A very clubby set from the Johannesburg scene at the start of the 90s – four longer tracks that really showcase that moment when house music influences were running through more mainstream R&B – all at a level that's richer and more soulful than some of the synth-heavy work of the decade before! The basslines are great – really grooving in that garage style that was big in the NYC clubs at the time – warming up the tunes in mighty nice ways, and making for some very seductive rhythms! Titles include the super-catchy title cut "Big World", plus "Unity", "Rebatla Muzik", and "Qinisela". (Global Grooves, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

(House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

90s pressing of this Chicago house classic, taking off on the riff from the Isaac Hayes tune that's been re-edited and mixed as doubles in clubs for ages and turning it into a new club anthem! (House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Banging acid house tracks from Mike Hitman Wilson. (House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

A certified classic, with a remake of Cymande's "Bra" bassline driving an absolutely unstoppable house groove! (House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Smooth jazzy house tunes – very much in the classic Italian mode, but with some stripped-down touches that pull the album firmly into the new century! The production is excellent – as flute riffs, compressed guitar, drum samples, and voices combine in a swirling mix of dancefloor tunes with a ver warm finish. Titles include "Shy Lover", "Moon Jumping", "Circles", "Meltin Guitar", "House's Echo", "Matumbana", and "Midnight Piano", which is a killer number in a classic Chicago house mode that would make Mr Fingers proud! CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

(Hip Hop, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

A fantastic 500th release by the BBE label – one that looks back at the past, and soars to the future! This special extended single package is a fantastic return to form for everyone involved – as underground club legends Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess get a whole new groove from Louie Vega – but with a warmly soaring vibe that's a great update of their classic approach! "Barely Breaking Even" is a classic from the Universal Robot Band – but this new take has both vocals and production that are a lot warmer than the original P&P Records version – and a groove that's even catchier too! All four mixes are over eight minutes long – served up here beautifully on a double 12" package! (Soul, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Laidback soul and easygoing funk from the great Roche label – a selection of cuts in both English and French, all united with a very dreamy way of approaching the groove! A few tracks get a bit more upbeat, but even those are linked with the others in a style that has this cool production haze – a way of blending neo soul, hip hop, and even a bit of club – on tracks that include "Sois Pas Presse" by Enchantee Julia & Lossapardo, "Out Of Sight" by Tentendo & Taj Ralph, "Say What" by Flaurese & Kartell, "Double Takes" by Wantigga & Maydien, "Hide & Run" by Zimmer & Didi Han, and "U&I" by FKJ, Darius, Wayne Snow, and Crayon. (Neo Soul, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

(House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

(Rock, New Grooves) CD

Massive mix put together by Dimitri From Paris – two CDs plus a bonus disc – featuring tracks by D Train, Grace Jones, Tortured Soul, Fat Larry's Band, Change, Stereo Mutants, Incognito, Gato Barbieri, India, Jafrosax, Sylvester, and more. (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) CD

(House Music, New Grooves) CD

(House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

(Soul, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Remixes by Tony Humphries, Satoshi Tomie and Pal Joey. (Soul, New Grooves) CD

(House Music, New Grooves) CD

Classic minimal mid 80s Chicago house from the Rude Boy, Farley Keith. (House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

(House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Classic old school Chicago house produced by Thompson & Lenoir. (Soul, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

(House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

A Chicago house classic, taking off on the riff from the Isaac Hayes tune that's been re-edited and mixed as doubles in clubs for ages and turning it into a new club anthem! (House Music, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The record's got a cover that's very different than the lush, stylish imagery used on so many of the Thievery Corporation records that Eric Hilton crafted over the years – and the sound here is nicely different too – maybe stripped down to some core elements, with a focus on the rhythmic progression of the tunes, as they often focus on a core sample or instrumental line to carry things forward! Hilton's definitely marking his own territory here – and titles include an excellent guest appearance from Brian Jackson on keyboards on "Something For Byrd" – and the other titles "Past Present & Future", "Put Em Down", "E Plays It Cool", "Cold Gemini", and "Mind Archeology". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Real Life", "Back To Us", "Evening Glow", "A House Of Many Ghosts (Reissue)", and "Lovers (Casa Del Mirto Mix)". (Rock, New Grooves) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Fred P offers up two very fresh takes on these cuts from the team of Nicola Conte and Gianluca Petrella – both nice and long, and with a sense of flow that's really wonderful! "African Spirits" comes across with a tribal house sort of vibe – lots of live instrumentation on percussion and trombone, but also a percolating groove that stretches into more house-based energy as the tune moves on! "Tribes" follows a similar groove – also stretching way past 10 minutes as Fred builds the whole tune nicely out of acoustic elements layered into the rhythms! 12-inch, Vinyl record

There's never been a better bit of throwback dancefloor fodder ever! Sure, these guys were blaring out of every cheap radio at the time, and it was just about impossible to walk into a shopping mall without hearing "Groove Is In The Heart" for about 5 years after the album came out – but to us, that was a great thing, and the record represents one of the high points in pop music of the past few decades. Thanks to some skillful sampling by Towa Tei, the group were grounded in a rich history of funk, house, disco, soul, and Brazilian influences – all of which they managed to blend with a postmodern perfection that other groups could only ever dream of! The big hits are certainly very familiar, but the whole album's a delight – and tracks include "Who Was That?", "Smile On", "Try Me On . . . I'm Very You", "World Clique", "ESP", and "Good Beat". This great expanded 2CD edition includes a full CD of remixes, too – 26 tracks in 2CDs! Given that the weird mixes and extrapolations of tunes by the group were such a big part of their larger sound, the extra material really helps get a full picture of the album's greatness! (Soul, New Grooves) CD

Fantastic sounds from Flying Lotus – an artist who just keeps on pushing past any conventional expectations, to a point where his music is almost a genre unto itself! The record's got this very tripped-out sort of vibe – very much in keeping with the image on the cover – and while many others are exploring this territory of late, few ever even get close to the right sort of mix that's going on here – subtle elements of soul, funk, jazz, hip hop, and maybe a million other influences – all flowing through the double-length space of the set, as it Flying Lotus redefines the sound of soul in the modern age. The set's got guest work from Thundercat, Shabazz Palaces, David Lynch, George Clinton, Anderson Paak, Little Dragon, Solange, and others – and titles include "Post Requisite", "Takashi", "Spontaneous", "More", "Burning Down The House", "Actually Virtual", "Find Your Own Way Home", "The Climb", "Debbie Is Depressed", "Black BAloons Reprise", and "Land Of Honey". CD

Fantastic sounds from Flying Lotus – an artist who just keeps on pushing past any conventional expectations, to a point where his music is almost a genre unto itself! The record's got this very tripped-out sort of vibe – very much in keeping with the image on the cover – and while many others are exploring this territory of late, few ever even get close to the right sort of mix that's going on here – subtle elements of soul, funk, jazz, hip hop, and maybe a million other influences – all flowing through the double-length space of the set, as it Flying Lotus redefines the sound of soul in the modern age. The set's got guest work from Thundercat, Shabazz Palaces, David Lynch, George Clinton, Anderson Paak, Little Dragon, Solange, and others – and titles include "Post Requisite", "Takashi", "Spontaneous", "More", "Burning Down The House", "Actually Virtual", "Find Your Own Way Home", "The Climb", "Debbie Is Depressed", "Black BAloons Reprise", and "Land Of Honey". LP, Vinyl record album

A double disc CD & DVD package showcasing one of our favorite souful acts on the contemporary landscape – Nicolay & Phonte's brilliant and ever-evolving Foreign Exchange project! Dear Friends showcases an acoustic concert performed for a private audience –- the great touring lineup that includes Zo!, Sy Smith, and singer/songwriter Jeanne Jolly. From the get go, we've been impressed by both the original songwriting from Foreign Exchange as well as the way they filter diverse influences into their own unique vibe – and this acoustic setting really gets to the heart and soul of it. This is an essential document for fans of the group, but it's also a fine intro if you're just now coming aboard! The live set includes "Fight For Love", "All Roads", "Take Off The Blues", "Lose Your Way", "Greatest Weapon Of All Time", a nice cover of James Taylor's "Something In The Way She Moves", "Laughing At Your Plans", "Daykeeper", "House Of Cards", Zo!'s "Greatest Weapon Of All Time" and "I Wanna Know". Also includes 2 new studio tracks: "Steal Away" feat vocals by Jeanny Jolly and piano by Zo! and "All The Kisses" feat Amber & Paris Strother of KING. (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

A tremendous full length debut from ISoul8 – a record that's billed by Phil Asher in the notes as representing everything that was once soulful in house music – but which we think offers even more than that! The album's certainly got a housey feel overall – but the styles here aren't just straightforward club, and often show some of the more farther-reaching modes of the group's Sonar Kollektiv contemporaries. There's great keyboards, slightly complex rhythm patterns, and a way of coming at the groove that shows plenty of influence from the recent London scene – but also that deeper soulfulness that Asher refers to – a sense of depth that comes through especially on the vocals! Guests include Valerie Etienne, Osunlade, Just One, Diamondancer, Marcus Begg, Paul Randolph, and Kaidi Tatham – and titles include "Clover", "Give It Up", "So Simple", "Free", "How I Feel", "Just The Way I Like It", "No Longer Fear", "The Vow", "On My Heart", and "A Silent Force". CD

A soulful dance album from the legendary King Britt – released on the house groove heavy Nervous label! Britt's always been one of the most diversely adaptable artists/producers and also one of the most reverently soulful dance music trailblazers out there and Intricate Beauty is as it's titled – with sultry, sweetly soulful club grooves and more globally influenced beats alike. It's dancefloor geared from front to back, with a soulful beat and lilting keys and atmospherics bringing the beauty along with some lovely guest singers – including Rucyl Mills, Astrid Suryanto, Kim English, Lady Alma and others. The the numbers flow one to the next in a continuous groove, demonstrating King Britt's skills as a DJ as well as material demonstrates his club groove production prowess. Include "Love What You Have " (main mix) feat Rucyl Mills, "Now" (main mix) feat Astrid Suryanto, "Nightlife" (King Britt mix) by with Kim English, "Try Love" (main mix) feat Lady Alma, "Blackhand Side", "Peak Inside", "Inner Self", "The Intricate Beauty" (main mix) feat Ryat and more. CD

One of our favorite Mo Wax singles, from the label's heyday, or at least our favorite period, when they still had the Swifty graphics with the band down one side of the cover. Funky French club cuts, from the days just before Bob Sinclair and the Yellow Productions folks took it to the big time, with a heavy house influence showing, but a lot more going on here too, Latin beats and jazzy sensibilities as well as tough hip hop and break influenced funk showing up! 6 tracks: "La Doctoresse", "Motor Bass Get Phunked Up", "Suspense", "Ravers Suck Our Sound And Get F*ck", "357 Magnum Force" and "Blunt Konnection". LP, Vinyl record album

A great return to form for the LTJ Experience – exactly the kind of tight grooves and soulful sounds that made Luca Trevisi such a standout in earlier years of the Italian club scene! The style here is really back to basics – somewhere between the spareness of the post-disco years and the fuller soulful styles when house started coming into play – always pretty funky in the rhythms, but with a forward-moving focus that's quite different than straight instrumental funk too. Titles include "Funk Is On", "Disco-Ver Me", "What I Feel", "Linear Funk", "Vuoto Beat", and "Get Down". LP, Vinyl record album

The first proper Mr Scruff full length in more than half a decade – and as you might have gathered from the boisterous breakbeat funk and more soulful undercurrents of recent 12"s – he's broadened his sonic tapestry a bit! Ninja Tuna is the namesake title for his own imprint at his longtime home Ninja Tune – and if he's not out to break the mold on tried and true formulas, he does a fine job of spinning some engrossing soundscapes! Funk, soul, house and bedrock hip hop beats meet masterfully, and a couple of the best tracks are inflected with more accessible groove via some excellent guest vocalists – including Alice Russell and Anreya Tatiani, and Quantic and Pete Simpson drop by, too! Titles include "Test The Sound", "Music Takes Me Up", "Donkey Ride" featuring Quantic, "Hairy Bumpercress", "Whiplash", "Nice Up The Function", "Bang The Floor", "Get On Down", "Hold On" with Andreya Triana, "Give Up To Get", "Kalimba", "This Way" feat Pete Simpson" and "Stockport Carnival". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive record – and an instant legend the day it was released! Masters At Work host the beautiful meeting of a host legendary artists – Roy Ayers, George Benson, Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, Jocelyn Brown, Vince Montana, and others – all united in a magical session that brings Latin firmly back to the dancefloor with the power and majesty of the best 70s recordings! The whole thing's amazing – a fantastic mix of Latin, funk, jazz, and house that's inspired a whole new generation of musicians – and which has still yet to be duplicated years later! Includes the massive remake of "I Am the Blackgold of the Sun", plus "Runaway", "Sweet Tears", and the great cover of Bob James' "Nautilus". CD

Osunlade's always had a sound that's deep, but this time around his entire approach seems even deeper than ever – maybe because this lavish package is as much a visual treat as it is an audio one! The set's as much of a book as it is a record – a heavy, hardcover package that has beautiful images on each page, writings too – all in tribute to the Orishas who've become a continuing inspiration for Osunlade – and helped move his music away from just simple dancefloor fare! And yet the tracks groove nicely, too – all in that deepest of house modes that the man's been giving us for many years – woven from strands of different cultural inspiration, and given a contemporary soulful spin – mostly from Osunlade himself on live drums, moog, Fender Rhodes, theremin, and other instrumentation – as well as vocals, and some guest help from Gabriele Poso, Oveous Maximus, Chateau Flight, and Tanya Blount. Titles include "No Way", "Pheramones", "Ser Al Santismo", "A Day Without", "Yeku Yeku", "Man O Wirdz", "Trinity Ov Me", "Idiosyncracy", and "Walkin In Paris". LP, Vinyl record album

We're not sure if the music here actually came from outer space – but the tunes definitely have a cosmic connection in the way they mix together so many groovy modes at once! The core energy comes from a love of 80s groove – particularly basslines, beats, and keyboards from the earlier part of the decade – but Diogo Strausz hails from Brazil, and brings in some music from his own culture as well, plus bits of Afro Funk and house – all of which makes for some mighty fresh tracks throughout! Titles include "Flexivel", "Dans Une Langue", "Junto De Nos", "Samba From Outer Space", "La Forme D'Un Grand Coeur", and "Why Can't We Be Together". LP, Vinyl record album

Kinkysweet and Unified Records team up for this great look at late nite Chitown – a set of grooves that definitely comes from the deeper side of the Chicago dancefloor scene of late – mostly in a house-based mode, but with some key hipper touches as well! Some of the artists here make us mighty proud to hail from the Windy City – and tracks include "Caugth Up" by Gene Hunt, "Thinkin Back" by Mr Ali with Nicole Mitchell, "Sexy 1" by Peven Everett, "The Feeling Track (Eddy The Family rmx)" by Garage Family, "Imagine Freedom (DJ Spinna rmx)" by Mr Ali, "Church (Sting International rmx)" by Peven Everett, "In Transit 2" by Mr Ali, "Told You So" by Glen Undreground, and "Easy Livin (Brian Reaves & Afrodisa rmx)" by Peven Everett. CD

Mixed by Chris Simmonds with tracks by Tim Deluxe, Diggers, House Proud People, B. Rich, Alex Faith, Partners In Time, and Simmonds himself. CD

A smooth set of soulful grooves – all very much in the Naked Music tradition (sensual sound, packaged in a cartoony cover with a naked girl – you know the deal!) Miguel Migs blends a range of current tracks that span the groove between house and soul – all quite pleasant, and sliding together with ease. Titles include "Highly Strung" by Headstock, "Happiness is Free" by Onda, "Endless Bow (Jimpster rmx)" by Hajime Yoshizawa, "Release" by Mindflight, "Atmospheric Beats (orig ext)" by Kerri Chandler, "The Dream (deep dreamer dub)" by Fusion Groove Orchestra & Simon Green, and "Tango Sed (Ron Trent drum mix)" by Batidos. CD

Stellar work from the Star Creature label – the Chicago imprint that seems to be picking up the torch where all those fancy London and European labels dropped it many years ago! The work here is fresh and forward-thinking – rooted in older house and funky soul modes, but completely contemporary – filled with rhythms that really find the way forward, instrumentation that soars to the heavens on waves of cosmic energy, and vocals that keep the whole thing nicely grounded on the planet! The quality is superb – and titles include "A Shooting Star" by Saucy Lady, "Tunnel Vision" by Proh Mic, "The Finest (E Live rmx)" by Kutkorners with Amalia, "Instant Sunshine" by Ourra & The Gravity Drive, "Do Me Like That (slight extension rmx)" by E Live with Chesta Blake, "Exoplanet Love" by Shrio Schwarz, and "Cassette Funk" by Giovanni Damico. LP, Vinyl record album

Two great cuts get a nice warming-over! Tall Black Guy takes the mix of acoustic percussion and keyboard lines on "Nigeria", and really deepens the soul – adding vocals from Broken Keys, and coming up with a clubbier vibe for the cut overall – one that has some nice currents for the tribal house crowd! That vibe also continues on "African Spirits" – which gets its beats kicked up by Andres, who also stretches out the tune and really lets it run wild! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Killer jazzy grooves from the bourgeoning French jazz house scene! St Germain take a Blue Note 70s sound as their base – with lots of sweet Hammond riffs, mellow Fender Rhodes licks, funky flute lines, and spacey percussion – then they add in some tight soulful house rhythms, with a very deep deep deep groove! The result is some of the best jazzy house that we've heard in years – and the record is the kind of album designed to put Blue Note back on the map as one of the most groove-committed jazz majors in the world. Killer stuff all around – and with the tracks "So Flute", "Latin Note", "Rose Rouge", "Pont Des Arts", "Sure Thing", and "What Do You Think About . . ." CD