Sounds From The Soul Underground is the first in a series from Freestyle Records, documenting the frontiers of soul, funk, jazz, afrobeat and latin from the contemporary scene worldwide. The exception here being one vintage rarity, which I thought is worth the comp’s admission price alone – “Movin’ On” by Ray Camacho & The Tear Drops, a slamming deep funk update of Brass Construction’s disco-funk stomper.

Back to today’s international grooves – and you may not necessarily associate Finland with the Northern Soul scene, that is until you hear Jo Stance’s “Hey Girl” which proves a definite dance floor winner. Equally you also mightn’t expect to hear some heavy funk from Hungary but the Qualiton’s bruising “Kekfeny” stings like a viper bite. Australia’s The Mighty Showstoppers’ ‘vintage library’ cover of Johnny Pate’s “Shaft In Africa” breaks the scales and scales the breaks; while authentic latin boogaloo from Spanish Harlem comes courtesy of Ray Lugo & The Boogaloo Destroyers, paying a fine tribute to the Fania label with “Sol El Ray”. The Ariya Astrobeat’s great take on afrobeat, “Put Leg To Road” comes from the savannas of…wait for it…Yorkshire; the The Haggis Horns, yep originally from Scotland, bring a suitably AWB-ish groove “Cockroach Grind”; whilst The Killer Meters pleasing cover of deep funk classic “Cramp Your Style” adds further dance floor fuel.

Sounds Of The Soul Underground successfully breaks into the frontier to bring us the freshest of today’s grooves – and with the rare version of “Movin’ On” reason enough to pay the admission, you essentially get the other 16 tracks for “free” and therefore no reason not to buy it.

www.freestylerecords.co.uk

Back in 2009, my favourite album of the year was Lee Fields’ “My World”. A deep funk legend from the 70′s, Lee’s funk output was revived by Philip Lehman and Gabriel Roth on Desco records in the late 90′s when he recorded “Let’s Get A Groove On” with the Soul Providers, a band who at the time included a young Leon Michels, now one half of the production duo at “Truth & Soul Records” along with Jeff Silverman. A rough and raw album “Problems” followed on Lehman’s “Soul Fire” label but it was “My World” on Truth & Soul that really stood out. The lush orchestration and arrangements sounded to me like a modern update of the orchestrated soul largely unheard since Isaac Hayes’ “Hot Buttered Soul”, Curtis Mayfields “Curtis”, or even Marvin Gaye’s “Whats Going On” – but with a definite modern feel.

Now Truth & Soul and Rollingstone.com are offering a free download of “You’re The Kind Of Girl”, from Lee’s forthcoming album, set to be released on March 13th 2012. It took just one listen to bite for me and get really excited about the new material, they’ve pulled it out of the bag again. Don’t miss this!!

Download “You’re The Kind Of Girl” on Rollingstone.com

You’re The Kind Of Girl by truthandsoulrecords

The Dustaphonics are not easily categorised, including elements of soul, garage rock, surf guitar, classic R&B, funk and with a touch of punk attitude, it’s a melting pot boiled down to a dynamic groove that includes high energy party stompers, cultish downtempo bar sleaze, to smouldering surf-guitar instrumentals. This diversity is also reflected in the London band’s cosmopolitan make-up, led by French-Spanish guitarist, producer and DJ, Yvan Serrano (Healer Selecta), San Franciscan soul singer Kay Elizabeth, and Brits: garage drummer Bruce Brand and bassist Michael Jablonka appear amongst a roster of guests. It is also varied in that the musical influences here are essentially American and vintage, and yet there is something remarkably progressive and English about its sound, with a distinct London attitude.

What really comes across on this record is the band’s energy and dynamism – the wide range of influences bounce off each other explosively, creating a sound with a definite and unique edge. There is a riotous sense of fun in the party groove attitude of tracks like “Party Girl”, “When You Gonna Learn” and “The Jinx”; whilst the downtempo tracks ooze cult cool on “Catwoman’ Strut” and “Burlesque Queen”, co-written with Tura Satana, star of the film “Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill” and sung smokily by Kay Elizabeth. Then there are the surf-guitar instrumentals, “Eat My Dust A Phonic” opens the album with a high speed trip down a 60′s speedway complete with samples, whilst Mariachi horns add spice to the surf groove of “Showman Twang Tiki Gods”. The delta-blues of “Wrecking My Life” adds to the nostalgic Americana and we are even treated to an Instrumental version of the Sonic’s “Shot Down” and a tribute to a certain influence on “Take It From Diddley”.

A seriously fun and energetic slice of rock & soul, “Party Girl” smacks of style and attitude, with a huge range of influences that all compliment each other in one big, hip and happening sound.

http://www.reason2b.net/

In line with the high quality we’ve come to expect from Truth & Soul Productions, this superior slice of haunting reggae soul features the vocal talents of Liam Bailey, who visited Truth & Soul in NYC to record with Jeff Silverman and Leon Michels with a view to subsequently securing a deal with a major. As a result, Bailey, who is from Nottingham, signed with Polydor but recorded a slew of tracks with T&S who are planning to release a series of 45s featuring Bailey.

truthandsoulrecords.com

Such is the effort that Brooklyn’s Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings put into making their studio albums, not to mention the sheer quality, that their catalogue is already as classic as many of their late-sixties to mid-seventies influences. It is something of a wonder that original music, steeped in the tradition of funk and soul, is being made to such a high quality today.

“Soul Time!” is not a new album as such – it’s a round-up of bonus tracks, singles, B-sides and tracks pulled from various side-projects. Close watchers of SJDK will find they will already have most of the tracks, in fact only the thumping Motown-like stomper “New Shoes” is previously unissued from what I can tell. Yet it is already one of my favourite releases by them, for had this actually been a planned studio album, and if hypothetically nobody had heard any of these tracks before, jaws would drop. As a showcase of their funkier side, this collection just goes to show how strong the Dap-Kings are – Sharon Jones’ vocals are commanding, bursting with charisma and energy; Gabriel Roth handles most of the (timeless) songwriting, oversees the production and leads the band from behind a bass guitar; and the remaining Dap-Kings compress their obvious passion for the music into a considerable groove.

Amongst the highlights here are two, uncompromisingly ferocious funk gems, easily amongst the best modern examples around: “Genuine (pts. 1 & 2) and “I’m Not Gonna Cry” sound as if they could have come from the Godfather himself circa 1970. Neal Sugarman’s screaming sax intros to both give way to parping baritone, thick bass, chanking rhythm guitar, super-tight horns and sturdy drums. And yet, it feels like they didn’t have to break much of a sweat pulling this out – the musicianship is ordered, clear and just darn funky. For all its clarity, they make sure there is enough (good) dirt in there too – a yelp of approval heard during the sax solo of “Genuine pt. 2″ as some filthy guitar muddies the background and Sugarman’s sax resembles St. Clair Pinckney’s soul screaming. “He Said” is just as ordered and funky, with Jones belting the vocal out wonderfully. “When I Come Home” builds indestructibly on the base of “There Was A Time”, a groove that is worked into a frenzy by Jones onstage; Christmas single “Ain’t No Chimneys In The Projects” is just as great as its title; “What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes” denounces U.S. foreign policy in the name of everyday people; and Shuggie Otis’ “Inspiration Information” proves to be an inspired choice for the only cover.

A brilliant showcase, essential for all funk heads, wether you missed some of these sides previously, or just want them all in one glorious long player with Polydoresque artwork. “Soul Time!” is what funk yesterday, today and tomorrow, is all about.

The Queen of Funk – Sharon Jones

www.daptonerecords.com
http://sharonjonesandthedapkings.com

Anyone familiar with Japan’s Osaka Monaurail will know they deftly produce their own spin on the “James Brown Productions” sound. All of their albums sound like they could be lost “People Records” releases – a dream come true for this reviewer. All heavily styled around the J.B.’s, it’s almost as if they are filling in the blanks of funk’s greatest legacy. I can heartily recommend all their releases and would also heartily recommend you catch their stunning live show, should you be lucky enough to get the opportunity. Far from strictly niche music for J.B. fans though, Monaurail should appeal to anyone with a taste for funk, such is the potency of the groove, tightness of the band, funkiness of enigmatic vocalist and bandleader Ryo Nakata and quality of the musicianship. Yes, Osaka Monaurail have their thing down tight and their sound is deep in the groove.

“State Of The World” launches into a style somewhat reminiscent of 1973′s “The Payback” album and as, it progresses, gets further into that late J.B.’s sound found on albums like “Damn Right, I Am Somebody”, or “Sex Machine Today” – very funky backing with, what I guess would have been a futuristic sound in the mid-seventies, overdubbed sound effects and some spacey organ from Nakata. In 2011 it all sounds fantastic for being retro-futuristic and it’s certainly one of Monaurail’s most deepest and well observed albums. The first three tracks brilliantly immerse us heavily in that concept, until we get to “Stop Doggin’ Me Around”, a groove that serves to briefly stop us drifting too far out into space – only to have us jettisoned into future funk again as it ends and the squelchy organ of “Syrinxology” undulates into a fine picked guitar line by Dan Hayami, who really shines on this album. Further in, “Hung-Up” takes Salt’s (once relatively obscure) deep funk classic and gives it lyrics for the first time in a brilliant move that has already seen collectors snapping up copies on the 45 market for a while now. Followed by the funky, funky “Andrious Japonicus” (the latin name for the Japanese giant salamander, in case you were wondering), which is a new arrangement of “Pick Up The Pieces One By One” with some wonderful trombone, courtesy of band director Katsutoshi Hiraishi. Two solid covers follow with “Mother Popcorn” as an organ drenched instrumental; and “Ain’t It Funky Now” with in-the-pocket drumming from Soki Kimura, who does a fantastic job throughout – which also serves to perfectly highlight just how well this album has been produced, as every rimshot and snare reverb crisply. Proceedings close with a cover of the Beatles’ “Something” (another influence for the band) and a feeling that I just spent 52 minutes of deep immersion into a world I am both familiar with, yet would like to explore further.

Perhaps the deepest work yet from Osaka Monaurail, an act whose sheer exististence often amazes and enthralls me. The J.B. Productions have influenced a zillion acts but few understand and breathe it like these guys. To add a little more depth to that universe is worth a lot in my book and this album is easily one of the deepest examples of it out there and well worth the exploration. As I said before though, it’s not just for J.B. fans as they can firmly hold their own as one of the world’s best funk acts. As always, they have left me eagerly awaiting their next release or their next show but, for now, I’m very happy to have this album to enjoy.

www.osakamonaurail.com

Melbourne’s Deep Street Soul more than proved their competence on their bruising eponymous first release in 2009 – a gritty and heavy album that grooved along at a considerable pace. It was two vocal cuts on the album courtesy of Tia Hunter and Shirley Davis that really stood out for me though and, as if knowing this, they have now augmented their funk machine to include the incredible vocals of May Johnston, along with some very pleasing contributions from fellow antipodean chanteuses Randa Khamis and Roxie Ray.

So the blueprint is heavy and raw funk, patterned around a Meters prototype, the Deep Street Soul machine chugs along with perpetual momentum and with a rough-edged production pushed right to the line, it all sounds about as rough as a Quokka’s backside. Meant in the nicest possible way, this is one of the best albums in the raw funk style to emerge for a while. I’m glad to say that there are quite a few vocal cuts this time and they are all great. The majority are handled by May Johnston who is perfect for the job – adding some serious clout to some tunes that already have serious clout, its all seriously-double-cloutedness. The stand-out here being the winning title track, easily one of the best funk tracks I’ve heard in 2011 with a mean guitar line, pounding drums and infectious vocal. Fans of Betty Davis will delight in Johnston’s Bettyesque takes on “What She Said” and “Deep Street Strut” backed with a suitable amount of sleazy clavinet courtesy of Monique Boggia. Randa Khamis adds further fuel to the dance floor with an excellent take on Viola Will’s “Sweetback” whilst Dojo Cuts collaborator Roxie Ray adds depth to the mesmerising “Fallin’” which nicely closes the set.

Also well worth mentioning again is the 45 of “Look Out Watch Out”, which features an exclusive B-side featuring Shirley Davis covering Clarence Reid’s “Masterpiece”. It’s a not-to-be-missed double whammy. Deep Street Soul have gone from strength-to-strength and with the addition of May Johnston’s vocals, have delivered one of the best raw funk albums of the year.

www.freestylerecords.co.uk

Jordanian born and Australian raised, Randa Khamis’ quality vocals have a great texture that has led Blues & Soul and Mojo magazines to compare her style to Vicki Anderson, Marva Whitney or Ann Sexton. High praise indeed! This, her second album, builds on the first album’s set of infectious, positive, feel-good funk as Randa once again teams up with producer and band leader Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos) – a collaborative team that evidently works well with Ferguson putting together a solid backing.

The album features more of the upbeat funk that worked so well on the debut “Randa And The Soul Kingdom” from 2009, like on the great self-belief anthem that opens the proceedings “Power In Me”, and dance floor thumper “Watch It” – but it also mixes in some nice Motownish influences on “Love Stick”, “Save Us” and “Be Yourself” with an undercurrent of the thumping soul rhythms of a sixties basement party, this new style works very well. It is the 70′s disco burner “The Things”, however, which turns out to be the surprise star of the set with an infectious groove and layered vocal.

Also showing a reflective side, “Slide” is well-handled new territory for Randa, mixing down tempo verses with a contrasting upbeat chorus. With introspective lyrics it shows a deeper, more mature aspect to Randa’s work. Never one to sit in the doldrums though it seems, she kicks back into what she does best – infectious positivity – for the close of the set “Now I’m Free”. And it’s the album’s feel-good factor and infectiousness, sitting on top of a groove, that make it so likeable – making the return to the Soul Kingdom another great experience.

www.freestylerecords.co.uk

‘A Time For…’ Lack Of Afro featuring Wayne Gidden by Freestyle Records

A terrific and noteworthy slice of vintage-sounding soul from Lack Of Afro (Adam Gibbons) featuring the golden voice of Wayne Gidden. On first listen it might just come across as one of those forgotten treasures you’ve had in your collection for years, with instant and lasting appeal. The full-lengther “This Time” will follow shortly.

www.freestylerecords.co.uk

You may have been expecting another helping of greasy hammond funk for the Fantastics! second release on Freestyle Records but what you get is far more varied, encompassing many of the varied influences of the band, yet without becoming a self-indulgent exploration. “All The People” as the title suggests, has a welcome, wider appeal. Also welcome throughout the set, is sense of considered space that breathes air between the notes – these are musicians that are working together and are not trying to colour every space, just the right parts.

It starts, somewhat surprisingly at first, with spacey late 70′s style fusion, which quickly takes notable influence from Brian Auger in its ‘attack’. We are then taken through a heavy boogaloo chugger with a grooving version of Boogaloo Joe Jones’ “Sweetback”. Then the album’s true treasure, “Somewhere.. Finally” a quintessential summer soundtrack with beautiful interplay between saxaphone and the somewhat saxaphone-like voice of Sulene Fleming, who displays considerable vocal prowess, while the band play with contented warmth. This will be one of those tunes you dig out every summer and melt to, just as Sulene’s voice melts into the saxaphone. We’re then taken through a sturdy afrobeat stride with a particularly nice and low-down baritone, then returning to the blissfully mellow with “Know No Gods” which beautifully drifts into a dream, before shaking us up with the rocky and raunchy burner “I Breathe”, with a powerhouse vocal from Sulene Fleming in Betty Davis territory (and aren’t we lucky). “The Bone Breaker” is then a thunder-funky boogaloo that sits atop a rolling bass line and increases in syncopation as it hurtles towards a crescendo. Sulene Fleming returns for a stripped-down showcase with commanding vocals in another Betty Davis style romp backed with blues harp and we finish nicely with a fruity latinesque jazz-dance “Cecil’s Slide” before drifting off into space again with the outro

‘All The People” is a mature, musical oasis of clarity and space, with a diverse range of sounds aimed at music lovers who know the difference, a memorable set that stands out from the crowd.

www.freestlyerecords.co.uk

Australian funk supremo Lance Ferguson must have ‘funk-i-tus’ it would seem. Not content with merely playing in full-time bands the Bamboos and Cooking On 3 Burners, he has also delivered several side-projects as both musician and producer. There was Lanu and Kylie Auldist amongst others and a project called “Black Feeling” released in 2007. Designed to appear to be a lost library album comprising covers of funk, soul and jazz classics, the tracks were revived by ‘mysterious’ musicians such as “Luther Harris”, “Zoltar” or the “Shirley Eubanks Ensemble” – all pseudonyms of course for Lance and a bunch of talented musicians on the Australian scene.

Well, now Black Feeling is back with a second volume of covers and the pseudonyms are back too. Not merely straight-ahead covers though, these are fresh arrangements and often extend the favourite breaks out a little or place different emphasis on certain parts of the groove. Take for example the fresh version of “Shaft In Africa” which blows the doors open to the set. It really had me questioning if it actually might be better than the mighty Johnny Pate original – something which is perhaps never really true in the case of a cover of such a classic – but it is certainly a most worthy contender with plenty of toughness. The incendiary version of “Burning Spear” that follows is an altogether new and faster arrangement that dispenses with the original’s famous flute in favour of walking jazz guitar and tight horn pops and is really incredibly effective. Another classic, “Nautilus” is delivered with a fiery piano-driven latin arrangement. Then we get a redux of Kool & The Gang’s “Give It Up” with some fine drumming, good and dance floor ready. “Upstairs At Boston Road” adds further thunder while elsewhere, versions of Jackie Mitto’s “Oboe” and Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew” provide a more relaxed groove.

Black Feeling 2 walks the walk with some great arrangements of solid classics with all the lumps in the right places. If you love the originals, you are bound to approve of these modern versions which stand up in their own right as vital recordings.

www.freestylerecords.co.uk

You know how it is, you wait a while for a good afrobeat album to come along, then all of a sudden two come at once. Following Ikebe Shakedown’s excellent fusion of grooves, comes the Shaolin Afronauts’ equally excellent “Journey Through Time”. Formed in Australia in late 2008, they deliver a more straight-ahead afrobeat affair than Ikebe’s multi-influenced offering. Not a criticism by any means. Far from it in fact. The Afronauts deliver an authentic sound inspired by the African pioneers of the 1970s, played with great skill by an eleven piece band. Layers of polyrhythmic sounds lock together in a strong groove, with elements seemingly so carefully placed, or more likely, so very well practised. Buckets of atmosphere are lent to the more stretched out tracks like the mesmerising “Rise With The Blind” and “Flight Of The Ancients”, sonic landscapes that drift off into textured grooves.

There’s a smattering of dance floor grooves here too, tight numbers expertly pinned down by the band – The excellent opening “Journey Through Time” kicks things off very nicely – then further in, “Shaolin Theme” lays down a real tight groove with some fantastic horn arrangements. “Kilimanjaro” is set off with some pounding drums and barking baritone atop a solid guitar chank that will keep your feet moving, as some nice solo colouring builds tension before breaking down to percussion and screaming sax. “Shira” bursts to life with a powerful groove which humps along nicely, dropping-out to reveal percussion and bass before tearing back in with baritone and some great guitar messing that leads deeper into the groove. Then we are transported back to some of the more dreamlike grooves of “The Quiet Lion” and “The Scarab”, both suitably infused with all the trimmings of great afrobeat.

A fantastic journey across musical savannas, “Journey Through Time” is mesmerising, solid and deep – a powerful set of afrobeat grooves.

http://www.freestylerecords.co.uk

Following from their excellent EP release on Colemine Records in 2009, Brooklyn’s afro-funk juggernaut, Ikebe Shakedown (pronounced ee-kay-bay) now bring us their eponymous debut album. Produced by two of contemporary afrobeat’s biggest names, Orgone’s Sergio Rios at Killion Studios, L.A. and the Budos Band’s Thomas Brenneck at Dunham Studios in Brooklyn.

Thundering in with the opening track “Tujunga” – an afro-disco monster that has outgrown its cage and destroyed half of New York City under its feet, we are swept through the cinematic landscapes of “Kumani Walk” and Isaac Hayes’ “No Name Bar” from the “Shaft” score, given a great treatment. The bass and baritone on “Tame The Beats” proves deeper than the New York Harbour, while the arrangement on “Don’t Contradict” puts us back in a blaxploitation movie score. Then funk-laden “The Hold Up” barks baritone orders at us to dance while the rhythm turns to jelly in the background – try sitting still to this. After all the cross fertilisation with funk, disco and blaxploitation, “The Refuge” returns to the savannas before taking us to an African club to get down to “In Circles” and “The Viking”. Then we are back to the fusion of the city with the Brooklynesque “Five Points”, the punchy brass of “Asa-Sa”, the chanking groove “Pepper” and the frantically funky “Sakonsa” with a blistering percussive break, before allowing us to relax on the closing “Green And Black”.

Ikebe Shakedown strut boldly across varied terrain, out-roaring some of the most vicious beasts in their path, leaving them to quake in their wake and delivering us a mightily impressive album of potent grooves. Hunt it down before it hunts you.

http://www.ubiquityrecords.com/

Sounding very much like a lost Fania Records classic from the late sixties, “Mi Watusi” takes direct influence from New York’s latin boogaloo craze that swept throughout the city during that period and was so finely captured by Fania. Born in Venezuela, Ray Lugo, was raised on the lower east side of Manhattan and soaked up the craze at the time, going to latin and salsa concerts in the city with his parents. Eventually forming Kokolo Afrobeat and Ray Lugo’s L.E.S Express, it was only a matter of time before Ray would return to latin to pay tribute to the music he grew up with, choosing to explore the latin boogalo genre that fused traditional afro-carribean music with other influences prevalent in the city, influences like Motown, James Brown and Ray Charles. Boogaloo’s strength was that it appealed to a wide cross-section of the community, black, brown, white, Latino, Jewish, Italian or African American – and it seems its feel-good party vibe has lost none of that appeal over the years.

So only fitting then that Ray would record his tribute in Spanish Harlem with seasoned NYC talent. Choosing classics from the likes of El Gran Combo, Willie Rosario, Ray Baretto and Mongo Santamaria, Ray has tweaked the songs here and there to give the sound a style of his own. The result is a time capsule of heavy latin fusion given a modern update and easily one of the best modern takes on latin that I’ve heard! Available now.

www.freestylerecords.co.uk

‘MI WATUSI’ – RAY LUGO & THE BOOGALOO DESTROYERS (FSRCD087) by Freestyle Records

Black Feeling Volume Two: Sampler 45 by Freestyle Records

www.frestylerecords.co.uk