If De La Soul took the world by storm with their groundbreaking debut, they definitely pushed hip hop even farther ahead with this killer second album – a record that refines all the best impulses of the first set, and has the trio coming across with an even greater command of the space of a full length set! After a decade or more where most hip hop albums were just a string of singles and other cuts, De La (along with Public Enemy and a select few others) really helped the medium move into the realm of the album – weaving together cuts that are killer enough to be singles with all sorts of skits and album tracks, all with a vibe that has the whole thing flowing together wonderfully! The humor and wit of the group in their youth is still very much on point, as is the production work of Prince Paul – and the album bubbles over with longform imagination and careful execution that many groups could still hope to match! The samples are superb, nice and funky – and titles include "Oodles Of O's", "Talkin Bout Hey Love", "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays", "Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa", "Ring Ring Ring", "Keepin The Faith", "Bitties In The BK Lounge", "Pass The Plugs", "Pease Porridge", and "Fanatic Of The B Word". LP, Vinyl record album

Let's face it, you're not buying an album entitled "B!tch Betta Have My Money" for lyrical depth. For better or worse, this one's earned its place in the hip hop history books, and we'll be the first to prop up "Vertical Joyride" as a funky guilty pleasure, and guaranteed floor filler for you working DJ's. 21 tracks, counting all the interludes, of rump-shaking, potty-mouthed, booty music, that believe it or not didn't come from the Dirty South, though it's no doubt in large part responsible for most of what has. Includes the title track, "Jiggable Pie", "Tha Booty Up", "Mai Sista Izza B!tch", "I Wanna Be Yo Ho","B!tch Betta Have My Money" and a whole trunk full of riffs on similar themes. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from this very hip group – a contemporary combo, but one who play with a depth of sound to warrant their inclusion on the Jazzman label! The style is almost spiritual jazz, but a bit more laidback too – sounds that are cosmic, yet never soaring to the skies – and almost more content to contemplate their own existence in these cool little rhythmic progressions – a very hip approach that draws a lot of power from its minimalism! Instrumentation is a bit trippy at points – but mostly in the way the players fold things together – so that tinkling piano tipples over brooding basslines, or organ lines hum softly to encourage string sounds to start too – a beautifully poetic style that only gets better as the album moves along! Titles include "Cast Adrift", "For A Breath I Tarry", "Have Spacesuit Will Travel (part 2)", "Clear Skies Select Stick", "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 6)", and "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 4)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few solo albums ever cut by organist Chester Thompson – a player who's known to most as the keyboardist in Tower Of Power, but one who's also remembered by a select funky few for this killer record for the Black Jazz label! The album's a stripped-down quartet session – with labelmate Rudolph Johnson on tenor, blowing some beautiful lines alongside long, drawn-out Hammond solos from Thompson! The overall feel is similar to some of the great late 60s Prestige sessions – especially Don Patterson dates – with the group free swinging away in a very live format, just like you might have heard if you caught them in some hip southside club. Other players include Al Hall Jr on trombone and Ray Pounds on drums – and the album features four long jamming tracks, with titles that include "Mr T", "Trip One", "Weird Harold", and "Powerhouse". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe not the hypest record of the 80s, but a set that's pretty darn great overall – and which really helped find a way to reintroduce the vibe of the early street party scene back into the feel of hip hop on wax! Kid and Play aren't out to change the world with their politics or set a new agenda for the music – but working with great Herby Luv Bug production, they keep things nice and lively throughout – at a level that really fits with some of the best Select Records releases that made the world of hip hop pretty darn fresh at the time! The whole thing's an instant party throughout – with cuts that include "Brother Man Get Hip", "Soul Man", "Damn That DJ", "2Hype", "Can You Dig That", "Last Night", "Do The Kid N Play Kick Step", and the classic "Do This My Way" – a mini-production masterpiece on its own! LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible rare jazz from the Japanese scene of the 70s – all hand-picked by DJ Muro, one of the coolest talents on the contemporary scene in Tokyo! The set's a bit of a shift from other collections of this nature – as it focuses a bit more on tracks that are funky than those that are spiritual – yet also includes those that have some very cool, hip Japanese touches – at a level that's hugely different from American jazz work of the time! The selection of cuts is great – and rather than offer a completely diverse dozen, Muro does a great job of focusing in on a few key acts – most of whom have not hit the reissue market strongly in recent years. Titles include "Hanagasa Odori", "Sakura Sakura", "Soran Bushi", and "Yagi Bushi" by Tadaaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys; "Nanbu Ushioi Uta", "Saitara Bushi", "Souma Nagareyama", and "Asadoya Yunta" by Kifu Mitsuhashi & Kiyoshi Yamaya; "Seijinshiki (Adult Day)" by Toshiyuji Miyama & His New Herd; "Tabaruzaka" by Katsuya Yokoyama & The Million Pops; and "Fuku Jobutso Part 1 (Muro edit)" and "Osorezan (Muro edit)" by Kiyoshi Yamaya & Contemporary Sound Orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

The Mr Bongo Record Club just seems to get hipper and hipper as the volumes go on – to a point where this fifth edition in the collection is overflowing with tracks that we might never have heard otherwise! Plus, the scope of sounds here is really great too – a mix of styles from around the globe, but also not a "world music" styled compilation – as the selection handled in a way that more shows that funk and soul are really universal – something we learned from the folks at Mr Bongo many years back! There's even a few Japanese tracks too, and one or two contemporary surprises – in a set list that include "Ready For War" by Eamon, "Duplo Sentido" by Tete Da Bahia, "Romance" by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Nebine" by Malouma, "Sing A Song" by Willy Chirino, "You Are Delicious" by Mave & Dave, "Oooh Baby" by Pamoja, "Tiba Kamo" by Philip Malela, "Rise Up (disco mix)" by Tyrone Evans, "I Hate Telling A Lie" by Stimela, "Let's Be Happy (disco mix)" by Gyedu Blay Ambolley, "Kakashi" by Yasuaki Shimizu, and the original version of "I Believe In Miracles" by Mark Capanni – later made famous by The Jackson Sisters! LP, Vinyl record album

The coolest collection we've ever seen to focus on the soundtrack work of the great Serge Gainsbourg – and the most complete as well! The package really digs deep – and seems to offer up tracks from just about every single film that Gainsbourg was involved with – from his own compositions, to partnerships with greats like Alain Goraguer, Michel Colombier, and the mighty Jean-Claude Vannier – all of whom come up with very groovy, often funky instrumentation that rivals Serge's own releases! In fact, we might well even say that we find the Gainsbourg soundtrack material to be even cooler – as the films often gave Serge a chance to experiment, and try out new ideas he wouldn't do on his own records. This LP package is a great distillation of the larger CD set, with a focus on the grooviest cuts – and includes selections from the films L'Eau A La Bouche, Manon 70, Anna, Si Jetais Un Espion, Le Pacha, Slogan, Une Vueve En Or, and Les Chemins De Katmandou. LP, Vinyl record album

A mountain of funk from one of the greatest soul labels of all time! Stax is known round the world over for their soulful work – by singers like Otis Redding or Carla Thomas, and instrumental tunes by Booker T & The MGs – but the label was also quite a funky powerhouse – especially as the 60s drew to a close, and the management of the company got a lot hipper, and a heck of a lot more musically open-minded! This killer batch of tracks features 21 numbers from those days – including many obscure and funky tunes that only ever came out on singles, or which were recorded by artists that never made it as big as Stax stars from earlier years. The result of all that obscurity is an extremely fresh selection of tracks – plenty of down-n-dirty funky 45 numbers, played by hip Memphis combos, and featuring some really deep soul vocals. Titles include "Dark Skin Woman" by Sir Mack Rice, "Ain't No Sin" by John Kasandra, "Bump & Boogie" by The Wrecking Crew, "Shame On The Family Name" by Calvin Scott, "Cool Strut" by Bernie Hayes, "Bump Mean" by Sir Mack Rice, "Soul Machine" by Reggie Milner, "How Can You Mistreat The One You Love" by Katie Love, "Cold Blooded" by The Bar Kays, "Do The Side Saddle" by Rufus Thomas, "Stay Away From That Monkey" by Jimmy McCracklin, "Them Hot Pants" by Lee Sain, "Devil In A Man" by Stu Gardner, "Circuits Overloaded" by Inez Foxx, "From Toys To Boys" by The Emotions, "Got It Together (parts 1 & 2)" by Rudy Robinson & The Hungry Five, and "Crosscut Saw" by Albert King. LP, Vinyl record album

The Mr Bongo Record Club just seems to get hipper and hipper as the volumes go on – to a point where this fifth edition in the collection is overflowing with tracks that we might never have heard otherwise! Plus, the scope of sounds here is really great too – a mix of styles from around the globe, but also not a "world music" styled compilation – as the selection handled in a way that more shows that funk and soul are really universal – something we learned from the folks at Mr Bongo many years back! There's even a few Japanese tracks too, and one or two contemporary surprises – in a set list that include "Ready For War" by Eamon, "Duplo Sentido" by Tete Da Bahia, "Romance" by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Nebine" by Malouma, "Sing A Song" by Willy Chirino, "You Are Delicious" by Mave & Dave, "Oooh Baby" by Pamoja, "Tiba Kamo" by Philip Malela, "Rise Up (disco mix)" by Tyrone Evans, "I Hate Telling A Lie" by Stimela, "Let's Be Happy (disco mix)" by Gyedu Blay Ambolley, "Kakashi" by Yasuaki Shimizu, and the original version of "I Believe In Miracles" by Mark Capanni – later made famous by The Jackson Sisters! LP, Vinyl record album

The title certainly gets it right – as Derrick Harriott serves up a wonderful mix of sounds that owes plenty to American funk and soul of the early 70s – some cool Kingston covers of famous US tunes, and some other originals that are equally groovy overall! The set's one of the best that we've ever heard from the Dub Store label – and almost has a Soul Jazz level of track selection – really wonderful work that either features Derrick in the lead, or working with some hip contemporaries, in a groove that's totally great – neither straight reggae, but also quite far from more familiar funk and soul too. Titles include "Black Moses" by The Preacher, "Tougher Than Tough" by I Roy, "Brown Baby" by Derrick Harriott, "Hell Below" by Crystal Generation, "Going Back Home" by The Chosen Few, "Psychedelic Train" by Derrick Harriott, "Slippery" by Karl Bryan & The Crystalites, "Home Sweet Home" by Bongo Herman & Les, "Rescue The Children" by Junior Murvin, "Phoenix" by Noel Brown, "People Make The World Go Round" by The Chosen Few, and "Message From A Black Man" by Derrick Harriott. LP, Vinyl record album

The Monkees had so many fantastic records during their short span of recording, nearly all of them might well be "greatest hits" – but this set does a nice job of slimming the selection down to focus on some of the most long-lasting tracks from the group! There's a few killer Boyce & Hart compositions, produced by the duo too – and the set also features contributions from other 60s pop heavyweights, like Chip Douglas, Neil Diamond, Jeff Barry, and the duo of Carole King & Gerry Goffin – all of whim give the foursome some great material, on tunes that include "Theme From The Monkees", "Last Train To Clarksville", "She", "Listen To The Band", "A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You", "Daydream Believer", "Pleasant Valley Sunday", "Steppin Stone", "I'm A Believer", and "I Wanna Be Free". LP, Vinyl record album

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. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds for fans of funk and rock alike – music from the freaky, fuzzy 70s scene in Zambia – a place where styles effortlessly criss-crossed to really produce something new and unique! The work here is often heavy on fuzz guitars, but also has some wickedly soulful basslines and drums – so that although the tunes can be psych-styled, they're also pretty darn funky too – often at a level that's a bit like the Nigerian Afro Funk of the time, but much grittier and more righteous! The quality of the music and scene is explored in depth in the package – which includes a very detailed booklet of notes and photos – all to support the selection of music, which may well be the hippest so far from the Now Again label – and that's really saying a lot, if you know their other titles! Titles on volume 2 include "Really" by Crossbones, "History Of Man" by Amanaz, "Poor Man" by Five Revolutions, "Hold On" by Ngozi Family, "Katonga" by Musi-O-Tunya, "Request To God" by Oscillations, "Mpundu" by Tinkles, "Otenta" by Dr Footswitch, "Mad Man" by Born Free, "SM" by Mike Nyoni, "Hot Do" by Jesper Siliya Lungu, "I'm Not Made Of Iron" by Chrissy Zebby Tembo, "Umbwalwa Ne Chamba" by Peace, "Umwana Wakusanga Mung'Anda" by Fire Balls, and "See The Storm" by Salty Dog. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful solo work from pianist Abdullah Ibrahim – a player with a sound so rich and rhythmic, his sessions like this are often every bit as captivating as his trio and group recordings! There's a really special sort of poetry going on here – first in the way that Ibrahim brings out these unusual tones in the piano – a warmth that almost feels like a Fender Rhodes at times, even though the instrument is acoustic – secondly in the structure of the tunes, which are sometimes short and very poetic – packing a lot of meaning into just a very short space in sound! To balance that out, the record has many different selections – twenty in all – some older compositions reworked, some less familiar. Titles include "Sotho Blue", "District 6", "Tokai", "Blues For A Hip King", "In Tempo", "Dreamtime", "Nisa", "Mindiff", "Trieste My Love", and "Signal On The Hill". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic selection of work from one of the hippest girl groups of the 70s – the mighty Love Unlimited trio, three singers who all worked under the genius of Barry White in his prime! Unlike other girl trios of the time, who often used an older soul mode refitted with disco grooves – sometimes acting more like a chorus than a lead act – Love Unlimited always brought their full vocal strengths to play, and do a fantastic job here working in modes that rival some of the best male harmony groups of the early 70s – especially the sweet soul groups from New Jersey, New York, and Philly. And yes, Barry does kick up the groove a bit at times, but even then things are usually more in a midtempo mode, not a disco one – which makes for tremendous sounds throughout. This is the first-ever proper collection of the girls' singles from the early 70s – and titles include "Oh Love Well We Finally Made It", "Fragile Handle With Care", "Are You Sure", "I Should Have Known", "Is It Really True Boy Is It Me", "Walkin In The Rain With The One I Love", "Under The Influence Of Love", "It May Be Winter Outside", "I Love You So Never Gonna Let You Go", "I Belong To You", "So Nice To Hear", "People Of Tomorrow Are The Children Of Today", and "Share A Little Love In Your Hear LP, Vinyl record album

Weird and wild novelty numbers from the glory days of the 7" single – tunes that are mostly rockers, but which also show all the cool and unusual ways that folks were experimenting with new styles and studio modes, then putting the results on a two to three minute 45rpm chunk of vinyl – getting the gags and goofs out there in the years before social media and the internet! There's a wonderfully offbeat selection of cuts here – comedic intentions mixed with inventive instrumentation, odd arrangements, and hip production – on tracks that include "Ho Ho Rock & Roll" by Sid Ramin, "You Tickle Me Baby" by The Royal Jokers, "Your Wiggle & Your Giggle" by Lue Renny, "Breakin Up" by The Fabulous Continentals, "Hey Lulu" by Hank Marvin, "The Mad Scientist" by The Zanies, "Good For A Laugh" by The Paollos, "Lafin Gas" by Adolphus Bell & The All Starts, "The Giggler" by Pat & The Wildcats, "Scrub" by Jim Doval & The Gauchos, and "Laffin Beatnik" by Johnny Beeman. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the deepest-digging entries in this wonderful series – a set that explores the wealth of spiritual jazz issued on small indie labels in the 70s – material that's sometimes referred to as "private", although that's really just a factor of how little circulation these records saw back in the day! As is well-known, the 60s influence of John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy set countless fires on players in the generation that followed – including some older musicians who really changed up their groove in the post-Coltrane energy, and recorded material that was full of searing solos, modal rhythms, and a new sort of spiritual vibe! The set features plenty of nuggets from that time – including some very rare 45s – and even includes one or two earlier tracks, which makes for a great span of sounds within. As always with Jazzman, the detailed notes are as great as the track selection – and titles include "By The Grace Of God" by Erni Clark, "Ethiopia" by Carmelo Garcia, "Desiree Song" by Bobby Jackson, "Pharoah's Thing" by Compass, "Symbiosis" by Almanac, "A'Keem" by Cullen Knight, "Themes & Variations" by Black Is, "Middle Eastern Fantasy" by Radam Schwartz & Leslie Ford, "Spanish Boots (parts 1 & 2)" by Don Menza, and "Delilah" by Andrew McPherson. LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's way more than just another dip into the legendary catalog of the Studio One label – as there's a well-chosen selection of cuts here that go well past the hits, and really live up to the kind of "classics" promised in the title! It's no secret that Studio One was one of the first and most important studios and labels to rise up on the Kingston scene at the end of the 60s – pioneering impeccable production, tight musicianship, and the kind of soul-drenched vocals that helped Jamaican music rich a much larger global audience – music that's given a fantastic showcase here on titles that include "No Man Is An Island" by Dennis Brown, "Simmer Down" by The Wailers, "I'm Just A Guy" by Alton Ellis, "Rocking Time" by Burning Spear, "Confucious" by Don Drummond, "Rub A Dub Style" by Michigan & Smiley, "Fever" by Horace Andy, "School" by Prince Jazzbo, "Love Me Forever" by Carlton & The Shoes, "Rockfort Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Pretty Looks Isn't All" by The Heptones, and "El Pussycat Ska" by The Skatalites. LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just a typical collection of rare funk and soul – as the selections here not only meet the stunningly high standards of the BGP label – but they've also been sampled in more recent years for hip hop records and other contemporary recordings! Essentially, you've got the best of both worlds – vintage funk from the late 60s and early 70s – brought together in a great collection – and work that's gone onto form the blueprint for contemporary urban sounds as well – which means you'll probably recognize some or part of most of these songs from their use in more contemporary recordings. Nearly every cut's been sampled at least more than once – and titles include "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Chick A Boom" by Pazant Brothers, "Eva" by Jean Jacques Perry, "Walk Tall" by Cannonball Adderley, "Baby Let Me Take You In My Arms" by Detroit Emeralds, "Bouncy Lady" by Pleasure, "Tramp" by Lowell Fulson, "Take Yo Praise" by Camille Yarbrough, "Thinking Single" by The Counts, "Different Strokes" by Syl Johnson, "Ike's Mood" by Isaac Hayes, "What A Man" by Linda Lynell, and "Smokey Joe's La La" by Googie Rene. Funky funky! LP, Vinyl record album