Another round of Studio One butter from the folks at Soul Jazz! By this point you're well informed about the status of Coxsone Dodd's Studio One operation as the cornerstone of so much Jamaican music, and Soul Jazz has approached the catalog from just about every angle, covering nearly all the bases before landing here on this dub set. The sly Island grooves are stripped down to their bare essentials, then given a tasteful bit of dubby gloss at the hands of Sylvan Morris, for a massive collection that'll rule your stereo like Studio One rocked the sound systems back in the day. 17 tracks in all, wrapped in a nice package that includes interviews with Morris and Dodd, and fully annotated as to which numbers the rhythms were originally cut as the backing for. Includes "Bionic Dub", "Sky Rhythm", 'Taurus Dub 2", "Hooligan", "Dub Rock", "Hi Fashion Dub", In Cold Blood Version" and "Feel The Dub". (Reggae, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 70s grooves, and a few key contemporary cuts too – a really wonderful set that's full of overlooked modern soul gems and a great mix of mellow groovers! The package really serves up some of our favorite sounds from the 70s – tracks that are upbeat, yet never uptempo – and find a way of stepping along a midtempo groove that leaves plenty of room for the vocalist to really soar in the lead – hitting these rich, righteous lines that sparkle strongly throughout! The set list is superb, and features even a few surprises to our ears long-trained on modern soul – and tracks include "There I Go" by The Notations, "I Hate Hate" by Razzy, "Pour Your Little Heart Out" by The Drifters, "Daylight" by Bobby Womack, "Got To Find Ms Right" by Buddy Miles, "Tripping Out (Featurecast 2013 re-edit)" by Curtis Mayfield, "What Do You See In Her" by Inell Young, "You Made A Believer Out Of Me" by Betty Lavette, "This Side Of Heaven" by Gavin Christopher, "Spoiled Like A Baby" by Mystique, "If You Really Need A Friend" by Bobby Foster, "Smoothie Pie" by Sky Hi, and "I Don't Know" by Glen Anthony Henry. CD

There's an island on the cover, but the music is all-soul, all the way through – a great collection of classic mellow moments from years back, plus a few excellent choices from more recent years as well! Still, the island's a great image for the sound of the set – as the music has this kicked-back vibe that provides a nice sort of escape from the everyday world – heavenly soul sounds that come both from rare classics, and some of the best of the current underground – brought together with the kind of care and class we've come to expect from the folks at Expansion Records. A wonderful mix of tunes – with titles that include "Remember To Remember" by Rick Holmes, "Under The Moon & Over The Sky" by Angela Bofil, "Living So Fast" by Novocento with Danni Gottlieb & Dave Liebman, "I Choose You" by Paris, "You Are My Starship" by Norman Connors, "It Should Be you" by Ashanti Munir & Neil Letendre, "He Mandu (mother mix)" by Mouth Music, "Far Beyond" by Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band, "It's Like Air" by Sunny Hawkins, "Blending Colors" by Debra Debs, "Unconditional Love" by Greg Dean with Chantae Cann & Jarrod Lawson, "Mississippi Delta Blues" by Lamar Thomas with Carrie K Thomas, and "Peace In The Middle East" by Miri Ben-Ari & Kerri Chandler. CD

The "lovers" here are funky 45 lovers – the kind that dig rare singles from the 60s and 70s as much as we do – plenty of which you'll find stacked up nicely in this killer set! The package delves into the legacy of 7" singles from Miami soul powerhouse TK Records – and the package is full of more unusual tracks that go way past some of the big TK chart and club hits of the time, to really show the range of material that was making the label so great – and such an important force in the record racks at the time! Titles on this vinyl version include "For Lovers Only" by New Image, "Oh Let Me Know It (part 1)" by Special Delivery, "Let Me Take Care Of Your Heart" by The Smith Brothers, "Our Day Is Here" by Jimmy Beaumont & The Skyliners, "Man Of Mine" by Betty Wright, "Stop Hurting Me Baby" by Purple Mundi, and "Nowhere" by Hokis Pokis. LP, Vinyl record album

The "lovers" here are funky 45 lovers – the kind that dig rare singles from the 60s and 70s as much as we do – plenty of which you'll find stacked up nicely in this killer set! The package delves into the legacy of 7" singles from Miami soul powerhouse TK Records – and the package is full of more unusual tracks that go way past some of the big TK chart and club hits of the time, to really show the range of material that was making the label so great – and such an important force in the record racks at the time! Familiar names mix nicely with lesser-knowns – and the set features 23 tracks in all, with titles that include "Our Day Is Here" by JP Robinson, "Nowhere" by Hokis Pokis, "For Lovers Only" by New Image, "Let Me Take Care Of Your Heart" by The Smith Brothers, "Our Day Is Here" by Jimmy Beaumont & The Skyliners, "Man Of Mine" by Betty Wright, "Secret Lover" by Paulette Reaves, "Come On With It" by Lew Kirton, "Sweet Vibrations" by Latimore, "Moon Ride" by Universal Love, "Dance Craze" by New Image, "Funky Party" by Clarence Reid, and "Don't Waste My Time" by Jerry Washington. 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

Slamming funky club from the 70s – as Kenny Dope re-presents some of the best tracks ever by Randy Muller – the creative genius behind BT Express, Brass Construction, and Skyy! Back in the day, Randy had a way of laying the horns alongside the bassline that was totally unique – an approach that was one of the first to link together funk and disco, and hit a groove that countless other groups tried to cop! For the collection, Kenny went back to Randy's original tapes and pulled out the strongest elements – inflecting the grooves with an edge that's even funkier and sharper than the originals, yet always preserving the classic sound of the tracks. CD features a mix-like format that includes a few shout outs – and a total of 11 tracks that include "Movin" and "Ha Cha Cha" by Brass Construction, "High" and "Here's To You" by Skyy, "Boogie's Gonna Get Ya" by Rafael Cameron, "I Surrender" by Funk Deluxe, "Changin" by Brass Construction, and "Express" and "Peace Pipe" by BT Express. CD

An incredible collection – and one that fills in a crucially under-documented side of the New York dancefloor generation – the wealth of special mixes and edits that were made for that city's important DJs for their own use in clubs! The package sorts through a mountain of never-issued acetates, and goes way past conventional disco or rare club collections – to showcase the special mixing talents these DJs brought to their re-presentation of the material – which was usually done on tape, then pressed onto acetate discs for their own private use! Those rare treasures are brought forth here – in a beautiful package that's also overflowing with fantastic notes that finally give this lost history its due – all handled by Al Kent – who's a hell of a mixer himself, as well as an underground club historian. Vinyl part 2 features five full records – all with lots of space for the tracks to stretch out – and titles include "My Number's Up (Tee Scott rmx)" by The Salsoul Orchestra, "The Love Bug Done Bit Me Again (David Todd rmx)" by Skyliners, "LA Sunshine (Robert Ouimet rmx)" by Aura, "Love Has Come My Way (Jim Burgess rmx)" by Tony Valor Sound Orchestra, "Handsome Ma (Bobby DJ Guttadoro rmx)" by Sparkle Tuhran & Friends, "Love Thang (Tee Scott rmx)" by First Choice, "Burn Me Up (Jellybean Benitez edit)" by Kay Gees, "Love Is The Message (Tee Scott rmx)" by Brooklyn Express, "Changes (Jellybean Benitez rmx)" by Chain Reaction, "J'Ouvert (Frank Sestito rmx)" by John Gibbs & The Jam Band, "By The Way You Dance (Bobby DJ Guttadaro rmx)" by Bunny Sigler, "It's Good For The Soul (Walter Gibbons disco madness version)" by Salsoul Orchestra, and "It's A Better Than Good Time (Walter Gibbons rmx)" by Gladys Knight & The Pips. LP, Vinyl record album

Gary, Indiana is maybe best known as the hometown of the Jackson 5 – but the city also had plenty of other soul singers back in the day – as you'll discover on this really well-done collection of tracks! The set's titled after the Chicago Skyway, a huge industrial structure that links the south side of the Windy City with Gary – and that link is a key one, as many of the artists here have a resonance with Chicago soul too – working with qualities that are often a bit more sophisticated than usual, and not as directly aimed at the charts or the dancefloor – a really special breed of soul music that makes for a wonderfully rich collection! As usual with Numero, the package is as great as the track list – and titles include "Trouble" by General Lee & Lost Weekend, "Sweet Jo-Ann" by El Anthony, "Main Squeeze" by Nate Evans, "So I Can Make This Change" by The Krash Band, "Bridge Of Love" by Lost Weekend, "Give Your Love To Me" by Wilton Crump, "Don't Be Afraid" by Sky's The Limit, "Let's Ride" by Junei, "You Just Be You" by Into New Dimensions, "I Need Your Love" by Billy Foster, "Pleasure" by General Lee, "Night Music" by Billy Foster, "The Look On Your Face" by Nate Evans & Mean Green, and "We've Been In Love Too Long" by El Anthony. LP, Vinyl record album

Gary, Indiana is maybe best known as the hometown of the Jackson 5 – but the city also had plenty of other soul singers back in the day – as you'll discover on this really well-done collection of tracks! The set's titled after the Chicago Skyway, a huge industrial structure that links the south side of the Windy City with Gary – and that link is a key one, as many of the artists here have a resonance with Chicago soul too – working with qualities that are often a bit more sophisticated than usual, and not as directly aimed at the charts or the dancefloor – a really special breed of soul music that makes for a wonderfully rich collection! As usual with Numero, the package is as great as the track list – and titles include "Trouble" by General Lee & Lost Weekend, "Sweet Jo-Ann" by El Anthony, "Main Squeeze" by Nate Evans, "So I Can Make This Change" by The Krash Band, "Bridge Of Love" by Lost Weekend, "Give Your Love To Me" by Wilton Crump, "Don't Be Afraid" by Sky's The Limit, "Let's Ride" by Junei, "You Just Be You" by Into New Dimensions, "I Need Your Love" by Billy Foster, "Pleasure" by General Lee, "Night Music" by Billy Foster, "The Look On Your Face" by Nate Evans & Mean Green, and "We've Been In Love Too Long" by El Anthony. LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal sounds from the Kansas City scene of the late 70s – a wealth of power pop work from the tiny Titan label – all brought together in one of the most brilliant packages we've ever seen from the Numero Group! Like most Numero releases, there's a great story behind this set – a tale of bounced checks, interstate culture, and a cadre of great groups who would have been huge – had they recorded this music out on the coast! Titan's way more than just a tiny label that managed to put out some killer singles back in the day – it's a pop powerhouse that shows just how much under-discovered genius the American scene can hold – music that really helps break down simple understandings of late 70s rock, especially when presented this well. The 2CD set features 42 tracks and a 40 page booklet – a great counterpart to Numero's Yellow Pills set – filled with notes on Titan, a complete discography, and a wealth of wonderful photos that really make this unique scene come alive. Titles include "Shark" and "Real Life Saver" by Gary Charlson, "No Way Baby" and "I Wanna Be" by Arlis, "It's Your Heart Tonight" and "Radio Heart" by Secrets, "Please Change Your Mind" and "Baby It's You" by Boys, "Rock N Roll Song" and "Radio City" by Bobby Sky, "The Last Song" by JP McClain & The Intruders, "Cry" and "Didn't Like It Anyway" by Gems, "Coit Tower" and "Drink A Toast" by Millionaire At Midnight, and "I Think About You" by Scott McCarl. (Rock, Funky Compilations) CD

A pretty incredible legacy of jazz from the scene in Belgium during the late 60s and early 70s – a place that never got the kind of exposure as the jazz worlds of the UK, Scandinavia, and Germany – but one that was making some really amazing work at the time! Take the "progressive" in the title a bit loosely – this is neither prog jazz rock, nor work that's too academic to be groovy – as the groups here are often a bit funky, and play with a surprising degree of soul – just the right space between the notes to make for tunes that cross over very well to fans of American funky jazz from the 70s, with some moments that also rival the best in Brazilian 70s jazz too! The rhythms are wonderful – sometimes full-on funky, sometimes more modal and spacious – and the tracks mix electric and acoustic instrumentation perfectly – mostly instrumental, but with a few vocals from time to time. Some of the artists are ones here you might not normally associate with Belgium – and that's just because they're finally getting their due here, in a well-collected package that also illuminates the connections with a great set of notes. Titles include "Vas Y Voir" by Brussels Art Quintet, "Pathetic Dreams" by Koen De Bruyne, "Archangelo" by Raphael, "Memphis Talk" by Philip Catherine, "Naima" by Lou MacConnell, "Pro Forma 1" by Babs Robert, "Utopic Cities" by Solis Lacus, "SUS" by Placebo, "Face Reality" by Jacques & Micheline Pelzer, "Tohubohu (part 1)" by Marc Moulin, "Open Sky" by Open Sky Unit, and "Sakara" by Clarke Boland Big Band. LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic collection – one that seems to find a special place that's all its own – a bit folk funk, a bit jazzy soul, a bit something else that we can't define at all – all sewn together through a wonderfully well-chosen batch of cuts that we might never have heard otherwise! Paul Hillery uses words next to each of the titles to describe the tunes, ala an older sound library record – like "canyon cool", or "susurrations of the sea", "ethno-fusion", "swelling cellos", and so on – all light ways of getting at the vibe of the album's beautiful mix of laidback vocals and easygoing instrumentation – definitely music that's perfect for spending some time with the setting sun! Titles include "Fields Of Green" by Carm Mascarenhas, "Colorado Red Sky" by MCF, "Mojafe" by Hardin & Russell, "Be With Me" by Pat Rahming, "Wet Dreams" by Floyd Hunchback Group, "Surfer Girl" by Persona La Ave, "In Passing" by Kimberle, "Over & Over" by Andy Davis, "Playin Your Game" by Blaine L Reininger, "The Shadows Dance" by Graeme Gash, "It All Comes Around" by Parker MacDonnell, and "The Light" by Reggio. CD

The love here is in the music – a really warm, wonderful blend of tracks in a variety of styles – all coming together in the sunny spirit hinted at by the cover! It's a bit hard to sum up the genius of the set in words – as Miche takes vintage soul, Latin, Brazilian, and other modes – but makes a record that's very different than the usual funky compilation – one with a much deeper sense of spirit! Most tracks are pretty darn obscure, which really helps them work together wonderfully – in a lineup that includes "Summer Love" by Mandisa, "Skying High" by South Funk Blvd, "Hung Up About You" by Atlantis, "Don't Need No Fortune Teller" by Ad Libs, "Now You've Gone Away" by City Lites, "Serrado" by Quintaessencia, and "It Was September" by Superior Elevation. LP, Vinyl record album

Miche's at it again – and he's somehow managed to top the great sound of the first volume in the series – digging deeper into the past, coming up with more soulful numbers overall, then throwing in just the right touch of Brazilian grooves to even things out! As before, there's no unifying label or scene to these tracks – they're just brought together in celebration of a really joyous, positive, uplifting vibe – one possessed by each track alone, but which really steps out strongly as they all resonate together! Titles include "Save The Best For Last" by Alice Cohen & Fun City, "You & Me" by Mark Meadows, "Take To The Sky" by Mixed Generation Enterprize, "I Like What She's Doing" by Billy Boomer, "Straight Forward" by PJ City, "Realize" by Maxwell, "High On You" by Freedom, "Blow My Mind" by The Lost Family, "As" by The Family Tree, "A Luz Que Brilha Meu Viver" by Banda 22, "Misterio Brilhante" by Ze Da Lata, "Then I Reach Satisfaction" by Eleventh Commandment, and "Dame Solamente Amor" by Rogers Mitchell. CD

Miche's at it again – and he's somehow managed to top the great sound of the first volume in the series – digging deeper into the past, coming up with more soulful numbers overall, then throwing in just the right touch of Brazilian grooves to even things out! As before, there's no unifying label or scene to these tracks – they're just brought together in celebration of a really joyous, positive, uplifting vibe – one possessed by each track alone, but which really steps out strongly as they all resonate together! Titles include "Save The Best For Last" by Alice Cohen & Fun City, "You & Me" by Mark Meadows, "Take To The Sky" by Mixed Generation Enterprize, "I Like What She's Doing" by Billy Boomer, "Straight Forward" by PJ City, "Realize" by Maxwell, "High On You" by Freedom, "Blow My Mind" by The Lost Family, "As" by The Family Tree, "A Luz Que Brilha Meu Viver" by Banda 22, "Misterio Brilhante" by Ze Da Lata, "Then I Reach Satisfaction" by Eleventh Commandment, and "Dame Solamente Amor" by Rogers Mitchell. LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool collection of cuts that we might never have encountered otherwise – all brought together in celebration of 20 years of work from the If Music shop, who clearly just keep on refining their ears over the years! There's so many cuts here that fall in a special space between familiar genres – jazzy instrumentation mixed with folksy vocals, electronic rhythms mixed with warmer instrumentation, ethnic instrumentation fused with jazzy expression, and blends that really keep things interesting throughout – especially as most of these cuts are nice and long, and really explore the ideas at their core! Titles include "We Are Not Invisible" by Ola Szmidt, "Big Kalimba" by Greetje Bijma Kwintet, "Fidji" by Christine Schaller, "Sunday Sea Improvisation" by Tamar Osborn, "Fall In To Me (alt version)" by Emanative & Liz Elensky, "Turkish Showbiz" by Atilla Engin Group, "Dennison Point" by Tenderlonious, and "At The Speed Of Light" by Sarathy Korwar. LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic collection – one that seems to find a special place that's all its own – a bit folk funk, a bit jazzy soul, a bit something else that we can't define at all – all sewn together through a wonderfully well-chosen batch of cuts that we might never have heard otherwise! Paul Hillery uses words next to each of the titles to describe the tunes, ala an older sound library record – like "canyon cool", or "susurrations of the sea", "ethno-fusion", "swelling cellos", and so on – all light ways of getting at the vibe of the album's beautiful mix of laidback vocals and easygoing instrumentation – definitely music that's perfect for spending some time with the setting sun! Titles include "Fields Of Green" by Carm Mascarenhas, "Colorado Red Sky" by MCF, "Mojafe" by Hardin & Russell, "Be With Me" by Pat Rahming, "Wet Dreams" by Floyd Hunchback Group, "Surfer Girl" by Persona La Ave, "In Passing" by Kimberle, "Over & Over" by Andy Davis, "Playin Your Game" by Blaine L Reininger, "The Shadows Dance" by Graeme Gash, "It All Comes Around" by Parker MacDonnell, and "The Light" by Reggio. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet funky fusion from the Japanese scene at the end of the 70s – work that's all from the mighty Electric Bird label, an imprint who were as important to Japan as CTI/Kudu were in the US! As with that famous pairing of labels, Electric Bird helped artists find a new groove with a sweet electric mode – still very jazz-based, but with just the right influences from soul and funk as well – which helped some players hit a very cool vibe – including a few of American artists too, as Electric Bird were always one for cross-pollination between the scenes! There's an especially strong emphasis on keyboard lines – and titles include "Summer Time" by Yasuaki Shimizu, "Night Life" by Ronnie Foster, "Living In A City" by Toshiyuki Honda, "In The Sky" by Shunzo Ohno, "Let's Get Together" by Mikio Masuda, "Night Breeze" by Bobby Lyle, and "Space Traveler" by Katsutoshi Morizono. CD

Sweet funky fusion from the Japanese scene at the end of the 70s – work that's all from the mighty Electric Bird label, an imprint who were as important to Japan as CTI/Kudu were in the US! As with that famous pairing of labels, Electric Bird helped artists find a new groove with a sweet electric mode – still very jazz-based, but with just the right influences from soul and funk as well – which helped some players hit a very cool vibe – including a few of American artists too, as Electric Bird were always one for cross-pollination between the scenes! There's an especially strong emphasis on keyboard lines – and titles include "Summer Time" by Yasuaki Shimizu, "Night Life" by Ronnie Foster, "Living In A City" by Toshiyuki Honda, "In The Sky" by Shunzo Ohno, "Let's Get Together" by Mikio Masuda, "Night Breeze" by Bobby Lyle, and "Space Traveler" by Katsutoshi Morizono. LP, Vinyl record album

The not so Guilty Secrets Of Northern Soul on Ace – uptempo, dancefloor ready singles compiled by Ace – leftfield stormers from pop, rock and blue-eyed soul and otherwise uncommon resources that meet the exciting, floor-shaking criteria! It's cool stuff all the way, with recognizable names and lesser knowns – singles by Judy Harris, The Rumblers, The Seeds with Sky Saxon, The Spyders, Garland Green, Jay & The Americans and many more! 24 tracks in all: "Don't Stop Lookin'", "You Touched Me" by Judy Harris, "Ten Miles High' by David & The Giants, "Keeps On Burning" by The Burning Bush, "You Sexy Sugar Plum (But I Like It)" by Rodger Collins, "Bumpin' And Stompin'" by Garland Green, "Elusive" by Babe Ruth, "I Can Take Care Of Myself" by The Spyders, "Walk Tall (Like A Man)" by by 2 Of Clubs, "Livin' Above Your Head" by Jay & The Americans and more. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

Sweet sounds from a real golden age in Japanese music – a time when the scene had picked up plenty of influences from the US scene, but was carefully crafting some great styles of their own! The music here has touches of jazz, fusion, soul, and AOR – but there's a special balance that's a bit different than American chartbound material of the time – tight, but never too slick – and with a great ear for allowing the more interesting sides of the music to come forth in all the best ways – so that although catchy, the tunes aren't just going slavishly for a hook or a hit! There's a lot of resonance in the instrumentation with some of the scene that had Japanese jazz musicians working with American fusion players – but the overall approach is maybe more soul-based overall. An even deeper set than the first volume – with titles that include "Kanpoo" by Yumi Murata, "Hidari Mune No Seiza" by Tetsuji Hayashi, "Yubikiri" by Eiichi Ohtaki, "Vibration" by Kimiko Kasai, "Pink Shadow" by Bread & Butter, "The Tokyo Taste" by The Sadistics, "Blind Curve" by Momoko Kikuchi, "Skyfire" by Eri Ohno, and "Rainy Saturday & Coffee Break" by Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station. (Japanese, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album