabu Kabu group – an incredibly righteous set that's easily the best we've heard so far from the soulful ensemble! In addition to the spiritual jazz vibe of before, the group's also picked up some influences from African soul and jazz too – not just standard Afro Funk, but also some Ethiopian and Egyptian elements too – folded into Tenor's music like some mad meeting between Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, and Mulatu! Jimi's at the lead, handling tenor, flute, and a host of weird instruments – and the ensemble is heavy on percussion and horns, including some great trumpet work from Jukka Eskola of the Five Corners Quintet. Despite the monochromatic cover image, the album's got a really rich sound – a deeply soulful, deeply spiritual vibe that's totally wonderful – served up on titles that include "Grind", "Mogadishu Ave", "Mega Roots", "Aligned Planets", "Mystery Spot", "Floating Orange", "Fast Legs", "Higher Styx", and "Magical World".

Brilliant work from two of the most dynamic artists of the past few decades – coming together here in a really boundary-pushing set of music! Tony Allen got his start with Fela, but has moved on to do some mindblowing work on his own in recent years – music that really moves far beyond the strict roots of Afro Funk – and Jimi Tenor was once known for colder dance-styled work, but has moved strongly into soul, funk, and spiritual jazz – a rich sound that deepens the feel of this session! The rhythms have some of the quality of Allen's recent work, but they're also pushed out a lot more by Tenor's complicated jazz leanings – really mixed up beautifully, and mixed with some righteous vocals from Allonymous, Mariamu Morris, and Jimi himself. Instrumentation is live, and features great drums from Tony – plus killer keyboards, guitar, trumpet, and percussion – on titles that include "Against The Wall", "Selfish Gene", "Path To Wisdom", "Mama England", "Cella's Walk", "Three Continents", "Got My Egusi", and "Darker Side Of Night".

A remixed version of the collaboration between Neneh Cherry and The Thing – but a set with a sound so different, it may as well be an additional record from project! The remixes here really take a lot of liberties with the original music – so that the resulting tracks aren't just jazzy numbers with a bit of flourish, and instead sparkle with this really new creative energy – core elements pulled from their roots and relayered in very different ways – with almost more of a focus on Cherry's wonderful vocals overall. Titles include "Accordion" remixed by Hortlax Cobra, "Dream Baby Dream" remixed by Four Tet, "What Reason Could I Give" remixed by Kim Hiorthoy, "Cashback" remixed by Lindstrom & Prins Thomas, "Sudden Moment" remixed by Merzbow and "Golden Heart" remixed by Nymph. 8 tracks on the vinyl version.

The classic, finally back in print on LP! The roots of Kool Keith's abstract poetical style are in evidence here in all it's brilliant glory, properly displayed without the smug hipster irony that makes so much of his latter day projects so off putting. Plus, the Ultramags had that amazing production by Ced Gee. This is still one of our all-time favorites late 80s new school hip hop albums. With "Watch Me Now", "Ego Trippin", "Ease Back", "Funky", "Kool Keith Housing Things", "Feelin It", "Ced Gee (Delta Force One)", "Traveling At The Speed Of Thought" and more.

Amazing work from The Voices Of East Harlem – a group with roots in gospel, but working here in a wonderfully soaring secular soul style – complete with arrangements and production from the legendary Leroy Hutson! The style here is similar to some of Leroy's best work, and that of his contemporaries on Curtom – a sound that's righteous and often funky, but able to hit some sweeter, warmer notes as well. Individual voices step out from the larger ensemble and take key leads on some tracks – and the overall style is simply mindblowing, at a level that makes us easily rank this as one of our favorite soul albums of all time! A must-have album, and one we've treasured for years – with tracks that include "Just Got To Be Myself", "So Rare", "March Across This Land", "Amazing Love", "Take A Stand", and "Can You Feel It".

Bill Withers' second album – even more wonderful than the first! The record's a perfect summation of all that made Bill so great – warm raspy vocals, sweet soulful production, mature songwriting, and just the right use of acoustic guitar to accent all the best elements in the music! Withers was already great before this record, but Still Bill really pushed him over the top – and made sure that generations to come would never tire of his genius. The arrangements are wonderful – with just the right sort of punch to hammer things home – yet still very far from commercial, and able to let all the acoustic elements of Bill's roots shine through. The record includes the massive "Lean On Me" – but we love it even more for the funky "Use Me", the slinky "Kissing My Love", the righteous "Who Is He (And What Is He To You)", and the always-great "Lonely Town Lonely Street".

Bill Withers' second album – even more wonderful than the first! The record's a perfect summation of all that made Bill so great – warm raspy vocals, sweet soulful production, mature songwriting, and just the right use of acoustic guitar to accent all the best elements in the music! Withers was already great before this record, but Still Bill really pushed him over the top – and made sure that generations to come would never tire of his genius. The arrangements are wonderful – with just the right sort of punch to hammer things home – yet still very far from commercial, and able to let all the acoustic elements of Bill's roots shine through. The record includes the massive "Lean On Me" – but we love it even more for the funky "Use Me", the slinky "Kissing My Love", the righteous "Who Is He (And What Is He To You)", and the always-great "Lonely Town Lonely Street". Great reissue pressing – super-heavy vinyl, and the original die-cut cover design too!

A crucial look at the Chicago scene in the 1980s – and the first collection to really get at the roots of that city's legendary house music scene! Although later labels – like Trax or DJ International – became known as global forces for dance music in the 80s, the big wave of new sounds from the Windy City was really started by a much smaller company – the tiny Mitchbal label, and related Chicago Connection Records! This wonderful package really does a great job of bringing the Mitchbal contribution to light – with lavish notes, almost Numero-style, that fully detail the way the label mixed unique strands on the scene – British imports, new wave rhythms, and a younger generation of soul musicians still looking for an outlet in the post-disco years. These forces, and more, all came together to make the mighty sound of Mitchbal – featured here in a collection of the label's rare singles, some unreleased tracks, and other essential bits. 2LP package features some of the best club cuts – 8 tracks that include "Fantasy (inst)" by Z Factor, "The Jackin Zone" by Risque Rhythm Team, "Fast Cars" by Z Factor, "I Got Broke Breakdancing (inst)" by MC Ghee, "Shake Your Body" by Jeanette Thomas, "I Am The DJ (jazzy mix)" by Z Factor, "Do Dat Stuff (dance mix)" by Mitchbal & Larry Williams, and "I Like It (club)" by Libra Libra.

Amazing sounds from San Basilio De Palenque – a unique cultural crossroads on the coast of Colombia! The town was the first free slave community in the Americas – a distinction it's held for centuries – and continues to have strong ties to Africa, partly because of its roots, partly because of its longtime isolation from the rest of Colombia. As a result, the music is a very unique hybrid – very heavy on traditional modes, but evolved into very different directions too – and only marginally influenced by some of the more familiar Colombian styles. The sounds here are especially rootsy – given that they were recorded as part of a documentary project, which is also included in the package – and are easily some of the deepest ethnographic recordings that Soul Jazz has ever released! The music is heavy on percussion instruments and chanting – and the collection features music by Estrellas Del Caribe, Son Malagana, Santiago Ospino, Manuela Torres, Sikito, Curramberos De Gamero, and To Ane E Lo Memo Sexteto. 5 LPs in a very heavy box – with a DVD of the film as well!

A quartet of cool remixes – all pulled from vintage grooves on the Kenya Special – but brought together here with a slightly contemporary flavor! The work still echoes its roots quite strongly, but often has a more focused rhythmic approach – tilted towards the dancefloor with the remix energy, yet never with any sort of forced beats or gimmicky additions. Together, the tracks might well serve as a blueprint to show others the right way to remix older African grooves – and titles include "Tiga Kundega (Hide & Smile edit)" by Gatanga Boys Band, "Mapenzi Hayana Daktari (Frankie Francis edit)" by Nairobi Matata Jazz, "Ndiri Ndanogio Niwe (Batida 1977 rmx)" by Mbiri Young Stars, and "Kivelenge (Busy Twist rmx)" by Kalambya Boys.

The second full length offering from one of our favorite new groups on Ninja, and once again J. Swinscoe & crew live up to their name, creating sweeping soundscapes that build slowly and set the mood just so. They seem to be exploring a slightly more jazzy/soulful route this go 'round, and are joined on 2 tracks by St. Louis soul diva Fontella Bass, and clearly there was a great meeting of their minds, rather than the sort of pasting-someone-else's-vocals-over-the-top-of-your-track sort of approach too many of today's artists favor. Roots Manuva contributes vocals on another number, but his contribution comes off as more of a recitation than a rap, and works beautifully! The tracks are all fairly lengthy, none clocking in less than 6 minutes, evolving and building as they do, our favorites are "All That You Give", "Burnout" and "Everyday". In a really nice, glossy jacket, to boot!

A really old school jam from guitarist Larry Coryell – one that takes us back to some of the most tripped-out sounds of his early years! Given the cover, you can definitely expect a psychedelic influence to the music – and the group here really helps Larry get back to his roots – finding a sound that's still plenty jazz, but which mixes in some funky and progressive elements too – that genre-stepping quality that really helped Coryell break down a lot of barriers back in the day. Coryell plays both acoustic and electric on the date, and the lineup features some especially nice Fender Rhodes – plus trombone, saxes, bass, and plenty of percussion. Titles include "Torchlight", "Cobalt", "Terco", "The Last Drop", "Return Of Shirtless", "December Blues", "Honey Dijon", and "Dream Scene".

A brilliant criss-crossing of group from this cool trans-global group – a set recorded in London, but with roots in Venezuela, LA, and Ghana – served up with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its parts! Malcolm Catto recorded the record – and really helps bring a funky energy to the record, by working alongside lead studio help from Jack Yglesias of The Heliocentrics – pushing here into a space that's even more offbeat than the grooves of that group! There's loads of rich acoustic instrumentation – especially percussion – and Mulatu joins the record at one spot, furthering the exotic appeal of the set. Some tracks have an almost ethnographic vibes, while others are a bit more contemporary – although the overall sound is more than worthy of placement on the Soundway label. Titles incude "Arena", "Cumbacutiri", "Fly Through The Lightning To Speak With The Sun", "El Negrero", "Escape To The Palenque", "Manicero", "La Familia", and "Speak To The Spirit Of The Sea".

David Byrne brings his love of funk and soul to the forefront – tightening things up a bit from before, but still staying strongly in a classic Talking Heads groove! The record's possibly the last of the group's initial classic run, and has a surprisingly soulful feel at times – a hybrid of early 80s funk and club modes, played by guests who include Wally Badarou on synth, Bernie Worrell on keyboards, and Steve Scales and David Van Tieghem on percussion. Nona Hendryx sings a bit of backing vocals too – and Byrne really steps up to the grooves without ever going too far over the top. Titles include "Burning Down The House", "Making Flippy Floppy", "Girlfriend Is Better", "Slippery People", "I Get Wild/Wild Gravity", "Swamp", "Moon Rocks", "Pull Up The Roots", and "This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody)".

A wonderful departure for Kevin Ayers – an album that's a lot lighter and more whimsical than his original fame with Soft Machine! The tunes are extremely playful, and often quite catchy – almost a Donovan-esque blend of folksy roots and jazz inflections – but tuned a bit more towards trippier ends, thanks to instrumentation that includes celeste, electronics, flute, oboe, kazoo, cello, organ, and a wide range of different guitars! David Bedford handled arrangements, and other players on the session include some ex-Soft Machine comrades – like Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt! Ayers' vocals are produced with a nicely compressed quality that squeezes them in alongside the instrumentation – and titles include "Joy Of A Toy Continued", "The Lady Rachel", "All This Crazy Gift Of Time", "Eleanor's Cake", and "Girl On A Swing".

A dozen Aggrovators jams from the golden age of Jamaican music, all with Tubby's expert knob twirling taking them into the next dimension. We aren't entirely certain, we'd hazard a guess that these are all Bunny Lee productions, filled out nicely with fat bass, crisp hi hats and a heavy thumping kick, punctuated nicely by dubby reverb and echoplex. With "King Of The Arena Dub", "No Partial Dub", "Crazy Baldhead Dub", "A Living Dub", "Destroy Dub Style", "Book Of Numbers Dub" and "Natty Roots Man Dub".

Great sounds from Sidi Toure – a record that's deep in Malian roots, but which has a slightly different feel than some of the more mainstream artists you might know from the scene! Toure's definitely got an ear for the bluesy elements you'd find in Mali, but he also plays with this lightly lyrical mode too – working his acoustic guitar through these great rhythmic progressions that dance along with small group backing on calabash, soukou, and bass. Sidi's lead vocals are wonderful – often inflected in these down-turning lines that are really great, and supported by additional singing from Leila Ahimidi Gobbi, whose sweeter tones provide a nice contrast. Titles include "Maimouna", "Ishi Tanmaha", "Euzo", "Tondi Karaa", "Kalaa Ay Makoiy", "Koima", and "Woy Tiladio".

A masterpiece of early Detroit disco – the debut album by Sins of Satan, and a club classic all the way through! The group have a great sound that really belies their Motor City roots – one that's not afraid to use heavier guitars and funkier elements, but which also rolls along in a tight clubby groove that's equal part disco and equal parts ensemble funk. Jimmy Roach is the main main behind the production and arrangements on the set – and he's got a great little touch that brings in some moogy bits from time to time, and which knows just the right point to chill out. The album's actually got two totally great mellow cuts – the spacey "Sunshine Girl" and harmony soul "Autumn" – alongside the hard-rolling groovers "Dance & Free Your Mind", "Rope-a-Dope", "Heavy Traffic", and "Devil's Disco".

T Rex's phenomenal second album since moving into a heavier glam mode, following the great Electric Warrior LP – still standing firmly as one of the best purely rocking, trashy fun rock & roll albums of the 70s! Marc Bolan's roots on spacier psyche folk melodies sort of float over beefier, fuzzier, sleazier hooks – a facet of the T Rex sound that always set them apart from the pack of more rote guitar rock guys & gals, and this peak material. Includes the eternal "Metal Guru" & "Telegram Sam", more classics like the title track, "Mystic Lady", "Baby Boomerang", "Ballrooms Of Mars", "Main Man" and more.

Some of the most brilliantly baroque work ever recorded by Marcos Valle – an obscure 1970 album that collects together tunes from a few of his odd soundtrack experiments of the late 60s, plus a few others that are in a very similar vein! Marcos is really going over the top here – breaking way way out from his bossa roots, into a mode that has him pushing the envelope of Brazilian music to unheard of heights, with equal parts groove and sophistication, hardly ever matched by any other artist since! Things are funky one minute, groovy the next, and subtly sophisticated at other points – a completely captivating blend that's one of the best illustrations of Valle's genius we can think of. Titles include "Quarentao Simpatico", "Ele E Ela", "Dez Leis", "Freio Aerodinamico", "Os Grilos", "Suite Imaginaria", and "Esperando O Messias".

The last French album from Igor Wakevitch – recorded before eventually settling in India – and a very meditative set that possibly marks the trajectory of that move! The songs are longer than before, and filled with very hypnotic lines – somewhere in a space that echoes La Monte Young or Terry Riley, but still touched with all the darker corners and textures we live in Igor's earlier music! Voices intertwine with keyboards in a very weird way – almost whispers in the dark when they do appear, but with an elliptical sense of repetition that makes them more musical too – especially alongside Wakevitch's strong tendencies to really abstract the his keyboard sounds way past their roots. Titles include "Monks In the Snow", "Ramallah's Road", "Eriador", and "Taddy's Fruit Garden".

Mad mad funk, and the fantastic second LP by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – the group that proved to everyone that LA could be just as funky as any other city in the 60s! The record draws strongly from the group's indie roots in the funky 45 scene – and the album's filled with short tracks that bump along in jagged rhythms, offbeat arrangements, and some slight touches of sweeter soul. Charles Wright is leading the group on vocals, and taking a stronger presence on these soul-based cuts – but as before, it's the strength of the overall group that really makes the album great – especially the bass work of Melvin Dunlap and the funky drums of James Gadson! Titles include some killer original tracks by the band – like "Do Your Thing", "Giggin' Down 103rd", "Phuncky Bill", "65 Bars & A Taste Of Soul", and "A Dance, A Kiss, & A Song" – plus great covers of "Something You Got", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", and "Knock On Wood".

A great document of an amazing blues tradition – bottleneck guitar, offered up here in a host of original 78s from the 30s! The style is one that was co-opted often in later years, but is presented here at its roots – with a nice, gritty feel overall – and use of the mode that's still pretty darn fresh, and free of cliche. Side one features tracks by Casey Bill Weldon – including "Hitch Me To Your Buggy", "Back Door Blues", "Lady Doctor Blues", "The Big Boat", and "Go Ahead Buddy" – and side two features cuts by Kokomo Arnold, including "Salty Dog", "Feels So Good", "Busy Bootin", "The Twelves", and "I'll Be Up Someday". Great Robert Crumb cover – and the usual detailed Yazoo notes!

Bobby Womack at the height of his powers – perfectly balancing southern soul roots and 70s soul polish – with an amazing sound that was unlike anyone else at the time! The set was recorded at Muscle Shoals, but has a quality that goes way beyond any of the standard modes from the studio – almost as if Bobby brought a special sort of magic to the sessions that made everyone rise above the sometimes too-familiar work they were giving to the bigger names who were traipsing through the studio. Of course, a big part of the success of the album comes from Womack's amazing vocal delivery – that style that's raspy, yet warm – and which is a perfect fit for the well-penned tunes on the set. Titles include "I'm Through Trying To Prove My Love To You", "Nobody", "If You Can't Give Her Love Give Her Up", and a very cool version of "The Look Of Love".

Another astounding set of heavy vibrations from Soul Jazz in there ongoing series of collections focusing on great Jamaican music! This bouncing set takes a long, deep look at Dancehall culture, and accompanies a great book by Beth Lesser! While dance halls have existed in Jamaican music for years, the focus here is Dancehall with a capital D, from the early 80s on, when Jamaican music took a turn away from the heavier, sufferer's themes of the Roots era and became more interested in rocking good times! This set is filled with certified classics, guaranteed to ram the dance and capture the heavyweight title in any soundclash, all bouncing numbers from the pre-digital era through more stripped down Casio-driven treasures. 17 tracks in all, including "Bam Bam" by Yellowman, "Pumpkin Belly" by Tenor Saw, "Cu-Oonuh" by Reggie Stepper, "Agony" by Pinchers, "Diseases" by Michigan & Smiley, "Cool Out Son" by Junior Murvin, "Entertainment" by Triston Palma, "Arleen" by General Echo, "Here I Come" by Barrington Levy, "Chop Chop" by Cutty Ranks, "M16" by Lone Ranger, "Trash & Ready" by Super Cat, and "Soon Forward" by Gregory Isaacs.

Contemporary grooves, but all pretty darn funky – thanks to an excellent track selection by Tobias Kirmayer – the same guy who brought us the excellents Movements collections! A few of the titles here are of older vintage, but most are pulled from the same deep funk underground that Kirmayer services with his Tramp Records label – groups steeped in the styles of the 60s and 70s underground, but who serve up new work that's filled with plenty of funky roots! Despite the wide range of styles promised in the title, most of the titles here are on the grittier side of the spectrum – which is a good thing for us – and even the few tracks that are a bit more programmed still work with plenty of soulful and jazzy elements to keep things real throughout. Titles include "Nothin But A Party" by The Blenders, "Get Clean" by The Nitesounds, "Skins Funk" by Skin Williams & His Dominoes, "Bubbles" by The Boogoos, "Violet" by Hi-Fly Orchestra, "Rhythmo" by Dusty, "Get High" by Dr Sonnenschein, "Barbados Stew" by Caldonia, "First Time Around" by Sagaflex & Rudy Tee, and "Trip To Afrika" by Baccarola.

Cinematic soul rooted in the rawer organ, drums and horns vibes that resonated deeply in records from north to south in the 70s – done with a lean, tight and head nodding groove no doubt informed by Aloe Blacc's own roots in hip hop – on his best album yet and one of best raw soul styled albums ever to come from our friends at Stones Throw! Good Things is a giant leap ahead of Shine Through, Aloe's previous full length on the label. We loved that record for its gritty, unique approach to funky soul, but, Good Things reaches for the heights of Aloe's heroes from Donny Hathaway to Marvin Gaye – and comes closer than we could have imagined! It's produced by the Truth & Soul team, with a timeless funk & soul vibe comparable to their work with the great Lee Fields. We have a feeling we'll still be listening to this album 10-15-20 years from now. Essential! Titles include the underground breakout "I Need A Dollar", an incredible cover of The Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" (we must have dropped the needle on that 50 times in the first couple days we had it), "Green Lights", "Miss Fortune", "Good Things", "Loving You Is Killing Me", "Mama Hold My Hand", "Hey Brother" and more.

Walter Bishop takes a trip back to his bop roots with this one – working in trio and quintet formation, and running through a host of mostly older bop standards! The quintet tracks are our favorites – as it's not often we hear Bishop in this stretch with a group larger than a trio – and the presence of Bill Harman and Junior Cook on trumpet and tenor, respectively, fleshes out the record with a nicely soulful sound. The rest of the group features Sam Jones on bass and Al Foster on drums – who also play on the trio tracks – and titles include "Dahoud", "Move", "My Little Suede Shoes", "All God's Children", and "Hot House".

Blundetto's groove is even nicer than before – honed through their work on singles and remix efforts – and turned towards a rich array of global roots that really deepen the sound of this album! There's as much 70s African and Jamaican influence going on here as there is a spiritual jazz side – both filtered through 21st Century modes that rework the primal elements, and come up with a fresh new groove – yet one that's always respectful to the originators! Guests on the set include the Akale Horns, Shawn Lee, Tommy Guerrero, and Jahdan Blackkamoore – and titles include "Hercules", "Rocroy", "It's All About", "Walk Away Now", "Treat Me Like That", and "I'll Be Home Later".

How this burningly bad set has remained under wraps for so long is beyond us, but thanks to the folks at Honest Jon's, it's been brought to the much needed light of day! An excellent set collecting work from throughout the career of Cedric Im Brooks, spanning a wide assortment of styles, but all with a deep spiritual approach that Brooks gathered from time spent in his youth in Philadelphia, where he fell under the influence of Sun Ra, almost joining the Arkestra before returning home to Jamaica. The set jumps from heavy, dark roots and Nyabhingi influenced reggae, including some nice dubbed out versions, to Jamaican jazz sides like his take on Horace Silver's classic "Song For My Father", to some tightly snapping disco influenced grooves and bouncing afrobeat rhythms that would make Fela proud! 19 tracks in all, including "Free Up Black Man", "Satta Massa Gana", "Jah Light It Right", "Lambs Bread Collie", "Salt Lane rock", "Rasta Lead On Version", "Sly Mongoose", "Africa", "Collie Version", "Rebirth" and "Sabebe".

One of the most righteous albums of the 21st century so far – and an instant classic we'll be loving for years! Build An Ark are a seriously heavy soul jazz ensemble, with roots and traditions that stretch back to the most righteous days of the 70s underground – the brainchild of producer Carlos Nino and vocalist Dwight Trible – and featuring work by soul jazz stalwarts that include Phil Ranelin, Nate Morgan, Derf Reklaw, Adam Rudolph, and others – all coming together in a fresh, new expression of the righteous ideals that first motivated their original work! Under the guidance of Nino, the group really gels together nicely – working in a loose mode that's a nice change from the tighter cosmic 21st century soul of the European scene – and returning to the organic, almost folksy forms that first emerged on 70s independent labels like Tribe, Strata East, and Nimbus. LA luminary Nate Morgan plays some great Fender Rhodes on many of the album's best tracks – and singer Dwight Trible has a soulful range that's somewhere between the style of Terry Callier and Leon Thomas. This EP features 5 tracks in all – including a massively beautiful remake of Pharoah Sanders "You've Got To Have Freedom", plus Phil Ranelin's "Vibes From The Tribe", and the original tracks "Pure Imagination/Tortoise & The Hare", "Door Of The Cosmos (take 1)", and "Marcia" – the last 2 of which weren't on the full LP!

VP reissue of this classic slice of Jamaican roots music. No collection of Lee Perry's work is complete without this chapter, which was hard to get for many years, but reissued here in it's original format, with the origial cover art. Recorded at the Black Ark in 1976, Cedric Mytton teams up with Roy Johnson on harmony vocals and Lee Perry steering the Ark with a heavyweight supporting crew, for a true milestone in Jamaican music, and a classic of universal proportions. 10 tracks, just like the original version: "Fisherman", "Congoman", "Open Up The Gate", "Children Crying", "La La Bam-Bam", "Can't Come In", "Sodom & Gomorrow", "The Wrong Thing", "ArkOf Covenant" and 'Solid Foundation".

A classic slice of Jamaican roots! No collection of Lee Perry's work is complete without this chapter, which has been hard to get in spite of being reissued in a number of different formats. This version features a slight twist on the original cover art, but is an expanded double LP set with a bonus disc of later self-produced material. On the original album, recorded at the Black Ark in 1976, Cedric Mytton teams up with Roy Johnson on harmony vocals, with Lee Perry steering the Ark with a heavyweight supporting crew, for a true milestone in Jamaican music, and a classic of universal proportions. The second LP features material from 4 different sessions, all great, with tracks from the 1979 LPs Cvongo Ashanti and Image of Africa, the 1981 LP Face The Music and a couple of tracks from 1999. 22 tracks in all, including "Fisherman", "Congoman", "Open Up The Gate", "Children Crying", "La La Bam-Bam", "Can't Come In", "Sodom & Gomorrow", "The Wrong Thing", "ArkOf Covenant", "Don't Blame On I", "Solid Foundation", "Days Chasing Days", "Youth Man", "Only Jah Know", "Music Maker", "Stay Alive (ext)", "Problems", "Face The Music", "Enemy & Spy (ext)" and "Aaron & Moses (ext)".

Essential! The mighty debut album from African disciples Culture pairing up with the Mighty Two, Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson is one of the landmark sets of roots reggae, a defining moment of the genre dropped during the year when two sevens clashed. And though the apocalypse didn't rain down from the skies in '77, this album was certainly a world-changing event, one of the finest moments in Kingston's rich musical history! Gibbs provides the trio with a set of uplifting rhythms over which to harmonize, and Culture comes correct on every track, combining a tightly harmonized approach with a rawer, rootsier sound. 10 tracks in all, including "I'm Alone In The Wilderness", "Pirate Days", "Two Sevens Clash", "Caling Rastafari", "I'm Not Ashamed", 'Get Ready To Ride The Lion To Zion", "Black Starliner Must Come", "Jah Pretty Face", 'See Them A Come" and "Natty Dread Taking Over".

The title definitely gets things right – as the sound here is plenty darn explosive – a nicely gritty groove that's even more soulful than some of Herman Foster's early 60s work with Lou Donaldson! The group's a trio – with Earl May on bass and Grassella Oliphant on drums – the latter of whom is especially nice in matching Herman's energy on the keys, as he opens with a nice mix of soul jazz and bluesy roots! Titles include "Carol", "Dancing In The Dark", "Dream", and "Goodbye".

One of the rarest Johnny Griffin albums ever – a set recorded as a side project when Griff was working with the Clarke Boland Big Band – in a lineup that features some of the best members from that great ensemble! The style's a bit more laidback and soulful than other CBBB projects – more in the mode of Johnny's roots in Chicago during the 50s, but still inflected with some of the sharper touches he picked up during his 60s years in Europe. Other players here are all wonderful – and include Benny Bailey on trumpet, Sahib Shihab on baritone sax, Ake Persson on trombone, Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and both Kenny Clarke and Kenny Clare on drums – seemingly playing together on some tracks, which creates a nicely skittish rhythm in the set! Titles include "The Turk's Bolero", "Deep Eight", "A Handful Of Soul", "Foot Patting", and "Lady Heavy Bottom's Waltz".

Great electronics from the Indian scene of the 80s – music that's a lot warmer and more evocative than you might guess from the "robotic" in the title – thanks to plenty of roots in the Kollywood soundtrack scene! The instrumentation is often spare, but still echoes the fuller scope of Bollywood brilliance – and at some level, Ilaiyaraaja's music here represents an 80s take on earlier Bollywood funk – sometimes a bit quirkier, due to the instrumentation – but hardly ever cold or stark at all, and very different from the kind of electronics that were brimming big on the European scene. Part of this quality really comes from the vocals – sung by singers who include KS Chitra, Malaysia Vasudevan, SP Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jayaram, and others – often in styles that have the playful back/forth approach of Indian film lyrics. The set's a treasure through and through – with 17 mesmerizing tracks that include "Kadal Mele", "Mancha Podi", "Adi Rani", "Poo Poo Kkum", "Ilasa Sirusa", "Eswarane", "Needhi Idhu", and "Poongatre".

Badass bluesy rock from The Missing Links – an Aussie group from the 60s, but one who play with the best deep respect for American roots you'd fine in British acts of the time! By that trans-global pedigree, we mean to say that there's almost a Yardbirds-like feel to the record at times – although maybe without as much searing guitar work (although some of the solos are still pretty darn amazing) – a cool transplantation of key ideas from the generation before, served up with a nice degree of sneer that really sends the whole thing home! Titles include "Bald Headed Woman", "Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut", "Speak No Evil", "On The Road Again", and "Hobo Man". Also comes with a very cool bonus pic sleeve 7" single – a rare EP that features "I'll Go Crazy", "Don't Give Me No Friction", "One More Time", and "Wooly Bully".

This is sort of a Prince Jammy riff on the format of the popular Junjo Lawes-produced Scientist dub series. Nonetheless, he steps up to bat, and indeed defeats the evil planet munchers, with the able help of the Roots Radics rhytnm section. Recorded at Channel One and mixed at Tubby's – and how can you argue with that!? Fat, heavy rhythms dubbed into deep, deep outer space by the heir to the throne! 8 tracks in all, including "Conspiracy On Neptune", "Saturn Bombardment", "Attack on Ganymede", "Martian Encounter", "The Great Red Spot", "Life On Uranus", "Final Destruction" and "War In The Asteroid Belt".

The one and only album ever cut by The Winstons – an obscure mixed-race soul combo who had roots in Otis Redding's touring band, and who hit big with a soul Grammy in 1969 for the title track to this one, "Color Him Father". The cut's an amazing document of its time, a sweet little story-song about a boy who's lost his dad in the war (Vietnam?), and who grows to love the new guy that his mom is dating. Sounds sappy, but it's one of the most compelling soul singles of the 60s – and is always a treat to hear. The other big cut on the record is the classic breakbeat track "Amen Brother", which is an instrumental reading of the gospel standard, done in a fast-funk style that's been sampled for years – both by hip hoppers and by drum n bass producers! Other tracks include "The Chokin Kind", "The Greatest Love", "Everyday People", and "Only The Strong Survive". This LP has 2 bonus tracks – "Love Of The Common People" and "Say Goodbye To Daddy".

An amazing collection – and one that really helped completely revise our understanding of Caribbean music! The collection features a fair bit of artists with roots in the West Indies, but who made a huge impact on London's postwar immigrant population – the new rise of non-native residents who were swelling the ranks of the city in the years after the way – bringing with them new cultures, new sounds, and new traditions – with all the requisite ideas and politics that might imply! The work here often has a subtle social agenda – working through themes important to these new Londoners, yet still echoing modes of the homeland as well – often with great musical backings that's heavy on percussion, jazzy instrumentation, and very upbeat rhythms. Titles include "London Is The Place For Me" by Lord Kitchener, "I Was There" by Young Tiger, "Some Girl Something" by The Lion, "No Carnival In Britain" by Mighty Terror, "Jamaica Hurricane" by Lord Beginner, "Birth Of Ghana" by Lord Kitchener, "Victory Test Match" by Lord Beginner, "Spanish Calypso" by The Lion, "Bulldog Don't Bite Me" by Timothy, "My Landlady" by Lord Kitchener, "If You're Not White You're Black" by Lord Kitchener, and "Aguiti" by Lord Invader.

One of our favorite volumes in the London Is The Place For Me collection – and a brilliant batch of work that criss-crosses West African, West Indian, and postwar jazz styles! Most of the recordings here were done under the leadership of Ambrose Adekoya Campbell – a transplant to London from Lagos in the postwar year, and an artist who had a huge influence on the changing rhythms of his scene. Campbell mixed styles of his roots with those of the larger London community around him – in a way that let in more Latin and Caribbean influences to more traditional African styles – often using guitar in a high-life styled way, but also bringing in some key jazz phrasings as well. As usual with Honest Jons' reissues, the notes are quite detailed, but ultimately a bit unspecific about the actual recordings in the set – although we can say that Campbell's on nearly all of these, and they were all done as 50s 78rpm singles for the Melodisc label. Titles include "We Have It In Africa", "Iku Koni Payin", "I Am A Stranger", "Lagos Mambo", "Ela Da Awa", "and "Calabar-O" by West African Rhythm Brothers; "The Wind In A Frolic" and "Unity" by Nigerian Union Rhythm Group; "Ibikunle Alakija" by Ayinde Bakare & His Meranda Orchestra; and "Late Ojo Davies" and "Geneva Conference" by West African Rhythm Stars.