A classic groover from Yasuko Agawa – proof that the Japanese scene had an ear for soul in the years before Monday Michiru! The early 80s set is made up from equal parts jazz, soul, and Brazilian influences – all used nicely with tight, fusiony production that really works nicely with Yasuko's lighter-voiced approach to the lyrics. One of the highlights of the record is a remake of Viva Brasil's "Skindo-Le-Le", a great little groover with a catchy riff that's right in the Gilles P mode – but other tracks are pretty great too, and come together in a mix of different modes that's somewhat similar to an American jazzy soul album from the same time. Most of the arrangements are by keyboardist Naoya Matsuoka – and titles include "She-Senior Dreams", "Cinema", "Island Breeze", "Here & Now", and the very appropriate "Pardon My English". CD

A much-needed look at an overlooked side of the genius of Quincy Jones – not his jazz work, not his productions for famous soul artists, but instead his huge legacy of soundtrack material – a part of Q's career that really took off in the 60s! By the time he started working in films, Jones had already had a decade under his belt as one of the hippest arrangers, leaders, and composers in jazz – and the film business really respected those talents, and allowed Quincy to bring some really fresh styles into play – modes that really opened up the vibe of American cinema, and also paved the way for the funky styles of the 70s! As that decade approached, Jones left behind the cinema to take on some more higher-profile records of his own – but all the charms of those great albums can be found here at their roots – in this stunning collection of soundtrack material, some of which has never been on CD. The package is way more than just a sampler – and includes an album's worth of material from the films The Pawnbroker, Slender Thread, Mirage, The Deadly Affair, In The Heat Of The Night, In Cold Blood, Walk Don't Run, The Italian Job, Lost Man, and John & Mary – plus two versions of the love theme from The Getaway, and a bonus CD with 18 tracks – titled Q's highlights, and featuring tracks from his Mercury records – plus more by Billy Preston, Arthur Prysock, Bill Cosby, Shirley Horn, Letta Mbulu, Toots Thielemans, and others. Even features the "Sanford & Son" and "Ironside" themes! CD

Fantastic work from one of the grooviest singers of the 60s – the amazing Mina, a vocalist who hardly made waves on this side of the Atlantic, but who served up a wealth of wonderful material from the Italian scene at the time! You might know Mina from a few key soundtrack contributions she made over the years – her vocal range is stunning – and arrangements here are often by important forces from the Italian cinema scene – like Ennio Morricone, Piero Piccioni, Augusto Martelli, and Bruno Canforna – all of whom give Mina these full, rich backings that really match the vivid quality of her voice! But there's also groovy elements at the core, too – styles that are similar to French or British female pop of the period – especially with some of the soul currents of the latter – but shaped differently, given both Mina's style, and the Italian language and the way it comes across in song. The package is long overdue – maybe the first-ever done for the international market on Mina's music – and as with all work on Ace, the presentation is great, with very detailed notes that will teach you plenty while you enjoy the songs – a lineup that includes "Se Telefonando", "E L'Umo Per Me", "Io Sono Quel Che Sono", "No", "Citta Vuota", "Tu Farai", "Beve Amore", "Addio", "Insensatez", "Se C'E Una Cosa Che Mi Fa Impazzire", "TA Ra Ta Ta", and "La Banda". CD

A beautiful little record from the Brazilian scene – served up by a trombonist who's got a great ability to mix Brazilian rhythms, jazzy grooves, and American soul! The approach is one that you might recognize from contemporary trombonist Raul DeSouza, who moved to the US in the 70s, and cut some great records for Capitol – but Zeca's working here back in Brazil, with a vibe that's much closer to the core – and adding in all these raspy soul vocals that sound completely sublime next to the upbeat instrumentation on the record! The set's heavy on keyboards, and has a nicely jazzy vibe – one that you may recognize from the title track's showing up in some great Ed Motta collections over the years. In fact, there's a quality here that's not far from Ed's more recent AOR tribute recordings – as you'll hear on titles that include "Boa Nova", "Papo Coracao", "Rota-Mar", "Exilio De Coracao", "Em Busca De Mim", and "Gavea Um Beijo De Cinema". Features two bonus tracks – "Ave Anne" and "Tema Do Brisa". CD

Cinematic hip hop soul from Anderson.Paak named after a seaside city west of Los Angeles, CA – but it's not Malibu, it's the stunning follow up Oxnard – a little looser, more diverse, and ultimately just as impressive set from this still rising talent! The uber-impressive guest list including Kadhja Bonet, Norelle, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop, Dre, Pusha T, J Cole, Q-Tip and more but this is the sprawling Anderson.Paak show all the way, his distinctive blend of Cali sunshine and nighttime music and mood, his gritty-smooth voice so masterfully going back & forth from singing to rhyming, the production breathtaking from the stripped down beats, bass and vocals focused tracks to grander and more densely layered material. Includes "The Chase" with Kadja Bonet, "Headlow" feat Lowrell, "Tints" feat Kendrick Lamar, "Who R U", "6 Summers", "Saviers Road", "Smile/Petty", "Mansa Musa", "Brothers Keeper" feat Pusha T, "Anywhere" feat Snoop Dogg & Last Artful Dodgr, "Trippy" feat J Cole and "Cheers" feat Q-Tip – plus the bonus tracks "Sweet Chick" feat BJ The Chicago Kid and "Left To Right". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a nicely narrative photo on the cover, and Antoine Bourachot seems to follow up that inspiration with some cinematic-styled jazz funk throughout – on a record that's even got a set of song titles that conjure up an imagined story as well! A few tracks here have vocals that bring a nice current of soul to the music – fleshing things out with contributions on three different tracks from Jim Grandcamp, Giacomo Lecchi D'Alessandro, and Irfane – who each have their own soulful shapes next to the overall vibe of the music, which is nicely unified, and heavy on warm keyboards, guitar lines, and larger arrangements. Shoko Igarashi plays soprano sax and flute on the record – and titles include "Resolution", "Action", "Miracle", "Fortune", "Bullet", and "Serenade". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album by Cinematic Orchestra – and a Ninja Tune classic! The group lives up to its name here, witth 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 soul diva Fontella Bass. Roots Manuva contributes vocals on another number, but his contribution comes off as more of a recitation than a rap, and it works beautifully! The tracks are all fairly lengthy, none clocking in under 6 minutes, evolving and building as they do, our favorites include"All That You Give", "Burnout" and "Everyday" – and other tracks include "Flite", "Evolution" and "Man With The Movie Camera". LP, Vinyl record album

That's the great Bud Spencer on the cover here, starring in one of his wonderfully playful comedies from the early 80s – maybe not the highest level of cinematic brilliance, but always a very good time on the screen! Music is always a key part of these films – and as in others, this one's got a theme that's repeated often as Bud hits the screen in scene to scene – a playful, romping groove that has a keyboard part that sounds like a pan flute, leaping along with the rhythms in a really nice way! Some numbers also echo a "Banana Joe" vocal theme too – and the music has electric bass and keyboards next to the larger orchestrations. Most tracks are variations on the theme, but some get a bit groovier too – and titles also include the "Wanna Believe" soul track, with vocals from Yvonne Wilkins. LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely wonderful set from Sean Khan – maybe the greatest music he's done since his early classics with the SK Radicals! This album really takes us back to a time when music from London was completely fresh and exciting, and cosmically soulful, too – and Sean's got help from some great singers on the record who also date from that era – including the mighty Omar, plus Sabrina Malheiros, and vocalist Heidi Vogel of Cinematic Orchestra! All three of these artists really flesh out the sound of the record – and make it every bit as much of a soul record as a set that's awash in all the great reed touches and jazzy bits we'd expect from Sean. Andy Noble's also on the record, playing some wonderfully warm piano lines – and the overall instrumentation has more acoustic elements than before, which makes for a very righteous vibe throughout! Titles include "Dance For Little Emily", "Muriel", "Samba Para Florence", "Sister Soul", "What Has Jazz Become", "Trane's Shadow", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down", and "Fire Within" – plus bonus remix tracks "Don't Let The Sun Go Down (4Hero rmx)", "Samba Para Florence (Henry Wu rmx)", and "Things To Say (Ben Hauke rmx)". CD

Masta Killa's solo debut – keeping the Wu Tang flag flying with pride in the early 00s with all the cinematic soul resonance and maybe a just little bit more of a gritty underground edge! It includes appearances by nearly the whole clique, including Ghostface, Raekwon, RZA, Meth, Deck, U-God and GZA is certainly one of the finer post-millennium Wu Tang solo efforts. production by Mathematics, True Master and Dave West. 16 tracks in all including "Born Chamber", "Last Drink", "Grab The Mic", "Queen", "Secret Rivals", "Digi Warfare", "Silverbacks" & more. CD

Masta Killa's solo debut – keeping the Wu Tang flag flying with pride in the early 00s with all the cinematic soul resonance and maybe a just little bit more of a gritty underground edge! It includes appearances by nearly the whole clique, including Ghostface, Raekwon, RZA, Meth, Deck, U-God and GZA is certainly one of the finer post-millennium Wu Tang solo efforts. production by Mathematics, True Master and Dave West. 16 tracks in all including "Born Chamber", "Last Drink", "Grab The Mic", "Queen", "Secret Rivals", "Digi Warfare", "Silverbacks" & more. LP, Vinyl record album

Deeply soulful work from Orgone – a group who are working at a level here that we never would have expected a decade back! Orgone have always been great, but sometimes they felt less like an organic funk combo than one who had an ear for the right sorts of sounds – something they still have here, but which they bring out with a masterful approach that really rises above previous efforts – a larger, richer approach to funk that sometimes even hits cinematic territory – but all without ever losing its small combo edge! The keyboards and production are especially nice, and the drums are super funky – on titles that include "Parasols", "Basilisk", "Zum Zum", "Running Low", "The Husk", "Tula Muisi", "Coronado", and "Hallowed Dreams". CD

Deeply soulful work from Orgone – a group who are working at a level here that we never would have expected a decade back! Orgone have always been great, but sometimes they felt less like an organic funk combo than one who had an ear for the right sorts of sounds – something they still have here, but which they bring out with a masterful approach that really rises above previous efforts – a larger, richer approach to funk that sometimes even hits cinematic territory – but all without ever losing its small combo edge! The keyboards and production are especially nice, and the drums are super funky – on titles that include "Parasols", "Basilisk", "Zum Zum", "Running Low", "The Husk", "Tula Muisi", "Coronado", and "Hallowed Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest 60s soundtracks from Riz Ortolani – done for an Italian spy film, and very different than some of his bigger-name scores for global cinematic hits! The music here is very much in the best jazzy style you'd expect from a spy thriller, but also has some groovy mod numbers too – romping tunes that are an Italian take on UK beat modes, with really cool rhythms that are upbeat and very soulful – cuts that are then interspersed with slinkier numbers that fit the mode of the spy in the company of a lovely lady! This expanded CD is the first time this much music has ever been released from the film – a whopping 22 titles in all, in comparison to the previous release of only 9 tracks! CD

The debut album from Stargard – a set that turned the trio into strong soul stars, after a brief and mistaken role in the film Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band! Given the failure of that cinematic endeavor, it's amazing that MCA signed the girls up – but it's also clear that the group have a vibe that's really waiting to shine in the spotlight – partly the disco female mode that others had been working already, but also maybe more of a sense of identity too – one that makes them way more than just a trio of vocalists in the hands of a club producer – especially given the way they really hit some surprising deep soul moments on the set. Production is by Mark Davis, with some help from Gene Page – and titles include "Three Girls", "Don't Change", "Theme From Which Way Is Up", "The Force", and "Disco Rufus". CD

Ella Thompson claims influences from older cinematic styles, and there's definitely some more spacious modes going on at times here – but her vocal approach is also very much in the territory of 21st Century soul singers, especially in the way she can draw out and extend the emotion in a lyric! There's some instrumentation on the set from the Frollen Music Library, who serve up some of the more cinematic backdrops – and titles include "Can't Take It Back", "Never Fight The Way You Feel", "To Light The Lantern", "Domino", "Lotus & The Lily", and "When The Cold Wind Blows". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite volumes in this now-legendary series – a set of grooves that runs from 70s electric back to 60s groovy – with plenty of space in between! There's a number of cuts on here that feel like they were lifted from lost CTI sessions of the 70s, thanks to warm keyboards and spare, subtle beats – while others mix together mod 60s styles, and even bits of Latin and Brazilian influences! The track selection is sublime, and still one of the best illustrations of the genius of this period – with tracks that include "Diamond Bossa Nova" by Franceso De Masi, "Lady Magnolia" by Piero Umiliani, "Nago" by Luiz Bacalov, "Bob E Hellen" by Piero Umiliani, "North Pole Penguin" by Piero Piccioni, "Beryl's Tune No 2" by Agusto Martelli, "Flute Sequence" by Franco Micalizzi, "Danza Citar Free" by Piero Umiliani, "Honey Rhythm & Blutter" by The Green Future, "Esquetando Os Tambourinos E Cuica" by Sergio Nilo, and "Soul Samba" by Attilio Donadio. CD

A long-overdue entry in this legendary series of compilations – one that taught us an awful lot about funky soundtrack music back in the day, finally back in action after a long hiatus! This time around, the groove has gotten even deeper – as the series has stretched to include some killer sound library material as well – really mixing together all the jazz, funk, and cinematic elements that were in the previous volumes – yet all with the hip Euro-styled groove that we loved in all of those releases too! There's a huge amount of funky nuggets here, but all with a vibe that's very different than 70s work from the US scene – and although we've missed the Easy Tempo series for many years, we're so glad to have them back – as they're still one of the best. Titles include "Take Me To New York" by Brooklyn Bridge Group, "Undertown" by Orchestra Mustang, "First Time Three" by Roberto Pregadio, "Angelus" by Soul's Soul, "African Flute" by Ninety, "Super Cat" by Les Chakachas, "Sunshine Train" by Hugh Bullen, "Un Uomo Che Lavora" by Carlo Cordara E I Waterloo, "Meeting" by Gino Marinaaci, and "Guida Sicura" by Enzo Scoppa. CD

A long-overdue entry in this legendary series of compilations – one that taught us an awful lot about funky soundtrack music back in the day, finally back in action after a long hiatus! This time around, the groove has gotten even deeper – as the series has stretched to include some killer sound library material as well – really mixing together all the jazz, funk, and cinematic elements that were in the previous volumes – yet all with the hip Euro-styled groove that we loved in all of those releases too! There's a huge amount of funky nuggets here, but all with a vibe that's very different than 70s work from the US scene – and although we've missed the Easy Tempo series for many years, we're so glad to have them back – as they're still one of the best. Titles include "Take Me To New York" by Brooklyn Bridge Group, "Undertown" by Orchestra Mustang, "First Time Three" by Roberto Pregadio, "Angelus" by Soul's Soul, "African Flute" by Ninety, "Super Cat" by Les Chakachas, "Sunshine Train" by Hugh Bullen, "Un Uomo Che Lavora" by Carlo Cordara E I Waterloo, "Meeting" by Gino Marinaaci, and "Guida Sicura" by Enzo Scoppa. LP, Vinyl record album