The massive first album from Creative Source – a really unique group who really helped push the ensemble vocal mode forward in the 70s! The mixed male/female lineup recalls similar groups of the late 60s – but Creative Source also have a deeper, hipper style that comes through right away – a good ear for jazz in their phrasing, and an ability to get past any of the hoke of more sing-song gal/guy groups. The tunes are very progressive, and the album features sublime arrangements from Skip Scarborough – who's working here in a wonderful realization of the style he'd work later for so many other artists. The group does a classic rendition of Scarborough's "You Can't Hide Love", which was a hit for Earth Wind & Fire, plus nice covers of two tracks by Sussex labelmate Bill Withers – "Who Is He & What Is He To You" and "Let Me In Your Life". Also includes the group's own "Oh Love", which is a nice groover – plus "Magic Carpet Ride", "Wildflower", and "Lovesville". CD also includes 5 bonus cuts, with some of their best titles, like "Corazon", "Pass The Feeling On", "I'd Find You Anywhere", and "I Want Ya (Loving Me)". CD

The massive first album from Creative Source – a really unique group who really helped push the ensemble vocal mode forward in the 70s! The mixed male/female lineup recalls similar groups of the late 60s – but Creative Source also have a deeper, hipper style that comes through right away – a good ear for jazz in their phrasing, and an ability to get past any of the hoke of more sing-song gal/guy groups. The tunes are very progressive, and the album features sublime arrangements from Skip Scarborough – who's working here in a wonderful realization of the style he'd work later for so many other artists. The group does a classic rendition of Scarborough's "You Can't Hide Love", which was a hit for Earth Wind & Fire, plus nice covers of two tracks by Sussex labelmate Bill Withers – "Who Is He & What Is He To You" and "Let Me In Your Life". Also includes the group's own "Oh Love", which is a nice groover – plus "Magic Carpet Ride", "Wildflower", and "Lovesville". LP, Vinyl record album

3rd volume, and the righteous 70's soul and funk tracks keep on coming! Titles include "World Is A Ghetto" by War, "Ike's Mood" by Isaac Hayes, "Trouble Man" by Marvin Gaye, "Love TKO" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Breakout" by Johnny Hammond, "Ironside" by Quincy Jones, "Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Melting Pot" by Booker T & The MGs, "Westchester Lady" by Bob James, and lots lots more! 25 tracks in all. CD

Sublime work from this jazzy harmony combo – a really unique group who took older vocal modes and fused them onto tight modern soul grooves! This set may well be the best-ever from the group – a perfectly produced album done with Augie Johnson of At Home Productions – with a warmly sparkling vibe that's right up there with the best At Home work for Creative Source or Side Effect – both groups who'd be a good comparison to this one! There's a few upbeat funk numbers that are pretty sweet, but the best cuts are usually the laidback, mellower ones – which really have LA Boppers hitting their stride. Titles include the killer cut "Watching Life" – a smooth mellow groover, and one of their best tracks – plus "Saturday", "Funk It Out", "Life Is What You Make It", "You Did It Good", "Is This The Best", and "Are We Wrong". LP, Vinyl record album

70s classics that have all been used in other tracks in recent years – as you might guess from the "sampled" in the title – a reference to the cuts' use by artists who include Gang Starr, Raekown, Freddie Gibbs, Jay Z, Mobb Deep, and others! The "groove" means that there's a mix of soul, funk, and jazz cuts here – a hefty helping of 21 titles that include "Forget Me Nots" by Patrice Rushen, "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" by Detroit Emeralds, "Nautilus" by Bob James, "Clean Up Woman" by Betty Wright, "Dance Of Maria" by Elias Rahbani, "Dr Love" by First Choice, "Love Sensation (7" mix)" by Loleatta Holloway, "Outro" by Blowfly, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Darkest Light" by Lafayette Afro Rock Band, "Do The Bus Stop" by Fatback Band, "I Like Funky Music" by Uncle Louie, "Mechanical Baby" by George & Gwen McCrae, and "I Keep Asking You Questions" by Black Ivory. LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout from trumpeter Terence Blanchard – and a record that arguably helped set the tone for lots of Blue Note albums in years to come by a variety of younger artists! The album's produced by Herbie Hancock – who still really lets Blanchard's horn and musical vision take the lead, but also receive a bit more careful, creative treatment in the overall approach to the record – especially that great talent for blending styles and influences that Herbie's had in his own music for most of his career! In addition to soulful lead lines from Terence, the set also features work Lionel Loueke on guitar, Aaron Parks on keyboards, Bruce Winston on tenor and soprano, Derrick Hodge on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums – and Herbie Hancock and singer Gretchen Parlatto each guest on a tune. Titles include "Wandering Wonder", "Harvesting Dance", "Over There", "Child's Play", "The Source", "Benny's Tune", and "Wadagbe". CD

The title certainly gets this one right – as the 12 track set is overflowing with classic funk all the way through – tracks that bubbled underground in the 70s, rocked the rare groove scene in the 80s, and which are still being appreciated today! Great stuff all around – and tracks include "NT" by Kool & The Gang, "Stone To The Bone" by James Brown, "Pick Up The Pieces" by Average White Band, "Fencewalk" by Mandrill, "Who Is He And What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Wicki Wacky" by Fatback, "For The Love Of Money" by the O'Jays, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield, "Rock Creek Park" by The Blackbyrds, and "Gimme Some More" by The JBs. CD

Music from Yvonne Elliman, Gerry Woo, Ray, Goodman & Brown, Creative Source, Lyn Collins, Peaches & Herb, Roy Ayers, Deon Estus, Zoom, Mandrill, Isaac Hayes and more – 14 tracks total. CD

Excellent 2nd volume in this great series from BBE! 15 killer tracks of rare 70's soul and funk, with a special focus on tracks that have been used for hip hop samples, and those that have a nice moody mellow jazzy tip. Just about every cut's a winner, and the whole thing's a perfect blend of deep tracks that sound great together. Highlights include "Magic Ride" by Bobby Lyle, "Heart's Desire" by Don Blackman, "Save Their Souls" by Bohannon, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "Can't Hide Love" by Creative Source, "Life Is Just A Moment (parts 1 & 2)" by Roy Ayers, "Wind Parade" by Donald Byrd, and lots lots more! Great tracks, heavy soul, and a very massive vibe! CD

Excellent stuff! This 3CD-only set features 1 full disc of funky classics from BBE's Strange Games & Things series, all mixed together by DJ Spinna, plus 2 more discs that feature the songs in unmixed versions! The whole thing's a beautiful batch of funky and jazzy cuts that have been sampled for hip hop tracks – with a total of 27 unmixed tracks, and one super-long mix! Titles include "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra, "Reasons" by Minnie Riperton, "Can't Hide Love" by Creative Source, "Lucky Fellow" by Leroy Hutson, "It's A Desperate Situation" by Marvin Gaye, "Wind Parade" by Donald Byrd, "Magic Ride" by Bobby Lyle, "Easy Money" by Dee Dee Sharp Gamble, "Secret Rendezvous" by Rene & Angela, "Save Their Souls" by Bohannon, "Elevate Your Mind" by Linda Williams, "Hunk Of Heaven" by Lemuria, "You Can't Run Away" by The Barkays, and "Bring Your Sweet Loving Back" by Starpoint. CD

Nice album of modern soul that was sort of lost at the time it came out, but which has been rediscovered by rare groovers over the past 10 years. The tracks have a bit of a jazzy vibe, and sound similar to some of the Creative Source tracks from around the same period. Titles include "It Must Be Love", "Power Of Love", "Crazy Love", and "Taking My Love For Granted". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Pockets – a group who started out more in a jazzy mode, but who here have emerged as a fully-formed, soaringly soulful group that's a perfect fit for the Kalmiba Productions style of the late 70s! As you probably know, Kalimba's the production arm of the Earth Wind & Fire empire – and Pockets fit here right in tight with their groove – a nice little sidebar, definitely with their own spirit – but filled with that sense of perfection that wraps together funk, soul, and jazz with equal emphasis on all three styles! There's some great harmony vocals in the mix too – crafted with the care of contemporaneous groups like Side Effect or Creative Source – and titles include "Your Heart's In Trouble", "Bye Bye", "Catch Me", "So Delicious", "How Do You Think It Feels?", "Charisma", and "Baby Are You Coming Home With Me". CD

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks. LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy funk, deep grooves, and a great batch of essential tracks that have been sampled for years by key hip hoppers and DJs! By the time of this volume, the Ultimate Breaks series was really at the top of their game – and had moved beyond the obvious old school cuts, into a realm of key funky numbers from the 70s – tunes used to expand the sound of hip hop at the time, and which are brought together here in strong New York format years before Dusty Fingers or Strictly Breaks! Titles include Barrabas "Woman", Creative Source "Corazon", Southside Movement "Save The World", plus edited or extended versions of The JB's "The Grunt (Part 1)", Rufus Thomas "Do The Funky Penquin (Part 2)", Shotgun "Dynamite (The Bomb)" and Gary Numan "Films". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Features Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Miguel Mira on cello, Alvaro Rosso on bass, and Bruno Parrinha on alto clarinet. CD

A totally great collection of grooves with a real range of material – nearly all fresh to our ears, and the kind of record that really makes us sit up and take notice! The set's got a loose approach to the selections – in that it features tracks from American and European sources, and easily blends together tunes from soul, jazz, funk, and easy records – but that's what makes it so great, and so fresh, as the tracks stand wonderfully back to back, sounding like a hip club night at some far-away place, the kind of all-great set that has you keep getting out of your chair, walking up to the DJ, and saying "Sorry to bother you again, but what's that track you're playing?" Titles include "Creative Musicians" by Lyman Woodard, "Stop" by Lonette, "Shabazz" by Rhoda Scott, "Don't Boom Boom" by Lillian Hale, "The Barracuda" by Leonard King & The Soul Messengers, "Questions (parts 1 & 2)" by Pat Stalworth, "Concentrate" by Willie Tee, "Mabusso" by Orchester Ambros Seelos, "Jumping" by Charlie Antolini, and "Highway 101" by John Barry. LP, Vinyl record album

Rob Magill's out to show just what a creative multi-instrumentalist he can be here – improvising on different instruments on every single track – and creating some real sonic magic in the process! Given the differing sound sources, there's a great sense of variety to the record – and Magill finds a way to express himself differently on each instrument, while still coming across with a relatively unified vibe – the same player with different voices, creating a core spirit for the album's sense of experimentation! Songs are titled aptly, and include "Bass Recorder", "Soprano Saxophone", "Clarinet & Electronics", "Tenor Saxophone", "Misc", and "Flute & Electronics". CD

That's IDM, not EDM – a term used to apply to creative electronic projects of many flavors – summed up perfectly in this beautiful disc guide from Japan! The book features listings for hundreds of recordings – each with a small image of the album cover, dates of release, and other information in English – accompanied by a small Japanese review that you can always read using Google Translate or some other program! From a visual perspective, especially if you're a crate-digger, the book is more than enough – with chapters that cover music from the late 50s onwards – divided up into sections on Musique Concrete/Synthesizer Music, Sound Effects, Improvisation/Composition, New Wave/Industrial, Braindance, Glitch Electronica, Indietronica/Folktronica, and Life & Death Of Rave Culture – as well as a chapter of more recent material. The book moves chronologically, and covers hundreds of releases – in a full color softcover volume that's almost 300 pages. Also comes with information to guide you on web searches for sound sources! Book

A much-needed look at the really magical world of music in France – a scene that's always seemed to exist in its own sort of space, especially during the late 70s/early 80s years when most of these tracks were recorded! The French scene had some famous free jazz at the start of the 70s, but there was also another strain of unique sounds that were beyond categorization or comparison – music that took some of the creative inspiration of jazz and turned it towards global sources, acoustic instruments, analogue electronics, and even French vocal styles – creating work that was not only years ahead of its time, but which also was often missed on the global market, because it was so hard to label and categorize! This set brings together some of the best of those moments – music that's maybe a great second step if you've already dug sounds on labels like Saravah or Futura/Marge – and the whole package is wonderful throughout – filled with titles that even we might have missed otherwise. Tracks include "Gaal" by Noco Music, "Les Crocodiles" by Catherine Derain, "Reve De Voyage" by Remy Couvez, "Sokoto" by Structures Sonores Lasry Baschet, "Loreley" by Pan Ra, "Mahabaratha Kali" by Adjenar Sidhar Khan, "Bujumbura Lyon" by Workshop De Lyon, "Arabia" by Dynamo, "Love Always" by Jef Gilson, and "Moving Waves" by Andre Fertier & Clivage. CD

A much-needed look at the really magical world of music in France – a scene that's always seemed to exist in its own sort of space, especially during the late 70s/early 80s years when most of these tracks were recorded! The French scene had some famous free jazz at the start of the 70s, but there was also another strain of unique sounds that were beyond categorization or comparison – music that took some of the creative inspiration of jazz and turned it towards global sources, acoustic instruments, analogue electronics, and even French vocal styles – creating work that was not only years ahead of its time, but which also was often missed on the global market, because it was so hard to label and categorize! This set brings together some of the best of those moments – music that's maybe a great second step if you've already dug sounds on labels like Saravah or Futura/Marge – and the whole package is wonderful throughout – filled with titles that even we might have missed otherwise. Tracks include "Gaal" by Noco Music, "Les Crocodiles" by Catherine Derain, "Reve De Voyage" by Remy Couvez, "Sokoto" by Structures Sonores Lasry Baschet, "Loreley" by Pan Ra, "Mahabaratha Kali" by Adjenar Sidhar Khan, "Bujumbura Lyon" by Workshop De Lyon, "Arabia" by Dynamo, "Love Always" by Jef Gilson, and "Moving Waves" by Andre Fertier & Clivage. LP features the vinyl-only bonus track "Il Regalo Della Befana (part 3)" by Ghedalia Tazartes LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible project from composer Philip Glass – the third in his cycle of operas that helped transform the world of classical music – and maybe the most creative of the bunch! Glass based the text is taken from original sources, and sung in original languages – quite a feat for the singers involved, and a wonderful combination to the orchestrations – which are heavy in the kinds of rhythmic flows that we always love in the composer's music – using keyboards, woodwinds, and fantastic voices in long-flowing minimalist modes! Shalom Goldman worked with Glass on the vocals – and this performance features Dennis Russell Davies at the head of the Stuttgart State Opera orchestra and chorus. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of work drawn from decades of creations by Wolf Vostell – a founding member of Fluxus and one of the more radical musicians of the 60s – although crucially ignored in wider discussions of creative music! Vostell works here in ways that illustrate his "de-collage" concept – a reversal of musical collages taking place in other realms of the avant garde, with subtraction as the driving feature over combination. And yet at a sonic level, these creations still have a resonance with some of the tape experiments and musique concrete of Vostell's generation – especially in his sense of texture – but that also may just be a coincidence, as may of these recordings feel like they're coming from live sources – as illustrated by the cover art images of broken glass, a field of vacuum cleaners, a guitar attached to a car door, and other unusual images! LP, Vinyl record album

Rob Magill's out to show just what a creative multi-instrumentalist he can be here – improvising on different instruments on every single track – and creating some real sonic magic in the process! Given the differing sound sources, there's a great sense of variety to the record – and Magill finds a way to express himself differently on each instrument, while still coming across with a relatively unified vibe – the same player with different voices, creating a core spirit for the album's sense of experimentation! Songs are titled aptly, and include "Bass Recorder", "Soprano Saxophone", "Clarinet & Electronics", "Tenor Saxophone", "Misc", and "Flute & Electronics". CD

The Soul Power funky 45 powerhouse returns – with a great set of classic tunes selected by DJ Nico, all from rare funky 45 sources, all with that chunky, hunky, funky, deep groove that first put the label on the map as one of the best sources for rare funk material! The title's a bit striking – but once you get past that French colonial pandering, you know these guys really know how to pick their tunes! Titles include "Do Your Thing" by Kashmere Stage Band, "Goombay Funk" by Jay Mitchell, "Boss Action" by Enchanting Enchanters, "Can I Feel It" by Al Trahan, "I Need Love" by Larry Houston, "Find Yourself" by Marvin Holmes, "Moving World" by Creative Funk, "Funky From The Get Go" by Herbie Williams, "Music Turns Me On" by Mark Holder, and "Dance Party" by JC & The Soul Angels. LP, Vinyl record album