Sophisticated sounds, indeed – pulled from a time when the British sound library scene was really moving to the next level – and finding a strong identity that was all their own! There's plenty of sound library funk in the mix here, but there's also some deeper sophistication too – a shift that's almost like the change that CTI brought to jazz funk in the 70s – collected from some of the best Bruton Music library albums of the late 70s! Keyboard lines abound, and the horn passages are pretty darn great too – often cool and compressed, and soaring out nicely with the music. Composers include Keith Mansfield, Steve Gray, Robert Folk, Johnny Pearson, David Lindup, and others – and titles include "Night Games", "Sunshine Drive", "Hazy Days", "Golden Groove", "Flying Bird", "Vacation", "Honeymoon", "Early Riser", "Billowing Sails", "Chique", and "Voulez Vous". CD

Sweet keyboards galore – a wonderful sound library set from the Italian scene of the 70s – filled with Fender Rhodes throughout! The tunes are a mix of funky and mellower numbers – but all sport these really great keyboard lines up top – always rhythmic, even when moving slow – and with this sexy sparkle that's right up there with the best Italian soundtrack work of the period, but even more focused and condensed! The album's great proof that US labels like CTI didn't completely invent the keyboard sound of the time – and titles include "Chanel No 7", "Moda D'Estate", "Popoff", "Dedicato A Twiggy", "Notte A Bagdad", "Omerta", and "Sfilata All'Hilton". CD

A killer collection of sound library funk from the UK – a scene that served up some of the rarest grooves of the 70s! The music is every bit as funky as American work from the early 70s – like records from CTI, or blacksploitation soundtracks – but most of it was never issued on vinyl at the time, as it was circulated only for use in film and television – recorded by an elite group of players for very limited use. The rarity is only part of the appeal, though – as the overall vibe is great – and the record has the same instantly appealing feel as other jazz, funk, and soul collections from the always-great Soul Jazz label. This time around, they do a great job of turning their ear towards the rich sound libraries of companies like KPM, DeWolfe, and Conroy – and come up with a double-length batch of funky instrumentals that includes "The Hell Raisers" and "Danger Musicians At Work" by Syd Dale, "Fuel Injection" and "Crossflow" by Ernest Copley, "Superformance" and "Men Of Action" by David Lindup, "Cross Talk" and "Funky Chimes" by Francis Coppieters, "Theme From New Scotland Yard" by Norrie Paramour, "Come One Come All" by Brass Incorporated, "Sparks" by Peter Reno & Barry Stoller, "Gotta Getaway" by Dave Richmond, "Transit" by Clive Hicks, "The Ratcatchers" by Tilsley Orchestral, "Grand Prix" by Johnny Pearson, and "Conveyer Belt" and "Workshop" by Johnny Hawksworth. CD

A sweet bit of funk from 70s France – and a great batch of electric keyboard tunes from Jacky Giordano, with a sound that's in the mode of 70s soundtrack work by Lalo Schifrin! The album was originally issued in 1976 as a small-run sound library record, and it's a masterpiece of keyboard grooves – spare and dark, with a mixture of moody and moogy grooves that lie somewhere between the American sound of CTI and Kudu. All tracks are great, and the album's got a warm finish that gives it a deeply soulful feel – a quality level that's high enough that would have made it a hit, were it issued over here in the US at the time. Titles include "Terefic War", "The Big Mameluk", "Moving Grooving", "Devil's Train", "Sex Girl", "Blue Circuit", and "Tabla Minor". CD

Two wonderfully soulful albums from the Themes International sound library label – back to back on a single CD! The Voice Of Soul is a rare date from singer Madeline Bell – a vocalist who cut some key commercial work in the late 60s and 70s UK scene, but who shines beautifully on this rare set for the sound library! The tunes are all vocal, with Madeline in the lead – and the overall feel is a bit like Bell's This Is The One Girl set from the mid 70s – but with a leaner feel overall, thanks to the relatively small combo backing up the vocals. And although the record was never issued publicly at the time, it's a killer batch of mellow soul from the 70s – great vocals sliding along with the keyboards, and quite possibly Bell's finest moment on wax. Titles include "Your Smile", "You're A Winner", "Love Doctor", "Soul Slap", "Flying High", "Mr Smooth Man", and "Love Is All". The Sound Of Soul is all instrumental – classic set of soulful sound library tracks – lots of sweet keyboards, guitar, basslines, and other nice bits – one of the best of the titles on the Themes library label during the 70s, and with loads of great tracks by Alan Parker! The overall style is especially in the cop show mode – with tight production, but lots of hard riffing funk – and titles include "Move & Shake Your Body", "Love Doctor", "Soul Slap", "Crumpet", "Flying High", "Mr Smooth Man", and "Love Is All". CD

Gentle grooves from the KPM sound library – two great albums back to back on a single CD! First up is Girl On The Beach – soft, seductive grooves from James Clarke – delivered with a nicely mature feel, and one that really takes Easy up a few notches from conventional 60s forms! There's a subtle Brit feel here that's miles beyond American work of this nature – a way of giving things a gentle sort of funk, even when mellow – thanks to stepping electric bass in the background, really making magic behind some vibes, guitar, and jazzy horns. There's almost a Euro erotic feel to some numbers – and titles include "Little Racer", "Girl On The Beach", "Edge Of The World", "Running Away", "Feet In The Sea", and "Nocturne". Gentle Sounds is a set that definitely lives up to its title – and a record that features great KPM work from Johnny Pearson, Keith Mansfield, and Steve Gray! There's some subtle rhythms on most tracks – grooves, but gentle ones – often with some Latin or bossa percussion elements in the mix, blended with other instrumentation that includes acoustic guitar, flute, trumpet, and marimbas – all delivered with a beautifully mature style. This is grown-up late 60s Easy at its best – the kind that hit the best acoustics of the FM dial, for adults who really knew how to choose their sounds wisely. Titles include "The End Of The Day", "Please Mr Pearson", "Quiet Interlude", "Soft Sell", "Floating Bossa", and "Quiet Waltz". CD

Cool 80s electronic work from Charles Cohen – an overlooked American artist from the mid-Atlantic scene, but one whose music rivals some of the early greats from the previous analogue years! At a time when so many others were either overly bombastic, or way too laid back, Cohen had a way of really keeping things interesting – pushing around the edges for unusual electric sounds and phrasings, but never pushing things into the territory of noise or industrial expressions. There's a tunefulness to most of these tracks that's really wonderful – even though most of them hardly have a tune at all – and the set features music from all three previous volumes of Cohen's material on the same label – including work for theater, and some longer pieces too. Titles include "Tubs", "Bell Jar", "Sonomama", "Group Motion Performance", "Dance Of The Spirit Catchers", "The Street", "Water", "The Middle Distance", "Camera Dance", and "Duos Solos". CD