They had us at "Italian", drew us in with "Erotic", and really won us over with the sounds in this sweet little set! The music here is all from the very small Eleven sound library – a smaller Italian imprint that cut these great grooves in the late 70s – at a time when the Italian film scene had really opened up to a wide variety of erotic themes! Not all these tracks were used in erotic films – and in fact, some of them are so funky, they would actually take away from any sexy action on screen – as they're much more in the hard funky styles that were first coming out of the Italian library scene a few years before. There's a few disco-styled numbers with vocals, but the instrumental funk tracks are the real gems – and titles include the rare classic "Kamasultra" by Nando De Luca – plus "Love Tunnel" by Julie Wilde, "Fastness" by Tullio De Piscopo, "Joining Together" by Augusto Martelli, "ESP" by Persimfans, "Diva Da Strapazzo (unreleased inst)" by Mimesis, and "How Wonderful You Are" by Monique Rossi'. LP, Vinyl record album

Massively funky work from the Mainstream Records catalog of the early 70s – some of the grittiest, most hard-hitting tracks recorded by the label at the time! Most of the tracks here are short, but pack plenty of punch – that rock-solid approach to jazz funk that Mainstream was putting down heavier than most other labels at the time – thanks to a top-shelf array of leaders, studio players, and arrangers in the mix! There's a number of tracks here that haven't been reissued as part of P-Vine's single album program on the label – making the compilation even more essential – and the 19 track album features over 75 minutes of music, more than enough to warrant the higher Japanese price. Titles include "Sweet Emma" by Don Burrows, "Mustang" by Sonny Red, "Red Clay" by Jack Wilkins, "Witch Doctor Bump" and "Boogie The Devil In" by The Chubukos, "Spinning Wheel" by Phoenix Authority, "Fire & Water" by Charles Kynard, "Family Affair" by Dave Hubbard, "Signifyin Gemini" by Lamont Johnson, "Freedom Jazz Dance" by Night Blooming Jazzmen, "Mother McCree" by Reggie Moore, "Let's Take The Long Way Home" by Arbee Stidham, and "Never Can Say Goodbye" by Johnny Coles. CD

A really well-done collection of the many DJ talents who recorded for Studio One over the years – one that gets past the obvious hits to include a stunning array of really varied voices! As you might know, in Jamaican music, the term "DJ" refers not just to someone spinning records, but also to a vocalist rapping over a tune – a practice that began live, as DJs were talking along with their records on soundsystems – then moved into the studio, and onto records, thanks to the pioneering work of labels like Studio One! The label always had a great ear to the street, which keeps the quality level of these tracks really high, even as the 80s move in – and as always with Soul Jazz, the whole package is great – with very detailed notes that support the music even more strongly than the original records. Titles include "We A Don" by Screechie Dan, "Riddle I This" by Dennis Alcapone, "Universal Love" by Mad Roy, "Fountain On The Mountain" by Dillinger, "My Number" by Lone Ranger, "It A Fi Bun" by Kentrus, "DJ Special" by King Sporty, "Rhyming Time" by King Stitt, "Ragga Muffin" by Jim Brown, "Raindrops" by Prince Garthie, "Nanny Version Skank" by Big Joe, and "Automatic Clapping" by Jah Buzz. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album