Hip-Hop News

After a ten year pursuit, Efficient Space finally presents Late, Late Show, the last recordings of influential Sydney-via-Newcastle band pel mel. Taped in the mid-’80s, these charmingly unvarnished sessions pare the combo back to their core, producing blue-collar sophisti-pop to a danceable LinnDrum beat. From the funky disco-not-disco of ‘Mr President’ to the effortless pop perfection of ‘Fool’s House’, the six tracks reveal a creatively open and well-oiled pel mel before they inevitably disbanded.

Formed in early 1979 as a misfit sextet from steel and surf town Newcastle, pel mel were inspired by New York and UK’s post-punk imports. Cutting their teeth speeding through originals and Joy Division, Wire and The Buzzcocks covers every Friday night to a regular turnout of dole bludgers, students and the under-age, the band would also cross-pollinate with electronic-leaning support act The Limp. In 1980, they decamped to Sydney to join the city’s flourishing alternative music scene alongside the likes of Laughing Clowns, Tactics, The Reels, Wild West and the M Squared crew, making an indelible mark with two albums and several singles as the only domestic signee of Factory’s Australasian licensee GAP Records. Catchy and intelligently experimental without being noisy, their musicianship and enduring legacy continues to be lauded by peers.

Undoubtedly some of their strongest output, this previously unreleased demo suite documents pel mel free from the pressures of a commercial outcome, naturally elevating them to a class alongside Orange Juice, Antena and Young Marble Giants.

‘Over And Over’ is simply the greatest ever 7-inch disco edit, a nine-minute anthem which retains (or maybe even enhances) its appeal in the smaller format.

The tripped-out soul of ‘I Need Somebody To Love Tonight’ also has a great shorter version. Neither have been reissued since their original release.

The album features 15 tracks, showcasing Bastien’s truly cinematic sound while exploring new sonic territories. The album touches on the melancholic funk drifting between voiceovers of longing and hurt, through surreal, hallucinogenic folk ballads. It’s the juxtaposition of these genres sewn together with ambient synth skits that really makes the album a musical journey. Playful and serious, as the album title suggests, Bastien manages to induce a rye smile with a tear in the eye.


In Seb’s words, “The album tells the story of a failed relationship, as the man narrators missing his other. Whilst he imagines her comforting him, before accepting the end of the relationship, and feeling that the love he feels, she never did.”

Sharing common ground with luminaries such as David Axlerod, Kate Bush, Roy Orbison, Madlib and The Delfonics; Keb plays guitar, trumpet, bass, drums, piano, flute and more Keb’s writing and recording approach is slightly unique. He explains a little about how his records sound the way they do...

“I have a lo-fi approach to recording, for me it’s about the moment, all my records are time capsules of a certain time in my life, so the sound of the recording is secondary. It’s all about heart, that’s all I’m interested in. If I get a melody I have to record it asap, if the mic isn’t plugged in I use the macbook mic, if I’m not by the computer I’ll record into my phone.

For me personally using/sampling other peoples music isn’t making your own music, using your own soul, showing your own heart, it's just my personal opinion. It’s not right for me. No slur on those that do. If there are any samples on my records, it’s me sampling me. For me, this means the music is mine. It’s ‘of me’. That’s really important for me, because I feel that’s where the honesty is. If my music sounds ‘dusty’, that’s why”.

This approach provides us with a wonderfully inclusive record. The album feels almost ‘performed’ to us, live, on each listen. Coupled with Bastien’s capacity to write music which is almost visual, the album is quite enveloping.

Bastien returns to Def Pressé with this new album after the brilliant, Holy Mountain. Released under the name Grandamme, with friend and collaborator Claudia Kane.

Ein weiteres Kultalbum von Jazz Room Records mit Danny Ward & Reality, die Mitte bis Ende der 70er Jahre die Go-To-Funky-Jazz-Band für College- und andere Hardcore-Funk-Party-Gigs in und um Seattle im pazifischen Nordwesten waren.

Sie veröffentlichten Coverversionen der neuesten Disco- und Top-40-Hits und nahmen ihr Publikum regelmäßig mit auf einen musikalischen Trip durch die funkigsten und jazzigsten Sounds der Zeit mit Titeln, die durch George Benson, Lydia Pense & Coldblood, The Headhunters, Mandrill, u.v.m. berühmt wurden.

Diese einzigartige Aufnahme, die die Band live bei einem Auftritt unter der Woche in Bremerton, Washington, einfängt, zeigt ihren unnachahmlichen Stil.

A Danny Krivit and Harvey favourite, as sampled by J Dilla and Glenn Underground - a dubby disco cover of the Gamble & Huff penned O'Jays classic.

This sound was later pioneered by the likes of Arthur Russell and Larry Levan.

Replica original 7' artwork, official Mr Bongo reissue, mastered from our original DAT copy.

First Word Records is very proud to welcome the return of the inimitable Kaidi Tatham, with his 5th album for us, entitled 'The Only Way'. Kaidi Tatham is a legendary multi-instrumentalist born in the Midlands and based in Belfast. Established as one of the original creators of the Broken Beat sound, he is a virtuoso on the keys and a true innovator in sound production. A deeply prolific artist, this is Kaidi's 5th solo album under his own name, following on from 'Don't Rush The Process' (2022), 'An Insight To All Minds' (2021), 'It's A World Before You' (2018), and 'In Search Of Hope' (re-pressed in 2020), all released on First Word, along with several EPs from 2017 onwards. 'The Only Way' is the latest chapter in Kaidi's entirely unique explorations into sound. 11 tracks touching on bruk, funk, jazz, mid-tempo hip hop and hyper-energetic Brazilian flavours, all thrown into a melting pot that's difficult to define, but all containing Kaidi's unmistakable sonic signature. The ...

The summer of 2016 marked the fortuitous meeting of two talented musicians, Zaidi Kiggundu (Ziggy Funk) and Jamie Mcshane, at a music festival. Sharing a love for Funk, Jazz, and Soul music, the duo knew they had to collaborate on a project together. Both Zaidi and Jamie had established music careers, bringing their unique backgrounds and experiences to the table. They also had their own music labels, contributing to their respective scenes.

Their collaboration began with a series of demo sessions at Jamie's studio in Scotland. Together, they laid down the foundation for their debut album, which they named 'Fortuitous.' This album fused Funk, Jazz, and Soul with a contemporary touch, paying homage to the classic albums of the past that deeply inspired them. Despite facing challenges such as scheduling conflicts and the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zaidi and Jamie remained committed to completing the project.

To bring their musical vision to life, they enlisted the help of top-notch musicians on horns, including Ewan Mains, Konrad Wisniewski, and James Steele. With their contributions, the album 'Fortuitous' delivers solid grooves and captivating arrangements, showcasing the duo's dedication to their craft. The quality of the music caught the attention of Splash Music, who eagerly embraced the project. What started as a chance encounter and a few simple ideas many years ago has now transformed into a fully realized album, ready to be released to the world for everyone to enjoy.

La Maison Venturi & Bazaar Records proudly present the first 12inch EP of the French duo Cee-O-Funk.
Expect deviant house with boogie/funk touch and bizarre/weird sexy things.

"T'as le cul qui dit oui" ("You got the ass that says yes"), is a sexy groove carried by a heady and sharp bassline to pay homage to the moving bodies on the dancefloor and the little music of their buttocks when the whole stuff moves to the sound of the beat.
"Sex with the beat" is a joyful ode to love in all its forms, whether it is libertine or tidy or whatever. We all love without limit with or without music, but with music it's still better.
"Naked on the dancefloor" looks like a huge electronic blues, a postpartum blues, with the memory of someone on their lips, inseparable from this feeling that one can have in a trance on the dancefloor.
"Rock with U" is a repetitive, unifying, loving hymn ... let's do things together, forever.

Official reissue of this obscure Hawaiian psych-pop rarity.
Meticulously restored for reissue by Jessica Thompson.
Pressed at Gotta Groove Records.
A beautiful album celebrating Hawaii’s warmth and spirit. Enterprising composer and musician Eddie Suzuki made his own path throughout his lifetime. Born on October 4, 1929, Suzuki worked as a young shoeshiner in 1940s Honolulu, saving enough money to take piano lessons. In high school, he led a big band orchestra of 16, and sometimes up to 40 members. By the age of 18, he owned a piano shop that pivoted to become Honolulu’s top guitar store.
For Eddie Suzuki, music always came first. In 1973, after performing and composing songs for many years, Eddie Suzuki and his group, New Hawaii, recorded the now impossibly rare album, High Tide.
The LP isn’t a rock-outfit, local music journalist Wayne Harada ruminated in a 1973 review. Rather, it’s one man’s vision and version of the now Hawaii. A seasoned mix of psych, Hawaiian, and pop sensibilities, the music on High Tide gave the listener a look into Eddie’s singular vision celebrating the sights and sounds (and spirit) of Hawaii.

Fully remastered reissue with replica artwork of rare double header funk 45 by Miami band Human Race from 1971. Black 7" dinked centre hole vinyl.

Now six 7" releases deep, New Directions In Funk is plotting a new course with an excursion to São Paulo courtesy of your guide Zopelar whose 'Mensagem' marks the first LP on the label. Fresh off a pair of fire releases on Apron Records and Selva Discos, we're thrilled to welcome Zopelar back to Soul Clap Records.

'Mensagem' is a tribute to all the Brazilian OG DJs, collectors, and musicians that were responsible for spreading the funky music in the 70’s, laying the foundation for the sounds of today. Over the course of fifty years, Brazilian dance music has morphed into distinct genres and sounds, from underground techno to 'baile funk', but the roots always remained. It all comes back to the power of bringing people together to enjoy the energy of dancing and having fun, and the key rhythm behind the movement is the FUNK.

Combining these classic drum machine rhythms with a modern approach to synths, chords, and melody, on 'Mensagem' Zopelar orchestrates a new vision of the music played in the old Bailes. Timely and timeless, this music is a message from the future to all the pioneers of the Brazilian sound. A resounding message that in Brazil and beyond, the funk is going to be alive forever.

‘Nitely’ is the debut album from Jonny Wildey; written recorded over three years at North London’s creative haven Total Refreshment Centre.

Although ‘Nitely’ will be his first release under his own name, Wildey has been making electronic music under the name Alphabets Heaven for the last decade, releasing a string of acclaimed singles on Nightmares On Wax, Tru Thoughts, Soundway, and King Deluxe.

Recording upstairs at Total Refreshment Centre proved an inspiration in itself for Wildey – he recorded at night, which happily meant that some of the most exciting music around was happening in the same building: “The TRC had gigs on at the time, so I’d go there, start working on something, then would see the Neue Grafik Ensemble, or some amazing jazz band, and go back upstairs and carry on working, which was a lot of fun.” Unsurprisingly, he soon attracted some like-minded collaborators – ‘Nitely’ features Danalogue (The Comet Is Coming, Soccer96), Emma Gatrill (This Is The Kit, Laura Marling), Marcus Hamblett (James Holden, Timber Timbre) and London based beat master Deft (Yip Wong).

‘Nitely’ represents a musical shift, with Wildey embracing more traditional songwriting and a drawing upon his wide range of musical tastes – Shuggie Otis, Yes, Arthur Lee’s Love, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, A Tribe Called Quest, John Frusciante, Milton Nascimento, Steve Miller. “I really just wanted to take a lot of influences from the 70s and 80s that I was maybe a bit embarrassed about earlier in life and try and apply that to everything I’ve been doing for the last 10 years. I’m not ashamed to write songs and put my vocals at the front, which is a huge step for me. The big connecting thing is that a lot of the music I like is fun – say, Shuggie Otis has a lot of what I like in dance music, in that it just feels so light – it will just make whatever you do feel a bit better, that’s the kind of music I wanted to make.

Spanning 12 tracks, ‘Nitely’ is a record from the heart; it’s direct, warm and unequivocally honest. The sound palette of the record effortlessly meshes the crunch and warmth of 70’s funk & soul (Lonely, Violet, Your Dreams), the dreamy air of bedroom pop (Don’t Fall Asleep, Love is Out There) and sub heavy frequencies from beats/electronica (Roll, Too Much). The result is a modern day Pop / New Soul classic, an album that from start to finish is an endearing look into the mind of Wildey. It’s familiar-yet-new, nostalgic and straight forward, wearing its emotions very clearly on its sleeves.

10 Years after his last LP on Vinyl, the Legendary FUNKMASTER OZONE, one of the Kings of the Underground Funk Movement is back with an explosive New LP! As always on his records, there is a P-Funk side and an E-Funk side. There are all the elements that have characterized its unmistakable sound since the beginning of the Funkmaster Ozone Era!

Power Analog Synthesizers, Talkbox, Vocoder, DMX, 808 and his absolutely amazing Funk touch. The LP includes a featuring with the wonderful voice of JAMIE DAVIS & the touch of H.M.KLOTZ in the song 'Freaky Friday', an incredible Master Piece which seems to have come directly from the 80s! And also a great collaboration with another superb artist like EDDY FUNKSTER on 'Integrity'. The LP, is a full trip into the universe of Funkmaster Ozone, a must have reléase!

"Darkness Darkness" and "No Services" are songs by Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) and William Tyler. The first song "Darkness, Darkness" contains samples from Gloria Loring's version of "Darkness, Darkness". The songs were produced by Kieran Hebden. The guitar was perfomed by William Tyler and recorded by Jake David at huge Planet in Nashville.

Second release on the reissue series MTMB (Music Take Me Back) features two amazing dance floor tracks by U.X.B., the six-piece disco band founded by lead singer Keith Pole in the early 80’s. Both “Sting Me” and “Your Starring” were dedicated to Keith’s first love who he eventually married. After being featured on a Disconet Program Service compilation in 1982, Sting Me was later picked up by Belgian label Rainbow to receive a single release including an extended vocal and dub version. A 7″ single was pressed too that included the otherwise unreleased “Your Starring”.

Drummer Rich Legault, bassist Denny Lewan, singer/guitarist Mike Peace and rhythm guitarist Ben Wiesneiwski were all members of Wisconsin-based band named Attila and the Huns which later became Filet of Soul. The latter 45 has been reissued from us some years ago, now it is time to shed some light on Attila and the Huns.

Junei, the guitarist behind The Space Army Band, who would team up with his brother, General Lee, to form The Lost Weekend remains a pivotal character amongst the music scene of his hometown, Gary, Indiana.

Working closely with local indie groups & producers, such as Gordon Keith of Steeltown (Jackson 5's first manager), Junei would spend the 70s writing & recording whilst touring with artists such as The Emotions, Curtis Mayfield & Albert King.

Junei's calling card came to be in 1987, when he released his single 'Let's Ride' & 'You Must Go On' on local imprint, Pharoah's Records. The following year, he teamed up with Bernard Walker to produce a signature of that late-80s bedroom indie sound, cemented by the ideology & instruments used.

As Junei recalls..

"Bernard Walker approached me based on my reputation around town. He told me about this song that he wrote called "My Lover." Initially, he wanted to record a demo but I convinced him that I could do an actual finished production of his song, right from my small project "tape based, 8-track" basement studio. The sessions took place in Gary, Indiana in the basement of my parents home inside my small bedroom recording studio. The equipment used was a Fostex 1/4" 8-track recorder, Fostex 1/4" 2-track recorder, Fostex 12-channel mixer, Sennheizer vocal microphone, Korg DW8000 Synthesizer & a Roland R8 Drum Machine. As he sang the lyrics, I began composing what I heard in my head, then I recorded to tape each instrument one at a time (keyboards, drum machine, etc..) until we were satisfied with the production, then he laid down his lead vocals and I helped him sing the background vocals. Afterwards, I did some tweaking and then I transferred it to my 2-track reel-to-reel recorder, and that was it. He was totally pleased of the outcome."

A modern soul number that fits today's disco sound, and on 45, what's not to love here ?

"Sweet Maybe" is a driving slice of sassy modern soul. A honeyed, sizzling affair with proper live band delivering the goods and featuring Bart Davenport on vocal duties. Over on the flip, the Synthstrumental version is a party jam that romps along in full-on disco-funk mode.

If there's one thing that drives Casbah 73 as a DJ and a producer, more than anything else, it is his love for the music. An all-encompassing, life-consuming affair that gives shape and direction to the distinctive sounds he creates, whether on the dancefloor or in the studio. And he has been on fine form of late, with a superb string of releases combining craftsmanship, live musicians and dance floor suss.

Featured singer LA's Bart Davenport is an old Lovemonk friend of
The Loved Ones, Incarnations & Honeycut fame.

AS WE CONTINUE ON! Caserta is back with another vocal you haven’t heard on it’s own before with music that defies the time period the song was actually recorded in. If it wasn’t for the recognizable vocal that is Curtis the A Side could be confused with something you might of found on Beat Electric back in the day. Growling bass and boogie synths stabs make for a west coast post disco affair.

While the B side is a cheeky take on another 80s classic from the legendary Solar Records catalog. With the familiar 808 drum and lush 80s synths it might be a bit of a task to figure out what version to sing along with!

Two brass-powered monster tracks from Deptford
Northern Soul Club Records.
Irene And The Scotts’ 1967 smash goes for around
£150 a copy these days. A Detroit soul side
arranged by the legendary Dennis Coffey,
produced by Motown man Bob Babbitt, co-written
by Ray Monette (later a member of Motown act
Rare Earth) and featuring the mysterious Irene’s
punchy torch vocal backed by Chicago soul band
The Scott Brothers. Rife with brass stabs and a
glorious sax break - an absolute floor filling gem.
Backed with The Chantels’ ‘Indian Giver’ from
1966, which first appeared on the Verve label (a
copy of which would now fetch around £275 a
throw). A super-rare soul side from the Bronxbased all-girl doo wop pop outfit who found the
funk in the mid ‘60s. Delivered over a hypnotic
backbeat, ‘Indian Giver’ is a horn-laden uptempo
groove with a drummer on double-time. An
absolute handclapping, split-inducing dance
classic.

Modulor and Octave Lab are delighted to announce the first official reissue of Kellee Patterson’s ‘Kellee’ LP. Recorded in 1976, ‘Kellee’ is the second album for the amazing lady soul singer after her debut album ‘Maiden Voyage’ released on Black Jazz Records. Produced by Gene Russell, who also produced ‘Maiden Voyage’, this album includes some great soul & jazz cover songs. Barry White’s masterpiece “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby”, The O’Jays “I Love Music”, The Stylistics “Stop, Look & Listen To Your Heart”, Grover Washington Jr “Mister Magic” and Kenny Logins “Time To Space”... ‘Kellee’ is a must-have record for every jazzy / soul music fan.

Neroli starts a new series of one offs releases within its own catalogue, with a seven inch double a-sider from Nicola Kramer. The urge to finally put on wax these beautiful songs produced by Domu in 2008 was the sparkle that brought Volcov to create this Neroli From The Archive series references to his old label Archive and the From the Archive radio shows and compilations are pretty clear. Nicola Kramer was the phenomenal voice behind many Domu, Rima, Bakura songs with appareances also on Jazzanova and Chateu Flight releases. But especially on her only solo album The Other Side, from which these two songs are taken, she shines immensely with her unique ghostly soulful tones.

1977’s Jenakuru was self-produced and reveals a slightly darker, somewhat introspective and perhaps more vulnerable side to Saitana. A great admirer of Jimi Hendrix, Satiana often performed
solo during this period. “It was really unheard of at the time to perform without a band. He could
entertain people like that and a lot of people loved him because he was such a character.” There
was also an increasingly Dionysian aspect to Saitana’s routine as a performer - a gradual advance
into drunken showmanship akin to Jim Morrison. Taken from the original reels.

Saitana’s debut Baby Don’t Go in 1976 saw him return to the producer of the Beaters first album, Ray Nkwe,
whose JAS Pride label was undergoing a mid-70s boom. In contrast with the mod sensibilities of the early
Beaters, Saitana came out of the gate with a completely new look to suit the times, sporting an impressive
Afro, an embroidered dashiki and an amicable grin on the album’s cover. A mix of Soul, Folk, Blues and Rock
the debut from Saitana is not to be missed. Recently mentioned by Trevor Noah as one of the albums that
influenced him as a youth. Taken from the original reels.

Funkamental is a label of new releases and first-time-on-wax reissues curated by Funkamente, also behind the Edits Estrela and Lisbon's East Side Radio.

When a record collection starts to grow, some blind spots become very noticeable: records too hard to find, upcoming artists with music so good it deserves a nice record or old releases that have never been
pressed to vinyl. Yet.

That's how Funkamental was born: out of the desire – should we say "the need"? – to have a specific release on vinyl. How specific? Anything that'd fit in our bag.

The first Funkamental release is Sonic Fiction, the only album by Spaceboys, initially released on CD back in 2003 described as an interplanetary never-ending jam session between Sun Ra and Fela Kuti, materialized by the hands of Francisco Rebelo, João Gomes and Tiago Santos who first assembled as Cool Hipnoise in 1995 a prolific band recording a string of albums, singles and EPs revolving around Funk, Acid Jazz, Jazz Funk and Dub for the best part of ten years

Studio One Records is excited to announce the release of their new boxset, the Studio One U.K Red series! Featuring 16 classic tracks from artists such as Ken Boothe, The Heptones, and Ernest Ranglin, this collection is a must-have for any music lover. Get your copy now and experience the sounds of Studio One Records!

Purple Vinyl

The legendary Tony Cook, one of the most influential artists of Funk music, and James Brown’s drummer, has produced many great records since the early 80’s, from Boogie, Electro Funk, and House Music.

This EP showcases the versatility of Tony Cook’s creative repertoire and is a testament to his very unique style of production with unreleased songs.

"As Purple is to Lavender..."

With our Africa Airways series flying high we felt it is time to introduce a new compilation focusing on the unique contribution from some of Africa's most recognised female artists and some lesser known ones for good measure. We are excited to be launching this on Women's Day 2018 as our way to highlight the incredible, yet under-acknowledged musical contribution that African women have given to the funky sounds of Africa. Taking our cue from the Alice Walker essay "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens", the creative sparks that inspired this collection of songs were formed in their Mothers' Gardens by Mothers who paved the way for their daughters to keep the creativity of black women alive through their strength and resilience. Whilst we have a bit more of a message with this one, we wouldn't be Africa Seven if it wasn't damn funky at the same time!

We kick things off with the infectious sound of South-African Letta Mbulu. Letta started her career playing alongside fellow heavyweights Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela as cast members of King Kong in the 1950's and has since gone on to become one of the most influential south-African artists, even featuring on Michael Jackson songs, as well as being recognised for her contribution both musically and to that of the country's liberation struggles. With a crate-digger, secret weapon version of her classic Kilimanjiro single, "Kilimanjiro, Take Us Higher" is longer and has all the disco groove and delight you need and desire from such a star.

Uta Bella takes over from Letta, with a powerful Africa Seven return. "Enyin" is a glamorous disco scorcher heightened by glittering keys and irresistible West African vocals. One of Nigeria's unsung pioneers, and first female pop bandleader, Mona Finnih continues the flow with an effortless boogie number "Ani Kewa Jo" which just keeps on giving for nearly 7 glorious minutes. This devastating 80's number "Nou Ke Sa Inmew" from Cida Desvarieux follows up Uta and is dealt in two halves. Firstly a hit of beautiful vocals and slap bass controls the floor before handing over to the powerful guitar riffs and horns which groove out for the rest of this number. Wrapping up the first side with a classy reggae inspired number "Time Waits For No One" is Christy Essien, the grand dame of Nigerian pop, who was never far away from the issues affecting women in the Nigerian music industry.

Side two, enter Togolese singer Akofa Akoussah causing a storm with "Tango", delicate at times yet with a ferocious, unforgiving energy. Next a more obscure offering from Carmen Ezumah with vintage afro goodness in the form of "Tala Tala". Moving on, we have the Nigerian Lijadu sisters (dubbed "the West African Pointer Sisters") with one of their most notable hits "Danger". Our penultimate offering is another dose of obscurity, sandwiched between two greats, with Kenyan Bakambi N'Kela's uncompromising "Kilimanjoro".

Mothers' Garden finishes the way we started. With another one of Africa's leading ladies and music royalty, Miriam Makeba. Nicknamed Mother Africa, Miriam is famed for her huge musical contributions, her role in fighting the apartheid and for becoming a UN Ambassador. "Xica Da Silva" is a cover of Jorge Ben and the slow, hypnotic rhythm allows for the power of Miriam's voice to shine through.

Some serious swagger emerged on Shelby S. Singleton’s SSS International label, including the funk-soaked, Allen Toussaint-penned ‘There’s A Break In The Road,’ Mickey Murray’s relentless ‘Sticky Sue,’ Bettye LaVette’s standout revival of ‘Piece Of My Heart,’ and more sensational workouts! Cut by Kevin Gray and pressed on gold vinyl at Third Man Pressing!

!!! A DOSE OF PSYCHEDELIC FUNK & BLUE-EYED SOUL !!!

It's been a minute since Perfect Toy Records last hooked you up with a wild ride down that ol' psych-soul highway but the blacktop beckons once more with the sourcing of material for Down & Wired Vol. 5 by veteran follower of the 'way of the dusty crate' - Chan The Man!

This one begins, aptly enough, with an irresistible cover of Hit The Road Jack, by turns languorous and fiery from Bay Area-based Lydia Pinkham & The Denver Hot Flashes. Of course, working up a head of speed, is intoxicating and the next three cuts, from Changes, The Changing Times and Abe, Malka & The Basic Bronx, deliver increasingly scorching psych-funk laced with wah-wah guitar. Things get heavier again as Side A draws to a close with a brace of rock-oriented cuts – an uptempo blues groove from Reb and a psych-rock nugget from Dallas.

The second half of the LP, like the first, also opens with a cover – this time with The Nassauvians' heavy take on Baby Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood followed by a dirty slab of 60s garage rock from The Continentals. After that, things take a mellower turn with The Ladds' lowrider love song, I Found A Girl, (the first ballad to be featured in the series!) before getting back to the psych-rock on a short edit of the original 9-minute long It's Love from German Christian rock band Oratorium. Wrapping things up for Vol.5 are Caesar & His Romans' garage classic Black Lantern and The Bobbies' funked up cover of Jerry Lee Lewis's, She Put Me Down.

In short, it's another triumphant set of dope obscurities (once againaccompanied by detailed liner notes and never-before-seen photos of the artists) and a tribute to the dusty-fingered digging skills of Chan The Man.

Amanaz were serious, and they made a serious stab at an album. They titled their album Africa, according to original band member Keith Kabwe, “because of how it was shared and how its inhabitants were butchered and enslaved, its resources stolen… all the atrocities slave drivers committed. “ Thus, their “Kale,” a blues sung in Nyanja, that traced the continent’s arc from slavery to Zambia’s independence closes the album. Kabwe and rhythm guitarist John Kanyepa have a winsome softness to their vocals, which sit politely aside the feral growl of drummer Watson Baldwin Lungu, bassist Jerry Mausala and bandleader/lead guitarist Isaac Mpofu. Africa’s vibe ranges from anxious (“Amanaz”) to escapist (“Easy Street”) to straight-up pissed-off. On the “History of Man,” his voice whiskeyburned, his distorted guitar buzzing like swarming hornets, Mpofu indicts his species.
There’s a darkness to Africa not found on any other Zamrock records, and a melancholy drifts throughout, specifically on Mpofu’s more restrained “Khala My Friend,” which stands as an effective, bleak situation for the Zambian everyman, the average citizen of a struggling, new nation, who might have had relatives in conflict-torn countries on the horizon, who might have been struggling to find his next meal, who might have seen a bleaker future than his president promised. Then there’s the clear Velvet Underground-influence on the nostalgic “Sunday Morning,” which, as Kabwe
recalls, was the first song written for the album, back in 1968, when Velvet Undergound and Nico was a new release - and the underground funk of “Making The Scene.” The album also tackles traditional Zambian music and early-‘60s rock – punctuated, of course by Kanyepa’s wah-wah and Mpofu’s fuzz guitars. But every time Amanaz get too deep, too violent, they come back with an accessible song and woo their listener back to the groove. “Green Apple” is a civil song, featuring Kanyepa’s sighing guitar. It is a perfectly arranged album, from the dichotomy of Mpofu’s and Kanyepa’s lead and rhythm guitars, to the vocal harmonies, to the rhythm section’s sense of space and time, which allows Africa’s funk to build. Inexplicably, Africa was given two separate mixes and two separate presses: one version is dry, with the vocals and drums mixed loud, the other slathered in reverb, with the vocals and drums disappearing into the mix, and with the guitar solos mixed much louder. We’ve presented them both here as they each have their appeal: it’s up to the listener to pick the one he or she prefers. This is a highpoint of the Zamrock scene and we hope that this can be seen as its definitive reissue.

Brazilian producer Zopelar has been breaking necks since few years already with his distinctive brand of space funk!

In this particular release for Mother Tongue he comes across like Sao Paulo meets West London on the a side Entre Viagens and turns into a heavy Detroit influenced Electro Funk jam the b side Vista.

Former Mind & Matter bandmates James "Jimmy Jam" Harris and Michael Dixon teamed up for 1978's gospel-boogie banger "You're All I Need" b/w "You're Everything" on the private Mad label.

Spatial & Co is a synth-drizzled, spaced-out bass-heavy discoid-funk masterpiece from French disco lord and Arpadys maestro Sauveur Mallia. Recorded for French library label Tele Music, in 1979, it's by turns cosmic funk and creeping crime funk, bursting with low slung, k-i-l-l-e-r basslines, loping drum breaks and sparkling percussion. It's so funky it hurts.

Confidently swaggering out the gate is "Future Vision", with its loping yet dextrous bassline across strutting beats setting the scene. "Cosmic News", with its live crowd noises over killer bass work is reminiscent of Bernard & Nile's "Chic Cheer". The bass vs synth workout "Baby Bass" increases the propulsion whilst the dark and mysterious vibes of "Star Odyssey" serve as cosmic respite from being overpowered by funk. The temperature and tempo are raised with the bouncing sophisticated funk of "Meteor One", a slinky interstellar instrumental of the highest order before the sultry, melodic "Bass For Love" offers some attractive slow-mo sleaze to close out the first side.

Opening up Side B, the menacing, beatless "Space Alert" sounds like all those sci-fi theme tunes from your childhood, synthesised into one glorious (black) whole. "Galaxy Wars" is next, another majestic cosmic gem, sans drums. The ultra-percussive flex of "All The Bass" sees the return of the frenetic funky bass and neck-snapping drums. The stretched out funk of "O.V.N.I. Telex" is irresistible and cavernous in scope whilst the swirling, dramatic "Galactics" is an ominous yet melodic wonder. The throwaway funk-lite "Animals Bass" is a bit of a daft way to close out this otherwise flawless set but, hey, flirting with perfection is probably always more fun than actually achieving it.

Sauveur Mallia is a crucial figure in the history of electronic and dance music and a hugely underrated French library bass player and composer from the Arpadys / Voyage crew. This is just the beginning of Be With's Mallia - Tele Music reissue campaign!

The audio for Spatial & Co Vol. 1 has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring the punch of Sauveur's bass and those sick drums come through to the fullest. Pete Norman’s expert skills has made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original and iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Songwriter Ron Stassens assembled a team of musicians in 1977 in anticipation of local side the Portland Trailblazers taking an NBA championship title. Milton Davis was the chosen front man and the music made got regional plays but not more so the band went their separate ways. But not before recording the album that is now presented here via Albina Music Trust. It is a funk work of the highest order with six super tight grooves all laden with percussion, disco energy and big vocals. These will all do plenty of damage in the right setting and remind why Davis is such a cult figure.

Frontier's Edge is the new EP by the fiery, energetic and genre-defying group The Budos Band. After a two-decade run with the legendary Daptone Records, Frontier's Edge is the first new music from the group on the new label, Diamond West Records - run by The Budos' saxophonist Jared Tankel and guitarist Tom Brenneck. The Budos Band's departure from Daptone was on good terms; the split from their long-time home base was an organic result of the band's evolution. "It's just a natural growth," Brenneck says, admitting: "We're going further away from the sound of Daptone and into territory they probably wanted to stay away from." As a result, Frontier's Edge finds the group hungry, passionate and primed to charge into their next epoch newfound sense autonomy within the collective. "We're a powerhouse in the studio; we can produce ourselves," Brenneck says proudly of a long process of self-containment. "I take the helm, but the band, they know what they want." As expected from The Budos Band, Frontier's Edge resists analysis; it represents the band as they are: a contained explosion. You don't pick apart Frontier's Edge; you feel it all at once. "Somehow, we wrote six songs in two days," says The Budos' drummer, Brian Profilio. "Tom was able to take what we were doing and put it together in a cohesive manner." Whether this is your first rodeo with The Budos Band or you've been following them throughout their two-decade run, Frontier's Edge contains their musical universe - Afrobeat, Ethiopian music, proto-metal, any number of other streams - in microcosm.

OG Razor-N-Tape crew right here! Having graced the RNT hall of fame for only their third release back in 2013, Frank Booker returns in style for round two.

Straight off the bat 'Be Yourself' takes you on a sensuous journey around the disco cosmos. Interplanetary echoes, stratospheric strings and a bass and brass beamed down directly from the outer galaxy are brought together with those heavenly vocals alluring any lost souls.

'More' follows up - a hair raising, funk fuelled edit combining luscious vocals, a badass bassline and the kind of guitar riffs that will leave you straight up salivating for more. This is peak time, delectable disco with an added umph and rhythms that are kind to the discerning DJs out there.

Closing out the EP Frank slows things down to galactic chugger territory, marshalling the funky starship to the underground with the pied piper of supercharged jazz flutes leading the dance.

A raucous return from the masterful Frank Booker.

Six Nine Records Ltd. UK proudly presents Angie Gooden’s first release on the label with the two stunning tunes “All Day Long” and the amazing T-Groove remix of “Feelin’ Kinda Funky”, both of them new, fresh and making their premiere on to wax! Both tracks have been produced by Christopher Vignoli (Zapp ChrisFunk) and just oozes with that French fingerspitzengefühl, nothing but exquisite sounds from the first to the last beat.

The song writers consists of Magoo and Yuki “T-Groove” Takahashi togheter with Angie herself and all this combined makes this one a winner for sure.
In summary - modern and funky boogie at its best, these two tracks will definitely make this summer even hotter!

Miles Away Records are proud to introduce our latest single to land on the label: the cosmic soul gem "Super Star" by Ruth Waters and the State of Mind Show Band.

A Texas native, Ruth "Silky" Waters was best known for her two disco-infused album's "Never Gonna Be The Same" and "Out In The Open"- produced by the late, great John Davis (John Davis Orchestra). It was however some of Ruth's early material that caught our interest when we started the label as far back as 2018. "Super Star", released on the tiny independent KMBA Recordings label in the late 1970s, draws from the wells of modern soul and gospel with a touch of cosmic synthy goodness. An proper ear turner, it was like nothing we'd heard before. Flip it and "Super Star Pt.2" goes deeper into the cosmic essence of the track with extended guitar and synth solos making this a crackin' little 45.

The track has been lovingly remastered by Phil Kinrade at the legendary AIR Studios and the lacquer was cut deep by Jukka at Timmion Records. It's now presented in our custom teal green labels and house bag.