Funky 45's — Recently Added

Hanz Mambo lives up to the watery sound of his previous single with "Mer Baltique" – a dreamy little instrumental that has lots of echoey guitar over a slowly-loping groove – complete with some very nice watery effects in the middle! "Breaking Wave" is slower and ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

If the Great Revivers are doing a bar hop, it's got to be one that involves plenty of shots – as the speed of this funky instrumental is so nice and quick, it hardly leaves room for any drinking! The drums are sharp, guitar nicely riffing, and the whole thing has a nice wah wah breakdown in ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Legendary Ethiopian singer Alemayehu Eshete joins the Polyversal Souls here – adding his tremendous vocals to "Addis Abeba Bete", in a way that makes the tune the coolest thing the group has ever recorded! Horns romp along with the rhythms, with a very cool edge – making the ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Syl Foreman really belts it out of the park on "Before I Leave You" – a tune that's almost got Syl popping the microphone levels into the red, as he romps along with the jaunty guitar and organ in the groove! The tune's a bit deep soul, but funkier – and the drums really go ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the first great moments to come from the pen of Jeff Perry – the 70s soul singer who'd later rise to great fame as Jeffree on another label! The tune's got a strong piano in the lead, and a raspy vocal that almost makes the whole thing feel more like some indie gem than you'd expect ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

ZZ Hill sounds a bit more upbeat here than usual, but in a really great way – offering up his own take on the Betty Swann tune with a wonderfully raspy vocal that fills the tune full of honest charm! "Love Is Gonna Get You" is done here in a rare "brass version" by Peggy ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

James Carr may not have cut the famous version of "These Arms Of Mine" – but he does a superb job here on the classic – really hitting the tune with his best deep soul energy, and maybe even a bit more sadness than on the Otis Redding hit! "Let's Face Facts" is ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

An unreleased gem by a 60s group that have a very soulful take on the party rock style – really mixing together garagey elements and bluesy inspirations – a bit like some of the cooler Texas combos of the time! "Big Big Polly" has vocals that are more offbeat vocalizations ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A fantastic little single from Ernest Ernie – one that bumps along in a groove that reminds us of the best Chicago soul at the end of the 60s – that loping rhythm that's perfect for sweeter-styled vocals like Ernie's! The flipside's pretty fantastic too – graced with light ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of those funky classics that can never go wrong – served up here in a great new take by a combo who keep all the funky drums in just the right place! The record only got a CD release a few years back – but it's served up here in two great versions that are slightly remixed – ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A romping little groove from the Detroit scene of the postwar years – a mix of jump blues and jazz, with a catchy, quirky vocal that's a bit like Slim Gaillard at his best! The tune's a jiving little track – and has a great echoey guitar line in the middle – between very catchy ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two Northern Soul gems back to back! Cody Black's "I'm Slowly Molding" is a nice little tune that starts out with some walloping drums augmented by handclaps, and Cody's deeply felt soul vocals backed nicely with groovy harmonies and horns – soaring and building as the tune goes on ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two sock-soul groovers – back to back! Herbert Hunter's got this full, rich voice that's completely magnificent – a smooth polish over the top of the grooves, which have this vibrant energy that's like Motown moving down to Nashville – bumped up a bit along the journey, but in ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the strangest club tracks from the West End years – but a great one! The cut's an obvious reference to some of the more sensual practices of the club scene, and it's got a nice dark sound to it that's a good example of the way that late disco, early house, and post-punk sounds were ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great little number from Badbadnotgood with Little Dragon – a pretty spot on synthesis of the versatile, jazz-inspired groove of the former and moody electronic soul of the latter, especially singer Yukimi Nagano! "Tried" doesn't have to try too hard to pull is from the beginning, ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two great tracks by this group from Sierra Leone! "Temedi Oh" has this fast-moving groove that's totally wonderful – followed by guitar that riffs along in quick time with the pulsating bass, and topped with a vocal call that's like icing on the cake! "Den Kick" is a bit ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A sweet little number with a sunny California vibe – equal parts rock and soul, with a guitar line that fades in to echo the waves of the surf – while Rudy De Anda delivers a vocal over romping drums! "Los Canarios" is slower, with plenty of echoey guitar tripping over slow ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A great little soul tune with some mighty nice organ – used here as an instrument that swirls up and all around the tune – setting the scene and egging on the vocals, which feel like some sort of old school Curtom – but at a rootsier level! There's a tinkling piano in the middle ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A rare indie track from Thelma Jones – recorded down in Florida with a nicely burning groove! "I Can't Stand It" moves along at a slow-stepping, yet funky sort of pace – with a chunky rhythm that really lets Thelma take off with her vocals in the lead! "Only ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A fantastic track from this ultra-hip Chicago group – very spiritual in terms of the lyrics and soulful vocals, but also given a very cool crackle, thanks to some killer work on drums and percussion! Those elements get even more exposure on the flipside – which is a really great way to ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Sweet girl pop from Bernadette Carroll! "Laughing On The Outside" is the kind of weepy gem that might have been recorded by Joanie Sommers – but handled here with a nicely indie vibe that has spare strings moving nicely next to Bernadette's blue-tinged vocals, and a nice spoken bit ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

"El Doctor" is a lively little number with a nice hint of revolution – performed here by a combo from Italy, but with a very South American vibe! The percussion is upbeat, the horns punch along with the groove, and the rolling lyrics are nice and compelling – and the flipside ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Incredible sounds from the postwar avant scene in France – a small record, but one that's had huge impact over the years! This 3 track EP features compositions based around the "structures sonores" of Jacques Lasry and Bernard Baschet – both of whom create and play these ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Stone genius from the legendary Cymande! "Fug" is a tune with this amazing bassline and riffing guitar – all deep and complicated at the start, then opening up even more as the tune moves on – with great percussion, and this stop/start approach to the groove that's really ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A very different version of this classic cut by Squeeze – done with slow-building, soul-based instrumentation – and given some really great vocals from both Badu and Poyser! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A gem of a record from Finnish guitarist Sami Linna – just a 45, but one that feels like it's got the depth of a full album! "Mode For Tomorrow" is this beautifully building tune with a mix of modal and spiritual energy – infused with organ by Mikko Heleva, and given this ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Wild work from Ennio Morricone – and not usually the kind of track you'd expect to find on a 7" single! "Il Buio" has all these fast-moving, really sinister violins at the start – almost raging like a swarm of angry hornets – before mellowing out about halfway ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

El Michels and Wu-Tang – always a wonderful combination, as you'll hear on this fantastic funky 45! The group take on "Shadowboxin" and strip it right down to its roots – just bassline, slow-stepping drums, and a wicked bit of organ – completely different without any ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Doug Shorts hits the Daptone label – bringing his 80s electro soul mode as a really fresh sound for the imprint! "Casual Encounter" may well be one of Doug's best tunes ever – grounded in these stepping bass pedal lines that are mighty nice – as his vocals crackle over ... 7-inch, Vinyl record

An early stunner from Black Ivory – a great groover, done with kind of a bouncy lilting groove that has lots of bass, and a good mix with the group's harmony vocals! One of the funkiest from Fatback – "Goin' to See My Baby" is especially tough, and starts out with a massive ... 7-inch, Vinyl record