A whole new world of grooves we've never heard before – music from a short stretch on the Italian scene when local artists were really taken with the new developments in Afro Funk, and started to serve up some fresh styles of their own! The music here is maybe a blend of West African sounds and sound library modes – often leaner than the large group ensembles of Fela and some of his contemporaries, which also makes the tracks perfect for the clubs as well – but with a vibe that's sharper and tighter than some of the Afro/disco crossover cuts of the time! The selection of tracks is wonderful, and the whole thing is very revelatory – with titles that include "Why O" by Beryl Cunningham, "Kumbayero" by Weyman Corporation, "L'Unica Chance" by Walter Rizzati, "Amore" by Chrisma, "Tabu Tuba (part 1)" by I Robots, "Africa Sound" by Jean Paul & Angelique, "Contrabbando Di Fagioli" by Ramasandiran Somusundaram, "MAAGO" by Prognosi Riservata, "The Voodoo Lady" by Lara Saint Paul, and "Soul Makossa" by African Revival. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing world of music – rare funk, soul, reggae, and other grooves from Belize – all beautifully compiled in the rich Numero Music style! We're really stunned by the set – as we had no idea at all that Belize had anything going on at this level – and the collection is an amazing surprise to our ears, filled with new delights at each turn, and clearly marking Belize as a new funky capitol on our ever-expanding map of musical understanding. Numero really outdid themselves with this package – going far beyond their already-great collections of work from the Bandit and Capsoul labels – to dig up a range of tracks that have never really made it out to the world at large, but which bubble over with influences from American funk and soul at the time. The notes are great, and the booklet's got plenty of excellent images to back up the writings – but the music is the real star of the set, and is presented on 16 tracks that include "More Love Reggae" and "Boogaloo A La Chuck" by Lord Rhaburn, "Theme From The Godfather" and "Backstabbers" by The Professionals, "Can't Go Halfway" and "Shame Shame Shame" by The Harmonettes, "Things Are Going To Work Out Right" and "Rated G" by The Web, "Funky Jive (parts 1& 2)" by Soul Creations, and "Long Time Boy" by Nadia Cattouse. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) CD

The Soul Jazz Dynamite series goes 100% dancehall – with this massive collection of rare cuts and classic material from the past 25 years – plus some new numbers! You know that you can depend on the reverent Soul Jazz compilers to deliver a better overview than any other label, and Dancehall Style covers the breadth wonderfully! It features the dub dancehall style of King Tubby and other pioneers such as Michigan And Smiley, Dillinger and Early B, and modern variations of later practitioners such as dub steppers Digital Mystikz, electro dancehall groovers such as Ladybug, and much more. A killer set from Soul Jazz! Volume 2 includes 11 tracks: "Assault Rifle" by Fat Eyes, "Governor General" by Pompidou, "Weed And Grabba" by King Baucho & Beenie Man, "Fade Out" by King Tubby, "Jah Lick We" by Michigan & Smiley, "Police And Bad Boy" by Wayne Wonder, "Billie Jean" by Shinehead, "Give It To Me" by Cecille and more. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

The definitely got the title right on this one – because the set is filled with some of the most heavenly tracks from the legendary Ethiopiques series – that legendary run of compilations that was the first introduction for most of us to the amazing music of Ethiopia! This package really zeros in on all the best bits – and has a special focus on the early 70s, with some other bits from the 60s as well – all the wonderful vintage material that captures that special time in Ethiopian music when the artists were really taking some new chances with their sound – and creating an otherworldly blend of jazz and funk with more local elements as well. The range of artists is great – a really compelling blend of singers and instrumentalists, not just a handful of tracks by Mulatu – and titles include "Presentiment" by Tsegue Maryam Guebrou, "Ene Negn Bay Manesh" by Girma Beyene, "Hedetch Alu" by Muluquen Mellesse, "Lantchi Biye" by Tlahoun Gessesse, "Tchereqa" by Menelik Wesnatchew, "Ashasha Beyew" by Abbebe Tessemma, "Ati Fettun Isani Infedhani" by Ali Birra, "Mela Mela" by Seyfou Yohannes, "Teredjew Neber" by Ayalew Mesfin, and "Hametegnaw" by Seyoum Gebreyes. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Modal jazz galore – a collection of rare Italian tunes that move with a loping, soaring sense of energy – often very classic in their sound and style, but mostly pulled from a range of more obscure recent sources! Most of the tracks here were never issued outside of Italy – and even then, only on small labels that never achieved wider distribution – making almost the whole collection a new discovery in jazz to our ears, and one that's filled with countless delights throughout! As you'd guess from the title, the rhythms here are well-paced and lively – soaking up a lot of influences from the Coltrane generation, but also coming across with the tightness of a classic Blue Note or Prestige session. Most groups here are quartets, quintets, or sextets – and the longer than usual tracks offer plenty of room for solos on tenor, trumpet, trombone, and piano. Titles include "Spagna" by Piana Valdambrini Sextet, "Babir" by Alliance, "Proof Of The Pudding" by Michael Cochrane, "Calypso" by Dino & Franco Piana, "Naima" by Antonio Farao, "Tutankhamon Dance" by Nuevo Sestetto Italiano, "Woody" by Flavio Boltro, "Spring" by Antonio Farao, "La Stalla Di Pegaso" by Abbate Nicola Fontana Albano, and "New Born" by Idea 6. LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant showcase for the best of the London scene in recent years – a special live recording done in Studio Two at Abbey Road – put together by the Jazz Refreshed label, and featuring some of its best artists in a set of exclusive recordings! The work here bristles with the kind of new energy that's made the London scene so amazing in recent years – and the live performance means that these cuts have less of programmed elements of some of their studio recordings – just fresh, spontaneous performances on titles that include "This Too" by Doom Cannon, "Ekpe" by Camilla George, These Days" by Daniel Casimir & Tess Hirst, "Panda Village"b y Theon Cross, "Red" by Noya Rao, and "Helsinki Trio" by Richard Spaven. (Jazz, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A whole new world of grooves we've never heard before – music from a short stretch on the Italian scene when local artists were really taken with the new developments in Afro Funk, and started to serve up some fresh styles of their own! The music here is maybe a blend of West African sounds and sound library modes – often leaner than the large group ensembles of Fela and some of his contemporaries, which also makes the tracks perfect for the clubs as well – but with a vibe that's sharper and tighter than some of the Afro/disco crossover cuts of the time! The selection of tracks is wonderful, and the whole thing is very revelatory – with titles that include "Why O" by Beryl Cunningham, "Kumbayero" by Weyman Corporation, "L'Unica Chance" by Walter Rizzati, "Amore" by Chrisma, "Tabu Tuba (part 1)" by I Robots, "Africa Sound" by Jean Paul & Angelique, "Contrabbando Di Fagioli" by Ramasandiran Somusundaram, "MAAGO" by Prognosi Riservata, "The Voodoo Lady" by Lara Saint Paul, and "Soul Makossa" by African Revival. CD

The first-ever volume of the now-legendary Easy Tempo series – a collection of soundtrack grooves that hipped us back to the wonders of the Italian scene of the 60s and 70s – and did so at a time when few folks had ever thought to reissue this music! Right from the start, this series set a whole new level for soundtrack appreciation – and the collection features an incredible range of tunes that run from jazzy, to groovy, to funky, with lots of mod spaces in between – all served up with great sound, and even more of a sense of focus than the original soundtracks! Titles include "La Gabbia" by Gianni Ferrio, "Blue Rhythm Festival" by Piero Piccioni, "Notte Al Grand Hotel" by Riz Ortolani, "One Fine Morning" by Augusto Martelli, "Mark Il Poliziotto" by Stelvio Ciprani, "Grigioperla" by Gianfranco Plenizio, "Serena E Lamuno" by Riz Ortolani, and "Ira Rhythm & Blues" by Gianni Ferrio. CD

A groovy little collection of funk rock tracks from Mexico – one that features a number of surprising grooves we'd never heard before! There's not much to go on from the cover, but most of these numbers appear to be from the late 60s or early 70s – and the overall vibe is heavy rock, but with a touch of soul – so that most of the rhythms end up coming out nice and funky! Titles include "The Funky Chicken", "Pais Tropical", and "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose (edit)" by Rabbits & Carrots; "Buscando La Felicidad" by Las Moskas, "Soul Sintonia" by Jae's Soul, and "Push & Pull" by Los Litos Barrientos. LP, Vinyl record album

Get ready to have your mind completely blown – because this compilation is one of those completely rare ear-opening experiences that will let you know that there's a hell of a lot of music in the world that you've never heard before – even if, like us, you've heard plenty of funky music over the years! The grooves here definitely live up to the title – as they're completely funky throughout, and in ways that are plenty appealing to fans of Anglo funk, but which have all the Mideast touches you'd expect in the instrumentation – a mad mix of east and west, sacred and secular, with the kind of completely unique vibe that will grab you like the first time you heard Ethiopian soul or Turkish rock! We'd honestly never heard most of this music before – and even though we've dug previous releases on the Habibi Funk label, this namesake set is the moment when they really knock it out of the park, and let us know that they're on to something completely brilliant. Comes with a great set of note, which help the uninitiated like us – and titles include "Casablanca Shuffle" by Belbao, "Wang Dang" by Bob Destiny, "Bsslama Hbibti" by Fadoul, "Sah" by Al Massrieen, "Soul Brother" by Dalton, "Al Asafir" by Kamal Keila, "Rouhi Ya Hafida" by Mallek Mohamed, "La Coladera" by Freh Khodja, "Tape 19.11" by Ahmed Malek, "Ayonha" by Hamid El Shaeri, and "Games" by Samir & Abboud. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

An extremely eclectic selection of groovers – with that spiritual jazzy vibe that you'd expect from the London scene, and from the crates of the legendary Russ Dewbury. The compilation has a similar feel to the Freedom Time set – with a batch of tracks that move beyond the usual heavy funk numbers to include some excellent jazz vocal numbers, and some other more complicated tracks that have a sweet fusiony sound. Just about all the tracks on here are super-obscure, and you won't find them easily on original vinyl – nor in such a set as lovingly put together as this one! Titles include "Morning Spring" by Copeland Davis, "Afro Beat" by Jazz Techniques, "Let The Sunshine In" by Sons & Daughters Of Life", "If You Can Live With Yourself" by Dale Dennard, "Gang Progress" by Andre Ceccarelli, "Partido Alto" by Airto & Flora, "Pretty Bird" by Terea, "No Other Love But You" by Clarice Labbe, "Gemstones" by Jack Wilson, "Morning" by Lorez Alexandria, and "Frozen Tundra Lady" by Steamheat. Loads more, and packed with rare tracks! CD

Killer contemporary club from the Lumberjacks In Hell label – a European imprint, but one that owes plenty to the raw sound of the early years of American house! There's a very underground vibe going on here, and most cuts are stark, spare, and straight to the point – the best kind of club tracks that make just a little bit go a long way – thanks to thoughtful placement of key instrumental elements, and the occasional vocal flourish! 2CD version features one mixed CD, one unmixed – and titles include "Everyday" by Joanna, "Be Good To Me" by Frawl, "Over" by Krewcial, "Get To Know Me" by Seven Davis Jr, "Check The Flow" by Funk Butcher with Trim, "Goddess" by Ant La Rock, "Rabbit's Foot" by Beam Me Up, "Even The Stones" by Giovanni Damico, "Lord I'm Trying" by Tom Noble, "Jazz A Nova" by Boogie Nite, and "Neyt Life" by Reece Johnson. CD

A set with "modernity" as the title, but a batch of tracks that sound plenty old all the way through – mostly the kind of upbeat soul tracks that played big with the 60s mod scene in London! Yet this isn't the usual collection of mod classics – as the work here is very obscure, and served up in the mix of rare singles and unreleased material that we totally love on other Ace/Kent Records collections – presented with great sound, and very detailed notes that are as fun to read as the songs are to hear! All the artists are American, and look very different than the dapper British gents on the cover – soaring out in a set list that includes "Deuces Wild" by Gary & Gary, "Just Can't Help Myself" by Birdlegs & Pauline, "Oh Lady Be Good" by Charles Hodges, "The Hawg (part 2)" by Eddie Kirk, "See See Rider" by Byrdie Green, "Walk Home With Me" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Sundown" by The Merced Blue Notes, "Go Away With Me" by Hollis Dixon & The Keynotes, "I Found A Little Girl" by Eddie Bo, "The Bounce" by Jackie Lee, "Earthquake" by The Fashionettes, "Air Travel" by Ray & Bob, "That's All I Want" by King Carl, "The Warm Up (part 1)" by Clifton White & His Royal Knights, "Soul Grabber" by Willis Jackson, and "Who Knows" by Willie Tee. CD

A fantastic trip through the archive with Volcov – even if most of the cuts here are a bit more recent than those that usually get archival status! And yet in a way, many of these cuts almost went to the archives directly – especially in this digital age for modern soul and club, where so many great singles and albums don't make it onto vinyl – and fade fast in the fast rush of new music hitting the internet. That's why we love collections like this so much – as Volcov's done a great job of grabbing the best bits from the past decade or so, and weaving them together as a strong reminder of how much wonderful soul music is being created on this planet – most of it still waiting to be discovered. There's a few older bits here, but most tracks are contemporary – and titles include "Caterpillar" by Rebirth, "All That Glitters" by Carleen Anderson, "Let The Music Play" by Collective Peace, "Spiraling Prism" by Ian O'Brien, "Ori Space" by Ron Trent, "Turn It Around (Eric Lau rmx)" by Ruth Koleva, "Planet Birth (Xantone Blacq rmx/Volcov edit)" by Intuit with Andy Bey, "Lawra (Volcov edit)" by Tony Williams, "Blue Room (Kaidi Tatham's shokazulu rmx)" by Quentin Kane & Simon Sheldon with TK Blue, "Finding The Peace" by Skymark, "I Put A Spell On You" by Honey Sweet with Cindy Mizelle, and "After Life (part 2)" by Harry Whitaker. CD

Fantastic sounds from 1967 – a year in which mainstream music saw plenty of heady changes – as you might guess from the title! The set's a wonderful follow-up to the 1966 set by Jon Savage – and like that one, it features a superb selection of tracks from this important year – served up in all the different strands and styles that were popping into place – soul, early funk, psych, hard rock, and lots more – in a blistering array of songs that steps beautifully between well-known classics and underground gems! The feel of the set is way different than the usual oldies package with a date on the front – as Jon Savage dedicated the whole thing to the groundbreaking mix of music he enjoyed from pirate radio at the time – and included his own fantastic writing in the notes to help explain what makes the music so great. Titles include "You Keep Running Away" by The Four Tops, "Lazy Life" by William E, "At The Third Stroke" by The Picadilly Line, "Try It" by The Attack, "I'm A Man" by Spencer Davis Group, "Western Union" by The Searchers, "So You Say You Lost Your Baby" by Gene Clark, "Feelin Reelin Squeelin" by Soft Machine, "So Sharp" by Dyke & The Blazers, "Mr Soul" by Buffalo Springfield, "Vacuum Cleaner" by Tintern Abbey, "Garden Of My Mind" by The Mickey Finn, "Love Power" by The Sandpebbles, "Look At Me I'm You" by The Blossom Toes, and "Psyche Rock" by Les Yper Sound. 48 tracks in all! (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

Includes tracks by Black Sabbath, Scott Walker, Minnie Riperton, Robert Wyatt, Lee Hazelwood, Cat Power, the Troggs, Japan, Nino Rota, and the Cure. CD

Those are some pretty crabby ladies on the front covers – workers for the Jugoton label, working on quality control – but they're probably not the right audience for the music on this set, which is very cool and groovy – and not the sort that would usually go for the blue-haired set! As you'll guess from the title, the sounds were all created in the 80s – partly following off the British electronic modes of the post-punk years, in both cold wave and new wave styles – then moving into some of the shifting styles as the decade moved on, although still often nicely not really in any sort of too-commercial territory! Given the wealth of Croatian, Serbian, and other talents handled by the label, there's a huge amount going on here – as you'll discover on titles that include "Ti I Ja" by Denis & Denis, "Pocket" by Master Scratch Band, "Kad Je Kraj Blizu" by Parliament, "Palcica" by Mato Dosen & HC Andersen, "On" by Zana, "Devica 69" by Laboratorija, "Zaba" by D'Boys, "Radio Video" by Nicky, and "Harakiri" by Dubravka – plus some short "Jugoton Express" tracks. LP, Vinyl record album

The title says "jazz", but there's a lot more going on here – a range of groundbreaking sounds and styles from the 70s, with some sweet electric modes, occasional Latin rhythms, currents of soul, and even a bit of Brazilian too! The package really takes us back to the kind of rare tracks we first started digging decades ago – when collectors from London and Tokyo were really helping us appreciate the kinds of records we might have passed by in the racks – the lesser names, the smaller labels, and even the more globally expansive range of releases that could sometimes be missed if you were only digging for American jazz! That range of music is really represented here in a great way – with tunes that soar strongly and bristle with energy throughout – sometimes in modes that might echo a label like MPS or Strata East, but often in very unique styles of their own. Titles include "Maryke" by John Thomas & Lifeforce, "La Em Guayaquil" by Banda Metalurgia, "Samba For A Cold Warrior" by Belair, "Samba De Amor" by Francisco Mora Catlett, "Little Sunflower" by Louis Hayes with Leon Thomas, "The World Is A Ghetto" by Lee Willhite, "No Other Love But You" by Clarice Labbe & Charlie Hampton, "Misturada" by Finn Savery Trio, "Kingdom Within You" by Ira Sullivan, and "Latinetta" by Ronald Snijders. CD

A really fantastic little collection – a look at the way that sounds from the Caribbean changed over nicely when brought to the UK scene – where immigrants from former British territory really helped to transform the sound of London in the 70s! The music here is served up in a range of different styles – certainly reggae, but with plenty of funk and soul too, mixed with other elements from the islands – all brought into new play together when taken up in the UK! Right from the start, the English artists were starting to put their own spin on things – so the cuts within offer up all these great new directions – maybe even more surprises than you're used to finding on some of the other collections from the Soul Jazz label! The presentation of material is superb, and there's some very detailed notes as well – with cuts that include "No Time For Hello" by Harry Beckett, "Ooh Boy" by Sandra Reid, "Don't Call Us Immigrants" by Tabby Cat Kelly, "RK1" by The Terrorist, "Black Pride" by Brown Sugar, "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" by Black Harmony, "Positive Vibrations" by Pebbles, "Love Money" by Funk Masters, "Ragga Trip" by Ragga Twins, "Be Thankful For What You've Got" by Winston Curtis, "Fug" by Cymande, "Sticks Man" by Black Slate, "Rising To The Top" by Dee Sharp, "Misty Winter" by Digital Mystikz, "Compelled" by Cosmic Irden, and "Still In Love" by Janet Kay & Alton Ellis, and "Java Bass" by Shut Up & Dance. CD

The title's a bit misleading, as Giorgio Moroder didn't actually spend time on the Finnish scene – but the German superproducer had a huge influence on that nation's grooves during the 70s and early 80s – as you'll hear on this wonderfully weird and well-collected set! These are all cuts we never would have discovered otherwise, and they come together beautifully – starting out with a mix of compressed mid 70s pop with lots of sweet electric touches – then moving into some clubbier material that shows just how strong the Moroder influence was on the dancefloor scene! Given the change of language, and the catchiness of the tunes, there's also maybe a bit of an Abba vibe going on at points – and we mean that only in the best, most complimentary way possible. Most numbers are remakes of Moroder penned or produced hits, with vocals in Finnish – and titles include "Mika Fillis" by Mona Carita, "Lady Lady Lady" by Markku Aro, "Pista Valot Pois" by Eini, "Muuttukoon Maailma Taa" by Danny, "On Siita Aikaa" by Koivistolaiset, "Ohari" by Virve Rosti", "Luotan Rakkauteen" by Seija Simola, "Kay Mun Vierellain" by Tauski Peltonen & Meiju Suvas, and "Soita Mulle" by Mona Carita. CD