A really wonderful collection from a time when the Italian scene was really on fire – getting past some of the more standard modes of Italo Disco of the 80s, and really stepping forward with some of the most soulful, uplifting sounds of house music! Given the way the earlier Italian work influenced the grooves in Chicago and New York clubs, the cultural exchange makes even more sense going the other way around – and the well-chosen cuts on this set represent the cream of the crop from this moment – really well-conceived, well-produced cuts that have a surprisingly soulful vibe throughout. Titles include the previously unreleased cuts "London (orig mix)" by Ricky Montanari & Davide Ruberto, and "Melt The Sun" by Ivan Iacobucci – plus "Let's Face The Music" by Night Communication, "Switch Back" by Green Baize, "Get Up" by Mental Detector, "So In Love With You (club)" by Sound Set, "Make My Move (Tira dub)" by Workin Happily, "Give You Myself (Ethos Mama dub)" by Sima, and "In Total Darkness (irregular dub)" by More Heavy Soul. (House Music, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Classy soul and killer grooves – a great helping of rare New York sides from the late 60s – all of which show a great evolution of the Uptown style from a few years before! Things are polished, but never too smooth or commercial at all – and instead, the music's got this quality of coming right from the heart of the music scene of the time – the cream of the crop, right from the top – and that includes singers, songwriters, and session help too! Vocals are mighty deep throughout – and the tracks all have a strong indie pedigree, as they're pulled from the labels Wand, Scepter, and Musicor – all imprints we always check out when digging for rare singles. As usual, Kent's gone way beyond expectations – not just with the track selection, but with full notes too – for a total of 24 tracks that include "Runaway Slave" by Joe Perkins, "That Girl" by Porgy & The Monarchs, "Kiss & Make Up" by The Inspirations, "I Don't Want Nobody To Lead Me On" by The Masqueraders, "Horsin Around" by Benny Gordon & The Soul Brothers, "Lonely Weatherman" by The Premiers, "A Man A Woman" by Chris Bartley, "I Just Gotta Have You" by Nella Dodds, "Knick Knack Patty Wack" by Lou Lawton, "No Jealous Lover" by Lois Lane, and "I'm Gonna Have A Party" by Ed Bruce. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

An incredible collection – and one that fills in a crucially under-documented side of the New York dancefloor generation – the wealth of special mixes and edits that were made for that city's important DJs for their own use in clubs! The package sorts through a mountain of never-issued acetates, and goes way past conventional disco or rare club collections – to showcase the special mixing talents these DJs brought to their re-presentation of the material – which was usually done on tape, then pressed onto acetate discs for their own private use! Those rare treasures are brought forth here – in a beautiful package that's also overflowing with fantastic notes that finally give this lost history its due – all handled by Al Kent – who's a hell of a mixer himself, as well as an underground club historian. Vinyl part 1 features five different records, all with lots of space for the tunes to stretch out – and titles include "I Just Wanna Say I Love You (John Luongo rmx)" by Leon Collins, "What About Love (Tony Gioe rmx)" by Marboo, "Ten Percent (Walter Gibbons Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by Double Exposure, "Inside America (Rick Gianatos disco queen acetate edit)" by Juggy Murray Jones, "Dancing Free (John Luongo rmx)" by Hot Ice, "Black Water Gold (Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by The Sunshine Band, "Magic Bird Of Fire (Francois Kevorkian Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by Salsoul Orchestra, "It's Good For The Soul (Jay Negron Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by Salsoul Orchestra, "My Love Is Free (Walter Gibbons disco madness rmx)" by Double Exposure, "Reaching Out For Happiness (Jonathan Fearing rmx)" by Fay Hauser, "Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Tom Savarese rmx)" by Love Symphony Orchestra, "The Beat Goes On & On (Jim Burgess rmx)" by Ripple, "I Wanna Be Near You (John Morales Sunshine Sound acetate edit)" by Ruby Andrews, "I've Been Looking For Somebody (Walter Gibbons rmx)" by TC James & The Fist O Funk Orchestra, "The Disco Scene (Rick Gianatos rmx)" by Lake Shore Drive, "Bumpsie's Whipping Cream (Tom Savarese rmx)" by TC James & The Fist O Funk Orchestra, and "Janice (Bobby DJ Guttadoro rmx)" by Skip Mahoney. LP, Vinyl record album

A totally wonderful collection of work from Malaco Records – an imprint that's best known for its southern soul, blues, and gospel recordings – but one that's also got a fair bit of modern soul in its catalog as well! In fact, Malaco was really instrumental in helping move forward the torch of southern soul at a time when other bigger labels like Stax, TK, and Atlantic were really losing steam – and the cuts here are the cream of the crop from a time when Malaco was turning out some amazing sounds that rival the best modern soul from scenes in Chicago, New York, or Philly! If you only know the deep soul side of Malaco, you'll really be stunned here – and the set does a great job of pulling out some lesser-known recordings from the label, in the best Free Soul tradition. Over 80 minutes of music – with tracks that include "I Can't Do Enough For You Baby" by Tommy Tate, "Groovin" by Power, "I Need Your Love" by Patterson Twins, "Girl Overboard" by Dorothy Moore, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "You Used To Be Mine" by Mosley & Johnson, "Make It With You" by Ruby Wilson, "I'm For Real" by King Floyd, "Give Me Your Love" by GC Cameron, "When Can We Do This Again" by ZZ Hill, "Let Your Love Rain Down On Me" by Jewel Bass, and "Pillow Talk" by Fern Kinney. CD

A very well-titled set – and the best so far in this cutting-edge series! The "beats and pieces" this time around are mostly underground club tracks from the past few years – the cream of the crop of the best bits that hit our New Grooves section, often served up in harder-to-find mixes that represent the best version of the tunes so far! There's no overall stylistic logic to the set, which is what makes it so great – as mellow soul steps into funky club, into spacey fusion, global house, 21st century groove, then dancefloor jazz! 2CD set features 22 tracks that include "Wake Up" by Herbert, "La Malanga (Kenny Dope rmx)" by Bobby Hutcherson, "Fall Into You" by Stateless, "Hot In Here" by Tiga with Jake Shears, "Take Off (Nicola Conte's Campi's Idea version)" by Nathan Haines and Marco Di Marco, "Bukom Mashie" by Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band, "Somebody New" by Georg Levin with Clara Hill, "Besides Myself" by DJ Shaheer Williams, "Timbuktu" by Pan African Electronic Beats, "Someone To Love" by Crusho, "Love & War (version)" by Amp Fiddler, "Forty Days" by Billy Brooks, and "Fall Into You" by Stateless. CD

The vaults of Fania Records, plumbed by the Jazzman crew – all in a double-strength approach to Latin grooves! The wealth of great music on Fania, Tico, and related labels is well-known to Latin groovers worldwide – but the Jazzman crew have managed to bring a nicely fresh perspective to the labels here – going for cuts that show the labels' appeal to the funky 45 underground, thanks to a healthy dose of soul, jazz, and funk in the mix! Most of these numbers represent the cream of the crop of the New York scene of the late 60s and early 70s – not the mainstream one, but the side that was bubbling under uptown – as influences from Spanish Harlem mixed in nicely with older influences from Cuba and Puerto Rico. CD features 18 tracks in all – most of the numbers that were previously on the expensive 7" box sets that were part of the Fania/Jazzman project – and the set also features all the original notes on each tune too. Titles include "Doug's Room" by Mauricio Smith, "Come An Get It" by Eddie Palmieri & Cal Tjader, "Soana" by Noro Morales, "Hit The Bongo" by Tito Puente, "Geronimo" by Bobby Valentin, "Fever" by La Lupe, "Soul Drummers" by Ray Barretto, "Black Brothers" by Tito Puente, "Mambomongo" by Mongo Santamaria, "Camel Walk" by The Latinaires, "Tighten Up" by Al Escobar, "I Got The Feeling" by Chollo, "Use It Before You Lose It" by Bobby Valentin, and "Never Learned To Dance" by Harvey Averne. CD

Hardly the kind of music you'd want to keep in the basement – as the set's overflowing with classic soul from the 60s – especially the kind of underground nuggets we love so much! If we had to pick a style, we might say that the collection's heavy on Northern Soul rompers from the American indie scene way beyond Detroit – but there's also lots of other tasty flavors on here too, including some special west coast numbers and early funk tracks that really give the whole thing a great sense of variety – while still keeping to the upbeat, lively rhythms that make the set so great! Every track's a winner – and although most of these tracks never charted at the time, most have gone onto win big fame through constant circulation between DJs and collectors over the past few decades. Titles include "Sock It To Em Soul Brother" by Bill Moss, "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles, "Sign On The Dotted Line" by Gene Latter, "Peaches N Cream" by The Ikettes, "Tramp" by Lowell Fulsom, "I'll Never Forget You" by Marke & Chris Jackson, "Take It Baby" by The Showmen, "Ooh Wee Baby I Love You" by Fred Jackson, "Giving Up" by The Ad Libs, "With This Ring" by The Platters, "One Eye Open" by Maskman & The Agents, "Baby Please Come Back Home" by JJ Barnes, "Gotta Give Her Love" by The Volumes, and "Believe In Me Baby (part 1)" by Jesse James & The Dynamic Four. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Maybe not the complete roots of African funk, but a set that does a great job of bringing together a range of different cuts that show the new sounds and styles that were really hitting the scene as the 70s moved in – work from a wide variety of sources, but which all seems to share a sound and spirit with some of the newly independent African nations! There's a few African funk cuts in the mix, but the more interesting ones are almost those from the Anglo world that show a similar sense of groove, but with a slightly different vibe – coming across here on cuts that include "Waterbed (inst)" by LTD Exchange, "African Queen" by Allez Allez, "Them Changes" by Lionel Hampton, "Sangandongo" by Niagara, "Wassahoumba" by Africa Djole, "Do The Choo Choo" by Jack Ashford, "Africa Gone Funky" by Screaming Jay Hawkins, "Super Kumba" by Manu Dibango, "Tite Rope" by Harold Alexander, "Fat City Strut" by Mandrill, and "Corey Died On The Battlefield" by Wild Magnolias. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful collection of modern mellow music – served up in a set that features very different territory than the usual sorts of compilations given to us by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs – not the older music that they put together so well, but work from an early 90s moment when the duo were a rising part of the British scene as Saint Etienne! Yet despite that connection, they nicely provide a generous overview of a slightly different vibe – mellow tracks that followed in the wake of the big Brit dance explosion of the late 80s – not entirely the downtempo modes that you might expect, at least in the way that "downtempo" has come to mean instrumental hip hop over the years – and instead, some nicely kicked back tracks from some of the more creative studio talents of the time! Titles include "Never Get Out The Boat (flying mix)" by The Aloof, "Spiritual High (moodfood megamix)" by Moodswings, "Floatation" by The Grid, "Afrika (love & laughter rmx)" by History, "Cascades (hypnotone mix)" by Sheer Taft, "It Could Not Happen (essential trance hall mix)" by Critical Rhythm, "Higher Than The Sun (higher than the Orb ext mix)" by Primal Scream, "Snappiness (7" edit)" by BBG, "I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You (Marshall Jefferson symphony mix)" by Soul Family Sensation, "Temple Head (Pacific mix airwaves)" by Transglobal Underground, and "Speedwell (radio edit)" by Saint Etienne. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

A beautiful collection of modern mellow music – served up in a set that features very different territory than the usual sorts of compilations given to us by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs – not the older music that they put together so well, but work from an early 90s moment when the duo were a rising part of the British scene as Saint Etienne! Yet despite that connection, they nicely provide a generous overview of a slightly different vibe – mellow tracks that followed in the wake of the big Brit dance explosion of the late 80s – not entirely the downtempo modes that you might expect, at least in the way that "downtempo" has come to mean instrumental hip hop over the years – and instead, some nicely kicked back tracks from some of the more creative studio talents of the time! Titles include "Never Get Out The Boat (flying mix)" by The Aloof, "Spiritual High (moodfood megamix)" by Moodswings, "Floatation" by The Grid, "Afrika (love & laughter rmx)" by History, "Cascades (hypnotone mix)" by Sheer Taft, "It Could Not Happen (essential trance hall mix)" by Critical Rhythm, "Higher Than The Sun (higher than the Orb ext mix)" by Primal Scream, "Snappiness (7" edit)" by BBG, "I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You (Marshall Jefferson symphony mix)" by Soul Family Sensation, "Temple Head (Pacific mix airwaves)" by Transglobal Underground, and "Speedwell (radio edit)" by Saint Etienne. (Rock, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

John Savage offers us a mighty nice look at the years of post-disco, and post-post-punk – served up here in a great mix of music from a time when soulful styles were mixing it up with returning rock on the dancefloor! The work here is from a time when the UK scene was having big global impact with a new sort of sound – often with a fair dose of electric energy, sometimes darker and more industrialized, sometimes lighter and catchy – and a perfect fit for some of the street soul styles happing in the US as well! Most acts here are British, but there's a few key American groups two – blended together in the kind of cuts that made clubs like Danceteria or The Hacienda such a delight back in the day. As usual, the notes are superb – a special Savage touch – and titles include "Techno City (voc)" by Cybotron, "Telephone Operator" by Pete Shelly, "Soweto" by Malcolm McLaren, "All Tomorrow's Parties" by Japan, "Bright Lights" by The Special AKA, "What Presence" by Orange Juice, "No Sell Out" by Malcom X mixed by Keith LeBlanc, "I Want You" by Cabaret Voltaire, "Think Fast" by Pamela Joy, "Looking From A Hilltop" by Section 25, "Why" by Bronski Beat, "Sunspots" by Julian Cope, "Never Understand" by Jesus & Mary Chain, "Heat" by Soft Cell, "The Rock Steady Grew" by Rock Steady Crew, "Disappearing Act" by Shalamar, "Lined Up" by Shriekback, and "Life's A Scream" by A Certain Ratio. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

Includes music by Ministry, MC Hammer, Silk, Kriss Kross, Space Hog, Collective Soul, Sleater-Kinney, Dinosaur Jr, Gin Blossoms, Weezer, Salt-N-Pepa, They Might Be Giants, The Posies, Ice-T, Cibo Matto, the Goo Goo Dolls, Primus, Screaming Trees, Naughty By Nature, Wilco, and others. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

The cover's a bit cheesy, but the grooves are great – very much what we've come to expect from this long-running series that always serves up some great funky tracks! Mood Mosaic's been around for a long time, and they've got a great reputation for mixing together tracks you might not normally find on a compilation – not just standard soul and funk tracks, but some more unusual numbers from unlikely sources – which work together with the others to create a very cool vibe throughout! Titles include "The Build Up" by Alan Tew, "Balek" by Placebo, "Izzy Come Izzy Go" by Funk Revolution, "Silent Scream" by Dave Myers Effect, "Kulawy Wojtek" by Nibiesko Czarni, "Mr Deal" by JC Heavy, "Hakusha" by The Neopolitans, "Funky Chimes (parts 1 & 2)" by Soul Scracchers, "Cosmic Sea" by Mystic Moods, and "A Man" by Key & Cleary. CD

The cover's a bit cheesy, but the grooves are great – very much what we've come to expect from this long-running series that always serves up some great funky tracks! Mood Mosaic's been around for a long time, and they've got a great reputation for mixing together tracks you might not normally find on a compilation – not just standard soul and funk tracks, but some more unusual numbers from unlikely sources – which work together with the others to create a very cool vibe throughout! Titles include "The Build Up" by Alan Tew, "Balek" by Placebo, "Izzy Come Izzy Go" by Funk Revolution, "Silent Scream" by Dave Myers Effect, "Kulawy Wojtek" by Nibiesko Czarni, "Mr Deal" by JC Heavy, "Hakusha" by The Neopolitans, "Funky Chimes (parts 1 & 2)" by Soul Scracchers, "Cosmic Sea" by Mystic Moods, and "A Man" by Key & Cleary. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest African collections we've seen in years – a beautiful assortment of untapped grooves from the 70s, put together with a massive booklet that sets a whole new standard in packaging! The grooves here are different from other Afro Funk collections of the time – definitely more in the raw and psychedelic territory promised by the title, and filled with hard-edged vocals that surely know how to scream! There's still plenty of funk in the rhythms, but the execution is often quite unusual – less directly influenced by American soul, and very much off in its own direction. Lots of choppy guitar, too – and the set comes with a massive 42 page booklet filled with full color images and loads of notes. Titles include "Gbeti Madjro" by Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo De Cotonou, "Mi Ma Kpe Dji" by Picoby Band D'Aborney, "Mi Kple Dogbekpo" by Lokonon Andre & Les Volcans, "Oya Ka Jojo" by Les Volcans De La Capital, "Ou C'Est Lui Ou C'Est Moi" by Vincent Ahehehinnou, "Wait For Me" by Roger Damawuzan, "Leki Santchi" by Napo De Mi Amor Et Ses Black Devils, "Ye Nan Lon An" by Orchestre Super Jheevs Des Paillotes, and "Houiou Djin Nan Zon Aklumon" by Discafric Band. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A killer! Take the funky genius of Kenny Dope and Keb Darge, set them loose on a pile of rare funky 45s, and you've got one of the best sets of music we've ever carried! Both guys really know their stuff – and they've done an excellent job with this set, which is easily as great as any of the Keb Darge ones, if not better! Hard drums, rumbling bass, blaring horns, choppy guitars, and screaming vocals abound – and the set's a great blend of instrumental and vocal funk, all with that deep deep deep sound that never gets old! Titles include "Get It Off The Ground" by Joe Coleman, "I Got Some" by Billy Gardner, "UFO" by Micky & Them, "Contradiction" by Total Experience, "Soul Food" by Frankie Seay & The Soul Riders, "I Turn You On" by Latin Breed, "Don't Push Your Luck" by The Peacemakers, "Grandma's Funky Popcorn" by The Soul Generals, "Ghost A Go Go" by Richard Rome, and "Cissy Strut N American Woman" by The Willard Posey Reunion. Great stuff – and 20 cuts in all! CD