A wonderfully groovy set of Christmas tracks – one done in a style very similar to the Get Easy Snow compilations – as you might guess from the title! The selection here is great – with a few perennial favorites, a few rare gems, and a great middle stretch of wonderful bits from some of the grooviest artists of the 60s and 70s – a great antidote to some of the too-played holiday music you might hear during the 12th month of the year! Titles include "Santa Claus Is Definitely Hear To Stay" by James Brown, "Close Your Mouth It's Christmas" by Free Design, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Jimmy McGriff, "Snow" by Claudine Longet, "Black Christmas" by The Emotions, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" by The Temptations, "Christmas Gift" by Margie Joseph, "Winter Warm" by Bob Crewe Generation, "Snow Flakes" by The Ventures, "Winter Symphony" by The Beach Boys, "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway, "Children Go Where I Send Thee" by Kenny Burrell, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" by Ray Anthony & His Bookends, "Swinging Christmas" by Helmut Zacharias, and "Jingo Jango" by Bert Kaempfert. (Holiday Music, Funky Compilations) CD

Tracks from Soul Swingers, Wayne McGhie, Stereolab & High Llamas, Bernard Purdie, Madlib, Danger Mouse & Murs, Clarence Mack Express, Free Design, Last Poets, Sharpshooters, Manitoba, Black On White Affair. CD

Genius work from one of the most soulful production teams ever – brothers Larry and Fonce Mizell, a pair who really helped transform the sound of funky jazz in the 70s! The Mizell touch is a tricky thing to sum up adequately – a sublime blend of keyboards, splashy rhythms, vocal choirs, and fuller backings – all set in a way that still allows plenty of space for a main jazz soloist to do their thing. And even if you don't know the brothers' work by itself, we can bet you've heard its influence in a range of modern hip hop, electronica, and dance music over the past few years – because the Mizell influence is still burning strong, many long decades after their initial work in the studio. This excellent collection really goes out of its way to bring together some of the best Mizell-produced tracks for Blue Note and Capitol from the mid 70s – in a way that sits classics alongside some lesser-remembered numbers, and which nicely excludes a few tracks that have already been over-compiled in recent years. Titles include "Wind Parade", "Dominoes", "Change", and "Design A Nation" by Donald Byrd, "Reason To Survive" by Rance Allen, "Uno Esta" and "Black & Blues" by Bobbi Humphrey, "Funked Up" by Gary Bartz, "N R Time" by Mizellstory, and "Think Twice (Mizell Brothers 2005 rmx)" by Donald Byrd. CD

A set that really expands the legend of Factory Records – the famous label who gave the world New Order, Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, and other important post-punk bands – as the set focuses on the equally legendary Hacienda nightclub, which the label opened in Manchester in 1982! Manchester was already a city with a hell of a music scene – but at the Hacienda, all sorts of sounds and styles mixed together – in a spirit that was similar to some of the energy on the New York scene at the time, particularly at a club like Danceteria – where the quest for the new took clubbers way past standard genre designations! The Fac 51 in the title was Factory's way of giving the club a catalog number that was in keeping with its record releases at the time – and the beautiful package features plenty of information on the club and the scene – along with 65 tracks by artists who include Gang Of Four, Section 25, Defunkt, Heaven 17, Medium Medium, The Birthday Party, Kurtis Blow, Shalamar, Barry Gray, Simple Minds, Rockers Revenge, 23 Skidoo, Royal Family & The Poor, Josef K, John Cooper Clarke, Stockholm Monsters, Swamp Children, Iggy & The Stooges, Sugarhill Gang, Laura Lee, Temptations, Trio, Bow Wow Wow, Valentine Brothers, Soft Cell, The Associates, Loose Joints, Suicide, Pale Fountains, and many others. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

A weird and wonderful collection of tracks – funk, soul, and plenty more – all put together without any sort of boundaries or focus – which makes the whole thing one hell of a groovy record! The set's one of the flagship titles for the Seth Rogan-owned Houseplant label – one of their few vinyl releases, designed to fit in with the lifestyle of their other products – but even without that pedigree, there's plenty of great and well-chosen cuts here – and the assortment makes the whole thing way different than any standard funky compilation! Titles include "Good News" by Eamon, "Together (down dumbing rmx)" by Quel Maker, "Night Dancer" by Split Decision Band, "Leave My Beat Alone" by Raw Soul & Dorsey Brockington, "Cars That Go Boom" by L'Trimm, "Green & Money (good woman rmx)" by Maker Bishop Lamont, "Ombele" by Karl Hector & The Malcouns, "Blister In The Sun" by Violent Femmes, "Beat 100" by Benny Sings and Cola Boyy, "Pimp" by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, "Oxtanding" by Roc C, "Summer Madness SA" by Karriem Riggins, "Come & Get Your Love" by Family Tree, "Love Dub" by World Quake Band, and "Drop" by The Pharcyde. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic funk, rare soul, and contemporary goodies too – all served up in a beautiful package designed by the folks at Seth Rogan's Houseplant! As with the previous set, this one is divided into three modes – one record sativa, one indica, and the third a hybrid – capturing different moods with each record, but with an all-soul, rock-solid selection of tunes throughout! As with previous volumes, the classic and contemporary come into play in a really great way – and this volume also features some great international titles too – a set list that includes "Follow The Wind" by Coletta Woodson, "Cookin" by Tortilla Factory, "Bra" by Cymande, "High Beams" by Tkay Maidza, "Lupita" by Nico Gomez, "Pretty Woman Pass On By" by Richard Marks, "Norma Jean" by Napoleon Demps, "Bizness" by Tune Yards, "Right On" by Carleen & The Groovers, "The Love You Left Behind" by Syl Johnson, "Groovy Babe" by Durand Jones & The Indications, "Kill Dem" by Jamie XX, "Aminata Du The" by Amadou Balake, "Help Me To Understand" by Harlem Gospel Travelers, "Will I See You Again" by Thee Sacred Souls, "Grow Forever" by Lizette & Quevin, "Tearz" by El Michels Affair & Lee Fields, "Everything That Looks Good" by Charles Suggs, "Raggio Verde" by Il Quadro Di Troisi, "Let's Do It Today" by The US, and "When We Would Ride" by Kendra Morris & Eraserhood Sound. LP, Vinyl record album