An entry in this excellent series that's very near and dear to our heart – as the cuts here were all chosen by Chicgao DJ Rahaan, who's got a mighty nice ear for a rare clubby groove! The collection explores territory that the previous volumes have hit, but with a special sound that's a nice change too – less of the standard disco or boogie, and some nicely unusual tracks that really change things up, and show just how much fresh creative energy was happening in the underground, way past the bigger labels of the time! Many of these cuts are completely new to our ears, which is really saying a lot in favor of the strength of the collection – and titles include "Ticket" by John Lamkin, "Wanna Get Down With You" by Jaze, "He Loves You" by Wings Of Light, "Let's Get It On" by Marini, "Come & Get It" by Santrax, "Shoot Me With Your Love" by Venus Dodson, "One Of These Days" by The 21st Century Singers, "For You" by Cherish, "Super Disco" by Frank Hatchett Dance Explosion, "Count Of Monte Thisgo" by Ship Of The Desert, "Back Fire" by Time Unlimited, "Juicy Fruit My Love" by Boobie Knight, "Go Down Moses" by Porno Disco, and "Catch Your Glow" by Cousin Ice with Zack Sanders. LP, Vinyl record album

Mid 70s issue of some rare sides by Lester Young – recorded as live broadcasts from the Royal Roost in 1948. The group on the set features Ted Kelly on trombone, Freddie Jefferson on piano, Roy Haynes on drums, and Jessie Drakes on trumpet, and you can hear a bit of Symphony Sid introducing the band. One other track features Allen Eager, Hank Jones, Kai Winding, and Ella Fitzgerald – and tracks include "Be Bop Boogie", "Lester Leaps In", "Just You Just Me", "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance", and "I Cover The Waterfront". LP, Vinyl record album

This great series keeps on going – and it seems that with each new volume, the realm of Cosmic Discotheque just keeps on getting bigger! As with previous volumes, the feel here isn't standard disco – and the tracks are upbeat, but have a variety of fresh approaches that go far past the mainstream modes of the late 70s clubs – some with European production and instrumentation that really changes things up, some from easy listening sources going for the disco scene, some with global influences stripped down for grooves, all with an approach that will have you digging this volume as much as previous entries! Titles include "Bumerang" by Petr A Pavel ORM, "Hypno Dance" by Who's Who, "I Love Paris" by Zamulo, "Ride The Sky" by Mystic Moods, "Super Woman (inst)" by Surprise Band, "Griffo" by Boro, "Funk Disco Sounds" by The Yetians, "Sugar (part 2)" by Freddie Cannon, "Caliente" by Caliente Orchestra, "Surprise" by Fantastic Soul Invention, and "Shaba Da Ba Dam" by Obah. LP, Vinyl record album

Disco grooves from a source you might not expect – the Japanese scene of the 70s, which was home to a surprisingly strong array of records that were perfect for the clubs! In retrospect, maybe the music's not such a surprise – given that 70s Japan was also a hotbed of electric fusion, and the kind of sharp instrumentation that provides the core to most of these tunes – wicked basslines, sweet keyboards, and funky drums that propel these tracks along in a wonderful way – even if you can't understand some of the Japanese lyrics over the top! In fact, many of these numbers are even more in the fusion or funk-inspired side of disco – less the crossover cuts with strings and big production, and more like the kind of American club tracks you might hear from Kudu Records or some of the other fusion labels. The package is proof that great sounds can be truly universal – and comes with detailed notes on the artists and scene at the time. Titles include "By By Session Band" by Lily, "Summer Champion" by Yuko Asano, "Dancin" by Junko Ohashi, "Rainbow Parade" by Masayoshi Takanaka, "Uragiri" by Mari Natuski, "Maboroshi No Hito" by Miyako Chaki, "Banana" by Kay Ishiguro, "Yashow Macashow" by Ebonee Webb, "Lovin Mighty Fire" by Nayoya Matsuko & Minako Yoshida, "Sentimental Hotel" by Rie Nkahara, and "Barato Yajuu" by Haruomi Hosono. CD

It's hard to imagine the scene at Studio 54 in the Soviet scene of the late 70s – but, as with most of the world at the time, the USSR managed to pick up more than a few influences from the disco years in America – a range of sounds that it held on to for longer than the bit club years back home! At some level, the music here is maybe more electro pop, of the sort that other European nations were starting to cut in the mid 70s – playful tunes that have lots of keyboards and other electric elements, used in ways that make the catchy Russian lyrics even more groovy than they might sound otherwise! The package brings together tracks from Belarus, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and other Soviet republics – on titles that include "Hatawka" by Pervouraslk, "Vienmer But" by Mirdza Zivere, "Noktirne" by Eolika, "Penka" by Formula Dreyka, "Polet" by Verasy, "Azinas Sokis" by Janina Misciukaite, and "Paccbetaet" by Raduga. LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a record from bassist Aston Barrett – best known for his work behind Bob Marley during the classic years, but stepping out here as a powerful force on his own – away from the late Great One, and recording here either under his own name, or with The Wailers! As the title implies, these tunes are all instrumentals – work from the pre-dub years, then later work from that generation – a time when the bass was even more crucial than ever, and kind of the glue that could hold together a really great dub! Some tracks were issued on Aston's own Fam's label, and others are from a variety of other obscure 45s from the time – titles that include "Gideons High", "Soul Constitution", "Guided Missile", "Work", "Family Man Skank", "Cobra Style (disco mix)", "Well Pleased (disco mix)", "Tribute To Y Mas Gan", "Rebel Am I", "Distant Drums Version", "Ixes", and "Steppers Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest records to come from the TK Records Miami soul empire of the 70s – and one of the few that was ever issued on their tiny Good Sounds subsidiary! We know little about the group, but the approach here is great – kind of all the strengths of the usual TK/Criteria Studios groove, but taken to a sharper, tighter edge – with maybe less of the obvious try for commercial crossover that some of the label's other material might have. The tunes are a mix of uptempo grooves and mellower soul, and mostly avoid the more standard disco approaches of the time – which leaves these guys to stand out almost like they've emerged from the funky 45 scene with a bunch of great tracks, only to disappear in the shifting sands of time! Titles include "Get In The Groove", "I Like Whatcha' Doin", "Our Love", "Money Don't Grow On Trees", and "Love's Sweet Notions". CD

A lost prog nugget from a group who mix keyboards and woodwinds in a really great way – almost complicated, but with a down to earth quality overall – and one that seems to work especially well with the French language lyrics of the set! The record's one of those obscure French sets from the mid 70s with a sound that almost seems out of time – made far away from the mainstream, without any idea of the punk or disco changes that were taking place elsewhere – and with that more intellectual, more personal approach that often marked records of this nature as both a standout strength, and quality that would keep them from forever getting picked up by bigger labels for global circulation. Yet that balance is what makes the record so great, especially decades later – with titles that include "Divertimento", "Tramontane", "Laure", "Naissance", "Premiers Pas", and "Dernier Village Premieres Neiges". LP, Vinyl record album

Risque is a massive classic from Chic – a record that's worth it alone for the classic cut "Good Times" – a buoyant groover that was instantly timeless upon release, and went on to transform the sound of disco, hip hop, and many other styles to come! The whole thing's great, though – full of that perfect Nile Rodgers studio genius – with just the right sort of bass, beats, and riffing guitars – all peppered with vocals that really do a heck of a lot with just a little. In addition to "Good Times", other cuts include "A Warm Summer Night", "My Forbidden Lover", "What About Me", "My Feet Keep Dancing", and "Can't Stand To Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

A tasty little disco album that's a lot better than you might think! In some ways, this might be Crown Heights Affair's most perfectly realized album – as it's got lots of long tracks that mix the group's always-tight instrumental style with a spacey soul sensibility that's quite captivating. None of the cuts are standout slammers, but the album's pretty nice as a whole, and the songwriting gives the group plenty of good lyrics to work with. Titles include "Galaxy Of Love", "Dream World", "Things Are Going To Get Better", "I'm Gonna Love You Forever", and "Say A Prayer For Two". CD features a huge amount of bonus mixes too – including "Say A Prayer For Two (orig 12" version)", "Galaxy Of Love/I'm Gonna Love You Forever (original promo 12" medley)", "I Love You (unreleased 12" version)", and original 7" single versions of "Dream World", "I Love You", "Galaxy Of Love", and "Say A Prayer For Two". CD

Prime symphonic disco from the mighty John Davis and his well-named Monster Orchestra! The set's got a dramatic flourish that still mixes in plenty of live instrumentation – including keyboards and flute from John, plus some nice congas from Larry Washington! John sings lead vocals on most cuts, but uses some cool processing to kind of space out the sound – making for a compressed and flanged-out sound that's poppy, but really compelling. And although the whole thing sounds hokey, the quality of the grooves is actually pretty great from an instrumental standpoint. Titles include "Once Upon A Time", "We Can Fly", "Up Jumped The Devil", "You Gotta Give It Up", "You're The One", "The Magic Is You", and "Recapitulation". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare boogie set from the Nigerian scene – but one that also has the power to circle the globe with a universal sense of soul – as you might guess by the cosmopolitan look of Livy Ekemezie on the cover! The set's got a very strong tie to the grooves of the New York scene of the time – less straight disco or club than some of the more offbeat, bass-heavy rhythms that were coming from the streets into the downtown scene – handled here on basslines that are beautifully skittish, and change things up with a rough-edged funky energy that almost reminds us of the sound of P&P Records! The album's also got lots of great keyboards, which kind of bubble and sparkle next to the bass – but in ways that are often a bit different than more standard early 80s keyboard club. Livy sings most of the lead vocals, and titles include "Night Party", "Friday Night", "Classic Lover", "Holiday Actions", "Get It Down", and "Delectation". CD

A rock-solid collection of work from Eruption – the UK soul group whose sound really exploded during the disco generation! Eruption were always equal parts pop and soul – and the latter half was delivered strongly by the vocals of Precious Wilson – who could soar out of some of the more catchy arrangements of their tunes, and really give the group a strong identity – one that almost linked it to the best American club acts of the time. The set features all the best cuts from their Hansa years – and titles include "I Can't Stand The Rain", "Leave A Light", "Movin", "Computer Love", "Left Me In The Rain", "The Way We Were", "Wayward Love", "You Are My Soul", "Valley Of The Dolls", "Hey There Lonely Girl", "One Way Ticket", and "Runaway". LP, Vinyl record album

A deep dive into the genius of Faust – material recorded by the groundbreaking experimental collective at their home base during the early 70s, none of issued at the time! The work here stands as a seminal addendum to the too-small catalog of the group's material from these days – and the sounds within really show Faust at their most creative – moving through the kind of sonic territory that you'd know from their records, but presented here as if you've discovered an album that you somehow passed by! Some tracks are spare and moody, others driving and jamming – and throughout the material, Faust show that really unique ear for mixing live instrumentation and studio experimentation – all at a level that was very much their own, even in the heady company of the Krautrock generation. The material was originally part of the expensive Faust box set, but is presented here as a standalone release – and titles on volume two include "Danach", "Lampe An Tur Zu Leutte Rein", "Wir Wollen Mehr Volumen Kriegen", "Arrampicarsi Sul Vesuvio", "As Tu Vu Mon Ombre", "Ma Trompette", and "Dampf". CD

A huge legacy of work from the Flying Lizards – two full albums, plus lots more bonus tracks too! First up is the well-circulated debut, a new wave crossover classic from The Flying Lizards – one of the quirkiest groups of their era! The group were European, but have a sound that resonates strongly with the most playful post-disco work of the New York scene of the time, particularly the acts on Ze Records – a groove that mixes equal part punky and clubby rhythms, often topped with lyrics that are cold, but clever, done in the same ironic arty style of Cristina, or Devo. This album's the group's standout opus – and features their classic covers of "Summertime Blues" and "Money" – as well as originals "The Flood", "TV", "The Window", and "Russia". Next up is The Fourth Wall, the rare second album from The Flying Lizards – a set that didn't get nearly as much exposure as their debut, and which still shows the group mixing together punk, new wave, and clubby styles in a really great way! There's maybe even more of an edge here than on the group's debut – and titles include "Lovers & Other Strangers", "An Age", "Steam Away", "Hands 2 Take", "In My Lifetime", "Cirrus", and "Lost & Found". 2CD set features 9 more bonus tracks – including "Tube", "Money B", "All Guitars", "Summertime Blues (12" mix)", "Portugal", "Wind", and "Continuity". CD

A classic "discovery" of tenor saxophonist Von Freeman – one that was already relatively late in his career, but a key appearance on Atlantic under the auspices of Roland Kirk! The setting here is as loose and laidback as Von needs to really do his thing – backing by a trio that features fellow Chicagoan John Young on piano, plus Sam Jones on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums – all hanging back nicely to let Freeman dominate the set on tenor. The album's noteworthy for its inclusion of a few original tunes by Von – "White Sand", "Portrait Of John Young", "Doin It Right Now", "Brother George", and "Catnap" – all of which mark a nice contrast from some of the more traditional standards that show up on other Freeman albums of the 70s. CD

The classic sound of Funkadelic, reworked by a key selection of contemporary talents from the Detroit scene – but never in a way that wrecks the originals at all! Unlike other remix projects, which might break up the music to a point that you can hardly recognize the original grooves – this set does a wonderful job of maintaining all the integrity of the famous funky recordings by the group, while also letting some artists from the group's hometown also include a few of their own contributions too – all in ways that really expand the original vision of the music, while keeping things in a funky soul vein all the way through! Given all the greateness of Detroit grooves in recent years – from that city's very fertile underground of producers and musicians – the sound here is still even more amazing than we expected, and the album's a very fitting one to be issued on the Westbound label. The set's double-length, and for good reason too – and titles include "Music 4 My Mother (Underground Resistance mix)", "Sexy Ways (Recloose disco flip)", "Get Your Ass Off & Jam (Marcellus Pittman rmx)", "You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure (Alton Miller mix)", "Super Stupid (Dirtbombs version)", "Music For My Mother (Andres Wo Ahh Ay voc mix)", "Cosmic Slop (Moodymann mix)", "Be My Beach (Mophono & Tom Thump)", "Let's Make It Last (Kenny Dixon Jr edit)", "Let's Take It To The Stage (Amp Fiddler @Ya mix)", "Undisco Kidd (Gay Marvine edit)", "Looking Back At You (Ectomorph stripped & dubbed)", and "Standing On The Verge (Anthony Shake Shakir & T Dancer rmx)". CD

The Hawk Relaxes, but never lets himself go – and a set like this is a great illustration of the gentle genius that made so many later Coleman Hawkins records so great! The relaxed setting for this record is a perfect setting for Hawkins to open up and stretch out – working his tenor with a sound that has surprising modern edges, and unusual twists and turns, yet still all the careful economy of his better-known classic sides. There's a command of the instrument here that few other aging players ever seemed to muster – always a sense of new discovery and invention that marks the work strongly, even at a time when Hawkins could have been sitting on his laurels, playing the same old tune! Titles are all standards, but don't let that fool you – because there's plenty of magic in Coleman's versions of "Moonglow", "Just A Gigolo", "Speak Low", "When Day Is Done", and "I'll Never Be The Same". Oh, and we almost forgot – just because we're so focused on Hawkins – the other players include Ronnell Bright on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums – making a surprising early appearance here! CD

A wonderful batch of rare Motown material from Detroit singer Marv Johnson – a vocalist who started out working for Berry Gordy in the late 50s, recording the some of the first material to be released on the Tamla Motown label, and recorded all of the terrific material on this set for Motown from the mid 60s to the start of the 70s! Johnson didn't find his way into the historical canon the way many of the great solo singers and groups he helped pave the way for, but he's no less worthy! This set from Kent UK includes all the tracks from the I'll Pick A Rose For My Rose LP plus previously unreleased numbers numbers and rare mono single mixes – really beautiful stuff and a vital rediscovery of Marv's overlooked work at Motown! Titles include "I'll Pick A Rose For My Rose", "I'm Not A Plaything", "Why Do You Want To Let Me Go", "Bad Girl", "I Miss You Baby (How I Miss You)", the previously unreleased gems "There Goes A Lonely Man", "Understanding", "Farewell Is A Lonely Sound" and more, plus mono versions of several album tracks. 26 tracks in all! CD

KC & The Sunshine Band may have been a chart-topping act during the disco generation, but the Florida funky group have a heck of a lot more to offer than just their hits – as you'll hear in this massive and well-done collection that features 55 tracks in all! The group were formed in the heady early 70s years of Miami funk – and brought together some of the best tropical and soul elements that were brewing in that city at the time – all with a lean vibe that mixed live percussion with riffing guitars, sharp horns, and a completely infectious groove – often topped with catchy lyrics that really went right to the point. This big 3CD set features the group's best work for TK Records, plus other material done for Epic and Jay Boy too – with titles that include "Sound Your Funky Horn", "Why Don't We Get Together", "I Get Lifted", "So Glad", "Come To My Island", "I Betcha Didn't Know That", "Stand Up", "Love Me", "Summer Nights", "I'm A Pushover", "That's The Way I Like It", "Do You Wanna Party", "I Will Love You Tomorrow", "Sho Nuff", "I'm Your Boogie Man", and lots lots more – including some rare mixes too! CD

Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek are no musical strangers to each other – their paths have crossed often on the Chicago and global scenes over many years of creative activity. Yet this project is also the first they've co-led, and it's an incredible document of how much both artists have grown in recent years – especially when they let their talents flow together on a project like this! At some level, the core of the work is the voice that both artists have discovered – Locks, his own more focused message and ability to find other voices to sample in with his own – Mazurek, a way of using his own voice more directly, in addition to his well-known work on trumpets and electronics. Both Rob and Damon are in the forefront here, criss-crossing electric and acoustic elements with voices live and sampled – mixed with guest voices from others, in a swirlingly creative project that not only lives up to the current legacy of International Anthem and the Chicago scene, but also advances it a few notches too. Titles include "Breeze Of Time", "New Future", "Yes", "The Sun Returns", "Future City", "Las Ninas Estan Escuchando", "Support The Youth", "10 Mins Past The Hour", and "Polaris Radio". CD

Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek are no musical strangers to each other – their paths have crossed often on the Chicago and global scenes over many years of creative activity. Yet this project is also the first they've co-led, and it's an incredible document of how much both artists have grown in recent years – especially when they let their talents flow together on a project like this! At some level, the core of the work is the voice that both artists have discovered – Locks, his own more focused message and ability to find other voices to sample in with his own – Mazurek, a way of using his own voice more directly, in addition to his well-known work on trumpets and electronics. Both Rob and Damon are in the forefront here, criss-crossing electric and acoustic elements with voices live and sampled – mixed with guest voices from others, in a swirlingly creative project that not only lives up to the current legacy of International Anthem and the Chicago scene, but also advances it a few notches too. Titles include "Breeze Of Time", "New Future", "Yes", "The Sun Returns", "Future City", "Las Ninas Estan Escuchando", "Support The Youth", "10 Mins Past The Hour", and "Polaris Radio". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work from the great Cheryl Lynn – and a key bridge between late 70s disco and the newer grooves of the 80s club scene! The album's a mix of midtempo groovers with a few mellower tracks – and it's got a tight, slightly jazzy sound that was very fresh at the time, and which still holds up incredibly well today. The standout cut on the record is the landmark groover "Got To Be Real" – but there's loads of other great ones, like "Star Love", "Daybreak (Storybook Children)", "Give My Love To You", "All My Lovin", and "Come In From The Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent underground disco with a groovy French touch! The cover's a bit campy, but the record's got plenty of nice keyboard work, and offsets the coldness of the keys with some soaring strings and warm basslines. The standout cut is "Disco Circus", a 14 minute romp that's pretty darn great, and which has electronics that are a lot weirder than you'd expect. The other two tracks are "Ite Missa Est" and "Before It Gets Dark", both pretty nice too. LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of classic albums from The Muscle Shoals Horns – with bonus tracks too! First up is Born To Get Down, by a group who were definitely born to get down – as they'd proved before on countless funk and soul sessions in the south – and as they prove once again with this masterful album on their own! The style here is surprisingly well-formed – not just horn players getting to shine in the lead, but a soul group with a tightness that matches some of the hippest, most sophisticated groups of the time – working here with really well-crafted rhythms that often hit an excellent midtempo groove, and avoid any disco-era cliches. Muscle Shoals legend Barry Beckett helps the group out on keyboards, arrangements, and production – and trumpeter Harrison Calloway turns out to be a surprisingly great singer in the lead. Titles include "Born To Get Down", which has a nice keyboard break in the middle, plus "Bump De Bump Yo Boogie", "Give It To Me", "Open Up Your Heart", "Where I'm Coming From", and "Break Down". Doin It To The Bone is a killer album from the Muscle Shoals Horns – and way more than just a set of studio players stepping out for some time in the spotlight! Sure, the MSH had worked on hundreds of sessions by this point – but there's also a sense of ownership and leadership they never had before – a real sense of trying something fresh, and really making the album all their own! To that respect, they certainly use their horns – but also work in plenty of vocals, too – and definitely emphasize the rhythms, which often have this cool compressed vibe that's very much in the best Earth Wind & Fire style – especially on the midtempo numbers that really make the album a killer. Production is by Barry Beckett, who goes for a nicely modern soul approach – and of all the horns, Harrison Calloway is probably the lead talent here – handling most of the arrangements, songwriting, and vocals. Titles include "What's Goin Down", "Dance To The Music", "I Just Wanna Turn You On", "Addicted To Your Love", "Beware Of The Rip Off", and "Keep On Playing That Funky Music". Last up is Shine On – an early 80s set from the mighty Muscle Shoals Horns, but one that cooks every bit as much as their funk classics from the 70s! At some level, this album may well be the group's funkiest – but in a style that's got some of the best 80s qualities in the grooves – the kind of tight basslines and sweet keyboard lines that marked some of the best work of the time – mixed with the group's sublime horn lines, which provide these jazzy inflections that really warm things up in a brilliant way! Most of the rhythms are nicely right in the middle – neither too uptempo, nor too head-noddy – and the whole thing's a really overlooked gem that's a standout funky set from the time. Titles include "Celebrate Recreate Participate", "She Was Once My Woman", "Shoalin", "More Than Ever Now", and "Don't Bust Yo Bubbles". 2CD set features bonus tracks – 7" mixes of "Born To Get Down", "Bump De Bump Yo Boodie", "Where I'm Coming From", and "She Was Once My Woman" – plus "I Just Wanna Turn You On (12" mix)". CD

Incredible work from The O'Jays – and the kind of record that shows that they never lost their touch! The set sparkles beautifully from the very first note – and the trio hit a warm, smooth groove that's a perfect summation of later Philly at its best – still tuned for the clubs at one level, but in a way that gets past disco and goes for more of a laidback, steppers sort of vibe. Harmonies are as sublime as always – and titles include "When Will I See You Again", "Put Our Heads Together", "Ain't Nothin Wrong With Good Lovin", "I Can't Stand The Pain", "Nice & Easy", and "Ain't Nothin' Wrong With Good Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal soulful bop! Horace Parlan's Blue Note sides remain some of the most collectible recordings in the label's discography, and this dynamite collection brings all of the pianists work as a leader into one place! This set includes all of the albums Movin' & Groovin', Us Three, Speakin' My Piece, Headin' South, On The Spur Of The Moment, Up & Down and Happy Frame Of Mind. Sidemen include Stanley and Tommy Turrentine, Booker Ervin, Grant Green, Johnny Coles, George Tucker, Ray Barretto and Al Harewood. There's a total of 52 tracks spread out over 5 discs, with titles that include "Up In Cynthia's Room", "Lady Bird", "Us Three", "Wadin'", "Return Engagement", "Headin' South", "Low Down", "Congalegre", "Borderline", "Rastus", "Speakin' My Piece", "On The Spur Of The Moment", "Skoo Chee", "Al's Tune", "The Book's Beat", "Fugee", "The Other Part Of Town", "Lonely One", "Home Is Africa", "A Tune For Richard", "Back From The Gig", "Dexi", "Kucheza Blues", and "Happy Frame Of Mind". CD

Soaring disco vocals from the Ritchie Family – a trio who get plenty of great clubby help here from Richie Rome and Jacques Morali, both of whom ensure that the whole thing is a super-charged powerhouse of late 70s disco elements! The strings glide in nicely next to the vocals, and the rhythms are live and played with a nice intensity – maybe more New York than the usual TK Records release of the time, but that's probably Morali's work on the set! The trio vocals follow in the tradition started for 70s disco by Three Degrees – and titles include "Life Is Music", "Lady Luck", "Super Lover", "Disco Blues", "Liberty", and "Long Distance Romance". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare funky gem from the Chicago scene in the pre-house years – but a set that also might be a crucial bridge between the city's 70s soul and the underground clubs that would soon give the world a new groove! The group have plenty of funk elements in the mix – kind of a tightened-up version of P-Funk at times, with lots of bass in the mix – and all these cool moogy keyboard touches – topped by vocals from the group – who often have a call to action sort of vibe, really urging on the groove! The record's definitely too hardcore to have gotten much national radio play – sharper and more wicked than the major label funk of the time – and the use of female vocals in the mix also have a very different vibe than in disco, too – a quality that's hard to describe, but which really stands out. The set features some arrangements by Floyd Morris and Tom Tom 84 – two mighty legends in the Chicago soul scene – and titles include "Doin' It To Def", which has sort of a "We Will Rock You" intro, plus "Hot Spot", "Grab Your Sexy Baby", and "Funk Power". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful little record from singer Carol Sloane – a singer who's billed as a discovery from the Newport Jazz Festival – but who sings here with shimmeringly modern arrangements that recall some of June Christy's best 50s work with arranger Pete Rugolo! The force behind the backings here is mostly Bill Finegan – of Sauter-Finegan fame – who uses just the right amount of subtle modern colors and tones to instantly announce Sloane as a singer from a new generation – one who's not trying to cross over to pop, nor please the dancers – and instead revel in all the advances that jazz vocals had made in the postwar years. Bob Brookmeyer also arranged a few tunes – and plays often on the record, with a great tone that underscores the blue vibe of the set – and titles include "Who Cares", "My Ship", "Little Girl Blue", "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries", "Night & Day", "My Silent Love", and "The More I See You". LP, Vinyl record album

A contemporary record, but one we'd rank right up there with the moodiest, most exotic African funk albums of the 70s – especially the gems we've discovered through the Ethiopiques series! These guys play in a style that certainly references Ethiopian reeds and keyboard work of the 70s, but with a groove that's even funkier too – an understanding of the possibilities of a deep funk combo, but expressed through a much richer, more organic vibe – so that nothing's ever forced or faked at all, and the music is wonderfully captivating throughout. Production is perfect for this sort of set – and titles include "Pinch Of The Death Nerve", "Viking Of 5th Avenue", "Cave Of Brahma", "Night Of The Sorcerer", and "Suur Toll". LP, Vinyl record album

Reedman Joe Thomas is wrapped up here in some very warm grooves – a mix of electric jazz and clubby modes – all of which takes Thomas' usual sound right to the discos! Most cuts have a backup vocal group – with contributions from Gwen Guthrie and Jocelyn Brown – but these vocals soon step aside to make room for Joe's solos on both tenor and flute – every bit as soulful as before, maybe a bit like Stanley Turrentine or John Handy in such a setting! The album's also got some great keyboards from Pat Rebillot – and titles include "Plato's Retreat", "Mr Mumbles", "Get In The Wind", "Two Doors Down", and "Low Down". CD

A standout solo moment for Yazz – the singer who first rose to fame as part of the Coldcut soundsystem, then really broke big at a point when UK soul was cracking the American mainstream! Yazz may have a bleached-out look on the cover, but her sound is deeply soulful – and fits in perfectly with the house-styled grooves on the record – backings that have an unabashed love of disco, at a time when listening audiences were maybe forgiving that music for all of its previous excesses, and strongly embracing its best qualities again – in a groove that's maybe a bit similar to Lisa Stansfield at the time, although with more beats and less strings. Production and backings are by Coldcut, FON, Youth, and other hip talents – and titles include her great remake of "The Only Way Is Up" – plus "Systematic People", "Wanted On The Floor", "Stand Up For Your Love Rights", "Fine Time", "Where Has All The Love Gone", "Got To Share", and "Turn It Up". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that really digs deep into the British scene of the early 70s – a package pitched around the idea of opening acts for supergroups at a rock festival, and one that serves up a whole host of groups who never fully got their due on our side of the Atlantic at the time! These aren't underground or experimental groups – and most recorded for major labels – but they also weren't chart-topping acts, or those that have gone into the classic rock pantheon – which makes for a really great discovery to most ears not fully acquainted with this moment in UK rock! The set was put together by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs – who've given us other seminal sets of UK music from the 70s, and groovy 60s compilations too – and they really do a great job here of setting the scene, and picking the best cuts from groups who are top-shelf in their effort and execution. As always with the pair, the notes with the set are as illuminating as the music – and titles include "Taken All The Good Things" by Stray, "Out Demons Out" by Edgar Broughton Band, "One Way Glass" by Manfred Mann Chapter Three, "Hold On To Your Mind" by Andwella, "Big Boobs Boogie" by Slowload, "Third World" by Paladin, "For Mad Men Only" by May Blitz, "Met Pies Ave Come" by Stack Waddy, "Ricochet" by Jonesy, and the surprising inclusion of some rocking KPM sound library tracks – including "Hot Pants" by Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw, "Led Balloon" by Steve Gray, and "Confunction" by Dave Richmond. CD

A set that really digs deep into the British scene of the early 70s – a package pitched around the idea of opening acts for supergroups at a rock festival, and one that serves up a whole host of groups who never fully got their due on our side of the Atlantic at the time! These aren't underground or experimental groups – and most recorded for major labels – but they also weren't chart-topping acts, or those that have gone into the classic rock pantheon – which makes for a really great discovery to most ears not fully acquainted with this moment in UK rock! The set was put together by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs – who've given us other seminal sets of UK music from the 70s, and groovy 60s compilations too – and they really do a great job here of setting the scene, and picking the best cuts from groups who are top-shelf in their effort and execution. As always with the pair, the notes with the set are as illuminating as the music – and titles include "Taken All The Good Things" by Stray, "Out Demons Out" by Edgar Broughton Band, "One Way Glass" by Manfred Mann Chapter Three, "Hold On To Your Mind" by Andwella, "Big Boobs Boogie" by Slowload, "Third World" by Paladin, "For Mad Men Only" by May Blitz, "Met Pies Ave Come" by Stack Waddy, "Ricochet" by Jonesy, and the surprising inclusion of some rocking KPM sound library tracks – including "Hot Pants" by Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw, "Led Balloon" by Steve Gray, and "Confunction" by Dave Richmond. LP, Vinyl record album

John Savage offers us a mighty nice look at the years of post-disco, and post-post-punk – served up here in a great mix of music from a time when soulful styles were mixing it up with returning rock on the dancefloor! The work here is from a time when the UK scene was having big global impact with a new sort of sound – often with a fair dose of electric energy, sometimes darker and more industrialized, sometimes lighter and catchy – and a perfect fit for some of the street soul styles happing in the US as well! Most acts here are British, but there's a few key American groups two – blended together in the kind of cuts that made clubs like Danceteria or The Hacienda such a delight back in the day. As usual, the notes are superb – a special Savage touch – and titles include "Techno City (voc)" by Cybotron, "Telephone Operator" by Pete Shelly, "Soweto" by Malcolm McLaren, "All Tomorrow's Parties" by Japan, "Bright Lights" by The Special AKA, "What Presence" by Orange Juice, "No Sell Out" by Malcom X mixed by Keith LeBlanc, "I Want You" by Cabaret Voltaire, "Think Fast" by Pamela Joy, "Looking From A Hilltop" by Section 25, "Why" by Bronski Beat, "Sunspots" by Julian Cope, "Never Understand" by Jesus & Mary Chain, "Heat" by Soft Cell, "The Rock Steady Grew" by Rock Steady Crew, "Disappearing Act" by Shalamar, "Lined Up" by Shriekback, and "Life's A Scream" by A Certain Ratio. CD

A set of merengue tracks, but from a very focused source – as the package features all numbers recorded in the Dominican Republic during the 60s and 70s – often with a groove that sets them apart from the rest! The rhythms here are often blindingly fast – so much so, you might be tempted to make sure you're not playing the album at 45rpm – which makes for an even more amazing discovery once you realize that live musicians are moving at such speed with such dexterity – in a way that also creates all this weird tension in the vocals and other instrumentation too! As with other Bongo Joe sets, the track list is great – and titles include "La Negra" by Bilo Y Sus Tipicos, "Me Gustan Las Pegajosas" by Trio Ramirez, "Que Mala Suerte" by Rafaelito Roman, "La Mecha" by Victor Suriel Y Trio Rio Verde, "La Pasion De Cristo" by Trio Royecell, "Por La Manaita" by Negrito Figueroa, "Cana Brava" by Fefita La Grande, and "Los Lanbones" by Aristides Ramirez. CD

A set of merengue tracks, but from a very focused source – as the package features all numbers recorded in the Dominican Republic during the 60s and 70s – often with a groove that sets them apart from the rest! The rhythms here are often blindingly fast – so much so, you might be tempted to make sure you're not playing the album at 45rpm – which makes for an even more amazing discovery once you realize that live musicians are moving at such speed with such dexterity – in a way that also creates all this weird tension in the vocals and other instrumentation too! As with other Bongo Joe sets, the track list is great – and titles include "La Negra" by Bilo Y Sus Tipicos, "Me Gustan Las Pegajosas" by Trio Ramirez, "Que Mala Suerte" by Rafaelito Roman, "La Mecha" by Victor Suriel Y Trio Rio Verde, "La Pasion De Cristo" by Trio Royecell, "Por La Manaita" by Negrito Figueroa, "Cana Brava" by Fefita La Grande, and "Los Lanbones" by Aristides Ramirez. LP, Vinyl record album

The deepest sound of the legendary TK Records label in the 70s – music that shows the way the company was really helping to transform the sound of southern soul in the decade, and also open the door to a whole new range of styles too! The tracks here definitely have a mellow groove, but they're never sleepy – just set apart from the more disco-oriented hits on TK, thanks to a sophisticated approach to instrumentation and arrangements – at a level that still makes most of these cuts stand head and shoulder above mainstream soul of the time! You'll know a few artists from earlier, straighter material – and will discover a number of other rarer, much more obscure TK talents – in a great set list that includes "Confusion" by Leno Phillips, "Keep Her Happy" by Phillip Wright, "I Got Bills To Pay" by Johnny K, "Thousand Years" by Brand New, "If You Want My Love" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "You Can Be A Lady" by JP Robinson, "Girls Can't Do What The Guys Do" by Betty Wright, "Sleep On Dream On" by Raphael Munnings, "Tears Of The World" by Robert Moore, "The Silence That You Keep" by Milton Wright, "You Knock Me Out" by Wildflower, and "Love Insurance" by Gwen McCrae. CD

Iranian garage rock – kind of hard to believe at first, but a surprising musical discovery overall! The package documents a very overlooked scene – rock bands from late 60s Iran who were clearly inspired by the American underground of the time – working in a heady brew of guitar, organ, bass, and drums – usually with vocals in the local dialect, but a rockish groove that owes plenty to the US. There's less Eastern elements in the music than you'd find in Arabesk rock from Turkey – although some tunes here do have an exotic flavor at points, and really stand out from the rest. Yet even on the straighter numbers, the difference in language really gives these tunes an odd sort of feel – almost unsettling as you try to reach for familiar elements, then find them different in the end. Titles include "Mehtaab" by The Littles, "Shekar Dar Kohestan" by The Golden Ring, "Hadjime Khali" by Kourosh, "Raks Raks Raks" by Moha Jamin, "Meekshi Manoo" by The Flowers, "Dance Music" by Penahi, and "4 x 8 Jadeed" by The Littles. Comes with full note in English, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal sounds from the Kansas City scene of the late 70s – a wealth of power pop work from the tiny Titan label – all brought together in one of the most brilliant packages we've ever seen from the Numero Group! Like most Numero releases, there's a great story behind this set – a tale of bounced checks, interstate culture, and a cadre of great groups who would have been huge – had they recorded this music out on the coast! Titan's way more than just a tiny label that managed to put out some killer singles back in the day – it's a pop powerhouse that shows just how much under-discovered genius the American scene can hold – music that really helps break down simple understandings of late 70s rock, especially when presented this well. The 2CD set features 42 tracks and a 40 page booklet – a great counterpart to Numero's Yellow Pills set – filled with notes on Titan, a complete discography, and a wealth of wonderful photos that really make this unique scene come alive. Titles include "Shark" and "Real Life Saver" by Gary Charlson, "No Way Baby" and "I Wanna Be" by Arlis, "It's Your Heart Tonight" and "Radio Heart" by Secrets, "Please Change Your Mind" and "Baby It's You" by Boys, "Rock N Roll Song" and "Radio City" by Bobby Sky, "The Last Song" by JP McClain & The Intruders, "Cry" and "Didn't Like It Anyway" by Gems, "Coit Tower" and "Drink A Toast" by Millionaire At Midnight, and "I Think About You" by Scott McCarl. CD

James Brown going strong into the 90s – and almost hitting a mode that's a bit like some of his first few records of the 80s! James is firmly at the helm here – producing, arranging, and writing most numbers – and while the sound is definitely more contemporary than on his classics, there's also still a definite Godfather-ness that always shines through. Most of the upbeat numbers have that peppy, bouncy sort of vibe that James was laying down on his bigger post-disco groovers – and a few other tracks hit a mellower, bluesier mode that's in keeping with his image on the cover. Titles include "Dance Dance Dance To The Funk", "Teardrops On Your Letter", "Later For Dancing", "Standing On Higher Ground", "Show Me", "Move On", and "It's Time To Love". CD

A long-awaited addition to the Miles Davis electric catalog – and a package that features over 4 hours of newly-discovered music! The 6CD set documents 4 nights of performance by Miles at the Cellar Door in Washington DC – recorded in December of 1970, and featuring a mindblowing group that includes Gary Bartz on soprano and alto sax, Keith Jarrett on Fender Rhodes and organ, Airto on percussion, Michael Henderson on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and a bit of guitar from John McLaughlin on the last 2 CDs. There's a really hard and heavy feel here that's steeped in rock and soul influences – and the package is even more amazing, considering how little work has been offered from this unique point in Davis' career. Presentation of the material is in the same high standards as other Miles Davis boxes on Sony – with a 96 page book with notes and reflections by each band member, and a whopping 6 CDs of music, featuring mostly really long takes on the tunes! Titles include "Directions", "What'd I Say", "Honky Tonk", "Sanctuary", "Improvisation #3", "Inamorata", "It's About That Time", and "Yesternow". CD

A great funky group with a hell of a lead singer – so much so, they decided to put her name on the title of this album! Precious Wilson's got a voice that might have been suited to deep soul, had she sung in the 60s – but here, she works with Eruption on a set of cuts that have kind of a funky club vibe – less disco, and more ensemble funk – with a lean, clean groove that almost points the way more towards soul styles of the 80s. Basslines and keyboards are at the core of most numbers, even though there's some added horns and larger arrangements – and there's a great sense of pacing to the album, as evidenced by Wilson's great covers of the Ann Peeble's classic "I Can't Stand The Rain", and a nice remake of The Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There". Other tracks include "Do You Know What It Feels Like", "Be Yourself", "Wayward Love", "Party Party", and "Computer Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The legendary Fame Gang finally gets their due – in this CD that's overflowing with tight funky instrumentals, most of which have never been issued at all! The "best" in the title is certainly well-put – given the quality of the music – but don't think "hits", as 18 of the CD's 25 tracks have never been issued before – which makes the whole collection way more of a discovery than you might expect! Back in the late 60s, the Fame Gang were the house rhythm section at Fame Records down in Muscle Shoals – as important as the Mar-Keys, Bar-Kays, or MGs were over at Stax Records – and graced with not only an impeccable sense of groove, but also a really bold, soulful flair on their horns! There's no vocals here at all – and the cuts feature loads of tenor, guitar, and organ solos over rhythms that are easily some of the funkiest ever cut at Fame studios. We're not entirely sure why these gems weren't released at the time – but they're all tremendous, and we're plenty happy to have them out now! Titles include "Smokestack Lightning", "Hey Joe", "Soul Stutterin", "Sunrise", "Walk Tall", "Rang's Thang", "Stand", "Cannonball", "Muscle Soul", "Shufflin", "Sax Appeal", "Crime Don't Pay", and "Groove Killer". CD

The classic sound of Funkadelic, reworked by a key selection of contemporary talents from the Detroit scene – but never in a way that wrecks the originals at all! Unlike other remix projects, which might break up the music to a point that you can hardly recognize the original grooves – this set does a wonderful job of maintaining all the integrity of the famous funky recordings by the group, while also letting some artists from the group's hometown also include a few of their own contributions too – all in ways that really expand the original vision of the music, while keeping things in a funky soul vein all the way through! Given all the greateness of Detroit grooves in recent years – from that city's very fertile underground of producers and musicians – the sound here is still even more amazing than we expected, and the album's a very fitting one to be issued on the Westbound label. The set's double-length, and for good reason too – and titles include "Music 4 My Mother (Underground Resistance mix)", "Sexy Ways (Recloose disco flip)", "Get Your Ass Off & Jam (Marcellus Pittman rmx)", "You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure (Alton Miller mix)", "Super Stupid (Dirtbombs version)", "Music For My Mother (Andres Wo Ahh Ay voc mix)", "Cosmic Slop (Moodymann mix)", "Be My Beach (Mophono & Tom Thump)", "Let's Make It Last (Kenny Dixon Jr edit)", "Let's Take It To The Stage (Amp Fiddler @Ya mix)", "Undisco Kidd (Gay Marvine edit)", "Looking Back At You (Ectomorph stripped & dubbed)", and "Standing On The Verge (Anthony Shake Shakir & T Dancer rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

Prepare to discover your new favorite artist – a tremendously hip cat who never got his due – and who should be held as high on these shores as British talents like Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, or John Martyn! Like all of those three, Davy Graham is a complete original – a guy with an acoustic guitar, but light years beyond familiar folk – often using all these jazzy changes in his style, and mixing his own music with songs by Dylan, The Beatles, Muddy Waters, and even Art Blakey – but all in ways that are completely transformative, and which maybe use the familiar songs just as a way for Graham to show us how individual he can be – because even a song we know sounds nothing like the original. His guitar work is superb – full of all the fresh ideas, unusual phrasings, and special sounds that the best of his generation were bringing to acoustic music – and titles include "Lotus Blossom", "Down Along The Cove", "Stan's Guitar", "Bulgarian Dance", "Buhaina Chant", "I'm Ready", "Getting Better", "Hornpipe For Harpsichord Played Upon Guitar", and "Pretty Polly". LP, Vinyl record album

The first LP features the full album The Hawk Relaxes – a great illustration of the gentle genius that made so many later Coleman Hawkins records so great! The relaxed setting for this record is a perfect setting for Hawkins to open up and stretch out – working his tenor with a sound that has surprising modern edges, and unusual twists and turns, yet still all the careful economy of his better-known classic sides. There's a command of the instrument here that few other aging players ever seemed to muster – always a sense of new discovery and invention that marks the work strongly, even at a time when Hawkins could have been sitting on his laurels, playing the same old tune! Titles are all standards, but don't let that fool you – because there's plenty of magic in Coleman's versions of "Moonglow", "Just A Gigolo", "Speak Low", "When Day Is Done", and "I'll Never Be The Same". Oh, and we almost forgot – just because we're so focused on Hawkins – the other players include Ronnell Bright on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums – making a surprising early appearance here! Side 3 features material from the album Bluesy Burrell, also with Hawkins – and side 4 features material from Kenny Burrell & Ray Bryant. LP, Vinyl record album

A really deep dig into the Japanese scene of the 90s – a unique discography that brings together key records in a variety of different styles – from tuneful to noisy, soulful to electronic! The book's a more contemporary variation of the sort of Japanese discographies we normally stock for jazz and soul music – and like those, it's got listings for titles with a full color reproduction of the cover, some details in English, and more text in Japanese. The feel is a bit like flipping through the record racks in Tokyo – where you can understand the context and the nature of the records, even if you can't understand the language. The book features sections on a wide range of styles – including Japanese house, Japanese hip hop, club jazz, Japanese dub, techno, Japanese lounge, J Rock, avant noise, alternative, and even sections on labels like Crue-L and Sokkyo. There's shorter features along the way – all in Japanese – and the book is softcover, full color, and almost 200 pages. Book

A huge crossover album of the 70s – one that took an east coast disco groove, and introduced influences from a wide variety of classical themes – best summed up in the title hit "A Fifth Of Beethoven", which was a surprisingly successful radio tune at the time! The effort's a strange one, but was part of a larger movement at the time that was introducing many older musical modes – such as standards or showtunes – onto the dancefloor in an effort to give the less underground clubgoers something to sink their teeth into. And while the approach seemed like a bit of a gimmick, it was also probably inspired by Deodato's big hit with "Zarathustra" and a few other classical themes – echoed here by Murphy's great keyboard work on a few other numbers. The album features the classical tracks "Flight 76", "Night Fall", "Fifth Of Beethoven", and "Russian Dressing" – plus the non-classical Murphy originals "California Strut" (with vocals by Angie Bofil), "Be Your Own Best Friend", "Suite Love Symphony", and "Midnight Express". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of spacey soul by the great Asha Puthli – a really unique 70s singer who has this incredible vocal range, and a great way of using it amidst slinkily soulful tracks – a bit like Minnie Riperton, or maybe like some of the Sylvia Striplin work with Roy Ayers! The sound here is handled by Dieter Zimmermann – a German producer who adds in all these great keyboards that go perfectly with Asha's vocals – often hitting a midtempo pace that's quite different than some of the more disco-based material she'd record later on in the 70s. Titles include the standout break track "Space Walk", which is one of our all time favorite obscure soul tracks – and other tracks include "Wonder Why", "Hello Everyone", "Flying Fish", "The Devil Is Loose", "Good Night", and "Say Yes". LP, Vinyl record album

The Ritchie Family continue the exotic themes of their disco work started on the Brazil album – and step out here with a surprisingly righteous look on the cover! The mighty Jacques Morali gets some studio help from old Philly soul talent Ritchie Rome – and the pair of them create these soaring grooves that are perfect for the soulful vocals of the trio! Side two features the extended "Arabian Nights Medley" – which features disco-fied takes on older tunes "Istanbul", "Lawrence Of Arabia", and "In A Persian Market" – and side one features more conventional cuts that include "Best Disco In Town", "Baby I'm On Fire", and "Romantic Love". CD features bonus tracks – 1979 remixes of "The Best Disco In Town", "In A Persian Market", "Istanbul", and "Romantic Love" – plus the 7" single mix of "Best Disco In Town (parts 1 & 2)". CD

Seminal work by Three Degrees – stepping proudly here from their girl group roots, into a dramatic pre-disco mode that's clearly influenced by similar Philly work by First Choice – some of the finest material ever! The music is by MFSB, with arrangements by Philly maestros like Bobby Martin and John Davis – and given that pedigree it's as wonderful as you'd imagine. Paired with the sweetly beautiful singing by the lovely voices of Three Degrees, this is some truly great Philadelphia International soul! Titles include "TSOP", "Loving Cup", "Get Your Love Back", "Long Lost Lover", "Take Good Care Of Yourself", "Another Heartache", and a nice cover of Marvin Gaye's "Distant Lover". LP, Vinyl record album

Some folks might associate Philadelphia soul with the famous Gamble & Huff productions of the 70s disco years – but the city was already overflowing with great music in the years before Philadelphia International – as you'll hear in this totally groovy set! Philly was making as much great soul music in the 60s as Detroit, Chicago, and New York – thanks to an earlier musical framework that was set up by the city's big pop hits of the late 50s – which provided plenty of labels, studios, and other facilities for Philly's ever-growing array of soul talents, too – so much so that by the end of the 60s, the city was turning into a destination for singers outside of town – almost as much of a musical magnet as studios in Memphis or Muscle Shoals! This set does a great job of bringing together both aspects of that scene – wonderful homegrown talent, mixed with outsiders to really took off in the new Philly sound of the 60s – a joyous, positive, upbeat approach that worked wonderfully well for a variety of artists. Titles include "Your Fool Still Loves You" by Oscar Weathers, "It's All Over But The Shouting" by George Tindley, "You've Been Untrue" by The Delfonics, "Ain't Nothing But A House Party" by The Show Stoppers, "Peace To You Brother" by Lou Johnson, "Christine" by Executive Suite, "Help Me" by Honey & The Bees, "You Got What I Need" by Freddie Scott, "Rainmaker" by The Moods, "Keep On Striving" by Moses Smith, "That's The Price You Have To Pay" by Brenda & The Tabulations, "What You Gave Up" by The Continental 4, "Every Day Is A Holiday" by The Intruders, "Standing In The Darkness" by The Ethics, and "Girl You're Too Young" by Len Barry. CD

Way more than just "hits" – given that this hip box set features tracks from every single 12" released by the legendary P&P family of labels – a massive amount of underground dancefloor work from the late 70s and early 80s, and a set that gives new meaning to the word discography! If you know even just a bit of the P&P sound, you'll know you've got a revolutionary listening experience in store – music that goes way beyond conventional club and disco, with lots of weird little twists and turns – in both the instrumentation and production, which often use these cool little homemade spacey touches! Vocals are often right in synch with the offbeat grooves – and just about every cut on here is massively funky, too. Package features work by Cloud One, Milton Floyd, Sons Of Darkness, Jesse Gee, Scoopy, Rudy Stuart, Little Scotty, Henry Brooks, Fly Guy, Ahzz, Super Jay, Otis Turner, Sherod, The Destiny Orchestra, Bobby Mann, and many others – from singles that originally appeared on labels like Queen Constance, La Shawn, Land Of Hits, Golden Flamingo, Heavenly Star, Clarence, Destiny, Mr Brown, P&P, Sound Of New York, and others. 185 songs, on 15 CDs, packaged in cool slim sleeves in a tight box set – over 18 hours of music, and all of it great! CD

Raw work from the American underground of the 60s – material that predates punk by more than a decade, but which really sets the scene for the kind of searing, sneering attitude that really burst forth at the end of the 70s! The work is from a variety of scenes, although is especially heavy on the west coast – tracks recorded as a great antidote to more polished pop of the time, especially the sort that was trying to pass itself off as rock, but which was really a much more watered-down vibe. The "garage" in the title doesn't really do the music justice – as many of these acts are great musicians, given a key opportunity to really showcase their sound – and some of these tracks were surprising hits, although many others are under-discovered gems. The set is put together in the best style of the Strawberry label – a nice box, and plenty of notes on the tracks within – a whopping 94 titles in all, with work from The Unusuals, Dimensions, Shadows Of Knight, We The People, The Standells, Rationals, Other Half, Rangers, Strangeloves, Barbarians, Castaways, Remains, McCoys, Mad Hatters, Love, Mojo Men, Rocky & The Riddlers, Chris Morgan & The Togas, Limey & The Hanks, Echoes Of Carnaby Street, Don & The Goodtimers, Bobby Fuller Four, Seeds, Merrell & The Exiles, New Yorkers, Bedlam Four, Jackals, and dozens of others. CD

A mindblower – and the kind of record we only come across once in a blue moon! Tony Aiken & Future 2000 were an obscure mid 70s group from New York – all players skilled in the burgeoning club scene of the time, but who also had their roots in Caribbean music – coming together for this unique record in a festive blend of early disco and funky styles! The record's got a great home-grown feel – a warm ensemble effort that's got equal parts soul and groove – and which bubbles over with personal touches that really make the tracks stand out from the pack. Includes the side-long jammer "Unity Sing It Shout It", plus the funky disco classic "Better Days", and the soulful cuts "She Loves Me", "Good Things", and "Time Tunnel". CD also features lots of bonus tracks too – "Jah Music", "Jah Music (dub)", "Doing Fine", "Doing Fine (dub)", "Skanking On The A Train", and "Holy Father". CD

Toronto-based Aphrose is a hell of a soul singer – an artist with a voice rich enough to crack the mainstream, but a more laidback way of putting over a tune that makes her music sound even more personal overall! The album's almost at throwback to a time when we were regularly discovering gems from the neo soul underground – and in a time of tracks dropped online at random times, Aphrose has done a really great job of delivering a full-length set that stands as a mighty demonstration of her talents! This is only her second record, and it already feels like she's grown a lot since the first – and will definitely be an artist to keep our ears on in years to come. Titles include "Soft Nuclear", "Higher", "Zag", "Good Love", "Chop The Cake", "YaYa", "In The Time Of Sorrow", and "Heavenly Father". LP, Vinyl record album

The height of French disco – a huge worldwide hit for Cerrone, a nutty bit of space disco that actually holds up pretty darn well over the years! The guy's not really a looker – and the strange "animal operation" cover almost makes this look like a prog rock album – which is where Cerrone probably got his inspiration for the incredible keyboard work on the set – but the record's a killer bit of club that went onto influence generations to come – and is arguably one of Cerrone's best moments ever! Includes the classic "Supernature", a catchy disco groover you'll recognize instantly – plus the tracks "Love Is Here", "Love Is The Answer", and "Sweet Drums". LP, Vinyl record album

A really funked-up batch of dancefloor tunes – produced with a uniquely cross-cultural approach! Ze Records diva Lizzy Mercier Descloux works here with influential post-disco, post-punk producer Steve Stanely – on a set of tunes cut in Nassau, with some great backing by a combo that includes Wally Badarou on keyboards. The resulting groove takes the skittish pan-club sound of the early 80s Ze Records scene, and infuses it with the hippest take on Jamaican rhythms of the time – resulting in a groundbreaking batch of tunes that were years ahead of their time! Titles include "Room Mate", "Sports Spootnicks", "Payola", "Funky Stuff", "Slipped Disc", "Lady O K'Pete", and "Bim Bam Boum". CD features bonus tracks "Maita", "Mister Soweto", "Sun Is Shining", "Don't You Try To Stop Me", and "Corpo Molli Pau Duro". CD

Carol's at the top of her game in this set of full-sounding disco numbers arranged and conducted by John Davis – singing with that heartfelt tone that still has plenty of great traces of AM radio soul, but which also slides nicely into the smoother, sophisti-club arrangements of the set. There's no real standout singles on the set, but a few of the tracks have some nice hooks – and titles include "Lie To Me", "Life Time Guarantee", "Crime Don't Pay", "Headline News", and "Midnight Love Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from Jesse Mae Hemphill – a female blues talent who lay undiscovered for many years in Mississippi, then burst forth late in her life with a fantastic run of sounds like this! Most of the tunes are relatively spare – with Jessie Mae playing electric guitar in these hypnotic passages that cascade and revolve around one another – while she sings in this way that's almost harmonic in relation to her instrument. The approach is a bit like Howlin Wolf, but made very much Hemphill's own on these tracks – and titles include "Standing In My Doorway Crying", "Take Me Home With You Baby", "Crawdad Hole", "Bullyin Well", "Brokenhearted Blues", "Go Back To Your Used To Be", "Shake It Baby", and "Tell Me You Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A turning point for Loleatta Holloway – as she makes the move from dreamy southern soul diva to club queen of the late 70s! Norman Harris is producing, and the record has a soaring Philly disco sound that proves to be just as great for Loleatta's soulful vocals as the stripped-down southern modes of earlier albums! Gone are the sad tears of earlier weepies, and in their place is a strong sense of joy and power – Loleatta's very positive, very progressive, and very dedicated to standing her own ground! Includes the big single "Hit & Run", plus "Dreamin", "We're Getting Stronger", "Ripped Off", and versions of "That's How Heartaches Are Made" and Curtis Mayfield's "What Now". CD features 5 bonus tracks too – "Hit & Run (orig Walter Gibbons 12" mix)", "We're Getting Stronger (orig Walter Gibbons 12" mix)", "Hit & Run (single version)", "Hit & Run (Paul Simpson hit mix)", and "Hit & Run (acapella)". CD

A Japanese book about Krautrock, but one that's laid out like a discography – so that you can understand it even if you can't read the language! All the artist and album information is in English (or German) – and every entry has a vivid full color photo, so that you can hundreds and hundreds of records that have gone onto make up the Krautrock genre as it's evolved over the years – following the music through key years of the 70s, and its evolution on the German scene as the 80s moved on – with slight side-trips into post-punk and industrial too. Chapters focus on artists or scenes – including Can, Kraftwerk, Neu, Hamburg, Faust, Die Krupps, Munchen, Embryo, Der Plan, Pyrolator, and lots more – dozens of other chapters that really lay out a wonderfully vivid picture of the music. The book is over 300 pages, with images of hundreds of records throughout! Book

A real classic from the great Patti Labelle – one of the lady's first few albums as a solo act, and a set that definitely marks her step forward into a whole new sort of sophisticated soul! Some of the funkier, grittier touches of the Labelle years are in place – but Patti's also got this new sort of lead confidence, especially on the album's fuller tracks, ballads, and midtempo steppers. At a time when so many other female singers were stepping right into disco with a style that Labelle helped to invent, Patti finds a whole new way to express herself and stand strong for years to come. Titles include the killer Latin groover "Teach Me Tonight" – plus "Save The Last Dance For Me", "Monkey See Monkey Do", "Little Girls", and "Eyes In The Back Of My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive! This is probably the best-ever album of rollerskating grooves – and is the most famous entry into a short-lived funk genre that sprung up around the rollerskating craze of the late 70s and early 80s. The rollerskate sound took a tight stepping funk groove from earlier years, and mixed it with the extended instrumental style of club music – creating a sound that was a mix of funk and disco that worked perfectly for skating around a track, and which had a huge influence on the beat of early hip hop. The centerpiece of the album's the massive sample track "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" – an instantly recognizable number that features tight vamping guitar and good choppy rhythms. The cut's offered up here in 2 parts – and the rest of the record's just as great, with titles that include "Roller Skate", "We're Gonna Funk You Up", and "Thinking About You Baby". CD features some great bonus tracks – the 12" version of "Bounce Rock Skate Roll (parts 1 & 2)", plus "Jammin Big Guitar" and "Rockin Big Guitar". CD

A very cool book – and way different than you might expect from the title – as the discography doesn't only focus on contemporary ambient albums, but instead traces a history of moody sounds from the late 50s onwards! The publication is one of the most interesting Japanese discographies we've seen so far – filled with an evolving conception of ambient sounds, through jazz, acid folk, kraut rock, electronic music, and a host of other styles that predate Brian Eno's 70s experiments in ambient – and all the many Eno-inspired projects to follow – with chapters on John Cage, Joe Meek, Gigi Masin, Pauline Oliveros, Iasos, Walter Marchetti, Luc Ferrari, Lol Coxhill, Joanna Brouk, Sun Electric, Max Richter, and dozens of other artists. As with most Japanese discographies, the book has images of record covers, with dates, labels, and artists in English – plus a small review in Japanese – and even if you can't understand that last bit, you can still understand plenty from the way the book breaks down the music into various years and styles. This expanded edition is even better than the previous one – with chapters that include Space Age records of the 50s and 60s, Meditation records of the 70s, Post Modern records of the late 70s and 80s, Chill Scape records of the early 90s, Drone/Improvisation records of the late 90s/early 00s, and a Diversity section of more recent records. Book is softcover, over 300 pages, and filled with hundreds of images throughout! Book

A hugely expanded version of this dancefloor classic from Diana Ross! The original album Diana was a big one for Ross – produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers of Chic, and done with a snapping disco groove that pushed Ross into some new territory in the clubs and the charts. The original 8 track album is presented here in both the standard mixes of the tunes, and the "Chic" mix – which has never been issued before, and has a bit more of a snap than the regular tracks. Plus, there's also a second bonus disc, featuring 13 dancefloor tracks – including some previously unissued mixes, and bonus 12" cuts! Titles on the original album include "Upside Dopwn", "I'm Coming Out", "My Old Piano", "Now That You're Gone", "Friend To Friend", and "Give Up" – and bonus tracks include "Love Hangover (ext alt mix)", "You Were The One", "No One Gets The Prize/The Boss (12" re-edit)", "Fire Don't Burn", "Sweet Summertime Livin", "Your Love Is So Good To Me (12" mix)", "Top Of The World", and "Lovin Livin & Givin". CD

A really great collection – five full albums from keyboard giant Patrice Rushen, plus bonus tracks too! First up is Patrice – her first album for Elektra, and a stunning blend of funky jazz and soul! The record really has Patrice stepping out from her earlier years at Prestige – working in some surprisingly great vocals next to tight lines on Fender Rhodes, synth, and clavinet, handled with a smooth and soulful quality that's wonderful all the way through – a blend of soul and jazz that few other players could do this well – no matter how many others tried to copy her style over the years! Rhythms are as hard and heavy as on the Prestige years, and the keyboards have a great sort of focus too – just the right mix of jazz to offset the vocals – which themselves are a wonderful discovery. The whole album's a gem – and tracks include the great funky classic "Hang It Up", plus "Changes (In Your Life)", "When I Found You", "Play", "Didn't You Know?", and "Music Of The Earth". Pizzazz is one of the records that not only helped break her out of the jazz funk ghetto, and right into the mainstream – but a set that also had a pretty profound influence on the progression of soul in the early 80s! Rushen sings as well as plays keyboards – and really pushes the use of jazzy elements that would take R&B to the next level – almost inventing the 80s groove sound in the process! The whole thing's a totally sweet mix of funk and soul, tightened up to get everything in the door at the same time – and titles include "Givin It Up Is Givin Up", "Call On Me", "Haven't You Heard", and "Let The Music Take Me". Posh is an all-out, all-access affair – a great way for anyone to get into the grooves of the mighty Patrice Rushen! Patrice is at the height of her powers here – equally magic on keyboards and vocals, and coming up with groove after groove in a sublime blend of 70s jazz funk and Minnie Riperton-esque soul! The whole album's a winner – real magic that never gets old, and the kind of LP that makes you understand why you'll find Patrice's records in just about any soul collection from the time! Tracks include "I Need Your Love", "Time Will Tell", "The Dream", "Never Gonna Give You Up", and "Don't Blame Me". Straight From The Heart is one of those albums that completely cemented her standing in the world of jazz, funk, and soul – and a wonderful summation of everything she'd done in the years before! The young Patrice was already a breakout keyboardist on the west coast scene of the mid 70s – turning out great work on her own, and adding her talents to plenty of others – but here, she emerges as a soaring soul star in her own right – a talent who's really worked her way up, with a quality level that's head and shoulders above most of her peers! Rushen produced the set with Charles Mims, and there's a righteous blend of jazz and soul that's at the level of Minnie Riperton, so that even the catchiest cuts come off with a sense of sophistication and warmth that's so different than so much other 80s soul and fusion. Titles include the classic "Forget Me Nots", plus "Number One", "I Was Tired Of Being Alone", "Where There Is Love", "Breakout", "If Only", and "Remind Me". The album Now is a masterpiece of 80s groove with lots of jazzy touches! The keyboard sound has evolved a bit here – compressed with more electronic percussion than on Patrice's earlier records, but still done with a degree of soul that sets it apart from work by most of her contemporaries – and the music has this warm flow that really sets Rushen apart from the rest – a sublime mix of soul, funk, and fusion that holds together perfectly throughout! Titles include "Gotta Find It", "Gone With The Night", "My Love's Not Going Anywhere", "High In Me", "To Each His Own", "Heartache Heartbreak", and "Feels So Real". 5CD set features bonus tracks from original 12" singles – and other remixes too! CD

A huge disco cash-in moment of the 70s – but a great one too, and a strong illustration of the power that Casablanca Records had in both the clubs and charts at the time! The movie and record were both a bit over-pressed upon release, but they nonetheless stand as a great snapshot of the way that funky soul had taken over the clubs during the disco generation – giving showcase to a whole host of new young artists, and exposing lots of mainstream listeners to soul music at a level they wouldn't have touched a few years before! Donna Summer was one of Casablanca's big acts at the time – and she really dominates the record with her classic rendition of "Last Dance", plus tracks "With Your Love" and a disco remake of "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus". Both other cuts are strong too – and include "Lovin, Livin, & Givin" by Diana Ross, "Too Hot Ta Trot" by The Commodores, "Disco Queen" by Paul Jabara, "Leatherman's Theme" by Wright Bros Flying Machine, "Floyd's Theme" by Natural Juices, and "Find My Way" by Cameo. CD

A huge disco cash-in moment of the 70s – but a great one too, and a strong illustration of the power that Casablanca Records had in both the clubs and charts at the time! The movie and record were both a bit over-pressed upon release, but they nonetheless stand as a great snapshot of the way that funky soul had taken over the clubs during the disco generation – giving showcase to a whole host of new young artists, and exposing lots of mainstream listeners to soul music at a level they wouldn't have touched a few years before! Donna Summer was one of Casablanca's big acts at the time – and she really dominates the record with her classic rendition of "Last Dance", plus tracks "With Your Love" and a disco remake of "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus". Both other cuts are strong too – and include "Lovin, Livin, & Givin" by Diana Ross, "Too Hot Ta Trot" by The Commodores, "Disco Queen" by Paul Jabara, "Leatherman's Theme" by Wright Bros Flying Machine, "Floyd's Theme" by Natural Juices, and "Find My Way" by Cameo. LP, Vinyl record album

Probably the most successful album the Mizell Brothers ever produced, and a fine set of uptempo groovers from this female soul duet! There's some nice jazzy moments underneath the catchy lyrics, and in a way, the album's style is sort of a blueprint for the sound that would emerge over the next few at Capitol Records, where some incredible albums of modern soul would be recorded. And sure, at one level the group's hit "Boogie Oogie Oogie" is a bit of oversaturated pop disco – but there's plenty of other great moments that show the group as a more sophisticated soul outfit, including "This Love Of Ours", "Sky High", "Distant", "You're In Good Hands", "Sky High" and "If We Loved". This remastered version from Big Break UK includes bonus mixes: "Boogie Oogie Oogie (Single Mix)", "Boogie Oogie Oogie (12" New Boogie Mix)" and "Disco Dancin' (12" Disco Mix)". CD

A very cool look at a lost legacy in French music – disco and club grooves from the late 70s and early 80s, most of which never got any play at all on our side of the Atlantic! The tracks here mostly go way beyond the obvious choices of Cerrone and Kongas, and often have a playful approach to the music that has French vocals stepping out with catchy, groovy, and sometimes sexy lyrics – all set to rhythms that shift up nicely, and also move past some of the more standard Euro disco modes that were usually the main export of the period! There's not too much in the way of history in the notes – and we'd love to read more – but the song choices are great, very fresh – and include "Palace Hotel (ext)" by Preface, "Quand Tu Danses" by Micky Milan, "Chante Avec Moi" by Herbert Leonard, "Je Ne Veux Pas Rentrer Chez Moi Seule (single version)" by Agathe & Regrets, "Do You Speak French" by Night School, "Homosexualis Discothecus" by Raymond Alessandrini & Jean Yanne, "Visa Pour Aimer (ext)" by Plaisir, "Get Funk" by Black White & Co, and "Wake Up & Move Funk" by Eddy Rosemond. CD

A set that definitely lives up to its title – as it's kind of an extra dose of soulful tracks from the vaults of the many reissue projects handled by the Numero Group over the years! The collection brings together upbeat soul groovers, warm modern soul gems, and a few funkier cuts – in a mix that really rewrites any understanding that you might have of uptempo soul in the 70s – underground grooves that are quite far from the slicker disco of the charts, and which together make for a set that could easily pack the dancefloor! Titles include "Deep In Your Heart" by Young Divines, "I Love You" by Karriem, "Main Squeeze" by Nate Evans, "Love Explosion" by Donnell Pittman, "Love Is On The Way" by Bill Spoon, "Try My Love Again" by Syl Johnson, "Lift This Hurt" by Elvin Spencer, "We're Two Fools In Love" by Dyson's Faces, "No Matter" by La'Fez, "Guilty" by Jackie Stoudemire, "I Think It's Time" by Alice Swoboda, "I'll Never Say No" by The Summits, "Cosmos Third Eye" by Cosmos Universal Band, and "Standing By Love" by Eula Cooper. CD

Grandmaster Flash is best known for his work in the world of hip hop, not the sort of club scene that Salsoul helped feed back in the day – yet this surprisingly great package has Flash adding in some hip hop energy to the catalog of the legendary label – spinning tracks that emphasize the funkier currents of Salsoul, and drawing a link between disco singles and the sorts of rhythms that first helped feed the old school street party scene! Titles include "High" by Skyy, "Doctor Love" by First Choice, "Make Up Your Mind" by Aurra, "Runaway" by Salsoul Orchestra, "Let's Celebrate" by Skyy, "Slap Slap Lickedy Lap" by Instant Funk, "Love Sensation" by Loleatta Holloway, "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure", "I Got My Mind Made Up" by Instant Funk, "Spring Rain" by Silvetti, "Ooh I Love It" by Salsoul Orchestra, and "Checkin You Out" by Aurra. LP, Vinyl record album

Like finding a time machine – one that takes you back to the glory days of the New York club scene at the end of the 70s! Much has been written about Larry Levan – the genius DJ behind the Paradise Garage, and a leading force in club music who pulled the genre from the ashes of disco cliches and cold pre-programmed throwaway tracks. Levan not only had an ear for picking the most soulful tunes of the underground, buy he also had an extremely good talent for putting tracks together – a talent that got him plenty of work as a remixer in the early 80s, but which is also heard here exactly as you'd have heard it at the Paradise Garage back in 1979! The set is a magical document – a live mix performed by Levan at the Paradise, recorded with excellent sound, and spread over 2 CDs! Levan comes up with killer groovers we've never heard, and other monsters that we'd forgotten about, and which sound even better in this stunning mix of music. Titles include "It's Magic" by Damon Harris, "Put Your Body In It" by Stephanie Mills, "By The Way You Dance" by Bunny Sigler, "Right In The Socket" by Shalamar, "Here We Go Again" by Peoples Choice, "Bad Mouthin" by Motown Sounds, "Let Yourself Go" by The Supremes, "Angel In My Pocket" by Change, "Smack Dab In The Middle" by Janice McClain, "Sun Sun Sun" by Jacki, and "Erucu" by Jermain Jackson". 20 tracks in all – and all expertly mixed! CD