Funk / Reissue Recommendations March 2014

Review: For a classic 7" that makes you wish you could have experienced the rock and roll and blues heyday, these two dusty gems by Lavern Baker and Jackie Wilson are a great start. Taken from 1960, "Bumble Bees" by Baker is a chiming, doo-wop sing-a-long love song with a tastefully disgruntled character, while Baker & Wilson provide the excellent and X-rated "Think Twice", which sings about taboo topics like cocaine, pussy and reefa. It also boasts lyrics like 'son of a bitch', 'I aint gonna kiss your ass no more' and 'I've had enough of your shit' - not to mention the other out-there obscenities for the time which include references to oral sex. Lil Kim and Khia - eat your heart out!

Review: The third release from the Swiss-based label Rocofort delivers a two-track licensed reissue of James Brown-inspired funk jams by Les Ambassadeurs, a Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Senegalese collective that formed in the late '60s. First up on this quality "7 is "Get Up James", which as the label puts it is "mighty as an earthquake and cutting as a razor", with call and response vocals, screaming horns and break beat rhythms. On the flip is a lower slung, guitar licking, shredding and downright danceable "Make It Funky". Pick this up before it's too late.

Review: Ubiquity's super-collectable Luv N Haight series continues with immaculate aplomb. Here we find Kon applying his crafty edit knife to Twilight's 1986 soul boogie smoocher "You're In Love". The remix carries the full honey-coated vocals while the dub switches the focus to the groove with subtle flourishes of the vocal. A spotless contempory rework.... And, as the seventh volume, it's fittingly the first in the series to be served on 7". Nice touch.

Review: The last time Ray Lugo & The Boogaloo Destroyers dropped some bossa nova-loving heat like this was back in 2011 with the Swingy Boogaloo 7". And following their Mi Watusi album of the same year they return to the Freestyle label with the Latin- flaired and horn-heavy "El Ritmo De Nueva York" and ""Let Me Tell Ya 'Bout The Boogaloo". The former sweats a sultry Spanish vibe with quick piano-playing and an impressive sax section, while the latter is a little more broken beat with an infectious vocal you can sing along too.

Review: You might recognise Sylvia's "You Can't Turn Me Away" from GTA Vice City. You might recognise "Give Me Your Love" from Armand Van Helden's "Full Moon". Or you might just recognise that Sylvia is one seriously talented soulstress. Smouldering with myriad shades of soul and funk, each cut is taken from the Roy Ayers-backed 1981 album Give Me Your Love. Highlights include the sopping wet bass licks on "You Can't Turn Me Away", the bold, tearful strings and slap-bass juxtaposition on "All Alone" the tight guitar plucks and Sylvia's purring delivery on "Searchin'" and the disco gusto on "Give Me Your Love." A true soul gem, this is why the big man invented reissues.

Review: Atlanta soul duo The Trey J's were active on the live circuit for over 20 years, however they only ever release one 45 on Tee Gem Records. Now, thanks to Soul Junction, it's been realised and given the lease of live it truly deserves. "I Found It All In You" is a rocket-fuelled funk jam with big horns, belly-driven vocals and a chorus you simply can't not sing along to. Meanwhile on the B, "We Got A Thing (Going On)" is a much slower, more heartfelt composition that echoes with Otis level gravitas. Forty four years old and still resonating with power, this is one release you can't go without.

Review: H-Track re-release the third in their edit trilogy with this stunning collection of perfectly executed reversions. Calender's epoch-defining string hook and super-tight bass groove "Hypertension" gets a raw, foot-stomping extension, "California One" is a very subtle update of the Con Funk Shun classic while Faith Massive's "Shelter" gets a sparkling Balearic polish that adds emphasis to the lush lazy rare groove essence. Each one is a true treat: grab this limited re-release while you can!

Review: Selected by DJ Javi Bayo, the new Tabu series brings back to life a collection of unique sounds aimed at discerning dancefloors worldwide. Focusing on the reissue of obscure European and Latin American releases, the Tabu series ranges from library music through latin funk to jazz, all issued on 7" vinyl and in strict limited editions.

Two killer tunes by Daniele Patucchi available on a 45 for the first time: METRALLETA STEIN OST's 'Telemark' and 'Red Lamp', taken from yet another obscure 70s Spanish soundtrack: UNA LOCA EXTRAVAGANCIA SEXY...

Review: Well, well, this is a far too dope box set collecting eleven of Kenny Dope's classic breakbeats for your seven inch shaped needs. The Juno review team already have several of these heaters in our collective record horde but since the box set arrived there hasn't been a day passed without an admiring glance thrown in it's general direction. For those unfamiliar with the likes of "Supacat" and "Gunshot", they are fine examples of the Jeep Beat sample heavy instrumental hip hop sound Dope dabbled in during the early nineties. It's the presence here of both the thunderous "Blood Vibes" and the Minnie Ripperton sampling "Get On Down" that makes this box set nigh on essential.

Review: The first Beats In Space release of 2014 sees the label opt for one of New York's lesser known talents in "longtime friends and residents of the Brooklyn underground" Hidden Fees. The production project of Ivan Berko and Thomas Gluibizzi, Hidden Fees have just the one previous record to their name in the shape of 2011?s Sail Away 12?, which featured vocals from Light Asylum's Shannon Funchess and a remix from Welcome Stranger aka Thomas Bullock. The Hidden Fees debut on BIS comes in the shape of So What, which consists of a sole original production described as "organic music for the modern dance floor" that showcases Berko and Gluibizzi's devotion to "natural swing and slight error". Portuguese producer Tiago has been commissioned to deliver two remixes on the B-side, with the self-styled 'One Good Mistress Deserves Another Mix' apparently "blessed by acid flourishes and an unnaturally heavy-hitting kick". It's all housed in the most tropical of sleeves from Gang Gang Dance's Brian DeGraw.

Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from Lack of Afro, AKA veteran funk, soul and hip-hop producer Adam Gibbons. This fourth studio album for regular home Freestyle Records is being pitched as his most eclectic yet. Certainly, there's plenty of variety in the textures, styles and tempos, from the disco-funk stomp of Herbal T hook-up "Brown Sugar" and sweet Northern Soul blast of "The Contender" (all fuzzy guitars and pleasing horns), to the soft soul shuffle of "Making It Right" and Breakestra-ish hip-hop funk of "Here We Go Again". Despite the variety, Gibbons is still at his best when really cutting loose, as the superb opener "Freedom" adeptly demonstrates.

Review: A unique snapshot of 60s New York: decorated compiler Dean Rudland has spent four years exploring the Latin boogaloo movement of the city where echoes of soul, deep funk and rock n' roll were heard via cover versions and homages by bands such as Los Africanos, Machito, Richie & The PS 54 Schoolyard. Much of the output leads back to the legendary Bobby Marin - a golden resource for DJ Premier samples - who worked just as hard behind the scenes as he did with his own Latin Blues Band. Loaded with a rich, physical party sound, it's the rough and raw counter to the smoother, larger productions released by Fania at the time. Highlights include the crazed synth jams on "It's A Feeling", Machito & His Orchestra's emphatic covers of Sam & Dave's "Hold On" and Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood". Complete with detailed liner notes, this really is an exceptional, insightful project that's a joy from start to finish.

Review: Nostalgia 77 delivers his sixth artist album and, like his previous works, it's instantly engaging. Taking a more contemplative route, it's a whole new side to the accomplished musician. Opening charm comes by way of the sun-kissed folk numbers "What Do You Know" and "Crescent City", both of which set a somewhat hippy motif throughout. Elsewhere we're instantly seduced by the reggae-tinged soul of "Don't Run", the smoky horn fusion of "Medicine Chest" and the raw naked soul of "One". Once again Nostalgia 77 has delivered something truly special. Many may argue this is his best album to date.