Joe Armon-Jones provides some mighty keyboards here – these great lines on Wurlitzer electric piano that flow out mightily next to skittish live work on bass and drums, and which are augmented by a bit more electronics on the side! The tune's got this flowing, cosmic energy that really showcase the best of the current London mode – completely fresh, but also very much jazz as well! "Aquarius" is on the flipside, and is more processed – both on the vocals and rhythms, but still with some nice keyboard solo moments peppered throughout. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A high school record, but also one of the first hip hop singles to come out of Chicago! Given that in the early 80s, Chi-town was still focusing mostly on soul (and soon, house), the Windy City was way behind New York in terms of hip hop production – and most early rap efforts came out as novelty tunes by local personalities. But this little gem has a surprising level of quality – simple old school backings at best, copping a Sugarhill groove from the start – but some nicely scripted lyrics from a number of Carver High School seniors, presented in a way that's a bit more staid than the usual east coast single – but still quite nice! The flipside has a mellower cut – a cool "Senior Song" that's done like some laidback 80s R&B ballad, but with a more youthful vocal approach. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A sweet sweet classic from Prince – a tune that was hailed as a move to psychedelic modes at the time, but which was really just a way for the singer to open up a whole new side of his talents! "Raspberry Beret" is wonderfully catchy – but it's also got a groove that's maybe a bit less sexy than some other Prince material – almost as if he's more laidback and confident, he can just breeze into the tune in a mighty nice way. The flipside's equally nice – and the single's one of the classic pic sleeve 12" from Prince's huge 80s run! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Sublime jazzy club from David Benoit – one of our favorite numbers on the AVI label at the time! The tune's just as Brazilian-flavored as you might expect from the title – a wonderful blend of romping rhythms, sweet scatting vocals, and some tinkling piano that's totally great – a real change from the usual, and with a sense of soul that almost reminds us of Rodney Franklin at points! The flipside's pretty great too – a bit more electric funk, but still with plenty of jazzy flourishes and some nice use of moog! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A wicked bit of Nigerian funk from the start of the 80s – served up in a very hip blend of Afro Disco and leaner street soul modes! The groove's got some sweet keyboards alongside the catchy sing-song lyric – very uncomplicated, which really lets the focus stay on the rhythms – which are almost in a Tom Tom Club or "Rapture" sort of style! The flipside is equally catchy, too – a cool cut with a stark approach to the groove that's almost influenced by South Bronx party music – but served up here in a unique Afro style too! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A plenty great dancefloor number, done in an extended Miami mode that features plenty of bass and percussion breakdowns in the middle! Lots of sparer passages really make the instrumental tune sparkle! The flipside is a vocal number, and a bit more conventional club. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A really great remake of the Brazilian classic "O Ronco Da Cuica" – presented here with vocals from original writer/singer Joao Bosco – and done in a stretched-out, very jazzy take that runs for over nine minutes! Dudu Lima brings in plenty of bass, next to piano, percussion, and drums from Ivan Mamao Conti of Azymuth – and then the flipside features a great track that just has Dudu on bass and Joao Bosco on vocals and acoustic guitar! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A cool club track from the Caribbean scene – but one that's delivered here with lots of cosmic, electronic touches! The core version of "Let's Get Together" is reworked by Whiskey Barons – and the vocals by Winston Bailey bubble in and out of the pulsating blend of dark rhythms and original elements served up in the remix! The flipside features a nicely dubby version – plus the straight tune "Keep On Wailing", which bubbles with a great funky soca groove! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A wonderful single from Street People – one that's got soaring harmonies that almost take us back to earlier east coast soul, but which are also put together with a tighter groove for the clubs! The cut's one of their best – and it really has the group hitting on all burners. The flipside's great too – a sweet mellow harmony number, but one with a slightly smooth polish too! 12-inch, Vinyl record