Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Upstairs P. is also known as Garrett Rowley) and is a DJ and producer who is currently based in Los Angeles. So far his sounds have come on the likes of Germany's Public Possession in the form of a collaboration with Baba Stiltz, who has contributed to part 2 on the flipside of this new 12" on Punchy & Friends. 'Grem Freche (part 1)' is a melon-twisting bit of psyched-out dark disco, chug and downtempo no wave with endless percussive evolutions and winding rhythms. 'Grem Freche (part 2)' has a more loose, DIY and dubbed out edge but is just as excellent

Review: After a four-year hiatus, Urban Volcano Sounds returns with their eagerly awaited single, "Disco Taberna," released on 7" vinyl. Known for their Balearic crossover style, urban boogie influences, and elegant sound production, the track showcases their signature blend of lush strings and soulful melodies. "Disco Taberna" is a nod to the golden age of 70s disco, capturing the era's opulence with meticulous production. The track's lush arrangements and soaring strings reflect a deep respect for the classic disco era, while the urban boogie influences add a modern twist. The single's release follows the inclusion of their track "Ame no Uta" from their previous album "Blue Hour" in the "Tangent" compilation by Nick The Record & John Gomez, released by MR.BONGO in July. This feature has further cemented Urban Volcano Sounds' growing reputation, both in Japan and internationally. "Disco Taberna" not only reaffirms the group's commitment to high-quality sound but also highlights their evolving influence in the music scene. The single's blend of nostalgic and contemporary elements promises to captivate both longtime fans and new listeners alike.

Review: Do you know Utena, Fukuoka's hottest soul jazz band comprised of Yamagiwa Mai, Seigo Takeshita, and Toshiyuki Morishige? If you don't, now is the time to get familiar as they drop their debut 7" single on Exhume Exhume Production, which is a label helmed by DJ Horishi. This double A-side features a stunning reimagining of the Japanese classic 'Natsu Hikari ni' which was originally by Tasumiko Yamaga and is transformed with smoky, soulful jazz stylings. The flipside presents 'Moon,' an original track by vocalist KAYO and guitarist Soraha (aka KEIJI), which showcases the band's signature new soul sound.

Review: Jakarta's Uwalmassa refine their singular language once again, deepening their reconstruction of Indonesian musical heritage with four stark, ritualistic pieces. 'Untitled 11' spirals through halting, dust-coated percussion loops, its groove collapsing in and out of time like a broken ceremony. 'Untitled 12' stretches further into abstraction, its dry, rattling timbres evoking brittle reeds and scorched earth. On the flip, 'Untitled 13' locks into a hypnotic, gamelan-inflected rhythm that sounds hand-played but digitally deconstructed, while 'Untitled 14' closes with detuned melodies and a low-slung bassline that suggests ancient dance music refracted through modernist minimalism. Each track seems built to evoke memory without nostalgiaideeply rooted yet future-facing. Their approach continues to resist both club functionality and ethnographic cliche, landing instead in a realm entirely of their own.

Review: Chikara Ueda's Flying Easy from 1980 is an essential exploration of jazz fusion, combining intricate melodies with infectious grooves. The opening track, 'Flying Easy,' sets the tone with a laid-back, yet dynamic rhythm, led by Ueda's electric piano and synthesiser work. The ensemble, featuring renowned musicians like Harvey Mason on drums, delivers precise and energetic performances throughout. Tracks like 'Cloudy' and 'Jojo' showcase the group's ability to weave complex rhythms with soulful melodies, while 'Do Like You Do In New York' adds an engaging funk groove. This release captures a vibrant era of jazz fusion and remains a standout for its smooth and innovative approach to genre-blending.

Review: Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes is the debut album from Gregory Uhlmann, Josh Johnson and Sam Wilkes, a collective of three versatile improvisers, arrangers and producers whose work spans jazz, rock and experimental. Across 11 instrumental tracks, they explore a jazz-informed take on progressive electro-acoustic chamber music that brings beauty, melody and rhythm to the fore. The record was conceived during live shows and a home session in Los Angeles and features Uhlmann's mournful fingerpicked guitar, Wilkes' bass chording and Johnson's effect-laden saxophone. Their arrangement-minded improvisation results in some nicely otherworldly textures as they push their instruments to create a spacious, lyrical sound.

Review: PPU is one of your favourite labels when it comes to dusty and lo-fi soul and related sounds. Now the DC-based crew delivers another gem with Grand Hotel, a collection of ten rare tracks from Estonian funk legend Uku Kuut, who they have released several times before now. The instrumental album traces Kuut's journey through the Soviet Union, Sweden, Los Angeles, and Estonia and is a window into his excellently eclectic style. Highlights include his first home recording from 1982 and a track produced in Herbie Hancock's studio. After more than 30 years of travelling across borders, these precious masters have found a permanent home and means that Grand Hotel is a fine tribute to Kuut's international influences.

Review: Check classic dance music books of the 1990s - and even some later music texts, such as Richard King's The Lark Ascending - and you'll find plenty of praise for Ultramarine's work of the early 1990s, which added pastoral and folk-rock inspired sounds to the sample-heavy pulse of dance music. What you won't find is any reference to their final album of the decade, A User's Guide. Yet it may well be their best album. A conscious exploration of techno and IDM shot through with references to Detroit, Berlin and Sheffield (well, Warp Records at least), it reportedly took the duo almost two years to record. A largely unheralded British techno classic, it has been painstakingly remastered for this first ever vinyl reissue and boasts extensive contextualising liner notes from UK techno historian (and sometime Juno writer) Matt Anniss.

Review: Four Flies thrillingly reissues Piero Umiliani's soundtrack to the 1969?giallo thrille Orgasmo (curiously retitled Paranoia in English speaking countries), the firstof three erotically charged? ilms directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring cult siren (and Oscar nominee) Following the first ever release of this OST in 2020, this follow-up version hears Four Flies top up the release with a fuller restoration, after some serious detective work in the composer's archives revealed a post-hoc salvaging of the original tapes, where they where first thought to be lost or unusable. Bringing Umiliani's score back to life for all to enjoy, Orgasmo perfectly captures the stylish and sleazy vibe of Lenzi's film, its acid-drenched visuals, and its themes of sick psychological mind games (courtesy of the devious characters played by Swedish enfant terrible Lou Castel and?French beauty?Colette Descombes).

Review: Fresh on the heels of a first-time-on-CD edition of The Undisputed Truth's first three albums compiled into a single record, the American Motown signees and psychedelic soulsters now hear a revisiting of their first album - the emergent basis of the now renewed interest in the band - onto a limited edition LP by Kent Soul. Known for its prescient mixture of the classic Tamla Motown soul sound with psychedelic rock, fan favourites such as 'You Got The Love I Need' and 'Since I've Lost You' come amix with many covers, including 'I Got Heaven Right Here On Earth' and 'Like A Rolling Stone'. The sound is nocturnal and rife with tender, candlelit, story-time moods, with a slinky dark slickness contrasting a otherwise normally bright psychedelic sound.

Review: Unionen is a new quartet of top-tier Norwegian and Swedish jazz musicians, namely Stale Storlokken, Per "Texas" Johansson, Petter Eldh and Gard Nilssen. Their name references the 1814-1905 union between Sweden and Norway and their sound is truly unique in the way it combines misty introspection and energetic rock-infused jazz. This album then is a deeply original musical experience with tracks like 'Stahlbad' and '6983' dull of emotional nuance. Eight originals overall blend classic and rare instruments, creating a unified, emotive sound. Early live shows have been praised, confirming their status as a standout jazz ensemble.

Review: With their name, London's four-piece jazz group Unknown To Known seem to prophesy their own rise to prominence, one that is especially more likely to unfold in a continual way now that they've released their next LP Lightship. As with their prior EP 'River Crossing', Lightship was also made on a lightship, which happened to double up as a recording studio. Staying true to their craft so far, this iteration of the project was once again born of a session. The record meanders through neo-folk, international and cinematic music , and jazz, moving from the erratic but calming bamboo flutes of 'Wide Waters' to the matte steel-string slides and gourds of 'Good Morning Moon', ending on the fervent flute and cymbal devotional 'Lightship'.