Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Fresh from delivering the excellent El U Vee EP, Make a Dance welcome North-East titan Geoff Kirkwood AKA Man Power to M.A.D Records for the first time. This time round, Kirkwood has company: Kenyan singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rapasa Nyatrapasa. The pair set their stall out on opener 'Lou Land', where Nyatrapasa's Kenyan vocals and percussion slowly rise above a deep, drowsy and trippy deep house groove, before opting for an Amapiano-influenced Afro-tech-meets-Afro-House vibe on the more electronic 'Battle Hill'. Make a Dance deliver two takes on the latter on side B: a proto-house style vocal 'Remix' rich in vintage synth sounds, undulating acid bass, drum machine fills and echo-laden drum hits and a 'Dub Mix' that re-invents the track as a hazy, immersive slab of dub house/deep house fusion.

Review: If you don't have love for Rahsaan then you don't have love for life. The American is a veteran of the edit scene and someone who can flip any joint into a joyous groove. Here, Hot Biscuit have assembled a limited double 12" that brings together some of his best 'Disco Edits, Versions & Dubs." 'Big Bisou' opens up with a jumble of Afro drums and loose limbed rhythms, 'Mamoe Lowe' then has tribal vocal chants and raw percussive energy, and 'Preto Velho' then brings a little more laid back soul to the party. '77' is a funky disco strider and 'Secondo' closes with some hard assed funk.

Review: Whatever the rest of the world can do, Japan often does it better, no matter how unlikely the subject. And once again here we have evidence that is true as Japan-based cumbia artist Real Thing returns with two fresh new gems as good as any you could find coming out of South America. Real Thing has been a DJ and producer in Osaka for the last 20-plus years and has dropped music on the likes of Emotional Especial. The two tunes he serves up here and fiery and heavily percussive rhythms with wild synth lines woven in, while Akio Nagase adds two even more wild and wonderful acid remixes.

Review: Reposado aka Tequila Funk brings more Latin and Afro flavours magic to this new 7". It makes a perfectly international soundtrack for global dancefloor fun with A-side 'All You Got To Do' bringing an uptempo soul vibe with some legendary guitar from the one and only Jimmy James, while some soulful background cooing comes from Alex Rose. It's a feelgood gem that will unite all who hear it and then the reverse is a salsa-tinged delight. 'Original' has masterful piano from Marina Albero and is an irresistible gem that completes a fine two-tracker.

Review: Tucked away on a private press release in the hidden corners of 70s Italian jazz, Enzo Randisi’s debut album has been rescued from obscurity and given the reissue it so richly deserves. The extensive ensemble playing on this album includes Randisi’s son Riccardo on Rhodes, Giuseppe Costa on bass, Enzo Palacardo on guitar and Franco Lota and Mimmo Cafiero on percussion, all serving as a backdrop to Randisi’s exquisite vibraphone. It’s a masterpiece of spiritual jazz cast in mysterious shades and sure to be cherished by any jazz aficionado, as confirmed by plaudits from such legends as Archie Shepp and Gil Evans.

Review: For Maria Raquel, there is no fear when it comes to following her passion. Whether it be moving from Colombia to New York to follow her dream, or getting onstage with the greats of Latin music, Maria does no second guessing. On her debut album Mucha Mujer, Maria dives headfirst into the classic sounds of boleros and cumbias, spotlighting her smoky alto amidst a live 16 piece orchestra of percussion, strings, horns, bass and guitar. Featuring all original compositions and recorded to analog tape, Mucha Mujer is reminiscent of classic recordings by artists like Omara Portuondo, Celia Cruz, and La Lupe, yet Maria Raquel breathes new life into these classic genres - the haunting yearning of the boleros contrasting with the pulsing insistence of Cumbia. Featuring some of New York's top Latin musicians such as Reuben Rodriguez (Tito Puente), Marcos Lopez (Marc Anthony), Ivan Renta (Eddie Palmieri), and arranged and produced by Mike Eckroth (Orquesta Akokán) and Jacob Plasse (Los Hacheros), Mucha Mujer introduces the world to a spellbinding new talent.