I Think I'll Do Some Stepping (On My Own) (Opolopo rework) (8:29)
I Think I'll Do Some Stepping (On My Own) (John Morales Groove mix) (9:10)
Review: Sandy Barber's 'I Think I'll Do Some Stepping (On My Own)' came as part of 'The Best Is Yet To Come', the singer's 1978 album epitomising her influence over the genre of disco-soul. Now two remixers, OPOLOPO and John Morales, lead the charge in fleshing ever more joy out of this righteous original. 'You think you're so smart, well you're mistaken', goes Barber's refrain, as OPOLOPO's rework brightens nearly element to gaussian overload. John Morales' version, meanwhile, is much more emotive and belting, happily laboured in its faux-unquantized production.
Review: There's no doubt that crate-digger, record collector and renowned Discogs seller Zafsmusic knows more than most about the world of private press vinyl releases. This 12", originally pressed up in super-limited quantities by its' creator, Martin L Dumas Jnr sometime around the turn of the '80s, has long been a must-have for collectors with several thousand dollars to spare. The title track is particularly wonderful - a warm, breezy, loose and fluid chunk of boogie-soul that Zaf has slightly tweaked to suit the needs of modern dancefloors. Flipside "Nonstop To The Top" has a more jazz-funk feel, with intergalactic synths complimenting Dumas Jr's sweet vocal and conscious lyrics.
Review: From Kon's forthcoming compilation on BBE entitled Kon & The Gang, this 12? sampler features two cuts taken from the LP and an exclusive remix from Boston producer and mix engineer Caserta, namely "Timeless" (Caserta mix)" a tasty serving of super deep and low slung disco goodness. A more functional edit for DJ use follows on "Timeless" (remix - Caserta mix)". On the flip Truccy (better known as Compost's Rainer Truby and Corrado Bucci) present "Closer", a gorgeous slo-mo house jam with a rolling groove fetauring all the good stuff: swirling Rhodes keys, groovy congas and hypnotic vox.
Review: Rahaan is a Chicago legend and master of the most soulful sounds in the studio. His new EP for BBE, 'We Are The Ones,' sees him joining up with a whole host of top musicians such as Marcus J. Austin and Nancy Clayton on vocals, Carnell C. Newbill on keys, Todd Swope on guitar and Lou Terry on bass. Between them they bring real dance floor adventures that are steeped in proper musicality. Ohio Players' Kenny Anderson on the horns brings some real soul to these four-to-the-floor cuts which mix up disco and house in the finest of fashion.
Beggar & Co - "Somebody Help Me Out" (Boogie Back radio mix)
Sai Galaxy - "Rendezvous" (feat Vanessa Baker)
Dave Lee & Omar - "Starlight" (radio edit)
Kylie Auldist - "LYB (Love You Better)" (The Waz Exclusive Trunk Of Funk remix)
Lexsoul Dancemachine - "I Don't Mind" (Mr Lex Trunk Of Funk remix)
Sunlightsquare - "I Thought It Was You" (live)
The New Mastersounds - "Watchu Want" (Exclusive Trunk Of Funk vocal version)
The Harlem Gospel Travelers - "God's In Control"
Sister Cookie - "Ain't No Good (But Its Good Enough For Me)" (Feat.Spencer Evoy)
Sugaray Rayford - "Gonna Lift You Up"
Kaz Hawkins - "Shake"
The Nextmen - "Big Time" (feat Kiko Bun)
La Rochelle Band - "Prophet"
The Niceguys - "Power" (feat Bobby Saint - A Skillz remix)
Sly Johnson - "Trust Me"
Cotonete - "Day In Day Out" (feat Leron Thomas)
Roy Ayers - "Tarzan"
Review: Self-proclaimed "quadruple threat" (he is, after all, a DJ, comedian, actor and poet) Craig Charles swings open his colossal Trunk of Funk for a third time. In line with previous dives into the popular BBC 6 Music DJ's music collection, he's served up a selection that moves between the decades, taking in all manner of funky treats (think funk breaks, modern soul, jazz-funk, disco-boogie, classic soul and more). Flick through the clips and you'll find genius-like gospel (the Harlem Gospel Travellers), recent remixes (Smoove reworking the Third Degree, A Skillz putting his stamp on The Niceguys), classics reimagined (the Boogie Back rework of Beggar & Co classic 'Somebody Help Me Out'), modern gems (Dave Lee and Omar) and the odd exclusive (a previously unheard vocal version of The New Mastersounds' 'Watchu Want').
Beggar & Co - "Somebody Help Me Out" (Boogie Back radio mix) (4:55)
Sai Galaxy - "Rendezvous" (feat Vanessa Baker) (5:55)
Dave Lee & Omar - "Starlight" (radio edit) (3:50)
Kylie Auldist - "LYB (Love You Better)" (The Waz Exclusive Trunk Of Funk remix) (4:26)
Lexsoul Dancemachine - "I Don't Mind" (Mr Lex Trunk Of Funk remix) (5:13)
Sunlightsquare - "I Thought It Was You" (live) (4:11)
The New Mastersounds - "Watchu Want" (Exclusive Trunk Of Funk vocal version) (2:41)
The Harlem Gospel Travelers - "God's In Control" (2:38)
Sister Cookie - "Ain't No Good (But Its Good Enough For Me)" (Feat.Spencer Evoy) (2:53)
Sugaray Rayford - "Gonna Lift You Up" (3:29)
Kaz Hawkins - "Shake" (4:40)
The Nextmen - "Big Time" (feat Kiko Bun) (3:17)
La Rochelle Band - "Prophet" (3:36)
The Niceguys - "Power" (feat Bobby Saint - A Skillz remix) (3:22)
Sly Johnson - "Trust Me" (3:08)
Cotonete - "Day In Day Out" (feat Leron Thomas) (4:24)
Roy Ayers - "Tarzan" (4:14)
Review: Craig Charles, renowned for his soulful groove, presents The Craig Charles Trunk Of Funk Volume 3, a collection of 19 tracks that epitomize his passion for soul, blues, disco, and funk. This compilation, curated with long-time collaborator Greg Boraman, showcases Charles' lifelong dedication to soul music. With a career spanning poetry, acting, and television hosting, Charles' love for soul and funk has remained constant. His BBC 6 Music shows and global DJ sets have solidified his reputation as a premier ambassador for these genres. Volume 3 is a blend of club classics, contemporary hits, and timeless soul tunes. The collection, available in double LP gatefold sleeve and CD, is a testament to Charles' ability to seamlessly blend old-school classics with modern beats, creating a dynamic and infectious musical experience. Whether you're a long-time listener or a newcomer to his trunk of funk, this album will make you a fan.
Please Don't Break My Heart (DJ Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland re-edit)
I Like Funky Music (Skratch Bastid Turntable mix)
Black Water Gold Part 2 (DJ Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland extended mix)
Disco Hi-Life
Lovin' You (Smoove Disco dub)
Change
Free Yourself (Full Intention extended remix)
Bad Times (Yam Who extended vocal remix)
Body Work
The Big Throwdown
Losers & Fools (DJ Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland re-edit)
Beyond The Clouds
You're So Far Away (DJ Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland re-edit)
Five Days (CD2: Unmixed)
Love Don't Pay The Bills
Make It Alright
Please Don't Break My Heart (DJ Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland re-edit)
I Like Funky Music (Skratch Bastid Turntable mix)
Black Water Gold Part 2 (DJ Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland extended mix)
Disco Hi-Life
Lovin' You (Smoove Disco dub)
Change
Free Yourself (Full Intention extended remix)
Bad Times (Yam Who extended vocal remix)
Body Work
The Big Throwdown
Losers & Fools (DJ Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland re-edit)
Beyond The Clouds
You're So Far Away (DJ Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland re-edit)
Review: Bristolian turntablist and crate digger Andy Smith has long been renowned for the depth of his funk, soul and hip-hop selections, though it's only in recent years that we've discovered the quality and diversity of his disco collection. He continues to flex those credentials on the third instalment in his Reach Up - Disco Wonderland series. While there's plenty of obscurity on show, as you'd expect, Smith has chosen to include contemporary nu-disco cuts and fresh re-edits alongside vintage picks. So, while we cuts from The Sunshine Band, the disco-highlife of Orlando Julius and some late 70s electro-disco courtesy of French outfit Quartz, we're also treated to fresher tracks and edits from BB Soul, Birdee and Nick Reach Up, Yam Who and Full Intention. Throw in a killer DJ mix of the same material by Skratch Bastid and you have a genuinely essential collection.
Review: Andy Smith's Reach Up - Disco Wonderland Vol. 3 continues his exploration of the "Discosphere" with 16 more and one again carefully curated tracks. Featuring artists like Buscrates, Trailer Limon, and Rena Scott, the compilation also includes stellar edits and remixes by Full Intention, Yam Who, and Skratch Bastid. Initially curated during pandemic lockdowns and inspired by virtual DJ sets, Andy continues to share his superb collection via the legendary BBE Music label and once again this triple vinyl LP offers a treat for DJs, collectors and audiophiles alike.
TB Funk - "Free Blow" (the dub version - G&D edit) (5:01)
Kenny Pierce - "Done Been" (5:13)
Those Good Intentions - "We Know How To Boogie" (6:50)
Sherman Hunter - "Dance To Freedom" (8:12)
Gospel Keepers - "Never Gonna Give You Up" (5:38)
Living Color - "Plastic People" (G&D edit) (4:57)
Roller Disco - "Stone Luv" (4:15)
Carol Meriwether - "Love Ain't Just (A Physical Thing)" (9:35)
William Barlak - "Ain't No Doubt About It" (3:42)
Review: The Grasso is greener in Bologna: home to two of the most well-connected collectors in Italy. Suppliers to the likes of Kenny Dope, Phil Asher and Dimitri, Gino and Federico have carved their crate craft to insane levels over the last 30+ years... As shown on this detailed, widescreen boogie, funk and disco collection for BBC. Splattering the vibrant collection with a handful of their own edits (TB Funk's salubrious struts on "Free Blow", fly-by boogie falsettos on Living Color's "Plastic People"), the Grasso bro's have put together a package that's eye-opening, enlightening and damn fine to party to. See you on the other side.
Review: Almost entirely ignored at the time of its original release, Nigerian drumming maestro Remi Kabaka's legendary original LP Son Of Africa has gone down in legend as the defining solo statement of an incendiary drummer, whose contributions to music across the jazz and rock spectrums is credited and felt strongly to this day. A founding member of Afro-jazz band Osibisa, Kabaka is credited for his work with many a Rolling Stone and Beatle, but it's his solo work on this Afro-funk rare gem that really gets the least easy to please among us going. An Afrofuturist statement to the core, its jubilant vocal chants and defiant trumpet lines are but mere pepperings over the boxy, banging body that is Kabaka's live Afrobeat quads.
I Don't Remember The Last Time I Saw Stars (11:11)
Review: Following their acclaimed debut album Sugar Honey Iced Tea!, NYC duo Musclecars aka Craig Handfield and Brandon Weems are back with a double pack of alternate versions and remixes featuring house legends Louie Vega and Maurice Fulton. Vega reworks 'Tonight' with orchestral flair and festival-ready dub versions including the NV South Jersey Mix and his Bronx Dub. Maurice Fulton's remix of 'Hello?' blends his signature live bass and punchy percussion to add a whimsical touch to the introspective original. The pack also includes stripped-down versions of 'Ha Ya! (Eternal Life)' and 'Water' plus a full side of Musclecars' 'I Don't Remember The Last Time I Saw Stars.'
Review: On the debut EP 'We Are The Ones/Fire/Forever', Chicago DJ and all-out living legend Rahaan collaborates with an equally talented group of musicians: Marcus J. Austin on lead vocals, Nancy Clayton on backing vocals, Carnell C. Newbill (also known as Spike Rebel) on keyboards and backing vocals, Todd Swope on guitar, and Lou Terry on bass. Together, the outfit known as The Ones create an extended three-track EP of transcendent proportions, drawing on the avaricious world-passion for music and life heard in the joyous chasms between psychedelia, Afrobeat and disco. Bridging these precipices by way of a vast, suspensory dancefloor held together by firmly mixable kick drums serving as rivets, Rahaan produces and mixes a viscerally eye-popping set of devotionals here. From the impassioned beatitudes and thanksgivings of 'We Are The Ones', to the desirous chic-funk drum circle envisaged on 'Fire' and the eternal gospel-rock-tinged disco-soul ablution 'Forever' (a special favourite of ours), this is a holy chrism in record form.
Rim & The Believers - "I'm Not Going To Let You Go" (3:11)
Rim & The Believers - "Peace Of Mind" (3:52)
Review: Having re-released Rim Kwaku's long lost Rim Arrives album, BBE follow it up with more dusty disco treasures from the Ghanaian hit maker's repertoire. From the blistering horns and thundering drum rolls of the near-nine-minute romp "Shine The Ladies" right the way through the looser, more Afrobeat-focussed "Peace Of Mind" by way of the emphatic Stevie Wonder-style showmanship of "I'm A Songwriter" it's a collection that still sparkles with soul 30 years after they were recorded. If you're unaware of Rim's story, you'd be wise to check it; from Quincy Jones endorsements to homelessness in the space of 24 hours, Rim's tales are as serious as his music is funky.
Eric Agyemang & His Kokroko Band - "Kokroko Special" (6:19)
Jewel Ackah - "Maame" (7:08)
Thomas Frempong - "Wobre" (4:41)
Mr Cee - "Bribiara Wone Mmre" (4:31)
Katata - "Saturday Night" (5:40)
Sam Yeboah - "Biribi Aye Me" (5:01)
Thomas Frempong - "Me Nyame" (3:55)
Jewel Ackah - "Onipa Dasa Ni" (5:46)
Kantata - "Monsom" (4:49)
Sam Yeboah - "Odo Mewu" (5:34)
Thomas Frempong - "Kweku Anansi" (5:31)
AK Yeboah & Mr K's No 2 Band - "Make Me Know My Position" (6:57)
Kantata - "It's High Time Now" (5:27)
Review: Prepare yourself for a wry chuckle, as we impart the fact that the compilation you see hyperlinked before you was not at all prepackaged, with work cut out for its curators. Rather, it came from the source, having first manifested as a pile of Ghanaian highlife LPs buried at the bottom of DJ Jerry Frempong's wife's garden. Frempong is the son of one of one of the most prominent former Ghanaian-British label owners, Anthony Roberts Frempong of Asona Records, whose founding movements in the South East London district of Peckham proved highly popular helping disseminate highlife music in the English capital. BBE Music owner Pete Adarkwah caught wind of the serendipitous discovery and approached Jerry to discuss the reissue of this historic catalogue, which you hear here. The sweetest of early and untrodden highlife highlights are heard here, including sparklers by Kantata, Jewel Ackah, Sam Yeboah, Mr Cee and even Thomas Frempong himself.
Bell Helium - "We Don't Have To Talk About It" (4:23)
Litto Nebbia & Los Musicos Del Centro - "Como Aprendi A Soportar Tus Inseguridades" (4:17)
Joe Thomas - "A Place In Space" (5:32)
Crosswind - "Heaven" (5:17)
Bugs Beddow - "Life" (5:43)
Astronauts, Etc - "I Know" (demo version) (3:44)
JR Quintet - "Factory Rhythms" (8:41)
MF Robots - "Make The Call" (extended version) (6:03)
April Fulladosa - "For Us" (3:35)
Kirk Reed - "California" (Shawn Lee mix) (4:01)
The Ambassador College Band & New World Singers - "Smile Upon Your Brother" (2:52)
John Standefer & Friends - "Easter Suite" (edit) (2:06)
Review: Mark GV Taylor and George Arthur are the deep diggers behind this new compilation on BBE and it takes its same from their own Reference Point events which pop up all over the place. They are known for travelling far and wide through various genres to explore lesser-known niches and that's what they do here with a broad and brilliant mix from across the ages. Across 15 cuts they serve up jazzy vocals numbers, 1970's Brazilian jazz and everything from soul, jazz, fusion, electronica, yacht rock and plenty more. Many of the tunes are hard to find in their original form, but some are much cheaper but totally less well-known - until now.
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