Juno Recommends Funk / Reissues July 2020

Review: The always excellently go slow and tropical sounds of Big Crown now look to Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band for covers of two classics. Up first is Grace Jones' nightclub classic "My Jamaican Guy" while on the flip is Erykah Badu's tribute to the legendary J Dilla, "The Healer". Both retain the essence of the original but come with loose hand claps, shimmering steel drums that bring coastal breezes, sand and sun into the equation and leave you laying horizontal. These are fine interpretations of top notch source material.

Review: If hot-to-trot and heavyweight funk re-fixes are your thing, you should already be familiar with the work of Chicago-based Heat Rock Records. Their latest limited seven-inch delivers two must-check workouts. On the A you'll find the "Rhythm Rug" edit by San Francisco scalpel fiends King Most, a cut-and-paste concoction that peppers a sunny, hip-hop tempo good-time soul-funk groove with excerpts from the acapella version of rap classic "Can I Kick It?" Over on the flip, label regulars and Windy City heroes Altered Tapes provide something even wilder: a hot-stepping fusion of Afro-jazz horns, dancehall style drums and what sound like occasional Q-Tip vocal snippets.

Review: Killer modern day funk masterpiece first released almost 20 years ago by the legendary Leeds outfit led by guitarist Eddie Roberts and the first time ever on a handy 7 inch format.Still as fresh as ever fierce drum kit and twangy guitar with hammond organ stabs leads way to upfront vocals from Sulene Flemming who has worked with Bernard Purdie, Reuben Wilson, Brand New Heavies and Incognito etc. Originally released in 2001 it still sounds fresh as ever and this version comes backed with an exclusive unreleased tuff breaks heavy instrumental version. Hand-numbered to 500 copies and served in a Juno exclusive sleeve. Supported by DJ Koco from Japan ,Skeme Richards,The Allergies & Oliie Cheeba from The Herbalizer so far..

Review: Side A. Take Me With You (remastered and re-edited)
Side B. Going Down For The Last Time (remastered and re-edited)

Review: Mr Bongo recently served up a tasty 7" single featuring two of Cymande's best-loved tracks, "Fug" and "Brothers on the Slide". Here they repeat the trick, slapping the two most-played tracks from the British band's incredible 1972 debut album, Cymande, on one "45". The A-side boasts "Bra", a killer chunk of funk/soul/reggae fusion with one of the most recognizable grooves around. Hip-hop heads will know it inside out, since DJs have been doubling up with copies of "Bra" since the mid 1970s. On the flip you'll find "The Message", a sublime, slightly more spaced out reggae-funk workout rich in snaking sax lines, memorable vocals and a groove so distinctive it couldn't come from any other band.

Review: If pure party-starting pleasure is your thing, you'll find plenty of instant gratification within the bulging catalogue of Bristol boys The Allergies. Alternatively, you could start with the pair's new seven-inch single, which boasts two steaming summer anthems in the making. Their old pals the Cuban Boys guest on A-side "Let Them Know", adding their distinctive rapped and sung vocals to a hip-swinging mambo-influenced backing track full to bursting with Cuban rhythms, jaunty guitar licks and barrio horns. Over on the flip, regular collaborator Andy Cooper raps his way through a fiery funk-rock-meets hip-hop bomb that will have hands shooting skywards faster than you can say, "Mine's a Tequila shooter!"

Review: There's plenty to set the pulse racing on this inaugural, limited-edition seven-inch single from Off Records. Check first Parisian producer Son of a Pitch's A-side spin "Alice Donut", a hot-to-trot re-edit of what sounds like a late 1960s French fusion of lounge music, Phil Spector wall-of-sound pop and Hammond-heavy funk. It's undeniably quirky, but thanks to the presence of ear-catching organ lines and crunchy breakbeats, also a bona fide dancefloor hit. Over on the flip, French Zulu Nation member DJ Suspect turns his attention to a tongue-in-cheek Gallic Mod-era number, fattening up the breakbeats and emphasizing the killer horn lines and swinging sixties vibes.

Review: Legendary 70s funk band Ripple are back with two original members making new music again. Curtis "Kazoo" Reynolds & Keith "Doc" Samuels now go by the name of Ripple 2.20 and their first work is a new version of John Edwards' "Exercise My Love." It is a cover, but not as we usually know it - they lay down an incredible new vocal and play the parts with a real sense of sensuousness. On the flip is a new remix of some of Ripple's original material in the form of Fashion's take on "I Don't Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky", a raw, dirty, sleazy jam to get you in a sweat.

Review: When it comes to mash-ups and unofficial reworks, sometimes the simplest ideas are the ones that make for the most effective versions. That's certainly the case here, as Soul Mates main man Amerigo Gazaway crafts four slabs of funk/hip-hop fusion fusing funky beats with hip hop accapellas plus the all essential instrumental versions...only 300 copies. Don't sleep !

Review: Before becoming the multi-instrumentalist and producer extraordinaire behind most of Favorite Recordings' disco, boogie and jazz-funk flavoured releases, Bruno 'Patchworks' Hovart delivered one of the best revivalist funk albums of the 21st century, 2009's "The Empire Strikes Back", under the Uptown Funk Empire alias. Here he revisits the album, gathering together a bunch of killer cuts previously included on digital versions of the set but omitted from the vinyl release. As you'd expect, it's an authentic-sounding affair full of killer grooves, brilliant instrumental arrangements, fluid solos and dancefloor-ready workouts shot through with knowing references to 1970s black American music. There's one previously unheard gem - the righteous and celebratory "Party" - and a whole lot of insatiable good-time grooves.

Review: If heavy and fuzzy funk is your bag, we'd heartily recommend checking out this straight-to-tape live session from Bjorn Wagner's long-serving Mighty Mocambos outfit. It was recorded at an in-store live performance at German store Groove City live December and comes complete with atmospheric crowd noise and a raw, heavyweight sound that only enhances the band's live credentials. Vocalist Nicola Richards makes her soulful presence felt on loose-limbed, breakbeat-driven deep funk opener "Something's Missing", before returning to lead the party on the wonderfully fiery and funky flipside "Keep It Movin". Sandwiched in between you'll find the slower, crunchier and more bass-heavy instrumental jam "St Pauli Second Line".

Review: French jazz-fusion act Cortex's 1975 debut album Troupeau Bleu has long been in demand amongst record collectors and dusty-fingered DJs, not least because it's14 tracks contain all manner of killer drum breaks, fast-fingered electric piano solos, surprise 1970s synth sounds and nods aplenty to French lounge music. As this essential Trad Vibe issue proves, the album is every bit as good as you'd expect, with floor-friendly jazz-funk freak-outs sitting side by side with samba workouts, laidback jams of the kind associated with Bob James, piano jazz interludes, jazz-rock slam-downs and much more besides. Basically, it's the kind of freewheeling but impeccably produced set that deserves a place in any jazz-funk fan's record collection.

Review: Late last year, French imprint Chuwanag launched via a fine compilation exploring the early '80s Britfunk sound (think jazz-funk and electrofunk) in impressive detail. You'll find numerous aural nods to that style on this follow-up, a fine debut single from producer Koji Ono. Check, for example, the sparkling synthesizers, hustling guitars and house-tempo jazz-funk grooves of "So High", the wiggly Clavinet lines, whistling melodies and rubbery bass of "Inner Rhythms" and the luscious, misty-eyed warmth of ear-pleasing mid-tempo instrumental jam "Momoshima". All are exquisite examples of revivalist cuts that boast more than enough freshness and impeccable instrumentation to bear comparison to the records that inspired them.

Review: Milton Wright's perfect deep Soul classic "Keep It Up" has always been a top shelf record, everything about it is almost flawless! Whether it's Milton's silky vocal delivery, the incessant guitar driven back beat or the total space Funk vibe of his omnipresent ARP-2600 synthesizer this record has it all. Originally released on TK Disco's more Soul and Funk orientated Alston label which was home to many legendary artists and records, this 1975 sunshine classic never fails to make people move. A classic rare groove indeed. "The Silence That You Keep" takes up side-B, a jazzy, flute driven love song that again features Milton's perfect voice and some fantastic arrangement. A real gem of a record, with the original 45 changing hands for over L100 a time in used condition.

Review: Modern day funkateers and stomping soul boys Smoove and Turrell can always be relied upon to deliver the party-starting goods. Even so, new album "Stratos Bleu" - their sixth studio set in total - may well be their strongest and most well-rounded set to date. Interestingly, this time round they've infused their usual breakbeat-driven funk and soul sound with a range of distinctly 1980s musical influences, including audible nods to boogie, electro, early Chicago house, Loose Ends, Soul II Soul and deep synth-pop. As a result, it's a hugely colourful and vibrant set, with Turrell's honeyed voice sounding particularly fresh atop Smoove's more electronic-sounding backing tracks.

Review: This is a Juno Exclusive from French producer Djar One that lifts off and cruises all the way to Puerto Rico. "Oye Como Va" is the breakbeat fuelled a-side with huge funk drive, oodles of instrumental flair and lively percussive sounds that bring that vital world flavour. "Dance Dance" on the reverse is a quicker jam with Latin flair to spare. It trills with summery time joy and drives on kicking drums. The fun loving vocals are the irresistible finishing touch. Both of these cuts will blow up and club, wherever you are in the world.