A soaring collection of dancefloor classicsw from the late 70s and early 80s – true gems from the years when disco was really going strong – with many tracks presented on full length album or 12" versions! We'll be honest and say that the cover and title don't look like much on the front – but the CD's very well put-together, and features a detailed book of notes, with a fair bit on each tune included in the set! The collection's pulled from a variety of different labels – and titles include "With Your Love" by Donna Summer, "Dance Disco Heat" by Sylvester, "Star Love" by Cheryl Lynn, "Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet" by Gonzalez, "Heaven Must Have Sent You" by Bonnie Pointer, "Wear It Out" by Stargard, "Everybody Get Up" by Ren Woods, "#1 Dee Jay" by Goody Goody, "Saturday" by Norma Jean, "This Time Baby" by Jackie Moore, and "I Got the Feeling" by Two Tons O Fun. CD

The brilliant return of one of our favorite funky series ever – filled with top-shelf rarities that represent the best of 70s rare groove and break tracks! It's been a long time since we last saw a volume of Strange Games, but this set shows that it's been more than worth the wait – as BBE have come up with a batch of tunes so great, they must have been working on this one for years! As with other volumes, the names are familiar, but the cuts are all surprisingly hard to find – and they're all hand-picked for their resonance with modern use of the material in hip hop and remix culture – an aspect that makes even obscure tunes echo with a strong familiarity because of a bassline or drum break! And as an added treat, the CD and vinyl both have the same number of tracks – an increasingly rare phenomenon these days – with titles that include "Love & Happiness" by Monty Alexander, "She's My Summer Breeze" by The Reflections, "Come Into My Life" by The Supremes, "LA Night" by Yasuko Agawa, "Looking Up To You" by Michael Wycoff, "Give Me Your Love" by Barbara Mason, "Inside Out" by American Gypsy, "You Are What I'm All About" by The New Birth, "Loving You" by Donald Byrd, "Porcupine" by Nature Zone, "Strange Funky Games & Things" by Jay Dee, "Do It Baby" by The Miracles, "California Dreaming" by Eddie Hazel, and "Reflections" by Bill Conti. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of vintage American blue eyed soul from the 70s & early 80s – a diverse and deep set of it, too – featuring sunny and soulful numbers by Breakaway, 1619 Bad Ass Band, Society Of Seven, Lil' Albert, Jay P Morgan, Life Force and more! There's a pretty broad range styles, but the set flows consistently – with numbers that for the most part share a penchant for laidback, simmering grooves and excellently layered productions. But from there, the styles roll from soft rock arrangements with soul-based vocals, to some sly bits of funk, groovy strings and other sweeter touches. We're hoping to see a Vol 2 after this one! 16 tracks in all: "I Love Music" by Babadu, "Lving Off The Love" by Eric Tagg, "Just For You" by 1619 Bad Ass Band, "SLow Dancer" by Life Force, "Never Gonna Leave You" by Evans Pyramid, "Who Was It This Time", "Coast To Coast" by Tender Leaf, "My Girl Friday" by Lil'Albert, "Thought You Ought To Know" by Jesse McFall & The Funk Elegant Orchestra and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy funk from the Bahamas – a whole bunch of groups that will show you that Nassau had a lot more to offer than The Beginning Of The End! The groove here is totally wonderful – somewhat like American funk of the late 60s and early 70s, but served up with some very unusual rhythmic patterns too – a bit Jamaican at times, but certainly not reggae – and somewhat sunny and Caribbean styled, but not in a way that's cheesy or filled with any hokey island-styled stereotypes. Instead, the tunes are deeply funk and soulful – grooving with plenty of dark edges and gritty instrumentation that's often heavy on the guitar. Many numbers have vocals, and those are great too – and as usual with the Numero label, the whole thing's put together with amazing notes and packaging, so that you get a full history lesson and a heck of a lot of photos to support the music too! Titles include "Gonna Build A Nation" by Cyril Ferguson, "Mustang Sally", "I Am The Man For You Baby", and "Funky Fever" by Jay Mitchell, "Theme From Shaft" by Esquires LTD, "Gimme Some Skin (inst)" by Frank Penn, "Words To My Song" by Dry Bread, "People Won't Change" by Willpower, "Take Five" by Ozzie Hall, "Watcha Gonna Do Bout It" and "The Time For Loving Is Now" by Mustangs, "Honesty Is The Best Policy" by Gospel Chandeliers, and "Don't Touch That Thing" by Sylvia Hall. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) CD

Heavy funk from the Bahamas – a whole bunch of groups that will show you that Nassau had a lot more to offer than The Beginning Of The End! The groove here is totally wonderful – somewhat like American funk of the late 60s and early 70s, but served up with some very unusual rhythmic patterns too – a bit Jamaican at times, but certainly not reggae – and somewhat sunny and Caribbean styled, but not in a way that's cheesy or filled with any hokey island-styled stereotypes. Instead, the tunes are deeply funk and soulful – grooving with plenty of dark edges and gritty instrumentation that's often heavy on the guitar. Many numbers have vocals, and those are great too – and as usual with the Numero label, the whole thing's put together with amazing notes and packaging, so that you get a full history lesson and a heck of a lot of photos to support the music too! Titles include "Gonna Build A Nation" by Cyril Ferguson, "Mustang Sally", "I Am The Man For You Baby", and "Funky Fever" by Jay Mitchell, "Theme From Shaft" by Esquires LTD, "Gimme Some Skin (inst)" by Frank Penn, "Words To My Song" by Dry Bread, "People Won't Change" by Willpower, "Take Five" by Ozzie Hall, "Watcha Gonna Do Bout It" and "The Time For Loving Is Now" by Mustangs, "Honesty Is The Best Policy" by Gospel Chandeliers, and "Don't Touch That Thing" by Sylvia Hall. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) CD

A slice of soul you might never expect – early work from the De-Lite label, a company better-known for their famous club hits of the late 70s – but starting out here with an amazing array of deep soul 45s! The music is a wonderful contrast to the disco and club of the label's fame – and showcases an immediate commitment to singers who could really knock it out of the park – with vocals that rival the sounds coming from southern labels like Stax, or some of the more famous productions on Atlantic – which is a huge surprise if you only know the De-Lite recordings by Kool & The Gang or The Kay-Gees! 25 tracks in all – all super-rare – and titles include "Keep Away" by The Appointments, "Look What You Done For Me" by Contributors Of Soul, "Oh Girl" by Johnny Washington, "Need You Girl" by Fred Cole, "I Wish It Would Rain" by Beverly Hammonds, "Say So" by La Jay Alexander, "Everlasting Love" by Johnny Washington, "I Saw You There" by The Appointments, "I Smell Trouble" by Johnny De'Vigne, "I'll Always Love You" by Felton Burks, "Send Her Back" by Sammy Taylor, "When A Woman Loves A Man" by Jean Battle, "Tender Loving Care" by Joe Kennedy, and "I Got To Get Close To You" by Yvonne Daniels. CD

Deep, deep disco selected by Johnny "D" DeMairo – one of the more pivotal underground club music figures of the past couple decades, via his role in setting up the Henry Street imprint – here putting together an incredible set of the rare disco greatness! This the the expansive, floor-shaking, genre-straddling stuff that inspired the house and clubby soul scenes to come – and it's one of the best compilations of harder-to-find disco that's we've gotten our hands in years. The setlist features a divers mix of famous and lesser-remembered names – with styles ranging from straight forward disco stormers to strains of earlyish electro and 80s grooves – benchmark singles and inventive productions that bridge the eras! Tracks by Cerrone, Kasso, Skyy, The System, The O'Jays and more! Disc One of the 2CD edition feature 19 tracks mixed masterfully: "Ride On The Rhythm" by Mahogany feat Bernice Watkins, "Time For Live" by The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band, "It's Passion" by The System, "Spank" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "Call Me" by Skyy, "Dance For Every" by Gaucho, "We're On The Right Track" by Ultra High Frequency and more. CD Two features 13 unmixed disco jams: "This Time Baby" by The O'Jays, "How To Win Your Love" by Spencer Jones, "Dub Till We Drop" by La Fluer, "I've Got To Find A Way" by Zena Djonay, "Think Fast" by Pamela Joy and more. CD

Mid 60s magic from a record label that only lasted a few short years – yet one that's gone on to have as much prominence for real soul collectors as the music of Atlantic and Motown! Loma Records was a small offshoot of Warner Brothers on the west coast – yet one that worked far from the hit territory of its parent company, and instead captured all these wonderful groups and singers who might never have gotten exposure otherwise – a few of whom would go on to record later for bigger labels, but most of whom lost the chance for fame once Loma closed its doors! The quality of the music here is incredible – really top-shelf productions, at a level that rivals some of the best Detroit studios of the time, mixed with some of the cool class of Chicago soul as well – served up in a style that works equally well for vocal groups and solo singers. And while Loma recorded some deep soul cuts during this period, this set focuses on the more upbeat numbers – as you'd guess from the "Northern" in the title – served up in a collection that not only features rare singles, but also a few unissued tracks too! CD set features 25 tracks in all – and include "Mean It Baby" by Carl Hall, "You Can't Outsmart A Woman" by Kell Osborne, "I'm Getting Weaker" by The Soul Shakers, "My Heart Needs A Break" by Linda Jones, "Bright Lights" by Delilah Kennebreuw, "Runnin Around" by Tony Amaro & The Chariots, "Baby Don't Look Down" by Billy Storm, "The Big Jerk (part 1)" by Clyde & Teh Blue Jays, "Better Think Of What You're Losing" by Tommy Starr, "The Man With The Golden Touch" by Charles Thomas, "Got A Thing Goin" by The Invincibles, "It's Your Love That I Need" by The Marvellos, "Just A Little Longer" by The Enchanters, "I'll Find A Way" by Bobby Reed, "Go For Yourself" by Larry Lester, "See The Silver Moon" by The Apollas, "Lies" by Bobby Freeman, and "If You Should See Her" by Ben Aiken. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Tracks from Double Dee, Junior Jack, Krystal K, Seraphim Suite, Marly, Therese, Reina, Magnolia, Jaydee, and more. CD

Think you know Stax Records? Guess again – as this mindblowing collection offers up a whole new side of Stax we've never heard before. Forget the hits, forget the overplayed oldies – this set's brimming full of deep soul gems from the legendary Memphis label – including a fair bit of heartbreaking tracks that go way beyond any southern soul cliches! The music is amazing – proof that Ace still really knows how to put together a compilation – and in addition to some real rarities, there's also some killers appearing here for the first time ever – making the whole thing essential to any fan of Stax – or southern soul in general. A massive amount of music, all of it great – and titles include "Stay Baby Stay" by Johnny Daye, "I've Done It Again" by The Charmells, "Move Over" by Soul Children, "Hold On This Time" by Chuck Brooks, "Groovin' On My Baby's Love" by Freddie Waters, "Make A Joyful Noise" by Bettye Crutcher, "The Fault Is Not In Me" by Sylvia & The Blue Jays, "A Love Affair Theat Bears No Pain" by Shack, "Two Fools" by Willie Singleton, "Let Em Down Baby" by Jimmy Hughes, "Love Changes" by Charlene & The Soul Serenaders, and "Woman Across The River" by Little Milton. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

It's easy to wake up with grooves this great – a searing back of 70s Afro Rock gems that are also surprisingly funky, too! The tunes here do a wonderful job of mixing psych currents and headier rhythms – a great blend of the burning Afro Funk trends that were happening in Nigeria at the time, but with much richer, trippier work on the guitar and vocals – and some of the freaky, fuzzy basslines too! If some Afro Funk acts drew strong influence from the sharp soul of James Brown, these groups all seem to drink deep from the same musical well as Funkadelic at their freaked-out early best – which means that they've got no trouble throwing in a psych guitar riff alongside soulful vocals and funky rhythms – all with a sound that's completely sublime. Titles include "Wake Up You" by Waves, "Love" by Question Mark, "Baby Rock" by Jay U Experience, "Life In Cannan" by Ceejebs, "Who Made The World" by The Identicals, "Awa Lani Arawa" by Kukumbas, "Life Will Move" by The Believers, "The Feelings" by Tony Grey & The Black 7, "I Want A Break Thru" by The Hykkers, and "In The Jungle (voc)" by The Hygrades. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

It's easy to wake up with grooves this great – a searing back of 70s Afro Rock gems that are also surprisingly funky, too! The tunes here do a wonderful job of mixing psych currents and headier rhythms – a great blend of the burning Afro Funk trends that were happening in Nigeria at the time, but with much richer, trippier work on the guitar and vocals – and some of the freaky, fuzzy basslines too! If some Afro Funk acts drew strong influence from the sharp soul of James Brown, these groups all seem to drink deep from the same musical well as Funkadelic at their freaked-out early best – which means that they've got no trouble throwing in a psych guitar riff alongside soulful vocals and funky rhythms – all with a sound that's completely sublime. As with the great first volume in this series, this edition comes with a special heavy book on the music – filled with detailed notes and lots of photos – alongside a great set of tracks that include "Wake Up You" by Waves, "Love" by Question Mark, "Baby Rock" by Jay U Experience, "Life In Cannan" by Ceejebs, "Who Made The World" by The Identicals, "Awa Lani Arawa" by Kukumbas, "Life Will Move" by The Believers, "The Feelings" by Tony Grey & The Black 7, "I Want A Break Thru" by The Hykkers, and "In The Jungle (voc)" by The Hygrades. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) CD

It's easy to wake up with grooves this great – a searing back of 70s Afro Rock gems that are also surprisingly funky, too! The tunes here do a wonderful job of mixing psych currents and headier rhythms – a great blend of the burning Afro Funk trends that were happening in Nigeria at the time, but with much richer, trippier work on the guitar and vocals – and some of the freaky, fuzzy basslines too! If some Afro Funk acts drew strong influence from the sharp soul of James Brown, these groups all seem to drink deep from the same musical well as Funkadelic at their freaked-out early best – which means that they've got no trouble throwing in a psych guitar riff alongside soulful vocals and funky rhythms – all with a sound that's completely sublime. As with the great first volume in this series, this edition comes with a special heavy book on the music – filled with detailed notes and lots of photos – alongside a great set of tracks that include "Wake Up You" by Waves, "Love" by Question Mark, "Baby Rock" by Jay U Experience, "Life In Cannan" by Ceejebs, "Who Made The World" by The Identicals, "Awa Lani Arawa" by Kukumbas, "Life Will Move" by The Believers, "The Feelings" by Tony Grey & The Black 7, "I Want A Break Thru" by The Hykkers, and "In The Jungle (voc)" by The Hygrades. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album