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There is a long-standing love affair between DJ Harvey and Pikes, Ibiza. As well as coming back for his third consecutive 'Mercury Rising' residency, the legendary 'DJs' DJ has been appointed 'Cultural Attaché' for Pikes, meaning his magic touch and feel-good presence will create even more special moments at Pikes this summer, including the launch of new label, Pikes Records.

In 2015 DJ Harvey made his hugely anticipated return to Ibiza and made Pikes his home for his Mercury Rising debut, a concept inspired by the beauty of the real Ibiza, the incredible history of Pikes and a genuine love for music. The love, the dancing, the music and the Balearic spirit perfectly and poetically encapsulated by DJ Harvey has seen Mercury Rising widely recognised as the most special night to embrace the island in over a decade.

The next step in the Harvey and Pikes story sees him launch Pikes Records - the first record label founded by Pikes owners and Ibiza Rocks Co-Founders Andy McKay and Dawn Hindle. On the label, Harvey explains: I see so many avenues to work together to release music, everything from live recordings from Ibiza Rocks and Pikes, mix tapes, original productions, showcasing new artists, there's all sorts of avenues to open up.'

With the finer details still under wraps, it's safe to say fans can look forward to the first release being Harvey's very own Mercury Rising compilation. But what can we expect from the third instalment of Mercury Rising Putting it quite simply, Just a serious good time really' says Harvey.

The Sound Of Mercury Rising will be released September 1st on Pikes Records and DJ Harvey and his infamous all night long sets return for Mercury Rising from Monday 7th August to 25th September at Pikes Hotel.

Teddy Mike is back! After the success achieved with his previous album “On Point”, Teddy Mike returns with a new album entitled “Dynamite” - It's a 8-track masterpiece returning to the sound of the 80's funk. ... Don’t miss it, grab yours!

When it comes to underground New York Disco, Donna McGhee's highly sought-after 1978 LP, "Make It Last Forever," ranks among the best in the genre, thanks to Donna’s singing and the production skills of legendary producers Greg Carmichael and Patrick Adams.

Featuring five songs penned by the producing pair, it's got their quintessential Disco sound of the late 70s topped by Donna McGhee's superb vocals. These have also blessed recordings by The Fatback Band, Phreek, Bumblebee Unlimited and The Universal Robot Band around the same time.

The album has been an elusive affair since it first came out in 1978 and this is one the first times in decades it is widely available in its original form with newly remastered audio. Donna McGhee has been one of the key female singers of the New York disco scene, gracing several cult albums with her superb singing. The Brooklyn native began her career singing Gospel in her grandmother's choir from an early age, honing her skills and making a name for herself locally as a talented singer.
Her first break in the industry came when she was spotted by bass player Johnny Flippin, who invited her to join his band.
The group was none other than The Fatback Band led by drummer Bill Curtis. This was 1975 and the album was "Raising Hell."

McGhee's vocals can be heard throughout the album including the dancefloor classic "(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop" and after this initial collaboration, she stayed with the group for a another few years recording “Night Fever” in 1976 and touring with them all around the country. Following an encounter with producer Greg Carmichael, Donna McGhee jumped ship and started working with the prolific producer and his partner Patrick Adams.
A string of collaborations followed with singles and albums that have become the stuff of legend over the years: Donna can indeed be heard singing with Bumblebee Unlimited, Universal robot Band and on Phreek's classic self-titled album from 1978, singing on the track "May My Love Be With You."
In 1978, After Greg Carmichael set up his own label, Red Greg Records, he and Adams decided to get McGhee in the recording studio and produce her first solo album. With the pair playing most of the instruments, they got five tracks out of the session. The result, "Make It Last Forever" is an all-time Adams/Carmichael classic: funky disco arrangements with a touch of synths over a pulsating groove magnified by McGhee's superb sexy singing.

All five tracks have become classics in their own right.

A standout choice on any playlist, Master Force’s 1979 release ‘Hey Girl’ c/w ‘Don’t Fight The Feeling’ has become a staple classic across generations tuned into the disco-soul and funk sounds of late-70’s New York and all its makings.

Produced by Greg Henderson and originally released on both 12” and 7”, both singles had different mixes and are equally sought-after. Whilst Greg’s work has been heavily bootlegged over the years, the Master Force 45 mixes favoured by many have remained both untouchable and unavailable to most.

For the first time, Backatcha reissue the original 45 versions on a remastered official 7” licensed direct from Greg Henderson.

Double A-side "7in featuring Darondo's most dance-floor worthy tune "Legs Pt.1", a slice of proto-Prince type funk with the powerful and conscious ballad "Let My People Go" on the flip.

These amazing Brazilian soul-funk nuggets from Renata
Lú, originally appeared on a 7” compacto and on her self-titled debut album for Copacabana Records in 1971.
The up tempo break-beat funk of 'Faz Tanto Tempo’ has a real dance-floor cross-over appeal and should please Brazilian, funk, hip-hop breaks heads and mod-soul DJ’s & collectors alike.
Renata Lú had a long career releasing records on labels such as Compacaban / CID & Continental through out the 70’s and 80’s and worked as backing vocalist on recordings by Tim Maia and Nonato Buzar.

With their third album ‘Fluid Motion’, Melbourne’s 30/70 are set to soar into higher territory as the face of Australia’s newest wave of soul-influenced brilliance.

From the swirling opening pads of “Brunswick Hustle” all the way through to the sax-laden shimmer of “Flowers” at its close, ‘Fluid Motion’ is an instant classic, effortlessly shifting between neo-soul and languid, Dilla-esque tendencies, astral-facing jazz textures and authentic vignettes of UK club music history.

It’s a formula that those already caught in 30/70’s celestial web are fully aware of; first defined on the local heat of their 2015 debut ‘Cold Radish Coma’ and majestically expanded upon with their critically acclaimed 2017 release ‘Elevate’ on Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section INTL (mixed by Hiatus Kaiyote’s Paul Bender). ‘Elevate’ did exactly that - elevating both the scope of the band’s sound as well as their standing in the local and international community.

Since the last record was released, the music has brought the band on world tours and to the attention of the wider public and key tastemakers alike. Strongly supported by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscroft, Jamie Cullum, Matthew Halsall and Bradley Zero, the UK has become something of a second home for 30/70.

London in particular has openly embraced the soulful sounds of Melbourne, as evidenced by Gilles’ latest Brownswood compilation ‘Sunny Side Up’ which features three tracks from 30/70 members: Ziggy Zeitgeist, Horatio Luna and Allysha Joy. The record is a follow up to his era-defining survey of the UK Jazz scene ‘We Out Here’, the compilation that kickstarted a whole generation of London’s under-the-radar Jazz kids to global headlining heights. It would appear we’re about to witness this same effect take place for the Melbourne contingent, of which 30/70 lead the charge. The city’s invasion is well and truly upon us.

While London is undoubtedly in love with what’s happening in Melbourne right now, this is no one way love affair. The 30/70 collective have had their ears to the ground and plugged into the sound of the UK underground. This new album takes inspiration from the syncopation of Broken-Beat, the immediacy of Grime’s and Dub’s sonic aesthetic to create something that is a truly global amalgamation of local sounds, finessed by Allysha Joy’s instantly recognisable vocals; the rawest and realest of voices.

Comp of funky, tropical tunes from all over the place.

Straight From The Decks compiles seventeen tunes that constitute the true essence of Gut's DJ sets.
To listen at home, or to remind you of the atmosphere you may have experienced at one of them.

Mr. Collage’s debut solo album “Layers” takes a traditional Hip-Hop approach, utilizing samples as well as recorded instruments. “Layers” is a sonic painting consisting of dusty vinyl memories and future plane tickets. Funky beats and basslines, afro percussions and a second-hand synth are layered to complete the musical background of the album.

Is that all? Def not! The album features some very talented artists from the USA, Australia, Spain, Greece and Belgium. The rappers Nico The Beast, S Squair Blaq, Mic Bles and 1989TRE get funky on Collage’s beats and lady MC Amira Lacrima with her mellow raps gets into a story telling.

Soul comes strong in the album too with Lady EMZ cherishing life over a Northern Soul-inspired beat and Mantique spicing up the funkiness with her deep voice. Not to mention vocalist Lisa Spykers adding an extra R&B/Soul vibe by joining forces with 1989TRE.
On the wheels of steel, the IDA World Finalists - Fly Immigrants (DJ Mysterons and DJ Hypercutz) and the heavy artillery of scratching of Mind The Wax, DJ Moya take care of the scratches in the album.

Layers will be released on vinyl by label Mind The Wax in December 2019, and includes 11 tracks.

Rain & Shine by 'BOOGIE MONSTER' presents 'THE SECRET SIGN'.
It's a collection of 22 rare & classic connoisseur cuts mixed to perfection courtesy of Sydney's deepest crates.

Belizean artist Bredda David Obi set out to put Belizean music on the map in 1984 with the release of his debut LP No Fear. With this album he introduced the world to a new Belizean groove he called kungo (or cungo). A mélange of traditional Belizean brukdown music and sprinklings of the rock, funk, calypso and reggae. He would further develop this modern tropical sound on subsequent albums, integrating more nd more elements from Belizean niche genres like sambai and paranda.
Years later DJs and record collectors found his records in basements of record stores in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. These DJs incorporated his music into their DJ sets to the
excitement of dance floors all over the world. The DJs and remixers on this 12" took it a step further and edited and remixed David's music. DC based DJs - Sol Power
All-Stars morph "Dancin'" from an electro brukdown breakbeat into a four on the floor acid house track with an afro-caribbean feel. Los Angeles based DJ and record
collector DJ Duckcomb tastefully melds both the dub and original versions of "Experience" into one epic reggae discomix. My Rules Records owner and DJ/producer Justin
Van Der Volgen uses his heighten production skills to turn Bro David's "Sunshine" into a heady trippy cosmic version of the track. Last but not least LA-based Heatwave DJs
turn "Cungo Music" into a dancefloor tested and approved extended anthem.

Stamped Label.

Un released Multi Trax mixes
Classic Disco cuts..

Another massive and rare hip hop banger from 5BB with the huge "All Out" by Mass Influence backed by the rare original sample source. 400 copies only – will sell out this week!

Following on from the incredibly well received reissue of Rick Clarke's sensuous Street Soul number 'Love With A Stranger', Local Records dust off the tapes once again to reissue a Brit Funk gem from Janet Kay.

Originally released back in '84, 'Eternally Grateful' encompasses the Brit Funk sound with a melting pot of styles that inspired the movement. Marrying Kay's R&B infused vocals with a British flavoured boogie funk, jazzed up horns and a dubby bass, there's a pop tinge that keeps things catchy and soulful in equal measure. Hold tight for those spiritual synth lines. Stratospheric stuff that will leave you feeling like you've been dancing in outer space.

Like all the Local Records back catalogue, 'Eternally Grateful' was produced by the label's mastermind John Collins. He nestles a dub version on the flip side, full of space echo sweetness and cascading drums - giving the funk bass centre stage, primed and ready to fuel dancefloors and capture spirits all over again.

Strap up the skates, it's go time baby!

Funky soul-jazz organist Caesar Frazier crafted superior Hammond funk. 75, his second LP, is a rare gem. It’s comfortably his greatest artistic statement.

The follow-up to Hail Ceasar!, it’s a taut, grooving set that expands his sound and, put simply, it’s got better songs. The key elements of his debut album are all there – production from maestro Bob Porter, accompaniment from hip players (Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Cornell Dupree, John Tropea) and arrangement from Horace Ott - but the overall sound is elevated. The tightly jamming, expressive jazz-funk makes for a richer, fuller, more satisfying experience.

75 is a mixture of hard-driving originals, deeply beautiful slower numbers to vary the tempo and a couple of classy covers. The crazy bombastic “Mighty Mouse” - a riot of horns, organ and in the pocket drums - became an acid jazz classic at Dingwalls and it’s easy to see (hear?) how. A blissed out, lushly instrumental take on Seals and Crofts’s “Summer Breeze” follows, perfect for those sunshine sets.

Side A closes with the heavenly “Sweet Children”. A loping, funky jazz masterpiece famously sampled by Kanye West for Common’s “Real People” from Be. It opens beautifully, with soaring sax and a funky horn section combining with weightless keyboard tones atop snapping drums. Unsurprisingly, the excellence endures right through to the end.

The B side opens with perhaps the album’s most famous track. "Funk It Down” contains the familiar “I can feel the funk” vocal refrain throughout. But it’s the gorgeous, insouciant bridge that you should all know and love, having been used as the hook for Gang Starr’s “Ex-Girl To Next Girl”. A great cover of Stevie Wonder's “Living for the City” comes next, with an unforgettable bass-line which anchors the entire heavy rhythm section workout. Dizzying organ, triumphant horns and sun-dappled guitar grooves combine to create “Walking On The Side”, rounding out a pretty smoking set.

This is one of those rare 70s funk-soul-jazz LPs on which a bad track cannot be found. It’s all essential. So of course finding original copies on vinyl at affordable prices has been tough for years.

Mastered brilliantly by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman and with painstakingly reproduced artwork by the Be With team, this fresh Be With reissue ensures this legendary LP now sounds, looks and feels as sensational as it should.

Horace Andy's classic Studio One cut 'Fever' on a super-loud 12" single for the first time ever! A killer track originally released on the legendary Studio One label in 1973, with the Cedric Im Brooks instrumental version on the B side. Horace Andy is one of Reggae's best known vocalists who has had mainstream success with Massive Attack after appearing on all five of their albums.

Soul Jazz Records are releasing their new ‘Space Funk – Afro Futurist Electro Funk in Space 1976-84’, an intergalactic journey into black space, fuelled by funk, powered by computers.
‘Space Funk’ is a lovingly compiled collection of superb, rare and off-the-wall space funk and electro releases mostly released on small independent labels in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Reactors are reacting, boosters are boosting, pack your funk and shake your booty! Computer funk … makes you jump! This is the space funk program!
The album comes in deluxe artwork and three formats – digipack + slipcase CD, a very limited deluxe 2xLP + bonus 7” single + download vinyl version, and a standard 2xLP + download standard vinyl version.
Features music by Jamie Jupitor, Solaris, Robotron 4, Juju & the Space Rangers and many more intergalactic space warriors!
The shuttle program has been altered – there is no Star Wars only electro funk jam joyriders in Space – hold tight!

With all his previous releases sold out and out of print E. LIVE drops this Italo boogie groover featuring CHESTA BLAKE on the A-side. The dance heavy synthwork will get the dancefloors moving. B/w "FUNKTOWN NIGHTS" an instrumental homage to the stompin' grounds of Oakland, CA. (STAR CREATURE)

From dark and dusty days in Tucson, AZ to Long Beach sunshine, ZACKEY FORCE FUNK is back with another collection of bonafide gangster funk. His new album '4X4 SCORPION' is an assemblage of sentiments from Zackey’s life experience that spans from the streets of Arizona to outer space.

Classic synth lines and bright funky textures drip from tunes like "Around My Way" (Produced by Brian Ellis), "Lil Dutchie" (Produced by Diamond Ortiz) and "Glide Through the Galaxy" (Produced by XL Middleton). The bumping bass lines and cracked out vocal lines in "Shakazulu" (Produced by Stephon Osae) and "Hater 3000" (Produced by Proh Mic) travel straight from the trunk and into the surrounding vicinity as the hydraulics bounce. Zackey and Producer extraordinaire Salva team up once again for a tribute to their mutual hero, The Egyptian Lover, with "Girl".

The title of the album comes from a life of crime in Tucson that had Zackey in and out of prison since the age of 17. Cocaine that moved across the border from Mexico had to be stamped with either a 4x4 or a scorpion, or else it was tainted. Herein lies the significance of '4X4 SCORPION'. After giving up that life, Zackey began to hone his craft. Years of hard work and collaborations with the likes of Lazer Sword, Lorn, Mike Gao, Inkswel, Jellphonic, Daedelus, Salva and B. Bravo, Zackey became the psychedelic future funk pirate that he is today.

Zackey Force Funk released his first collection of demos mixed by Kutmah titled 'THIS IS MY FORCE FUNK SOUND' on HIT+RUN in 2009. His debut album, 'MONEY GREEN VIPER' (containing the worldwide funk anthem "Press Play'"), was released in 2014. Since then Zackey has released four more full length albums (including 2017's slept-on underground masterpiece LINEAS with collaborator Eddy Funkster), the latest 'BODYROCK SHOTGUN’ came out on XL Middleton's MOFUNK Records in 2018.

When you sneak-a-peek at the title of this forthcoming pressing, “Justice”, you might be surprised to know that a monster boogie track, or actually a good handful of them, are hidden right beneath those 7 bolded letters. Dig This Way Records and Sleeve Records have combined forces for this one, to make the impossibile, possible: Dibson & Essody’s, “Justice”.
Originally recorded in ‘82 and stamped on the distinguished Nigerian label Wilfilms, this extremely rare, revelation of music was meant for sharing and the two labels will be doing just that.
Reworked and remastered, this 7 track dance floor masterpiece is coming to a turntable near you.

Following the 1960 Nigerian liberation from Western colonization, Nigeria began to use music to vibrate everyone into a place of harmony and community. The majority of pressings that came out from within the Nigerian state paired disco, funk infused beats with strong, political lyrical statements.
In this release from Dibson & Essody, the political undertones of “Justice” blended with the smoldering grooves of “Music Lovers” and “Let Your Body Move” classify this disco under the monumental must-haves of Nigeria from the early 1980's.

Side one kicks off with a heavy rhythmical beat, driven by funky synthesizers in a track called “Music Lovers”. Followed by a lyrically driven track, “No Ones Gonna Live Forever”, with vocals resonating over percussions and flugelhorns. Side two is packed with two goodies: “Let Your Body Move”, composed of a funky bass line and layers of percussions, and then the famous “Justice” track that combines catchy guitar riffs with memorable piano chord progressions.

Stamped under one of the most esteemed labels Wilfilms, owned by the most enigmatic figures in Nigerian music, William Onyeabor, Dibson & Essody’s “Justice” is one for the taking. Dig This Way and Sleeve Records are happy to take the reigns on this one to make sure this funky themed disco will be available for all to hear.

The American producer Buscrates lands on Neon Finger with this magnificent 7″, showing his peculiar sound, loaded with groove that oscillates between funk, boogie, jazz or hip-hop. Acoustic drums, drum machines, synthesizers and vocoders are the ingredients of these jams. After his releases on labels such as Omega Supreme, Bastard Jazz or Voyage Funktastique, this artist has become one of the most important producers in the modern funk scene.

Ok, this one is different from the usual standard of re-edits releases on GAMM.

Swedish duo Pomona Dream from Gothenburg is no re-edit outfit but an official artist. The main track 'Blame It On the Groove' is a vocal rare groove jam which is based on Aged In Harmony's highly sought after 'You're A Melody'.

Together with catchy soul/pop vocals from Pomona Dream and tasteful additional production this simply just works...yup it's that good.

To make the case even stronger Pomona Dream got an extra treat on the B-side. 'San Francisco' got an uptempo electronic / hip hop feel that is very modern yet very timeless with its simplistic vocals and synth(ish) melodies.

It's basically a solid song with an edgy production. All in all, this a real nice 7" inch with lots of character. Check check!

This is some serious top shelf material out of Baltimore and a certified masterclass in sweet symphonic soul. Optimistics was originally released in 1970 on Turbo and it’s every bit as essential as The Chi-Lites, The Delfonics and The Moments yet nowhere near as known. Those original copies are ridiculously rare and, of course, the prices are equally ridiculous.

Optimistics is a killer LP throughout, beloved of discerning hip-hop producers worldwide and routinely championed by the legendary Pete Rock. The genius George Kerr has handled the production on what is an album of beautiful, naïve soul for mind and body. It’s bursting with goodness and, like the best of its genre, it radiates a heart-breaking ambience that cuts right to the core.

The band of Billy, Harold, James, Charles and Jerome are described on the back cover as “five young, black knights who have embarked on a musical crusade and they're gonna slay a lot of dragons along the way”. We’re not entirely sure how many mythical serpents were dispatched during the making of this album but we can certainly attest to the sense of evangelical drive.

Evergreen opener “You Put Something New In My Life” is a heart-stopping ode to a transformative love. A ballad with spine-tingling chord changes and melodic switch-ups to spare, its sweeping strings and precise drums complement the falsetto delivery perfectly.

It’s followed by the equally beguiling “Let’s Love”. Another string-drenched harmony ballad, it revolves around delicate piano and distinctive guitar lines, crying out to be recontextualised by the best sampling technicians. Closing out the A side, the wonderfully restrained “Love Is God Almighty” is harp and horn-driven, barely-there soul from a higher plain. Heavenly.

Ushering in the flipside, “Should I Let Myself Go”, sampled recently by Knxwledge, is sensational guitar-soul with a yearning that could bring the most hardened soul to tears. It’s followed by the uptempo, Temptations-funk of “Man” and quietly-great “If I Could Influence Man”, where the competing vocals ride a chugging, funky breakbeat and delicious guitar licks. The refreshing, groovy “Say It Baby” is an appropriately positive, upward looking closer. Its sentiment and feel speaks directly to both the band name and the title of this, their only album. Truly optimistic.

The whole LP is a winning blend of slow, spine-tingling ballads and joyously upbeat tracks. It’s a case of A+ vocals, melodies and harmonies over beautiful playing and arrangements. It deserves to be canonical.

This fresh reissue has been mastered with the usual care by Simon Francis and cut by the legendary Pete Norman. The artwork has been lovingly reproduced by the Be With team.

Optimistics should be known to a much wider audience. We’ve hopefully gone some way towards rectifying that.

Monchan worked on Barbara Mason unpopular early 80's boogie jam for 7inch. Side B is Instrument dub.

Smooth & groovy cuts from diggin' fanatics Obscure & Obsolete featuring space disco, french boogie, german cheesecake, and calypso steel drum madness. Limited pressing!

Blue curacao transparent vinyl repress!

As the title suggests 'On Flute' shows us how diverse Tenderlonious's musicianship is as he embellishes each song with his signature flute sound. 'Ghana' sets the pace of the record with up-tempo afro beats, complimented by keys, strings, a distinctive lead synth and of course a soaring flute solo. 'Autumn Leaves' follows with a more UK broken-beat flavour, revealing a darker sense of atmosphere. Side A closes with 'Oedo Bushi,' a comparatively stripped back tune, a simple conga rhythm with flute and xylophone solos weaving in and out as if in conversation with each other.

Side B starts strong and steady with 'Song For My Father', an upbeat number fusing funk and disco to create the perfect dance floor filler that builds to a climax with one of Tenderlonious's wild flute solos (one of my personal favourites!). 'In A Sentimental Mood' follows and, as the title suggests, shows the listener how this producer came by his name. Tender flute inflections and sensitive lead synths, backed by quiet whispers make this the perfect accompaniment to an intimate candle lit dinner. The EP finishes with 'Dale's Corner,' another broken feel on this one with delayed Rhodes supported by tasteful flute lines throughout - it leaves the listener feeling uplifted and wanting more.

SAFT is proud to present a re-release of a sought after disco classic from 1979. Carlos Romanos' 1-2-1 is without a doubt one of the highly regarding dancefloor classics from the heydays of the genre. With a length of 5.30 this brass infused stomper is club friendly, positive and drenching with Latin influenced percussion sounds.

As the original version has been available as a 7" as well as a 12" release, the new edition will appear on a 12" record only and includes a hypnotic 'Sotofett' formula dub on the B-side that spans ten minutes and maximises the percussive nature of the original to create a psychedelic voyage that builds and builds whilst generating a threatening atmosphere around the brass, vocals and perc hits of the original.

A roaring guitar gives 1-2-1 a bizarre but signature Sotofett treatment which shouldn't be missing from any adventurous record collection. 1-2-1 including DJ Sotofett's formula dub will be available from all specialised retailers from the summer of 2019.

This is the first reedit release from Bassi Maestro’s “North of Loreto” project straight from Milan, Italy. On the A-side Bassi reworks a top notch Jellybean production that needs no introduction, probably the finest Whitney track to ever touch the charts, with flipped vocals and a subtle early house groove; while staying faithful to the classic song it brings new energy out of it, a certified dancefloor banger. On the B-side, Aut Of Sait is an underrated electro-funk bomb, the NoLo version extends the infectious grooves of the original 12” keeping just the essential vocal parts in the mix for a more club oriented edit, while the second track is an early 80s obscure Czech disco track chopped up and looped to make it perfect to dance to; less vocals, more bounce.

Soul Jazz Records’ Nigeria Soul Power 70 album showcases the influence of funk, rock and disco on Nigerian music during the 1970s. Originally released as a now-long-out-of-print collectors’ 7” RSD box, this fully expanded album release now also includes extra tracks from Sonny Okosuns, Wings, Chief Kollington Ayinla and more. While for many people the fusion of funk and jazz music with Nigerian rhythms and aesthetics began with Fela Kuti and his afro-beat sound, in fact this can be traced further back to the phenomena of the 1960s Nigerian artists and house bands in nightclubs and hotels who interpreted US soul and pop music with a local flavour and none more so than Geraldo Pino, the ‘African James Brown’ who features heavily in this collection. Other similarly inspired Nigerian funk and soul artists featured here included Tony Grey and his Ozimba Messengers and Don Bruce and The Angels. Nigeria Soul Power 70 includes a number of tracks from the group Wings originally known as BAF (Biafran
Air Force) Wings, an army band formed during the Biafran civil war in Nigeria. The groups’ heavy mixture of funk, rock and African styles was popular among many Nigerian groups at the time.
Beneath the shadow of the few Nigerian artists who signed international recording deals in the 1970s – Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Chief Ebenezer Obey – lies of vast wealth of largely undiscovered musical transmutation and cultural cross-pollination, and included here are heavy afro-funk/rock and disco tracks
from artists such as the legendary Sonny Okosuns as well as rare cuts from little-known outside of Nigeria - groups such as Colomach and MFB. Most of these obscure artists signed to major labels in Nigeria in the commercial slipstream that opened up as Philips, Decca and EMI tried to emulate the international
success of the big three international Nigerian artists. Finally featured here is Kollington Ayinla, one of the co-founders of Nigerian Fuji music, who gives us perhaps the heaviest of all tracks on this album. Ayinla is the great moderniser of the Fuji sound and in the late 1970s began adding Bata drums and synthesizers to his authentic music to create a powerful and heavy new fusion of traditional and modernist aesthetics, embracing both new technology and experimentation while rooted firmly in Nigerian historical lineage. Nigeria Soul Power 70 is released as a heavyweight gatefold double vinyl LP (+ free download code),
deluxe slipcase CD and digital album.

Giant Cuts Presents.. A new offshoot showcasing some of the world's best remixers / producers & editors, kicking off the series with a fantastic 4 track EP from Michael The Lion.

Philadelphia's Michael The Lion has been making waves recently with his original productions and edits for Soul Clap Records and Razor-N-Tape. Michael's Most Known Edits EP brings the Philly flavour with big strings, hot percussion and uplifting vibes. He adapts the trademark sound he'd developed for over a decade under the pseudonyms DJ Apt One and RCMP - live instruments sit seamlessly with sampled grooves to create organic, classic textures. The Lion sound is always funky, always strong and always ready for the floor.

A1. The Hangover - A reslung take on one of the great dancefloor classics. A long-time staple of Michael's tour sets.

A2. Know This - Rock solid Philly funk grooves complete with live bass and organ right in the pocket.

B1. Fly Robert - Strings and percussion rule the day on this uplifting take on a most known cut.

B2. Bo Knows - Bo knows Afro-Latin percussion, Bo knows horns. Bo knows feel-good vibes!

Michael's recent releases have had DJ support from Bicep, Faze Action, Mark Farina, The Reflex, Kraak & Smaak, Greg Wilson, Jacques Renault, Cosmo Baker, Mousse T, Ron Basejam, Yam Who, Razor-N-Tape, Nicholas, DJ Bruce, Soul Clap, Sleazy McQueen, Hot Toddy, Pete Herbert, DJ Rocca, Inkswel, Recloose and more.

HOT PEAS 'N BUTTER make it three for three with the long-serving and mysterious PPF crew pitching in !As you've come to expect, we got four more dubbed out, extended and amended lost classics custom made for dancefloor euphoria Time machine tear-ups from the golden era, as likely to be heard on Mom & Pop's turntable as they were rattling the cones on the home-made block party stacks or basement sound systems. 100% DJ material - and available in VERY short supply...you snooze, you lose !
Hand stamped vinyl only 12" series in poly-lined kraft sleeves

After a 5-year hiatus following the release of their acclaimed sophomore release, Barcelona based outfit Oso Leone return with an alluring new album touching on soul, funk, R&B and pop. Following their meditative self-titled debut and its captivatingly sparse follow-up 'Mokragora'; 'Gallery Love' achieves what it sets out to do and more, taking the listener on an auditory journey with lucid song structures that ebb and flow like the waves. A sublime musicalàexperience, its hypnotic repetition is an ode to refinement, and the gentle forays into ambient electronica and jazz show impeccable restraint and sensitivity: 'Gallery Love's' opening track and first single 'Virtual U' was born from very few elements. A beat on the MPC, a few chords on the Korg Trident and some gently lilting vocal jams create the structure, like a digital collage of feelings as vocalist Xavier Oso describes it. "I see this song as a hyperobject, an external entity moulding modern relationships and shadowing us. An anti-form creating distance in the closeness. A vast empty space between two islands." Recorded at his Mother's house in San Sebastian, 'Best In You' was the last song written on the record, whilst the mystically poetic 'Agró Blanc' is named after a type of heron that dwells in Mallorca. The band describe 'River of Jasmines' as the most mysterious track on the record, the lyrics coming to Xavier during a nap in the studio. "I recorded the vocals in one take with no set lyrics, just the lines that came to my mind. I tried a second go but it was impossible trying to imitate those melodies, so I left it with all its imperfections," he explains. 'Vernal Pools' is a funky existentialist piece, a reflection of a landscape in a pond, a contemplative loop, an iconic natural spot. A dubby & aqueous bassline conducts the title album's title track, it's ambient sounds featuring traces of kalimba and a field recording of an owl who frequented the house during the night. 'A Pale Blue Dot' is a floaty, dream-like jam and 'Samuel Sings' is a "calling to a lost soulmate." The dainty trance of 'Fountain At the Entrance' rounds things off in mesmerising fashion.

THE INDEPENDENT UK LABEL SIX NINE RECORDS LTD, BASED IN NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, PROUDLY PRESENT PLEASURE FROM THE CITY OF ROSES (PORTLAND, OREGON), WHO ARE BACK WITH TWO NEW FANTASTIC SONGS! ON THE A-SIDE A SMOOTH MID-TEMPO INSTANT HIT TUNE CALLED “ONE MORE TIME” IS FOUND, WHILST THE FLIP HOLDS A FUNK BURNER OF THE HIGHEST ORDER – “FOR YOUR PLEASURE”. DEFINITELY NOT TO BE MISSED AS IT IS A LIMITED UK PRESS WITH SMALL HOLE AND FULL COLOUR PRINTED PICTURE COVER!