A stunning tribute to the music of Jorge Ben – a host of classic covers from the 60s and 70s, all of which share Jorge's love for an upbeat, soulful groove! The set's exploding with life and energy – that new sort of groove that Ben first unleashed on Brazilian music in the 60s, which was quickly taken up by most of his contemporaries – as you'll hear on the wonderful tunes in this set! There's a ridiculous amount of music on the collection – over two dozen tunes, a number of which we'd never heard before – and although Jorge doesn't sing on any of them, the vocalists are all clearly inspired by his sense of warmth and soul. Every cut's a groover – and titles include "Quem Mandou" by Osmar Milito, "Zazueira" by Wilson Simonal, "Pulo Pulo" by Elza Soares, "Se Voce Quiser Mas Sem Bronquear" by Doris Monteiro, "Tenha Fe Pois Amanha Um Lindo Dia Vai Nascer" and "La Vem Salgueiro" by Os Originais Do Samba, "Carolina Carol Bela" by Os Brazoes, "Speed" by Sonia Santos, "Rei Do Maracatu" by Cyro Aguiar, "Cosa Nostra" by Os Mutreteiros Grilados, "Fio Maravilha" by Marijo, "Pais Tropical" by Wilson Simonal, and "Mas Que Nada" by Elza Soares. (Brazil, Funky Compilations) CD

A stunning tribute to the music of Jorge Ben – a host of classic covers from the 60s and 70s, all of which share Jorge's love for an upbeat, soulful groove! The set's exploding with life and energy – that new sort of groove that Ben first unleashed on Brazilian music in the 60s, which was quickly taken up by most of his contemporaries – as you'll hear on the wonderful tunes in this set! There's a ridiculous amount of music on the collection – over two dozen tunes, a number of which we'd never heard before – and although Jorge doesn't sing on any of them, the vocalists are all clearly inspired by his sense of warmth and soul. Every cut's a groover – and titles include "Quem Mandou" by Osmar Milito, "Zazueira" by Wilson Simonal, "Pulo Pulo" by Elza Soares, "Se Voce Quiser Mas Sem Bronquear" by Doris Monteiro, "Tenha Fe Pois Amanha Um Lindo Dia Vai Nascer" and "La Vem Salgueiro" by Os Originais Do Samba, "Carolina Carol Bela" by Os Brazoes, "Speed" by Sonia Santos, "Rei Do Maracatu" by Cyro Aguiar, "Cosa Nostra" by Os Mutreteiros Grilados, "Fio Maravilha" by Marijo, "Pais Tropical" by Wilson Simonal, and "Mas Que Nada" by Elza Soares. (Brazil, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Disco sounds from the Caribbean scene of the 70s – a really unique mix of regional styles with the kind of rhythms that were coming from New York and Philly at the time! The groove here is really unique – even different than some of the reggae or African disco numbers of the time – as the sunny style of Trinidad & Tobago and other islands turns out to be a perfect fit for clubby elements – mixing riffing instrumentation with playful lyrics that would have been right at home in older musical modes, but which are tuned just right here to match the energy of the disco generation. And these cuts have an appeal that goes way beyond any sense of novelty or gimmick – often served up with a soulfulness that meets or beats mainstream US disco of the period. Hats off to Cultures of Soul for bringing all these great grooves together – on a set that includes "Dance With Me" by Odessey One, "Feel Like Dancing" by Levi John, "Instant Funk" by Merchant, Be Yourself" by Mighty Duke, "The Rebels" and "Living On A String" by Wild Fire, "Peace Without Love" by Ronnie Butler And The Ramblers, "Rockers Delight" by Prince Blackman (a nicely simmering Jamaican funk take on "Rappers Delight"), "Got To Have You" by Joanne Wilson, "Disco Music" by Trinadad Troubadours – plus the bonus tracks "Got To Have You (Whiskey Barons Rework)" and "Dance With Me (Al Kent Version)" by Odessey One. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare Caribbean funk from the 70s – the second volume of West Indies Funk – once again delivering a stylistically diverse take on the classic funky soul from groups such as The Troubadours, Boo & The Tru Tones, Roosevelt Johnson & His Spice Islanders, The Cassanovas, Blue Rhythm Combo and others! All the things we dug about the first volume are in the mix once again – and ultimately the set goes even further with the range and boundlessly funky styles. Includes numbers that could just as easily come from the funky underground of the regional US and others that roll out grooves that are purely indicative of the Caribbean – with steel drums, tropical rhythms and all around breezier, sunnier touches. Even better than the first one! Includes "Funk Good Feeling" by The Troubaodours, "Have A Party" by The Esquires Now", "Don't Blame This Joint" by Boo & The True Tones", "Shango!" by Steel Image, "Something's Definitely Going On" by Mamwaw, "Look-Ka-Py Py" by L Charmers, "Funky Crookie" by Exile 1, "Sing A Simple Song" by The Cassanovas, "The Big Pay Back" by Kenny & The Beach Boys and more. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A fuzzed out treasure trove of rare Brazilian psychedelia – wild stuff that's in many ways akin to the freewheeling sounds of the Tropicalia movement, but not necessarily taking on the cultural and political weight of that movement – and more about the boundless spirit of psychedelia and funk rock around the globe! The sounds are buzzing and indeed fuzzy throughout, ranging from raw and ramshackle guitar jams to more organ and drum driven funky, and it's really incredible stuff all around. We've been purveyors of hard to find Brazilian music for many many years, and this set – compiled by Joel Stones who also provides the richly detailed – brings to light some numbers we've never heard! 16 tracks in all: "Tema De Banana", "Era Uma Nota De" Loyce E Os Gnomes, "I Wanna Be Your Man" by Youngsters, "Ourico" by Serguei, "Lindo Sonho Delirante" by Fabio, "Cinturao De Fog" by Marisa Rossi, 'Som Imaginario De Jimmi Hendrix" by The Pops, "The Lantern" by Mac Rybell and more. CD version comes with a thick booklet of notes, in both English and Portuguese, and it's an enhanced CD – with the short documentary What Are Fuzz Bananas?. 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

A fuzzed out treasure trove of rare Brazilian psychedelia – wild stuff that's in many ways akin to the freewheeling sounds of the Tropicalia movement, but not necessarily taking on the cultural and political weight of that movement – and more about the boundless spirit of psychedelia and funk rock around the globe! The sounds are buzzing and indeed fuzzy throughout, ranging from raw and ramshackle guitar jams to more organ and drum driven funky, and it's really incredible stuff all around. We've been purveyors of hard to find Brazilian music for many many years, and this set – compiled by Joel Stones who also provides the richly detailed liner notes – brings to light some numbers we've never heard! 16 tracks in all: "Tema De Banana", "Era Uma Nota De" Loyce E Os Gnomes, "I Wanna Be Your Man" by Youngsters, "Ourico" by Serguei, "Lindo Sonho Delirante" by Fabio, "Cinturao De Fog" by Marisa Rossi, 'Som Imaginario De Jimmi Hendrix" by The Pops, "The Lantern" by Mac Rybell and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The sounds here aren't that unusual at all – and in fact, they're mostly pretty darn groovy – a superb selection of sound library funk from the glory days of the European scene – collected here together in support of the book of the same name! In case you're new to the scene – the Euro sound library world of the 60s and 70s was a place where extremely creative musicians could come together and create their own sort of grooves without a worry for placement on the record charts – as most of these cuts were locked in the vaults, then licensed briefly for use on radio, TV, or commercials – which led to a few of these gems getting some famous, but anonymous play on classic cop or crime shows at the time. The compilation brings together some of the best examples of this scene – loads of cuts that have been our favorites over the years – a whopping 20 tracks that include "Half Forgotten Daydreams" by John Cameron, "Funky Fanfare" by Keith Mansfield, "Weeping Eelgrass" by Mladen Franko, "Mild Maniac" by Peter Patzer, "Dream Number Two" by Roland Hollinger, "Soft Wind" by Gary Pacific Orchestra, "Tropicola" by Stringtronics, "Survivor" by Klaus Weiss, "La Dimonstrazione" by Daniele Patucchi, "Feeling Tense" by Stefano Torossi, "Xenos Cosmos" by Janko Nilovic, "Night Breeze" by Franco Micalizzi, and "Fancy Good" by Electric Machine. (Sound Library, Funky Compilations) CD

No soundclash here – as the grooves are all right on the money, and fit perfectly together throughout – a blinding blend of tropical-styled sounds that really lives up to the promise of the package! Sofrito have outdone themselves here – and come up with the kinds of tracks we'd never have found in a million years of digging – mostly vintage numbers from the late 70s and early 80s tropical scene – mixed with a few contemporary numbers that seem to have an equally classic sort of vibe! The package is an instant global grooves party right from the start – and titles include "O Ti Yo" by Midnight Groovers, "Cumbia Y Tambo" by La Pesada, "Ebolo" by Bell'A Njoh, "Vibrations Groove" by Lord Shorty & Vibrations International, ""Mwekuru Muthao" by Melodica Teens Band, "La Zorra Y El Perol" by Grupo Canalon De Tinbiqui, and "The Path (Sofrito edit)" by Concept Neuf. (Global Grooves, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A definite wild safari of grooves – an unusual batch of tracks that mix together 70s disco modes with other global touches – all served up in a mighty groovy style! Electric and acoustic instruments run side by side here – congas next to keyboards, riffing guitars next to chanted vocals – and the tracks often remind us of some of the coolest work coming out of the French scene during the late 70s club years – although it's clear that these tracks come from a wide variety of sources. Titles include "Ayala Red" by The Mighty, "Simbora" by Simbora Orchestra, "Safari Love" by Resonance, "Sunara" by Crispy & Co, "Bilboa Dance" by Sweet Bananas, "Ramses Theme" by Ramses Ballet, and "Mayaguana" by Antillas Mayores. LP, Vinyl record album