An overlooked gem from Wilson Pickett – recorded in the post-Atlantic years, and with some great funky moments mixed in with those undeniably soulful vocals from the Wicked Pickett! Arrangements are by Brad Shapiro, who works the same magic here with Wilson that he did with a handful of other southern soul artists – updating their groove a bit more for the 70s, while also still respecting the best rootsy elements of the vocals. The style's a lot like some of Joe Tex's best funky moments from the same time – save that Wilson's vocals are even rawer and grittier – and titles include "I'm Gonna Do It All Over", "That Woman", "Best Part Of A Man", "Let Me Know", "Sweetwater Jail", and "It's Gonna Be Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 40 tracks. CD

One of the most unique albums to ever come out of the Miami soul scene of the 70s – a sublime set of work that we'd easily rank right up there with the best material of the time from Donny Hathaway or Stevie Wonder! Milton Wright has a really jazzy groove to his music – and he mixes his own acoustic guitar lines with warm keyboards and unusual rhythms that often have a bit of synth or moog – never too much, and almost more of a Mizell-like touch, but a bit more understated overall! The cuts are wonderfully written – quite righteous, almost with a Terry Callier sort of sensitivity – and Milton's vocals more than have the chops to live up to the heady batch of artists we're comparing him to in these notes. The sound is amazing throughout – one of those soul records that feels like nothing else you've ever heard, but which you can't live without once you've heard it! Titles include "Friends & Buddies", "Keep It Up", "Brothers & Sisters", "Get No Lovin' Tonight", "Po Man", "Black Man", and "Silence That You Keep". LP, Vinyl record album

A DJ mix by Carlos Campos - features Grupo Batuque, Shazz & Alexandre Destrez, Russ Gabriel, Haitiando, Los Ninos Del Sara, Strunz & Fara, Afro Cuban Jazz Project, Leyanis Lopez, Rapsodia, Bakuleye, and more. CD

A set that goes much farther back than the others in this series, and which has a much wider range of music, too – not just drumbreaks and basslines, but a mix of many different elements that have been sampled in recent years! Given that the package includes cuts samples by artists who include Chance The Rapper, Jay Z, Wu Tang Clan, Amy Winehouse, Prodigy, and Damian Marley, you can bet there's a good sense of variety going on – and the 2LP set features 28 tracks in all – with titles that include "Black & Tan Fantasy" by Thelonious Monk, "Walk On By" by Cal Tjader, "Angel Eyes" by Ahmad Jamal, "Rags & Old Iron" by Nina Simone, "Russian Lullaby" by Ella Fitzgerald, "Sign Of The Times" by Bob James, "Yesterdays" by Clifford Brown & Max Roach, "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" by Dinah Washington, "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" by Gil Scott Heron, "All Through The Night" by Ella Fitzgerald, "Exodus" by Ferrante & Teicher, "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones, "I'm Shakin" by Little Willie John, "Lonely Bull" by Herb Alpert, "God Bless The Child" by Billie Holiday, and "Time Out For Tears" by Chris Connor. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare TK Records effort from James Brown – very much in the best uptempo funk mode of the later Polydor years! The groove here is quite similar to those better-known efforts – grooves that are a bit quicker than a few years before, but still played in a core JB funky style – live and lively, with plenty of emphasis on the rhythms! Brown often referred to his style here as disco, but it's a lot more like some of the P-Funk progressions of the period – a mode that's more polished than a grittier funky generation, yet far from smooth club or disco overall. There's plenty of choppy little groovers that make the record great – and titles include the long cut "Rapp Payback", plus "Funky Men", "Smokin & Drinkin", "Stay With Me", and "Mashed Potatoes". LP, Vinyl record album

A heady batch of work from the Miami scene of the 70s – all of it from the legendary TK Records family of labels, headed up by superproducer Henry Stone! Over the years, some folks have taken Henry to task for his operational strategies – but there's no denying that he's a key figure in helping the sound of the south move from the 60s into the 70s – picking up plenty of funk and sophistication along the way! The set's overflowing with classics from Stone's empire at the time – including many cuts that have been sampled or reworked heavily in recent decades – titles that include "I'm Too Tough For Mr Big Stuff" by Vicki Anderson, "Miami Funk" by The Funky Bunch, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "Sleep On Dream On" by Raphael Munnings, "Smokin & Drinkin" by James Brown, "Miss Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "The Rub" by George & Gwen McCrae, "Funkadelic Sound" by Little Beaver, "Future Place" by Jimmy Castor, "I Like My Birdie" by Leon Phillips, "Throwdown" by The King Tutt Band, "Back From The Dead" by Bobby Byrd, "Shake N Bump (part 1)" by Snoopy Dean, and "You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing" by Timmy Thomas. LP, Vinyl record album

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

Music from Elza Soares, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque, Baden Powell, Edu Lobo, Maria Bethania, Jorge Ben, Toquinho, Silvia Torres, Lenine, Jazzanova, Masters At Work, Truby Trio, Mo'Horizons, Soul Ascendants, Da Lata, Moodorama, Suba, and more – 30 tracks in all. CD

Freaky French tracks from a variety of sources – served up here in a set that does a great job of going past the obvious choices from the Serge Gainsbourg side of the spectrum! The music here comes from a great array of records – including some rare singles and soundtracks too – and our collective hats are off to the compilers, who really made some great choices for the collection throughout! Then again, the label is based in France, so they certainly know their stuff – as you'll hear on titles that include "Young Freedom" by Francis Lai, "Digen" by Bernard Lloret, "Work City" by Cliff Carwin, "Le Troublant Temoignage De Paul Martin" by Paul Martin & Jean Pierre Castaldi, "L'Appartement" by Philippe Sarde, "Drug Song" by Janko Nilovic, "Exkalibur" by Vladimir Cosma, "Tecumsah" by Christian Chevalier, "Skyway" by Jean Claude Petit, "Kidnapping" by Karl Heinz Schafer, "Reinyet Number" by Eden Rose, and "Turn Me On" by Roger Renaud. LP, Vinyl record album

The diggin comes easy when you know where to start – and that's definitely the case here, in a set funky nuggets from the 70s – some well-known, some more obscure, and all working together to make for a mighty tight little collection! There's a number of tracks here from the Miami scene, mixed with work from some farther-flung points – and all the cuts on the collection have a nice hard edge – that moment when funk was advanced a bit more past the 45rpm underground, yet still hadn't gotten too polished or commercial! Titles include "Handle It" by The Sylvers, "Nobody's Butt But Yours Babe" by Blowfly, "Mashed Potato Popcorn" by Freddie & The Kinfolk, "Come On Baby" by Beginning Of The End, "Hang It Up" by Patrice Rushen, "Cosmic Funk" by Mad Dog Fire Department, "Flying Fish" by Asha Puthli, "Bump & Hustle Music" by Tommy Stewart, "Why Did You Do It" by Margaret Singana, "I'm So In Love With You" by Wizdom, and "Till I Get My Share" by Clarence Reid. LP, Vinyl record album

Forgive the record its title, and dive in deeply to the mix of tracks within – as there's a whole heck of a lot here we might not have heard otherwise – served up from a great array of rare Mid-Eastern records of the 70s, plus some other bits from later years too! The vibe is maybe a bit like some of the releases on the Habibi Funk label of late, but the span is a bit wider too – as sources for sounds stretch all across North Africa, up the east coast of the Mediterranean too – tracks from disparate scenes, but all brought together in the love of a groove! Titles include "Give Me Disco" by Raja Zahr, "Ma'A Ibnat" by Ouiness, "Nisyan" by Ahmed Fakroun, "Zina" by Raina Rai, "Nadim" by Freh Khodja, "Drum Sequence" by Raja Zahr, "I Love You Lina" by Elias Rahbani, "Sehr El Oyoun" by Mustapha Amar, "Pop Corn" by Omar Khorshid, "Halelo" by Dur Dur Band, "Mabruk" by Ali Hassan Kuban, and "Sabrina" by Freedom. LP, Vinyl record album

A heady collection of Afro Funk from the 70s – one that features cuts from some of the West African scene who helped make the music huge at the time, plus a few surprising entries from other spots too! The package is a great no-nonsense dip into the genre – put together by the same folks who did the favorite Sampled series in recent years, with a similar focus on top-shelf cuts! Titles include "Boogie Down In Africa" by Willie Nfor, "Friday Night" by Livy Ekemezie, "Gone With The Sun" by The Wings, "Mind Twister" by Apples, "Ajo" by Peter King, "Ayala" by Itadi, "Khomo Tsaka Deile Kae" by Marumo, "Amponsah" by Ebo Taylor, "Keleya" by Moussa Doumbia, "Pop Konde" by Mangue Konde & Les 5 Consuls, "Jungle Music" by Kelenkye Band, "Get Up & Do It Good" by Super Elcados, "Temeles" by Alemayehu Eshete, "Kwaku Ananse" by Apagya Showband, and "Get The Funk" by Orlando Julius. LP, Vinyl record album

It's no secret that the Brazilian scene was a hotbed of funk in the 70s – and this sweet collection serves up some of the best tracks from the time – in a heady mix of music that moves between samba soul, jazzy funk, and some more experimental cuts as well – almost all by Brazilian artists and musicians, but mixed with a few surprising global entries too! Titles include "Agora Chega" by Super Som Ta, "Avenida Atlantica" by Rosa Maria, "Lotus 72D" by Ze Roberto, "Jimmy Renda Ze" by Tom Ze, "Nebulosa" by Tenorio Jr, "Vale Tudo" by Sandra De Sa, "16 Toneladas" by Noriel Vilela, "Volks Volkswagen Blue" by Os Brazoes, "Trem Da Central" by Sandra De Sa, "Swinga Sambaby" by Trio Mocoto, "Carolina Carol Bela" by Jorge Ben & Toquinho, "Naturalemente" by Marcos Valle, "Eu E O Meu Amor" by Antonio Carlos Jobim & Roberto Paiva, "Morro Do Barraco Sem Agua" by Lemos E Debetio, "Morre O Burro Fica O Home" by Osmar Milito, and "Tenha Fe Pois Amanha Um Lindo Dia Vai Nascer" by Salinas. LP, Vinyl record album

A hefty collection of funky nuggets – all key 70s tracks, with a nice focus on the sort of sharp-edge material that's gone on to form the basis of famous samples over the years! Yet all these tracks are more than great enough on their own – not obscure works from the farther reaches of the underground, but the kind of instant classics that we keep on loving more and more as the years go by – essentially listening for any lover of funk from the decade! Titles include "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango, "Bra" by Cymande, "All This Love That I'm Givin" by Gwen McCrae, "Concrete Jungle" by Little Beaver, "I Get Lifted" by George McCrae, "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" by Gil Scott Heron, "Yum Yum" by Fatback Band, "Nobody's Butt But Yours Babe" by Blowfly, "Baby Let Me Take You In My Arms" by Detroit Emeralds, and "Chance With You" by Brother To Brother. LP, Vinyl record album

Killer cuts from the seemingly endless legacy of Indian film music – with an especially strong focus on those 70s and early 80s moments when the work was especially funky! If you know this scene at all, you'll know that even past the years of disco in the US, Indian film musicians were still using plenty of the funky drums, riffing guitar, and heavy basslines that you'd find in American blacksploitation soundtracks from the previous decade – so even the cuts here from the mid 80s still sound pretty darn wonderful, and mix with the 70s tracks to make for a massive package of Bollywood funk! Titles include "Come Closer" by Salma Agha, "Dance Music" by Bappi Lahiri, "Streets Of Calcutta" by Ananda Shankar, "Orchestral Music" by Raghunath Seth & Dheeraj, "Jeena Bhi Kya Koi Jeena Hai" by Salma Agha & Bappi Lahiri, "Dum Maro Dum" by Asha Bhosle, "Love Me Baby" by Annet Pinto, "Ding Dong Ding Dong" by Sharon Prabakar, "Sansanikhez Koi Baat" by Asha Bhosle & Hemant Bhosle, "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" by Parvati Khan, and "Are Di Se Dil Mile" by RD Burna. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Elvis Crespo, Boy Ge Mendes, Willy DeVille, Lenine, Carlinhos Brown, Ricardo Lemvo, Plena Libre, Soul Quality Quartet, Nicola Conte, Buscemi, and more. CD

Includes tracks by S-Tone Inc, Montefiori Cocktail, Bobby Hughes Combination, Gerardo Frisina, Choc Electrique, Los Van Van, Mo' Horizons, Dee Felice Trio, Zuco 103, Africanism, and more. CD

A budget collection – but one that's filled with heavy hitters from the Fania catalog! Includes 30 tracks by Joe Bataan, Roberto Roena, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, Charlie Palmieri, Joe Cuba, the Fania All Stars, Willie Rosario, Sonor Poncena, and more! CD

Sampled tracks from back in the day – a nice little collection that runs from 70s soul to early 80s boogie, with a few funky jazz cuts in between! As with other volumes, the work here has all gone on to form the building blocks of more famous tracks in recent years – as this work's been sampled by Snoop Dog, De La Soul, MC Solaar, Method Man, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, and others – sounds heard here in the full original tracks! There's a total of 17 titles in all – and cuts include "Love Is You" by Carol Williams, "IOU" by Freeez, "Din Daa Daa (US rmx)" by George Kranz, "Money" by Jimmy Spicer, "Heartbeat" by Taana Gardner, "More Spell On You" by Eddie Johns, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "The Rub" by George & Gwen McCrae, "Funky Mule" by Ike Turner, "I Got My Mind Made Up (7" mix)" by Instant Funk, "The Message" by Cymande, "Just An Illusion" by Imagination, "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" by Bob James, "All This Love I'm Givin" by Gwen McCrae, "And The Beat Goes On (single edit)" by The Whispers, "Dance With You" by Carrie Lucas, and "It's A New Day" by Skull Snaps. LP, Vinyl record album

A stupid title, but a record that features some excellent material from Mingus' fruitful trip to Europe in 1964! The 2CD set brings together live tracks recorded at the Salle Wagram in Paris, played by Mingus with a small group that includes Eric Dolphy, Clifford Jordan, Jaki Byard, and Dannie Richmond. Johnny Coles also plays trumpet on a haunting version of "So Long Eric", recorded very shortly before Dolphy's tragic early death – and the set features great long versions of "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk", "Meditations On Integration", and "Fables Of Faubus". Live Mingus is crucial to any fan of this genius – and the kinds of colors and creativity expressed in a live set like this are a key component to an understanding of his music! CD