The True Tones provide soul singer Michelle David with some great backings here – a romping sort of groove on most tracks, and one that bristles with plenty of old school instrumental touches that seem to really spur the vocalist forward! Michelle's got a dynamic style that owes a lot to late 60s funk diva styles – a power and focus that really provides some great energy at the top of the group, and a vocal range that really crackles over the top when she lets loose! Titles include "Let Me Tell It", "Karma", "Peace", "Cold Cold World", "Little Girl", "That Is You", "Brothers & Sisters", "If You Don't Try", "More Grace", and "PUSH". LP, Vinyl record album

A great take on sweet soul sounds from the past – served up here by a mighty hip group who mix slow funky modes with some mighty nice vocals! The record's got a mix of deep funk production and some of the warmer qualities of east coast group soul from the New Jersey scene at the start of the 70s – almost an All-Platinum/Stang sort of record from the hands of George Kerr and Sylvia Robinson, but with some fuller, more forward-moving cuts that also echo the Record Kicks label too! There's light strings that really help the record soar – and the lead vocals of Mark Sexton are mighty nice throughout, especially when he gets support from a few backup singers too. Titles include "Better Late Than Never", "The Other Side", "Trouble On My Mind", "Love Can't Be Borrowed", "Beck & Call", "This Could Last Forever", and "Daydreaming". LP, Vinyl record album

The Tibbs serve up a very classic style of soul – as you might guess from the retro image on the cover – very 60s-oriented, with hard-driving rhythms from the group's well-crafted lineup, all topped with mighty dynamic vocals from lead singer Roxanne! And sure, this isn't new territory for the market – but The Tibbs do it a lot better than most, and the vocals, horns, and grooves all come together with a sharper focus and real commitment to the sound than most other groups who are swimming in the same water. Titles include "For Lack Of Better Words", "Give Me Reason", "Chicken Bones", "Rafaela", "Guess I'm Guilty", "Last Train", and "In Orbit". LP, Vinyl record album

Slammin Hammond from Trio Valore – a really old school combo with a sweet mix of mod and funky rhythms! The group features heavy drums from Steve White – with a groove that stretches back to his many years on the hip side of the UK scene – and remaining trio members include Damon Minchella on guitar and Seamus Beaghen on Hammond – both players who more than keep up with White's hard-hitting approach, and really make the set cook up strongly throughout! A number of cuts are covers, but there's also some great originals too – and the whole thing has the feel of a hip 60s set in a small Soho club – but filtered through a generation that also understands funk as well. Titles include "Rehab", "Hola Muneca", "Fuoco", "Hip Hug Her", "Anxious Mo Fo", "All About My Girl", "Return Of The Iron Monkey", "Dam Square", and "Miracolo". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool shift for this very hip group – a set of sweet exotica numbers, after a previous record of blacksploitation grooves – yet one that's every bit as funky as the previous album, thanks to all the right instrumental touches! At the top, the music has lots of older exotica touches – percussion, vibes, harp, and other exotic elements – but at the bottom, there's some heavier grooves – working with the sounds on the top, all at a level that's maybe somewhere in the territory of a hip kung fu soundtrack – or as if Martin Denny were asked to score a film called Shaft In Hawaii! Titles include "Exotique", "Sun Harp", "Astra-Desia", "Enter The Palace", "Iron Tusk", "Mirage", "Secrets In The Sand", and "The Second Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

A really new adventure from the funky combo Calibro 35 – a set that's a step away from some of their more cinematic-inspired projects, and one that has the group really honing their skills as a tight funky group! The drums are heavier, guitars are fuzzier, and the whole thing really grooves with an even faster pace than before – still with the majesty they always brought to their work, but maybe more intimate as well. The drums alone are worth the price of admission – and titles include "Gunpowder", "Extraorinaire", "Bolero", "Novecento E Mille", "Milan Au 30eme Siecle", and "Dinamometro". LP, Vinyl record album

A very different entry in the DJ Kicks series than usual – as Theo Parrish has created a whole new set of exclusive tracks – working with his underground contemporaries to make a record that's bristling with energy at every twist and turn! And although this series usually comes across as a various artists collection, this entry is more a "Theo Parrish & Friends" sort of record – filled with wonderful tracks that push the energy of the Detroit scene forward into the global cosmos – on titles that include "Full" by John C & Meftah, "Simba's Theme" by Donald Lee Roland, "When The Sun Falls" by Meftah, "Psalm 23" by De'Sean Jones, "Moonlight (Duality/Detroit live version)' by Ian Fink, "Surrounded By Trees" by Jason Hogans, "Hudsons" by Raj Mahal, "Don't Know" by Whodat & Sophiyah.e, "Again (T's edit)" by Mbthelight, "Janis" by Sterling Toles, "Green Funk" by Raybone Jones, "The Upper Room" by Specter, and "Experiment 10" by Howard Thomas. LP, Vinyl record album

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". LP, Vinyl record album

The biggest-label release ever cut by 70s funk legend Betty Davis – but a set that's every bit as hard and heavy as the indie dates that preceded it! Davis is at the top of her form here – bad-stepping amidst the heavy drums and freaked-out guitars that easily made her one of the funkiest folks working in the 70s – an artist who was definitely very much into her own bag, and who's only finally getting her due all these many years later! In a way, the groove is even leaner than before – especially the drums, which are turbocharged with energy, and set a badass vibe for the record throughout – mixing up equal parts of rock, funk, and soul – almost with the genre-busting modes that wouldn't really show up on the New York scene until a number of years later. The whole thing kicks ass – and titles include "Nasty Gal", "Talkin' Trash", "Dedicated To The Press", "FUNK", "Getting Kicked Off Havin Fun", "Shut Off The Light", "This Is It", "The Lone Ranger", and "Feelins". Great limited pressing of the classic – with liner notes, lyrics, and lots of cool photos! LP, Vinyl record album

A great companion album to the Les DeMerle Concerts By The Sea record – every bit as funky as that one, and for good reason too – as this set was recorded at exactly the same time! The package offers up the legendary drummer in a sweet 70s setup – great Fender Rhodes and Clavinet in the group from Ramsey Embick, who works perfectly with the dynamic drums of the leader – plus the great Don Menza on tenor, soprano, and flute – always a great musician on a record like this! There's some added congas in the group, the bass is electric, and the whole thing kicks nicely – on titles that include "Daggerpoint", "In Transit", "Transcendental Watusi", "Ear Food", "Manfred 8", and "Once Upon A Time". LP, Vinyl record album

One of THE all time classics of funky blues – a record built around Lowell's huge single "Tramp" – a massive tune that spawned a whole generation of answer tunes! "Tramp" kicks off the set with a stone break that's worth the price of the album – then Lowell slides into some tunes that have a bit more of a conventional bluesy approach, mixed with a few other nice cuts that get a bit funky too! A rough-edged classic that really stands out – and which has made Fulsom one of the better-collected bluesmen of the beathead crowd. In addition to "Tramp", other tracks include "Two Way Wishin", "Back Door Key", "Year Of 29", "Pico", "Goin' Home", and "Black Nights". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work from Isaac Hayes – a hard and heavy soundtrack that we like even more than his classic work on Shaft! Unlike Shaft, Ike actually starred in the film Truck Turner – which may be one reason why he brought his full game to the table for the record – and scored a batch of badass tunes that still stand with some of the best funky soundtrack work of the 70s! The rhythm's especially hard on the best cuts – really crackling with a lot of intensity, and a stark, hard funky sound that's made the record a favorite of beatheads for years! Ike kicks it hard on cuts like "Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile", "House Full Of Girls", "Drinking", "Give It To Me", "Now We're One", "Breakthrough", "House of Beauty", and the massive title cut "Truck Turner". LP, Vinyl record album

Gregory Isaacs kicks back with a spliff on the front cover – earning himself some well-earned relaxation after turning out this tasty set of tracks from the 70s! The record's not a collection of earlier singles, and instead features new recordings all arranged by Alvin Ranglin – with laidback backings from The Revolutionaries, whose gentle groove is just the right match for that magical flow that Isaacs brings to his righteous vocals! The whole thing is homegrown, but in the best warm underground Kingston way – with titles that include "Willow Tree", "Special Guest", "Look Before You Leap", "Freedom", "No Speech", "Tear Drops", and "My Number One". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record – and one of those rare moments when an avant group can serve up a bit of funk! This lost bit of work was recorded live in St Louis in 1973 – part of the Black Artists Group scene that was the city's answer to Chicago's AACM movement of the late 60s. Alto player Luther Thomas heads up the group, which features Charles Shaw on drums, JD Parran on reeds, Marvin Horne on guitar, Eric Foreman on bass – plus guest work from AACM visitors Joseph and Lester Bowie! The set kicks off with the 18 minute monster track "Funky Donkey" – an unbridled funky jam that mixes tight fast rhythms with skilled way-out solos, very much in the mode of "Nation Time" from Joe McPhee's album of similar vintage. The cut's a stone monster – and it's backed here by "Una New York", which has a more avant feel, but an equally exciting mix of styles. LP, Vinyl record album

An easygoing, long-flowing record from Cedar Walton – one that has the pianist in very relaxed space, playing with a style that's very open, contemplative, and beautiful! There's a bit more sensitivity here than the usual Walton trio date – and despite the cover's emphasis on the other members of the trio, bassist David Williams and drummer Billy Higgins, some of the standout tunes are the ones in which Walton is working out front, almost solo – although when the rhythm duo kicks in, things are pretty great too (we're always huge fans of Higgins' work on drums, especially in the company of Walton.) Titles include "Theme For Ernie", "For All We Know", "Jacob's Ladder", "Bluesville", and "Ojos De Rojo". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums of all time – and a record that just gets better and better the more we listen to it – and we've listened to it for years! Johnny "Hammond" Smith began his career as a simple soul jazz organist – but by the time of this album, he'd teamed up with the mighty Larry Mizell, the genius arranger/producer who'd breathed new life into the careers of Donald Byrd and Bobbi Humphrey. Mizell works with Hammond in the same way he does with other jazz artists – by taking a groove that works best with their solo style, and slowly layering other instrumentation and effects on top of it, so that when the solo kicks in, it's supported on waves and waves of funky sounds and soulful grooves. Mizell and his brother Fonce both play keyboards on the record, and the rest of the group includes monster fusion players like Harvey Mason, Roger Glenn, Hadley Caliman, and Jerry Peters. The real treat is Johnny, though – as his solos are heavenly, the best of his 70s work, stripped mean and lean, laid in at just the right points. Includes the breakbeat classic "Shifting Gears", the house classic "Los Conquistadores Chocolates", and funky numbers "Fantasy" and "Tell Me What To Do". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums of all time – and a record that just gets better and better the more we listen to it – and we've listened to it for years! Johnny "Hammond" Smith began his career as a simple soul jazz organist – but by the time of this album, he'd teamed up with the mighty Larry Mizell, the genius arranger/producer who'd breathed new life into the careers of Donald Byrd and Bobbi Humphrey. Mizell works with Hammond in the same way he does with other jazz artists – by taking a groove that works best with their solo style, and slowly layering other instrumentation and effects on top of it, so that when the solo kicks in, it's supported on waves and waves of funky sounds and soulful grooves. Mizell and his brother Fonce both play keyboards on the record, and the rest of the group includes monster fusion players like Harvey Mason, Roger Glenn, Hadley Caliman, and Jerry Peters. The real treat is Johnny, though – as his solos are heavenly, the best of his 70s work, stripped mean and lean, laid in at just the right points. Includes the breakbeat classic "Shifting Gears", the house classic "Los Conquistadores Chocolates", and funky numbers "Fantasy" and "Tell Me What To Do". This stunning version adds in some killer bonus tracks – 6 never-heard cuts from the Milestone vaults, including "Song For My Family", "Funky Native", "Detroit Rainbow", "Can't We Smile (alt)", and slow and fast versions of "A Child's Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning work from one of the greatest players of the post-Coltrane generation – a classic session recorded overseas in the mid 70s, and one that's filled with soulful expressions from the great Billy Harper! Harper's tenor kicks off the set with an immediately gripping sound – as searing as Pharoah Sanders at his Impulse best – but driven on by searching, soaring modal rhythms that are all Billy's own – the kind of grooves he first forged with Max Roach, then really expanded on when given the freedom of a record like this. Other players include trumpeter Virgil Jones, pianist Joe Bonner, bassist David Friesen, and drummer Malcom Pinson – and titles include a killer take on "Croquet Ballet", which Harper originally recorded with Lee Morgan – plus the titles "Dance Eternal Spirits Dance" and "Call Of The Wild & Peaceful Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A massively tripped-out set of guitar-based funk – played to perfection by the legendary Eddie Hazel, best known for his work in the George Clinton P-Funk empire! The album offers a different side of Eddie's talents – one that's produced with a smoothly compressed California groove, in a mode that's almost an extension of some of the themes explored by Shuggie Otis on his own 70s albums – taken with a bit more of a P-Funk style. George Clinton produced the set with Eddie – and the tunes have a nice slow-stepping groove that really opens up the guitar solos wonderfully. The record kicks off with a massive cover of "California Dreamin" – but the whole thing's great, with a wonderfully unified feel throughout! Other titles include "Frantic Moment", "What About It?", "So Goes The Story", "Physical Love", and a great cover of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the tightest, sharpest records of the late 70s punk years in the British Isles – a set that's got all the same hook-heavy power of the Buzzcocks on Singles Going Steady – with song after song that seem almost effortless – very punky, but extremely catchy too – at a level that also has the record rivaling some of the best classics by The Ramones as well! The whole thing's a treasure – and titles include "Family Entertainment", "Male Model", "Teenage Kicks", "Jump Boys", "Here Comes The Summer", "Get Over You", "Jimmy Jimmy", "(She's A) Runaround", "I Know A Girl", and "Listening In". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Sun Ra records from the early 80s – and a set that's every bit as striking as its sinister title! The album was recorded in 1982 – in marathon New York sessions that yielded more than one album's worth of material – but of all of them, this is probably the best, and the one with some of the strongest playing – a really unified album that should have gotten a lot more circulation at the time, instead of a mostly underground release on Saturn Records. The set kicks off with the fantastic "Nuclear War", a wonderful little groover – and a track that's probably as strong a number in the Arkestra's book as "Space Is The Place" – but with a shift in righteous message from the 70s to the 80s. The album then shifts into 2 mellower numbers with weird spacey overtones – "Retrospect" and "Makeup" – before moving into side two, and the drawn-out edgey "Fireside Chat With Lucifer". Players include Ra on piano, electronics, and organ – plus John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Ray Thompson on baritone, Marshall Allen on flute and alto, and Atakatune on percussion – plus vocals from June Tyson and Tyrone Hill on "Nuclear War". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic lost chapter in the career of genius soul/jazz/funk maestro Roy Ayers – a set that was only ever issued in the UK, and which is a great second part to his Lots Of Love album on the Uno Melodic label! This album features a few tracks from that gem, but in longer versions – mixed with other cuts that were never issued in the US at the time – all with that return to perfection that Roy found on Uno Melodic – which was his own label, and one of the few times in the 80s when he matched the brilliance of his 70s recordings on Polydor! Like those albums, the style here is tight and right in the pocket, but also full of meaning and message too – beautiful songs that are catchy, but far from commercial – funky, but never dance music in a conventional way. The set kicks off with a 7:20 minute version of "Chicago" – one of our favorite Roy Ayers songs ever, natch – and other cuts include "Smiling With Our Eyes", "Good Good Music", "Keep On Movin", "Silver Vibrations", "DC City", and "Lots Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue fifth entry in this wonderful series – and a set that offers up reggae-styled takes on tunes by Bobby Caldwell, Cerrone, Labelle, KC & The Sunshine Band, and other 70s club giants! As with the previous volumes, the music here is served up by a variety of different artists who've all recorded 7" singles for the Stix label – but who have a nicely unified vibe as they explore the warmer side of reggae elements – maybe almost in lovers rock territory, but with a groove that's got a bit more of a bite, thanks to the inspiration of the original tunes! Tracks include "Supernature" and "Teenage Kicks" by Taggy Matcher, "What You Won't Do For Love" and "Lady Marmalade" by Mato, "Still In The Groove" by Soul Sugar, "You'll Never Know" by Simon Nyabinghi, and "Walk On By" by Paula Mirhan. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky genius from the mighty K Frimpong – an album recorded in Germany in the mid 80s – but a set that cooks like some of the best West African funk from the decade before! The sound is lean and mean, and there's plenty of grit in the grooves – a lot more bass and funky drums than some of the softer highlife of the period – with percussion that kicks in fantastically right at the start, and never lets up! The vocals are great too – and it's almost like Frimpong is working like some James Brown-styled leader – really coming up with the goods right from the start, and urging his ensemble onto non-stop grooving on the album's four long tracks. Titles include "Abrabo", "Abusuafo", "Enaa", and "Susu Dwa W'Ananum". LP, Vinyl record album

Wild early work from avant jazz genius Joe McPhee – and a set that's actually pretty darn funky too! This rare indie release features 3 long tracks – two of which were recorded live, with a tight combo that includes a very funky drummer! The album kicks off with the hard wailing "Nation Time", which begins with a shout from Joe, and which rolls into a vamping modal groove (almost Pharoah Sanders-ish) filled with spiritual tenor work from McPhee, and some nice electric piano that sounds very off-kilter – funky, but unusual too. Next up is "Shakey Jake", an excellent 13 minute funk number – with bubbling organ, vamping rhythms, and a nice extended jazz dance groove – one of the rare tunes that has kept the album at the top of collectors' lists for years! And last up is "Scorpio's Dance", a pretty raw and somber track, with a nice open-ended loft jazz quality – balancing things out with a bit of avant energy. 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