Be With Vinilo y CD

Review: American funk band Breakwater is best known for their hit "Release The Beast," which gets a reissue treatment by Be With. Even if you don't know the name, you'll recognise the track's withering lead riff because it was sampled by Daft Punk for their iconic "Robot Rock". It's mad to think such a futuristic sound was created somewhere in Philly in 1979, but it was. The flip side houses the smooth and buttery "Let Love In", a feel good, deep cut funk gem with vocal harmonies, bulbous bass and hip swinging claps.

Review: Despite her 'Working Men's Club" roots, British variety entertainer Marti Caine actually made some surprisingly good records during her lifetime. 1981 album "Point of View" is arguably the best of the lot. Caine's soft-touch (and emotional vocals) take centre stage, though it's the rather left-of-centre musical mixture below - think rock-infused cosmic disco ("Love The Way You Love Me"), trippy dub disco ("Snowbird City"), shirts-off disco ("Can I Speak To The World Please") and a string of cuts that could arguably be described as Balearic - that makes the album an essential listen.

Review: Common is a giant of the hip-hop world and his eternally loved 1994 long player Resurrection is one of the best things he ever did. 'I Used To Love H.E.R.' is an iconic tune taken from it, and one that is said by many to be one of hip-hop's great ever tunes. It is so admired because of its great lyrical twist and is now on 7" for the first time ever. This vital rap record is timeless and a perfect personification of hip hop which finds Common lamenting what the genre became and how commercial it was after a mass influx of mainstream rap in the 90s. A gorgeous sample of George Benson's 'The Changing World' is the icing on the cake.

Review: Cleveland Eaton had an accomplished life as a jazz musician, whether throwing down on piano, saxophone, trumpet, tuba or bass, up to his passing in 2020. As well as recording for the legendary Black Jazz, in 1973 he also released this armour-plated heater on Gamble. The cover is something else, it must be said, but the grooves contained within will soon dispel any prior judgements. These are hot and heavy instrumental funk-outs for crate-diggers, beat-flippers and those who simply enjoy losing themselves in the finest funk money can buy. With some familiar versions slipped in from 'Day Dreaming' to 'Betcha By Golly Wow', there's also a comforting familiarity to the music, even if it sounds like nothing else you've heard before.

Review: Willie Hutch was just 25 years old when he recorded his debut album, Soul Portrait. While he would go on to greater commercial success later in his career, Hutch's first stab at soul success sold relatively poorly on its initial release. Ever since, the album has been in demand with collectors, so this licensed reissue is more than welcome. Sitting somewhere between the horn-heavy soul of Stax, punchy '60s funk and the Motor City stomp of Motown, the 11 featured songs put Hutch's evocative, passionate vocals and heart-felt lyrics at the centre of the action. The result is a classic soul album that has more than stood the test of time.

Review: New York-based multi-instrumentalist/producer/film composer Steve Moore's Lovelock project returns to woo us all once more with Washington Park. This is yet another unctuous suite of instrumentals that are best categorised as lounge music heightened with plenty of magical and exotic synth sounds. This time, Moore is in a more mellow mood than ever before with soothing melodies and gently unfolding arrangements that offer a cathartic place to hide, well away from the dark dystopian of modern day life. This might be an album that is low-key in terms of design, but it is certainly high impact emotionally.

Review: Maurice Fulton has delivered countless killer remixes over the last two and a half decades, including plenty that for one reason or another remain hard-to-find. This remix of LA r&b/indie-pop fusionists Rhye - first released 11 years ago - fits in that category. Fulton's version, showcased on side A, is a typically atmospheric, spaced-out affair rich in trademark crunchy disco drums, fluid and wayward electronic synth-bass reminiscent of his Syclops project, elastic bass guitar, effects aplenty and tactile female lead vocals. As the B-side original mix - a piano-laden downtempo pop number that swims in similar sonic waters to Sebastien Tellier's 'La Ritournelle' - shows, Fulton's mix is a genuinely radical re-build that exemplifies the very best of remix culture.

Review: The first fruits of Be With Records' recently announced partnership with Tele Music is a reissue of one of the legendary library music label's most far-sighted and sought-after releases: Tonio Rubio's 1972 collection 'Rhythms'. Offering the best in deep disco-breaks, laidback Blaxploitation funk and killer groove-based instrumentals, the album now comes accompanied by extensive new liner notes from Rubio and many of the crate-digging DJs who have been inspired by the album. Highlights include - but are in no way limited to - the wonderfully cosmic and otherworldly 'Dead Slow', the low-slung delights of 'Bass In Action' parts one and two, and the Pierre Henry-esque brilliance of 'Latin Leitmotiv'.

Review: Todd Russell and The Dangerous Coats (aka. Scotty Coats and Erick "Todd" Coomes) are destined to impress with their of psychedelic rock and ethereal electronics on their latest single, Playa Larga. Touted as "in very real danger of being lost forever", this is an unearthing of two of their private downtempo-ish recordings, which both come on a double A-side 12" adorned with artwork by Arizona artist Frank Gonzales. Hailing from LA, they wear their hometown on their sleeve here, charting the mood of heat-hazed convertible sweats and brand boulevard cruisings, albeit with a humid rainforested twist.