Back in stock: Funk/Reissues

Review: Arp Frique & The Perpetual Singers come together for this most personal gospel funk album which was inspired by the birth of Frique's daughter, Jesamy. It finds the Amsterdam-based multi-instrumentalist mixing up organic funk with obscure synths, bubbly basslines that are always on the move with swirling guitars that add the colour and all make for an unusual and interesting mix of P-funk and gospel-disco. There are plenty of universal messages throughout which all emphasise the need for unconditional love while legendary vocalists like Dennis Bovell, Muriel Blijd, Mariseya, Brandon Delagraentiss and Rocq-E Harrell contribute to the powerful sound. Delagraentiss's choir, The Gospel Experience, also do their bit by adding big, rich, heartfelt vocals. It's quite the listen.

Review: Chris Bangs' varied and eclectic musical journey is a key reason he was chosen to curate a compilation for Ace. With a background ranging from space rock with The Mighty Om to DJ residencies across London, Bangs' career spans numerous genres, from jazz, funk, to soul. Bangs' DJ sets and parties - in such time-honoured venues as Special Branch in Brentford, London - were seminal in the evolution of the acid jazz genre alongside Gilles Peterson, where "acid jazz was never meant to be more than a pisstake". His foray into production, such as the proto-acid jazz classic 'Psychedelic Jack' with Peterson on vocals, cemented his legacy, but it's curation highlights such as this that really get our gears going. Hold tight as we scour early acid jazz brilliants from Gunky to Vera Cruz to Brazilian Skies to Jubilation.

Review: Over the course of two fine, full-length excursions, Don Glori (real name Gordon Li) has perfected a warm, breezy and frequently life-affirming trademark sound that cannily joins the dots between jazz, samba, MPB, jazz-funk and soul. He leans into the latter elements more on summery third set Paper Can't Wrap Fire, drawing on the talents of a wealth of Melbourne music friends across nine sublime tracks. There's much to admire throughout, from the sun-soaked jazz-funk/soul fusion of 'Brown Eyes' and summery head-nodder 'Janet', to the spiritual jazz joy of 'Song For Ants', the Brazilian brilliance of 'Precious' and the oceans-deep nu-jazz shuffle of 'Saturn's Return'.

Review: The magnificent Mukatsuku returns with another superb little package here on limited 12". It features the Afro disco sounds of Fred Fisher Atalobhor And His Ogiza Dance Band firstly on 'WTFS' which was originally released back in 1981. It's a booty-wiggling cut with myriad funky lines, squelchy synth motifs, lush chords and soul drenched vocals that bring the sunshine and party in equally playful measure. On the flip is 'Ebi Lolo' which is defined by its big brass section and loosey-goose guitar lines, bright chords and subtle funk. Two great gems once more from this on point label.

Review: Back here by popular demand, Les Disques Bongo Joe presents a fresh 7" release from Amsterdam's Nusantara Beat featuring, for the first time on wax, the infectious digital single 'Mang Becak' alongside a brand new and unreleased track. Marking their third collaboration with the label, the band reimagines two treasures of Indonesian music and merges their traditional rhythms with a modern edge that masterfully bridges the past and present. 'Sifat Manusa' has Indonesian vocals bringing sunny disposition and real soul over funky and jazzy drums. 'Mang Becak' is a funky groove with plenty of guitars that range from psyched out to more playful.

Review: Chicago multi-genre music collective Patchwork Inc. offer a distinct, subtle blend of pianistic soul and cinematic warmth on their latest 7" for Colemine. Elusively cryptic and seemingly not entirely willing to divulge their membership, we do know that North Carolina native Taylor Williams and Chicago journeyman Wyatt Waddell are nonetheless involved: their conjoined hands craft heartfelt ambles through smoothly arranged backbeats and ride-tsking R&B phrases, evoking farewell-bidding moods and last-ditch begs for togetherness.

Review: Wilfully skeletal, kitsch 80s disco-funk from the Rah Band, whose humble origins in England's County Durham proved no stumbling block for the successes that would follow, not least the classic 70s glam/disco oddity 'The Knack', complete with balaclava-clad Top of the Pops appearance . The assembling, productive hands of one Richard A. Hewson, and the syringeal sweetnesses of then-wife Liz Hewson, is what made 'Messages From The Stars' so great. This track emerged as a modest club hit - it was TikTok that ensured its longevity many years later, as well as support from the likes of Horse Meat Disco - and could be described an inchoate form of "bedroom" pop. Though it was made simply in Hewson's home studio on a simple Roland SH5, the efficacy with which Liz's nearly-half-hearted voice is super-effective: vocal elements play back through echoic highpass filters (and cut-up echoes on the B's 'Astro Mix'), while clever whistle melodies and sudden gated snares help embed the overall theme of astral sexuality.

Review: Rahaan returns with another scorching collection of disco edits, guaranteed to ignite dancefloors and satisfy even the most discerning disco devotees, featuring four blazing cuts, each one expertly crafted to maximize dancefloor impact. 'Repo Lady' kicks things off with an irresistible groove, its infectious energy and soulful vocals setting the tone for a joyous ride. 'Bodywork' keeps the energy high, its pulsating rhythms and funky bassline urging listeners to move their feet. On the flip, 'Woman Of The Party' delivers a dose of feel-good vibes, its uplifting melodies and soulful vocals creating a euphoric atmosphere. 'Go Dancin'' closes out the EP with a bang, its infectious groove and irresistible energy ensuring that the party continues well into the night. This limited-edition release is a must-have for any serious collector or DJ, a testament to Rahaan's mastery of the disco edit.

Review: Two cornerstones of rare Amazonian (!) cumbia appear together on 7" for the first time, as Vampisoul resurrect these wildly sought-after versions of 'Sonido Amazonico'. On one side is a hypnotic, percussion-heavy take by Ranil Y Su Conjunto Tropical, first and only released on LP. Led by Raul Llerena, this Iquitos band helped forge the sound of psychedelic cumbia through Llerena's Producciones Llerena imprint, now a holy grail label for collectors of such trove-bound tropical rarities. On the inverse comes Los Wembler's de Iquitos - of equal stature as one of the genre's most enduring groups - bringing their stomping rhythmoids to the same track; it also just so happens to remain one of their most defining anthems. The UK's not the only "jungle scene" out there - just listen to these killer, understoried sonic forests.

Review: Windy City collective Future Rootz are all about mixing up worldly electronic sounds, Latin, tropical bass and global jazz. This second volume in their new series does just that with two expressive remixes of iconic Afro-Colombian tracks. On Side A, Sound Culture delivers a modern take on Son Palenque's legendary 'A Pila el Arroz,' which was originally composed by Justo Valdez for Palenque Records. He infuses it with fresh and bubbly bass and hypnotic vocal chants. On side-B, Afroqbano reimagines 'Tropical Scenes' by adding a vibrant, rhythm-heavy twist to the original that sympathetically blends traditional Afro-Colombian sounds with electronic influences into a wiggling bit of irresistible and sunny global fusion.

Review: Edwin Starr's poignant and bright original funk number 'Time' gets a notable reissue via Soul Brother, once again casting a retrospective light on the American Motown boy wonder's advanced songwriting capabilities and out-the-box subject matters. Never one to shy from important messages, 'Time' perhaps rivals Starr's 'War' in its laser-focused singular theme, yet this time errs more existential and metaphysical than political; here Starr muses on father time and his obscurant curtain, pondering the fact that the ticking clock is indeed something that all human subjects feel, yet not all sense the gravity of until it's too late. On the B comes the comparatively righteous romantic march, 'Running Back & Forth', which by comparison lilts through jovial croons and lovestruck reveries.

Review: Pam Todd & The Love Exchange's 'Let's Get Together' dropped in the golden disco era of the late 70s and is one of our all-time top jams. The percussive breakdown at the mid-section is magic, and it all oozes funk, as well as having a proper singalong vocal up top. Mr K maintains the care of the original while tweaking the drums for modern floors across three subtly different mixes here on the Shrylden label. We found this one in the warehouse, so don't sleep, cause it won't be around long.

Review: Australia's Choi Records drop their second release in the shape of two powerful cover versions either side of a devilish little 7" by The Traffic. The A-side, "White Lines", is a funky, horn-led reinterpretation of Grandmaster Flash's original tune : an instrumental brass ode to the original beast. On the flip, there's "Smack My Pitch Up", another mighty instrumental rework of The Prodigy classic, complete with a string of trumpets that imitate the original's inimitable vocal loop.