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 rare cut from this great French group – excellent in the original, and mighty nice in the rework! The main version is wonderful – funky and clubby, but with a very jazzy vibe – one that's echoed by the duo singing the lead lyrics in French, and by the keyboard solo that does some mighty nice things in the middle! The re-work on the flipside kicks up the groove a bit more, and stretches out some of the best elements – but still has plenty of room for those great vocals and keys! 7-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 split record from these two very hip talents – a set that features one side of work from saxophonist Nubya Garcia, the other from funky Khruangbin – both of them great! Nubya blows tenor with a group that includes Daniel Casimiar on bass, Jahari Stampley on keyboards, and Sam Jones on drums – a quartet who move through that sublime mix of jazz and other modes that we love on Garcia's own records, delivered here with a more straightforward approach in the live setting, on tunes that include "Source", "La Cumbia Me Esta Llamando", and "The Message Continues". The flipside features more work in the best style that Khrungabin's been giving us on record, but again with a nicely different energy, given the live setting – on titles that include "Pelota", "So We Won't Forget", "The Infamous Bill", and "Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the greatest moments from the early solo years of John Lennon – an upbeat, joyous tune that really expresses the new energy he'd found in the company of Yoko – and a different sort of social message than his work with the Fab Four! And Yoko is pretty great on the flipside, too! 7-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

An odd little groover from Chicago – but a great one! "Have Some Fun" has this incredible groove – stop/start, with lots of scratchy guitar underneath the female vocals of the track – sung in ensemble mode, almost with this weird "call" type style! Then, the flipside takes the tune into instrumental territory with the Mod Lads – lots and lots of vamping, peppered with raw guitar work instead of the vocals! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A free jazz jam from the Nostalgia 77 Octet – easily their most far-reaching work to date, and only available on a limited edition vinyl EP! "The Impossible Equation" has the group stretching out in a side-long jam of space jazz proportions – building very slowly with a style that's even more sonically focused than their previous efforts – sounding nicely tripped up, but still a bit funky at the bottom, thanks to a bassline that steps strongly along underneath some of the more psychedelic solos! Instrumentation is mostly acoustic, as with other Octet records – but the production makes for some especially spacey sounds. The flipside features a great version of "Desert Fairy Princess" – done in a really righteous 70s soul jazz mode – plus the shorter "Well Being I", which is a bit outside! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more masterful albums that Prado cut for RCA, and a thrilling set of tracks with a very haunting feel. The entirety of side one features the extended "Exotic Suite Of The Americas", which has a storming Latin sound, mixed with nice exotica touches. The flipside features shorter tracks, but also done in a manner that has a wide dynamic range, with some startling arrangements. Titles include "Son Of A Gun", "Mama Yo Quiero", and "El Relicario". LP, Vinyl record album

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! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The Reflections were a great lost soul group who cut one album for Capitol, plus a handful of singles. This nice one from 1975 features 2 strong cuts by the band – both with arrangements by Bert De Coteaux. "Three Steps" is a midtempo number, written by JR Bailey – and the flipside is more mellow, with a strong male vocal in the lead. 7-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 great remake of one of the biggest cuts ever from the legendary Roy Ayers – done here with a version that's got even more vibes than the original! In fact, the core groove is very much like the Ayers recording, but the cut soon moves into loads of jazzy vibes – and also has a great bass breakdown in the middle! The flipside takes out the initial burst vibes, but keeps all the grooves intact – and brings in some sweet jazzy keyboard work from Diplomats Of Soul, then brings back in the vibes! 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the principal albums in trip hop's ascension into the mainstream, and the bright, extroverted flipside to Portishead's darker vision of the late 90s scene. Mo Wax honcho James Lavelle's longstanding Unkle project got a massive makeover when DJ Shadow became the prime sonic architect for the Psyence Fiction LP. Shadow throws everything but the kitchen sink into the thing, working with a wide range of vocalists and collaborators from hip hop innovators (Kool G Rap, Mike D) to whiny alternative rockers (Richard Ashcroft, Thom Yorke). With a project as busy as Unkle, the law of subjectivity pretty much dictates that you're gonna love parts, and hate parts – but Shadow was so on top of his game at the time, he somehow manages to hold it all together. It may not be his best ever work, but Psyence Fiction certainly holds up, and it's an essential piece of the puzzle! Tracks include "Main Title Theme", "Guns Blazing", "Blood Stain", "Unreal", "Chaos", "Rabbit In Your Headlights", Lonely Soul", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Mose Allison's most sophisticated album, and one that has him going way past his usual "folksy jazzy" style, into a realm that touches on Monk-like modernism! The whole first side is Allison's extended "Hiram Brown" suite, which mixes vocal and instrumental passages in an extremely haunting way. The flipside features shorter versions of standards – some vocal, some instrumental – but all with more of a moderist sound than his earlier Prestige recordings – a great step forward for one of the most unique talents in jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most impressive albums ever from arranger Oliver Nelson – a set that really shows the full depth of his mighty talents! Side one features Nelson working with a larger orchestra – similar to the kind of ensemble he arranged for other artists in the 60s, but handled here with an open, searching sort of sound – really impressive modern jazz elements on the title track, then some sweeter, warmer soul sounds on a few shorter numbers too! Nelson plays soprano sax, and his use of the instrument is definitely Coltrane-informed at times – and a nice change from his more familiar alto. The flipside features just a quartet – Oliver again on soprano sax – plus Steve Kuhn on piano, Ron Carter bass, and Grady Tate on drums. With Kuhn on piano, bringing a nice modern edge that works perfectly with the soprano. Titles include "Sound Piece For Jazz Orchestra", "Patterns", "Flute Salad", "The Lady From Girl Talk", and "Elegy For A Duck". LP, Vinyl record album

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