Sample funk spun from records rescued by The Numero Group – edited by white label production crew Shoes without Numero's consent – which was then seized by Numero at the pressing plant, they bootlegged the bootleg, and release it here legitimately as Eccentric Breaks & Beats! The breakbeat funk aware will recognize the packaging for its parody of the Ultimate Breaks & Beats series – and however you feel about the politics of grey market music – creatively, this thing is a total win! Numero takes such impeccable care with their reissues, from the masters to the notes and packaging, we actually never really thought of the music as sample material – funky as the funkiest of their ouvre is! That's a testament to the curators of Numero, as the singers, players and producers of the original material are of paramount importance and we think of them individually when we listen to those compilations. Shoes, on the other hand (. . .or foot), heard potential for hypnotic, swirling psych funk blends and spins an undeniably creative set to suit. Titles include "Give Me Another Day", "Not Ready For School", "John Goodman Is Too Cool To Cry", "Peopleibrium", "Feel What Lies Behind You", "Saving Mr Billy's Soul", "Cosmic Clock", "Which Jesus Am I", "Everything" and more. CD

There's an island on the cover, but the music is all-soul, all the way through – a great collection of classic mellow moments from years back, plus a few excellent choices from more recent years as well! Still, the island's a great image for the sound of the set – as the music has this kicked-back vibe that provides a nice sort of escape from the everyday world – heavenly soul sounds that come both from rare classics, and some of the best of the current underground – brought together with the kind of care and class we've come to expect from the folks at Expansion Records. A wonderful mix of tunes – with titles that include "Remember To Remember" by Rick Holmes, "Under The Moon & Over The Sky" by Angela Bofil, "Living So Fast" by Novocento with Danni Gottlieb & Dave Liebman, "I Choose You" by Paris, "You Are My Starship" by Norman Connors, "It Should Be you" by Ashanti Munir & Neil Letendre, "He Mandu (mother mix)" by Mouth Music, "Far Beyond" by Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band, "It's Like Air" by Sunny Hawkins, "Blending Colors" by Debra Debs, "Unconditional Love" by Greg Dean with Chantae Cann & Jarrod Lawson, "Mississippi Delta Blues" by Lamar Thomas with Carrie K Thomas, and "Peace In The Middle East" by Miri Ben-Ari & Kerri Chandler. CD

A huge amount of 12" singles, stuffed into one mighty nice 4CD set – maybe not the greatest of all time, but still pretty darn wonderful overall! The set does an especially great job of looking at a late 70s moment when some of the hipper soul artists were able to get the extra space of a 12" single to really open up their sound – grooves that move past the shorter space of a 7", and really do plenty in the process – often in ways that are much more interesting than some of the overplayed disco of the time. There's 43 long grooves on the set – all 12" singles – and titles include "Space Age" by Jimmy Castor, "You Are A Star" by Aquarian Dream, "Flashlight" by Parliament, "Good Times" by Chic, "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure, "I Should've Loved Ya" by Narada Michael Walden, "Fantastic Voyage" by Lakeside, "You're My Occupation (ext)" by Chaz Jankel, "Expansions" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "And The Beat Goes On" by the Whispers, "You Got The Floor" by Arthur Adams, "Do It Any Way You Wanna (Tom Moulton mix)" by People's Choice, "Do What You Wanna Do" by T-Connection, "Twilight (inst)" by Maze, "You + Me + Love" by Undisputed Truth, "More Bounce To The Ounce (parts 1 & 2)" by Zapp, "Now That We Found Love (disco mix)" by Third World, "Hi Tension" by Hi Tension, "Dancing In Outer Space" by Atmosfear, "Money's Too Tight To Mention" by Valentine Brothers, "Searching" by Change, and "Running Away" by Roy Ayers. CD

A pretty fantastic selection of rare disco tracks from the American underground – all of them infused with a spiritual message, but served up with grooves that go head to head with some of the best underground club of the time! The mix of positive energy and upbeat grooves is wonderful – and if you've ever heard the Clark Sisters club classic "You Brought The Sunshine", then you'll definitely know the spirit of these tunes! If you're worried about the message being one that you're not into, don't – because there's sort of a universal spirit going on here – one that gets past conventions of the church, and which really goes for a general uplifting message that's totally great – almost a precursor to some of the positive house in more recent decades. And speaking of house, there's less of that here than you'd expect – as most of the instrumentation and production are strongly in the best New York underground modes from the disco years – with less of any 80s or electro soul elements. Titles include "I Believe" by Calvin B Rhone, "Imitations" by Johnson Family Gospel Singers, "Change" by Wisdom, "On That Other Shore" by Harrison Jones & The Voices Of Harmony, "I've Been Converted" by The Converters, "Ain't No Way To Do Wrong" by New Creation, "Take It To The Streets" by Prophecy, "Let The Lord Come In Your Life" by Wisdom, "Keep The Fire" by Paradise, and "Jesus Is On The Mainline" by Mr Jesse R McGuire. CD

It's no secret that the city of Rio De Janeiro has an amazing musical legacy – one that began in the years before bossa nova became their calling card in the 60s, through so many musical revolutions in the 70s – on up to the current day, when the city is still abuzz with all sorts of amazing and fresh musical styles! Not long ago, we were very plugged into the sound of Rio through countless great records issued on the Brazilian scene – but more recently, things have gone digital and a bit more underground – which makes a collection like this such an essential way of keeping in touch with the music – a really well-done collection that shows just how much has been happing in Brazil in recent years! There's definitely echoes of older styles in the music, but they resonate with a freshness that's amazing – with qualities that make each new tune on the set a real delight – in a lineup that features titles that include "Sigo Num Site/Marmore" by Rosabege, "Vento De Bierada" by Dora Morelenbaum, "Bandeide" by Troa, "Gigolo" by Jonas Sa, "Soar Estranho" by Tiago Nassif, "Cliche" by Pedro Fonte, "Saudade"b y Ana Frango Electrico, "Avos De Experienca" by Exercito De Bebes, "Briga De Familia" by Vovo Bebe, "Apreco Antigo" by Le Ameida, "Sambolero" by Os Ritmistas, and "Dois Litorais" by Joana Quieroz. (Brazil, Funky Compilations) CD

The long-awaited third volume Original Raw Soul – a set that pulls together rare funky soul singles by the revolving roster of players led by the Whitefield Brothers – singles that ultimately became just as rare as the obscure funk 45s that inspired them! Nowadays, The Whitefield Brothers, their Poets Of Rhythm and associated acts can be credited for spurring the funk & raw soul revival of the 00s onward. At the time, some of the singles would appear and be hyped as reissues of regional rarities from back in the day – and they're so damn authentic, it was pretty easy to believe! Straight up raw funk instros, some jazzier gems with flute and female vox, organ-drenched jams and more credited to New Process, Poets Of Rhythm, Karl Hector & The Malcouns, Bajka, Whitefield Brothers, Polyversal Souls and more! Includes "Bus People Theme" and "Freedom" by New Process, "Summer Days (Instrumental)" and "Flight To St Vincent" by Poets Of Rhythm, ""Will Power" and "Money For Born, Money For Die" by Transgressors (both previously unreleased), "A Vision" and "The Only Religion That I Believe" by Bajka, "$600 Song" by Mercy Sluts, "Muswell Hill Run" by Polyversal Souls, "The Bastard" by Whitefield Brothers and more. CD

Sublime soul from the great Thom Bell – one of our favorite arranger, producer, songwriters of all time – and a talent who really helped push the Philly soul scene much farther than most during the 70s! Bell was trained as a classical pianist as a kid – which might explain part of his ear for a special sort of tune – but by the time of this work, he was neck-deep in the soul scene – and working with a fantastic track record for bringing the best out of a very wide variety of artists! Bell was especially great with groups – he helped more than a few really stretch out their wings and grow – but as you'll hear here, Thom also handled a fantastic range of music in Philly studios – all with magnificent touches that really set the tunes apart from the rest – French horns, harpsichord, and especially that twangy sitar sound that worked so well with a harmony ballad. The set's got 23 tracks in all, and a massive set of notes on the man and his music – with titles that include "What I See" by Three Degrees, "Here I Go Again" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "You've Been Untrue" by The Delfonics, "Moody Woman" by Jerry Butler, "Something For Nothing" by MFSB, "One Man Band" by Ronnie Dyson, "Close The Door" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Life Is A Song Worth Singing" by Johnny Mathis, "Look The Other Way" by Lesley Gore, "What Kind Of Lady" by Dee Dee Sharp, "It's The Same Old Love" by The Courtship, "Do You Remember Yesterday" by The Intruders, "Track Of The Cat" by Dionne Warwick, and "I Wanna Be A Free Girl" by Dusty Springfield. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

An amazing introduction to one of the most significant cultural movements in the latter half of the 20th Century – the groundbreaking years of Tropicalia in late 60s Brazil! The music and legacy of Tropicalia are referenced often, but hardly ever presented this well – and this package is everything we could have hoped for as an introduction to the movement – filled not just with great music, but also an overwhelming amount of notes that trace the history of Brazilian music and art through their changes in relation to Tropicalia! In fact, the notes are almost worth the price of the compilation alone – very densely written over 48 pages in the CD booklet, with more information in one place than we've ever seen before. But as you might imagine, it's the music that really makes the set special – and Soul Jazz have done an excellent job of pulling together key late 60s works from the most important musicians associated with Tropicalia – an great starting point for the movement that's filled with most essential tracks! Titles include "Bat Macumba" by Gilberto Gil, "Tuareg" and "Sebastiana" by Gal Costa, "A Minha Menina" and "Panis Et Circenses" by Os Mutantes, "Alfo Mega" and "Tropicalia" by Caetano Veloso, "Gloria" and "Jimmy Renda-Se" by Tom Ze, "Procissao" by Gilberto Gil, "Ave Genghis Khan" by Os Mutantes, "Take It Easy My Brother Charles" by Jorge Ben, "Quero Sambal Meu Bem" by Tom Ze, "Lost In The Paradise" by Caetano Veloso, "Bat Macumba" by Os Mutantes, "Domingo No Parque" by Gilberto Gil & Os Mutantes, and "Irene" by Caetano Veloso. (Brazil, Funky Compilations) CD

For volume 2 of this great series, the folks at BBE got Jasper the Vinyl Junkie to compile a mass of grooves with a hard James Brown drumbreak sound, and a real JB's feel. Some of these are from more recent years – like "Cut Me Loose" by Push, "Tribute to JB Family" by The Last Minister, and "P.O.W.E.R." by Hip Hop Traxx – and some of these are old – like "Zambezi" by Charles Kynard, "Soul Power '74 (remix)" by Maceo & The Macs, and "Got to Get Back to Louisiana" by Elmer & Brenda Parker. They're all stone cold funky, though, and have a hard drum funk groove with a good dancefloor feel. Another nice mix of music that we wouldn't have thought of – from the good folks at BBE! CD

A great entry in this always-killer collection of rare funk and soul – a series that somehow manages to keep on delivering ultra-rare nuggets, even at a time when there's been so many other compilations from so many other labels over the years! Our ears are always trained to appreciate the best of the best from the world of funky collections – and those ears are plenty pleased with the range of tracks here we'd never heard before – the kind of music that remind us to keep on digging, even when we think we've heard enough! Titles include "All Night" by Vantage Point, "I'm Feeling It Too" by Kim McCrae, "Steps On A Cloud" by Street Life 80, "Real True Voices" by Tory Wynter, "I'll Be Good To You" by Chatham, "Giving On Into Love" by Dalton Reed, "Getting Lucky" by Panama Gold, "Step By Step" by Matter Of Taste, "What Am I Going To Do Baby" by Royal Touch, and "Bi-Centennial 1976" by Frankie Staton & Speckled Rainbow. CD

A brilliant batch of James Brown funky covers! This is one of the best compilations we've ever seen on the Harmless label – a collection of obscure version of tracks by James Brown or dedicated to James Brown, all with a funky sound that would make The Godfather himself pretty darn proud! Titles include "Hot Pants" by St Vincent Latinaires, "Mother Popcorn" by Dillard Crume & The Soul Rockers, "Cold Sweat" by Bernard Purdie, "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose" by The Daktaris, "James Brown" by The Last Poets, "Money Won't Change You" by Aretha Franklin, "There Was A Time" by Jerry O, "Ain't It Funky Now" by Grant Green, "Lickin Stick" by Larry Willis, "I Got The Feeling" by Chollo Rivera & The Latin Soul Drives, and "Calm & Cool" by James Brown himself! CD

The title's a bit confusing, but that's the way we like it – as the package brings together all sorts of weird and wonderful tunes – work that maybe even pushes past the boundaries of the other wild work we've loved on previous volumes in this series! The set list is huge – 50 tracks in all – and the package runs the gamut of unusual rare singles, with certainly some that might reference the odd jumble of words in the title – but others that all take off in the wonderful melange of modes. We'd not heard most of the work here before – and once again our hat's off to Lux & Ivy for hipping us to so many underground gems – in a huge set list that includes "Rat A Ma Cue" by Pat Patterson, "You're Gone I'm Left" by Tyrone Schmidling, "Red Tiger Shoes" by The Century Five, "Busy Line" by Billy Williams, "Chilli Dippin Baby" by Joyce Poynter, "Big Bowl Of Soul" by The Huntsmen, "I've Been Wrong" by Sweetie Jones, "Hot Shot" by Ronnie Pearson, "Lover Boy" by Chris Christian & The Chordaires, "Ford & Shaker" by James Gallagher, "Leather Jacket Cowboy" by Pepper Pots, "Oh Death" by John Reedy & His Stone Mountain Trio, and "Bongosera" by Grupo Afro Cubano. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

Heavy funk, hand-picked by Will "Quantic" Holland – and an incredible set that's easily one of the best funk collections we've ever stocked! Will definitely knows his thing, and for the collection, he's dug through the rich catalog of Jazzman 45 reissues in recent years – pulling together some of the best bits from 7" wax, and putting them together into one completely tight collection. The package not only features tremendous tracks all around – most of which are making their CD debut here – but it also includes full liner notes on each number, scans of each label, and even a "funk 45 rarity guide" that's pretty darn handy! And sure, you may already have some of these in your collection as Jazzman or Funk 45 reissue 7" singles – but at this price, the collection's a heck of a great way to get them all together – and it's got the Quantic stamp of approval too. Titles include "Egg Roll" by The M&S Band, "Ooh Ah Ee" by Vern Blair Debate, "Ain't No Other Way" by Herman Hitson, "Tra La La" by The Great Deltas, "Just Plain Funk" by James Polk & The Brothers, "The World (part 1)" by Sandi & The Matues, "Fast Man" by PC's Ltd, "Stay Together" by Soul Excitement, "The Loneliest One" by Gene Anderson, "Boilin Water" by Tony Bowens & The Soul-Choppers, "I Turn You On" by Latin Breed, and "Mystery Of Black (part 1)" by Shades Of Black. CD

A 2CD half-century mile marker set for Stax Records – one of the most vital and popular southern soul labels ever – as if you needed us to tell you that! The set features a selection of many of the most popular and most culturally important singles from the early 60s and on through the mid 70s – in a nice little box package and a thick booklet of essays, notes and photos! 50 tracks on 2CDs: "Gee Whiz (Look In His Eyes)", "Last Night" by Mar-Kays, "You Don't Miss Your Water" by William Bell, "Candy" by The Astors, "Let Me Be Good To You" by Carla Thomas, "Soul Finger" by The Bar-Kays, "I Got A Sure Thing" by Ollie & The Nightingales, "What A Man" by Linda Lyndell, "Who's Making Love" by Johnny Taylor, "Time Is Tight" by Booker T & The MGs, "So I Can Love You" by The Emotions, "Mr Big Stuff" by Jean Knight, "Theme From Shaft" by Isaac Hayes, "In The Rain" by The Dramatics, "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" by The Staple Singers, "Woman To Woman" by Shirley Brown and much more! (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Funk from Seattle? Hardly seems likely – but prepare to be amazed! The funky reissuers at Light In The Attic, in collaboration with Mr Supreme, have unearthed a treasure trove of rare singles and groovers for the set – all obscure local recordings from the Emerald City scene, most of which never made it past the Pacific Northwest to the national charts. Back in the day, Seattle was a real cross-cultural hotbed – filled with folks who'd picked up and moved out from points east, settling in the Central District, working for Boeing, and reveling in the freedom of the new city to find their own groove. This set does a great job of documenting the flowering of eastern-styled funk in Seattle's growing scene of the late 60s – and features a range of tracks that run from deep funk to hard soul, sock-boogaloo, and even a bit of hard-handed piano jazz! The package features a great set of notes on the music, and a long set list that includes "Louie Louie" by The Topics, "Brighter Tomorrow" by Soul Swingers, "This Is Me" by Cookin Bag, "Bold Soul Sister Bold Soul Brother" by Black On White Affair, "Cissy Strut" by Johnny Lewis Trio, "Stop Losing Your Chances" by Cold Bold & Together, "I Just Want To Be" by Robbie Hill, "Wheedle's Groove" by Annakonda, "Hey Jude" by Overton Berry Trio, and "A Little Love Affair" by Patrinell Staten. CD