A tune with a wonderfully laidback groove – very slow-moving, but groovy too – a great vibe to offset the vocals from Willie Griffin – which have an edge that's almost deep soul, but which come across here in more of a sweet soul mode! The tune's an incredibly unique soul track ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
An uptempo funk gem from Binky Griptite – guitarist for the Dap-Kings, so you know he has true school funk & soul in his blood, but he's also a pretty effective vocalist – totally driving it home on "The Stroll"! "The Stroll" is straight up, unambiguously about ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Spacey club soul from DJ Friction's Ground Control project – and another win for Chicago's Star Creature label! "Step Out" has a great dancefloor-ready vibe from the opening bit of beats and synth groove, but once the vocals kick it goes to another level, thanks the soulful vocals ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Hanz Mambo lives up to the watery sound of his previous single with "Mer Baltique" – a dreamy little instrumental that has lots of echoey guitar over a slowly-loping groove – complete with some very nice watery effects in the middle! "Breaking Wave" is slower and ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A moody little funk track from the production genius of Misha Panfilov – whose work seems to be moving more and more into a category of its own! "The Rays" has a strange, spare vocal chorus that's abstracted and echoed in the production – used wordlessly alongside an echoey ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A contemporary gospel group, but one that reminds us of those really cool spiritual acts from the New York scene at the 70s – when gospel styles were blending with soul, and coming up with a very righteous new style in the process! "He's On Time" is upbeat, funky, and fantastic ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
The Soulful Saints provide this gentle swing behind the vocals of Camellia Hartman – almost a 60s two-step sort of groove, which really fits the lighter style of Hartman – which we really appreciate in a world that's sometimes too full of over-belting soul singers! "Return The ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Common, yes, but it's still a classic, and an original 45 with two great cuts from the soundtrack! "Shaft" is that track that you've heard a million times – but which is still an undeniable funky pleasure year after year. "Cafe Reggios" is a smooth guitar-based ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
We DO wanna groove, when spurred onto the dancefloor neo classic boogie funk on the level of Hidden Groove that is! "Do You Want To Groove" has lean spacey electro-inspired beat, chunky bits of synth that have one fit in the 80s and the other in the future. "Funkin All The Time" ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A wicked bit of soulful funk from Monk! "Who Dun It" is a really sly number – vamping all the way through with a stepping bass and snapping snare – as Monk blows it clean, lean, and soulfully over the top! "These Days" is a ballad – with much more of a late ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A fantastic single from Monk Higgins! "Mister Luckee" is a spare slow hard-grooving single – an organ/sax groover with a slow dance beat that's a bit like "Madison Time" (complete with calls), but pushed over the top by some wild instrumental soloing on organ, and by this ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
ZZ Hill sounds a bit more upbeat here than usual, but in a really great way – offering up his own take on the Betty Swann tune with a wonderfully raspy vocal that fills the tune full of honest charm! "Love Is Gonna Get You" is done here in a rare "brass version" by Peggy ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Catchy title, but the song's not as funky as you might think. It's still pretty nice - but the groove's a loping midtempo one, with sweet southern instrumentation, and lots of lightly riffing guitar. 7-inch, Vinyl record
A fantastic little record – some of the earliest funk work we've ever heard from the legendary Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino – featured here on two tracks for the soundtrack of Snake Hip! First up is "On The Corner" – a tune that's got lots of heavy electric piano in ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
We can never figure out why these guys didn't become huge – because stuff like this is just wonderful! "I'll Love You Forever" is a strong midtempo harmony number – with a slow vocal that's really great, laid out in an anthemic style that has a spooky finish on the chorus! ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Fantastic 70s soul! A hook-heavy cut with a sublime 70s soul midtempo sound that sends us back to it again and again over the years. 7-inch, Vinyl record
A deep groove from Lou Ragland and Hot Chocolate – the mighty "Ain't That A Groove" – a tune that provides the own answer to its question! The whole thing's got this deep, righteous approach to funk – somewhere in the same territory as Norman Whitfield with the ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
The magnificent voice of Tommy Hunt is in a perfect setting here – stepping strings over a great uptown soul groove – cool and classy, but also pretty darn catchy – putting Hunt in the same sort of territory as Chuck Jackson or Jerry Butler on their best mid 60s groovers! The cut ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Two sock-soul groovers – back to back! Herbert Hunter's got this full, rich voice that's completely magnificent – a smooth polish over the top of the grooves, which have this vibrant energy that's like Motown moving down to Nashville – bumped up a bit along the journey, but in ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
One of those singles we could play forever – and which makes us want to jump all around the room, bouncing off the furniture, tables, TV set, and floor! "The Gorilla" is a stone killer – raw raw harmony vocals dipping, turning, dancing, dipping again with a mad noisy ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
One of those singles we could play forever – and which makes us want to jump all around the room, bouncing off the furniture, tables, TV set, and floor! "The Gorilla" is a stone killer – raw raw harmony vocals dipping, turning, dancing, dipping again with a mad noisy ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(Rainbow label pressing. Both labels have a good amount of peeling, with "Gorilla" written in pen on the corresponding side.)
Heady Afro Funk from Ikebe Shakedown – a tight little tune that sums up everything the group does so well – with sharp riffing guitar in the rhythms, lots of lively percussion, and horn parts that really flesh out the mood! "View From Above" is deeper funk overall – ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Infinity have a really unusual groove here on "Put Everything In Place" – a mode that has a bassline upfront, but a bit more complicated than usual – with some nice changes that are also reflected in the harmony vocals that cascade around the lead of the tune! The track's ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Tremendous soul from The Intruders! "Love Is Like A Baseball Game" is simply incredible – a wonderful little tune that's incredibly catchy, and which rolls along in a sing-song groove that matches the chorus perfectly. Vocals are wonderfully fragile, yet totally sweet – and ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
One of our favorite Isley Brothers funk numbers! "Take Inventory" has a great groove – slow, sexy, and with a funky quotient that's hard to deny. The lyrics are totally catchy, and the vamping style of the band is really over the top! "Spill The Wine" is a great remake ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Great stuff! We love Deon Jackson – we love his voice, we love his songs, and we love the great production he gets from the legendary Ollie McLaughlin! This single is one of his great early ones – and although it's a bit of a shameless follow-up to "Love Makes The World Go ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(Red label pressing with black print. Label has a drillhole.)
An amazing groover from Michael's first big adult years – a hard-grooving dancefloor anthem that never gets old – and which proves that when he was on the money, he could be pretty darn amazing! 7-inch, Vinyl record
A crowning moment of the Chicago soul scene of the 60s! Nobody was better than Walter Jackson at Iceman soul – and no cut of his carried this off better than the sublime "It's All Over" – one of those incredible tunes that we never tire of hearing! "Lee Cross" is ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A nice little track from The Jackson Sisters – mellower than some of their other work, but with a sweetly swaying groove that's still quite compelling! The vocal approach is kind of in the Ann Sexton mode – with arrangements by Paul Riser that bubble up from under to give the track ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A rare bit of blue-eyed soul from the Philly scene of the 70s – tight and funky, with this romping bassline that really drives the whole thing along – as Jack Jacobs croons out a meaningful lead that's got a strong Free Soul vibe! The tune's got this warmly funky quality that's great ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(Limited edition – with bonus 16 page Melozine magazine, with pages of information on Jack – and an article on Zeriiya Zekkariyas, aka Linda Womack!)
A nice little 7-inch EP of drum breaks by Jake Najor of Surefire Soul Ensemble! Raw drum breaks from a modern funky drums guru – 4 per side and the titles include " Thirteen", "Nine", "Five", "Two", "Costaliving", "Guantanamo" and ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(Plays at 33 1/3 – and a includes download with bonus beats!)
A solid rocksteady stepper from The Jamaicans – a group whose sublime harmonies really take the groove to a whole new level! The flipside features a very echoey take on the same rhythm – served up by Duke Reid, but with an approach that's very early experimental dub! (Reggae, Funky 45's)7-inch, Vinyl record
Nice one! "The Horse" is a tasty vocal version of Cliff Nobles' big hit – and it's got a very similar backing to the original, plus some nice lyrics about the track. "The Mule" is an instrumental, with a similar sound, too. Both cuts are written by Jesse James – ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Hard rockin' funky JB's classic, with a stone funky groove! "If You Don't Get It" is a slammer – all party funk, in the best Fred Wesley mode, and slammin all the way through! 7-inch, Vinyl record
One of the best breakbeat tracks you'll ever find from the JBs! This original single includes parts 1, 2, & 3 of this monster cut from the "Damn Right I Am Somebody" LP – which are more than were on the album version! A classic, and still one of the best cuts ever by the JBs! 7-inch, Vinyl record
George Johnson is plenty woke on this tight funky number – a tune that explodes with heavy drums, popping bass, and riffing guitar beneath George's super-powerful vocals in the lead – which then step aside for a mighty tenor solo in the middle! "Penn Walk" follows in a very ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A rare 7" single from Savoy – one that features early work from trombonist JJ Johnson! Titles include "Rifette", "Down Vernon's Alley", "Boneology", and "Yesterdays". 7-inch, Vinyl record
Excellent Twinight material from Syl Johnson backed by Pieces Of Peace– filled with the kind of deep soul that still makes him a favorite after all these years, and with a nice dash of Chicago funk thrown into the mix! "Concrete Reservation"'s got a nice bass-y groove to it, and ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Sweet soul meets funky soul on this gem of a single from Durand Jones & The Indications – as there's a nice chunky rhythm at the bottom, and this wonderful warm vocal interplay floating over the top – with a mighty sweet message to match! "True Love" is also pretty sweet ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
The first new songs from Durand Jones & The Indications in a couple years! "You & Me" kicks off with a raw soul guitar before the sweet vocals, deft harmonies and drums kick in and it settles into a natural deep soul gem reminiscient of some of the great rare indie soul singles of ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
How many times have we said that! "Makin Love On The First Night" is a beautiful cut – southern/modern, with a sweet midtempo groove that's made the track a favorite of ours for years – the kind of non-LP smooth soul cut that shows that funk fans aren't the only ones who need ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A pair of the best tracks from the instant classic, mainstream attention seizing I Learned The Hard Way – "Better Things" and "Window Shopping on a 45 – as they should be, because these are neo jukebox classics of the highest caliber! "Better Things" is a ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A fantastic funky single from Sharon Jones – a tune that dips, turns, swells, and grooves – all with an even more fantastic demonstration of her vocal skills than usual – and support from the Dap-Kings that show again that they're one of the best funky bands in the business! ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A rare indie track from Thelma Jones – recorded down in Florida with a nicely burning groove! "I Can't Stand It" moves along at a slow-stepping, yet funky sort of pace – with a chunky rhythm that really lets Thelma take off with her vocals in the lead! "Only ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A great back-to-back set of Northern soul! "Carlena" is a hard-rolling groover by Just Brothers – an obscure 60s harmony combo with a rough edge that's just right for the groove! The Honey Bees really kick it on "Let's Get Back Together" – a tune produced here with ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Great harmony soul! Both cuts are stellar – with that kind of spare, post-doo wop 60s soul harmony sound that we love to death. The production is by Gene Dozier, and Frankie Karl's vocals really send us! A great lost winner! 7-inch, Vinyl record
A very cool take on the tune first made famous by Peggy Lee – done here in a mode that's equally jazzy, but a bit offbeat too! The vocals and rhythms criss-cross in this interesting way – and there's some odd instrument on the chorus, maybe a melodica – which is offset by a ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(And we're not sure, but we think the single features the same cut on both sides!)