An incredible look at an obscure Detroit soul label – a tiny little company, but home to some really great funk and soul! The Big Mack label ran somewhat sporadically through the 60s and into the early 70s – but during that time, it managed to cut some incredible tunes with a really unique feel – work that had a rougher edge than most of the Detroit soul on the bigger labels and indies – often with an earthy quality that's miles and miles from Motown! Label owner Ed McCoy had a great ear for male singers, instrumental combos, and vocal groups – but as the 60s rolled on, he also picked up a few hip female acts as well – and throughout the whole stretch, he had a way of producing a tune that we can only describe best as slightly messed up – a sound that's often slightly tripped up, oddly spacious, and which makes the elements of the music fall into each other with a crashingly intense kind of sound! Far from being a mess, this approach only seems to cook things up more – giving an edge to tracks that might have sounded more lackluster with conventional production – and further electrifying these obscure utterings from the Detroit underground. As with other Numero collections, the work here is wonderfully worth discovering – and presented with full notes, photos, and a history of the label. CD features 19 tracks that include "Bui Bui" by L Hollis & The Mackadoos, "Get It Right" by Soul President, "Crooked Woman" by Edd Henry, "Fever" by Essence, "If You Feel It" by Ms Tyree Sugar Jones, "The Feeling Is Mutual" by Manhattens, "I See Her Pretty Face" by The Grand Prix's, "Let's Give Our Love A Try" by Mae Young, "I'll Be On My Way" by Bob & Fred, "Mini Skirt" by The Sleepwalkers, "Monkey Time Shine" by L Hollis & The Mackadoos, "The Man Puts Sugar In My Soul" by Mae Young, "You Drive Me Crazy" by The Grand Prix's, "Got To Have It" by Soul President, and "Your Replacement Is Here" by Edd Henry. CD

The funkiest visit to New Orleans yet – and the best collection of Tuff City's series of lost grooves from the Crescent City scene! This volume moves way past the obvious New Orleans classics, and really digs deeply into a realm of lesser-known artists and singles – coming up with a groove that's certainly got New Orleans roots, but which also stands with the deepest funk coming out of the northern scenes at the same time – thundering out with heavy bass, snapping drums, and some wicked work on guitar! Titles include "Funky Jaws" by Larry Jones, "Turn Me On" by The Fantoms, "The Monkey That Became President (part 1)" by Brotherhood, "Sooky Feeling (part 1)" by Brotherhood, "Direct From The Ghetto" by Warren Lee, "Come On & Make Me" by Brothers Two, "Get On Up (part 2)" by Chuck Conway, "Ode To Billie Joe" by Trick Bag, "I'm From The South" by Jerry Byrne, and "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" by Lonnie Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "Rock The Bells" by LL Cool J, "Eric B Is President" by Eric B & Rakim, "Top Billin" by Audio Two, "Brooklyn's In The House" by Dr Fresh, "Rockin It" by Fearless Four, and "Latoya" by Just Ice. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A split album – featuring work from Seattle up-and-comer AJ Suede, and longstanding resident artist Specs Wizard! There's a strong sense of history that runs through the AJ Suede titles – vintage soul snippets and historical recordings – laced together carefully to accompany AJ's down to earth lyrics on titles that include "Blood Cruzzins", "Democrazy Manifest", "The Plane", "Majora", and "Ten Times Plus". Things are a bit more lean on the Specswizard side – lots of fantastic soulful tones and textures, mixed together with a spare sound that never gets in the way of the muted voice that delivers the rhymes – some biting commentary on his city and scene – on titles that include "Floyd", "The President", "Legend", "Pirate Tax", "Another", and "Empty". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare funk from the Indy scene of the early 70s – the long-overdue release of material recorded by a really hard-jamming, horn-heavy combo! Amnesty have a sound that's awash in the best large group influences of the time – a bit of Earth Wind & Fire, a bit of Parliament/Funkadelic, but also a grittier, more guitar-based groove at times too – one that rumbles heavily at the bottom of the rhythms, with a sound that's like Norman Whitfield-era Motown, taken to much greater extremes! There's actually a lot more Detroit going on in the work than Indy – but the horns also have a jazzier, more open-ended quality too – not just parts penned for simple funky rhythms, but ones that show some influence from the more righteous side of the jazz spectrum. The material was all recorded on two dates in 1973 – but only issued here for the first time – and together, the tracks are a great example of a hip group from the underground, really letting loose with a great sense of freedom. There's some vocals on the record, but almost more of a focus on the instrumentation overall – and titles include "Can I Help You", "Love Fades", "Trouble Will Remain", "We've Come A Long Way", "Liberty", "Mister President", "Free Your Mind", "We Have Love", and "Lord Help Me". CD

The insane debut of Big Stick – a record that came out around the same time that Sonic Youth were really taking off, and Pussy Galore were first getting their feet wet – and a set that's as equally noise-filled as the early work of both! The group are a duo – John Gill on guitar and Yanna Trance on drum machine – and the sound is very spare, but very noisy – heavy beats that are almost hip hop meets industrial – colored with lots of freaky, fuzzy guitar lines – and topped with lyrics that have this offbeat sense of wit – all with an approach that's in that mid-80s moment when underground music and performance art were somewhat comfortable bedfellows. Titles include "Shoot The President", "Drag Racing", "I Look Like Shit", "Hell On Earth", and "Jesus Was Born (On An Indian Reservation)" 12-inch, Vinyl record

A wonderful fusion of traditional roots and contemporary funk – handled perfectly by this legendary Gambian band! The groove is unique – with earthy percussion and haunting vocals mixed with more 70s-styled funk instrumentation – but often in a way that's as interested in sonic experimentation as it is in search of a groove – an approach that really sets these guys apart from most of their contemporaries, and which has made the Guelewar Band's records get some great attention in recent years. The group call their approach "Afro-Manding Sound" – and titles include "Warteef Jigeen", "NTC The Gambia", "Mamadu Bitike", "President Diawara", and "Jilanna". CD

More Afro Funk than the soul jazz you might guess from the group's name – but that's OK with us, because the record's plenty darn great! Souljazz Orchestra are one of the best of the current wave of Afro combos to hail from Canada – and they manage to get an incredible full sound from a surprisingly small range of instruments – usually just 3 saxes, a trumpet, keyboards, and percussion – but played with a sense of power to earn them the "orchestra" in their name! There's a definite Fela influence going on here – grooves that move fast with very skittish rhythms – snaking out with great horn bits and keyboard lines. But the overall approach is a bit tighter too – much more focused at times, on slightly shorter tunes, about half of which are vocal numbers. The Latin-inflected "Little Habana" has the group breaking format a bit – and other tunes include "Mista President", "The Blind Leading The Blind", "Insurrection", and "Mojuba". 8 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album

Killer 2 CD set that focuses on the funky sound of James from the 70s – and which includes great material that was never issued at the time, alternate funky takes, rare singles, and other great bits! There's a wealth of incredible material on here that makes the set essential – even if you have James' full albums from the time, because there's so many other extra bits that weren't included on those! The extra goodies include "Down & Out In New York City" (with a spoken intro), "Coldblooded" (undubbed version), "Mind Power" (alternate take), "Hot Pants Finale" (live), "Don't Tell It", "World Of Soul", "I Can't Stand It '76", "Turn On The Heat & Build Some Fire", "Problems", "I Got A Bag Of My Own", "I Got Ants In My Pants", "King Heroin", "Make It Funky (parts 1 thorugh 4)", "Escape-Ism", "Don't Tell It", "My Thang", "Funky President", and "Make It Good To Yourself" (interlude). Great notes, loads of other great tracks, and a total of 26 cuts make this a monster value! CD