Foxy R&B, and a fair bit of soul as well – wonderful work from the previously-untapped Paso and Foxy record labels – headed up by legendary Chicago DJ Richard Stamz! Stamz was a key early force in African-American broadcasting in the Windy City – an important DJ not just in blues and soul, but also a TV figure as well – one who really helped get a heck of a lot of great music started in the early days of soul! This package features some real killers by artists who do a great job of skirting the rough line between blues and soul in Chicago in the 60s – some of whom would record more famously on other labels, like One-Der-Ful, but who really sound great here. The package was put together by the folks who've researched and recounted Stamz colorful life in print – and has a great array of rare music, plus stories of the DJ as well. Titles include "Say You Love Me" by Harold Burrage, "The Buzzard" by Freddie Robinson, "What's The Matter With You Sam" by The Ideals, "Just One More Time" by Loretta Branch, "You Gonna Cry" by Flora D, "I'm Trying" by Lee Shot Williams, "Gittin Along" by Willie Williams with the Howlin Wolf Band, "Goin Home" by Mary Johnson, "Please Love Me" by Harold Burrage, "Romeo Joe (part 1)" by Robert & The Rockin Ravens, and "Garlen's Mambo" by Ze Majestics. CD

One of the comps that rode the mid 90s wave of turntablism, with a nice time table inside the gatefold sleeve. Not as much over the top trickery as you might hear on the Return of The DJ compilations on Bomb, but some essential moments, like Cut Chemist's "Lesson 6" and the X-Men's "A Turntable Experience". Radar's "Radar Frees Tibet" and Beyond There "On Wax" display some nice turntable moments, while a few of the other tracks don't really justify their place in the context of the comp, but are nice to have anyway – like Latyrx's "Say That". Also includes Prince Paul "DJ Prince Paul Vs The World", Ingrid De Lambre & Eddie Def "Poeisies, Scene 1 Le Blues", DJ Swingsett & DJ Wally "Centaurus Space Bass (Cloak & Destroy mix)", Peanut Butter Wolf & The Beat Junkies "They Don't Fall Down", Mumbles "At The Mountains Of Madness" and Q-Burn's Abstract Message "Book Of Changes". 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

With Bireli Lagrene on solo guitar and bass, Gaiti Lagrenen and Tschirglo Loeffler on rhythm guitar, Jan Jankeje on bass, Jorg Reiter on piano, Wolfgang Lakerschmid on vibes, Bernd Marquart on trumpet, and Schmido Kling on violin. LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool record, and one that digs deep into the earliest days of the disco scene – that time in New York where there weren't any records being made as strictly "disco" cuts – and DJs had to make their pick of soul and funk records from a time when the music was really changing things up! The album's heavy on New York and Philly-based tracks, and some of the artists here are ones who'd had an earlier life in soul music, but were picking up the rhythms, adding in some larger arrangements, and creating grooves that really knocked the whole thing out of the park! The presentation here is based on a famous 1975 article that looked at the underground scene out in Brooklyn for New York magazine – later made famous as Saturday Night Fever – and as such, the tracks here are full of surprises, and very different than the usual disco-inspired compilation. Titles include "Just As Long As We're Together (single version)" by Gloria Scott, "After You've Had Your Fling" by The Intrepids, "Welcome To The Club" by Blue Magic, "Mellow Me" by Faith Hope & Charity, "Got To Get You Back" by Sons Of Robin Stone, "Date With The Rain (LP version)" by Eddie Kendricks, "Georgia's After Hours" by Richard Popcorn Wylie, "If That's The Way You Feel" by White Heat, "It's The Same Old Story" by Act 1, "Tell Me What You Want" by Jimmy Ruffin, "Night Of The Wolf" by Ivano Fossati, "The Whole Damn World Is Going Crazy" by John Gary Williams, "You Can't Hide Love" by Creative Source, "Wendy Is Gone" by Ronnie McNeir, "Free & Easy" by Satyr, and "Keep It Up" by Betty Everett. LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool record, and one that digs deep into the earliest days of the disco scene – that time in New York where there weren't any records being made as strictly "disco" cuts – and DJs had to make their pick of soul and funk records from a time when the music was really changing things up! The album's heavy on New York and Philly-based tracks, and some of the artists here are ones who'd had an earlier life in soul music, but were picking up the rhythms, adding in some larger arrangements, and creating grooves that really knocked the whole thing out of the park! The presentation here is based on a famous 1975 article that looked at the underground scene out in Brooklyn for New York magazine – later made famous as Saturday Night Fever – and as such, the tracks here are full of surprises, and very different than the usual disco-inspired compilation. Titles include "Just As Long As We're Together (single version)" by Gloria Scott, "After You've Had Your Fling" by The Intrepids, "Welcome To The Club" by Blue Magic, "Mellow Me" by Faith Hope & Charity, "Got To Get You Back" by Sons Of Robin Stone, "Date With The Rain (LP version)" by Eddie Kendricks, "Georgia's After Hours" by Richard Popcorn Wylie, "If That's The Way You Feel" by White Heat, "It's The Same Old Story" by Act 1, "Tell Me What You Want" by Jimmy Ruffin, "Night Of The Wolf" by Ivano Fossati, "The Whole Damn World Is Going Crazy" by John Gary Williams, "You Can't Hide Love" by Creative Source, "Wendy Is Gone" by Ronnie McNeir, "Free & Easy" by Satyr, and "Keep It Up" by Betty Everett. CD

One of a series of later recordings made by Chet Baker with the NDR Big Band – a German ensemble that features Herb Geller on alto sax, Walter Norris on piano, and a lineup of European players who nicely respect the gentleness of Baker's sound. The style here is a bit more powerful than some of Chet's later, sometimes sadder records – with a mode that steps out positively on some of the best numbers, most of which feature vibes work from Wolfgang Schluter, ringing out bolder tones next to Baker's horn. Titles include versions of "Mister B", "Dolphin Dance", "All Blues", "Django", "In Your Own Sweet Way", and "All Of You". CD

Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel has been giving us music for years – but on recent releases, he really seems to have found a great place to express himself – a quintet that includes work from Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet and Brad Mehldau on piano – both musicians that seem completely transformed in the presence of Wolfgang! The sound is open, spare, and often somewhat tentative – as befits Muthspiel's legacy – but there's also these shimmering moments that come from Akimusire on trumpet, and occasional currents of sentiment from Mehldau's piano – both forces that really open up the sound of the record. The group also features Larry Grenadier on bass and Eric Harland on drums – and titles include "For Django", "Descendants", "Clearing", "Panorama", "Blueshead", "Buenos Aires", "Where The River Goes", and "One Day My Prince Was Gone". CD