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Probably the funkiest record ever by this landmark soul combo! The Rimshots are one of these groups that you always find their later work, but in their early days they were an absolutely killer combo – with a hard funky groove that virtually defined the funky 45 sound. In fact, their singles were the stuff that funky collectors were going for way back in the day – when nobody collected funky 45s – and this album may well be the only full-length piece of wax that comes close to matching the strength of those singles. 9 tracks in all: "Neighbor! Get Your Own", "Born Funky", "Soultrain (parts 1 & 2)", "Coastin & Crashin (parts 1 & 2)", "In Cold Blood", "Love, True Love! (Please Pass My Way)" and "A Hot Day In Harlem".

Brick City vet and Artifacts affiliate Beneficience delivers a sharp set of hip hop in Concrete Soul for Ill Adrenaline – featuring an impressive roster of guests – but to Bene's credit, he's never overshadowed here! Guests include Lord Tariq, Masta Ace, Chubb Rock, Roc Marciano, El Da Sensei, D-Flow, Billy Danze, AG and more. Includes "YWE" with Lord Tariq, "Reality Vs Fiction" feat Masta Ace, "Cold Train" with Grap Luva & Rob-O, "Concrete Soul" feat Troo Kula of Brainwash 2000, "Masterful Method" with Chubb Rock, "Art Of War" with Billy Danze of MOP, "All Real" feat AG, "Metal Cuff Links" feat Nature,, "Somethin' Yall Can Roll Wit", "Under Constructuon, "Hood Cartel" with Roc Marciano and more.

Incredible stuff – a never-issued funky soul record from the 70s – but one that you'll proudly stack next to your rare classics from Ramp, 24-Carat Black, and James Mason! Like work by all three of those acts, this early set by Father's Children is massive righteous – filled with deep soul and strong social messages, while also coming across with a hell of a groove, too – thanks to some wickedly funky backings, and production that keeps the whole thing burning along beautifully! The set is amazing – quite different than the later Mercury Records album by the band – and more like the kind of record you'd expect to hear from Curtom or early 70s Stax – a perfect choice for the folks at Numero to bring to light after all these years – and another reason why their efforts are always worth checking out. As usual for the label, there's a full set of notes and photos that tell the story of the group and this lost treasure – but even if it came out with no artwork at all, the music would still have us raving – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Universal Train", "Everybody's Got A Problem", "Linda", "Dirt & Grime", "Who's Gonna Save The World", and "Kohoutek".

Al Green's first LP – with a very different feel than his later work on Hi. The record's got a harder southern soul groove – almost in a Wilson Pickett/Arthur Conley mode, but with some sweeter elements in the backing. Al's voice is still incredible, although different than later, in that he's singing with a really open vibe, letting himself go a bit more, and not keeping in that smooth sophisticated mode of later years. Originally released by the tiny Hot Line label, and issued later by Bell Records when Al started to hit big with Hi Records during the early 70s. Titles include "Back Up Train", "Get Yourself Together", "Don't Leave Me", "Let Me Help You", "Hot Wire", and "Stop & Check Myself".

One of the most fantastic albums by the JBs – a masterpiece of funky jamming, tight instrumentation, and that free yet tight style of the James Brown 70s years! The tracks are longer than on some of the earlier singles – especially the 8 minute jammer "(It's Not The Express) It's the JBs Monourail", an answer to BT Express' theme song, and a fantastic cut that's held up through so many years and so many scenes! Another great jammer is the group's version of "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself", which runs for nearly 10 minutes – plus spacey funk tracks "Transmogrification" and "Taurus, Aires, & Leo", and the tighter jammer "Soul Funky Train", which returns to the group's funky 45 mode. Fantastic all around – and the kind of record you'll be playing for your grand kids!

A late 60s Motown classic – with a deep heavy soul sound that mixed psychedelic elements into a rolling righteous groove – with a style that was perfect for the political tenor of the times! The formula worked extremely well for The Temps, and shifted them from being just a regular Motown vocal group into a super soul power that shaped soul music heavily in the next few years. Of course, a good deal of the credit goes to producer Norman Whitfield – who's really in his element on the set, and gives the group a sublime blend of heavy bass, fuzzy guitar, and tripped-out production on the vocals. Includes the classic "Psychedelic Shack", plus "Friendship Train", "Take A Stroll Thru Your Mind", "Hum Along And Dance", and "It's Summer".

A very sweet little album by this great Motown group! The record was produced by Norman Whitfield, and it's a perfect example of the rumbling funky soul sound that he was developing at the time – a mixture of heavy bass, rumbling percussion, fuzzy guitars, and a stone righteous sound that pushed soul music firmly into the 70s! The songs are mostly all originals written by him and Barrett Strong – and the band is filled with great players like Dennis Coffey, Earl Van Dyke, Johnny Griffith, and the great Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin. Titles include "Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite The World) Friendship Train", "What It Is?", "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me", "What's Going On", and "You Make Your Own Heaven & Hell Right Here On Earth".

A legendary bit of Latin from the New York scene of the 60s – recorded by a host of youthful players working under the direction of percussionist Montego Joe! The group's name is a contraction of "Harlem Youth" – a program in which all players participated, as part of an effort to get kids involved in music uptown – spearheaded by Montego Joe, whose guidance in the set is greatly appreciated! There's a strong Latin Soul vibe running through the set – but one that's different than Joe's other work, a bit more rootsy at times, given all the percussion in the lineup – but warmed up nicely with bits of guitar, trumpet, and alto sax. The album's filled with great groovers – including the classic "Welcome To The Party Jam", and the amazing "Oua-Train" jazz cut, which has a slightly spiritual feel. Other tracks include "Feed Me Good", "Barrets Bag", "Tico", "Ngoma", and "Santa Cruz".

A lost bit of 70s soul jazz and global funk percussion from conguero & trombonist Melvyn Price – an incredible set of heavily rhythmic grooves recorded in Stockholm in 1974 – originally a private press effort, and the most impressive rediscovery yet from Wax Poetics Records! Melvyn grew up outside of Detroit, and he cut his teeth with the freeform Afrikan Folk Ensemble before relocating to Sweden in the 60s, where he thrived in the country's healthy and creative jazz scene. He's joined by a great group of international players who bring diverse flavors to the overall sound, with Latin and African styles of percussion from Price, Jon Dill and Luis Agudo, drums by Gunnar Nyberg and Fredrik Noren, piano by Bjorn Wolff, fluidly jazzy tenor sax from Ed Epstein, and bass by Guy Roellinger, who's work here often sounds like the stuff of funky 70s soundtracks. If we can't quite peg the bluesy bits promised by the title, the rhythms are absolutely impeccable – with the conga and percussion as the driving force of the sound! Titles include "Voodoo Love Dance", "Toward Brazil", "Behind Kungstradgarden", "Happiness Is. . .", "Five O'Clock Traffic" and "Last Train".

Rare funk from the Oaktown scene of the early 70s – most of it previously unreleased! The package is tremendous right from the start – cut from the same Music City cloth as work by Darondo, with an equally rough-edged, messed-up sort of feel – one that goes way past familiar funky sounds of the time! Bass is often quite heavy in the mix, giving most of these tunes a really strong, fat bottom sound – and some of the instrumentation has this wicked jamming fuzzy feel that almost recalls the best of the Westbound sound in Detroit. Titles include "Richmond Experience" by Kevin Burton & Peace, "Wouldn't It Be A Shame" by The Soul Messengers, "Check Me Out (alt)" by Little Denice, "Gumbo" by Victor Green, "Freedom Train" by Kevin Burton & Peace, "Just A Man" by Chucky Thurmon & Pharris Wheel, "Giant Hamburger (part 2)" by Victor Green, and the cuts "Get Down" and "Havin Fun" – both by unknown artists!

The legendary rock instrumentalists update their first hit song this killer set from '64 – and better it! Walk Don't Run Vol 2 is a peak period effort from The Ventures – with gritty, groovy covers that show their range as well as any of their early-to-mid 60s albums. Much more than surf rock band, though their surf rock songs are as great as any – with organ soul flavored numbers, proto-garage and psych stormers and more. This is the group in full stride, and in full recognition that they were at the top of their game. Includes "The House Of The Rising Sun", "Diamond Head", "Night Train", "Peach Fuzz", "Rap City", "Night Walk", "One Mint Julep", "Pedal Pusher", "The Creeper", "Stranger On The Shore" and more. 12 tracks in all.

A swirling blend of soul, funk, and jazzy grooves – and a super-rare album that we've never seen in the original! Supposedly, backing on the record is by the British Afro Funk group Assagai – which sounds right to us, because there's a nice rolling conga groove on many of the tracks. Lead vocals are by Charles Hilton Brown, in a nicely raw soul style that reminds us a bit of Otis Redding, and a bit of Mike James Kirkland on some of his early 70s material. The record features vocal covers of a number of soul hits – like "Try A Little Tenderness", "Love Train", and "Ain't No Sunshine" – plus some originals that are even better, like the funky instrumental "GRF", and the tunes "Maddox" and "Tell Me Once Again". Nice and raw, and with a sound hip enough to match the record's cover!

A short, but totally killer Ghanaian disco record from KG Band – which is led and produced by multi-instrumentalist Kiki Gyan – and recorded at Lagos' Decca Studios in 1980! Disco Train is a rare one – with one long grooving dancefloor stormer per side. Each cut is a really sweet blend of global boogie, funk and soul – with distinctly African elements, too! "Disco Train" rolls beyond the 10 minute mark without coming close running off the rails. The drums don't stop and the bass is nice and funky – with some groovy falsetto vocals sung in English, a nicely vamping guitar groove, horns and Afro percussion. "Loving You" runs just shy of 10 minutes on the other side – and while the title of the song and the quiet opening seconds might trick you into the thinking it's gonna be straight and mellow, it's actually got a surprisingly adventurous groove overall! The drums are a bit feverish, which is a nice foil for the easygoing vibe and romantic lyricism – and it's again anchored by some funky bass, guitar and African percussion.

Wow! The one-and-only album by Trinidadian combo Black Truth Rhythm Band – a completely incredible one at that – hypnotic Caribbean funky soul, jazz and wildly impressive musicianship all around by this group led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Oluko Imo. The record was made in the mid 70s era in which the Afro Funk sound was hitting it's peak – when African rhythms and James Brown style funk were being fused so furiously – but Black Truth Rhythm Band take a different approach, working more with sounds from African spectrum and the West Indies. It's really amazing stuff that takes unpredictable twists from stripped down rhythms, to jazzy guitars and cosmic synths – always with straight up brilliant playing by the group. A fusion of African rhythms, strains of Calypso and boundary free jazzy grooves that balance and exploratory sensibility with tight, irresistible rhythms. Soundway raises the bar once again! Titles include "Ifetayo", "You People", "Saved Musician", "Kilimanjaro", "Aspire", and "Umbala" – plus a bonus 7" single with the track "Imo".

A set of some of the finest 70s recordings of mighty Ethiopians – many pulled directly from the excellent Slave Call album – plus a couple of early treasures and otherwise classic material! There's a tenderly soulful qualtity to the group's vocals that's always made them a favorite and this set filled with gems! Includes "Train To Skaville (Original Version)", "Guilty Conscience", "Hurry On", "Reggae Hit The Town", "The Selah", "Ethiopean National Anthem", "Need Someone", "Slave Call", "Everything Crash", "Love Jah", "Obeah Book" and more.

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

A record that really lives up to its title, given the sweet Philly grooves of the set – a real surprise, given that the album was recorded in Germany! The session's a rare studio project in the early years of the German disco scene – and comes off with the best soulful styles that were bubbling up in the US at the time – clubby instrumental grooves that are filled with soaring strings and tight rhythms – yet served up in ways that are never too overdone! In fact, if you slapped some obscure US label on this one, folks would be more than willing to believe that the set's some underground corner from the New York scene – quite a surprise for a record that was initially cut just for sound library usage. Titles include "City Train", "Alaska Flight", "Skyline", "Night Shift", "Full House", "Star Shot", "Rush Hour", "Sun Ship", and "Flash Point".

Simply astounding! Soul Station is a deceptively simple album that has tenor giant Hank Mobley playing standards and originals in a quartet with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums– a spare and simple group, but one with a direct energy that's really amazing – in a way that makes for some of Mobley's best solos on record! The tracks here are all relatively basic in construction, but this territory allows all players to really relax and open up – especially Mobley, who really dominates the proceedings with some well-blown lines on tenor. Blakey's work is great too – nicely restrained, and the date marks one of his last sessions ever as a sideman. Titles include "Soul Station", "Split Feelin's", "Dig Dis", and "This I Dig Of You".

The start of a legendary run for vocalist Alexander O'Neal – and a set that really helped redefine the sound of male soul in the 80s! O'Neal got his start in an early version of The Time, and he's working here with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – but the sound of the record is way deeper than all of those references put together – a careful, classy set that definitely lives up to the vintage look of Alexander on the cover! Jam and Lewis play tightly in the group, handling most of the key instrumentation – often with a restrained style that's quite different than their pumping hits, which lets O'Neal's great vocals flow out with an undeniably soulful power. Rhythms often hit the best sort of groove for Alexander's style – which sounds best in a mellow or midtempo mode – and the set's filled with classics, including "A Broken Heart Can Mend", "If You Were Here Tonight", "Innocent", "What's Missing", "You Were Meant To Be My Lady", and "Look At Us Now".

The second volume of rare Afrofunk from Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou from Analog Africa – a killer set of material recorded at EMI Studios in Lagos, Nigeria for the Albarika Store label – impeccable sounding and feverishly played by the group! This one's fairly jaw dropping, catching us off guard, even, and we were floored by first volume, too. The group mixes Benin style Afrobeat and rhythms, killer percussion, and really great vocals with funk, soul, and strains of psychedelia – unpredictable predictable stylistic shifts from one number to the next, and some of the drum and bass interplay is just dynamite. Comes in a beautiful package with a thick booklet of notes & photos. Titles include "Se Ba Ho", "Mi Ve Wa Se"", "Ahouli Vou Yelli", "Malin Kpon O", "Mede Ma Gnin Messe", "Zizi", "Houe Djeun Nada", "Minkou E So Non Moin".

Sweet beats from this cool French duo – a pair who've got that same sort of genre-jumping quality we've loved in French grooves since the days of MC Solaar! The approach here is mostly hip hop, but there's strains of Neo Soul, jazzy funk, and more – shifting the vibe nicely from track to track, but always with a nicely cohesive feel. Some cuts – billed as "samba rap" or "rap bossa" – show a nice Brazilian influence – and titles include "Byrd", "Avolta", "Dance Me", "Kool Out", "Now That I Know You", "Oedeep", "One More Time", and "So Tired".

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".

Top notch instrumentals from the loose collective dubbed Third World All Stars – recorded in the mid 70s at London's Chalk Farm and EFM studios – and featuring both London-based and visiting Jamaican legends in the mix! The production is billed to Count Shelly, and it features some base rhythms cut for Errol Dunkley's Sit And Cry Over You Record – released on Shelley's label. The rhythms are indeed impeccable, and there are all these unique soulful layers added to them that really give it a worthwhile life of their own as a soulful reggae instrumentals set. Players include Michael Bammy Rose on sax, Lester Sterling on trumpet and sax, Tyrone Downie, Gladdy Anderson and Winston Wright on keys, Jackie Jackson on bass and Winston Grennan on drums. Beautiful, timeless and soulful rhythms that are on par with the finest Carribbean music of the period – whether it was recorded in Kingston, London, or anywhere else. Essential! Includes "Rebel Rock", "Repatriation Remedy", "Our Dream World", "Patricia's Love", "Soothing In The Mind", "Black Moon", "For All Ways", "Just For You", "Train To Skaville" and "Moog In Blues".

Hip hop, street soul, and lots lots more – a really revolutionary selection of music from the legendary Celluloid Records – a label that was virtually a genre unto itself! Celluloid was a key force tying together the New York downtown scene at the start of the 80s, and the postcolonial music world of Paris – and as a result, they always operated with a culture-crossing style that few other companies of the time managed to hit – merging together sounds in really unlikely ways, and often coming up with fresh new styles in the process! The label's known for crate-diggers for its hip hop releases – and to world music fans for its electric Africa work – but they also were on the forefront of New York No Wave, avant jazz, and post-punk – and somehow found a way to integrate both young new talents, and older experimentalists who still had plenty to offer. This package finally does Celluloid justice – and goes way past the few simplistic comps of the label's work over the years – training the skilled Strut ear to the whole thing, and also serving up the full story of the label in the process. Titles include "I'm The One" by Material, "Day Tripper" by Shockabilly, "Tele Apres La Meteo" by Fredinand, "Disco Rough (long version)" by Mathematiques Modernes, "Electrique Sylvie (full length version)" by Modern Guy, "Mean Machine Chant/Mean Machine" by Last Poets, "Abele Dance ('85 rmx)" by Manu Dibango, "Change The Beat (French & English)" by Fab 5 Freddy, "The Escapades Of Futura 2000" by Futura 2000 with The Clash, and "Downing Street Rock" by Winston Edwards & Blackbeard.

Ethiopian R&B, jazz and funk from the late 60s to mid 70s – essential numbers by Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemeyahu Eshete, Lemma Demissew, Sefu Yohannes, Bahta Gebre-Heywet, Teshome Metuku and others – all of which are appearing on vinyl for the first time since the incredibly rare original releases! Hasabe works as both a stellar introduction to the adventurously soulful music of Ethiopia during this pivotal period – and as a tightly-focused vinyl sampler of the extensive (27 CDs and counting) Ethiopiques series from Buda Musique. It focuses squarely on the R&B and funkier strains of the diverse Ethiopiques – and as connoisseurs of the series since the beginning – we can honestly tell you that it's impeccably well selected! 10 classic tracks: "Astawesalehu" and "Adrashash Tefabegn" by Lemma Demissew, "Yehagere Sheta" by Tlahoun Gessesse, "Mela Mela" by Sefu Yohannes, "Aynotche Terabu" by Mahmoud Ahmed, "Ayalqem Tedenqo" by Alemayehy Eshete, "Tessaassategn Eko" by Bahta Gebre-Heywet and more.

A stellar batch of Afro funk and native groove from Lagos! Strains of western funk and soulful sounds work their way into the material – thanks again to Fela's mighty influence – but there's a lot more to it! Simmering along with the Afro funk and soul are some truly riveting native folk sounds – filtered through many of the modern influence that make the funk stuff so compelling – but providing a much more natively learned groove. It's a totally fresh perspectived – focused on the Lagos territory – but an incredible listen to anyone, anywhere, with a pair of ears! 15 tracks in all: "Eyi Yato/Elere Ni Wa" by Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey And His Inter-Reformers Band, "Joromi" by Sir Victor Uwaifo, "Sowambe" by Sagbeni Aragbada, "Professional Super Bantous" by Super Negro Bantopus, "Ole Obinrin" by Ambali Adedeji, "Da Wa Lohun" by Harbors Band, "Moonlight Highlife" by Dr Victor Olaiya and more!

Wild sounds from the early years of rock and roll – a heady brew of guitar-heavy instrumentals, soulful stompers, and more – all pulled from the hinterland of the rare 45 underground! The tunes here go way past familiar oldies – and even past the sorts of sounds that usually show up on surf compilations – because, as he does with funk records, Keb Darge has a great ear for the unusual – the sorts of odd platters that have always show up in his best record digging and DJ gigs – laid out perfectly here in a really overstuffed collection! Keb turns in nice notes on each track – and titles include "Honey Bun" by Larry Donn, "Ghost Train" by The Swanks, "I Don't Wanna Leave" by Deacon & The Rock & Rollers, "Gorilla" by The Shandells, "She's The One That Got It" by Allen Page, "Madness" by Rhythm Rockers, "Woodpecker Rock" by The Braves, "Let's Dance" by The Excels, "Bad Bad Boy" by Bobby Lollar, and "Lobo Jones" by Jackie Gotroe.

A landmark album – even if it was the only session that Cannonball Adderley ever cut for Blue Note! The album was recorded at a time when Adderley was working with Miles Davis – and as such, the session features a group that includes Miles, blowing in a cool tone that's a perfect offset to Cannonball's more soulful style. The rest of the group includes Hank Jones, Sam Jones, and Art Blakey – and like John Coltrane's Blue Train, the record's more of an "special session" than the usual Blue Note album, but the strength of the players make it one of the more memorable records of its day! Titles include "Somethin' Else", "One For Daddy-O", and a nice moody take on "Dancing In The Dark".

A world of rhythmic, danceable sounds from George Danquah – the legendary Ghanaian guitarist, composer and bandleader who had earlier played and/or toured with Benya Beats, Blue Monks and Uhuru Dance Band and other brilliant groups – and this rare mid 70s set is the only album billed to Danquah that we've ever been lucky enough to hear! It's amazing stuff and covers broad stylistic terrain while holding together strongly. There's some fairly straight up, yet uniquely arranged Afro Funk & soul, some reggae inspired rhythms, percussion driven gems and strains of highlife. Danquah plays guitar and handles the conducting and arranging, backed by a core of trumpet, tenor sax, organ, bass, drums and conga – with some vocals, wah wah guitar and flute. Includes "Mbesiafo (Part One)", "African Reggae", "Just For A Moment", "Araba Soso Wo Ndzema", "Chain Of Love", "Why Worry – Let's Do 'Highlife'", "Mbesiafo (Part Two – Vocal)", "Mese Medo No" and "Onyame Sane".

One of the best new soul records we've heard in years – a tremendous accomplishment for the mighty Lee Fields, and a set that's quite different than any of his other work! We've always loved Lee's funk and deep soul sides, but this album's something new altogether – almost done in the hard-edge, downtempo mode of the east coast harmony scene of the late 60s and early 70s – like some of the best group soul work coming out of New Jersey or Philly, with some super-dope production and instrumentation that's really amazing! The grooves follow strongly in the same laidback style as recent El Michels work – no surprise, given the El Michels connection to the music – with beats that are hard, but slow – and instrumentation that's funky, but in a mellow sort of way. Lee's vocals are as deep as ever – very much trained in the James Brown tradition, but turned here towards a really unique groove that makes us completely reevaluate his talents – an amazing achievement not just for Fields, but also for the whole Truth & Soul/El Michels crew! An instant classic – with tracks that include "My World", "Ladies", "Expressions Theme", "Honey Dove", "Money I$ King", "Love Comes & Goes", "Do You Love Me", and "Last Ride".

Hammond beat grooves from The Qualitons – representing funky Budapest! The Qualitons are a unique group in the funky organ underground, regardless of region – drawing from a well of influences that range from rave up funk to wild-eyed vintage R&B & garage rock. It's really exciting stuff, and feels no more or less authentic than the influences – generally with a hard driving undercurrent of heavy drums and thick washes of organ. The strains of beat group and garage rock give it them an incendiary edge that we just love, but they slow it down in spots that show quite a range, and these guys can seriously play! The group is armed with a couple vocal tunes and a bunch of great instrumentals. Titles include "C'mon Baby", "Get Heavy With Me", "Overdose", "Ejjel A Sotetben", "Wandering Will", "AC Blues", "Soul Bowl/Kekfeny", "Aua", "More Plutonium" and more.

Raw, amazing grooves sailing the Afro Beat Airways – organ flavored Afro funk, soul & psychedelia from West African Ghana & Togo in the 70s – one of best compilations yet on the increasingly awe inspiring Analog Africa label! The African percussion is raw and danceable and funk steeped, and most of the numbers have a range of really cool organ sounds, and vocals that range from insistently melodic singing to to funky shouts. From there, the groove is more varied. There's strains of tried & true Afro funk & soul, larger group jazzy jams and more stripped down cosmic and psych influenced nuggets. Exhaustive research on the part of Analog Africa is distilled into a riveting, yet nicely diverse and pretty much perfect compilation with great sound, beautiful packaging and a wealth of notes. 2LP version has 16 tracks in all (2 more than the CD): "Dankasa" by Uppers International, "Ma Mserew Me" by Apoagya Show Band, "Come Along" by Ebo Taylor & The Pelicans, 'Afe Ato Yen Bio" by De Frank Professionals, "Awula Bo Fee Ene" by Orchestre Abass, "Ne Noya" by Cos-Ber-Zam and more, plus the vinyl exclusives "Obiye Saa Wui" by 3rd Generation Band and "Operation Bye-Bye" by Orchestre Abass.

A heck of a strong effort from Jimmy Cliff – and he's a rejuvenated force here on the appropriately-titled Rebirth – which is no doubt his best work in years! Jimmy's voice is as soulful as ever, even this late in the game – and this set of stellar Cliff originals and a handful of strong covers is the real deal! Hats off to Tim Armstrong for handing his hero with the utmost respect – and smarts – as the producer here. Strains of soul, ska and rocksteady inform the craft – all done with a timeless vibe. Includes "World Upside Down", "One More", "Cry No More", "Children's Bread", "Bang", "Reggae Music", "Rebel Rebel", "Blessed Love", "Ship Is Sailing" and more.

Shawn Lee draws from a deep wellspring of global funk influences and instrumentation for his Ping Pong Orchestra's eclectic World Of Funk – featuring Clutchy Hopkins, Curumin, Elliot Bergman of Nomo, Michael Leonhart and others! Lee weaves a tapestry western funk and soul instrumentals with strains of Ethio jazz, Brazilian soul, Thai and Cambodian psych, Afro grooves and more – making it all work with his own personal vision, informed by years of crate diggin' and un-compromised music making. We don't know how he does it – balancing such a diverse array of influences and doing it all justice. Wonderful stuff from the indefatigable Mr. Lee and his stellar roster of guests. Includes "Bina", "Ghosts In The Rain" feat Clutchy Hopkins & Chhom Nimol, "Ethio" and " Booya" feat Michael Leonhart, "Nao Vacila" feat Curumin, "La Eterna Felicidad" feat Bardo Martinez, "Nanny Jee" feat Nanny G, "Mi Ilusion" feat Cava, "Accelerate, "Hairy Krishner" and more.

Orgone's second full length for Ubiquity and it's a monster – taking a rough, rugged, and uber soulful live funk vibe into a deeper and even livelier realm! The group's sound is more finely honed from a couple of years of hard touring – and it's paid off wonderfully. The sound is more sharply focused, but with swagger to spare on both the funky instrumental workouts and showpieces for soulful singer Fanny Franklin. From sun toasted Cali funk & soul to strains of classic Afrobeat, boogaloo and and funk rock (the guitar sound is terrific on this one) – they nail everything their shooting for, and pull it all together in tight package that's ultimately all their own. A total win for Orgone and Ubiquity Records. Titles include "The Last Fool", "Crazy Queen", "Give It Up", "Cali Fever", "Overtime", "Mantana", "The Only One", "Doing Me Wrong", "The Cleaner", "It's Time Tonight" and "Sandstorm".

A stellar set of surviving 70s Black Ark productions by Lee Perry – with rare and unreleased cuts plus pivotal, if long-buried sides by Junior Byles, U Roy, Delroy Butler, Tinga Stewart, The Upsetters, The Flames, The Ethiopians, Jah T and more – Perry-produced gems for Kingston's cultural rebels and sufferers! The Sound Doctor compilation is really an essential, perfectly-collected batch on Pressure Sounds – the UK label that once again proves to be among the finest and most respectful of Sound Doctor devotees. Among the exceptional rarities are the unreleased "Army Of Love" by Junior Byles, an exclusive dub plate mix of the Upsetters "Horny Train", the raw original mix of U Roy's "006" and many more – stirringly soulful Black Ark singles and dub versions including "Sound Doctor" by Bobby Floyd, "Do Good" by Al Maytone", "Different Experience" by Brother Ray", "Smiling Faces" by Tinga Stewart, "It’s Impossible" by The Ethiopians, "Grandfather Land" by Jah T, "King Of Kings" by Pat Francis, "Be Prepared" by Keith Poppin, "Key Card" by Lee & Jimmy, "Start Over" by The Gatherers and more.

Sureshot steps up his game with Elegant Aggression – his most expertly orchestrated set of cinematic hip hop funk to date! The mix of funky beatcraft and live instrumentation here is as strong as anything we've heard from Sureshot Symphony to date – and it's pretty diverse, too – without ever compromising on the tight hip hop funk backdrop. Instrumentation includes lots of funky bass and keys – with some synth, psych funk guitar, horns and more. There's an eclectic batch of mic guests, too – including Coultrain, Moeses Soulright, Mighty Pope, Myron & E, Glen Ricketts & Mad Fanatic, Ohmega Watts and others. Includes "Sureshot Symphony Solution Theme", "Chair On The Ceiling" with Coultrain, "Half Man, Half Bionic", "Four Twenty", "Taste It", Singing Memories" with Noel Ellis, "Easier Said Than Done" feat Ion Anomaly, "Soundbwoy Massacre" feat Glenn Ricketts & Mad Frantic and more. Comes with the bonus LP of instrumentals!

Deep, deep disco selected by Johnny "D" DeMairo – one of the more pivotal underground club music figures of the past couple decades, via his role in setting up the Henry Street imprint – here putting together an incredible set of the rare disco greatness! This the the expansive, floor-shaking, genre-straddling stuff that inspired the house and clubby soul scenes to come – and it's one of the best compilations of harder-to-find disco that's we've gotten our hands in years. The setlist features a divers mix of famous and lesser-remembered names – with styles ranging from straight forward disco stormers to strains of earlyish electro and 80s grooves – benchmark singles and inventive productions that bridge the eras! Tracks by Cerrone, Kasso, Skyy, The System, The O'Jays and more! 8 representative Disco Jamms that comfortably stretch out over 2LPs: "Spank (Instrumental Remix)" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "Key West (Jellybean Edit)" by Kasso, "Dub Till We Drop (Ben Liebrand Mix)" by Lafleur, "Dance Forever (DJ Verison)" by Gaucho, "Dirty Talk (Moplen Edit) Re-Edited by Luca Locatelli, "This Time Baby (LP Version)" by The O'Jays, "Think Fast (Instrumental)" by Pamela Joy, and "It's Passion (Dub)" by The System.