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Excellent work by the Universal Robot Band – an electronic ensemble put together by producer Greg Carmichael, and featuring that great funky moog sound that he and Patrick Adams were using heavily at the time! The tracks have a funky disco groove – similar to groups on P&P Records, but a bit more conventionally disco at points too – with elements that might have made these guys cross over to a slightly bigger audience in the 70s. The moog is plenty great throughout – going really wild a times, with that unbridled quality that really marks a P&P recording – and the beats often that that slightly funk, sweetly stepping Adams/Carmichael groove too! With all that great keyboard work, there's hardly a tambourine in sight – and titles include "Dance & Shake Your Tambourine", "You're My Music", "Space Disco", "Save Me", and "Sunshine". CD also features a radio mix of "Dance & Shake Your Tambourine".

A smooth later groover from Crown Heights Affair – a lot more 80s sounding than the group's classic work, but in a way that's actually totally great! CHA were never shy of hitting a mainstream sound – and early in the group's career, they traded harder funk for smoother disco – making a move that suited them well in later years. This set's got a brilliant sheen that really works wonderful for the group – tight production from Bert DeCoteaux in a style that's almost an update of earlier Philly modes – mature and sophisticated on the vocals and use of strings, but also with a funkier undercurrent at the bottom to keep with a New York De-Lite kind of sound. Titles include "You Gave Me Love", "Sure Shot", "I Don't Want To Change You", "You've Been Gone", "Use Your Body & Soul", and "Tell Me You Love Me".

A collection of club tracks from the Erotic Drum Band – a group with a sound that definitely lives up to their name! Most of the numbers here build up heavily from percussion on the bottom – sometimes raw congas layered in among the basslines and keyboards, sometimes rhythms that are a bit more convention disco – but always great work throughout, with a depth that goes way beyond the cheesiness of the group's name! The 2CD package features album tracks and rare singles – a whopping 15 long numbers in all, with titles that include "Love Disco Style", "Action 78 (edit)", "Jerky Rhythm", "Love Christmas Style", "Touch Me Where It's Hot", "Dance In Your Pants", "Sweet Seduction", "Everybody Get Dancin", and "Horny".

80s harmony soul from Imagination – a group who always managed to sound pretty great, despite the silly costumes they chose for their album covers! The general groove here is mostly in a catchy midtempo mode – with lots of snapping basslines and synth percussion, nicely offset by the trio's harmony vocals and the hook-heavy lyrics of the tunes! There's a number of nice mellow groovers on the set – including "All Night Loving", "Heart N Soul", and "One More Love" – and the album also features a long version of their hit "Just An Illusion".

We'll be honest, we like Barbara Mason more as an adult artist than we do as a younger one – especially the way she sounds on sets like this! The album's got a great gentle groove at times – Butch Ingram production that brings in modern, mature elements – but also somehow unlocks a more deeply soulful vocal approach than on some of Mason's earlier albums. A few cuts have a great stepping groove – and titles include her classic mellow cut "She Got The Papers (I Got The Man)" – part of the Barbara/Shirley/Richard Dimples Fields song cycle – as well as a remake of her first hit "Yes, I'm Ready", plus lots of others like "On & Off", "I Love Having You Around", "I Can Want You", "Let Me Give You Love", and "You Did Not Stay Last Night". 13 cuts in all, with much more than the original LP!

2 albums in one – back to back club from the Saturday Night Disco Band! First up is the Come On Dance Dance album – Prelude Records disco at its best, and a soulful side from the team of Jesse Boyce and Moses Dillard – formerly of the southern soul scene, and working here in an uptempo Hotlanta mode with lots of nice soul touches! Players on the set include Clayton Ivey on Fender Rhodes, Roger Clark on drums, and Dillard and Boyce on guitar and keyboards, respectively – and titles include "Touch Me On My Hot Spot", "Don't Take My Love Away", and the extended "Come On Dance Dance", which has some nice handclaps and guitar bits! Keep Those Lovers Dancing is a set that's a lot more soulful than you might expect from its title – almost funky soul as much as the usual disco we're used to hearing on the Prelude label! The group has Moses Dillard and Jesse Boyce handling production and arrangements – and the cuts are shorter than their debut, but with a quality that we really like – one that focuses on the best elements of the grooves, and gets down to business quickly! Titles include the jaunty moogy club track "Boogie With Me", the mellow soul cut "Share The Feelings", and the disco cuts "Keep Those Lovers Dancing" and "Let's Make It A Party".

Uptempo east coast club soul – not entirely disco, and more like the indie work of the immediate generation before – a time when groups were picking up their groove a bit more than before, creating some lean, soulful tempos for the dancefloor! Arrangements are by Bert DeCoteaux and Charlie Cailello – both of whom bring a lot more professional polish to the record than you might expect – kind of a New York take on the Philly sound of the early 70s, and one that must have been mighty popular on the Boroughs dancefloors a the time! Titles include "Wanna Spend My Whole Life With You Baby", "Liberated Lady", "You're The Girl That I Love", "Flippin A Coin", "Never Get Enough Of Your Love", and "Gotta Get Back With You". CD features 12 tracks in all – including "Just Making Love" and "Why You Wanna Make Me Lonely".

A great batch of lost funky club tracks – heavy moog in the mix, making some great wikki-wikki sounds over the album's smoothly grooving tunes! The group's got Gregg Phillinganes and Roger Smith in the frontline on keyboards – they also play Arp and Fender Rhodes next to moog – and Dick Griffey helped with the vocal arrangements, giving the record the smooth sophisticated feel of a classic LA Solar release from the late 70s, mixed with some of the jazzier grooving on Fantasy records from the same time. Titles include "Mood I Love Love", "Don't Overlook The Feelings", "So Long", "Let Love Flow For Peace", and "Fantasy". CD also features the bonus track "Erika (ext mix)".

Classic boogie grooves from Gayle Adams, with a a nice helping of squelchy 80s sounding keys and fat synth basslines, plus mixes aimed right at the disco from Francois K. "Stretchin Out" pops along at nice mid tempo pace, while "Your Love Is A Life Saver" skips along at a slightly faster pace with more of a disco beat and some nice soaring strings laid underneath it all!

Classic funky club grooves from the never-miss team of Patrick Adams and Greg Carmichael! Three numbers of great pumping club soul with great arrangements featuring soaring strings and the signature spacey P&P moogy sound!

Sublime grooves from Fat Larry's Band – a combo that's heavy on bass, but one that also keeps things cool! The style here is easily one of the best from the group's generation – a laidback groove that's not nearly as tight as other 80s club acts – never too much bass in the face, nor rhythms that get too stiff – just a stepping sort of groove that's rooted in funk, and served up with plenty of soulful touches. In a way, the sound reminds us more of ensemble funk groups from the late 70s than you'd guess from the date – particularly some of the Mercury or Chocolate City artists. Titles include "House Party", "Act Like You Know", "Breakin Out", "Be My Lady", and "Zoom". CD features bonus tracks too – instrumental and radio mixes of "Act Like You Know", and a radio mix of "Zoom".

Nice compilation of the best cuts that First Choice cut for the Philly Groove label before moving onto Warner Brothers and Gold Mind. The tracks are classic Philly girl group soul from the 70's, and the sound that they get is the stuff that laid the foundation for a whole club generation. Norman Harris produced, with his usual flair, and the titles include "Smarty Pants", "Newsy Neighbors", "The Player", "Armed & Extremely Dangerous", "Wake Up To Me", and "Runnin' Out Of Fools".

A sweet little 4 track DJ tool 12" with four of our favorite 80s groove numbers! You know the Frankie Smith number:; the rope-jumping, rollerskating, linoleum rocking summertime groove. "Rock Your World"s a catchy 80s groover from Weeks & Co – one of their best early cuts! The track cooks up the groove like a monster roller skating jam – using bass, keys, and a snapping approach to grab us right away – before the chanting chorus and main vocals come into the mix – and serve up a surprisingly soulful breakdown in the middle. JR Funk delivers a mid tempo club groover with a fast two-beat groove that's got some shouted James Brown-esque vocals over the popping groove. Suzy Q rounds out the set with a track that's just shy of roller boogie – slightly cold, with a thumping dancefloor groove that's got some nice European touches!

One of the best later albums from Joe Bataan – a really wonderful little set that takes off strongly from the salsoul experiments he first began on the Afrofilipino album! The album's got a great blend of clubby rhythms and Latin soul touches – all arranged by Marty Sheller, and carried off by Joe with soulful vocals that still retain a fair bit of the heartbreaking qualities of the older days. There's a punch and funky undercurrent here that was often missing from other Salsoul albums – and titles include the great "Rap O Clap O", which is kind of a remake of Cheryl Lynn's "To Be Real" – plus "Sadie (She Smokes)", "Mestizo", "Rock Me All Night Long", and "Latin Lover". CD features a lot of bonus tracks too – including different mixes of "Rap O Clap O" and "Sadie" – making for a total of 12 tunes in all!

A pretty darn nice deep soul album – the only one we've ever seen from singer Bill Brandon, and a real obscurity on the mostly-disco Prelude labe! The album was put together by the team of Moses Dillard and Jesse Boyce, but it's much more laidback and mellow than the clubbier work by the pair – very much in a mature 70s southern soul mode – that cut-above, no-cliches style that very few male singers of the generation were able to hit! A few numbers pick up the pace, but usually only slightly – and even on these, Brandon's warm vocals sound great – flowing and grooving with a quality that's almost like Walter Jackson, but a bit deeper soul overall. Titles include "Baby, Love is A Two Way Street", "Hands Full Of Nothing", "Just Can't Walk Away", and "Can't We Just Sit Down And Talk It Over". CD also features the bonus track "We Fell In Love While Dancing (12" version)".

Seminal 80s groove from James "D Train" Williams – a killer batch of tracks lifted from his strong 12" singles of the time! D Train was great in that he was one of the few artists of his scene who could come up with a whole album of strong material – but that didn't also stop hip from being the king of the male soul dancefloor tune, as you'll hear on this great little set! The package features 10 cuts in all, all produced and arranged by Hubert Eaves – and titles include "Keep On", "Walk On By", "Music", "Keep Giving Me Love", "Something's On Your Mind", "D Train Theme", "Just Another Night", "Trying To Get Over (edit)", "D Train Theme (dub)", and "You're The One For Me (Labor Of Love mix)".

A great lost soul record on Prelude – with much more of a mellow feel than the label's usual disco groove! Silk are an excellent harmony trio, and they're produced with a sweet mellow vibe that gives the record a sophisticated soul sound. The whole thing was put together by Gene Barge in Chicago – and the trio includes vocalist Maurice Jackson, who is better known for his work with The Independents – and who also recorded some killer 45s back in the early 70s. Whatever the case, the record's a great one – and it's filled with nice cuts like "Gone Away", "Get Ready For That Day", "I'll Be Waiting", "I Never Had Love", and "Simply Beautiful".

Mellow soul and soaring club – all nicely balanced together in this first album from the group Anacostia! There's a sound here that's slightly different than some of the other east coast groups of the time – a willingness to slow things down, then groove them up – all with a sound that's polished, but never in a too-commercial sort of way. In fact, most of these tunes seem to aim for a space that's pretty far both from radio, and conventional disco – despite the fact that Van McCoy supervised the production, which is mostly handled by Charles Kipps. There's a fair bit of strings in the backings, and keyboards are by Richard Tee – on titles that include "Looking Over My Shoulder", "Heartache In Disguise", "We Can't Live Life Alone", "I Can't Stop Loving Her", "Baby I'm Available", and "Face The Fact".

Anacostia make the move to Tabu Records for this sweet second set – and they seem to have picked up more of a groove along the way! The same elements as before are firmly in place here – production by Charles Kipps, with supervision from Van McCoy – but the groove is a bit more focused, in ways that slide out spaciously with that warmer modern soul feel that made Tabu a real up-and-comer of a soul label in the late 70s. There's a few nice mellow cuts, mixed with more upbeat groovers – and titles include "Take It Or Leave It", "I Don't Need", "All For You", "You've Got Love On Your Side", and "Anything For You".

A great little club set from the enigmatic Edwin Birdsong – a artist that we first came to love for his quirky early recordings on Polydor, and his later collaborations with Roy Ayers – but who sounds equally great here in a Salsoul setting! Birdsong's always had a great talent for spinning an offbeat sort of groove – one that stretches out with unusual rhythms, funky basslines, and odder-than-usual subject matter and lyrics. And here, he's taking the smoother Salsoul sound and infusing it with some of his own offbeat phrasings – in a mode that's got some great 80s groove old school funky touches! The set includes the classic "Rapper Dapper Snapper", a tune that's got a fair bit of Roy Ayers touches in the mix – plus the tracks "Funtaztik", "Win Tonight", "Two Faced Lover", and "Fortune & Fame". CD also features the bonus instrumental of "Rapper Dapper Snapper"!

It's past the disco years, and Crown Heights Affair have emerged nicely – with a sweet modern soul style that's got a bit of 80s groove, and which shows a lot more soul than some of their earlier work! The band's singing in a sweet harmony style that works very well with the music – and we might be tempted to compare this one to some of the great early 80s Philly International work by The Stylistics and The Futures! Titles include "Heart Upside Down", "Somebody Tell Me What To Do", "Let Me Ride On The Wave Of Your Love", and "I Got Somethin For Ya".

One of the most enduring albums on the Prelude label, and a great bit of modern soul by James "D-Train" Williams. Hubert Eaves produced the album, and he added lots of tasty electro keyboards to the set, played with his usual jazzy touches and a nice flourish that gives Williams' voice a strong kick on the best cuts. Sparklingly sophisticated – and proof that the indie labels could still churn out quality soul as well as they could disco! Includes the cuts "You're The One For Me", "D Train Theme", "Walk On By", "Lucky Day", and "Love Vibration".

Genius work from William De Vaughn – recorded years after his classic "Be Thankful" album, and with a different, modern soul feel – but equally great in its own sort of way! The album came 6 years after De Vaughn's classic crossover hit of the mid 70s – and it's got the singer working in smoother, more sophisticated territory – hitting a key mellow groove with a great late Philly feel, and showing that he still had plenty to offer even years after his hit! The title cut – "Figures Can't Calculate" – is worth the price of the album alone – as it's a great mellow groover, with a catchy, stepping sort of feel. De Vaughn also remakes his classic "Be Thankful For What You've Got" – doing the tune with a bit of a kick in the groove, but overall still in the same style as the original. Other tracks include "You Send Me" and "Hold On To Love". CD features bonus mixes – "Hold Onto Love (radio version)" and "Be Thankful For What You Got (radio)".

A bit sweet soul, a bit funky – and a real indie soul classic from the early 70s! The album's the second from The Dynamics – a group from Detroit, but one who work here with a style that's much more in the east coast mode of the All Platinum/Stang generation! The production is nice and mellow on the best cuts – fragile, but never sloppy – and the vocals really dominate nicely on the ballads, sliding forward with a really mellow late nite sound! The album does have one standout funk track, titled "Funkey Key", but most of the set is relatively mellow – and other tracks include "Count Your Chips", "You're The Only One", "Voyage Thru The Mind", "What A Shame", and "You'll Never Find A Man Like Me". CD features a lot of bonus tracks too – titles that include "Beautiful Music", "Get Myself High", "I'm Thinking", "Baby Baby I Love You", "Sweet Games Of Love", and "Let's Start All Over".

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

A sweet 80s project from the legendary Randy Muller – a set that's a bit heavier on the beats and keyboards than his previous horn-heavy efforts – but which still has more than enough of a groove to earn the "funk" in the title! The style here is almost a take off from later Skyy modes – catchy club with a slightly poppy undertone – vocals from a variety of singers, wrapped nicely over core rhythms arranged and produced by Muller. There's some nice riffing guitar on most numbers too – creating almost a Chic-like funk feel at times – and titles include "Dance It Off", "Tender Lovin", "This Time", "Partime Lover", "Friends", "She's What I Need", and "Take It To The Top". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Dance It Off (rmx)" and "This Time (12" version)".

A jamming little project from dancefloor maestro Richie Weeks – early 80s club tracks, done with a sweetly soulful approach! The music's still as heavy on the bass as other Salsoul work from the time, but there's a warmer approach to the vocals overall – a style that's as concerned with soulful approach of the lyrics as it is the rhythmic progression of the grooves – thanks to great lead vocals from Sheldon Weeks and Debra Blackwell. Richie plays keyboards, and titles include "And You Know That", "Funky You, Funky Me", "Out To Get You", "What Have You Got To Lose", and "Just For You". CD features a bonus track – "And You Know That (Richie Weeks mix)".

Not as hard and funky as the early stuff – with that disco sound that was dominating the De-Lite imprint at the time – but also not too bad, as the groove is in a fast funk mode, with plenty of real instrumentation, in that tight east coast studio mode of the mid 70s. Includes their "Kay-Gee's Theme Song", plus "Fat Daddy", "Celestial Vibrations", "Space Disco", and 2 versions of the title track "Kilowatt".

An 80s groover from LTD – one that has the group working strongly on both groovers and ballads, the latter of which may well be the strongest suit here! Jeffery Osborne's long gone from the group, but his warmly soulful legacy lives on in the vocal style of the love songs – kind of a mellow-flowing way of putting over a tune that hints at the bigger 80s quiet storm years to come. The upbeat tracks have an 80s groove mix of funky bass, beats, and keyboards – not as warm as the LTD funk of earlier years, but still handled with a bit of flair. Titles include "Caught In The Middle Of Goodbye", "Is It Over", "Slick", "Stop On By", "For You", "Whatcha Gonna Do", and "Party With You".

Killer soul instrumentals galore – two rare albums by Canada's mighty Majestics, back to back on one CD! Instrumental R&B is hard-grooving soul from the group – who lean more towards the funk side of the spectrum than the R&B one hinted at in the title – thanks to a tightly-crafted approach to the groove! The tunes here are mostly familiar American numbers from the 60s – but they're redone nicely by the group, and interspersed with a few strong originals as well – all in a stripped-down, small combo instrumental style that's heavy on the Hammond, and underpinned by some especially nice drums that have made the group a favorite of beatheads over the years! Tracks include "Crow Suey", which has a wicked little bass/drum bit on the intro – plus "34 1/2 (Half-Way There)", "Respect", "Land Of 1000 Dances", "Love Is Here & Now You're Gone", "Mercy Mercy Mercy", and "Keep Me Hanging On". Funky Broadway continues the sound – and is a rare and hard swinging album of soul instrumental tracks by this legendary group from Canada! The record's got an amazing soul groove on the best cuts, with the kind of deep funk sound that's quite surprising, considering the cheap-looking cover of the album. A real killer for the funky trainspotters – and filled with nice ones like "I'm Puttin You On", "Pot O Gold", "Soul Finger", "Cold Sweat", and "Hey Joe". CD features 19 tracks in all!

An excellent bit of 80s groove! Unlimited Touch have a cool 2-female lead vocal style – and they keep it tight and soulful on grooves that have a nice tight club sound, in a style that often reminds us of Roy Ayers produced albums, like Ladies Of The 80s, or some of the more uptempo tracks on the Ramp album. Their music is some of the most soulful to come out on the Prelude label at the time – and this CD collects titles from the years 1980 to 1984. Titles include "Searching To Find The One", "Love Explosion", "Your Love Is Serious", "Private Party", "In The Middle", "Happy Ever After", and "I Hear Music In The Streets".

A funky soul band with a bit of a clubby groove – and one that features some great male harmony vocals behind lead singer Jann Harrison! Harrison's got a very light style of singing – almost soprano at points, which makes the male voices especially welcome – as they help ground the grooves much more deeply down towards the basslines that are such a strong part of the album. The set's got a really classic De-Lite Records feel from the 70s – a groove that's right up there with the Kay-Gees at their best – with riffing guitar, bumping bass, smooth keyboards, and tight horns over the top. Titles include "Gotta Get A High", "Shake Your Body", "Try To Find A Way", "Never Gonna Let You Go", "Sexy Lady", and both vocal and instrumental versions of "Melodies". CD also features bonus 12" mixes of "Melodies" and "Shake Your Body".

Two excellent Patrick Adams produced numbers get a little extra mixing help from Francois K on this nice little dance 12".