Heavy funk and mod grooves – the fab second installment in the Soul Shaker series, and even better than the first! Nick the Record has really sharpened his ear for a tune with this one – and has picked out some of the best bits from recent years of the funk and mod instrumental revival scenes – a great assortment of tunes from around the globe, showing a world that's wonderfully united through straight-grooving use of Hammond organ, soulful sax, electric guitar, and funky drums! CD features 17 tracks in all – including "Coming Back" by Smoov with Jess Roberts, "Gogo Sitar" by Kahuna Kawentzmann, "I Can't Believe What You Say" by Slow Slushy Boys, "Don't Joke With A Hungry Man" by Quantic with Spanky Wilson, "Sweet Little Apples" by Link Quartet, "If You Reap" by Boogaloo Investigators, "Just Dropped In" by Sharon Jones, "Kelvin Stardust" by Big Boss Man, and "Your Pleasure Is Our Pleasure by Voodoo Trombone Quartet. CD

Easily the best collection so far in the Let's Boogaloo series – and one that's overflowing with great older work from the 60s and 70s! We've liked the other Let's Boogaloo sets plenty, but this one's even more deep funk oriented than before – and not only features some great rare funky 45 material, but also a few great sound library rarities – mixed in alongside the newer cuts that Record Kicks always champions, done in a mix of funky and mod styles overall! Previously unreleased titles include "Funky Skunk" by Pete Thomas, "Beatcoma" by Alan Moorehouse, "Jazz Cat" and "Latin Soul Strut" by D Glover & G Crockett, and "Miss Augusta" by Minivip – and other cuts include "Hot Pants Party" by Guy Morris, "Look What You Can Get" by Funky Nassau, "Don't Let This Happen" by Fred Hughes, "Say Yeah Yeah" by Yvonne Fair, "Getting Down" by Brand New Rhythm, "Ain't Gonna Tell No More" by Stoned Soul Picnic, and "Oh My" by The Dansettes. 12 tracks in all! (Funky Compilations, Deep Funk) CD

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 seventh album from prolific modern funky soul gurus The Baker Brothers – a tight, thunderous mix of vocals and instrumentals that range from rawly raucous numbers to sly little groovers! The group really is a well oiled engine at this point – after a good decade or so of activity. Time To Testify is up there with their best material – a record with a nice, live feel and excellent instrumentation for the group! Chris Pedley on bass and piano, Paul Young on sax and flute, Geoff Lai on guitar and lead vox, Rich Baker on drums & percussion, Ted Carrasco on drums and percussion, and Sott Baylis on trumpet, Rhodes, Hammond, clavinet and Moog. Includes "Make Your Move", "Painting Pictures", "Once I Had A Friend", "Patience", "Feeding Freddie", "Pieces Of The Puzzle", "Hang Loose", "The Bottom Rung", "The Young Patter", "Snap Back", "Head South", "Genki Strut" and more. 16 tracks on the CD version. CD