Hip-Hop Новости

The seminal Chicago house album, CD re-issue on Larry's own Alleviated Records.

Island Records will release an 8-disc, limited edition vinyl box
set comprising Amy Winehouse's three studio albums, live
recordings from Amy's 2007 Shepherd's Bush shows, including
tracks available for the first time on vinyl, and an album's worth
of 'Rarities' featuring live session tracks dating back to 2003.
The box set, released on December 11th, is a lovingly
assembled and beautifully packaged collection. Each LP will be
pressed onto 180-gram vinyl and the box will also include a
bespoke litho print and an exclusive set of photographs taken
from the commissioned photo sessions for 'Frank' and 'Back
To Black".

AMY WINEHOUSE - VINYL BOXSET
Frank
Back To Black
Lioness: Hidden Treasures
Live In London / Shepherd's Bush Empire, London 2007
Rarities

Critics, reviewers and journalists watch out. These sales notes are so succinct that you may be finished reading them before you've even had the chance to skip to the second song (provided that you've listened to the opener in its entire perfection)!
What sets one compilation album apart from the others What makes a record label special These are questions that keep us up at night here at Tramp and you are holding in your hands one of our 50 full-length answers. It's true that within the soul and funk scene rarity and obscurity commands attention but it's the quality and performance that keeps a selection on heavy rotation. Speaking of Tramp, and in particular of this final volume in the Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party (SF&SCP) compilation trilogy, Sean Delany and Jan Kohlmeyer did an incredible job compiling these tunes. They spared no pains digging up the rarest of the rare, and the best of the best Christmas funk you have (n)ever heard (and which has not been compiled anywhere else). Even with your impeccable music taste and your unlimited record-buying budget you will have a hard time getting your hands on most of these gems. What brings you all the money if something you want is never offered For us it's the quality that counts and that's why you will find such artists as Sam Sweetsinger Bell, Joe Shinall, Cleveland Robinson, and Carol Ford to name a few on this album. Of course the rest of the tunes are no exception either.
It fits like a glove that this third volume of SF&SCP is simultaneously the 50th Tramp Records album released. Since we are proudly independent and are not forced to act in the economic sense, and, like you, are music fanatics and die-hard record collectors, we at Tramp Records are still digging after more than ten hard-working years! It started out just for fun and it's our fans worldwide that encourage us to keep bringing the heat. As long as there is music out there that has the power to drop our jaws to the floor we will still be here - and, like Santa himself, we will work year-round to continue to deliver our funky Christmas miracles directly to your turntable. Merry Christmas!
Key selling points:
- most of the songs appear on CD/digital for the very first-time

This October Emma Donovan & The PutBacks have brought together some very special guests to release a new 7" single featuring two classic Aboriginal Australian songs. Emma is joined by Tim Rogers of You Am I and rapper Joelistics on a version of Warumpi Band's 1985 anthem Blackfella Whitefella and by Archie Roach on a deep soul rendition of his late partner, Ruby Hunter's, heartbreaking hit, Down City Streets.
This release supports the massive grassroots movement led by SOS Blak Australia, an organization dedicated to supporting Aboriginal communities in remote Western Australia currently under threat of closure.
- All proceeds go to Australian Indigenous rights through SOS Blak Australia
- Australia's soul queen Emma Donovan teams up with Tim Rogers, Joelistics and Archie Roach to release benefit record
- Limited edition 7" format
- Features Tim Rogers of You Am I
- Features acclaimed Indigenous musician Archie Roach

Island Records veröffentlicht eine limitierte 8-fach Vinylbox mit allen drei Studioalben, den Shepherd's Bush-Liveaufnahmen von 2007, Titeln, die es erstmals auf Vinyl gibt, sowie einem Raritäten-Album, das u.a. Livetracks von 2003 enthält, jede Platte in 180g Vinyl, dazu ein Litho-Kunstdruck und eine exklusive Reihe an Fotografien aus den ersten beiden Album-Sessions.

Wax Poetics Japan and Universal Music Japan proudly present a special vinyl collection of tracks by Common, who has become one of hip-hop's brightest stars, produced by J Dilla, the talented producer who helped Common bring out some of his best moments on wax. If you know anything about hip-hop, you're probably already aware of who Common is. After debuting with his single "Take It EZ" in 1992, the Academy Award-winning rapper/actor Common has established himself as an important voice in hip-hop. For more than two decades, Common has blessed the world with his music of love, self-awareness and upliftment, characterized by his thought-provoking, poetic lyricism and sample-based soulful production. Some of his most important work have been produced by the Soulquarians, the hip-hop/neo-soul supergroup featuring the world-renowned beat maestro, J Dilla. Wax Poetics Japan has curated a 2xLP marbled vinyl compilation featuring 12 timeless tracks from Common's three albums (2000's Like Water for
Chocolate, 2002's Electric Circus, and 2005's Be) that J Dilla worked his magic on. The twelve songs are certified classics loved by hip-hop fans worldwide. Instead of the usual black vinyl, we have decided to go with marbled vinyl, to symbolize the mix of the duo's singular talents. If you love Common and/or Dilla's music, this is one compilation you do not want to miss.

A singularly talented man with an extraordinary voice and groove, an impassioned artist who has absorbed music influences of the most varied styles since a very young age: from Jazz, to Latin and Blues and beyond.

For example, you can hear Marvin Gaye in the track "Why ft. Rachel Claudio, Erik Truffaz & Valérie Delgado," J Dilla in his cover of Al Green's "Simply Beautiful," or Bobby McFerrin on the track "Good Morning".

You can hear the results of all these musical convergences and collaborations that have shaped him over the years (SAIAN SUPA CREW...RZA...Camille...Erik Truffaz... Rokia Traoré... Oxmo Puccino, whom we find on the track "Music"...Brand Nubian... Roots Manuva... Lucky Peterson... Manu Katché... Pino Palladino... Meshell Ndegeocello... Raphaël... Dee Dee Bridgewater... Grace... TM Stevens... Eric Krasno & Neil Evans of Soulive... D3CCPT... Fred Wesley... China Moses... Juliette Gréco... Talib Kweli... among even many others).

It retains the unique color and texture of HIP-HOP with its sound that is so tough, grainy, dry, blunt, heavy, and percussive. It has obviously preserved its BEATBOX, a vocal art in which he excels tremendously, especially during his dazzling improvisations on stage that you can hear on La Machine. The Beatbox has become the most important component of all his compositions and arrangements.

From Soul Music, Sly gets his sense of depth, sensitivity, emotion, forcefulness and eroticism, all of which have been so deliciously mixed together on this new album and spiced in a very hot and funky sauce!

Bobby Womack's move to Columbia Records heralded a shift from the earthy deep Soul sensibility of his previous records to a slicker, more sophisticated approach in step with the changing sound of contemporary R&B.

The transition not only proves seamless, but in fact Home Is Where the Heart Is (1976) looms as Womack's most compelling LP in some time. Recorded in both Muscle Shoals and Los Angeles, its disparate parts fit together like a well-oiled machine.

Womack's wonderfully gruff vocals adapt well to the warmth and elegance of songs like 'How Long', 'Something for My Head' and 'One More Chance on Love' and he performs with unprecedented passion and focus.

Sarah Williams White is the latest signing to South London label First Word Records. Hailing from the 'Hilly Fields of Lewisham' Sarah is part of a new wave of artists from her corner of London that includes Mo Kolours, Henry Wu as well as her brother Paul White. A multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Sarah cites influences including Jamie Lidell, Erykah Badu and PJ Harvey as well as more contemporary acts such as Hiatus Kaiyote and Thundercat. Her sound mixes soulful, intricate vocals with subtle beats and layered harmonies.
This approach is writ large across 'Hum', the first single taken from her debut mini-LP 'Of The New World' due out later this year. Over a skittering beat Sarah showcases both her deft songwriting and breathtaking vocal abilities. Her deceptively intricate production is pulled together with a catchy hook and backed with layers of handclaps, percussion and vocal melodies.
On the flip Sarah's brother Paul (Golden Rules / One-Handed Music) creates a shimmering, eerie backdrop for Sarah's vocals, adding darker textures to stunning effect. It confirms Paul's status as one of the most interesting musical talents that the UK has produced over the last few years.

Stank Soul Edits Vol. 1 finds Mako & Mr Bristow delivering reverent and definitively classic dancefloor edits of two vintage cuts. King Soul-omon's "Mine" gives the beat, bass and bpm a lift on an old favourite by the 'king of soul' while "Sock It Silly" boosts the beat and bass and tweaks the guitar on an obscure later number by a man more associated with rock n roll and early 60s rnb. This IS funky soul y'all!

Once again, Mako & Mr Bristow deliver reverent and definitively classic dancefloor edits of two vintage cuts on Stank Soul Edits Vol. 2. The first is a rework of an album track by a southern soul legend and the second is a fresh take on an obscure sister funk cut with a very catchy hook. "Break's All Tight" edits the original so the epic horns are complimented by a kick and snare you can actually hear, while "Mama's Little Breakbeat" provides the massive funky drums the original always deserved but never got. It's sho' nuff funky soul y'all!

In their quest to hypnotize the planet, HBE have become world travelers. Performing extensively on 6 out of the 7 continents, this record is meant to bring the audience in on their international adventures as a band & family. With "Baggage Claim", "Exchange Rate," "Favella Funk" (dedication to Brazil) and "Saikou Shibuya Nights" (ode to nightlife in Tokyo) the band paints a picture of a group traversing the globe purveying their signature style and culture. The musical style of this record is grounded in the same full-on live brass sound fans have come to love with added instrumental and vocal accompaniments, including songs that range from classic hiphop to contemporary jazz, soul, and Brazilian maracatu. "A huge brass bridge of hypnotic polyphony connecting the cosmic jazz of Sun Ra's Arkestra with the urgency of hiphop and the sweeping emotional scale of a Curtis Mayfield blaxploitation opus" (Fader).

Olivier St.Louis (the artist formerly known as Olivier Daysoul) releases his Debut EP.

Belgian composer, arranger, pianist and keyboardist Koen De Bruyne (1946 - 1977), brother of celebrated singer and songwriter Kris De Bruyne, had his own, unfortunately short, stint in the field of pop, jazz, fusion and funk in the 1970ies. He rose to the scene as a wanted session and live musician for local heroes such as Johan Verminnen, Will Tura, Ferre Grignard, Mad Unity, Black Blood and his brother Kris.



In 1974, after some years in the trade, Koen De Bruyne debuted as a solo artist. The inspired fusion epic 'Here Comes The Crazy Man!' undeniably proves he was much more than a gifted 'hired gun'. He gathered a fabulous line-up for the recording sessions, featuring three members of the legendary Placebo (Marc Moulin's jazz/funk outfit). Recorded in the renowned Brussels Madeleine studios with some of the most prolific and inventive of his contemporaries, HCTCM! is a truly exceptional and imaginative record and has gained the status of sought after cult classic decades after its release.



The exact 1974 line-up consisted out of the three Placebo members mentioned before, Richard Rousselet on trumpet, Yvan De Souter on bass and Jean Pierre Onraedt on drums. De Bruyne also invited trumpeter Gerard Sabbe, vocalist Patricia Maessen, flutist Adelson Defrise and Firmin Timmermans on bongos.



Built around De Bruyne's omnipresent piano and synth themes, the four lengthy tracks on HCTCM! float anywhere between heavy funk and psychedelic jazz rock, with some strong fusion interactions. Flavoured by its distinctive double trumpet lines, De Souter's exceptional bass playing and Patricia Maessens ethereal vocals, it only takes one close listen to sense this album is something exceptional. We're witnessing an entire band of musicians performing at the top of their game. Psychedelic, vigorous and at times quite experimental, Koen De Bruyne's only real album to have seen the daylight is a rare Belgian gem, one that stands the test of time and is waiting to be rediscovered by new generations of listeners.

Five Easy Pieces presents We Are The Universe EP from Reginald Omas Mamode IV.

Das dritte Mixtape - Echoes Of Silence , das 2011 nur durch die Website des Kanadiers erhältlich war,
erscheint nun endlich als doppel LP. Hinter "The Weeknd" verbirgt sich Abel Tesfaye, der durch seine
Zusammenarbeit mit dem ebenfalls aus Toronto stammenden Rapper Drake und seine
Veröffentlichungen auf YouTube bekannt wurde.

Wah Wah 45s are proud to present the brand new single from one-man horn driven funk music machine, The Gene Dudley Group.

Following on from the recent club smasher - a cover of Todd Terje's Inspector Norse - The Gene Dudley Group return with another dance floor destroyer! Original cut Dynamite in the Still of the Night features the powerhouse vocals of Anne Frankenstein (who also performed on big hitter No Trouble on the Mountain) just in time to cause explosions around your bonfire!

On the flip comes another funky cover version given the Gene Dudley treatment. In what is fast becoming something of a tradition, Mr Dudley has taken an early Wah Wah 45s release - in this case Benny Poole's soul/jazz banger Pearl Baby, Pearl - and re-worked it for 2015. Fresh from his contributions to the Zambidoose album, and work with partner Myron for Stones Throw Records, Eric Boss AKA E (from Myron & E) adds some of his trademark vocals into the mix, making this package a double dance floor heavy hitter!

And don't forget, The Gene Dudley Group's sophomore LP, Zambidoose, is out now!

Happiness is something you either have or don't at any point in time. Looking at the grim line-up of the Finnish old-school graveyard creeping funksters, The Soul Investigators, one would assume these times might be at short supply. That or the album title of the latest Nicole Willis LP would be at least a tad ironic.

When the needle drops on the instrumental version of the "Happiness In Every Style" album, these preconceptions melt right away. The opening guitar riff of "One In a Million" sinks the listener straight to the fuzzy warmths of joyful instrumentals not far from the best offerings of The TSU Toronadoes. Darker shades of soul are naturally explored as well in tunes such as "Bad Viberations" and "Vulture's Prayer", where Jimi Tenor takes to his axe of choice, the flute. Things are finished with the hypnotic balearic disco of "Hot Sauce", now also available on Timmion's first 12" single.

Letting these compositions breathe without vocals is a luxury, which can be afforded by anyone with a lust for vinyl and a few coins to spend. As usual, the package comes in a thick deluxe tip-on sleeve. The small vinyl only pressing runs out quickly so we encourage jumping on it with haste.

Loose Ends - Hangin on a String, Change - Burns Me Up plus Peter Brown - Dance With Me Edits....

Buffalo Brothers are the 9-piece funk sensation currently exploding out of the Manchester music scene's creative melting pot. Their debut album, Fresh From The Horn, combines thunderous grooves and blistering horn lines with heavy funk, jazz and afrobeat flavours, and has already earned the approval of UK funk aficionados Craig Charles and Huey Morgan.
I'm a massive fan of this Manchester outfit - they've made one cracking album!" - Craig Charles, Funk and Soul Show, BBC 6 Music
As well as attracting the attention of Craig Charles, appearing at his live club night at Manchester's Band On The Wall and being regularly played on his Radio 2 and 6 Music shows, Buffalo Brothers have been busy increasing their following with a number of high profile appearances across the UK, including at Kendal Calling Festival, supporting Huey Morgan at London's Blues Kitchen, and opening the 20th Manchester Jazz Festival to glowing reviews.
Their live performances featuring guest vocal performances have been overwhelming club and festival audiences for the past year and the band have spared no effort in concentrating this high-energy cocktail onto their first full-length studio release.

Cool Creations of St Maarten were formed in 1975 by Carlyle Barriteau, Funk Gumbs and Winston Macco. They were all in our last year of High School in St Maarten. The name "CoolCreations" was inspired by Kool and the Gang, one of their off Island influences. The band mainly played hotels, Local Dance Clubs and Carnival Parades and they recorded one LP. These two tracks were taken from that little know but much loved LP which was recorded in San Juan in Puerto Rico (no one can remember the name of the studio). "Wish Upon Love" is a Modern Soul Floater of the highest order that's been a favourite summer joint of mine for years and recently been getting spins by Four Tet and others. The flip is perfect for a Balearic sunset or deep warmup, this is a personal favourite, hope you love it as much as I do.

Two absolute winners from Gino Parks, a singer whose career took off when he moved to Detroit in the mid-50s. Beginning with a number of duets with the notorious Andre Williams for the equally legendary Fortune label, Parks then appeared as a solo artist for Berry Gordy's then fledgling Tamla stable. These two sides appeared in 1962 on the second of three singles cut for Tamla. This is really a true double A, we're sure you will find it impossible to pick between the evocative, infectious early soul sound of 'For This I Thank You' and the all guns blazing R&B explosion of 'Fire'. Our solution is to play them back to back, loud...

180 gm vinyl re-issue for the connoisseur.

OUTTA SIGHT presents the first platter in a two-part series showcasing some of the rarest and hottest R&B sounds of the 21st Soul Century.
The Red Edition brings together 14 killer cuts that are on every DJs hit list. These major label milestones dating from 1953 to the early sixties feature key artists in the world of R&B and Soul including Otis Redding, Big Maybelle, J J Jackson, Slim Harpo and Otis Blackwell who also provides us with the super rare Gil Bernal recording The Dogs' from his own Bumps label.
Featuring over $5,000 worth of singles in one affordable package
Everyone a winner!

Record Kicks proudly presents "Bandits On Mars" the new single by legendary Italian cinematic funk combo Calibro 35 sampled by Dr.Dre in " Compton", taken from their forthcoming new album S.P.A.C.E.

"Bandits on Mars" available on a super limited edition 45 vinyl and digital download together with bonus track "CLBR35", is Calibro 35's new single and anticipates their new album S.P.A.C.E. that hits the streets next 06 November. On the A side of the limited edition 45, Bandits On Mars is an explosive lunar funk shaker that is pure dynamite. On the flip side the bonus track out of the album "CLBR35", is an irresistible cinematic funk dirty groover.

Recorded on tape on a 8 tracks tape recorder at the analog Mecca Toe Rag Studios in London, the worldwide famous studio where The White Stripes penned "Elephant", S.P.A.C.E. is the 5th studio album by Calibro 35. Described by Rolling Stone magazine's as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing, that happened to Italy in the last years", Calibro 35 enjoys a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent band around. Music by Calibro 35 has been used on Dr.Dre hip hop album of the year "Compton" ("One Shot One Kill feat Snoop Dog") and by Jay-Z ("Picasso Baby"), Child of Lov & Damon Albarn ("One Day") and hip hop supergroup Demigodz ("The Summer Of Sam"). They've played major venues and festivals all over Europe, with several trips playing the States and as unique musicians they've collaborated with amongst the others, PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish and Stewart Copeland. Get ready and be prepared to wear spacesuits, Calibro 35 are back and are about to lead you to new imaginary territories full of groove!

45 vinyl is limited to 500 copies worldwide, be fast!

Repress!

SHANE MARTIN (aka Neale Lundgren) first recorded for Columbia's Epic subsidiary as a teenager in 1968 scoring a modest hit with his debut 45 'You're So Young'. The record made its way to the clubs in the UK where the B-side was preferred and some 40 years on 'I Need You' remains a Northern Soul anthem. TAJ MAHAL originally signed to Columbia as part of a 3-piece band, The Rising Sons, alongside Ry Cooder. The band split after one single leaving Mahal to reshape his blues sound and enjoy a long and prolific solo career. 'A Lot Of Love' featured on his second album The Natch'l Blues and first appeared on the rare soul scene at The Twisted Wheel.

ephemerals new album chasin ghosts is the follow up to their breakthrough album nothing is easy and looks set to further build on the fast growing UK and international fanbase that saw them tour their debut extensively, including shows at key festivals like Glastonbury, Bestival and Mostly Jazz

The band recorded chasin ghosts in January 2015 - live to tape at London's Cowshed studios over 3 days. Co-incidentally this was the same time that You Made Us Change - their second single from nothin is easy - was getting picked up across the blogosphere and becoming a # 1 Hype Machine record and sparking the first wave of media and major label interest in the band.

This breakthrough led to increased radio play on BBC 6 music from Gilles Peterson and Craig Charles, on BBC Radio 1 from Huw Stephens, Phil Taggart, Friction and Target and a playlist on BBC 1Xtra as well as support from BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4 plus playlists on Radio Nova in France and Radio 6 in Holland.

ephemerals new album chasin ghosts is the follow up to their breakthrough album nothing is easy and looks set to further build on the fast growing UK and international fanbase that saw them tour their debut extensively, including shows at key festivals like Glastonbury, Bestival and Mostly Jazz

The band recorded chasin ghosts in January 2015 - live to tape at London's Cowshed studios over 3 days. Co-incidentally this was the same time that You Made Us Change - their second single from nothin is easy - was getting picked up across the blogosphere and becoming a # 1 Hype Machine record and sparking the first wave of media and major label interest in the band.

This breakthrough led to increased radio play on BBC 6 music from Gilles Peterson and Craig Charles, on BBC Radio 1 from Huw Stephens, Phil Taggart, Friction and Target and a playlist on BBC 1Xtra as well as support from BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4 plus playlists on Radio Nova in France and Radio 6 in Holland.

ephemerals release chasin ghosts on 23rd October with October shows in London (Camden Electric Ballroom 23 Oct), Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris leading to a full UK and European tour in 2016.

Rarest of the rare and holy grail are terms often thrown around all too easily. In this case both apply, incredibly rare and sought after as well as being a quality piece of music on both sides, you won't get higher up the disco food chain than this.

A few weeks ago we brought you 2 unreleased track from the same band but these 2 might as well be unless you have $4000 sitting around for an O.G copy, IF you can find one.

Strictly Limited and no repress on this as per our deal so get in fast.


(feat. Louis Johnson)

- Unreleased full version of this rare 45 for the first time.

- Cut from tape to lathe by the masters at Timmion Cutting Lab.

Western Michigan had a very healthy music scene throughout the '60s and '70s, with Georgia-born soul legend Jackey Beavers (aka Jackie Beavers) and producer Palmer James forging that area's soul identity. Beavers produced the recording by this obscure band from Battle Creek and issued their only 45 on his Jaber label. The rhythm section of Wright, Teasley and Scurlock were better known as Jr. Walker's All Star group, and they made this recording shortly before leaving the bandleader's ranks. The Us would share ties with the Apachies (track 20), for both bands included at some point members of Jr Walker's All Stars. Trombonist Jack Hill would be involved in both bands and would help create the unique arrangement on 'Let's Do It Today.' Bassist Larry Scurlock recounts the origin behind the song's theme, "We were ready to get on with it. No draggin' around, let's do this now, today is the day! I've lived this motto for all of my life."

The full-length version here shows The Us head into psychedelic regions in the final minutes of the song that have never been heard since they were recorded over 30 years ago. "I wrote it in less than half a day to get some royalties" remembers Scurlock. "We were experimenting with tuning, a quarter tone below the note. We were sure under the influence back in those days!"

This one is a Huge funk45 monster that's even getting love from the soul heads for the strong vocals and nice changes. A messy funky piano driven piece produced by George Reneau and release on the American Mutual Group Label out of Cincinnati, OH. This one used to be a big spin for me (I got it while it was unknown and cheap) and always works the dancefloor. We seem to have a lot lot 'Resurrection' in recent band titles for that I apologise, I know it gets confusing just buy them all!

Here we go with two sister funk cuts from Philadelphia born Monica. After she recorded two singles for Wally Osbourne's Toxsan label she became one of the lead singers of the Voices of East Harlem, the gospel-rock group which released three albums and some singles between 1969 and 1974. Her early work is highly regarded in deep-funk community, therefore this 45rpm single re-issue is an essential spin for any so called Rare-Groove DJ.

Roy Brown makes his third appearance on the Jukebox Jam series with 'Butcher Pete', an outrageously lewd uptempo Jump Blues banger. Originally cut on 78 only in 1950, using a somewhat gruesome double entendre the song warns husbands and boyfriends to watch out for Pete, newly arrived in town and indiscriminately 'chopping' through all the 'meat' in town using his 'long sharp knife'. It's a wonder how they got away with this stuff!

The Soul Motivators are the hottest new ambassadors of Canadian Funk with a sound inspired by the multi-cultural urban lifestyle of Toronto, blending funk, soul, and psychedelic beat. The Soul Motivators' core consists of Marc Shapiro (bass), Voltaire Ramos (guitar), James Robinson (keys), and Doug Melville (drums), and Nigel Pitt (percussion). Their hard funk grooves are balanced by the sweet soul of Lydia Persaud and authenticated by the raw horn arrangements of Nathan Dell-Vandenberg (trombone), Tom Moffett (trumpet) and Dominique Morier (tenor sax). Here you find a chemistry that can only be accomplished by a band breathing in sync and flexing chops earned from years of live experience.

Their debut album "Free To Believe," is mixed by Souljazz Orchestra mastermind Pierre Chretien, who brings his signature vintage recording techniques to the table doing justice to the uncompromising live aesthetic of these original recordings.

Even though the music is presented in vintage technicolour, the songs have a common message about moving forward into an enlightened and positive future. Whether through the fist-pumping call for equality on the album's title cut "Free To Believe", or declaring romantic emancipation on "Baby, I'm Gone" and "Dr. Know-It-All", the album is about shaking loose the chains that bind you and being who and what you want to be. The Soul Motivators are capable of being many things. "Street Level" and "Throw The Bones" have an early 70s NYC grit reminiscent of a Blaxploitation scene shot through a Toronto lens. After the long Canadian winter, the sun-soaked keyboard and horn arrangements on "Love Thing", "Working It Out", "Hang On In There", and "Until the Sun Goes Down" will bring the deep funk and rare groove heat everywhere from b-boy battles to your car stereo with the top down all summer long.

Outta Sight presents the second volume of the R&B Long Play series featuring the very best of the hit R&B Singles Collection.

Chapter 2 brings together 16 of the hottest cuts from the 2013 CD album The R&B Singles Collection Volume 2... remastered for optimal vinyl fidelity. Featuring guaranteed floor fillers from the R&B girls Marie Knight, Anna Belle Caesar, Francis Burnett and Rolling Stones back-up singer Marry Clayton, and the boys are no slackers either, check out Bobby Guy, Tony Clarke, Mel Tormé and John Lee Hooker - the perfect tool for the R&B DJ. Everyone a winner!

Get 'em while they're hot! Craig Charles: 'Outta Sight is out of the stratosphere'

Rarity is important, quality is more important, and whether a song has been compiled yet is of the highest consideration. In this case, all but one of them have yet to be compiled elsewhere. By and large, this compilation highlights a unique historical context in the development and splintering of the streams of funk, soul and jazz. There are plenty of true funk elements. There is a spectrum of electronic synth experiments. There is rich post-post-bop instrumentalism, and at least one instance of wah wah flute! And of course, and perhaps most importantly, there is a pervasive message of the attainment of freedom, whether it be through non-attachment, space travel, social action, spirituality, or musical genre blending. The Praise Poems series is an attempt at a faithful snapshot of this revolutionary music before it began its inevitable backslide into the bourgeois excesses of the jazz-fusion genre. Call it proto-fusion, exemplified in performances like the cosmic bossa-odyssey of Third Stream, the jazz-pre-fusion of Seeds of Fulfillment, modal-tribal and chant explorations by Bobby Boyd Congress, the cinematic audiophilia of Belgium's Soul Scratchers, the electro-acoustic blend of folk, percussion, and jazz by John Finnigan and Maureen Finlon, or the undeniable funky theatricality of Larry Dismond that would make Galt Macdermot proud. All of them are finally getting the attention they deserve.

Having made his mark with contributions to a host of highly acclaimed projects - Bilal, Jason Moran, Guts, Meshell Ndegeocello and of course the stunning vocal on Zara McFarlane's 'Angie La La - he's rated as much for his trumpet and vocal prowess as for his true artistic independence.

Yet it would it be wrong to put him in the jazz/soul/funk box and firmly close the lid. Far from it, Leron Thomas's own music is a dazzling concoction of musical styles; random, raw and experimental. 'Cliquish' is a fine demonstration of just how unclassifiable this great talent is. Here, funky soul, driving bass lines meet with hard inde rock riffs and electro pop sci-fi weirdness.
Leron has been steadily building his reputation in recent years, thanks in no small part to the Guts hit "Man Funk" (471k YouTube plays and counting), which he provided the vocals for. He is also the frontman and vocalist of the Guts live band and has strong support by international DJs such as Gilles Peterson, Lefto and Toshio Matsuoka.















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