Killer work from this funky Finnish combo – a group who celebrate a strong decade in music with this really wonderful set! The Blassics bring in all the right sort of influences from African funk of years back, especially Ethiopian music – and they spin out tracks that are often nice and long, and which feature some tremendous jazzy solos from the horn section – players stepping out from the ensemble for individual expressions, and not just vamping with the rhythms! The rest of the instrumentation is great too – well-crafted, and shaded with all sorts of tones that really deepen the music in personal ways, and don't just echo styles of the past. Titles include "Afrohustler", "Special Occasion", "Ruff Strut", "West Side Glory", "Swazi Funk", "Yeketema Set", and "Hagerun Geleba". CD

A brilliant return from the Hot 8 Brass Band – a New Orleans combo who take tradition into some great funky new territory! As you'd guess from their name, the instrumentation is heavy on brass – played with a gritty, soulful edge – in the way you'd find during some street performance in a corner far from the mainstream Quarter – sometimes accompanied by ensemble vocals, and almost always driven by these great rhythms at the bottom – more than funky enough to set even the heaviest horns on fire with their energy. Titles include "Bingo Bango", "Fine Tuner", "Steamin Blues", "Can't Hide From The Truth", "New Orleans (After The City)", and a nice remake of The Specials' "Ghost Town". CD

Funky jazz nuggets with a mighty nice lineup – one that features plenty of vibes next to the keyboards, all resonating strongly over tight rhythms on acoustic bass and drums! There's almost a sunshiney vibe to the music at times that fits the image on the cover – not polished or slick, but this sort of shimmering quality that really lets you bathe in the warmth of the music – especially as the grooves are often laidback, yet still plenty darn funky! The drums are great, and the way they kick in with the vibes is wonderful – on titles that include "Estinto Omicida", "Hydromiel 2022", "Orso Pacifico", "Bourguignon", and "Saint Emilion". LP, Vinyl record album

Mike Bandoni soars to space on waves of funky drums – spread out here on long tracks that are often three times the length of a funky 45, which allows plenty of room for the drums to do all sorts of sharp changes and crackling passages – as plenty of cool keyboards, electronics, and other effects filter into the mix! The drums are at the core throughout, and Mike's a hell of a drummer – but he also really does a great job of bringing in all these other spooky, spacey sounds that really give the album a unique sort of vibe! Titles include "Gamma Ray Burst", "Event Horizon Approach", "Arrival", "The Long Nap", "Something Wonderful", and "It Might Be OK". LP, Vinyl record album

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 bit jazz, a bit funk – and two tight tracks from this tasty trio! Daru Jones handles the drum kit with a nice snap and crackle – while Doyle Bramhall is more laidback on guitar, really letting things twang out with a Memphis vibe at times – as DJ Harrison delivers plenty of great work on keys, playing a Vox Continental organ with Fender bass pedals! (Jazz, Deep Funk) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Guitarist Lucas De Mulder gets some great props on this album even before the needle dropped – as funky guitar legend Eddie Roberts stepped up to produce the whole thing, and even has his famous combo The New Mastersounds provide the instrumentation on the set – with some nice trumpet help from Gabe Mervine! The feel is a bit like some of Roberts' own records, but with more of the funky core that NMS can provide – perfect for Lucas, as he's got this sharply riffing style that's really amazing – a completely deft approach to funky guitar that we'll be likely to hear on many great records in years to come! But for now, this starter is more than enough – bubbling over with great instrumentals that include "Hot Ba Ri O", "Come Out At Night", "Several Times", "Redbone", "Warm Nights", "Fruit Salad", "Feel The Spirit", "Underground Dance", "Ginger Beat", and "Keep Walkin". CD

Guitarist Lucas De Mulder gets some great props on this album even before the needle dropped – as funky guitar legend Eddie Roberts stepped up to produce the whole thing, and even has his famous combo The New Mastersounds provide the instrumentation on the set – with some nice trumpet help from Gabe Mervine! The feel is a bit like some of Roberts' own records, but with more of the funky core that NMS can provide – perfect for Lucas, as he's got this sharply riffing style that's really amazing – a completely deft approach to funky guitar that we'll be likely to hear on many great records in years to come! But for now, this starter is more than enough – bubbling over with great instrumentals that include "Hot Ba Ri O", "Come Out At Night", "Several Times", "Redbone", "Warm Nights", "Fruit Salad", "Feel The Spirit", "Underground Dance", "Ginger Beat", and "Keep Walkin". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's almost a back to basics effort for the Du-Rites – one that makes the best use of the massively funky drums of Jay Mumford and fast-riffing guitar of Pablo Martin – as the duo augment their groove with some additional work on bass, percussion, and keyboards too! Yet there's not much else going on here besides the drums and guitar – which is great, as that brings a focus to the funky energy that some other groups have lost along the way – almost in break record territory at times, but with a fuller feeling in the grooves – on instrumentals that include "Tioli", "Du-Bo", "Bay B MoMa", "Hole In The Wall", "The Sun", "Asbestos", and "Can I Get Intuit". LP, Vinyl record album

A really majestic album from this mighty nice group – a set that references older space-themed albums from the postwar years, but which serves up the sound in the best style of the Ghost Funk Orchestra! There's cool use of NASA dialogue between some tracks – and rather than burst out in a countdown of rocket fuel, the music moves slowly, almost dreamily at times – really reveling in laidback funk and fuzz, while also coming across with a slightly cinematic vibe that the group's never had before! A few tracks really rise above the usual, sometimes with really great vocals or jazz solos – and titles include "Casadastra", "Space Walk", "A Solar Wind", "Helios", "Nova", "To The Moon", "Eyes Of Love", and "Infinite Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

Ray Harris is a heck of a great keyboardist – one with plenty of influences from the 60s and 70s, and a groove that more than lives up to the title of the set! The style's a bit less conventionally "fusion" than you might expect – and instead, there's almost a club jazz feel at times – modes from scenes like those at Irma or Ricky Tick, served up with plenty of warm touches, and a blend of real jazz instrumentation and solos with just a bit of occasionally programmed beats. Harris' plays piano, organ, clavinet, and Rhodes – often more than one on the same tune, for an approach that has that great blend of acoustic and electric elements you might find on some of the more soulful jazz sessions of the 70s. And there's also a bit of vocals on the record – but always used somewhat sparingly, in a way that takes a definite back stage to the long, grooving keyboard lines on the set! Titles include "The Sioux", "Scaramunga", "My Last Chance", "Interpretation", "There's Nothing Like You", "Origin", "Tokyo Blue", "One Of A Kind", and a great cover of "Riders On The Storm". (New Grooves, Deep Funk) CD

Khruangbin are well on their way to becoming superstars with this set – a package that revisits scraps of songs they'd never been able to work just right in the past, and has a way of making them all shine freshly in a very different light! Sure, the funk trio at the core are still in place – but the music has this more expansive quality, and almost a sunny vibe that fits the image of the window on the cover – as things are warmed up with a bit of smoothness that really complements their groove – almost a nod to mellower soul at times, which will really surprise listeners of some of their other work. Yet at the same time, Khruangbin never stop reworking themselves – either through collaborations with others, or fresh projects like this – with tracks that include "May Ninth", "Three From Two", "Juegos Y Nubes", "Todavia Viva", "Pon Pon", "Farolim De Felgueiras", and "Les Petits Gris". CD

A heady set from these two longtime funk legends – Eric Krasno on guitar and Stanton Moore on drums – working in a tight trio that also features Eric Finland on Hammond, Wurlitzer, and Mellotron – all in a sharply soulful groove that definitely lives up to the legacy of both players! Krasno has a nicely sharp edge at times, which really rings out wonderfully in the lean setting – and although the trio get a few guest visits from Cory Henry, Branford Marsalis, and Robert Randolph, we like them best on their own. Titles include "Stay High", "Lost Cause", "Fever", "Nobody's Baby", "Carried Away", "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free", and "A Natural Woman". LP, Vinyl record album