Search:funk ho

It is with great pleasure that we announce Mitchum Yacoub's debut album Living High in the Brass Empire a showcase in unique stylings of tropical funk, afrobeat, cumbia, and soul; a musical patchwork threaded by a heavy, hypnotic rhythm section and powerfully vibrant horn lines. What sounds like a 12-piece ensemble was actually mostly recorded and performed by Yacoub at his home in San Diego, featuring a few close friends from local groups Sure Fire Soul Ensemble and Boostive. The horn section is comprised of Travis Klein, Bradley Nash, and Wesley Etienne (featuring Todd Simon on "Los Muñequitos"), each with distinguished performances that send the music to higher heights. Nuanced vocalist Divina Jasso lends humanity and introspection throughout the head-nodding soul sounds of "Never Knew", latin dance anthem "Cumbia Divina", and the syncopated funk of "Empire". You'll hear rhythms from Colombia, folkloric percussion of Cuba, interlocking grooves à la Fela Kuti, 70's r&b influence, and something in between it all. Drawing many inspirations into a refreshing and unified record, we think you'll enjoy Living High in the Brass Empire.

It is with great pleasure that we announce Mitchum Yacoub's debut album Living High in the Brass Empire a showcase in unique stylings of tropical funk, afrobeat, cumbia, and soul; a musical patchwork threaded by a heavy, hypnotic rhythm section and powerfully vibrant horn lines. What sounds like a 12-piece ensemble was actually mostly recorded and performed by Yacoub at his home in San Diego, featuring a few close friends from local groups Sure Fire Soul Ensemble and Boostive. The horn section is comprised of Travis Klein, Bradley Nash, and Wesley Etienne (featuring Todd Simon on "Los Muñequitos"), each with distinguished performances that send the music to higher heights. Nuanced vocalist Divina Jasso lends humanity and introspection throughout the head-nodding soul sounds of "Never Knew", latin dance anthem "Cumbia Divina", and the syncopated funk of "Empire". You'll hear rhythms from Colombia, folkloric percussion of Cuba, interlocking grooves à la Fela Kuti, 70's r&b influence, and something in between it all. Drawing many inspirations into a refreshing and unified record, we think you'll enjoy Living High in the Brass Empire.

Die neueste 45er auf Bob Stanleys Label ist ein weiteres 2Track-Juwel, deren original 7inch-Singles mittlerweile schwer zu finden und dann auch sehr teuer sind. Hopscotchs 'Look At The Lights Go Up' ist ein großartiger Mod-Mover, und Originalexemplare werden jetzt für 300 £ verkauft. Die Gruppe war ein Vorläufer der Average White. Andwella waren ein härterer Ableger der Psych-Rock-Band Andwella's Dream. 'Hold On To Your Mind' ist ein echter Raver, der an Free-Festivals der frühen 70er Jahre erinnert. Einst eine Funky-Rock-Obskurität, heute unter Sammlern sehr gesucht.

Repress !

One half of iconic British duo Basement Jaxx Felix Buxton and vocalist Gia make their Defected debut with the soul-stirring 'So Hooked On Your Lovin', alongside two groove-loaded remixes by Mousse T.. The first ever release under their Selace pseudonym, the record comes laden with lingering organ chords and stunningly raw vocals, echoing the stripped back quality of Switch's 'I Still Love You' and with a similar deep-reaching feel to Massive Attack's early 90s classic 'Unfinished Sympathy'. Production maestro Mousse T. works his magic with his funk-drenched Disco Shizzle mix loaded with a pumping bassline and guitar riffs alongside a deeper Dubby Shizzle version laced with a spoken word hook. Less is more with Selace; this is a minimalist yet undeniably stunning record that lets its captivating song do all the work.

Keni Burke's seminal Changes yielded the eternal club classic "Risin' To The Top". You need this record for this iconic steppers anthem alone. However, it's crucial to acknowledge that the whole of Changes, first released in 1982 on RCA but now a tricky one to find, is something truly special. It's a masterpiece of sophisticated 80s groove, containing first class funky soul that sounds as fresh as ever. This is multi-tempo soul music conceived in heaven.

Ace bass player, songwriter, arranger and producer, Keni Burke was discovered by Curtis Mayfield and a childhood member of the Five Stairsteps. Emanating from that magical 81-83 era and pristinely recorded at Philadelphia's legendary Sigma Sound Studios, his third solo album Changes really perfected Keni's groove. It incorporated tight, snappy rhythm arrangements which, despite the era, featured *real drums* courtesy of Steve Ferrone (from Average White Band) to compliment Keni's meaty bass lines. With Dean "Sir" Gant on synths and keyboards and Ed Walsh handling the Vocoder-OBX and Prophet 5, wonderful lines from Earth, Wind & Fire's legendary horn section and hooky rhythm and lead guitar riffs courtesy of Ed "Tree" Walsh, Keni was truly spoiled for excellence. With Doc Gibbs on percussion and Vince Montana on vibes elevating the sensational writing and arrangements, Keni couldn't really go wrong.

“Risin’ To The Top” is undoubtedly the defining crown and lasting legacy of this album. Wth its instantly captivating bassline, slowly creepin' groove and uplifting lyrics, it was a favourite among both the 80s soul steppers and hip-hop crowd and remains canonical to this day. Written by Burke, Allan Felder, and former Chic member Norma Jean Wright, it incredibly failed to garner much American radio play or really trouble the soul charts. Whilst it was an instant classic in the U.K., in the States it took the hip-hop generation and later R&B and hip-hop samples of the tune to finally make it popular, many years later. Of note, Big Daddy Kane sampled it for "Smooth Operator", LL Cool J for "Around The Way Girl", Pete Rock & CL Smooth for "Take You There" and O.C. with "Born 2 Live".

But the highlights are not restricted to this one behemoth. For example, the track which precedes "Risin'" on Side B is another steppers favourite. "One Minute More" is a perfect mid-tempo ballad and the epitome of deep modern soul. A truly timeless work of genius. We, for one, struggle to think of a better song segue than the moment you're still reeling from the intense beauty of "One Minute More" and "Risin'" elegantly stirs into action. Frisson in excelsis. The propulsive, bass-heavy opener "Shakin" is an indisputable cracker and its followed by the timeless mid-tempo class of "Hang Tight". Just gorgeous. Next up, "Can't Get Enough" is another emotional, horn heavy chugger. The side closes with the sparse, tender, floating sl-o-o-w jam "Who Do You Love"; a truly divine ballad. The B-side beings with the title-track, "Changes", a squelchy, melodic boogie banger with fantastic keys, incredible vocals, ace shuffling percussion and spacey synths. It's followed by the ultimate one-two in "One Minute More" and "Risin'" before this sensational set closes with the glorious easy glide "All Night".

An absolutely essential record for fans of deeply soulful modern-funk, Changes was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Balston for Alchemy at AIR Studios. The artwork was restored at Be With HQ over many painstaking months so, hopefully, this fresh new edition ensures this long-lusted after album is no longer so awkward to find.

We are happy to present: Corduroy - Men of the Cloth! Recorded to mark the 30th Anniversary of their debut 'Dad Man Cat' and the follow-up 'High Havoc', Corduroy return with a new limited mini-album: 'Men of the Cloth.'

Sitting perfectly at the corded fringe between acid jazz and rising Britpop, Corduroy emerged in 1991 out of the ashes of cult band Boys Wonder, and made three increasingly brilliant albums on Acid Jazz. They also became one of the top live acts of their generation. After an 18-year hiatus, they returned with 'Return of the Fabric Four in 2018, and remain a draw on the live circuit.

Featuring the popular sides from last years limited-edition 7" single 'No More Me Me Me' and 'Hypnotoad', 'Men of the Cloth' features four new cuts from the same Corduroy cloth - a heady mix of swinging sixties soundtracks, pop art imagery and Jazz-Funk in equal measure. A must-have addition to one of the founding acts of Acid Jazz.

Anlässlich des 30-jährigen Jubiläums ihres Debüts 'Dad Man Cat' und des Nachfolgers 'High Havoc' melden sich Corduroy mit einem neuen Mini-Album zurück: 'Men of the Cloth'.

Corduroy, die 1991 aus der Asche der Kultband Boys Wonder hervorgingen und drei zunehmend brillantere Alben auf Acid Jazz veröffentlichten, bewegen sich perfekt an der Schnittstelle zwischen Acid Jazz und Britpop. Außerdem wurden sie zu einem der besten Live-Acts ihrer Generation. Nach einer 18-jährigen Pause kehrten sie 2018 mit 'Return of the Fabric Four' zurück und sind auch live nach wie vor eine beliebte Attraktion.

Neben 'No More Me Me Me' und 'Hypnotoad' - zwei Songs die bereits im letzten Jahr als limitierte 7"-Single veröffentlicht wurden - bietet 'Men of the Cloth' vier neue Cuts aus dem gleichen Corduroy-Stoff - eine berauschende Mischung aus swingenden Sixties-Soundtracks, Pop-Art-Bildern und Jazz-Funk.

Bonded over the struggles of the pandemic and a mutual love for Motown, Soul and Afrobeat, Denmark"s renowned outlet for jazz, April Records proudly presents "Moko Jumbie", the debut by it"s latest outfit "A Plane To Catch". The vibrant Danish jazz scene came to a crashing halt along with the rest of the world in early 2020, and a tight-knit community of up-and-coming musicians were thrust into a void, robbed of the largest part of their livelihood and joy, live performance. Gathering in a graffiti-smudged artist"s space in an old industrial facility in Copenhagen"s outskirts, they created a space for themselves to improvise in a funky, groove-based setting. What came out was an expression of longing for all that was lost during the pandemic - a musical antidote to the loss of fun, joy, community, movement, travel and youthful abandon that the pandemic had temporarily put a halt to. Exploring the rich exchange between West African musical traditions and Western funk and soul, this is music meant for dancing, transporting the listener to dance floors both real and imagined. Featuring warm, raw production the record creates a real sense of energy and intimacy, as if the listener is in a dark club with an electric jam band. Through the eight compositions the quintet joyfully navigates familiar harmonic clichés from 70"s soul tunes, a variety of infectious toe-tapping grooves, playful improvisations and melodic duo horn arranging. Explorations of darker tonalites popularied be Ethio-Jazz legend Mulatu Astatke provide a welcome departure through harmonic contrast and propulsive polyrhythmic groove. The title "Moko Jumbie" derives from a mythical character in Afro-Caribbean folklore. During carnival season masked Moko Jumbies can be seen dancing on stilts in colorful garments, towering over the crowds. Part gods, part healers, part ghosts, and most importantly: moving expressions of freedom and the perfect mascot for this celebratory album.

Gatefold – Reissue of previously unreleased material from 1970-73. Stellar rocked up funk with Tina all over the recordings. Crucial recordings from the legendary guitarist, featuring a funky version of "Proud Mary."

The six letters of Def Jam, like the three of RAL (for Rush Associated Labels), Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin imprinted them indelibly into hip hop mythology. The epicenter is New York, in order to make sure to have in its ranks the best representatives of Boom Bap, Hardcore Funk, Go-Go or Electro. Beastie Boys, EPMD, Onyx, Redman, Method Man, LL Cool J, Junkyard Band, South Central Cartel, 3rd Bass; the list of MC's who left a mark stamped with the Def Jam or RAL logo is a freestyle where catching your breath is difficult. In order to study more closely the footprints left by these behemoths, Uncle O, the man behind the 5 volumes of Shaolin Soul compilations, explored the label's 1985-1995 period. From another age, tucked away behind a photograph of Glen E. Friedman, the man who created the visual history of Def Jam and RAL through iconic covers, they are the work of rap's T-Rex. Dinosaur Beats. Reviews R2, Mojo Blues and Soul, Guardian, Record Collector Ads R2, Mojo.

DAVID NUNEZ - STRANGE FEELING b/w I SEE YOUR FACE

New Mexico musical stalwart, John Wagner, is best known in these parts as the producer of Freddie Chavez’s Northern Soul classic ‘They’ll Never Know Why’. Throughout his career, John produced various styles of music, flying the flag for the New Mexico sound. His long time friend and collaborator, the singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist David Nunez, released a couple of albums in the 70s with John on production duties. Prior to these LPs, a batch of unreleased songs were recorded and recently unearthed from John’s archives.

IZIPHO SOUL is honoured to play its small part in preserving the musical legacy of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with two songs freshly pressed on a 7” single!

STRANGE FEELING: a Latin, Funk / Soul styled opus that lures you in … then pow … into a full-blown salsa jam, before returning to the song’s theme for a dazzling finale.

The flip, I SEE YOUR FACE: a haunting melody with thought-provoking lyrics.

Collectors and DJs … looking for something left field that’s previously unreleased and recorded circa fifty years ago? Then this may be the record for you!

Mastered from the original studio tapes.

Soul Jazz Records’ new Holy Church of the Ecstatic Soul: Gospel, Funk and Soul at the Crossroads 1971-83 is a one-off limited-edition heavyweight special-edition coloured vinyl pressing + download code exclusively for Record Store Day 2023.

he album draws upon the extensive links between black American gospel music and soul music, showing how the sensibilities of gospel artists such as Shirley Caesar, Dorothy Norwood, Andraé Crouch and others crossed over into secular soul music during this period.

Holy Church of the Ecstatic Soul shows how sacred gospel music was at home with Stevie Wonder, Blaxploitation-style funk and produced music celebrated both in New York’s underground discos (The Paradise Garage, Studio 54, etc) and later sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Mary J Blige

Derrick Jamerson was the son of Motown bassist James Jamerson Jr. and grandson of Motown Funk Brother's house band bassist James Jamerson. He himself made a select few house records back in the mid-nineties which have been unearthed by some contemporary deep diggers.

A couple of his tunes now get reissued on this The Legacy Continues EP on Endangered Musique. 'So Hard' is traditional US house with organ chords, chattery claps and well-placed vocal samples, then 'Hot House' gets a bit more loose and soulful. On the flip are three different versions of Derrick's biggest tune, 'Adventures Of A Disco Diva', all of which bring some form of piano house magic.

After several releases with our colleagues from D.ko and Cracki, underground house legend Braque de Weimar lands on skylax for a 12 inch of high aerobatics, in main reference Cryda, Roulé, Mr Oizo and 90s french house broken up down and across, funkier than bombs. Everyday is like Saturday (night).

Recorded in the early 2000s, The Sand Dollars' two Tropicália-inspired remakes of classic late 60's nuggets by The Kinks and Donovan are paired together for the first time here on F-Spot Records' new subsidiary label Pangea International Recording Co., which focuses on world and global groove inspired releases, curated by David M Celia and Dan Ubick.

From the vaults of Dan Ubick's Lions Den Studios, we get the crown jewel in Ray Davies' catalog, "Waterloo Sunset" from Something Else by The Kinks, redone as a funky Tropicália-inspired track and re-named "Waterloo Bossa" complete with fuzzy compact organ, bouncy Fender bass, funky drums from Connie Price, a lush horn arrangement by Ubick's former Keystones cohort and trumpeter Todd M. Simon (Dap Kings, El Michels Affair, Macy Gray), string arrangement by mix guru and multi-instrumentalist Steve Kaye (The Lions, Inara George, Hepcat, Marley Bros.) and topped off with stereophonic vocals by jazz chanteuse Gretchen Parlato (Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding, Lionel Loueke).

Side B's "Get Thy Bearings" was initially pressed on Now-Again Records back in 2003 and quickly sampled by Lily Allen on her track "Sunday Morning" due to the raw and heavy drums and Fender bass courtesy of Connie Price and Richard "Doo" Lee along-side inventive horn arrangement by Todd Simon flipping the original on its heady head. Now freshly mastered, this B-side instrumental is available again as the hard-hitting remake of Donovan's classic from 1968's The Hurdy Gurdy Man LP that may inspire you to sample it as Biz Markie did on "I Told You."

"Spirals" goes back to the roots of jazz, funk, and disco and brings elements of these music streams into house music. In the appearance of swing, jazz was originally a dance music genre, which later developed in many directions. Various other genres were born from it. Even electronic music streams like house belong to those genres.

Bearing this in mind, "Spirals" connects different points in the history of these genres. Bringing this fusion to life, the MIMIKOTO project works with electronic elements (analogue synths, drum computers, electronic modulations) as well as acoustic instruments (saxophones, keys, trumpet, bass, drums and percussions).

The MIMIKOTO project was founded in 2019 by Fabio Kumori as a collective of musicians related to jazz, funk, soul and electronic music, after a certain period of composing and playing as duo, trio and quartet. One of the central goals of the MIMIKOTO project is to include people from different backgrounds - to be inclusive regarding the music and the musicians themselves.

May the sound of "Spirals" be a social room in which everyone is invited to participate, and may this idea be spread everywhere where it will be played.

West Seattle Soul is an oozing collaboration of 13-15 Seattle hot shots crammed into a raw, close quarters performance that is blatant and obscure. It's an accidentally defying, thoroughly enjoyable, relapse of Seattle funk. The group has spent the last two years honing their chops at a residency at West Seattle’s Parliament Tavern.

When writing original music, this outfit goes by the name "The Pulsations" as presented on the B-Side of this Juicy slice of Seattle Side A: "Soul Makossa" West Seattle Soul put an afro-soul twist on Manu Dibango’s pioneering afro-disco hit “Soul Makossa.”
Their arrangement boasts bubbling clavinet, a tenacious horn section, and energetic vocal chants reminiscent of the original with a modern, underground dance music twist.

Side B: "Black River Crisis" Forming an Artist for all original music The Pulsations summon the deep pocket in “Black River Crisis.” Spurred from a group writing session, the drum and bass groove pave the way for interlocking guitar parts and a topsy-turvy horn line. The group found inspiration in the cataclysmic nature of the Black River that fed Lake Washington in the Seattle area.

The river was inadvertently drained when a canal was constructed from the Puget Sound to Lake Washington. The dried-up river caused a catastrophic loss of a resource that affected local farmers, the salmon population, and Native tribes who still lived alongside the river. It beckons the reality of the inevitable briefness in all facets of life and thusly, “you gotta dig it while it’s happening.”

The label is crated by Mathtiiaas Rosén (Mattias Lindgren) AKA Microman in 1995 in Stureby outside south of Stockholm Sweden.
in the beginning as a way of getting out things that Plumphuse Records did not...

After moving to UK in 98 more got in to it´s own "style" much because of London and that market, ...The label is just Microman´s backyard for experiments and try fix the holes in a dj set, the tunes needed in between the other. A techouse deep house funk house techno hybrid, now lately with the Ahab 13 taking the jump in to Brake Beat and Jungle looking back paying respect to 1998 old school.

Ahab 15 is here and Microman is on the case with a four track ep called: Freja - With a melodic yet stomping sound for both the bar before the gig.

A1: Stoopid Geneie 126 BPM a dark random bass and motion progressive rhymes.
A2: Omberg 122 BPM deep house soft rumble bass positive cords... To the more Techno style.
B1: Freja 132 BPM hybrid techouse journey with a brake down after 03:30 going into strings and full bass line revealed.
B2: Lite mer forskning 130 BPM balearic style sound with electric live bass and steel guitar melancholic melody.

The Kevin Fingier Collective is back with a brand new 7" single release, featuring Diane Ward, on our group label Fingier Records. An explosive side for the club dance floor, 'I Really Care' is a hybrid of R&B and Northern Soul with funky guitar, driving piano and killer horns. The B-side, 'The Great Akerman', is exclusive to the 7" - a flute and organ flavoured Bossa/Mod Jazz instrumental, with the Fingier signature touch.

Another dynamite release from Latin America produced by Kevin Fingier, offering shades of what is to come from a full album due later this year, hot-on-the-heels of the recent comp 'El Sonido de Fingier Records'. Fingier 45s are known to sell out fast, so don't sleep - order now!

Die Apart Demos wurden zwischen 1980 und 1984 in verschiedenen Kellern und professionellen Studios in Chicago aufgenommen und dokumentieren 12 intime und reduzierte Skizzen, Demos und unveröffentlichte Tracks von Andre Gibson und der Universal Togetherness Band, als sie sich auf ihre Solokarrieren zubewegten. Von tief empfundenen Huldigungen an die Liebenden, die von einem seidigen Fender Rhodes verziert werden, bis hin zu Disco-Party-Startern über spirituelle Dankbarkeit - Andre Gibson lässt uns in sein Herz blicken und bringt am Ende alles zusammen. Die Universal Togetherness Band aus Chicago, verband in ihrem eklektischen Sound Funk-, Soul-, Disco-, Jazz-, Rock- und New-Wave-Einflüsse mit intelligenten und fantasievollen Texten. 1978 gegründet und geleitet von Andre Gibson, mit seinem Bruder Arnold Gibson (Schlagzeug, Bass), dem ehemaligen Colorvision-Mitglied Fred Misher (Bass, Hintergrundgesang) und Freds Bruder Leslie Misher (Leadgitarre), während Andre die Keyboards, das Vibraphon und den Leadgesang übernahm. Obwohl die Gruppe mehrere Jahre lang in den Clubs von Chicago auftrat und gelegentlich größere Auftritte absolvierte (vor allem als Vorgruppe von Peter Gabriel), hatte sie Mühe, ein größeres Publikum für ihre anspruchsvolle R&B-Melange zu finden. Zwischen 1979 und 1982 nahm die Band Dutzende von Sessions auf, die Gibsons weitreichende Vision als Komponist und Bandleader dokumentierten. Während Gibsons Zeit am Columbia College kamen Paul Hanover (Mundharmonika und Klavier) und Louis Sanford (Schlagzeug) zu den ursprünglichen vier Multiinstrumentalisten hinzu. Nachdem sich die ursprüngliche Besetzung der Universal Togetherness Band schließlich Mitte der 1980er auflöste, nahm Andre Gibson weiterhin mit einer Besetzung mit Frank Alexander (Schlagzeug), Allen Burroughs (Gitarre), Art Love (Bass) und Michael Young (Saxophon) auf. 2015 veröffentlichte Numero Group eine erste Zusammenstellung mit unveröffentlichten Aufnahmen mit dem schlichten Titel Universal Togetherness Band.