A great album of funky dancefloor tunes! Originally issued in 1978, and clearly for the New York dancefloor crowd – the record takes the earlier work of funk group The Blackbyrds, and remixes the tracks slightly to pump up the groove a bit for the dancers. While the approach might not sound good on paper, it actually works wonderfully on the record – as the tunes retain all of the jazz funk feel of the originals, without any of the cheap tricks you might expect. The album's as essential as any of the group's earlier albums – and it's filled with great versions of classics like "Supernatural Feeling", "Gut Level", "Walking In Rhythm", "Do It Fluid", "Rock Creek Park", and "Happy Music". LP, Vinyl record album

A slinky soulful groover from Susana Estrada – a Spanish singer, but one with a great ear for American club – as you'll hear on this classic set from the start of the 80s! Given her looks, and her legacy on screen, Susana's somewhat in the mode of the "porn star singing disco" that was big in the late 70s – but there's also a lot more going on here with the grooves, thanks to arranger/producer Josep Lobell, who is able to channel Nile Rodgers one minute, Leon Ware the next, and keep things moving through a range of Euro and New York disco styles. Titles include "Que Calor", "Mi Chico Favorito", "Ven", "Hgamoslo Juntos", "Voy Desnuda", "Arena Y Mar", "Quitate El Sosten", and "Gozame Ya". LP, Vinyl record album

Mad funky soul from King Hannibal – a down and dirty singer from the Atlanta scene of the 70s! The notes on the back say "He's black, he's proud, he's arrogant – the combination is powerful" – and we've gotta say that we agree with that assessment, because King really grabs his groove from the very first note on the set! Backings are hard and funky – lots of fuzzy guitar work from Herman Hitson and Lee Moses – and the tunes come across with a gritty mode that sometimes rolls into mellower southern soul styles, but still never lose their edge. Bits of politics creep into the lyrics nicely, but never get in the way of the groove – and tracks include a long version of Hannibal's classic "Hymn No 5", plus "Party Life", "I Got That Will", "The Truth Shall Make You Free", "Wake Up", "Black Girl", and "It's What You Do". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual moment from the mighty Bernie Worrell – the keyboardist that most folks know for his work as part of the P-Funk universe of George Clinton – stepping out here on an early 90s album done in collaboration with producer Bill Laswell! Like most of Laswell's other projects around the time, there's a spirit here that's not only genre-busting, but also aimed towards some of the more unusual possibilities of collaboration – at a level that has Bernie working with talents from soul, funk, jazz, and some other styles too – a lineup that includes Amina Claudine Myers, Fred Wesley, Marty Erlich, Umar Bin Hassan, Buckethead, and Vincent Chancey – all coming together in musical modes that are very different than Bernie's best-known solo album from the early 80s. There's a very dark spirit here at times – that layered sound that Laswell did so well – but mixed with these other moments that have a surprising sense of jazz majesty – almost with the spiritual core of a Bill Lee soundtrack. Titles include "The Mask", "Moon Over Brixton", "Witness For The Defense", "Set The Tone/Victory", "Gladiator Skull", and "Fields Of Play". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover's a bit creepy, but the set's a great one – way more soulful than the image of a dummy might make you expect! The collection follows strongly in the same territory as the funk titles on the Tramp Records label – and like those, digs deep in the American underground to find a host of under-exposed gems from back in the day – tunes that start out in the fast funk years of disco, but also move into some great 80s grooves as well! There's a huge number of cuts here we've never heard before – but that's no surprise, given the way that Tramp puts a set like this together – and titles include "The Freeze" by Steven Toll, "SOS" by Tyree Glenn Jr, "Missing You" by Silky Vincent Group, "Sights & Sounds" by Jeffords Brothers, "Medicine Man" by Grayson Street, "Puss (part 1)" by Oakland Express, "A Fool No Longer" by Afrodisia, "Don't It Make You Feel Good" by Deep South Dance Band, "Touchdown Cleveland Browns" by Ray Jay Band, "Future" by Keither Florence & The Associates, "Anytime" by Empulse, "Beautiful Day" by Mel O Madnezz, and "Dig This Piece" by Progressive Sounds Band. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The continuing lost legacy of Patrick Cowley – the San Francisco 80s club maestro who made some famous records with Sylvester – but who also did a huge amount of underground sounds for porno films at the time! This set digs deep into that legacy – by featuring music that Cowley did for the 1982 film Afternooners, as well as a few other tracks from the time – material that's a great 80s extrapolation of the sorts of slinky funk you'd know from 70s porn! The sounds here are heavy on beats and keyboards – a much more slowed-down take on territory that Cowley explored on his club singles of the period – and the basslines are plenty heavy, and very seductive – as you might imagine, given the images they were used with on the screen. We should tell you that the package does include a few nude images inside – so be warned if you're offended by that sort of thing. Titles include "Love Come Set Me Free", "Big Shot", "Surfside Sex", "Hot Beach", "The Runner", "One Hot Afternoon", "Leather Bound", and "Bore & Stroke". (Soundtracks, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album