Favorite France 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Brazilian artist Lucas Arruda, is fast becoming a regarded figure in the Latin scene. 'Ominira' is his latest long player that once again, finds a home on the French label Favorite Recordings. An album full of rich sounding musical textures that cross boundaries and bridge many genres such as Latin, soul, house, jazz and pop. The vibrant summer jams 'The Bravest Heart' and 'Novos Planos' are A-side standouts that will surely excite veteran and new listeners alike, who are into World music. '4:28' and 'The Mountain' start the second side with some catchy instrumentals that give off memorable beachy 70s vibes. ' Projecoes' closes the album with one of the most soulful performances of the album. All and all, you have a wonderful sounding jazzy grooved piece that ups the expectation of what a Latin jazz album can be. Cafe Del Mar approved!

Review: Favourite France drop some absolute truth with this killer reissue of Beckie Bell's 1980 classic "Music Madness", from the album 'In Need Of...'. This is he funkiest disco you can possibly ask for, a chirpy, upbeat tune that calls for the good times. It's the sort of track that can be slapped on in just about any set, anywhere, and Bell's vocals are as infectious as the tight groove that pushes the track forwards. There are a couple of remixes, though, which bring out the best of the original and make it even more playable than before. The first one is a more beat-heavy reinterpretation from Voilaaa, while Tom Noble injects the perfect level of houseness into the equation thanks to a slamming 4/4 and some extra percussion. Perfect, and very much recommended if you've somehow slept on the original.

Review: Favorite Records take us direct to the source: a disco gem of holy grail proportions, Sunshine is Byron's only album, OG copies go for over L500 and it's chock-a-block with dancefloor gold. From the in-your-face physicality of "Galaxy" or the planet-kicking line dance feels of "Space Cowboy" by way of the ultimate 80s sleaze synth boogie of "Heart To Heart Sensation", this was Byron in his prime with so much promise and latent funk, and led to one of disco's ultimate bombs "Dance To The Music". Essential.

Review: Favorite Recordings has previously championed revered and little-known Francophile disco and boogie gems, mostly on dedicated compilations curated by dusty-fingered digger Charles Maurice. This '45' marks the launch of a new series along similar lines, with each release boasting two hard-to-find tracks accompanied by their original cover art (one on the front, the other on the back). On side A you'll find 'Give It Up' by Belgian band Charms, a warming and loved-up chunk of boogie/mid-80s soul brilliance stacked with luscious synth sounds, rubbery bass guitar and eyes-closed male lead vocals. Over on the reverse is France-Lise's 'Pour-moi ca ma', a simply superb slab of French language disco blessed with a killer bassline, funky guitar licks and some suitably heady horns. Tres bon!

Review: Favourite Records' new reissues series come with a new concept; each classic track comes with an exclusive bit of artwork on each side of the 12" sleeve. This time, they compile two speedy funk tracks from Crystal and J.E.K.Y.S.; 'Funky Biguine' is an homage to the French ballroom style of the same name, from which it draws influence, while 'Looking For You' is a devotional dream from J.E.K.Y.S., a French band singing in English. Slick, quick, and affecting stuff.

Review: Charles Maurice shows off his digging skills once again with a collection of tunes that does exactly what it says on the tin. He delves into the album oriented rock archives of countries as far and wide as France, the United Kingdom and Venezuela to come up eight rare and hidden gems. The series started back in 2015 and still makes for essential listening now with gems like 'Don't Take It Away' by Westside - a love song about a new relationship, recorded in Minnesota and mastered on Sunset Bld. Sugar Cane's 'What You Do To Me' is another loved up gem with real romance in the chords.

Review: It would be fair to say that Twylyte '81 aren't exactly one of the better-known soul-jazz acts of the boogie era. In fact, the Frank Jones, Jnr-helmed act released just one album, "The First Coming", in 1981. It's near impossible to find original copies, so France's Favorite Recordings has done the decent thing and offered up this fully licensed reissue. It's a terrific album all told, with the trio offering up a killer mixture of soulful jazz tracks, effervescent jazz-funk numbers, disco-tinged dancefloor cuts and the kind of heart-achingly good slow jams that tend to get overlooked by DJs when they acquire albums of this sort.