Back catalogue: Soul

Review: It's hard to keep up with the number of releases that Athens Of The North are putting out this month, but you really must try. This one is a gooey and loved up disco 12" from the dream team pairing of Tom Findlay from Groove Armada and James Alexander Bright. They hook up via mutual appreciation over Twitter and worked up a load of new material in the studio as Bright & Findlay. Their first offering 'Slow Dance' is perfection - lush 80s synths, slow-motion boogie beats and drum machines marbled with little guitar riffs and soulful vocals that ate you to a better place. Two further heart melters come on the flip side and we are already in love with this project.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record has very light surface marks/smudges with split/tear to spine of outer sleeve, but otherwise in perfect working order***


Acclaimed crate-digger turned disco re-editor KON has decided to launch his own reissue imprint, Kontemporary. The idea is simple: to accompany re-mastered original tracks with fresh rubs from the man himself. 12" number one offers another opportunity to enjoy George Duke's soulful, sun-kissed, disco-era jazz-funk bomb "I Want You For Myself". On the A-side you'll find Duke's own impeccable 12" version, with KON's re-edit gracing the B. Having access to the original multi-track tapes has allowed the New York-based producer to not only include an atmospheric, extended intro (a tactic regularly used by fellow rework merchants The Revenge and Joey Negro), but also give more prominence to Duke's superb piano solos.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record ever so slightly warped, but otherwise in perfect working order***


There are few more celebrated edit kings than Late Nite Tuff. Now he is back once again with the goodness, this time tackling killer racks by First Choice and Double Exposure. All of the source material here is considered to be stone cold classic, so he's brave if nothing else. But of course, he also has the skills to make these edits worth your while - he extends the breaks, lets the grooves roll on and ensures the vocals remain in place to really get hearts sweeping and hands in the air. The unabashed funk, soul and disco joy of his take on Double Exposure's "Everyman" might be the standout here.

Review: Washington DC's Peoples Potential Unlimited are back, following up some great reissues of Circuitry, Dreamcast and Incredible Rock City Band. Now back into swing with obscure act Fool Bros. said to be from the Baltimore area. The group comprised of bandleader and veteran producer Victor Giordano with David Lewis. Other Members included Sam Kirckhoff, Geoff Royce, Richard Armiger, Ralph Tucker and Guy (Yug) Phillips. Said to be recorded in 1983, we have the original private release that is the awesome, low-slung soul rock of "Suicide Squeeze", which is backed by Giordano's updated 2018 recording.

Review: German soul troupe Hi-Fly Orchestra let rip on a serious cover version session with four tightly sewn showdowns: Karl Frierson adds bounds of gutsy, gritty soul power as he takes care of the vocals on the turbo-soul take on Lenny Kravitz's "Let Love Rule" and the deep-swing vision of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On". Flip for two deliciously dreamy takes with Rayla Sunshine as "Purple Rain" gets a super-swoon shine while "Like A Virgin" is given a jazz twist that's so immense you'll pinch yourself it's not the original and Madonna's is the cover.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record ever so slightly warped but otherwise in excellent condition***


A - A true top-five peak record at The Garage, this Thelma Houston burner from 1977 was "a highlight whenever Larry played it," Danny Krivit recalls... "and he played it a lot!" Danny's edit is a homage to Larry and Frankie Knuckles - in particular, a reel to reel edit that Frankie did back in the day and shared with Krivit. "Reels were problematic, & when I tried to get it again from him, unfortunately he had lost it too." The song (a clear attempt by Motown to capitalize on the previous year's monster hit "Don't Leave Me This Way"). What sets "I'm Here Again" apart though, is the incredible second half, not surprisingly also the main focus of Mr. K's edit, along with a new straight to the point intro. Over a vicious groove reminiscent of the Originals' "Down To Love Town" breakdown (Michael Sutton wrote and produced both "Love Town" and "I'm Here Again") Houston delivers soul-stirring ad libs as the band crackles with electricity behind her, the piano chasing a descending string riff so eagerly it almost trips over itself. Pure dancefloor peak energy!

B - This band was a departure from the usual Motown session guys, and was comprised of a group called the Young Senators from Washington, DC. Who later formed the nucleus of Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. Motown was finalizing its move from Detroit to Los Angeles, and this 1972 Eddie Kendricks session was among the last to be recorded at the famed "Snake Pit" aka Studio A in Detroit. According to Young Senators percussionist Jimi Dougans, "Girl" was recorded at three o'clock in the morning, which perhaps accounts for some of the heavy vibe and distinctly different sound than the typical Motown pop style the label was known for. In a time before 12-inch singles, this was one of those first "made for a club" proto-disco records that could hold its power and even shine on a big system. In fact, Larry Levan used it to test the sound at the Garage. When he got "Girl" sounding good, Danny says, "he knew the system was really pumping and anything else he played would sound good too." The original album cut "was typical of a lot of records, where producers fade out right when the record is climaxing," Danny says. "On a dance floor where people absolutely love the record... they'll just look at the DJ like, 'Why'd you fade it out?'" Taking matters into his own hands, Mr. K edit again aims at the climactic back half of the song, engineering a nearly 7-minute climatic dance floor filler.

Review: Imogen have stumbled across a rare gem here, presenting some previously unheard liquid funk jams from the lesser known Chicago pioneer James Perri. Some of his jams as Jimi Polo are perennial classics, while his time spent in Soul II Soul and elsewhere are testament to his gifts, but this particular set of recordings from the 90s have lain in wait for their time to shine. You can hear his skills as a session musician and arranger coming through in abundance on this warm, grooving, acid jazz inflected EP. "70s Theme" is a sparse, moody jazz funk cut, while "Brother Beware" is a smooth, sultry slice of message soul. "Express Yourself" is the truly uplifting slice of the pie, and it will chime just fine with any lovers of that classic Soul II Soul sound.

Review: Tru Thoughts really go to town here on the second single between long term collaborators Quantic and Alice Russell and the Combo Barbaro. The 12" edition of Magdalena features extended and acoustic takes on the track and comes backed with remixes from the always excellent Simbad along with Brizzle house types Behling & Simpson of Futureboogie fame. Accompanying this is a ten track CD that features those aforementioned versions along with several more remixes - with Tru Thoughts stalwart Hint coming out on top!

Review: Extremely welcome reissue for one of the absolute holy grails of the rare groove scene. Ultra-rare and super-expensive in it's original 1980 release, this incredibly sexy tune from Chicago band Starvue fully deserves its status as a true soul anthem. Produced by The Chi-lites' Clarence Johnson, 'Body Fusion' never lets up the dancefloor pressure from beginning to end - the wonderful fusion of achingly beautiful strings, loping bass, flutes, the coolest fingersnaps and of course the mesmerising vocals of Tony Hicks combine to create an intensely emotional and rolling momentum that builds and builds. A masterpiece of soul history that still sounds as fresh as ever - essential!

Review: Kaidi Tatham back on 2000BLACK needs little explanation really, does it? Anyone who takes broken beat and neo soul seriously should already be slipping this on in their cart, but for the uninitiated this is one of the grandmasters of the sound in full flight. 'Galaxy' is a beautiful, uplifting soul-boogie jam with a stunning vocal turn from Lola Violet, and it comes in two different twists depending on the energy you need to bring to your set - for us the 'Uptempo Mix' is a perfect shot of joy in the arm. 'A Message From Above' cools things down with gorgeous keys, a characteristically snagging beat and sultry horns, and 'Ergonomic Structures' slinks into the sweetest of downtempo funks that'll have you head nodding hard and keeping you chill all in the same beat.

Review: Ubiquity Records come correct once again, offering up the label debut of French producer Dandy Teru on a rather dashing hand stamped slab of clear blue wax. Hailing from the South of France, Teru has previous with material on the Bastard Jazz label and a contribution to the Food for ya Soul J Dilla tribute compilation Do The Dilla which should give you a slant on where he's coming from with the Fragile Things 12". Slated as the prelude to a forthcoming long player for the Californian label, Teru has soul by the beat load here, laying down bass heavy beats caked in record dust, with killer vox input from UK vocalist Ty and Beatspoke's Sarah Gessler. Also features a great snapping jazz recut from Teru's button pushing partner in crime Quiet Dawn - don't sleep!

Review: 15 years old and still sounding sweet, each of these reversions stands the test of time very well... The Soul Mix bubbles with synthetic, slinky mechanical flow that wouldn't have gone amiss on Massive Attack's Protection. The Drum & Bass mix is straight out of the early Full Cycle / 4 Hero mindset - all jazzy flourishes and soft, brushed cymbals. Finally we hit the Womack Master Cut where the big string original is polished with 90s panache.

Review: San Francisco label Ubiquity comes correct with a special limited edition 12" with two Adrians joining forces, namely Adrian Younge (Venice Dawn/Black Dynamite) and Adrian Quesada (Echocentrics/Ocote Soul Sounds/Brownout/Grupo Fantasma). "The Love I Got" is a furious drum workout with what sounds like UK soul artist Lewis Taylor on vocal duties (it's not though!), with female backing vocals and lashings of southern fried guitar. "Last Word" is quality female funk fodder, with a great performance from Sonia Moore and, for us, it's the stand out track. On the flip, "The Last Time" has both Sonia and Anthony Farrell with impressive performances on a melancholic trip of funky soul/rock. The EP ends with an instrumental version of "The Love I Got", with those hypnotic piano keys more distinctive than ever.