A mighty nice electro groove from Father Sheed – a cut that has a bouncing bassline that sets up a groove for keyboards to follow – while vocoded vocals are served up very far down in the mix, leaving most of the "singing" of the tune to the keyboards and bass! "Love Street" has a great percolated groove – a sharper drum machine line with a nicely bubbling rhythm, almost "Sexual Healing" in style – very 80s, as are the processed vocals on the tune! (Funky 45's, Deep Funk) 7-inch, Vinyl record

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

The Tibbs serve up a very classic style of soul – as you might guess from the retro image on the cover – very 60s-oriented, with hard-driving rhythms from the group's well-crafted lineup, all topped with mighty dynamic vocals from lead singer Roxanne! And sure, this isn't new territory for the market – but The Tibbs do it a lot better than most, and the vocals, horns, and grooves all come together with a sharper focus and real commitment to the sound than most other groups who are swimming in the same water. Titles include "For Lack Of Better Words", "Give Me Reason", "Chicken Bones", "Rafaela", "Guess I'm Guilty", "Last Train", and "In Orbit". CD

The Tibbs serve up a very classic style of soul – as you might guess from the retro image on the cover – very 60s-oriented, with hard-driving rhythms from the group's well-crafted lineup, all topped with mighty dynamic vocals from lead singer Roxanne! And sure, this isn't new territory for the market – but The Tibbs do it a lot better than most, and the vocals, horns, and grooves all come together with a sharper focus and real commitment to the sound than most other groups who are swimming in the same water. Titles include "For Lack Of Better Words", "Give Me Reason", "Chicken Bones", "Rafaela", "Guess I'm Guilty", "Last Train", and "In Orbit". LP, Vinyl record album

JJ Whitefield has given us plenty of funky records over the years – most in vintage styles, including work as Poets Of Rhythm and Karl Hector & The Malcouns! This time around, there's a sound library approach, but with the slight Ethio vibe you'd guess from the title on one side – then an Italian cinematic inspiration on the other! The Ethiopian-flavored tunes are maybe more laidback, and have some elements that resonate with the 70s golden age, but with a lean funk sound and a bit sharper production – as befits the sound library approach. The flipside echoes lots of great Italian crime/cop modes from the 70s – but again, with a slightly leaner style that really lets the best funky elements come through strongly! Titles include "Hulet", "Sost", "Arat", "Sebat", "Sidist", "Asir", "Orecchiete", "Parmagiano", "Strozzapreti", and "Buttoni". (Sound Library, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album

Damn! These guys just keep getting better and better with each new release – to the point where they're way more than just a combo dedicated to classic soundtrack modes – and instead have found a fuzzy funky space that's all their own! Both the instrumentation and rhythms are sharper than ever – very hard-hitting, on the rockier side of 70s sound library styles – and topped with some fierce guitar work that makes nearly every cut bristle with a newfound sense of power – matched by mighty sweet lines on keyboards that include Fender Rhodes, clavinet, mellotron, dulcitone, and eko tiger! Vocals are almost nonexistent – leaving the most room for instrumentals that ring out boldly – and titles include "You Filthy Bastards", "The Butcher's Bride", "Mescaline 6", "Stainless Steel", "Two Pills In The Pocket", and "Traitors". (New Grooves, Deep Funk) CD

The Frightnrs have plenty more to say here – and they say it in a really sharp-edged approximation of older rocksteady modes! The group are contemporary, but like the best acts on Daptone, they've got an instantly classic feel – thanks to instrumentation and production that take us right back to late 60s Kingston, but with some of the sharper funky currents we've come to expect from the label! And while The Frightnrs may pitch themselves as an old school reggae act, they're also one that have a heavy dose of soul – almost a late night New Jersey current to their music at times – as if the All Platinum/Stang label put out their own version of Jamaican soul. The approach is great, and very unique – and titles include "Hey Brother", "Gotta Find A Way", "What Have I Done", "Nothing More To Say", "All My Tears", "Purple", "Dispute", and "Till Then". (Reggae, Deep Funk) CD

Killer funky work from Pete Rock – a set that's still rooted in the hip hop traditions he helped form over the past few decades, but which also has a strong degree of instrumental funk as well! Pete did the set with the Soul Brothers quartet – a great group with riffing guitars, funky bass, and even some occasional vocal chorus bits – and the tunes are every bit as lean as on the previous Petestrumentals sets, but also maybe sharper, funkier, and more lively too – thanks to excellent work from the group throughout the set. The maestro still gets in plenty of his own touches too – that special sort of ear that we first fell in love with when he was working with CL Smooth – and titles include "Super Soul Brother", "Swag", "Live With Me", "Cool Breeze", "Told Y'All", "Say It Again", "That's The Way", "Heavy", and "So Good". (Hip Hop, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album

A searing second set from Souljazz Orchestra – easily one of the funkiest groups in the contemporary Afro Funk underground! The set's even sharper than their first – really tight on the rhythms, which are filled with skittish guitars that cut a groove strongly – vamping and quick-stepping with a wicked sort of feel that brings back plenty of James Brown influence to a 70s African sound! There's lots of great horns and keyboards too – again played with a sharpness that's wonderful – a meaningful approach to solos that's not as extended as on other records, but often much more powerful. Vocals are often shouted or called – second stage, next to the instrumentation – and titles include "State Terrorism", "Kapital", "Parasite", "Interested Benevolence", "Amen", and "Grasshopper & Toad". (Global Grooves, Deep Funk) 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

A soaring London set, in the best tradition of the Jazz Refreshed label – served up by a group who know how to channel classic jazz funk modes, and really send them soaring to the skies! There's an electric piano on here that has all sorts of harder-edged, almost noisy qualities at times – really emphasizing the sharper edges that come from the massive drums of Jamie Murray, bass of Tom Driessler, and guitar of Luke Wynter – while Lyle Barton serves up all sorts of great sounds on the keys! The approach is maybe a leaner, more funk based take on 70s fusion – but filtered through a smaller combo sensibility, with a nicely tight approach to the tunes – on titles that include "The Breaks", "Miniature", "Red Horizon", "Intra", "Oumuamua", and "Terra". (Jazz, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album