Brian Bennett & Alan Hawkshaw - "Name Of The Game" (4:25)
Dave Richmond - "Confunktion" (4:38)
Review: Measured Mile is a new 7" label run by regular Ace consultant and confidante Bob Stanley. The plan is to release DJ-friendly 45s that are either very rare or previously unavailable on seven-inch. On this new one come two pieces from esteemed library musicians - the well known pairing of Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett, and Dave Richmond. 'Name Of The Game' is a slow instrumental blues piece with beats ready to be plundered for hip-hop beats that once soundtracked a 1970s aftershave ad, while Richmond's 'Confunktion' is a motivational builder-upper with drums and organs aplenty.
James Brown - "Funky Men" (Dimitri From Paris Special version) (6:13)
The JB's - "Just Wanna Make You Dance" (feat Maxxi - Dimitri From Paris Special version) (6:48)
Review: Dimitri From Paris returns with a fresh installment of his celebrated DFP Vaults series, highlighting deep cuts that reinforce his status as a top-tier remixer, DJ, and a true connoisseur of dance music's hidden gems. This release holds particular significance for Dimitri, as it pays homage to the legendary James Brown, a figure whose influence in music is beyond measure. The release features Dimitri's 'Special Version' of 'Funky Men,' a track from James Brown's Soul Syndrome. Originally overlooked by Dimitri in 1981, it now shines with a unique disco beat that he's reimagined using both vintage and modern editing techniques. The track has already proven its power on the dance floor. On the flip side, Dimitri revisits 'Just Wanna Make You Dance' by The J.B.'s, featuring Maxxi. This rare disco track, with its Caribbean flair, gets Dimitri's expert touch, enhancing its dancefloor appeal. DFP Vaults, the sister label to Le-Edits Records, presents this release with meticulous attention to detail, featuring state-of-the-art mastering and vintage-inspired packaging.
Review: This latest is a reissue of a Congress Productions EP featuring their seminal 'Neptune'. The much-sampled early 80s jazz-funk classic comes in original form next to two unreleased cuts. The first is a rare boogie cut 'Live It Up' that has been extended for more dancefloor heft having first been dropped under the D'aile' alias as a B-side. Then comes 'Kevin's Funk' which is named in reference to Incognito trumpet player Kevin Robinson, who played as part of a Congress-associated line-up for this session.
Review: Conceived for maximum floor-lift, Daje Funk is the namesake of both artist and label; here the elusive but fun-loving moniker brings another four whopper disco edit-remixes to vinyl, further charging the collective body with a haul of kitsch spirituals. Three out of four tracks here are "lovely edited" - intentional or not, we can't resisting stealing such brilliant turns of phrase - by longtime Roman disco purveyor Les Inferno, with the support of a cracking cadre made up of fellow producers and engineers Max Pottini, Emiliano Patrick Legato and Dom Scuteri. Stefano Fusco also handles the B1; and though we don't know the original IDs of any of the tracks here, the vibe is consistently spirited, and the artists only carefully betray their access to the original stems (made eventually obvious by faint vocal delays, extra-thwacking kick EQs, etc.).
Review: Boom! Ultra rare outernational funk reissue action by the new Habibi Funk imprint! Dalton were a late '60s soul band formed in Tunis by a group of American music enthusiasts, and their one and only LP under the Dalton name was independently released and super rare until now. "Alech" nears psychedelic territories thanks to its echoing vocals and trippy percussion, whereas "Soul Brother" is more of a classic soul ballad, but filled with the band's own native roots, of course. Be sure to check, this is hot and recommended for the diggers.
Review: An instantly recognisable voice in the funk sphere for over 60 years, you can't talk about Togolese music with mentioning the funkmaster and 'King of Gazo' himself Roger Damawuzan. Containing an unreleased single from his upcoming album 'Seda', this double single is funk so heavy it'll weigh you down. 'Fine Fine' is a slick and fast-paced track of contentment - leave the man alone he said he's fine! - and 'Red Light' is a squeaky clean showcase of what made Damawuzan so popular in Togo with his carefree and charismatic attitude. All you funk lovers out there have got to give this a spin.
Review: Dallas based singer-songwriter Derek Damian recorded the gloriously life-affirming soul nugget 'Watcha Wanna Do' a decade ago. It has lost none of its charm or magic all these years later as this new pressing attests. The rolling grooves, the effortlessly epic vocals and the serene string all ooze class. On the flip, he gets more romantic with the perfectly tender and intimate 'Never Felt So Good.' It's beefed up by bold baritone vocals, contemporary R&B production and gooey bass. A killer 45 for sure.
Review: Dallas based singer-songwriter Derek Damian recorded the gloriously life-affirming soul nugget 'Watcha Wanna Do' a decade ago. It has lost none of its charm or magic all these years later as this new pressing attests. The rolling grooves, the effortlessly epic vocals and the serene string all ooze class. On the flip, he gets more romantic with the perfectly tender and intimate 'Never Felt So Good.' It's beefed up by bold baritone vocals, contemporary R&B production and gooey bass. A killer 45 for sure.
Review: Dancefloor Stompers was formed in Sardinia in 2009. They are a talented group of musicians who have a big love of mod jazz, black music roots and Italian soundtracks and library music classics from the 50s through to the 80s and all of that influences this new EP, Phuture Soul. Recorded and mixed at Solid Twin Studio between May 2021 and January 2022, it kick off with the title track which pairs rock guitars with funky basslines. 'Catch This Train' has a more playful pop-rock feel with big horns, 'Glass Tears' is a smoother groove and 'Not In My Name' closes on a more downbeat note.
Catch Me When I'm Falling (feat La Donna Wells) (4:04)
In My Mind (3:05)
Review: Derwin Daniels, an accomplished soprano saxophonist and composer, crafted this smooth r&b 45 back in 1989. Featuring the powerhouse vocals of the late La Donna Wells, who delivers a performance on par with Mary J Blige, this gem pre-dates "What's The 411" by three years. The track oozes slick, deep r&b vibes that are soulful enough to fit seamlessly into modern soul and disco sets. On the flip side, Daniels treats listeners to some jazzy brilliance, showcasing his versatility as a musician. An essential find.
Review: With the passing of William Daron Pulliam last year, the music world truly lost a singular and unique talent. Here Californian soul daddies Ubiquity pay homage to his most recognised works "Didn't I See" with a limited edit-focused 12". There is of course the feeling one shouldn't mess with perfection - and this Darondo track certainly falls into that category - but each of the three edits that accompany the original are considered reworks that subtly add some extra character without losing any of its power to move. Kinjo Music founder Dave Allison perhaps excels the most in this regard, subtly nudging the tempo up and adding some extra percussive detail that soul selectors will appreciate.
Review: Mr Bongo restock a brilliant 7" in their signature Brazil 45s series. The nineteenth to grace it, this blue-starred slice of small wax shone a light on Wilson das Neves' brilliant cover of Average White Band's 'Pick Up The Pieces' on the A, as well as a Mr Bongo fave on the B, Som Tres' potent samba-funk overflow 'Tanga'. The former flexes the historic muscles of a mythic Brazilian percussionist and vibesman, lending fidgety soft feels to AWB's already lull-lifting concoction; then 'Tanga' contrasts to this sense of measuredness with pure animal verve, as Tres' calls out to his bandmates commandingly amid whirlwinds of piano and drums.
Review: Impressive original funk largesse from Swiss supergroup Daschenka Project; 'Craving For Love' demonstrates just that, with impeccable recordings by one Luc Montini at One Drop Studios backing up an indelible ensemble cast of musicians, from Dascha Luscher (vocals), Jean-Pierre Von Dach (guitar), Michael Chylewski (bass) and a tripartite brass section comprising Charlotte Lang, Noah Eiermann and Moritz Renner. Where the A-side revels in an ultra-lively energy, 'Spinning Round' on the B plies the record with an equal measure of chillout soul food.
Review: This newly formed and already brilliant label is back with more previously unreleased instrumentals that bring a different twist and dancefloor edge to classic sounds from the rock and indie world. First up we get a subtle edit of 'Sound and Vision' which has a nice fat and funky bassline bouncing beneath the splashy drums as nice acoustic guitar melodies ring out next to glistening retro-future pads. It's a cosmic trip that oozes soul then things slow down on the flip with 'Young Americans'. This one is a nice go-slow instrumental with funky and expressive horn work taking the lead over the fat-bottomed drums and bass.
Review: When he moved to Germany in the early 1980s, Hudson People's Reg Hudson quickly connected with Johnny Davis - a funk and soul musician who had originally moved to the country in the 1960s while serving in the U.S Army. They recorded a string of tracks and albums together, though only a small number of these recordings were ever released. 'Expand Your Mind', a gorgeous, synth-enhanced, mid-tempo slab of "groove" music (a kind of warmer, more soulful and generally more organic-sounding sub-genre that sat somewhere between boogie and 80s soul), was one of those - though original copies are very hard to come by. This gem sits on side B of this issue, playing second fiddle to the previously unreleased 'Life's a Party' - a slap-bass, piano-solo-sporting slab of rubbery boogie/jazz-funk fusion.
New Sound Quartet - "Bass Construction" (Marc Davis edit) (5:47)
The Saucer Planes - "Straight To The Point" (Marc Davis edit) (8:13)
Review: Producer, DJ, and revered collector Marc Davis returns to his Chi-Talo series with a much-anticipated second volume. The Chi-Talo series deals in split EPs; each entry draws on an ultra-rare Chicago house gem and an Italian disco record respectively (one for the A and one for the B), re-working both into an enduring dialectal retelling of each city's contemporaneous come-ups in the 1980s and 90s. This time around, we're met with a reconstruction of 'Bass Construction', first heard on the Italo disco album Crazy Colours by New Sound Quartet (1979). Then comes a wonky, handclapping rendition of The Saucer Planes' 'Straight To The Point', the original of which can hardly be found on the net at all, even now. Both are huge but humble versions, marking out the guidelines for yet more editors to come.
Review: In 1977 in Portland, writer Ron Stassens assembled members of Pleasure and Transport around Slickaphonic frontman Milton Davis and the result was an album's worth of amazingly soulful disco-funk, re-released in July 2023 under the Albina Music Trust label... However, here for the first time ever, on Soul7/Jazzman records' picture sleeved 7" 45, Milton Davis returns home in this most apt of formats, on only 500 numbered copies with the stand out 'Headed For The Disco'. A gorgeously sweet solid gold soul track that ventures into jazz funk at the beautifully timed electric guitar and organ breaks where the 'get down' is inevitable but satisfyingly returns to the repetitive refrains of the melody. Joyously extending what disco truly means, be that a hustle or a step back, here the breadth of this uplifting genre is celebrated, concluding in a lush decrescendo 'aaaahhhh...'. Add this to the more mid-tempo classically soulful smoochy B-side 'All I Want To Do' and you won't want to hang around, as Soul 7/Jazzman singles whilst applauding rarer grooves notoriously become collectables in themselves.
Review: As far as the Juno Records review team care, the DC based Peoples Potential Unlimited have been on a run of 100% boogie heaters roughly since their inception in 2008. The latest transmission from Andrew Morgan's label sees a 12" presentation of disco funk holy grails from Milwaukee act Dazzle ahead of a PPU released long player Made In The Shade. Not to be confused with the Patch Adams and Leeroy Burgess fronted group of the same name, Dazzle was the work of Donald D. Smith and this 12" presents three tracks originally recorded in 1981. "Explain" is the outright jam here, heavily stacked with thick analogue leads and brisk funk riffs. All hail PPU!
Review: Stefano De Santis echoes purple dubstep on this live-feeled new electronic jazz dazzler, all improvised synth fusion that works well both as a danceable cut and a timeout moment. Just two tunes, 'Santos 79' and 'Moon Over Rio' come across like the morning and evening sides of De Santis' lifeworld; the former is a warm, glitzing sonic waxing, full of tweezy approach notes and Simmons drum 'pows'; the latter is a crepuscular waning, contrasting to the other by way of twinkly chime cascades and deeper chromatic blues.
Review: Lisa Decker makes a return with two new singles here that are taken from her upcoming album which is due in May of this year. It comes two years after her debut with the Japanese jazz trio Nautilus and marks something of a conceptual shift in her sound. 'Love & Hope' finds her turn in a stylish jazz vocal with funky bass loops and organic drums and percussion that straddle many different genres. 'Summer Child' then sinks into a nice smooth jazz-funk vibe with soft focus chords bringing a touch of class to her breezy vocals.
Review: Over the last couple of years, Matasuna Records has developed a tried-and-tested formula. It revolves around finding and licensing killer cuts - think funk, Afrobeat, tropical flavours and Latin beats - and then pairing them with a fresh, floor-friendly re-edit. Their latest find is something of an overlooked gem: a gorgeously sunny 1983 number from Ghanaian musician Mawuli Decker that's piled high with infectious, EWE-language vocals, Highlife guitars, spacey Moog sounds and cute electric piano solos. The accompanying Renegades of Jazz re-edit is pleasingly faithful to its source material, deftly showcasing Decker's brilliant music while beefing up the bass, subtly tightening up the drums and layering on some complimentary hand percussion.
The Dave Hamilton Band - "Who" (unreleased version) (3:06)
Review: Kent Records continue their mission to reissue a string of perhaps-released, perhaps-not music from the untapped vaults of Northern soul. 'Who' might just be the next standard for the diggers' genre; performed on vocals by obscure soul-feeder Jackie Dee, the track is a lo-fi yet ultimately danceable jam, dealing with the disbelief of it being you, as opposed to anyone else. An unreleased version of the song by The Dave Hamilton band on the B-side amps up the funk, brightening up the bass and rhythm guitar elements for a breezier take on things.
Review: As the Record Store Day releases keep on getting rolled out at various times owing to various pressing delays, sometimes we're presented with a pearler out of the blue. This is one of them and it comes in the form of a Steely Dan cover. Obviously that is brave territory because not much can be improved upon when it comes to Dan, but Deep Heat's version of 'Do It Again' bucks that trend with super funky styles. It first came on small Detroit label, Cu-Wu, and original copies are hard to find and expensive when you do so be sure to snap this one up.
Review: The newly launched vinyl arm of Outta Sight gets off to a fantastic start this month with no fewer than three utterly curial 7"s all dropping. The label deals in golden era Norther Soul reissues and this Sam Diss offering certainly falls within that remit. These vintage soul tunes were first out out in 1968 and come with carefree, loved up moods thanks to great use of acoustic drums and alto sax leads. The vocals are of course what really pack in the emotion as they rise and fall to take you on a proper rollercoaster.
Review: Ron Hardy's legacy lives on though stories of his legendary DJ sets but also his seemingly endless catalogue of edits and reworks of the tunes he played in his heyday. Here we have another such exhibit in which he flips some classic disco. The original version of 'No Way Back' is riddled with picked guitar licks and dreamy keys while a funky low end moves on this disco-rock gem as brass bursts out for added oomph. Hardy ups the pace, twists it beyond this realm and adds big drum breaks that are Prue bit for dancers. It's a classic in its own right that gets regular plays by more bold and eclectic DJs.
Review: Delvon Lamarr has been working his magic on the organ for years, backing up artists from Lucky Brown to Dog Shredder and The True Loves, but these days he puts his keys front and centre with his own sure-shot trio. Hot on the heels of 2021's widely celebrated I Told You So, Lamarr and his band are back once more with Cold As Weiss. As well as the sweet organ flexing, Jimmy James holds the groove down on drums while Daniel Weiss chops it up on the guitar. Seriously smooth and funky as hell, Lamarr brings it full force on this latest crucial cut.
Review: A welcome return to action for Nashville scene stalwart DeRobert Adams and his faithful backing band the Half Truths, who between them have released countless revivalist soul gems over the last decade. '100 Yard Dash' is a fiercely up-tempo affair, with Adams' powerful vocals (he's somewhere between James Brown and Teddy Pendergrass) and the band's 1960s style soul instrumentation riding a breakbeat so fast that you could probably play it in a drum & bass set. It is a genuinely ace track all told, as is the more punchy, semi-stomping flipside funk workout 'It's All The Time'.
Review: Devando's Don't Trust A Man (With No Vices) brings a fusion of hip-hop, funk and soul with electro and boogie influences. Part 1 on the A-side delivers infectious fun funk vibes, featuring electro elements and a vocoder-generated robotic voice that adds a playful edge. The track is driven by a captivating synthesiser lead and complemented by great organ sounds, creating an irresistible groove that keeps listeners moving. On the flip there's a different take on the theme, presenting more of a dub version with an alternate twist. While retaining some vocals, this version leans more towards instrumental elements, allowing the music itself to take centre stage.
Review: William Devaughn's most famous song has been covered umpteen times over the years, in all kinds of styles, but sometimes nothing can beat the original. 'Be Thankful For What You Got' is just one of those universal messages, delivered in such smooth, engaging insistency you feel it from the first time you hear it. Now Demon Singles Club are pressing it up as a single backed with the equally excellent but perhaps less well-known 'Blood Is Thicker Than Water'. The 1974 track tracks the same groove as its A-side counterpart and offers up a different lyrical message on top - something you'd normally associate with reggae, but when the backing track is this perfect it translates very nicely over to soul too.
Review: William DeVaughn hears two cuts from his classic D.C. album Be Thankful For What You Got reissued for the first time on 12" since 1974. A rare ode to gratefulness in a world of material gratuitousness, but two lines from the title track of the original eight-track opus resound, and capture the sentiment perfectly: "you may not own a car at all... but remember, brothers and sisters, you can still stand tall!" As sampled by N.W.A, De La Soul, Outkast, Ludacris, Big Tymers, Rihanna, Hip Club Groove and L'Imperatrice, the A-sider is a historical record; its strength lies in its affecting singularity of theme and moral sway, and, on the instrumental side of things, we can say the same of its tight playing and serene sound. Backed by the cream of Philadelphia session groups MFSB (Norman Harris, Vince Montana, John Davis), DeVaughn wax continues to wax poetic over themes of inheritance, love, and compersion; a great foundation laid for the gangster rap that would follow from it.
Review: For the 83rd release in their Brazil 45 series, Mr. Bongo presents yet another a gem in the form of two classic tracks by Brazilian soul legend Roberto De Melo Santos, also known as Di Melo. Born in Recife in 1949, Di Melo is celebrated as an icon of Brazilian funk despite a limited discography. His 1975 self-titled debut is a prized collector's item that is widely loved by Brazilian funk fans, breakbeat enthusiasts and sample seekers. This release revives two standouts from that cult album in 'Kilario,' which is a smooth, soulful masterpiece, and 'Pernalonga,' a feel-good tune featuring catchy guitar, horns and a memorable drum break that was famously sampled in 2009's 'The People Tree.'
Review: The Diasonics are a Moscow-based band who have been honing their chops on labels like Record Kicks, Funk Night and Mocambo over the past four years. Their latest single maintains the groove they've laid out on previous releases, serving up an organ-heavy sound which doffs its cap to the 60s beat era, leading in with an instrumental take on soul standard 'Beggin' that has crowd-pleaser stamped all over it. 'Take One' is the funkier jam on the B-side which revels in wah wah guitar licks and a feel-good mood guaranteed to get a party loosened up in all the right ways.
I Like (The Music That You Play) (club vocal) (7:30)
I Like (The Music That You Play) (club instrumental) (7:07)
Review: Parisian jazz-funk, disco and boogie band Chatobaron - an outfit helmed by multi-instrumentalist Frank Chatona - have previously worked in the studio with house and nu-disco mainstay Art of Tones, so it's no surprise to see them recruiting the mighty Dimitri From Paris to mix their latest single. His A-side 'Club Vocal' mix is a genuinely riotous and celebratory affair, with strong group vocals (singing about how much they love 'your' music) and heady horns rising a jolly and joyous, piano-sporting disco-funk groove rich in low-slung bass and Cerrone style percussion. It comes accompanied not by one of Dimitri's deconstructed dubs, but rather an equally excitable 'Club Instrumental' mix that boasts all the goodness of his A-side mix minus the vocals.
Review: Originally composed by Don Blackman and recorded by Weldon Irvine in 1975, this rare 70s groove has been reimagined in a brand-new recording that importantly stays true to the essence of the original. The updated version features Natalie Duncan alongside DOS on vocals and the music is arranged by Bluey and showcases a talented lineup of musicians from Incognito who bring a fresh yet faithful twist. It blends soulful instrumentation with a contemporary touch that is sure to connect with all new audiences.
Review: Diplomats of Soul is the duo of Mike Allin and Ralph Tee and they are celebrated not just for their funk and soul expertise but also for releasing a steady stream of soulful gems since 2006 through their Expansions label.Continuing their solo project, they deliver a stunning cover of Barbara St. Clair's rare groove classic 'Teacherman' here. Distinct from their earlier hits, 'Teacherman' continues to redefine their promise by offering two lush 70 soul tracks: one vocal and one instrumental, continuing their tradition of soul innovation with a contemporary and groove-heavy edge.
Review: Disco Dub Band's "For The Love of Money", a one-off collaboration between producer Davitt Sigerson and reggae musician Mike Dorane, has long been considered something of a classic by those who like their disco to come with a big dose of dub-wise flavour. Here the instrumental O'Jays cover, which originally appeared on the Movers label in 1976, is given the remix treatment by long-time fans Mr Bongo. The superb A-side, in which Dorane's instrumental talents take centre stage, naturally comes accompanied by the frequently played Dub interpretation, a typically wild and bass-heavy affair that sounds like it was mixed "live" in one take in true Lee Perry/King Tubby style. If it's not already in your collection, it should be.
Review: The frankly named imprint Disco Records - surely you know what you're in for - return for their fourth release, continuing their specialty: editing rare and obscure disco gems from the 70s and 80s. It can't exactly be pinpointed as to who helms the label, but we're sure they're veterans of the Parisian disco scene, as a battle-scarred expertise is flaunted across four choice disco and funk numbers held close to this anonymous releaser's heart. Few of these would be baitheads' choices; and all are of the 'obscure and interesting' variety.
Review: During the first half of the 80s, Andy Sojka and Richard De Jongh wrote and produced countless UK jazz-funk, electro, soul and boogie jams, working with both obscure and relatively well-known acts (Atmosfear included). They also released a handful of singles of their own under aliases, including this one as Distance. Long out of print and finally getting a reissue courtesy of Freestyle, 'Just One More Kiss' is a superb chunk of breezy, synths-and-drum-machine driven chunk of British electrofunk featuring sweet lead vocals from Janet Halley. Over on the flip you'll find the original instrumental/dub version, 'Just One More Mix', a fine alternative take that wisely concentrates on the groove, guitars and synths and largely avoids cheesy 80s production trickery and stuttering edit effects.
Review: We're not going to tell you who is behind the Divine Who project, though if you have a working knowledge about gospel disco DJs and nu-disco producers, you can probably join the dots. Either way, their self-titled gospel rework series is genuinely top-drawer. After a couple of tidy 12" singles they offer up a seven-inch for the first time. A-side 'Weekend (Dubbed Out Mix)' takes a squelchy, joyous and infectious mid-80s electrofunk-gospel number - and subtly touches it up and even more subtly dubs it out for modern dancefloors. On 'Forget Me Nots', they deliver their altar-ation (sorry) of an exquisitely soulful, tactile and loved-up cover version of Patrice Rushen favourite 'Forget-me-Nots' complete with a killer slap-bass breakdown.
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