The title's a great one – as The Boston Horns have definitely found their own groove – a super-tight approach to funk, but one that's never slick at all! These guys have the sort of sharpness you might find in an older soul instrumental combo – but they also bring a touch of jazz to their instrumentation at times – a hint of deeper sophistication that brings a lot more complexity to the record than you might expect, especially from set with such a simple-looking cover. Tenor and trumpet lead the assault – with a bit of flute and added alto at times too – and there's lots of great Hammond, plus other keyboards – kicked up nicely with guitar, bass, and drums. The keyboards get slinky and soulful on a few more laidback number – adding in a dose of 70s electric jazz to the funk – and titles include "Ain't Nothin To It", "Love Will Slip Up On You", "Blues For Ben", "In The", and "Speedball". Also features a bonus live track! CD

A strong step forward from Breakestra – really moving out of the deep funk underground here, but never losing the groove that got them there in the first place! The set's got a depth that goes beyond most of the group's other work – way more than just a funky cover band sort of feel, and instead a really unified approach to grooving that lets in space for stronger influences from a range of older styles of music. Mainman Miles really surprises us on vocals, coming off here with a wonderful blue-eyed approach to funk that takes us back to key rock/soul crossover moments of the late 60s – but with none of the overdone hype of that generation, and more of a funky 45 groove overall! Drums are razor-sharp and super-tight throughout – still giving most of the album a deep funk approach – and titles include "Gotta Let Me Know", "Stand Up", "Hiding", "Burgundy Blues", "You Don't Need A Dance", "At The End Of The Day", "The Getting To It", "Show & Prove", "Keep On Playin", "Recognize", "Hit Tha Flo", "Family Rap", and "How Do You Really Feel". CD

Some of the deepest, heaviest work we've ever heard from the Budos Band – as you might guess from the album's dark title and cover! There's a bit of a heavy metal look to the package, but the sounds within are still the righteous funk we've always loved from Budos – yet are also inflected with a very slight bit of trippy elements this time around – a touch of fuzz on the guitar, or cosmic echoes on the keyboards – which really balance out strongly with the group's bold horns and razor-sharp drums! The slight changes make for a more sinister sound than before, and show that these guys continue to be one of the most forward-thinking funk bands around – never content to just rest on the laurels of their great musicianship, but always leaping ahead with new ideas. Titles include "Shattered Winds", "Black Hills", "Magus Mountain", "Into The Fog", "The Sticks", "Burnt Offering", and "Turn & Burn". CD

That's a real Roger Dean-styled image on the cover, which maybe heralds the sound that's going on here for the Budos Band – an approach that's even heavier than before, with maybe stronger guitar and bass at times – yet a vibe that still bristles with the group's great use of percussion and horns! There's maybe a new sort of majesty going on here – as if someone whispered to the band that they could be at the top of the deep funk spectrum if they stepped on the gas a bit more – which they definitely do on this super-sharp set, delivering a half-dozen tunes that are completely smoking throughout! Titles include "Devil Doesn't Dance", "Kritn", "Crescent Blue", "Passage To Ashinol", "Curled Steel", and "Frontier's Edge". CD

That's a real Roger Dean-styled image on the cover, which maybe heralds the sound that's going on here for the Budos Band – an approach that's even heavier than before, with maybe stronger guitar and bass at times – yet a vibe that still bristles with the group's great use of percussion and horns! There's maybe a new sort of majesty going on here – as if someone whispered to the band that they could be at the top of the deep funk spectrum if they stepped on the gas a bit more – which they definitely do on this super-sharp set, delivering a half-dozen tunes that are completely smoking throughout! Titles include "Devil Doesn't Dance", "Kritn", "Crescent Blue", "Passage To Ashinol", "Curled Steel", and "Frontier's Edge". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool collection of cuts that were originally issued as 7" singles in recent years, but which work perfectly together here as a full length set that introduces the world to the deeply funky talents of Kevin Finigier! Kevin hails from Argentina, but has a deep love of American soul and funk, particularly the 60s variant that was big in the UK mod scene – and here, he serves up some wicked grooves that may well be some of the best contemporary work in this mode we've heard for years! The production is nice and gritty – really back at the level of the indie funky 45 scene from back in the day – and the set mixes instrumental numbers that have a wicked sharp explosion of sounds with some heavy vocal tracks that are equally nice. The Kevin Fingier Collective deliver the cuts "Addis Ababa", "Sunglasses After Dark", "El Basement", "Latin Dynamite", and "Cocktail De Medianoche" – and other tracks include "I Love Without A Love" by Jo Ann Hamilton, "Why Don't You Go Home" by Diane Ward, "Um Brilho Novo" by Josi Dias, "Kairo Bancou Moulu" by Abdoulaye Badiane, and "Don't Wanna Cry No More" by Gerri Granger. CD

This one-man orchestra just keeps on getting better and better with each new record – working with the funk you'd expect from the name, but also all these cool and moody touches that mix together David Axelrod-like ambition with some of the sharper snap of hip hop production! This time around, Seth Applebaum has a fair bit of strings and horns in the mix – plus added voices, some strong lead singers – and an array of sonic touches that make for a richness that's much deeper than it is ghostly! Previous records were good, but Seth's really onto something great hear – and mixes together strands of sounds into something that's much richer than its parts – emerging as a surprising maestro for the underground, on titles that include "Stoop Talk", "Mourning", "Drop Me A Line", "Little Bird", "Fuzzy Logic", "Quiet Soul", "Tojours", "Queen Bee", and "Cost Of Living". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the fullest, freakiest sounds we've ever heard from Karl Hector & The Malcouns – and a set that almost has the contemporary combo resonating with some of the older psych and fuzz that often gets reissued on the Now Again label! JJ Whitefield – of Whitefield Brothers/Poets Of Rhythm fame – is at the helm of the group, and also handles the production – and the whole thing is a deep shift from the sharper, funkier style of his early material – as this record's really awash in fuzz and long, languorous space – drawing elements from older funk, jazz, and global elements, and pushing them all through a mighty cool psych-styled filter. Marja Burchard sings some cool wordless vocals on the record, but most of the focus here is instrumental – with great organ, vibes, moog, and plenty of fuzzy guitar. Titles include "Crawling Through Your Mind", "Hymnins (extended)", "Inhale/Exhale", "Mother Seletta", "Dekagon", and "Asteroid". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the original Quatermass EP from The Heliocentrics – but material that takes off in an even fuller, heavier direction – and which may well be the funkiest sounds we've heard from these guys so far! The music is stunning right from the very first heavy bassline and sharp drum crackle – more focused, more full-on, and more funky than before – with this mindblowing mix of super-tight rhythms and nicely trippy work on keyboards and guitar – all freaky and fuzzy, but always with a sense of purpose, too – and never just crazy for the sake of crazy! These guys really hit a new high with this set – simply wonderful, and at a level that has us falling in love with them all over again. Titles include "The Pit", "Gas Bottle", "Discovery", "Phenomenon Of Man", "Telekinesis", "Night & Day", "Looking Back", "Mass Psychosis", and "The Final Conclusion". CD

Not the original Quatermass EP from The Heliocentrics – but material that takes off in an even fuller, heavier direction – and which may well be the funkiest sounds we've heard from these guys so far! The music is stunning right from the very first heavy bassline and sharp drum crackle – more focused, more full-on, and more funky than before – with this mindblowing mix of super-tight rhythms and nicely trippy work on keyboards and guitar – all freaky and fuzzy, but always with a sense of purpose, too – and never just crazy for the sake of crazy! These guys really hit a new high with this set – simply wonderful, and at a level that has us falling in love with them all over again. Titles include "The Pit", "Gas Bottle", "Discovery", "Phenomenon Of Man", "Telekinesis", "Night & Day", "Looking Back", "Mass Psychosis", and "The Final Conclusion". CD

They might be borrowing her band, but they sure can't dampen her soul – because Sharon Jones is strongly back in action, and sounding funkier and more deeply soulful than ever! Given that Sharon wasn't singing back in the 60s, it's hard to think we'd be calling her the real deal – but in a world of crossover classic-copping soul singers, or slightly rewarmed older acts, Jones is a true treat through and through – the kind of soul singer whose work still recalls the best era of the funky 45 underground! The mighty Dap-Kings are in full force here – snapping along the groove with a range of classic soul influences – styles borrowed from Memphis, Miami, Muscle Shoals, and more – all sifted down to some of the tightest grooves any singer ever had the chance of working with! The production is amazing – as sharp-edged as the music – and handled by Bosco Mann with a sound that's as faithful to the roots as the cover might imply. Titles include "100 Days 100 Nights", "Tell Me", "Be Easy", "Nobody's Baby", "When The Other Foot Drops Uncle", "Something's Changed", "Keep On Looking", "Answer Me", and "Humble Me". CD

It's hard to go wrong with the New Mastersounds – and even after so many years, and so many records, these guys are still totally at the top of their funky game – one of the tightest, hardest, sharpest combos around – one of the first in the 21st century generation of deep funk acts, and still one of the best! Eddie Roberts, as always, is a monster on guitar – both in terms of his solos and his sense of riffing rhythms – and the group features plenty of C3 organ and other keyboards from Joe Tatton, plus some guest vocals on a few cuts from Lamar Williams. Titles include "Gonna Get In My Way", "Hot Tub", "Let Me In From The Cold", "Georgie Famous", "Meet You In The Sunshine", "Northern Lights", "Before", and "High On The Mountain". LP, Vinyl record album

There's plenty of electric colors here – a great blend of the many elements from this large European funk ensemble, all filtered down into a mighty nice groove from Misha Panfilov! Penza Penza are one of Misha's most lively projects – and the group have this energy that draws on classic American instrumental soul from the 60s and 70s, but trips things out nicely in that style that Panfilov does so well with other acts – a slight dose of psychedelic colorings around the edges, but never in a way that obscures the sharp instrumentation at the core! Titles include "The World Of High Voltage Badgers", "Der Himmel Uber Kakumae", "Color My Coffee", "Deep Dive", and "Electricolor". LP, Vinyl record album

The Sorcerers are a small group, but they've got a really expansive sound – a blend of percussion, keyboards, and jazzy horn work that feels like a much larger Afro Funk group – but often delivered with a lean focus on the rhythms that really makes them sound unique! There's plenty of echoes of both West and East African styles here – served up in a mix of flutes, saxes, vibes, keyboards, and trumpets – plus mighty sharp percussion at the core, which drives the record in a nice range of rhythms that break from any standard modes you might expect! The vibe is almost as if The Sorcerers have drunk deep from all the classics of artists like Fela, Mulatu, Ebo Taylor, and other older legends – then found a way to distill them all together with energy that's all their own. Titles include "The Road Forward", "Yasuke In Roppongi", "Moth", "He Who Kills With One Leap", and "Oromo Moon". (Global Grooves, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album

Damn deep grooves from Nick Waterhouse – a singer we've always liked a lot, and one who really seems to sharpen his edge here with some great elements from older R&B! Nick's already proved himself to be one heck of a soulful vocalist – and this time around he picks up more grit from the pre-soul years – including some excellent twangy guitar, tippling piano, and snapping drums – all of which bring out some very blue elements in the lyrics. The overall feel is somewhere in the territory of the 50s 78rpm generation – particularly that of the indie labels that recorded their own styles of R&B – and the production follows nicely, with a very stripped-down feel. Nick's never too overdone – never tries to be too raunchy or over the top – just hits this great blend of soul, blues, and R&B in a very understated mode. Titles include "Sleeping Pills", "Holly", "Hands On The Clock", "High Tiding", "It No 3", and "Let It Come Down". CD

A great new showcase for the legendary keyboard work of Doug Carn – and a set that's very different both from his famous albums for the Black Jazz label, and some of his organ jazz records in more recent years too! The set's maybe got a more pronounced influence from Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad than some of the others in this series – as Carn's Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes still get center stage, but the grooves are very much in the heavy funk style of Younge's legacy of recent recordings – sharp drums, strong basslines, and horns that are sometimes jazzy, sometimes seemingly touched by currents of Ethiopian work from the past. All tracks are originals, and titles include "Processions", "Dimensions", "Windfall", "Down Deep", "Freedom At Sunset", "Nunca Um Malandro", and "Lion's Walk". CD

A great new showcase for the legendary keyboard work of Doug Carn – and a set that's very different both from his famous albums for the Black Jazz label, and some of his organ jazz records in more recent years too! The set's maybe got a more pronounced influence from Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad than some of the others in this series – as Carn's Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes still get center stage, but the grooves are very much in the heavy funk style of Younge's legacy of recent recordings – sharp drums, strong basslines, and horns that are sometimes jazzy, sometimes seemingly touched by currents of Ethiopian work from the past. All tracks are originals, and titles include "Processions", "Dimensions", "Windfall", "Down Deep", "Freedom At Sunset", "Nunca Um Malandro", and "Lion's Walk". LP, Vinyl record album