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The big single off Atliens, which would've been a standout track any day! 12-inch, Vinyl record

The long-overdue issue of material that was originally recorded for the film Kes back in 1969 – short and lovely numbers arranged and composed by Brit easy talent John Cameron! Cameron's best known for his work in more groove-oriented formats – but this soundtrack is something completely different, and equally great – a set of spare and compelling tunes played by a small combo that includes British jazz players Harold McNair, Ronnie Ross, David Snell, Tony Carr, and Danny Moss. The overall album is quite short, but it features a stunning range of sounds, tones, and colors – with a strong focus especially on the flute work of McNair, easily one of the greatest London players of his generation, and sort of England's answer to Roland Kirk. Titles include "Billy's Paper Round", "Billy Sees Kes In The Tower", "Kes First Flight", "Training Kes", "Billy Asleep In The Boiler Room", "Burying Kes", and "Foreboding". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great electronic soundtrack – contemporary, but served up with a very spare, electronic feel that takes us back to some of the best horror gems of the 80s! If you're a fan of the music for Stranger Things or Good Time, you'll find plenty to love here – as Alec Cheer works in a keyboard-heavy style that's awash with waves of synth and spare layers of sound – maybe sometimes slightly warmer than the music of either of those references, but with an equally compelling sound! Titles include "Evil Ways", "The Night Belongs To Us", "Protective Spell", "Morning", "Hunters", "Kickstart", and "Confusion". LP, Vinyl record album

A delightful set of music, dialogue, and sound effects from a long-lost British children's show – the short-lived Clangers, which ran for 2 seasons in 1969 and 1971. The tunes are whimsical – often mixing percussion and flute in a playful mode that has traces of Tchaikovsky or Stravinsky, but which also sets things out in sparer, shorter segments. Interspersed with the tunes are spoken "cues" from the show, giving things a bit of a narrative feel, as well as occasional sound effects and other noises. The album features some good notes on the show and the music, and includes bits from the episodes "Music", "Fishing", "Treasure", "Goods", "Blow Fruit", and "The Seed". LP, Vinyl record album

The Britixotica crew are down to their skivvies this time around – clearly shaken into clothes-less frenzy by the wild rhythms in the set! The album definitely takes the "wild" in the title seriously, and may well be the best record in the series so far – certainly the most dynamic, as the Latin rhythms are really ramped up – and moved quite far from quieter cocktail modes! As before, all the cuts here are of UK origin – and represent this great, and oft-overlooked, moment in British recordings – when postwar jazz talents and arrangers were really picking up on the more percussive-heavy styles coming from the other side of the Atlantic. Titles include "Baia" by Tony Scott, "Vamos A Baila" by Chico Arnez, "The High Life" by Marion Ryan, "Wimoweh" by Eve Boswell, "Vava Ba Boom" by Edmundo Ros, "Don's Mambo" by Don Carlos, "The High Life" by Basil & Ivor Kirchin with Tony Sharpe, "Taboo" by Charles Blackwell, and "Mambo For Latin Lovers" by Ido Martin. LP, Vinyl record album

David Shire's wonderful score to The Conversation – a subtle mix of jazz and darker sounds that's one of the best things about this incredible film! Shire's definitely one of the cooler cats of American film scoring of the 70s – and with a groundbreaking project like this, he really shows his stuff – especially given that he plays these haunting piano solos himself throughout most of the score – really beautiful elliptical lines that are a great revelation, and make us like Shire even more! There's also a jazz combo in the film – a group that includes Pete Jolly on piano, Don Menza on tenor, and Conte Candoli on trumpet – and titles include "Theme From The Conversation", "Dream Sequence", "Plumbing Problem", "Finale & End Credits", "The End Of The Day", and "Harry Carried". LP, Vinyl record album

The Britxotica sound is back in wonderful form – that fantastic postwar meeting of musical modes that happened every bit as much on the London scene as it did in the US! In fact, given the Caribbean and colonial ties of British culture, we might almost make the argument that some of these tunes have more of an authentic imprint than American exotica of the time – although "authentic" is hardly the name of the game here – as the music really gets its charms from the way that the sounds of the islands are reworked for the dancefloors of Soho at the end of the 50s. Titles include "Heatwave" by Geoff Love, "Mangoes" by Lucille Mapp, "Hawaiian Honeymoon" by Frank Weir, "Tropical Mirage" by Ron Goodwin, "Run See Jerusalem" by George Melly & Kenny Graham, "Stormy Weather" by Betty Smith, "Milk From The Coconut" by Johnny Gentle, and "Quiet Village" by Martinas & His Music. LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing music from the legendary Basil Kirchin – a British composer who started out doing more conventional soundtrack material in the decade before – but who here is making music from a range of sonic sources that include both regular instruments and extrapolated sounds from nature! In other words, Basil brings together woodwind instruments, cello, organ, arco bass, Alp horn, and flugelhorn – alongside elements from the sounds of gorillas, hornbills, and flamingos – all of them deconstructed, abstracted, then built up anew with a quality that's quite far from their origin! The music may well be some of the darkest and moodiest that Kirchin ever recorded – and some of the densest and most textural too. Each side features one full song – the titles "Emergence" and "Evolution". LP, Vinyl record album

The funky fusion classic from guitarist Volker Krieger – finally issued in a great CD edition! Easily one of Krieger's best albums, Spectrum was remarkably cut in just two days at MPS Studios in 1971 – with a group that includes Peter Baumeister on drums, Cees See on bongos and percussion, Peter Trunk on bass and cello, and John Taylor on Hohner electric piano. It kicks of with the amazing track "Zoom", a seriously funky maelstrom of groovy funky guitar and percussion that mixes in washes of sitar and Eastern effects here and there for a really trippy effect! The album doesn't try to duplicate the frenzy whipped up by the opener right away, and finds a much more relaxed groove in tracks like "So Long, For Now", "More About D", "Ach Kina", and "Instant Judgement" before flailing away in the exciting closer "Strings Revisited". One of the great ones from MPS – and a hugely influential one to the progression of 70s jazz funk. A really groovy record! CD

A fantastic early solo album from trumpeter Takuya Kuroda – done before his bigger burst of fame in more recent years – and already very sharp and on the money! The record is definitely a jazz set, but has that Robert Glasper generation way of really opening things up to new soulful frontiers – working with a fantastically deft rhythm trio who can cascade effortlessly, then change their groove on a dime – while Kuroda matches their energy with his work on trumpet, alongside Jamaal Sawyer on tenor and Corey King on trombone! Pianist Takeshi Ohbayashi also plays Fender Rhodes, and the album features Rashaan Carter on bass and Adam Jackson on drums – on titles that include "Jafro", "Pepper Caramel", "Trunk Bay", "Red Corner", "Bite Than Bark", and "Grappa". Japanese pressing includes the bonus track "Unlock". CD

Living Legends are a hip hop supergroup featuring Luckyiam, Sunspot Jonz, Murs, Grouch, Aesop and others. Having slowly built from founding members BFAP and PSC (as Mystik Journeymen) selling tapes out of the trunk, eventually building a rep Hiero style, and gaining the above mentioned hi profile members. Tracks include "Creative Differences", "Fill My Drink Up", "Addicted", "Time To Ride" and more. CD

Fantastic soul from Lucid Paradise – a group who work here with a soaring, joyous vibe that takes us back to the best underground club of the early 80s! The beats are contemporary, but the keyboards and group vocals are very old school – and the whole thing sounds like it came from lost tapes discovered in a trunk on the outskirts of LA! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Densely atmospheric and hypnotically beat-driven grooves from Mad Zach on Alpha Pup! There's a bit more of intense electronic vibe here than the some of the more abstract jazzy soul soundscapes of a lot what we've heard on the label to date, which is gratifying honestly – and is compelling as can be and with a human soul behind it, nothing too clinical or sterile in the way a lot of modern day techno can come off as. Solid stuff! Includes "Dark Street", "Drawing Blood", "Shadow Figure and "Trunk Funk". LP, Vinyl record album

A great audio documentary of a really mindblowing film – one that captures the Rolling Stones at that key late 60s point when they were stepping into really sinister territory – playing in a very vivid setting, along with some of their key up-and-coming contemporaries on the scene! The whole thing builds up with the energy of a circus – the Stones are last, and there's a growing mix of performers introduced by various members of the band – really presented in a carnivalesque array, before the lead act comes in and knocks it out of the park. The set features a killer early version of "A Quick One While He's Away" by The Who – maybe one of the high points of the set – plus "Song For Jeffrey" by Jethro Tull, "Whole Lotta Yoko" by Yoko Ono & The Dirty Mac (John Lennon), "Ain't That A Lot Of Love" by Taj Mahal, and "Something Better" by Marianne Faithfull. The Rolling Stones round things out with performances of "Sympathy For The Devil", "Parachute Woman", "Jumpin Jack Flash", "Salt Of The Earth", "No Expectations", and "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Plus, this double-length version has unreleased tracks "Warmup Jam" and "Revolution (rehearsal)" by The Dirty Mac, "Leaving Trunk" and "Corinna" by Taj Mahal, and the odd symphonic works "Ritual Fire Dance" and Mozart's "Sonata In C Major" by Julius Katchen. CD

A great audio documentary of a really mindblowing film – one that captures the Rolling Stones at that key late 60s point when they were stepping into really sinister territory – playing in a very vivid setting, along with some of their key up-and-coming contemporaries on the scene! The whole thing builds up with the energy of a circus – the Stones are last, and there's a growing mix of performers introduced by various members of the band – really presented in a carnivalesque array, before the lead act comes in and knocks it out of the park. The set features a killer early version of "A Quick One While He's Away" by The Who – maybe one of the high points of the set – plus "Song For Jeffrey" by Jethro Tull, "Whole Lotta Yoko" by Yoko Ono & The Dirty Mac (John Lennon), "Ain't That A Lot Of Love" by Taj Mahal, and "Something Better" by Marianne Faithfull. The Rolling Stones round things out with performances of "Sympathy For The Devil", "Parachute Woman", "Jumpin Jack Flash", "Salt Of The Earth", "No Expectations", and "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Plus, this double-length version has unreleased tracks "Warmup Jam" and "Revolution (rehearsal)" by The Dirty Mac, "Leaving Trunk" and "Corinna" by Taj Mahal, and the odd symphonic works "Ritual Fire Dance" and Mozart's "Sonata In C Major" by Julius Katchen. LP, Vinyl record album

Too Short still going strong in the early 90s! This one holds up better than we gave it credit for back in the day, with Too Short showing love for Blaxploitation era pimp flick lore, as paired with his already legendary underground rap style of purposefully profane lyrics and distinctive approach to the mike. Opening up with a nod to the early 70s film of the same name, straight up asserting his love for classic funk before stepping into the Too Short style that made him an Oakland legend. Includes "Step Daddy", "So You Want To Be A Gangster", "I Want To Be Free", "In The Trunk", "Something To Ride To" and "Hoes". CD

Too Short still going strong in the early 90s! This one holds up better than we gave it credit for back in the day, with Too Short showing love for Blaxploitation era pimp flick lore, as paired with his already legendary underground rap style of purposefully profane lyrics and distinctive approach to the mike. Opening up with a nod to the early 70s film of the same name, straight up asserting his love for classic funk before stepping into the Too Short style that made him an Oakland legend. Includes "Step Daddy", "So You Want To Be A Gangster", "I Want To Be Free", "In The Trunk", "Something To Ride To" and "Hoes". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditional Macedonian rhythms into a jazz perspective – but with players like these, it swings in a way any Macedonian album never could – damn soulful, and with a great exotic vibe. Davis is especially great, and plays in a soaring modal vein that's similar to his work on his classic MPS sides, and on the records he cut in America in the early 70s. The album's a beautiful session that often get's overlooked because it blends it with the Enja catalog – but it's really more of a record that belongs in an MPS reissue series, and is a great lost groover that's waiting to be rediscovered by the Dusty Groove crowd. Titles include "Macedonia", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", "Jumbo Uganda", "Bem Basha", "Saga Se karame", and "The Nights Of Skopje". LP, Vinyl record album

The funky fusion classic from guitarist Volker Krieger! Easily one of Krieger's best albums, Spectrum was remarkably cut in just two days at MPS Studios in 1971 – with a group that includes Peter Baumeister on drums, Cees See on bongos and percussion, Peter Trunk on bass and cello, and John Taylor on Hohner electric piano. It kicks of with the amazing track "Zoom", a seriously funky maelstrom of groovy funky guitar and percussion that mixes in washes of sitar and Eastern effects here and there for a really trippy effect! The album doesn't try to duplicate the frenzy whipped up by the opener right away, and finds a much more relaxed groove in tracks like "So Long, For Now", "More About D", "Ach Kina", and "Instant Judgement" before flailing away in the exciting closer "Strings Revisited". One of the great ones from MPS – and a hugely influential one to the progression of 70s jazz funk. A really groovy record! LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard music from legendary trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – easily one of the hippest talents on his instrument at the time of these recordings – a musician we'd easily rank right up there with American giants like Bob Brookmeyer or JJ Johnson! Albert's got the modern tones and sense of sound that make him an easy match with Brookmeyer – but he can also swing hard with a current of soul that reminds us of Johnson, especially in ensemble passages! Here, he works with some of the best of his scene, including Hans Koller and Joki Freund on tenor, Emil Mangelsdorff on alto, Gunter Lenz and Peter Trunk on bass, Attila Zoller on guitar, and Dusko Goykovich on trumpet – on recently-discovered recordings from the vaults that feature shifting lineups of players, always in rock-solid, creatively-conscious groups that really make the music sparkle. The whole thing's a key look at German modern before the MPS/Saba years – and titles include "Tower Blues", "Spicy", "Joe Und Joe", "Improvisation Zu Einem Klang", "Hersey Bar", and "Vierd Blues". CD

A legendary German session from the 60s – and a record that really showcases the unusual criss-crossing of modes that was going on in the European scene at the time! There's a very strong MPS vibe here – as trumpeter Dusko Goykovich leads a swinging sextet that includes Nathan Davis on flute, soprano, and tenor – blowing some tremendously soulful reed lines – plus incredible rhythms from Mal Waldron on piano, Peter Trunk on bass, and Cees See on drums. The record's an attempt to bring traditional Macedonian rhythms into a jazz perspective – but with players like these, it swings in a way any Macedonian album never could – damn soulful, and with a great exotic vibe. Davis is especially great, and plays in a soaring modal vein that's similar to his work on his classic MPS sides, and on the records he cut in America in the early 70s. The album's a beautiful session that often get's overlooked because it blends it with the Enja catalog – but it's really more of a record that belongs in an MPS reissue series, and is a great lost groover that's waiting to be rediscovered by the Dusty Groove crowd. Titles include "Macedonia", "Old Fisherman's Daughter", "Jumbo Uganda", "Bem Basha", "Saga Se karame", and "The Nights Of Skopje". LP, Vinyl record album

Remember the mid 90s when the blunted Muggs sound bumped from trunks west coast to east? Funkdoobiest didn't invent rhymes about porn and weed, but they went a long way towards perfecting the genre over fat Muggs screech and bounce production on their second album. Includes "Rock On", "Dedicated", "XXX Funk", "What The Deal", "Superhoes", "It Ain't Going Down", "P*ssy Ain't Sh*t" and "Tomahawk Bang". 13 tracks in all. CD