A really cool package, and one that goes past the easy old school hits from the early years of hip hop – and which instead brings together all these unusual strands of sound that really show how creative things were, right at the start! There's a number of tracks here that are a great surprise – nuggets we loved back in the day, and which spring to live here amidst other well-chosen tracks – all served up with the usual super-great notes and overall presentation we love from the Soul Jazz label. Many tracks have great basslines or boogie-styled grooves – from that moment when hip hop, funk, and soul were maybe more strong bedfellows than they would be a few years later – and themes are a nice mix of politics and partying, on titles that include "Get Live 83" by Carver Area High School Seniors, "Super Rock Body Shock" by Eye Beta Rock, "Street Talk" by Funky Constellation, "Do You Like That Funky Beat" by Kool Kyle The Starchild, "Jam To Remember" by Just Four, "Eei Eei O" by Silver Star, "Magic's Rap" by Magic's Trick, "Real Rocking Groove" by Chapter III, "To The Beat Y'All" by Sangrita, "Rappin & Rockin The House" by Funky Four Plus One More, "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by Mike T, and "Girls Of The World" by The Just Four. (Hip Hop, Funky Compilations) CD

A really cool package, and one that goes past the easy old school hits from the early years of hip hop – and which instead brings together all these unusual strands of sound that really show how creative things were, right at the start! There's a number of tracks here that are a great surprise – nuggets we loved back in the day, and which spring to live here amidst other well-chosen tracks – all served up with the usual super-great notes and overall presentation we love from the Soul Jazz label. Many tracks have great basslines or boogie-styled grooves – from that moment when hip hop, funk, and soul were maybe more strong bedfellows than they would be a few years later – and themes are a nice mix of politics and partying, on titles that include "Get Live 83" by Carver Area High School Seniors, "Super Rock Body Shock" by Eye Beta Rock, "Street Talk" by Funky Constellation, "Do You Like That Funky Beat" by Kool Kyle The Starchild, "Jam To Remember" by Just Four, "Eei Eei O" by Silver Star, "Real Rocking Groove" by Chapter III, "To The Beat Y'All" by Sangrita, "Rappin & Rockin The House" by Funky Four Plus One More, "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by Mike T, and "Girls Of The World" by The Just Four. (Hip Hop, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A real cooker – filled with tasty Latin grooves! The sound of the barrio is in full effect – from late 60s Latin Soul to early 70s Latin Funk, all very well-selected from a variety of labels, and put together with a range of grooves that will keep your ears dancing all the way through! The tunes go way past the obvious – enough that the album includes a few tracks we've never heard before, the kind of soulful Latin sides that always keep us looking for more. Titles include "Lay An Oz On Me Baby" by The Latin Blues Band, "The New Breed" by Louie Ramirez, "Ponte Duro" by Roberto Roena, "I'm Satisfied" by Joe Bataan, "Yroco" by Jimmy Sabater, "La Verdad" by Cortijo & His Time Machine, "Cisco Kid" by La Crema, "Return To Spanish Harlem" by Tony Middleton & Bobby Matos, "You Need Help" by Mongo Santamaria, and "Yo" by Bobby Valentin. LP, Vinyl record album

Not really the house of ages – given that most of these cuts are so rare, they're only making their first appearance here – but a great little collection that reminds us that there's still so much to discover in the funky underground of the last few years of the 20th Century! Jeremy Newell really knocks it out of the park with this one – and comes up with a deep, soulful collection of house tracks from the farthest reaches of the scene – either work that only appeared on very obscure singles, or didn't even make it past tape back in the day – leaping forth here with a wickedly groovy sound that's more than worth the wait. Titles include "Take Me Higher" by Jimi Polo, "I Promise (more beats for passion mix)" by Mark Rogers, "Keep On Pressing (KOT orig mix)" by Sean Grant, "More I Get" by Teleport feat Russell Patterson, "Yo Razor" by Arts & Craft with Razor Cain, "Don't Run Away" by Soul Dhamma, "When I See You (tight voc)" by Frank Youngwerth with Ernie, "Freak It (Tony Humprhies inst mix)" by Johanna, "Mainline (Roger S Ego trip mix)" by Tribal House, "We Can Make It (unreleased dub)" by UBQ Project, and "Deeper (Benji Candelario's deeper than deep unreleased mix)" by Susan Clark. CD

A very hip collection of older funky cuts – ones that have been sampled in recent years by hip hoppers, but which stand up plenty darn great on their own! Most tracks here should be quite familiar from recent uses of their key elements, but they sparkle even more brightly here in their original versions – as really stand out soul, jazz, and soundtrack tunes from the 60s and 70s! The package features full notes on all tracks, and also lists a key sampling of each number – and as usual for Jazzclub, you get plenty of greatness here for a very low price. Titles include "Today" by Tom Scott, "California Soul" by Marlena Shaw, "I Love You More & More" by Tom Brock, "Oba La Vem Ela" by Jorge Ben, "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones, "Yo Soy Cubano" by Chakachas, "Listen To Me" by Luiz Henrique, "Daylight" by Ramp, "Someday" by George Duke, "Get Up" by Vernon Burch, "Mellow Mellow Right On" by Lowrell Simon, "Enchanted Lady" by Milt Jackson & Ray Brown, "Jim On The Move" by Lalo Schifrin, "Viva Tirado" by El Chicano, and "Daydream" by Gunter Kallman Choir. CD

One of the most fantastic collections we've ever heard from DJ Amir – a set that may well blow away his classic On/Off Track sets for the depth of its spirit and feeling! Amir's been well-known as a crate digger for many years – and while digging for funk, soul, and hip hop on the New York scene, he's also come across plenty of rare Latin nuggets – not familiar salsa or crossover Latin Soul, but instead some much deeper numbers that show just how much spirit and imagination the music had when it was at its best! Most of the numbers here are from late 60s and 70s vintage – and many have this jazzy energy that goes way past just simple grooves, and which instead features the richer colors and complicated motions of some of Eddie Palmieri's music, especially in the 70s. Titles include the previously unreleased "Salsa (parts 1 & 2)" by Fito Foster – plus "Picadillo" by La Moderna Of New York, "Bomba" by Dax Pacem, "Paranoia" by Wayne Gorbea Y Su Conjunto Salsa, "Rogelio Tiene La Salsa" by Chino Y Su Conjunto Melao, "Yo No Bailo Con Juana" by Cortijo Y Kako, "Vete De Aqui" by Joey Aponte, "Asi Asi Descarga" by Mike Hernandez Y Su Sonora Casino, "Tembelque" by Louie Colon, "El Ritmo Soledad" by Orchestra Soledad, and "El Pulpo" by Joey Pastrana. CD

If there's anyone we'd trust with a trip through the Blue Note catalog, it's Jazzanova – as the group have been a key force in the jazz-inspired sound of the global dancefloor for many years! This set's the 4th in Blue Note's "Trip" series – and it may well be the best, as Jazzanova really know their way around a groove – and manage to get way past the obvious in their selection of tracks from the Blue Note catalog of the 60s and 70s. The hits are pushed aside for some lesser-known gems that stretch out with a wonderfully fluid approach to a jazzy groove – mixing together fusion, Latin, and soul jazz influences with ease! 2LP set features the titles "Afreaka" by Lee Morgan, "Think Twice" by Donald Byrd, "You Make Me Feel So Good" by Bobbi Humphrey, "Yu Yo" by Bobby Hutcherson, "I've Had A Little Talk" by Horace Silver, "Congalegra" by Horace Parlan, "Afrodisia" by Kenny Dorham, and "Beatrice" by Sam Rivers. LP, Vinyl record album

One of many volumes in Charly's great series of reissue compilations exploring the huge independent urban soul legacy of the 60's – covering ground from east to (mid)west! This set, like the others, has a huge amount of hard to get 45-only tracks, and features tracks originally issued on labels like SSS International, Mellow, Vee jay,. Sound Stage 7, Diamond and USA. 16 numbers in all, including "You'll Always Be In Style" by Sidney Barnes, "Now I'm In Love With You" by Marvin L Sims, "I Won't Stop To Cry" by Stormy, "I Don't Want To Hurt Nobody" by Ruby Winters, "Why Don't You Write" by Lee Bates, "I Can't Be Your Part Time Baby" by Gwen Davis, "Just Like A Yo Yo" by Ruby Winters, "My Love Is Gone" by the Shadows, "I Better Run" by Barrett Strong, "My Man Don't think I Know" by Gwen Davis, and "But I Couldn't" by Willie Harper. (Soul, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just a typical collection of rare funk and soul – as the selections here not only meet the stunningly high standards of the BGP label – but they've also been sampled in more recent years for hip hop records and other contemporary recordings! Essentially, you've got the best of both worlds – vintage funk from the late 60s and early 70s – brought together in a great collection – and work that's gone onto form the blueprint for contemporary urban sounds as well – which means you'll probably recognize some or part of most of these songs from their use in more contemporary recordings. Nearly every cut's been sampled at least more than once – and titles include "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Chick A Boom" by Pazant Brothers, "Eva" by Jean Jacques Perry, "Walk Tall" by Cannonball Adderley, "Baby Let Me Take You In My Arms" by Detroit Emeralds, "Bouncy Lady" by Pleasure, "Tramp" by Lowell Fulson, "Take Yo Praise" by Camille Yarbrough, "Thinking Single" by The Counts, "Different Strokes" by Syl Johnson, "Ike's Mood" by Isaac Hayes, "What A Man" by Linda Lynell, and "Smokey Joe's La La" by Googie Rene. Funky funky! LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy little compilation of rare cuts from the Vanguard label – featuring a great mix of soul, funk, and other groovy tracks! Includes the monster sample "E.V.A.", by Jean Jacques Perry; "Funky Monkey", by Chris Hills; "I Like It" by the Players Association; and (these are the ones we love) two cuts by the Pazant Brothers ("Loose & Juicy" and "Work Song", both totally rare and funky!) Also features the classic "Take Yo Praise" by Camille Yarbrough, plus more by Dave Burns and Jean Jaques Perry! LP, Vinyl record album

No soundclash here – as the grooves are all right on the money, and fit perfectly together throughout – a blinding blend of tropical-styled sounds that really lives up to the promise of the package! Sofrito have outdone themselves here – and come up with the kinds of tracks we'd never have found in a million years of digging – mostly vintage numbers from the late 70s and early 80s tropical scene – mixed with a few contemporary numbers that seem to have an equally classic sort of vibe! The package is an instant global grooves party right from the start – and titles include "O Ti Yo" by Midnight Groovers, "Cumbia Y Tambo" by La Pesada, "Ebolo" by Bell'A Njoh, "Vibrations Groove" by Lord Shorty & Vibrations International, ""Mwekuru Muthao" by Melodica Teens Band, "La Zorra Y El Perol" by Grupo Canalon De Tinbiqui, and "The Path (Sofrito edit)" by Concept Neuf. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary compilation from the Soul Jazz label – one of their early important records that helped give new exposure to a whole generation of spiritual jazz from the American scene! Titles include "Space 1" by David Durrah, "Space Is The Place" by Sun Ra, "Theme De Yo Yo" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Lions Of Judah" by Steve Reid, "Space Odyssey" by Marcus Belgrave, "Kitty Bey" by Byron Morris & Unity, "Empty Streets" by New Life Trio, and "Astral Travelling" by Pharoah Sanders. LP, Vinyl record album