A pivotal album from the early 90s – one that not only furthered the rebirth of live funk instrumentation at a time when ditigal elements dominated the scene – but also really opened up that mode to a whole new generation of hip hop as well! At a time when the music was all about the samples and beats, Brand New Heavies took it back to the generation before – and provided live instrumentation for a host of fantastic talents – a legendary lineup that includes performances from Main Source, The Pharcyde, Black Sheep, Kool G Rap, Gang Starr, and Masta Ace – all young and at the top of their game, with a quality level that alone would make the album great – then really sends it over the top when paired with the instrumentation! The whole thing's amazing – still maybe yet to be topped in such a style – and titles include "Who Makes The Loot", "It's Getting Hectic", "Wake Me When I'm Dead", "Soul Flower", and "Bonafide Funk". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Sacrilicious psychobilly sleaze from The Cramps – tearing into the 80s with Songs The Lord Taught Us – one their best ever albums! The Cramps may have ticked off aging proto rock fans of the time with their ghoulish take on the style, along with their punk demeanor, but producer Alex Chilton sure did "get it", right? As if we didn't already adore that dude! CLASSIC! Titles include "TV Set", "Rock On The Moon", "Garbage Man", "I Was A Teenage Werewolf", "Mystery Plane", "I'm Cramped", "Tear It Up" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Early work from The Peddlers – the unique British trio who went onto cut some incredible break tracks in their day! This set's got the group more in the "beat" mode of things – still nicely syncopated, and working with the mix of guitar and organ that makes their tunes so nice – but with less of an emphasis on the downturning grooves that made some of their later work a bit more funky. Still quite nice, though, in the mode of early Georgie Fame – and with tracks that include "Gassin", "What'll I Do?", "Delicious Lady", "Adam's Apple", "True Girl", and "Anybody's Fool". LP, Vinyl record album

The second Pharcyde record – and though not as blunted and playful as the first one, it's still nearly as great – with that unrivaled, wholly original, easy west coast vibe! The production is more steady-handed this time around, which alienated fans of Bizarre Ride early on, but it also laid the groundwork for the late 90s Jay Dee groove of keyboards and measured beats! The set also features production by M-Walk and Diamond D. 17 tracks including "Bullsh*t", "Pharcyde", "Groupie Therapy", the classic single "Runnin", "She Said", "Splattitorium", "Drop", "Somethin That Means Somethin", "Hey You", "Devil Music", "Emerald Butterfly", "Heart & Soul", "The Hustle", "The E.N.D." and more. LP, Vinyl record album

An all hip-hop issue of Wax Poetics – with the late Notorious BIG living large on the front cover – alongside other great features on Blackalicious, Schoolly D, T Eric Monroe, Grandmaster Flowers, Sue Kwon, Yo Yo, and Super Cat – plus a look at the photography of B+, whose images have graced Wax Poetic pages for years – and a great feature on hip hop zines, and the way we communicated about the music in the years before bigger publications like this! As usual, the Wax Poetics presentation is more than worth the price – lavish full color heavy paper pages, 144 of them in all – presented book-style, with almost no ads either! Magazine

The full length debut of the Yancey Boys – Frank Nitt & Illa J – the former of the venerable duo Frank N Dank, the latter J Dilla's rhyme centric younger brother – who come together with the dual purpose of keeping J Dilla's production pedigree alive, and to simply deliver timeless, top notch Detroit hip hop! Production is provided by J Dilla's archive – and a pretty impressive roster of Dilla friends and collaborators take part as guests – include Common, Talib Kweli, Posdnuos of De La Soul, Dank, Rhettmatic, Eric Roberson, Guilty Simpson, J Roc and others. Titles include "Dilltro" with Dank, "Fisherman" feat Vice, J Rocc & Detroit Serious, "Flowers" with Kweli, Niko Grey & Rhettmatic, "Without Wings", "Beautiful" with Posdnuos, "Quicksand" with Slimkid3 & Niko Gray", "The Throwaway", "This Evening" and more. CD

The full length debut of the Yancey Boys – Frank Nitt & Illa J – the former of the venerable duo Frank N Dank, the latter J Dilla's rhyme centric younger brother – who come together with the dual purpose of keeping J Dilla's production pedigree alive, and to simply deliver timeless, top notch Detroit hip hop! Production is provided by J Dilla's archive – and a pretty impressive roster of Dilla friends and collaborators take part as guests – include Common, Talib Kweli, Posdnuos of De La Soul, Dank, Rhettmatic, Eric Roberson, Guilty Simpson, J Roc and others. Titles include "Dilltro" with Dank, "Fisherman" feat Vice, J Rocc & Detroit Serious, "Flowers" with Kweli, Niko Grey & Rhettmatic, "Without Wings", "Beautiful" with Posdnuos, "Quicksand" with Slimkid3 & Niko Gray", "The Throwaway", "This Evening" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Promo only 12" single of the Heavy Rhyme Experience Theme featuring rhymes by Grand Puba, Master Ace, and Main Source. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Pic sleeve version of this 12", with remixes of "Passin' Me By" and "Otha Fish" by LA Jay. 12-inch, Vinyl record

The first and only full length from Luke Vibert's excellent drum and bas project, Plug. Tracks include "Me & Mr Jones", "Drum N Bass For Papa", "Cut", "Feelings", "I Freak Techniques", "The Life Of The Mind", "Subtle (In Your Face)", 'Delicious", "DBC" and "Maker Of All". CD

... CD

A low price, but a really great package – one that's overflowing with some of the best recent work from the mighty Schema Records! If you read these pages at all, you'll know we think that Schema's one of the greatest things going these days – a modern label, but one that's committed to the real jazz grooves of earlier years – the bossa, modal, and soul jazz styles of the 60s and 70s – played in a mixture of real instrumentation and just a bit of dancefloor production, with a sound that's instant classic on nearly every release! This package is a great introduction to the Schema label's genius, and even if you've got some of the tracks here on other releases, the set is a really great way to hear all this music in one place – kind of a "best of the best" that's totally great! Titles include "Bluesanova" by Gerardo Frisina, "Moon Vision" by Soulstance, "I knew The Way" by Invisible Session, "On A Clear Day" by Was A Bee, "Emotional Dancing" by S-Tone, "Stay (In Mood)" by Paolo Fedreghini & Marco Bianchi, "Afrolicious" by Dining Rooms, "Esquema Da Bossa" by Quintetto X, "Today's Sound" by Intensive Jazz Sextet, and "Dreaming Of The Past" by Rosario Giuliani Quartetto. CD

Tracks from Ultra Nate, Gambafreaks, Eartha Kitt, Vernessa Mitchell, Kim English, Amber, Byron Stingily, Cab 'n' Crew, Mike Macaluso, ATB, and more. CD

12 tracks in all: Quannum MCs & Jurassic 5 "Concentration", Latyrx "Storm Warning" and "Lookin' Over A City" with El-P, Divine Styler & DJ Shadow "Divine Intervention", Maroons "Golden Rule", Quannum MCs & Souls Of Mischief "The Extravaganza", Lyrics Born "Hott People", Blackalicious "One Of A Kind" and "Jada's Revenge", Joyo Velarde "People Like Me", Lyrics Born & the Poets Of Rhythm "I Changed My Mind", and Quannum MCs "Bombonyall". LP, Vinyl record album

The group's second real album, and one that never manages to totally capture the groove of the first – but which still has some pretty great writing and playing that set it apart from most of the soul of its generation! The cut "Dream On Dreamer" is one of those early 90s groovers that we still delight in hearing on the radio, or in a surprise mix at a club – and the record's got lots of other nice moments, too, like "Snake Hips", "Fake", and "Keep Together". CD

A key addition to any collection of The Brand New Heavies! The set features remixes of some of the group's best tracks, plus a few older and rarer cuts, and some other favorites. Titles include "Mind Trips (BNH rmx)", "Bang", "Brother Sister (Angel rmx)", "Keep Together (Jan Kincaid version)", "O Fa Fu", "Keep It Coming", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Worlds Keep Spinning", "Close To You", "Country Funkin", "Dream On Dreamer (Angel rmx)", and "Forever (Soulpower rmx)". CD

With Mos Def on "Saturday Night". 12-inch, Vinyl record

A full length, CD-only package that brings together material scattered over 4 different 12" singles from The Dining Rooms – remixes that sprung up in the wake of their excellent Experiments In Ambient Soul album, handled by a range of talents who really expand the grooves! Many of the cuts here benefit from additional instrumental or vocal touches that change things up considerably – simple elements that work powerful magic on the cuts – and in some cases make them even better than the original album versions! The package is a way better deal than buying all the singles on their own – and it features 13 tracks that include "Forever's Not (Incognito Traveller rmx)", "Milano Calibro 9 (Madrid De Los Austrias mix)", "Afrolicious (Boozoo Bajou rmx)", "Ocean (orig mix)", "White Riot", "World She Made (Yam Who rework)", "Destination Moon (Parov Stelar rmx)", "No Problem (7 Samurai voc mix)", "Experiments In Ambient Soul (Koom.h rework)", and "Thin Ice (Paolo Fedreghini & Marco Bianchi rmx)". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

With the cuts "Passing Me By", "Soul Flower", "Ya Mama", "I'm That Type Of N*gga", and lots more! CD

The record that gave most of the world their first taste of Bjork – titles include "Birthday", "Deus", "Sick For Toys", "Delicious Demon", "Traitor", "Cold Sweat", and "Blue Eyed Pop". CD

The record that gave most of the world their first taste of Bjork – titles include "Birthday", "Deus", "Sick For Toys", "Delicious Demon", "Traitor", "Cold Sweat", and "Blue Eyed Pop". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Two separate DJ mixes – includes tracks by Subsystem, Kings Of Tomorrow, Don Carlos, Stephane Malca, Andricka Hall, Erik Kupper, Delicious Inc, and Silicone Soul. CD

A great collection of tracks from the documentary on the man behind Mo Wax Records – Unkle/James Lavelle – an artist in his own right, and a creative force who helped shape the sound of a generation! The package includes not only some key cuts from the Mo Wax catalog, but also tunes that predate the label, and show the impact of their style in later years – a lineup that includes "See & Don't See" by Marie Queenie Lyons, "Doin Damage In My Native Language (Shadow's legitimate rmx)" by Zimbabwe Legit, "Blue Flowers" by Dr Octagon, "Kemuri" by DJ Krush, "Back & Forth" by Unkle, "Swan Lake" by Blackalicious, "Return Of The Original Art Form (DJ mix)" by Hiroshi & Kudo, "Friends & Countrymen" by The Wild Bunch, "Contemplating Jazz" by Attica Blues, "Organ Donor (ext overhaul)" by DJ Shadow, "Food Of My De-Rhythm" by RPM, and "Ravers Such Our Sound" by LA Funk Mob. CD

With tracks by Talib Kweli & Hi Tek, Aceyalone, Blackalicious, Poor Righteous Teachers, Medina Green, J Rocc of The Beat Junkies, Rakaa-Iriscience, Saul Williams, Mike Ladd, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

A wildly eclectic brew of driving heaviness, looser trippiness, and even some delicate moments from Billy Bond – a more freewheeling and ambitious mix of post psychedelic wildness from Brazil's Billy Bond & co! Volume 3 from 1972 is made up of 2 lengthy suites, " Lado 1 – Acustico" and "Lado 2 – Eectrica Camplementaria". The former is surprisingly lean in spots, with some folky psychedelia in the blender. The latter is full of abrupt, dramatic stop-start dynamics. Volume 4 from '73 includes "No Nos Paran Mas", "Hacia Algun Lugar", Gracias Al Cielo", "Estamos Hartos", "Ano 1939", "Algo Esta Por Suceder" and more. This one is more of a wild and wooly rock & roll set, and a deliciously unpredictable one! CD

A righteous roots set from the great Cornell Campbell – a singer with a nicely high vocal range, which seems to bring an even more heartbreaking quality to some of the more message-oriented tracks on the set! The album's from the early years of digital production, which gives things a nice crackle in the rhythms – served up by The Roots Radics with a laidback vibe that's perfect for Cornell's vocals. Titles include "Got To Tell The People", "Trick In The Book", "Fight Against Corruption", "Everybody Wants Promotion", "Malicious World", "The Drifter", and "Where I Stand". LP, Vinyl record album

J Dilla's brother Illa J collaborates with the departed Dilla for the Yancey Boys album – produced with a batch of Jay Dee beats! This album could have gone wrong in a number of ways for a number of reasons – but truth be told it's a quality record that's actually worth checking out! Most importantly, Illa J's is a genuine talent – rolling with a mix of singing and rhyming is really unique – and the bright, spacey funk beats by Dilla are naturally top notch & timeless. Tracks include "Timeless", "We Here", "R U Listenin'" feat Guilty Simpson, "All Good", "Swagger", "Illasoul", "Air Signs" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A delicious smorgasbord of rare Swedish recordings by Quincy Jones – captured here with Harry Arnold and the Swedish Radio Studio Orchestra, with Clifford Brown and Art Farmer, and in an obscure soundtrack set for Arne Sucksdorff's 1961 film The Boy In The Tree. CD

The essential early 90s classic by The Pharcyde, the group's high water mark, and one of the greatest hip hop albums of the era! Along with Del and the Souls Of Mischief, the Pharcyde were one of the few West Coast units to achieve any kind of widespread popularity using the uniquely loopy, funhouse kinda of vibe of De La Soul, Black Sheep and Tribe Called Quest in their lighter moments. Features the classics "Passing Me By", "Soul Flower", "Ya Mama", "I'm That Type Of Ni@*a", "Officer", "4 Better Or 4 Worse", "Return Of The B-Boys", and lots more. LP, Vinyl record album

This is the Slums' biggest outing so far without the full participation of Jay Dee – but never fear, Jay shows up here on a few tracks, and you also get beats by Hi Tek and others. The tracks are mostly on the short side, moving the flow along at a consistent clip – and the beats are the nice kind of tight, minimal synth bumps. There's also some sweet, soulful touches not unlike the ones we love so much on the best Blackalicious tracks. Pure hip hop that sounds comfortably new, but without any concessions to current trends! Tracks include "Tainted" and "Star" with Dwele, "Insane", "Slumber", "Let's", "S.O.U.L.", "Love U Hate", "Unisex", "La La", "All-Ta-Ment", "Get Live", "What Is This", "Hoes", "Disco", "Fall In Love", and more. 23 in all, including skits and interludes. LP, Vinyl record album

The Mr Bongo Record Club just seems to get hipper and hipper as the volumes go on – to a point where this fifth edition in the collection is overflowing with tracks that we might never have heard otherwise! Plus, the scope of sounds here is really great too – a mix of styles from around the globe, but also not a "world music" styled compilation – as the selection handled in a way that more shows that funk and soul are really universal – something we learned from the folks at Mr Bongo many years back! There's even a few Japanese tracks too, and one or two contemporary surprises – in a set list that include "Ready For War" by Eamon, "Duplo Sentido" by Tete Da Bahia, "Romance" by Hiroshi Suzuki, "Nebine" by Malouma, "Sing A Song" by Willy Chirino, "You Are Delicious" by Mave & Dave, "Oooh Baby" by Pamoja, "Tiba Kamo" by Philip Malela, "Rise Up (disco mix)" by Tyrone Evans, "I Hate Telling A Lie" by Stimela, "Let's Be Happy (disco mix)" by Gyedu Blay Ambolley, "Kakashi" by Yasuaki Shimizu, and the original version of "I Believe In Miracles" by Mark Capanni – later made famous by The Jackson Sisters! LP, Vinyl record album