Beautifully heavy sounds from Black Market Brass – a group who started out with more of a global funk approach, but who emerge here with the intensity of some lost funky soundtrack – all with the sort of edge you might expect from the cover! The style here is really revolutionary – unlike anything else we've ever heard from a group with "brass" in their name – in part because the group has some very cool distortion on the keyboards and guitar, which gives those electric elements a very sinister sound next to the straight ahead fire of the horns – served up with really hard-driving rhythms throughout, in a way that seems to pull together older traditions of Afro Funk, Nola Brass, and even some of the southern college bands – but all with a very 21st Century vision. Titles include "So Who (parts 1 & 2)", "Into The Thick", "War Room", "Cheat & Start A Fight", "Undying Thirst", and "NBT". (Global Grooves, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album

Soulful sounds from Black Pumas – a collaboration between singer Eric Burton and the great Adrian Quesada – the latter an instrumentalist and producer that you'll know from a variety of different funky projects over the years! This set might well be Adrian's ticket to the big time – as Burton's a singer with a very strong range, and great crossover potential – echoing Al Green one minute, hitting deeper vibes the next – and working alongside small combo backing that has plenty of laidback guitar lines and warm keyboards, all produced with the usual Quesada touch! Titles include "Oct 33", "Fire", "Colors", "Know You Better", "Stay Gold", "Old Man", "Confines", and "Touch The Sky". LP, Vinyl record album

Soulful sounds from Black Pumas – a collaboration between singer Eric Burton and the great Adrian Quesada – the latter an instrumentalist and producer that you'll know from a variety of different funky projects over the years! This set might well be Adrian's ticket to the big time – as Burton's a singer with a very strong range, and great crossover potential – echoing Al Green one minute, hitting deeper vibes the next – and working alongside small combo backing that has plenty of laidback guitar lines and warm keyboards, all produced with the usual Quesada touch! Titles include "Oct 33", "Fire", "Colors", "Know You Better", "Stay Gold", "Old Man", "Confines", and "Touch The Sky". Expanded version features lots of bonus material – including "Eleanor Rigby", "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City", "Fast Car", "Black Cat", and "I Am Ready" – plus "live in studio" versions of "Confines", "Colors", and "Oct 33". CD

Soulful sounds from Black Pumas – a collaboration between singer Eric Burton and the great Adrian Quesada – the latter an instrumentalist and producer that you'll know from a variety of different funky projects over the years! This set might well be Adrian's ticket to the big time – as Burton's a singer with a very strong range, and great crossover potential – echoing Al Green one minute, hitting deeper vibes the next – and working alongside small combo backing that has plenty of laidback guitar lines and warm keyboards, all produced with the usual Quesada touch! Titles include "Oct 33", "Fire", "Colors", "Know You Better", "Stay Gold", "Old Man", "Confines", and "Touch The Sky". Expanded version features lots of bonus material – including "Eleanor Rigby", "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City", "Fast Car", "Black Cat", and "I Am Ready" – plus "live in studio" versions of "Confines", "Colors", and "Oct 33". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunner of a joint effort from Ethio jazz funk visionary Mulatu Astatke and psych funk genre-busting combo the Heliocentrics – a record we had the highest hopes for and still find wildly above and beyond our loftiest expectations! The collective touch on some classic Mulatu compositions, but the bulk of the material here is brand new, and purely collaborative – if you know the Helioecentrics or you know Mulatu, you can clearly hear what each bring to the table – and it works together brilliantly! There's often a gritty funk bottom end, the best drums and percussion, fat electric bass lines underneath Ethio jazz inspired sax, trumpet, trombone and flute – swirling psychedelic flourishes with theremin and other effects that never take away from the groove. Mulatu's on vibes, percussion, Wurlitzer, drums and keyboards – and his compositions and the Helios trade back and forth throughout the set. There's some additional Ethiopian instrumentation and atmospheric vocals in the mix on some tunes, and more of an astral, avant funk vibe on others, but there's always a brilliant confluence of styles. Bottom line, the album is everything we wanted it to be and more – this will undoubtedly be favorite for years to come! Titles include "Masenqo", "Cha Cha", "Addis Black Widow", "Mulatu", "Blue Nile", "Esketa Dance", "Chik Chikka", "Live From Tiger Lounge", "Chinese New Year", "Phantom Of The Panther", "Dewel"., "Fire In The Zoo", "An Epic Story" and "Anglo Ethio Suite". LP, Vinyl record album

The Jazz Is Dead series goes mighty deep with this gem of a record – opening the door for two legendary Tribe Records talents from the Detroit scene of the 70s – reedman Wendell Harrison and trombonist Phil Ranelin – both of whom sound superb throughout! As with other volumes in the JID series, the production pair really adapt their sound and strategy to fit the best modes of the guest – so that this time around, Ali Shaheed Muhammad's just adding some strong basslines to the tunes, and Adrian Younge plays a variety of keyboards and guitar – yet neither get in the way of the vision that's clearly coming from both Harrison and Ranelin! Tracks almost feel like an update of older Tribe Records modes – and drummer Greg Paul provides a nice crisp crackle at the bottom. Tunes include "Running With The Tribe", "Ursa Major", "Black Census", "Open Eye", "Genesis", and "Fire In Detroit". CD

The Jazz Is Dead series goes mighty deep with this gem of a record – opening the door for two legendary Tribe Records talents from the Detroit scene of the 70s – reedman Wendell Harrison and trombonist Phil Ranelin – both of whom sound superb throughout! As with other volumes in the JID series, the production pair really adapt their sound and strategy to fit the best modes of the guest – so that this time around, Ali Shaheed Muhammad's just adding some strong basslines to the tunes, and Adrian Younge plays a variety of keyboards and guitar – yet neither get in the way of the vision that's clearly coming from both Harrison and Ranelin! Tracks almost feel like an update of older Tribe Records modes – and drummer Greg Paul provides a nice crisp crackle at the bottom. Tunes include "Running With The Tribe", "Ursa Major", "Black Census", "Open Eye", "Genesis", and "Fire In Detroit". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic funk from the Colemine label – a company who've given us plenty of great albums over the years, but who seem especially well-tuned to the funky 45! Along with Daptone, Big Crown, and a few others, Colemine is one of the labels who turn out top-shelf 7" singles again and again – most of which are in limited pressings, disappear fast, and are sometimes pretty expensive if you can find them! This set corrects that issue, and brings together 27 nuggets that originally appeared as funky 45s – all stacked together nicely as a massive LP set, with a nice price break from trying to track down the singles. Titles include "Gripsweats Them" by The Gripsweats, "Don't You Know" by Durand Jones & The Indications, "NUSAU" by Jungle Fire, "Supermoon" by Ikebe Shakedown, "What A Shame" by Jr Thomas & The Volcanos, "War Room" by Black Market Brass, "Aragon" by Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, "My God Has A Telephone" by Flying Stars Of Brooklyn, "He's On Time" by Harlem Gospel Travelers, "Happiness" by Wesley Bright & The Honeytones, "It Was Only A Dream" by Thee Sinseers, "America" by Soul Scratch, and "Sure Don't Miss You" by The Dip. (Funky Compilations, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album