The funky titans are at it again! "Deuces Up, Double Down" is a killer new track from the group – an original tune written by drummer Miles Tackett, with a heavy scattershot beat at the bottom, and lots of loud, fast, honking horns over the top. The guitar player's licking away at the cut too – and the whole thing's a delightful romping funky groove! CD version also includes a great cover of "Humpty Dump", the scratchy guitar groover originally cut by The Vibrettes – plus a "Funky Soul/16 Corners" medley, recorded live in LA at one of the band's smoking shows! CD

Killer work from leading lights of the neo classic funk scene – the mighty Breakestra – their debut for Strut Records and some of the best work they've ever done! Music Man Miles & the crew knock us out each time, and the 4 years between the stellar Hit The Floor LP and this one was worth the wait. The funky undercurrent is the common connective tissue, with deep soul sounds in the mix, too, with multi instrumentalist Miles on lead vocals on a number of tunes, Mix Master Wolf doing his thing on others, plus guests Afrodyte, Chali 2na and the late DJ Dusk – and some tight instrumentals. They run the gamut from stripped down JBs style feverishness, to gritty jazz funk, Latin percussion, and beyond. Breakestra helped kick start the underground funk scene back in the late 90s, and they're as strong as ever a decade later! Titles include "Need A Little Love", "Dark Clouds Rain Soul", "Come On Over" feat Afrodyete, "Back At The Boathouse", "Get It Right", "Show You The Way", "Me & Michelle". "Posed To Be" feat Chali 2na, Mixmaster Wolf & DJ Dusk, "Joyful Noise", "Lowdown Stank", "Set The Sun" and more. CD

A strong step forward from Breakestra – really moving out of the deep funk underground here, but never losing the groove that got them there in the first place! The set's got a depth that goes beyond most of the group's other work – way more than just a funky cover band sort of feel, and instead a really unified approach to grooving that lets in space for stronger influences from a range of older styles of music. Mainman Miles really surprises us on vocals, coming off here with a wonderful blue-eyed approach to funk that takes us back to key rock/soul crossover moments of the late 60s – but with none of the overdone hype of that generation, and more of a funky 45 groove overall! Drums are razor-sharp and super-tight throughout – still giving most of the album a deep funk approach – and titles include "Gotta Let Me Know", "Stand Up", "Hiding", "Burgundy Blues", "You Don't Need A Dance", "At The End Of The Day", "The Getting To It", "Show & Prove", "Keep On Playin", "Recognize", "Hit Tha Flo", "Family Rap", and "How Do You Really Feel". CD

The Houseplant series really takes off with this killer triple-LP set – a massive batch of funk and soul, both old and new – presented here in a really great assortment of modes! There's some great deep tracks from the 70s here, alongside some well-chosen contemporary cuts from the international funk underground – plus a few other assorted surprises along the way – keeping the label's strong reputation for serving up a record that's way different than the standard funk compilation! Titles include "Short Stopping" by Veda Brown, "What's Good For You" by Harvey Scales, "Little Saddy" by Andre Ethier, "The Devastator" by Stormy, "I'm Not Ready For Love" by Promise, "Slide" by Adesse Versions, "Gettin Funky Round Here" by Black Nasty, "Love Theme From Spartacus" by Yusef Lateef, "Town Called Nowhere" by Skip Mahoney & The Casuals, "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Blah Blah Blah" by Saun & Starr, "Gotta Let Me Know" by Breakestra, "Jamaica Ska" by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, "Legend In My Own Mind" by The Stepkids, "Lament 1" by Dustin Laurenzi, "Trouble" by Frederick Knight, "The Echo" by Epsilons, "A Little Bit More Won't Hurt" by Bettye Crutcher, "The Who Who Song" by Jackie Wilson, and "Don't Stop" by The Bar Kays. LP, Vinyl record album

If our jukebox was like this, we'd be rich! The compilation's a much-needed overview of the limited edition 45s issued by the Stones Throw label – a genre-busting blend of hip hop, deep funk, and turntable work – always exciting, and with a style that's unlike anything else we can think of! The package really offers a great sampling of the work on these hard-to-find singles – 22 ultra-hip titles that are as appealing to any fan of classic funk as they are a fan of underground hip hop. Titles include "Getcho Soul Togetha (part 2)" by Breakestra, "Rocket Ship" by Stark Reality, "Harlem River Drive Interlude" and "I Am Singing" by Yesterday's New Quintet, "My 2600" by Captain Funkaho, "Breaks Of Meditate" and "Chops & Thangs" by Beat Conductor, "Things Could Be Better" by Ernie & The Top Notes, "On Point" by Lootpack, "Poppin Popcorn" by The Highlighters, "Devotion 92" by Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf, "Take Me" by Fabulous Souls, "Color" by LA Carnival, "Enter Ralph Wiggum" by A Trak, and "Place Your Bet" by Medaphor. CD