A great early 70s groover from Loleatta Holloway – the kind of tight Atlanta soul she was doing in her early years before hitting the clubs – deep soul vocals mixed with a sophisticated groove, all of which really sends "Can't Help Myself" out of the park! The flipside is wonderful too – and the vocals are so great, that we could easily put Loleatta next to Aretha Franklin or some of the bigger names of her generation! 7-inch, Vinyl record

If you only know Loleatta Holloway as a disco singer, you'll be really amazed at this debut album from 1973 – because Loleatta emerges first as deep soul singer with a strong southern vibe – very much in the mode the Atlanta scene did best, before picking up the pace a bit more as the 70s moved on! There's a mellow, blue sort of vibe to the record – but still plenty of that pride and power that made Holloway an equally great singer on an upbeat tune – served up here on tunes by Sam Dees, Ashford & Simpson, and other hip songwriters of the period – set to strong arrangements by Mike Terry, who does a great job of bringing out the lady at her best. Titles include "We Did It", "Mother Of Shame", "Only A Fool", "So Can I", "Our Love", and "Love Woke Me Up". Features two bonus tracks – "Rainbow 71" and "For Sentimental Reasons". CD

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

Amazing early work from Loleatta Holloway – much more deep soul than her later fame in the disco years – and a really mindblowing set overall! In the years before she became the hot club queen with "Love Sensation" and other 12-inch cuts, Loleatta Holloway laid down some of the most fantastic female southern soul of the early 70s – an early example of the growing strength of the Hotlanta scene, with a vibe that's different than more familiar modes from Memphis and Miami! The work here has wonderful arrangements, excellent production, and some really top-shelf songwriting that already shows a really sophisticated side of Holloway's talents. Tommy Stewart, Mike Terry, and Floyd Smith all had a hand in the recordings – and the CD not only features early singles for a number of labels, but also some unreleased tunes as well. 23 tracks in all – including "Cry to Me", "Part Time Lover, Full Time Fool", "Just Be True", "We Did It", "This Man's Arms", "Our Love", "The Show Must Go On", "Rainbow 71", "Merrily", "The World Don't Owe You Nothin", "Gone On That First Plane", and "Love Woke Me Up". CD

If "Hit & Run" was always like this, it wouldn't be a crime! The track's a bouncing joyous number, and one of Loleatta's first bit club tunes – really grooving with a gently funky approach that has lots of great Salsoul Orchestra touches underneath! Great arrangements and production by Norman Harris, too! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Amazing early work from Loleatta Holloway – much more deep soul than her later fame in the disco years – and a really mindblowing set overall! In the years before she became the hot club queen with "Love Sensation" and other 12-inch cuts, Loleatta Holloway laid down some of the most fantastic female southern soul of the early 70s – an early example of the growing strength of the Hotlanta scene, with a vibe that's different than more familiar modes from Memphis and Miami! The work here has wonderful arrangements, excellent production, and some really top-shelf songwriting that already shows a really sophisticated side of Holloway's talents. Tommy Stewart, Mike Terry, and Floyd Smith all had a hand in the recordings – and the CD not only features early singles for a number of labels, but also some unreleased tunes as well. 23 tracks in all – including "Cry to Me", "Part Time Lover, Full Time Fool", "Just Be True", "We Did It", "This Man's Arms", "Our Love", "The Show Must Go On", "Rainbow 71", "Merrily", "The World Don't Owe You Nothin", "Gone On That First Plane", and "Love Woke Me Up". CD

A real disco-drama classic from Loleatta – one that begins with a solo vocal passage, stating the story in a stark, lonely setting – then rolls into a burning, building groove that really soars with full clubby power! "That's What You Said" is pretty great too – a bit more straight ahead, but in a way that almost makes it a clubby modern soul groover – and one with a hook that won't quit! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A stunning disco classic from Dan Hartman – maybe an unlikely talent for the dancefloors, given his image on the cover – but an artist who definitely went onto shape the sound of the clubs at the end of the 70s! The album's got the Hartman groove really hitting hard, and right on the money – a tightly compressed approach to disco that really lays heavily on the hooks – in a style that's similar to where Peter Brown was going at the time, with a similar compressed sensibility that gets past any of the fluff that was drowning others in the disco generation! In fact, it could well be argued that the approach here really helps focus a dancefloor sound towards the modes of the 80s – while still allowing for the fluid soul of the disco years too – a style that's summed up perfectly in the album's extended classic "Vertigo/Relight My Fire", which features famous vocals by Loleatta Holloway! Other titles are all sweet too – and include "Free Ride", "I Love Makin Music", "Just For Fun", "Love Strong", and "Hands Down". CD

A heck of a lot of classic dancefloor tunes from the legendary Salsoul label! The imprint was home to some of the best work of the late disco years – much of which you'll find on this first set, which includes classics like "The Bottle" by Joe Bataan, "Hit & Run" by Loleatta Holloway, "My Love Is Free" by Double Exposure, "Love Thang" by First Choice, "Checking You Out" by Aurra, "I Got My Mind Made Up" by Instant Funk, "Just As Long As I Got You" by Love Committee, and "Runaway" by Salsoul Orchestra with Loleatta Holloway. CD

One of the greatest southern soul talents presents a host of other great talents from his 70s generation – and also throws in a fair bit of his own tracks as well! Sam Dees is one of the all-time greats in our book – a songwriter to rival the best that Stax had to offer back in the day, and a hip, talented singer who really furthered the legacy of deep soul in the 70s – even though he never fully got the chance to hit the heights. Yet that never stopped Sam from giving his best – as you'll hear here in a set of tracks that are all original tunes penned by Dees, including a few unissued tracks, and others that came out as small label singles at the time. The set also has an unusual format – in that all tunes are presented in versions by Dees, then by other singers – so that tracks include "Tag Tag" and "Claim Jumping" done by both Sam Dees and Bill Brandon, "Who Are You Gonna Love" and "Personal Woman" by both Dees and Rosetta Johnson, "Vanishing Love" by Dees and John Edwards, "Cry To Me" and "Help Me My Lord" by Dees and Loleatta Holloway, and "I'm So Very Glad" by Dees and Phase Four. 20 tracks in all! CD

Featuring Loleatta Holloway. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great new chapter for the Salsoul Orchestra – a set that has them working with underground legend Patrick Adams, who gives them an even cooler sound than before! There's more keyboards in the mix than on previous albums – some of those cool and moogy touches that Adams brought to his famous work for P&P and other indie labels – which gives the record an edge that goes way beyond the more familiar Salsoul Orchestra modes – and a quality that's leaner and meaner for the post-disco years! Rhythms are nice and funky – lots of snapping grooves that really give the record an edge – topped with bold vocals from Jocelyn Brown, Loleatta Holloway, and Carol Bramble. Titles include "Take Some Time Out (For Love)", "Comin At Cha", "Heat It Up", "Seconds", and the space themed "Columbia The Space Shuttle". LP, Vinyl record album

Ahhhh . . . The Salsoul Orchestra at its finest, with Vince Montana at the helm, crafting some superb arrangements that have all of the positivity of the best funky club groove that made the group great – without any of the disco schlock of their contemporaries! The group's format is still head and shoulders above most of its imitators here – a perfect balance of larger orchestrations and tighter rhythms for the club – handled with all the best Philly elements that Montana brings to play. Titles include the superb soul track "Run Away", which features excellent lead vocals by Loleatta Holloway – one of her best tracks ever – and other instrumental titles include the funky "Getaway", plus "Magic Bird Of Fire", "It's A New Day", and "Alpha Centuri". LP, Vinyl record album

Big in Wigan, but big at Dusty Groove too – as the collection's a wonderful batch of rare soul cuts from the 60s! The set's self-described as "a collection of shameless oldies played in the golden era of Northern Soul" – but that's only part of the picture, as it's got a lot more to offer than that. The CD features 20 tracks that broke big at the Wigan Casino – home to some of the most fervent action on the UK soul scene back in the late 60s – and as such, it's kind of an "instant classics" set that shows how even rare numbers could become super-huge with the UK soul dance set! Titles include "Little Miss Soul" by The Lovettes, "Till You Give In" by Bobby Patterson, "Sweet Sherry" by JJ Barnes, "It's A Woman's World" by The Gypsies, "Baby Reconsider" by Leon Haywood, "With My Love & What You've Got" by Jean Wells, "Mother Of Shame" by Loleatta Holloway, "Running Away From Love" by Skip Mahoney & The Casuals, "Ain't That Good Enough" by John Edwards, "Baby I Need You" by Lorraine & The Delights, and "Can It Be Me" by Mel Williams. 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

The Idjut Boys take on the catalog of the legendary Salsoul Records – in a continuous mix that shows just how much the sounds of the past have to answer for the grooves of the present! Unlike some of the other titles in this series, the Idjuts seem to leave a bit more of their trace on the tunes – augmenting them just a bit with contemporary production touches, while still keeping things classic at the core – maybe a bit like Joey Negro does with his own music. The track selection is mighty nice, too – with some less-iconic Salsoul tunes, in a 76 minute mix of 17 titles that include "I'll Keep You Warm" by Salsoul Orchestra, "Into The Milky Way" by Jimmy Briscoe & The Beavers, "You Can Do It" by Vaughn Mason & Butch Dayo, "Go Get It" by Metropolis, "Candi's Funk" by Candido, "Moon Boots" by ORS, "Disco Dancin" by Skyy, "By The Way You Dance" by Bunny Sigler, and "I May Not Be There When You Want Me" by Loleatta Holloway. CD

This great little series gets even better – as it breaks past the early 80s focus of previous volumes, to include some great 70s gems as well! As before, the focus is less disco than you'd expect – more uptempo soul, which includes some 70s mellow movers and early 80s boogie tracks – all brought together with a great ear for a mostly under-discovered cut! The package features 20 tunes in all – and titles include "Don't You Wanna Make Love" by Carl Carlton, "Do You Really Love Me" by Bryan Loren, "Let's Start The Dance (rmx)" by Bohannon with Perri Johnson, "Friends" by Shalamar, "Keep On Doin Whatcha Doin (12" long version)" by Ty Karim & George Griffin, "Don't Stop" by Asso, "Taj Mahal" by Paulina DaCosta, "Wet My Whistle" by Midnight Star, "Pack Up Your Things & Get Out Of My Life" by TC Curtis, "Way Out" by Dynasty, "Dreamin" by Loleatta Holloway, "Let Love Shine" by Skyy, "Now I'm Fine" by Grey & Hanks, "Make It Up To Me In Love" by Odia Coates, "Half The Day's Gone" by Kenny Lynch, "Stand Up" by Delegation, and "Single Handed" by Haywoode. CD

Massive mixes from the legendary John Morales – one of the key talents for really opening up the sound of New York dancefloors at the end of the 70s! The mixes here were all cut by John back in the day – all for special play in the clubs, and never commercially issued at the time – which makes the package one hell of a musical discovery – like finding your way back onto an underground dancefloor in the waning years of disco – when a handful of mixers like Morales were still finding some rich new energy in the scene! Most tracks are quite long, and have all their best elements expanded out by John – but in ways that really avoid some of the later "look at me" styles that mixers would use in the next generation. Vinyl part 2 features some very extended mixes – "Hit & Run (M+M I ain't sharing mix)" by Loleatta Holloway, "Only You (M+M you got what I need mix)" by Teddy Pendergrass, "I Want You (M+M breakdown beat mix)" by Marvin Gaye, and "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else (M+M I don't wanna do it mix)" by The Jones Girls. LP, Vinyl record album

Whether you remember these joints from the glory days of the Paradise or Bam's parties at the Bronx River Projects or are discovering them for the first time, these classic electro/hip hop/breakin'/dance tracks are a must-have for any DJ's crates. Includes: Man Parrish "Hip Hop Be-Bop", ESG "Moody", Liquid Liquid "Cavern", Shannon "Let The Music Play", Jellybean "Dancing On The Fire", Loleatta Holloway "Crash Goes Love", Chaka Khan "My Love Is Alive", Dominatrix "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight", B Beat Girls "For The Same Man", Upfront "Infatuation", Strafe "Set It Off", Exodus "Together Forever", New Order "Confusion", and Slack "Slack". CD

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

Nice work from the moment when acid house was beginning to show up on the Chicago scene! We can pretty much let the track listing do the talking on this nice compilation: Loleatta Holloway "So Sweet" produced by Farley Jackmaster Funk, Peter Black "I Can't Stop", Frankie Hollywood & Ricky D "Feel The Fire", Chip E "If Only You Knew", Fingers, Inc. "You're Mine", Full House "Communicate", Nightstar "Body Groove (Get In The Groove)" and Frankie Knuckles' "You Can't Hide". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning disco classic from Dan Hartman – maybe an unlikely talent for the dancefloors, given his image on the cover – but an artist who definitely went onto shape the sound of the clubs at the end of the 70s! The album's got the Hartman groove really hitting hard, and right on the money – a tightly compressed approach to disco that really lays heavily on the hooks – in a style that's similar to where Peter Brown was going at the time, with a similar compressed sensibility that gets past any of the fluff that was drowning others in the disco generation! In fact, it could well be argued that the approach here really helps focus a dancefloor sound towards the modes of the 80s – while still allowing for the fluid soul of the disco years too – a style that's summed up perfectly in the album's extended classic "Vertigo/Relight My Fire", which features famous vocals by Loleatta Holloway! Other titles are all sweet too – and include "Free Ride", "I Love Makin Music", "Just For Fun", "Love Strong", and "Hands Down". CD features some nice bonus tracks too – "Boogie All Summer (single)", "Relight My Fire (single)", "Hands Down (12" version)", "Hands Down (Hands Up)", "Relight My Fire (historical 1979 rmx)", and "Vertigo/Relight My Fire (progressive instrumental rmx)". CD