A real moment of breakthrough from Will "Quantic" Holland – a set that really expands his sound, deepens his ties to funk roots, and makes the whole thing feel a lot more live than some of his previous work! Will's at the helm and handles most instruments – but there's also guest vocals from Aspects, EQ, and Allice Russell – the last of whom was just at the start of her mighty run, and really gains plenty by matching up with the funky Quantic style of production! There's a lot more tuneful, catchy moments than before – and titles include "Off The Beaten Track", "Sweet Calling", "Primate Boogaloo", "Apricot Morning", "Search The Heavens", "Brand New Watusi", "Transatlantic", and "Blackstone Rock". CD

A masterpiece from Will "Quantic" Holland – an artist who always surprises us with new sounds, but really blows us away with the depth in this set! Quantic started out groovy, then got funky and soulful, then embraced a range of Latin cultures in later work – and throughout that long musical journey, he's never failed to keep on growing – always stepping forward towards new sonic horizons, rather than be content to serve up the same sounds that got him attention in the first place! Subtle strings are added to beats (both acoustic and electric), keyboards, and just the right use of vocals from Nidia Gongora, Alice Russell, Denita Odigie, and Holland himself – so that the album's got this balance between instrumental activity and lyrical passages – the shifting voices never taking the spotlight away from the larger musical vision that Quantic uses to guide the whole proceedings. Sly5thAve also adds in some great work – and titles include "Tierra Mama", "Incendium", "Divergence", "Is it Your Intention", "La Reflexion", "Orquidea", "September Blues", and "Now Or Never". CD

A real moment of breakthrough from Will "Quantic" Holland – a set that really expands his sound, deepens his ties to funk roots, and makes the whole thing feel a lot more live than some of his previous work! Will's at the helm and handles most instruments – but there's also guest vocals from Aspects, EQ, and Allice Russell – the last of whom was just at the start of her mighty run, and really gains plenty by matching up with the funky Quantic style of production! There's a lot more tuneful, catchy moments than before – and titles include "Off The Beaten Track", "Sweet Calling", "Primate Boogaloo", "Apricot Morning", "Search The Heavens", "Brand New Watusi", "Transatlantic", and "Blackstone Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece from Will "Quantic" Holland – an artist who always surprises us with new sounds, but really blows us away with the depth in this set! Quantic started out groovy, then got funky and soulful, then embraced a range of Latin cultures in later work – and throughout that long musical journey, he's never failed to keep on growing – always stepping forward towards new sonic horizons, rather than be content to serve up the same sounds that got him attention in the first place! Subtle strings are added to beats (both acoustic and electric), keyboards, and just the right use of vocals from Nidia Gongora, Alice Russell, Denita Odigie, and Holland himself – so that the album's got this balance between instrumental activity and lyrical passages – the shifting voices never taking the spotlight away from the larger musical vision that Quantic uses to guide the whole proceedings. Sly5thAve also adds in some great work – and titles include "Tierra Mama", "Incendium", "Divergence", "Is it Your Intention", "La Reflexion", "Orquidea", "September Blues", and "Now Or Never". LP, Vinyl record album

If drums were enough to make us love a record, we'd love this one to death – but it's also got a heck of a lot more to offer! Quantic Soul Orchestra return with a smashing second set – one that's even tighter and funkier than the first one – with a sound that really bridges both sides of the Quantic camp! The first go-round, the classic style of Quantic Soul were kind of an experiment – one that got back to older forms of funk from the more electronic studio style of the Quantic releases. But by the time of this set, the Soul Orchestra format is very firmly in place – and instrumentally, the group are at the top of their game – coming across with a blisteringly live blast of guitars, horns, and drums that crackle with energy from the very first note! The strength of the set cannot be understated – as the group have really got their whole game totally down pat for this set – a tight, kinetic, highly frenetic approach to older deep funk modes – and one that's not just rehashing a 70s groove, but finding more than enough space for funk in the 21st Century! Alice Russell sings some great vocals on 5 of the album's 11 tracks, and the rest are all hard-smoking instrumentals. Titles include "Pushin On", "Introducing The Quantic Soul Orchestra", "The Conspirator", "Get A Move On", "End Of The Road", "That Goose On My Grave", "Feeling Good", "Hold On Tight", and "Paintings & Journeys". CD

A landmark album – one that has the beat-heavy Quantic transform into the Quantic Soul Orchestra, for a stunning deep funk performance! The record sounds like nothing Quantic have done in the past – and shares a sound with work from the Soul Fire/Daptone underground, with a tight blend of hard drums, fast-riffing guitar, and all-solid 70s funky grooves. The one element that we would say the record shares with Quantic is a real talent for picking up neat instrumental twists – like the odd flute fill, string wash, or off-kilter drum sound – all of which make for a record that really opens up the genre of deep funk, and makes for one of the freshest releases we've heard of its type in a while! Includes a great deep funk cover of 4 Hero's "Hold It Down", plus the tracks "Terrapin", "Something That's Real", "South Coastin", "Stampede", "Raw Ingredients", "Babarabatiri", and "Take Your Time Change Your Mind". CD

Heavy funk, hand-picked by Will "Quantic" Holland – and an incredible set that's easily one of the best funk collections we've ever stocked! Will definitely knows his thing, and for the collection, he's dug through the rich catalog of Jazzman 45 reissues in recent years – pulling together some of the best bits from 7" wax, and putting them together into one completely tight collection. The package not only features tremendous tracks all around – most of which are making their CD debut here – but it also includes full liner notes on each number, scans of each label, and even a "funk 45 rarity guide" that's pretty darn handy! And sure, you may already have some of these in your collection as Jazzman or Funk 45 reissue 7" singles – but at this price, the collection's a heck of a great way to get them all together – and it's got the Quantic stamp of approval too. Titles include "Egg Roll" by The M&S Band, "Ooh Ah Ee" by Vern Blair Debate, "Ain't No Other Way" by Herman Hitson, "Tra La La" by The Great Deltas, "Just Plain Funk" by James Polk & The Brothers, "The World (part 1)" by Sandi & The Matues, "Fast Man" by PC's Ltd, "Stay Together" by Soul Excitement, "The Loneliest One" by Gene Anderson, "Boilin Water" by Tony Bowens & The Soul-Choppers, "I Turn You On" by Latin Breed, and "Mystery Of Black (part 1)" by Shades Of Black. CD

A great set of jazzy club tunes – selected and mixed by Jazztronik – and served up in a style that seems to make the tunes resonate even more strongly together! There's a "best of the best" sound here that's evident from the very first tune – as Jazztronik hand-pick some wonderful numbers, and lay them out with a fluid groove that's very much in the best Jazztronik groove! Jazztronik are represented by a few tracks in the mix, and a number of the others are harder to find mixes as well. Titles include "Worldwide (Solid Groove's Wednesday At Midnight mix)" by Domu, "Mishaps Happening (Quantic beat mix)" by Quantic, "Touch My Body" by Cooly's Hot Box, "Vibe Zone" by Andres, "Inner City Blues (Greg Gauthier & Tony L version)" by Allen Hoist, "In The Memory Of" by Dan Mela & Louie B, "Verdades" by Jazztronik, "Take Over Me" by Wahoo, "Almighty Father (voc mix)" by Sunship, with Warrior Queen, "Bombakiss" by Jeremy Ellis, "Roda Piao" by Azymuth, and "Tudo Bem" by Maga Bo with Tamy. CD

Anyone under the sun can soak up the good natured vibes of Nickodemus's Sun People – with a world of warm sounds! Sun People does a great job of incorporating boundary free grooves from all over the globe – from dancefloor and street corner sounds of NYC to London, bits of Latin and African percussion and punchy horns, samba sounds of Brazil and so much more – with fresh guest vocalists, and a couple collaborations with Quantic. Titles include "Sun People" with Ismael Kouyate, "Sun Children" feat Real Live Show, "La Lluvia" feat Richard Shepard and "Didibina" (both produced by Quantic), "The Love Feeling" feat Biran J of Pimps Of Joytime, "2 Sips & Magic" feat New York Gypsy All Stars, "Just Move" feat Jwasi, "Calle Sol" feat Liliana Araujo and more. CD

A wonderful set from UK chanteuse Alice Russell – one of the best records yet to come out on always reliable Tru Thoughts label! Alice's strong soul vocals have added real depth to tracks by Quantic and others, but here she succeeds tenfold as the marquee artist! She has a heavy, resonate style that portrays a genuine love for Minnie Riperton and Chaka Khan at her best – and she's given some wonderful material here to showcase her strengths. The TM Juke produced opener "Hurry On Now" takes a light symphonic soul approach, complete with lovely string charts and slowly rolling drums. Alice is equally at home with mellow, Latin groove of "Sweet As The Air". Other tracks take a more stripped down, jazzy combo approach while still working in some organic, yet still pretty housey touches here and there. It's a winner all the way through – one that should bust the gates wide open, making Alice Russell one of the most in-demand UK soul vocalists for years to come! "Someday", "Hard Times", "Tired Little One", "Peace Resides", "Taking Hold", "Something That's Real", "Search The Heavens", "Take Your Time, Change Your Mind", "Sweet Calling", "Somebody's Gonna Love You" featuring Quantic and more. CD

The long-awaited return of the Whitefield Brothers – melding global funk and tripped out psychedelia as masterfully as on their massive In The Raw album – and tripping it out and funking it up even more this time! The psychedelic sounds get more pronounced play this time out, but it's still well within the funk realm – gritty drums and percussion under fuzzed out rhythms, keys that range from a jazzy funk groove to thick layers of fuzz and bubbling atmospherics, exotic string accents, heady bass grooves and more. Their reach is global, too, with influences from the east and the west – and a heck of an impressive guest roster – with leftfield MCs on a couple gems – Edan & Mr Lif on "The Gift" and Percee P & MED on "Reverse" – plus Bajka, Brooklyn funk revival masters the El Michels Affair, and fellow psych funk traveller Quantic. Titles include "Joyful Exaltation", "Safari Strut", "Taisho", "Sad Nile", "Ntu", "Pamukkale", "Alin", "Breakin Through" feat El Michels Affair, "Sem Yelesh", "Lullaby For Lagos" feat Quantic, "Chich" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The long-awaited return of the Whitefield Brothers – melding global funk and tripped out psychedelia as masterfully as on their massive In The Raw album – and tripping it out and funking it up even more this time! The psychedelic sounds get more pronounced play this time out, but it's still well within the funk realm – gritty drums and percussion under fuzzed out rhythms, keys that range from a jazzy funk groove to thick layers of fuzz and bubbling atmospherics, exotic string accents, heady bass grooves and more. Their reach is global, too, with influences from the east and the west – and a heck of an impressive guest roster – with leftfield MCs on a couple gems – Edan & Mr Lif on "The Gift" and Percee P & MED on "Reverse" – plus Bajka, Brooklyn funk revival masters the El Michels Affair, and fellow psych funk traveller Quantic. Titles include "Joyful Exaltation", "Safari Strut", "Taisho", "Sad Nile", "Ntu", "Pamukkale", "Alin", "Breakin Through" feat El Michels Affair, "Sem Yelesh", "Lullaby For Lagos" feat Quantic, "Chich" and more. CD

Music from Quantic Soul Orchestra, Victor Davies, the Juju Orchestra, Moodorama, Bebel Gilberto, Otto, Sound Surgeons, EMO, Gecko Turner, Azymuth, Les Babacools & more. CD

Music from Nor Elle, Makis Ablianitis, Gerd, Soulstance, Billy Paul Williams, Slop Slop, Sven Van Hees, Quantic, David Basho, Royksopp, SuZy & more. CD

An orchestral homage to Dr Dre spearheaded by Brooklyn's Sylvester Onyejiaka, aka Sly5thAve – fleshing out hooks and melodies from throughout Dre's career, from classic singles to deep cuts, into large scale jazzy soul – with a stellar roster of guests including Mark De Clive-Lowe, DJ Center, Quantic, Jimetta Rose and more! It's pretty diverse, capturing timeless Cali funk & soul backdrops as well as slightly more stripped down live band hip hop-style versions, and mostly, but not entirely instrumentals. One exception is "Let Me Ride" with singer Jimetta Rose, who delivers some great, spontaneously emotional vocals – but the whole set is excellent – and titles includes "Shiznit" with Jessie Fisher, "California", "Drelude For Woo" feat Mark De Clive-Lowe, "No Diggity" feat Sydney Driver, "The Jam" feat Matthias Loescher, "Who Am I" feat Paul Wilson, "Still Dre", "My Name Is" feat Robert Searight, "Guilty Conscience", "Nuthin' But A G Thang" feat Brad Allen Williams, "The Edge" feat Quantic, "Next Episode", "Peace" and more. CD

A mighty nice entry in the Shapes series – and like recent efforts, a vinyl package that follows up a previous digital-only release – featuring the best cuts in a physical package! As with other collections in the Shapes series, the music here is from a much wider version of the Tru Thoughts universe than has been issued on record – up-and-coming artists, under-recorded talents, and some of the label's bigger names featured in exclusive or unreleased mixes. Titles include "Original Nutta (DJ Madd rmx)" by Magic Drum Orchestra with Bunty, "Traveller (VB Kuhl rmx)" by Rabil Harnoune & VB Kuhl, "All About Life (Wonky Logic rmx)" by Bryony Jarman-Pinto, "Life Is Not A Crime" by Tiawa, "The Edge (Swarvy rmx)" by Sly5thAve featuring Quantic, "RAM Generation" by sUb_modU, "Cant' Nobody Get Down (Kabuki rmx)" by Hot 8 Brass Band, "Work It Out (west Loop Chicago mix)" by Soul Central with Jennifer Wallace, "Mind Up (Werkha rmx)" by J Felix with Andrew Ashong, "Vitruvian Man" by WheelUP, "How Deep (Nuff Pedals rmx)" by Rhi, and "Nom Wah Tea Parlour" by Strategy. LP, Vinyl record album

Guts bills this set as "an Afro-Tropical experiment" – but to us, the album's just a further expansion of his wonderful talents as a producer – which have really come a long way in just a few years! Guts maybe got his start in hip hop, but he's able to embrace a globe's worth of sound, especially in a project like this – which we might liken to some of the more globally-conscious records by Quantic – although Guts is working here on the Parisian scene, and maybe has even closer access to cross-cultural channels! The set includes work by plenty of guests – a lineup that includes Pat Kalla, Pinduca, Nazare Pereira, Emma Lamadji, Kandy Gura, CAtia Werneck, Djeuhdjoah, and others – on titles that include "Voyaging Bird", "Ja Nao Ha Mais Paz", "Li Dous Konsa", "Sa Ce Kado", "Kenke Corner", "Mucagiami", "Penda", and "Matadou". CD