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Fresh off the release of So Much Trouble In My Mind' Sir Joe recorded the funky arrangement No Time for Dreamin '' locally at track studios 1970 with the Free Soul lineup of Jackie Lee/leon rodgers/leon whimpy johnson/frank - congoas/gregory hammonds bass/Steptoe. Another scratch from the GSF album release Find Yourself' is a funkier grittier arrangement than the original released on Sir Joe's inaugural LP and serves as a choice alternate take! The session features musicians from the original Free Soul lineup.

AK1205 features the first issue of three Sir Joe and Free Soul titles. Sir Joe's LP has been recognized by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the 500 greatest LPs of all time. titles i'm a young man full version! Recorded locally in 1975 at track studios, engineered in New York by Tony Bon Jovi, Young Man featured one of the Free Soul original lineups Charles Steptoe milton smith drums /jack e lee guitar /bass - elliot adams, keyboards Wayne Anderson.
 
This original version of so much trouble in My Mind was recorded along with fool in love in 1969 at track recording studio with the original Free Soul lineup. This original version of so much trouble in My Mind was recorded along with fool in love in 1969 at track recording studio with the original Free Soul lineup. Although initially rejected by GSF Records, who preferred a more uptempo version. Sometimes this version would be played live to round out a funkier set by Sir Joe and Free Soul.

The long established and critically acclaimed DJ-Kicks series kicks off 2017 with suitably accomplished DJ, producer, vocalist and instrumentalist Matthew Dear at the helm.A man of many musical hats, Texas born, Detroit raised Dear has a wide reaching discography that takes in face melting techno as Jabberjaw, dark avant-pop under his own name and intricate minimal as Audion.Often with a gothic slant and full of curiousness, his pensive but playful music is an intoxicating distillation of many different influences, often withhis own stylised vocals at the centre.

Black Pepper from Guyanese artists Yoruba Singers. Amazing 1984 version of a track of the same name released in 1975. Super rare original 12" reissued for the first time by Left Ear Records.

Massive on the northern scene and issued here with original B side

Vinyl only label based in Berlin - London - Hamburg. Spreading the good stuff with unique Hip Hop & Funk infused Edits. Exclusive

The Need of Love was Earth Wind & Fire's second album released in 1971. It opens with a ten-minute piece named "Energy," inspired by everything from free jazz to funk and is undoubtedly the stand out track of the album. Although it wasn't particularly commercially successful at the time of release, 'The Need of Love' highlights the bands diversity of genre and skill making it essential to any fans collection.

The master tapes were lost in a fire years ago. This 2015 release was meticulously remastered from Mike Lundy's only remaining copy of the LP, which was still sealed. In 1980, Mike Lundy originally planned to record just two songs for a single. That never happened because Mike's producer realized they had enough material to do an LP. The two songs would have been The Rhythm Of Life' and Tropic Lightning".

A familiar sound returns....like an old friend. The gorgeous vocals of Caron Wheeler and the rhythmic vibe of Simon Law. Simon was a key member of Soul II Soul, co-writing their two Grammy-winning songs  Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)' and African Dance'.  He has worked on all their albums except one, producing and co-writing many of their hit singles.  He still performs regularly with the band at festivals and on major TV appearances. 

Now living in Toronto, he has also enjoyed success as a writer, producer and remixer with the likes of Chante Moore - for whom he produced the Top 10 R&B hit Love's Taken Over' -  Brenda Russell, Maxi Priest, George Michael, Robert Palmer, Duran Duran, Johnny Gill, Masters At Work and Shabba Ranks.

On his debut solo album Look To The Sky Simon reunites with Caron - on the uplifting lead single Morning Love' -  as well as Jazzie B, Chante Moore and Maxi Priest, whose Sunshine Girl' is the second single.  His main writing collaborator, who sings lead vocals on the hooky Rocket Ship' and a number of other tracks, is Lain Gray, originally a member of UK vocal group Nu Colours and now living in Texas.  Jamaican singer Nadine Sutherland, a Bob Marley discovery who was the first signing to his Tuff Gong label at the age of 11, turns in an outstanding performance on Love Comes Back To You'. 
An album that is at turns funky, ethereal, majestic, with a strong rhythmic groove.
In the UK Morning Love' has already attracted airplay on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio London, Jazz FM, Mi-Soul, BBC Manchester, and many more. In Holland it is playlisted at national station Sublime FM. Simon will be visiting the UK for promotion in May and June, when he will also be performing in London with Soul II Soul.

This anthology extra-terrestrial funk focuses on vocal delights in Portuguese Brazilian
(No English singing Songs)

Smoky, sweaty rhythm & blues heavily on American soul and funk jazz-funk, samba rich grooves, disco, luscious orchestration, boogie gems Killer tunes

Tim Maia father of Brazilian soul music have released over 30 albums during his career.
Iconoclastic, ironic, outspoken, polemical (but always humorous), and openly addicted to cocaine and marijuana, he was known for lightheartedly missing appointments and even big-time gigs, and also for being boycotted by recording companies, TV networks , and other media that didn't swallow his disturbing presence.
Maia spent a couple of years involved with a religious group called Cultura Racional that held the belief that humans are really aliens that need to reconnect with an elemental form of energy through the teachings of a book called Universo Em Desencanto).
Tim Maia was never satisfied. Brazil's number one soul brother had a voracious appetite for both carnal and philosophical indulgences. Died at age 55 in 1998
With the help of cream-of-the-crop session musicians and songwriters, Tim blazed the way for a unique fusion of Brazilian styles and American soul music, something timeless and wholly original.

"Lost sweet soul and funky grooves from Baltimore MD's Frankie & The Spindles. These 13 tracks (featuring production from George Kerr and Bunny Sigler) were originally released in 1968 through 1977 on now hard-to-find 7" vinyl singles.

Harsh and primitive country blues boppers from Slim

* The original LP now sells for $200 online

* The first 7-inch release of both songs

Brought to light in the 21st century on Psychemagik's Magik Sunrise compilation in 2013, House On The Rock' is a shimmering, sophisticated groove with a strong West Coast sound — songwriter Rob Mehl spend nearly three decades between Southern California and Hawaii, where the surf was too irresistible to leave behind for very long. He first moved to Oahu in 1958, a year before Hawai'i became the 50th state.

House On The Rock' has become a staple for summer-ready mixtapes from DJs and collectors, including multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee of the modern day Yacht Rock group Young Gun Silver Fox.

The equally strong Taste And See' on the flipside provides the only lyrical reference to Hawai'i ( mangos and papayas got flavors of their own') while remaining in line with Mehl's smooth West Coast vibe — he hired two of Chuck Mangione's colleagues for the recording, guitarist Steve O'Conner and horn player John Rekevics.

Surprisingly, Mehl's original vision was to do an album of traditional Hawaiian music, but one day a friend told him he's too haole' and the idea just won't work. I was crushed, I was devastated. Taste And Sea, it was gonna be this mix of songs I'd written and kanaka wai wai (Hawaiian songs).'

Photographer Steve Wilkings of the recently shuttered Surfer Magazine took pictures of Mehl surfing for the album cover. But label executives in California decided to use an illustration of a plate, fork and spoon instead.

They were thinking of a bigger audience. All I was thinking of was my friends — c'mon, nobody's gonna buy this but my friends! — and I'd probably just give it to 'em.' The original LP now sells for $200 online.

AGS-7006 marks the first 7-inch release of both songs. Mehl continues to record. He performs at house concerts throughout the US and resides in Oceanside, California.

We walked down streets and crammed onto trains, our faces masks of fear. Unsure how to react, we, collectively, did not react. We grieved for a country and an ideal we never thought would die. We grieved for a loss of certainty.

We argued about what we thought would happen. We preached understanding. We advocated for anger. Some people said that we'd at least get some incredible art, other people said that was a small view of a world we were quickly realizing we'd misunderstood. Everyone was right. Everyone was wrong. Art made in precarious times matters as much as we let it matter.

But what are we looking for from the art we enjoy Escapism A reckoning with harsh reality A temporary shared hallucination Music can heal because it presents the pain of being human as universal.

Love is Love was written and recorded in the two months immediately following the election, but it's not a record borne entirely of angry, knee-jerk reaction to what America is becoming. Instead, it's a meditation on love, and on what life means now. Taking cues from last year's City Sun Eater in the River of Light, it feels very much like a record made from living, shoulder to shoulder, in a major city: weaving psychedelic swirls of guitar between languid horns reminiscent of the best Ethiopian jazz—Love is Love is a distinctly New York record. It is a document of protest in uncertain times and an open-hearted rejection of cynicism in favor of emotional honesty. It is bright, and then, unexpectedly, a little dark sometimes too.

There will be parts of life where we will watch as events unfold and we will feel helpless. We will not be sure of the future. On good days, we'll have each other. On the bad ones, we'll turn to the art that helps us feel something. Love is Love is a document of the new world we live in, proof that light can come from despair and hope is still possible. We just need a little help remembering it exists. - Sam Hockley-Smith

"Wisdom comes with age, so it's no surprise that Woods have grown more sage in the twelve years since they formed, expanding from sylvan drum circles into increasingly elaborate, transcendent psychedelia." - Pitchfork

Profusion (noun): an abundance of something rich. What a deftly fitting description for the collaborative project between K15 and Emeson.

This talented duo hooked up back in the days of MySpace. A future of combining their skills was always inevitable, and in 2017, it's finally time to unleash their united sonics out into the ether.

The solo-projects of Tottenham-raised Kieron Ifil (aka K15) date back a decade, but were truly kick-started on labels such as Kyle Hall's Wild Oats and also on WotNot Music, with an abundance of genre-crossing releases dropping ever since, taking in sounds from jazz, soul, hip hop, house, techno and broken beat. Additionally to his production work (also releasing under the moniker Culross Close), he has established himself internationally as a DJ, with prior residencies at the world famous Jazz Cafe, and his WU15 project (along with Yussef Kamaal's Henry Wu) on Alex Nut's Eglo Records, cementing his rightful status as part of London's now-school.

Partner in Profusion, Emeson, has many skills to his bow - singing, songwriting, producing, promoting, DJing (under the alias Ed Nice) and acting, appearing across the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, to name but a few. As a musician, his varied skill-set has seen him work with Chico Hamilton, Carla Duke, Karmasound, Uzo Madu and Chris Jerome. A frontman for soul-jazz groups LifeSize, The One and Saturn's Children, he has featured on releases for BBE and Tokyo Dawn, and appeared live on stage at the likes of Ronnie Scott's. A truly formidable talent.

We set it off with this double-header of heat; 'Flying' and 'Where Do I Begin'. Sun-soaked synths drift across the warmest of basslines and neck-snapping beats. Emeson's rich vocals gracefully ride atop of K15's delectably bruk twist on neo-soul sonics, this is seriously classy contemporary London soul music. As highly suited for laidback cruising as they are for heads-down sweaty dancefloors, as proven triumphantly when debuted at the closer of the recent Co-Op 'Selectors Assemble' dance. Both tracks are killer and we hope give you a good flavour of what's to come.

Profusion - an abundance of something rich indeed. A project that embodies an array of everything that is great about British black music. Be ready.

!!! Original Ska Sounds from The Skatalites 1963-65 !!!

The Skatalites brought the sound of Jamaica to the world. At the start of the 1960s, in the space of just a couple of years Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, Jackie Mittoo, Ernest Ranglin, Johnny 'Dizzy' Moore, Lloyd Knibbs, Lloyd Brevett and others defined the exciting beat of 'Ska' as the sound of newly independent Jamaica. As the house band at Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's newly launched Studio One Records at
13 Brentford Road, the group comprising the finest jazz musicians on the island played on literally 1000s of recordings - Bob Marley and The Wailers, Toots and The Maytals, Delroy Wilson, Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis and many, many more. During their existence (1963-65) The Skatalites also recorded 100s of their own songs,
released either under their own name, or The Studio One Orchestra, or that of band members Drummond, McCook etc. This is the first collection on Soul Jazz Records to bring
you some of their finest material - from classics such as 'Guns of Navarone', 'El Pussy Cat Ska', 'Christine Keeler' through to some serious rarities such as Dizzy Johnny and The Studio One Orchestra's 'Sudden Destruction' and Don Drummond's 'Coolie Boy'. The Skatalites' ska sound brought together aspects of jazz, latin, rhythm and blues, proto- Rastafarianism (tracks such as 'Full Dread', 'Beardsman Ska') and more. The intensity and
energy of their sound was matched by the experimentation of the troubled genius of Don Drummond whose 'far east' modal trombone sound added a complex melancholy to the
music of the Skatalites (the group split-up after Drummond was charged with murdering his wife, dancer Margarita Mahfood).

Get ready for two brand-spanking new chapters in Perfect Toy's high octane, Down & Wired series of garage-mod-soul nuggets because the label has once again persuaded the man responsible for Volumes 1 and 2 - crate digger par excellence 'Chan The Man' - to unearth even more gems from his record collection!

The goodness kicks off with The Revival's virtually unknown, but irresistible, blues-funk head nodder I Chose To Sing The Blues followed by Take 5+2's stank slice of fuzz-heavy rnb, Motherless Child, originally (not to mention bizarrely) released on an EP handed out as a election promo giveaway for a man who later became mayor of Bonn - Hans Daniels of Germany's Conservative party, the CDU. Elsewhere, Heather Black delivers a blisteringly fast version of Third Avenue Blues Band's Come And Get It while The Turks provide an equally scorching take on Hendrix's Fire. The covers (and the treats) continue with teenage band The Aftermath's heavy take on Junior Wells' Messing With The Kid and Hunger's Brian Auger-ish Mind Machine. Babe Wallace mixes up English and Yiddish lyrics on big band rhythm & blues monster Dizengoff and there's yet another cover (easily the best one you've never heard) of Allen Toussaint's New Orleans funk classic Get Out Of My Life Woman by the Fabulous Impacts. There's also room for The Inn Crowd's super-rare harmonica-drenched groover Run Clarence Run and Friends' My Land which sandwiches two minutes of organ-led craziness between its deceptively mellow intro and outro. Towards the end of this epic double set comes yet another Hendrix cover - 49th Blue Streak's funked-up, fuzzed-up Foxy Lady and there's an appropriate closer in the form of George Brigman's hypnotic Drifting.

This is a super-hot collection of vintage rarities (accompanied by detailed liner notes and never-before-seen photos of the artists!) imbued with all the glorious imperfections of the golden age of the analogue era that artists now often strive so hard to recreate. Little surprise then that these cuts should sound so fresh today.

After lamenting on the emotional baggage of Hurricane Katrina on his last single "After The Storm" Willie West offers another sonic angle on the city of New Orleans, his place of birth. "Give It Back" is the closest example of Mardi Gras funk that Willie has recorded since his cult classic "Said To Myself" on Warner Brothers from 1975.

There is something very particular about the rhythmic texture of NOLA r&b, obviously referencing heavily to the second line parade tradition, to which some argue the whole concept of modern western rhythm music can be traced back to. As for the backing provided by Cold Diamond & Mink, obviously the Soul Investigators under disguise, this classic roots sound is not reaching too far from home. When these boys from Espoo started to cook up their primitive funk quartet back in the 90's, they were feasting on a steady diet of Allen Toussaint produced Meters, the same bunch, who played behind Willie West back in his prime.

In many ways "Give It Back" is rejuvenating things in full circle, the same way as, when Willie performed his funk classic "Fairchild" live in Helsinki with The Soul Investigators in 2014. This funk is not made for the deep funk purists, it is meant for the human race. And it displays that Willie West can still rock to that Louisiana bounce.

Rediscover the cult album of the 80s most mythical funk band reissued on CD and for the first time on Vinyl since their original release. Remastered from the original master tapes including the hits Just an Illusion', Music & Lights'.

Comes with a free Funky Chimes 45rpm adapter. Sampler 2/5: Francis Coppieters - Funky Chimes / Georges Hayes And His Philarpopic Orchestra - Concerto For Right Foot And Orchestra

'Funky Chimes' is a two-hour collection of excellent and unique grooves. It contains 27 of the most interesting yet long forgotten Belgian dance tracks from the seventies, when a generation of extremely gifted and versatile musicians experimented with funk, jazz, latin and other grooves.
'Funky Chimes' is in many ways the logical follow up to 2014's highly acclaimed compilation 'Funky Chicken'. Uncovering a blind spot in Belgium's musical heritage and unearthing a diverse collection of hidden treasures. 'Funky Chicken' has induced a renewed interest in Belgium's rare grooves from the seventies, which until then had never been regarded a genre worth mentioning. Having said that, this second instalment is much more than just a fast sequel or a batch of leftovers. The music's quality matches that of its predecessor, but the treasure hunt was even more adventurous, and the stories behind some of the nuggets even more gripping.

Sampler 2/5:
Francis Coppieters - Funky Chimes / Georges Hayes And His Philarpopic Orchestra - Concerto For Right Foot And Orchestra

Fulgeance & DJ Scientist are back with more dope material from their beat laboratory. Last year's debut album 'The Soviet Tape' featured their beat-fuelled take on funk, soul and jazz grooves. For the first release on the newly-established Excursions imprint, 'A Soviet Disco Excursion' follows up with three amazing edits strictly for the dancefloor.

Fulgeance takes on Charauntsy (Sorceress), a relatively unknown female band from Belorussia transforming it into a low slung, pure soulful disco flute funk groove that is a guaranteed DJ sureshot. Latvian singer Mirdza Zivere is next with an edit of her classic cosmic disco track "Vienmer but" - a track made famous by the group Modo.

On side B, Scientist edited/remixed Tatyana Kochergina's "Igray, Skripka, Igray (Play Violin Play)" which delivers some Philly and Italo disco flavours - belying it's Soviet-era Ukraine roots to devastating dancefloor effect! This vinyl only release is the first in a series of edits from the London based label.

Fuck Dubstep, this is Cologne Dub from hell!

Rediscovered from the lost archives of the classic Hotel Lotte-imprint these four super creepy, slow and grinding Dub monsters are featuring dark timestretching, heavy Illbient- / Crooklyn Dub-influences, slo-mo scratching and HipHop-infused sample works whilst transmitting some of the deepest subsonic basslines you've ever heard. Tunes that are truly alternating your perception of space and time - pressed as a limited edition of 500 copies back in 1999. Only very few copies available.

Smoove & Turrell have cemented their position as one of the Europe's premier soul and funk outfits. Due to popular demand Jalapeno is re-issuing some classic S&T tracks on 7"

'I Can't Give You Up' was the very first Smoove & Turrell release on German label Club Tikka and within weeks was changing hands for silly money on the soul scene. Long since out of press on 7" it is now available again backed up with 'Have Love' - a killer moment from the boys third album 'Broken Toys'

Spanky Wilson comes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and sang with Jimmy McGriff's Organ group before being taken under the wing of producer H.B. Barnum. She recorded three albums for his label Mothers records & The Snarf Company of which 'Doin' It' has become one of the most sought after. Originally released in 1969 this album is a great example of late 60's Soul and has been in demand for many years, Mint copies now sell for £150 - £200. This 180gm edition is the first official reissue of the album on Vinyl. The album includes the popular funky powerhouse cut 'You' a killer Sista funk groove with a fat drum beat. Spanky's funky version of Cream's 'Sunshine of your love' has been sampled many times, as has the intro of 'Who's Sorry Now', used recently by Bahama Soul Club. 'Loveland' and 'That Love a woman should give to a man' are great mid tempo Soul cuts.

Rediscover the cult albums of the 80s most mythical Funk band reissued on CD and for the first time on Vinyl since their original releases!
Remastered from the original Master Tapes, including the hits: Flashback', Body Talk'...

b/w Hielo Ardiente - El Mensaje. reggae version of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You", as well as a pretty straigh-ahead version of Cymande's "The Message", en Espanol.

Soul Jazz Records' Record Store Exclusive Limited-Edition Soul 7' Box Set comprising five heavyweight 70s Afro-Funk, Afro-Disco & Afro-Rock seven-inch singles all with unique bespoke label artwork and all digitally re-mastered.

Seriously rare, killer and classic Nigerian 70s Afro-Funk, Afro-Disco & Afro-Rock tunes bought together here in this unique one-off Record Store Day box-set edition.

For a label that wasn't around long, Strata East achieved the same sort of label recognition that Impulse! or Blue Note managed to build. In other words, you knew what you were getting when you bought a record on the label, even if you didn't know the names on the outside of the cover. This is no exception. Who is Shamek Farrah Who knows Who cares It's the music that's important. This is the standard spiritually intense new jazz one learns to expect from the label, soaked in some Eastern influences but always with its ear to the street. Musicians took their roles as leaders and spokesmen very seriously back then. This very adult statement from a group of very serious men is no exception. However, what might be an average, forgettable session is rescued by the propulsive engine of Milton Suggs' bass. He adds the fire and the drive that keeps things interesting and prevents the music from wandering into a circular spiritual morass. For fans of the sound or the label, this can be heartily recommended.