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The fourteenth volume in the expansive drum loop series. Mr. Paul Nice is known as of the best world premier breaks diggers - and here's the proof. All just raw drum loops here - no synthetics! Lifted from some of the rarest vinyl available then cleaned and looped nicely, this is great for your sampler and jugglers alike.

Will Syl Johnson ever run out of soul No way, baby. He's got a bottomless supply! Syl's inspiring voice and his mighty band, the Pieces of Peace, are a match made in soul heaven. Hit songs One Way Ticket To Nowhere' and Get Ready' are just two of the highlights from this LP, adding to his sky high stash of smashes. They're joined by a super-funky Annie Got Hot Pants Power,' the uplifting We Do It Together,' and Thank You Baby,' and revivals of Jackie Wilson's That's Why,' and the Temptations' The Way You Do The Things You Do,' transformed so completely that you'd swear they were written specifically for Syl.

Two time Grammy winning producer Terrace Martin (Snoop, Kendrick Lamar, Herbie Hancock) started his own label - Sounds Of Crenshaw - under the Ropeadope umbrella with the release of Velvet Portraits. The core band is Terrace Martin, Curly Martin, Robert 'Sput' Searight (Snarky Puppy), and Brandon Eugene Owens. Guests include vocalists Rose Gold, Tone Treasure, Uncle Chucc & The Emotions, and Lalah Hathaway. Featured guests are Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, Thundercat, and Tiffany Gouche.

The San Francisco Bay Area tradition is as one of those magical centers of musical energy, sending out waves of jazz, psychedelia, rock and funk into the ears of the world. The M-Tet carry on that tradition. Featuring Joe Baer Magnant on guitar, Gary Pitman on Hammond organ, Chris Lujan on bass and Michael Reed on drums, the M-Tet have for the past few years been honing their own very special sonic blend. The M-Tet has managed to wrap up the entire history of Hammond-led groups, from their earliest days when jazz and R&B were wrestling in urban barrooms, through the soulful bookends of Booker T and the MGs and the funky Meters, and into the future, yet never losing sight of their roots. Here, with their new release, the M-Tet offers up fourteen statements of the groove guaranteed to please everyone from the dusty-fingered connoisseur to the Friday night good-timer looking for something to shake it to.

Latest volume in the attractively priced, ever reliable 3CD Soul Lounge series, with a strong line-up of soul, R&B and jazz artists, including Shaun Escoffery, Tony Momrelle, Simon Law featuring Caron Wheeler, Jarrod Lawson, Avery Sunshine, Incognito, Beverley Knight and Down To The Bone.

Released for the first time on this album is a stunning, much requested live TV recording of Shaun Escoffery singing A House Is Not A Home' at a Royal Festival Hall Burt Bacharach concert, as well as Jarrod Lawson's Trevor Nelson BBC 1Xtra Live Lounge rendition of Lauryn Hill's Ex-Factor', plus brand new track Looking For' from Eric Roberson.

Available on CD for the first time is the reunion of Soul II Soul writer/producer Simon Law and Caron Wheeler on the brilliant Morning Love', the Nigel Lowis remix of Shaun Escoffery's Healing Me' and the Ski Oakenfull remix of Bluey's Sky'.

This latest visit to the Soul Lounge - with more than 3 hours of music on 3 CDs - is sure to find favour with those who like their soul and R&B with a touch of class. Released on the Soul Lounge label.

For fans of Dilla, Madlib, DJ Mitsu, Onra, Stones Throw, Jazzy Sport. Very occasionally you stumble across a digital album on one of the many internet music sharing platforms that just stops you in your tracks. Mahatma X 'A Mobtown Suite Vol 1' is a case in point. If ever there was an album crying out for a vinyl release it's this one. Step forward Home Assembly to put matters right. Mahatma X was formed in 2013, initially as an instrumental beat-tape project by producer MALK in St. Andrews, Scotland. He would later be joined in Philadelphia by Jhana Gumption as live drummer and Jahred as MC. The group mixes live instrumentation with samples to create Hip-Hop reminiscent of its golden age. Spanning 17 instrumental tracks over two sides of wax 'A Mobtown Suite Vol 1' has the flow of a beat-tape, with tracks bleeding into one another, going off at right angles, or colliding bumper to bumper. Deep and soulful. Phat, jazzy and funky as! - and all delivered with a bucket full of punk attitude. From the Adderley sampling opener 'come thru' to the flutes and breaks of 'Mahatma and the White Devil', flutes (again) and warm, gospel organ of 'thishustlegame' and the spacey synths and deep, dubby bass-line of 'worddagawd' you know you're in for an exhilirating ride. But then you begin to notice other elements that seem to elevate this record above what is now a fairly crowded genre. Notably, there's the languorous, stoned guitar refrain on 'We Live in Bawlmer, Baby'. And it's there again amongst the snares and samples of 'Bright Moments' and the sun-kissed 'Mad Poetik'. All evidence that as well as being skilled in dealing dope beats, there's also a sensitive musician at the heart of this record, most addictively realised in the sweetly melancholic smoke and woodblocks of 'Gloriaaa'. It would be almost too easy to summon up the ghost of Dilla or the oddball sampling techniques of Madlib as comparisons but they're undeniable - albeit passed through a hazy filter. Pressed in a LTD edition of 300!!

Mukatsuku releases the second of the limited edition Funk Monsters series with two dance floor destroyers to slay the toughest of audiences.Up first Pearl Dowdell who's surname on earlier Saadia issues was misspelt with a killer female funk gem.

On the flip the driving rare funk of Billy Cee & The Freedom Express with 'Hard Times' for peak time play.

Few artists have created a body of work as rich and varied as Prince. During the '80s, he emerged as one of the most singular talents of the rock & roll era, capable of seamlessly tying together pop, funk, folk, and rock. Not only did he release a series of ground breaking albums, he toured frequently, produced albums and wrote songs for many other artists, and recorded hundreds of songs that still lie unreleased in his vaults. With each album he released, Prince has shown remarkable stylistic growth and musical diversity, constantly experimenting with different sounds, textures, and genres. Occasionally, his music can be maddeningly inconsistent because of this eclecticism, but his experiments frequently succeed, no other contemporary artist can blend so many diverse styles into a cohesive whole.

In 1974 Roy Roberts a well known and respected bluesman (and latterly familiar name on the Northern Soul scene) changed course, shifted gears and temporarily abandoned his soul and blues roots to embark on recording a Country album. The venture was designed, in part, to widen his appeal far beyond his local audience in the Greensboro area of North Carolina, as well as opening up new opportunities in what was a booming and vibrant marketplace. The result was his 'Country Star' long player: nine self penned numbers that ranged from tried and tested traditional Country themes to tracks that barely reigned in the blues influence veterans of that music have - almost against their will - coursing through their veins. It was no doubt an earnest project in which Roy proudly staked his claim within a genre not known for embracing African-American bluesmen with more than a decent back catalogue of soul releases. According to Roy the Country world served him well for nearly a decade of activity. The ace in the pack of country numbers on the album, quietly waiting to be discovered by soul fans perhaps only decades later - was the inclusion of two stunning Soul moments almost defiantly tacked onto the end of the set as if to say 'right, you've had that, now here's what I really do'. 'Thinking About You' is a fantastic dancer that rides along on a groove underpinned by bubbling percussion and spacey synths and with no 7 release at the time, it's the reason that soul people have been hunting down a mainly Country album. The other soul cut on the set, 'You And Me Together' was actually issued on a 7 single although the album version, coming in at over six minutes, is well worth the time invested. For the flip side of our 45 we've chosen a later moment from Roy-s back catalogue, the 1979 disco soul of 'Let's Wrap Up Tonight Baby': a homemade, slightly minimal four minutes plus of raw dancefloor grooves designed to keep the feet in perpetual motion. Soulstacks Records are delighted to offer our first fully licensed 7 courtesy of the talents of North Carolina's finest, Mr Roy Roberts. We hope you enjoy.

Modern Boogie Bangers! Computa Games drops its second vinyl release on New Orleans own Superjock Records. Computer Rock (OG Mix)' is that feel good Funk with heavy bass, smooth synths and Vocoder vocals to top it off. The flipside, Computer Rock (West Coast Mix)' gets a G-Funk treatment giving it that boom bap that you can rock to! Definitely a staple for the crates.

For the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure LPs and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label LAD Productions, Inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious South Side Chicago singer/song writer Larry Dixon.
Larry's raw songs capture the transition from R&B to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct.
They also perfectly illustrate Larry's ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. With the support of his faithful musicians, Larry's success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through.
This is the story of Larry Dixon, his label LAD Productions, Inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods.
Jerome Derradji is proud to reactivate Past Due Records - the boogie funk division of Still Music to release this fantastic archive - what many consider to be the Holy Grail - of Chicago Funk, Boogie and Soul.

Raw-Analog-Dubbed out B-Movie instrumentals, from some of Cincinnati's best musicians. Retro early 70's sounding live drums, groovy tight thick bass lines, soulful hammond organ & electric piano backdrops, gritty reggae guitars, splashed with live horns & vintage synths. It all adds up to a unique, hard hitting, original & professional but lo-fi sounding realm. Recorded on analog tape & vintage studio gear.

For PAZ, band leader Dick Crouch assembled a group of the finest jazz musicians working in London at the time. Piano, keyboard and synth player Geoff Castle was a mainstay of the band throughout the years, as well as playing and recording with George Coleman, Ian Dury & Georgie Fame to name but a few. He also composed the highly original and energetic track 'Moonchild', featured on this album. Sax and flute player Ray Warleigh enjoyed a successful three decade career (sadly, he passed away in 2015), playing alongside Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull, Scott Walker and Stevie Wonder as well as 9 years with PAZ. The full breadth of his musical dexterity is on display here, from the gritty alto sax solos featured on 'Laying Eggs' to his eerie home-made panpipes on 'Horrors'. Guitarist Ed Speight also worked extensively with Ian Dury and the Blockheads, as well as performing 'Tubular Bells' with Mike Oldfield on the QEH and BBC2. Now an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, Ed taught guitar and keyboard harmony between 1988 and 2010. Bass player Ron Mathewson is best known for his years spent working with Ronnie Scott, but he also recorded with Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Ben Webster and Bill Evans (to whom the stunning 'I Can't Remember' is dedicated). His absence on one album track is noted in its title 'Where is Ron', so called because he realised the song required no bassline (as the original liner notes stated: "this awareness of when not to play is part of his genius"). Appearing with the band for the first time on 'PAZ are Back', drummer Frank Gibson was perhaps better known for accompanying Leo Sayer, David Essex and Dusty Springfield, although jazz was always his first love. Following his time in the UK and touring the world, Frank returned to his native New Zealand, where he won three 'Best Jazz Album' awards and performed at the 1990 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

Raw-Analog-Dubbed out B-movie instrumentals, from some of Cincinnati's best musicians. Retro early 70's sounding live gritty drums, nasty thick bass grooves, creepy but soulful hammond organ chords, razor sharp but lush guitars, splashed with live horns & retro synths. It all adds up to a unique, hard hitting, original & professional but lo-fi, sounding realm. Recorded on analog tape & vintage studio gear.

REPRESS - CLOURED VINYL !

Repress on col vinyl from this release from 2014 ! Amazing boogie / funk tunes. Featuring the Egyptian Lover. Check it!!
For his debut 45, Brian enlisted two seasoned underground guests to usher in his brand of boogie-funk. Love Is' features the legendary Egyptian Lover, a master of the 808 and veteran party-rocker on vocoder detail, while on the flip-side, K-Maxx commands the microphone with his signature style on Electric Body'.
Brian Ellis alongside brothers Adam and Jordan Chini make up the modern funk group Reflection. The 3 multi-instrumentalists employ a slew of analog synthesizers, vocoders, vintage drum machines and live guitars to create their own brand of live funk. Standing firmly behind the motto "no computers", Reflection perform without the help of sequencing or quantization giving the audience a true live show.

The Fruit Band's fleeting existence was only recently revealed by the discovery of a few unsold copies of their sole 1978 single,Say It, which quickly became a cult showpiece for savvy DJs and collectors. Athens of the North has since reached out to Cypress Studios of Jacksonville, Florida and discovered a complete album of the group's stylish, dancefloor-smashing funk and deep disco on tape, unreleased for over 30 years. Here we present out two favirite unreleased tracks on 45 for the first time. 500 Only no repress.

* After the phenomenal success of 2016's critically-acclaimed Sharpener, (which hit number 3 in the iTunes jazz charts and number 14 in the Independent Album charts), HCB are releasing a deluxe double vinyl of the album, featuring three bonus dancefloor-friendly tracks, red and blue heavyweight vinyl and a stunning gatefold sleeve.

*On the back of two hugely successful albums and almost constant touring, HCB's new LP Sharpener shows the band on more confident form than ever, with powerful new electronic elements and a dance floor sensibility adding to the jazz, rock and soul for which they are known.

* Building on the strength of their critically-acclaimed original writing, Sharpener has a powerful set of originals at its core, alongside a trio of leftfield covers in the shape of Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box, Kwabs' Wrong or Right and Three Trapped Tigers' Cramm. With the addition of an extra three fun covers (Heroes, Rolling in the Deep and Give It Up) aimed at DJs and those who like to show off their vinyl at parties, the vinyl release in particular resounds with the humour, musicianship and charm which HCB are known for.

* The three bonus tracks for this release are Heroes, a bouncy tribute to the late David Bowie, Rolling in the Deep, commissioned as part of the band's 45 minute set at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Give It Up, as heard on the 2016 Ambrosia Deluxe custard advert!

* Album opener Jump Then Run echoes the sound of the legendary Moondog, while Gather Your Wits is a roof-raising rumble of brass and rebellious behaviour. Wrong or Right, a soulful version of London soul star Kwabs' great tune, comes to life with juicy menace before The Morning, an uplifting anthemic arrangement, builds into joyous hedonism. When You Know gives space to the band's superb jazz chops, while album title track Sharpener is a big, bold, brassy and utterly mesmerising affair.

* It's perhaps the band's outstanding arrangements which sets them apart. From the intricacies of Timelapse to the introspection of Reawake, from the punky rock groove of It's Normally Bigger (based on a true story) to the rave jazz of Bread and Circuses, the arrangements throughout showcase writers Steve Pretty, Olly Blackman, Luke Christie's contrasting styles, able to switch from screaming energy to moody introspection, from cutting-edge jazz to dancefloor rave, and proving that Hackney Colliery Band is not just another party brass band blowing through the usual pop covers.

* Alongside main stage sets at festivals like Field Day, Love Supreme and Womad, and work with Amy Winehouse, Fyfe Dangerfield, Eliza Doolittle, Jamie Cullum, Andreya Triana, Williams Fairey Band, Rhodes and DJ Yoda, they have performed live sessions on BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM, and their performances have been festured on BBC Two (The Culture Show), Sky Arts (Brass Band Wonderland) and live at the BRIT, Mercury and Mobo Awards.

Jeedeci is Jeedo's intepertation of 90's classic R&B with some hip-hop slap and contemporary influences. 'Cry 4 U Melody' carries his avant-garde DIRT TECH sound, while 'Cry 4 U' offers a smoother touch.

Hot on the heels of the hugely popular Mojo Filter edits comes the latest offering from Dubplate regular Scrimshire, this time taking his scissors to a couple of classics from the mighty Soul II Soul.

Scrimshire's Waaait For It edit of Back To Life has been starting parties for most of 2016 with its slow build, incredible drops and mind-blowing, unexpected switch-up towards its finale.

In contrast, his re-work of African Dance is more of a deep, late night foot friendly affair but still with those trademark Scrimshire twists and turns that we've come to expect from this master of the re-edit!

Scrimshire will be performing an exclusive edits set at the Soundcrash Funk & Soul Weekender in 2017. Make sure you check him out!

A real rarity! 1977's "Stepping Out" by obscure Oliver Sain produced Funk/Soul outfit The 13th Floor has always been a tough LP to catch, the only release by this lesser known St.Louis outfit showcased a unique blend of jazz, funk and soul that has intrigued hardcore collectors of rare grooves and black music since it's release. Released on the highly collectable Blue Candle sub label of Miami's TK Disco empire, "Stepping Out" features lots of different musical flavours - from the languid, Ohio Players-esque "Hang loose" and the incessant mid-tempo burner "Leanin" to the dance-floor groove of "Sweet thang", the LP showcases across it's 9 tracks show a band at the top of it's game, completely in tune with each other and firmly in the pocket. This should be no surprise when you consider the opening track of the album is co-written by a young Chaka Khan and members of the band went on to form parts of her band Rufus and played alongside artists such as Patti Austin, Maxayn Lewis, Ronnie McNeir and High Voltage. The overall feel of the album is one of amazing musicians keeping it gritty, soulful and most of all, funky! This album has always demanded high prices on the second hand / used vinyl market and is a truly lesser spotted gem, which is surprising considering the eye catching sleeve artwork!
This is the first time that The 13th Floor's "Stepping Out" has been reissued on vinyl, fully remastered from TK's original tapes, represented the way the the LP was issued in 1977 with all original cover and label artworks intact. Now, almost 40 years after it's original release the album has now been made available again for 2016, fully licensed in conjunction and with the full permission of Henry Stone music / TK Disco, Miami, FL.

Guadeloupe meets Detroit!
Esnard Boisdur is one of the great voices of Gwo Ka - the folkloric rhythm of Guadeloupe.
On the A Side Frankie Francis & Simbad flip hIs 1991 track 'Soufwans' (Sufferance) into a groove that combines hypnotic percussion and mournful vocals with Detroit-inspired synths and a rolling bassline. The B side stretches out for a deep deep dub.
Trust us this one is a monster on the dancefloor!

First DJ, then producer, Jimmy Whoo founded the collective and label Grande Ville Records with friends and collaborators. For 8 years he has been immersed in studios, producing for or with other members of his crew. A self-taught singer and producer, he composes and records almost everything solo. A fan of vintage gear, he composed the majority of Motel Music Part II with old keyboards, like a Korg Poly 800 II and a Yamaha DX7, throwbacks of the 80's brought into a contemporary form.

Having worked with the likes of Bonnie Banane and Lonely Band for Motel Music Part I, Whoo's new project reflects on his soul and jazz influences amongst modern electronic sounds, forming a sonic journey that weaves together dark, filmic moments with dreamlike visions and hanuting mirages of LA landscapes and Parisian nighttime glamour.

Wildcats, an upcoming single from his forthcoming Motel Music Part II, has been played frequently on BBC 6 with Tom Ravenscroft, Capital 1Xtra, and in France, on FIP, Radio Nova, Campus Radio and RFI. Jimmy recently hosted a full hour on France's Radio Nova, as label boss of Grande Ville Records.

Olivier St.Louis (the artist formerly known as Olivier Daysoul) releases his 2nd EP to start 2017 with some melancholic vibes.

Sublime private spiritual jazz-funk/fusion album, now hard to find. Finally available again, fully licensed and remastered, with original artwork.

Led by saxophonist DAOUD ABUBAKAR BALEWA who studied formal classical music and received instruction from Frank Mitchell (Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers) and Jackie McLean (Blue Note records), AMBIANCE incorporates Brazilian and Latin flavours with a righteous and soulful Afrocentric jazz edge.

This amazing and sought after LP beautifully starts with the haunting "The Clavicle" sampled by MF DOOM on the Special Herbs beat series and contains other gems like the so fresh call for celebration « Fiesta » composed by GATO BARBIERI, the insane spiritual jazz fusion track « Gida-Gida » and the killer modern soul cut There Is A Love' featuring the beautiful voice of SYREETA WRIGHT. This album is magnificent in its entirety, no fillers. Some of the best fusion on record!

« Influenced by the modal jazz of John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, AMBIANCE was an excellent but little known post-bop group that was active in Los Angeles in the late 1970s and early 1980s. AMBIANCE reflected the spiritual outlook of its founder and leader DAOUD ABUBAKAR BALEWA, a saxophonist/flutist/clarinettist who also played African and Latin percussion and was heavily influenced by world music » (Allmusic.com).

This is a limited edition reissue of an extremely rare and very in-demand obscure modern soul funk 45 first released by The Unit Band in 1983 on New Orleans's High Quality Records.

Unit's Groove is a superb modern soul dancer with insanely tight heavy basslines, a super funky dancefloor filler with fantastic arrangement and vocals, a sought after masterpiece! B
side's Hand-in-Hand is a heartbreaking, intimate & spacey modern soul ballad.

Founded in 1983 by brothers Willard Richardson Jr. and Patrick Richardson, The Unit Band gathered in a few multi-talented singers and musicians, all neighborhood friends who grew up
together and attended Alcee Fortier High and surrounding schools. At the time, The Unit Band also interacted with other New Orleans based groups such as the Neville Brothers, Chocolate Milk, Family Players and Windjammer who later got signed to major labels.

The original issue of this 45 is pretty much impossible to find and turns up for sale extremely seldom. We are finally able to bring this grail to you legitimately in high quality. Rare modern soul, boogie & funk collectors will definitely be thrilled by the reissue of this rare, highly collectable and totally essential 45!