"Scratch Attack!" - Lee Scratch Perry
2 early '70's releases on one CD - Scratch at his peak, roots dub at its finest - no one else even got close to Mr. Perry's unique brand of ganja fuelled production magic anarchy - there's nothing like it - absolutely essential...
"Dancehall Techniques" - Various Artists
Choice cuts from 86-91, classic dancehall time, all via the peerless Winston Riley's Techniques label - Riley's style always had a deep melodic stamp often missing from more electro oriented tunes - this bag is best of label and certainly best of breed...
"Wheedle's Groove" - Various Artists
Over three years in the making, Wheedle’s Groove: Seattle’s Finest In Funk & Soul 1965-79 is a lavishly packaged vinyl singles box set featuring ten impossibly rare 45s (some fetching thousands on the collector’s market) from Seattle’s vintage soul scene. Limited to only 2,000 hand-numbered copies worldwide, the ten 45 RPM set is housed in a gorgeous custom made magnetic flip-top box and features meticulously re-mastered audio and original label art.
"Unexpected Guests" - DOOM
Legendary hip-hop artist MF DOOM digs into his vast archives to mix together some of his all-time favorite productions, collaborations and guest appearances. Whether it be along side legends like De La Soul, Talib Kweli or Ghostface, DOOM shows why (as a producer or MC) he is one of the most in demand artists in music today. If that weren t enough DOOM also decided to include in this collection some rare tracks that have never been commercially available before.
"Accents" - Panoram
A brief, yet intense holy celebration of the power of sounds and their audacious craftsman.
Placed between an acid and electrifying intro and a dramatically dissonant ending, Panoram’s sermon unfolds in a variegate and kaleidoscopic universe where he explores a huge range of emotions, building sophisticated rhythms like those on Mute City Blue and Hell Reflections, but not only.Panoram’s rhetoric can push the speech even further, describing a world where rhythm is not the essence and the leading role is played by melodies and a few synthetic bass lines; here the most intense words are spoken, words with the shape of the static movement of Prizm or the melancholic dreaming melody of Wing Formula; but ” in every dream home a heartache”. In Panoram’s world quietness has always something disturbing within. There isn’t anything else to say to expand your faith. Slam Jam
"The Best Of Cookin'" - Various Artists
This slammin' two-CD compilation collects works from the fabulous acid jazz compilations Home Cookin', Mo Cookin', Still Cookin', What's Cookin', and Is That Jazz?. Galactic, Greyboy, DJ Swingset, Sharpshooters and others contribute midlength jams that are a mix of soulful melodies, deep funk grooves, hip-hop beats, and rump-shaking dance music. While jazz has been influential in certain drum & bass circles since the late-'90s, these early-'90s neofusion hybrids serve as logical precursors and illuminate how well the artists on the set also serve the jam-band fans who've crossed over to improvised jazz largely on the strengths of funkateers like Medeski Martin & Wood and others. Even so, the tracks here sound incredibly fresh and fun, mixing live instruments and DJs for a party where everyone is playing spiritedly. At home on the dance floor or in the cocktail lounge, The Best of Cookin' is a fine reminder of the potency of acid jazz and a great introduction for electronic music fans who are interested in seeing a crucial early bridge between the jazz and DJ culture. --Tad Hendrickson
"Adventures in Afropea, Vol 1" - Zap Mama
Unearthly harmonies born of Pygmy song, Moroccan chants and exhuberant scat made Zap Mama global a cappella queens. Now for the first time they meet the roots throb of bass and drums, shot through with equal parts highlife and hip-hop. Zap Mama is soul music for the diaspora. "If your ears are open," mama Zap Marie Daulne says, "you'll understand."
"Marie Daulne and Zap Mama make music that sounds like a one-woman multicultural movement, melding African percussion, American soul and European urbanity."
"City of Dirt" - Bully Blinders
Solid beats and unique flows from San Fran's alternative hip-hop duo Bully Blinders - 'The Kneehighs' (William Talls) provides earthy beats and bass with some great samples and Marquez! (Chad Tuthill) does the emcee thing with some distinction, rhymin on everything from the school system to breakfast cereal and many abstract philosophical points in between - 'City of Dirt' is a geat indie release well worthy of your ear time - catch em while they're hot! [free download right now!]
"heavy electromagnetic..." - Jennifer Johns
Superior indie release - positive electro soul - a warm and true voice working through a range of styles from torchy ballads to drum 'n bassy things - taking the writing credits too, the future looks bright for Jennifer...
"Colombia" - Various Artists
Soundway comps ALWAYS hit the spot - hand picked salsa, cumbia, gaita tunes from the archives of Colombia's long established Discos Fuentes - the diversity is deep and the cuts are danceable to the max - viva Soundway!
"Question In The Form..." - People Under The Stairs
Hip-Hop. A Beat and Horn Laden, Funky Drummin Rhythmic Scratchin, Get Em Movin Party Starter Throwing Back to the Days of Pete Rock and Cl Smooth. Double K and the One Are Keepin Lyrical Time and Blowin Minds with their Rare Groove, Danceable Style of Hip Hop.
"Two Syllables Volume Six" - Various Artists
Free sampler of 2011's highlights from First Word records - a first rate eclectic collection of beats and rhymes that you would be very foolish to ignore...
"Soul Heart Transplant" - Ebony Rhythm Band
Everything on Now Again is good - but this is GREAT! Indianapolis 1970 is the moment for this psyche funk nugget from the Ebony Rhythm Band - in a Chambers Brothers mode but way funkier - mostly instrumental and tight as hell, funk the way it should be...
"Roy Ayers Project" - Various Artists
There is no more influential figure in the neo soul jazz and even hip-hop soundscape than Roy Ayers really - not only is he one of those artists whose back catalogue seems to have just the right sonic and spiritual qualities for extensive sampling but his new work has also kept pace with and influenced the latest generation of beatsmiths - this release let's loose some contemporary production talent on some of the master's classics just to prove the point - FREE DL - checkout The Roy Ayers Project for more...
"What It Is" - Various Artists
A glorious slice of funk and soul from the Atlantic/Atco/Warner vaults - singles A's and B's from 67 to 77 - features standards and rarities from the likes of The Meters, Wilson Pickett and lesser known acts - we spinnin' the 7' vinyl edition - yummy!...
"The Remixes 1997-2000" - Various Artists
Germany's finest production team bring their brand of crisp stylish electro rmx sound to a buncha breakbeat goodies old and new - chill factor 10...
"Black, Brown & Beige" - Duke Ellington
DE's ambitious 45 minute work (a "tonal parallel" to the history of Black America) was savaged by critics and subsequently pulled apart by the Duke, never to be performed whole again - very sad because it is a true big band jazz masterwork...
"La La La" - El Chicles
Sought after by breaks collectors, El Chicles' La La La was recorded by a buncha Belgian session men! These guys recorded under all kinds of aliases in all kinds of styles but this latin inflected funky pop outing is certainly their best...
"Subway Joe" - Joe Bataan
UK two-on-one reissue combines two of the 'King Of Latin Soul's' out-of-print albums for Fania on one CD, 'Subway Joe' (1969) & 'Gypsy Woman' (1968).
"The Tribe" - Hannibal Marvin Peterson
The legendary "lost" Hannibal album. In 1979 Hank O'Neal produced the session for John Hammond. It made its way on to vinyl as a white label promo but was never offically released. Expect to pay BIG bucks if you ever track a copy down as only a few hundred were pressed and it is a KILLER set! Personnel: Diedre Murray, Mike Cochrane, Tim Stevens, Billy Hart, Art Webb, Ricky Strobbert, Rollen Martin, Branice McKenzie (voc), Pat Peterson (voc), 7 violins plus assorted percussion, not forgetting rhe man himself on trumpet and positive vibrations.
"Chrome Children" - Various Artists
Stones Throw gold with tracks from J Dilla, Madlib, Aloe Blak et al mixin it with cuts from the Adult Swim animation/hip-hop/everything team - if you like yr hip-hop on the freaky side this is for you - it's all out thar and it's all very good indeed...
"Into The Oh" - geggy tah
Back in 1994, Geggy Tah took a moment on the second track of their debut album to thank us for driving kindly. Two years later in 1996, Pomona, California's weirdest and most melodic denizens were still thanking us, as the same sentiment (in fact, the same exact lyric) slipped into Sacred Cow's middleweight alternative radio hit "Whoever You Are." Fast-forward through a couple births, deaths, marriages, and divorces later to Geggy Tah circa 2001. The refrain that makes multiple appearances on Into the Oh is a bit more contemplative: "Love is deeper than loneliness / Love is nature at its best." That's good enough news, as long as you can find such a thing, and lead vocalist Tommy Jordan seems occasionally less optimistic than usual, as in "Special Someone": "I'm waiting for someone to manifest my many dreams / to make this bitter world a sweeter place / It kicks me in the face / Oh, I cannot face / dead dreams lying all over the place." One dream that's still thankfully alive is the band's sound, a funky mid-tempo pop that denies any absolute comparisons. One could call it swoopy, loopy R&B for the attention deficit disorder set. One could call it (and has called it) Prince-meets-Dr.-Seuss. Or, one could simply call it inventive and extremely well executed, which is really all that needs to be said. --Bob Michaels
"Live" - Bugge Wesseltoft
Fab live sessions from the daddy of Future Jazz - an inspired and freeform fusion of electro and housey beats and bleeps with organic jazz instrumentation and compositional approach - Bugge can do no wrong...
"Voodoo Session EP" - Tubby Hayes
Historic Brit jazz stormer from cheezy 60's horror flick, only recently unearthed and released on the truly superb Trunk Records imprint - 'Voodoo' has been much sought after and is as brilliant a slice of afro spiritual jazz as you will find anywhere...
"Moonscape" - The Michael Garrick Trio
An original of this ten inch Garrick debut album from 1964 would set you back about £1500, and not only is it mythically rare (only 99 copies made) but it's also bloody marvellous. This really is a very beautiful bit of work; ethereal, slightly free but still very listenable and sublimely melancholy in parts. I cannot believe how wonderful this album is. Even nearly 45 years on it's as fresh as a daisy and may well take you to places you've never been. Jonny Trunk
"Nyah-Rock" - Cymande
Righteous 70's UK roots funk with a distinctly Afro-Carib flava - gorgeous grooves - hustlin percussion - horny horns - rasta stance - a truly unique sound and absolutely funky as hell - includes a bonus sampler from other albums - essential...
"Diggin Deeper" - Speedometer
Collection of 12" and 7" inch releases from UK roots funk outfit - authentic, earthy instrumentals with great horns and awesome rthythm section - the real deal...
"Trip The Light Fantastic" - Ladybug Mecca
Digable Planets' frontwoman solo debut - all the Planets been quiet for a while but enjoying bigtime revive at the moment and this one will add fuel - slick, inventive, hearftfelt nusoul with hip-hop angles - floats like a Ladybug, stings like a bee...
"Pacific Drift..." - Nobody
Subtle psychedelic hip-hop anybody? Nobody does it real good - more downtempo stylee than his first release - really quite a unique weaving of 60's strands and now beats - it's a trip worth taking...
