A rare funky gem from the Chicago scene in the pre-house years – but a set that also might be a crucial bridge between the city's 70s soul and the underground clubs that would soon give the world a new groove! The group have plenty of funk elements in the mix – kind of a tightened-up version of P-Funk at times, with lots of bass in the mix – and all these cool moogy keyboard touches – topped by vocals from the group – who often have a call to action sort of vibe, really urging on the groove! The record's definitely too hardcore to have gotten much national radio play – sharper and more wicked than the major label funk of the time – and the use of female vocals in the mix also have a very different vibe than in disco, too – a quality that's hard to describe, but which really stands out. The set features some arrangements by Floyd Morris and Tom Tom 84 – two mighty legends in the Chicago soul scene – and titles include "Doin' It To Def", which has sort of a "We Will Rock You" intro, plus "Hot Spot", "Grab Your Sexy Baby", and "Funk Power". LP, Vinyl record album

There's nothing too comfy here, as drummer Tim Carman kicks up a gritty groove right from the very first note – working next to the organ of Ken Clark and guitar of Steve Fell – all in a stripped-down style that partly aims for the glory days of Hammond hero work on Prestige Records in the 60s, but which also maybe has a bit of a soul instrumental vibe as well! Tim's drums are nice and tight, leaving Clark's fingers on the keys and feet on the bass to really open things up – flowing and glowing with all these great changes, on titles that include "Cookin With Gran", "Southpaw", "If You've Got It Flaunt It", "First Mind", "Do That Thing", "Dumpty Dumb", and "Chicken Noodle Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitar, bass, and drums – all used in a style that's lean and funky – and which mixes elements of 60s soul jazz with some of the hipper modes of the 70s underground! The guitar of Addison Rifkind has this warmly chromatic vibe – and a way of wrapping chords around a groove that maybe echoes the style of O'Donel Levy a bit – less longer solos, but plenty of great rhythm elements – next to the snapping snare work of Michael Duffy and the acoustic bass of Rene Camacho. Titles include "Afrenic", "Grease On The Range", "Cadillac Converter", "Son", "Slick", "818 Don't Hate", "Clapper Dapper", and "Lo Fi Beats To Study To". LP, Vinyl record album

The White Blinds serve up a heady brew of organ jazz here – a lean combo with tight drums, riffing guitar, and plenty of sweet lines on the Hammond organ – all captured at a level that's somewhere between Prestige Records soul jazz of the mid 60s, and Booker T & The MGs on Stax! Tunes are tight, and there's a mix of funky currents happening in the rhythms from track to track – a shift in groove style that keeps things fresh throughout, but never in a way that sounds confused or mixed up – as the rock-solid instrumentation of the trio is very unified throughout! All tunes are originals by the group – and titles include "Night Walk", "Bay To LA", "Tail Feather", "Struttin", "So Pretty", "Miss Roberta", "On The Clock", and "Shakey Leg". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising slice of work from the 70s – three different albums all released under various guises by Armenian American reedman Souren Baronian – all put out on his own Carlee label, and done in a very cool mix of styles! Baronian blows both familiar American horns and more exotic instrumentation – sometimes with snakey qualities that echo both Egyptian music and Klezmer, other times with different inflections depending on the setting – and that setting varies here depending on the different records – as they each have a slightly different vibe! These are the sort of sets that would have easily been missed otherwise – either thought of as some 70s knockoff, or watered-down material for the crowds at a tourist spot – but they're wonderful throughout, with a depth of expression that really holds on throughout all the albums. The set brings together the records Middle Eastern Soul by Bob Tashijan & Souren Baronian, The Exciting Music Of The Nor-Ikes by The Nor-Ikes featuring Souren Baronian, and Hye Inspiration by Bob Tashijan & Souren Baronian with The Oud Of John Tarpinian. LP, Vinyl record album

A rock-solid effort from De La Soul at the start of the 21st Century – a record that really has the group coming back into their own! On previous records, it had been a little difficult to tell if De La Soul has been trying harder to please their critics, or simply finally being true to themselves by expelling all traces of the perceived hippy-isms of their earlier work – and the answer is probably somewhere in between, but leaning towards their autonomy. They've been a new group all together since Stakes Is High, and Bionix is certainly their best work since – with the Wu Tang-like piano driven beat of the title track, the catchy soul of "Baby Phat" and "Simply", both of which should be nice club hits, and more than a few subtle nods to the Prince Paul years, especially on the "Simply Havin" interlude. "What We Do (For Love)" makes great use of a Slick Rick guest spot – complete with the horny fanfare. Cee-Lo shows up on "Held Down", and B-Real appears on "Peer Pressure" – both of which suggest that De La spent a little time in Stankonia last year. Other tracks include "Watch Out", "Special", "The Sauce", "Pawn Star", "It's American", and "Trying People". LP, Vinyl record album

Dreamy sounds from keyboardist Greg Foat – a set with a vibe that's very much in keeping with the cover image – which is a spot in Greece where Greg and the quartet recorded the music! Foat's keyboards are a bit more laidback than usual, and mixed with some very cool electronics – in a group that also features mellow guitar from Warren Hampshire, flute and bass clarinet from Sokratis Votskos, and drums from Ayo Salawu – a group who start slow at the beginning of the record, then really pick up the pace at the end! Titles include "Kiki's Tavern", "On The Rose Bush", and "Tsamykonos" – plus the long "Secret World" cut on side two, a number that soars into space with some nicely kicking drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Underground spiritual sounds from Diego Gaeta – the first set we've heard from him as a leader, and hopefully not the last! Diego leads the lineup on piano, often evoking some of the deeper spiritual traditions on the LA scene – from the Horace Tapscott generation up through the world of Carlos Nino – yet there's also a leaner approach at times too, as light strings are mixed with core instrumentation on flute, tenor, vibes, and guitar – with occasional guest vocals from singers who include Jimetta Rose and Moore Mother! There's a really gentle sense of flowering on the tunes, which makes for a wonderfully distinct album – and titles include "Memorial", "The World & Within", "Caracal", "Fearlessly", "Soft Spot", "Eccolo", and "Uprising". LP, Vinyl record album

Gang Starr at pretty close to peak level here on 1994's Hard To Earn – and rather than continue to ride the waves they made on the previous couple classic albums, Guru sharpens the lyrical tone just a bit – spitting some more incisive rhymes over apporpriately gritty soul jazz beats from Primo. Tracks include the classic "DWYCK" featuring Nice & Smooth – which is just about our favorite Gang Starr track ever, to be honest – plus "Speak Ya Clout" featuring Jeru and Lil Dap, "Mass Appeal", "Code Of The Streets", "Brainstorm", "Tonz O Gunz", "Suckas Need Bodyguards", "Blowin Up The Spot", "Mostly Tha Voice", "F.A.L.A.", "Now You're Mine", "Comin For Datazz", "Aiight Chill...", "The Planet", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The regal image on the cover really fits the spirit of the record – as Shafiq Husayn seems to be channeling some sort of subtle majesty throughout – really focusing his already-great talents, and maybe winning himself a rightful spot at the head of the table of the contemporary soul underground! Way back when, Shafiq's work made Sa-Ra Partners sound great – but he's so different here, so much more developed – and fiercely collaborative in a large lineup that features appearances from Anderson Paak, Peyton, Jimetta Rose, Didda Joe, Sharis, Ivory T, Coultrain, and others! There's a crisp, cosmic vibe to the whole record – rising in righteousness on titles that include "No Particulars", "All Night", "Little Miss Petty", "Magi's Love", "Supastar Youngin", "Thorns & Roses", "Maybe Baby Winter", "Crush You", and "Unconditional". LP, Vinyl record album

The poetic title here is wonderfully well-suited to the album – as there's a free-floating, spacious quality to the music – yet one that's very different than some of the softer sessions that sort of reference might make you expect! Cornet player Kirk Knuffke always has a great sense of space in his music – and in this trio, it really seems to do a lot to the piano of Matthew Shipp, who can be a master of understatement at times, with really quietly brooding sounds on the keys – matched by the perfect energy of bassist Michael Bisio, who is exactly the right choice for this outing. If you know some of Knuffke's other work, you'll be surprised here – as there's more of an edge, and the session really builds a bridge to the world of Shipp, while finding this great spot in the middle for both to exist – on titles that include "Time Is Another River", "Paint Pale Silver", "Heal The Roses", "Today for Today", "Blinds", "June Stretched", "Between Today & May", "Stars Go Up", and "The Water Will Win". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime harmony soul – and one of THE east coast classics of the early 70s! Skip and group were one of the best vocal groups working on their scene at the time – with a style that's incredibly well crafted, yet also fragile enough to really capture the emotions of the tunes. This first album's a lot less polished than the group's second, and has a rough production style that really makes the whole thing come together nicely – very earnest and honest, as if you were catching these guys serving up the tunes in some out of the way spot. The title cut's a great one, but the whole album's great – filled with obscure tracks that include "I Need Your Love", "Looking Away From My Past", and "We Share Love". Righteous mellow soul – like the best work of the time by the Whatnauts! LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal record in the growth of Jeff Parker as a musician – a set done when Parker was a key member of Tortoise, and issued on the same label as that group – but a record that really shows the richness of Jeff's guitar talents that would explode in years to come! The set is definitely a jazz record, and maybe does hold some slight sonic semblance to some of Parker's other projects of the period – and the whole thing is a wonderful showcase for his creative phrasing on guitar, and a sense of tone and timing learned in his other collaborations, brought back to jazz in a really great way! The set features sublime drums from Chad Taylor, plus Sam Barshehet on Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric, and Chris Lopes on bass, guitars, and flute as well – on titles that include a sublime remake of Marvin Gaye's "When Did You Stop Loving Me When Did I Stop Loving You", which the group turns into more of an after hours sweet spot than a mournful soul lament – plus "Istanbul", "Mannerisms", "Sea Change", "Beanstalk", "Toyboat" and "Rang (For Michael Zerang)". LP, Vinyl record album

This is sort of a Prince Jammy riff on the format of the popular Junjo Lawes-produced Scientist dub series. Nonetheless, he steps up to bat, and indeed defeats the evil planet munchers, with the able help of the Roots Radics rhytnm section. Recorded at Channel One and mixed at Tubby's – and how can you argue with that!? Fat, heavy rhythms dubbed into deep, deep outer space by the heir to the throne! 8 tracks in all, including "Conspiracy On Neptune", "Saturn Bombardment", "Attack on Ganymede", "Martian Encounter", "The Great Red Spot", "Life On Uranus", "Final Destruction" and "War In The Asteroid Belt". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant early album from Japanese drummer Hideo Shiraki – a jazz session that bristles with the same intensity as key late 50s work by Benny Golson or Gigi Gryce! Although Hideo's leading the group on drums, his work on the kit is remarkably subtle – done with the snappingly rhythmic style that marked some of Golson's best modern experiments of a few years before – not nearly as bombastic as his stint with Art Blakey, and more in the rhythmically stepping quality of his work with Art Farmer in the Jazztet. Key players on the session include Hidehiko Matsumoto on tenor and flute and Yuzuru Sera on piano – both of whom give the album a fluid grace that's really beautiful – and soulful edges that allow the record to stand equally next to anything coming out of the US at the time. One track features a bit of koto at the start – echoing Shiraki's later world jazz experiments – but most of the set is straight modern hardbop, with tracks that include "Blue Romeo", "Etude No 1", "Just One Or Eight", "You Don't Know What Love Is", and Benny Golson's "Five Spot After Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary Jamaican group finally get their time in the spotlight – as Sound Dimension backed up plenty of artists in the glory days of Studio One – singers who include Alton Ellis, The Heptones, Horace Andy, and dozens of others – while also getting the chance to cut some killer instrumental work on their own! The lineup is the stuff of legends – Ernest Ranglin on guitar, Jackie Mittoo on Hammond, Cedric Brooks on reeds, and Vin Gordon on trombone – plus other musicians who really help keep things soulful throughout, and make the music here a blinding set of instrumentals from the late ska years into early reggae rhythms! Titles include "Soul Shake", "The Thing", "Holy Moses", "Hail Don D", "Full Up", "Love Land", "Bitter Blood", "Baby Face", and "Man Pon Spot". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little collection that's maybe the opposite of the long-running tradition of "desert island discs" – in that the music here is hardly essential, but would be plenty of fun to hear if you were trapped alone with nowhere else to go! Think of the set as the darker side of exotica at the end of the 50s – a spot where tropical sounds mix with Latin rhythms and some rockish touches too – material from the years before surf guitars were really hitting the mainstream, but older modes were being infused with a bit of electricity and new modes of production – all in ways that make for some very cool cuts collected in the set! The package brings together rare singles from a variety of sources – and titles include "Jivaro" by Harvey Anderson, "Babalu" by Phyllis Branch, "The Lonely Sea" by Rick & Trisha, "Strictly Polynesian" by Davy Jones & The Dolphins, "Midnight" by Hank Levine, "Bongo Heat" by Coral & The South Seas, "Martinique" by Ty & Ed, "Atlantis" by Blue Bells, "Rumba Rhapsody" by Hector Cari & The Dancing Strings, "Ho Ba La La" by Dariel Kay, and "Miserlou" by Vitin Aviles Y Su Orquesta. LP, Vinyl record album

An early 70s gem from Captain Beefheart – not as wild-eyed and whacked out as the late 60s glories – but still a good stretch weirder than most of the post psych, blues-steeped rock of the time! Ultimately, it's still Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, despite it being billed solely to Captain Beefheart on the cover (and his only album NOT co-billed with The Magic Band) – and we'd say it's their first album to go for a consistent mood from beginning-to-end, and we love it for that! If the Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off Baby records are the more feral early twin masterpieces – we'd say this one and Clear Spot are the wiser and more focused siblings, but no less classic! Tracks include "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby","Grow Fins", "There Ain't No Santa Clause On The Evenin' Stage", "Blabbern Smoke", "Alice In Blunderland", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Glider". Great 2LP version features lots of rare tracks – the never issued full length versions of "I'm Gonna Booglarize You" and "Pompadour Stomp" – plus the instrumental "Semi Multicolored Caucasian", and the tracks "Harry Irene", "Best Batch Yet (version 1)", "I Can't Do This Unless I Can Do This/Seam Crooked Sam", "The Witch Doctor Life (inst)", and "Two Rips In A Haystack/Kiss Me My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Roberto Olzer has an amazing touch on the keys of the piano – a sense of subtle feeling and emotion that's almost as if he's playing a piece by Chopin, but delivered with more of the fluid lyricism of jazz overall – which makes for a really wonderful blend throughout! The trio features bass from Yuri Goloubev and drums from Mauro Beggio – both players who often hang back and let the resonance of the piano take the lead – on tracks that include the originals "Deliverance", "Parisian Episode VII", "And After", "Canova", and "A Simple Song" – plus takes on "The Old Castle", "G Spot Tornado/Sleep Dirt", and "Celeste". 2LP version also features bonus tracks – "Sakura Nagashi" and "Ninja Re Bang Bang". LP, Vinyl record album