A sweet 70s soundtrack that's filled with great little numbers – the kind of cuts that have a gentle groove and some really sweet keyboard lines – very much in the best spirit of classic work from the decade by contemporary Stelvio Cipriani! We've always loved the work of Roberto Pregadio, but he seems to have an extra special sort of sound here in the company of Carlo Cristallini – and the pair do a good job of moving between short numbers and longer tracks that balance out both the rhythms and the instrumental elements of the overall soundtrack! A few moments are a bit moody, a few are all-out funky – but overall there's a lightly stepping quality to the music that's really great, and which makes for a complete delight as the long soundtrack makes its way through 25 different selections – all presented in the top-shelf way that makes this label so wonderful. CD

One of the nicest collections of Italian western soundtracks we've ever seen – and one with an approach that really gets at the best aspects of the genre! The set's got a great ear for the subtler, simpler, sometimes gentler styles used in spaghetti western scores – and it gets past the obvious, overdone, sometimes kitschy modes that seem to dominate other sets. Many titles are pulled from the catalog of Cinevox records, with a few other entries from additional Italian labels – and the package features 40 tracks in all, with titles that include "Seven Men" and "Quanto Costa Morire" by Franceso De Masi, "I Lunghi Giorni Della Vendetta" by Armando Trovajoli, "Gio La Testa" by Ennio Morricone, "Tema Di Clayton" by Pino Donaggio, "I Giorni Della Violenza" by Bruno Nicolai, "Carambola" by Franco Bixio & Fabio Frizzi, "Fantasia Western" by Roberto Pregadio, "Jeff Bloom" by Gianfranco Di Stefano, "Vado Vedo E Sparo" by Carlo Rustichelli, and "Ya Me Voy" by Luiz Bacalov. CD

A long-overdue entry in this legendary series of compilations – one that taught us an awful lot about funky soundtrack music back in the day, finally back in action after a long hiatus! This time around, the groove has gotten even deeper – as the series has stretched to include some killer sound library material as well – really mixing together all the jazz, funk, and cinematic elements that were in the previous volumes – yet all with the hip Euro-styled groove that we loved in all of those releases too! There's a huge amount of funky nuggets here, but all with a vibe that's very different than 70s work from the US scene – and although we've missed the Easy Tempo series for many years, we're so glad to have them back – as they're still one of the best. Titles include "Take Me To New York" by Brooklyn Bridge Group, "Undertown" by Orchestra Mustang, "First Time Three" by Roberto Pregadio, "Angelus" by Soul's Soul, "African Flute" by Ninety, "Super Cat" by Les Chakachas, "Sunshine Train" by Hugh Bullen, "Un Uomo Che Lavora" by Carlo Cordara E I Waterloo, "Meeting" by Gino Marinaaci, and "Guida Sicura" by Enzo Scoppa. CD

American film may have invented the genres of crime jazz and blacksploitation funk – but by the mid 70s, the Italian scene was really giving us a run for our money – as they turned out some amazing grooves for their legendary run of cop and crime films at the time! The movies were awash in music that really kept the action moving – heavy drums, badass basslines, wah wah guitar, and anything else that fit the spirit of a great chase or action scene. This collection brings together some of the best of that stretch – and, as with other of these recent Sugar productions, adds in some unreleased material that makes the package essential, even if you've already got work from this scene in your collection. Titles include "Il Cappotto Dilegno (edit)" by Riz Ortolani, "Poliziotto Spring M2" by Stelvio Cipriani, "Silkin Street" by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, "Ordine Firmato Inbianco" by Carlo Savina, "Onore E Guapparia M7" by Filippo Trecca, "L'Intoccabile Mr Cliff" by Riz Ortolani, "I Gabbianivolano Basso M13" by Roberto Pregadio, "Body Guard" by Stelvio Cipriano, "Il Braccioviolento Della Mala M10" by Vassili Kojucharov, and "L'Assassino Hale Ore Contate" by Luis Bacalov. CD