Sixties mod thrills aplenty here on the new vinyl 7″ single from multi-instrumentalist Nasser ‘The Bongolian’ Bouzida – also of MB favourites Big Boss Man – with The Lynx and The Hapshash Swing. The first of these two instrumental tracks is Latin-jazzy uptempo Hammond n horns-filled groover (that’s also big on xylophone) while the flip is even more Latin and even more uptempo
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NASSER BOUZIDA: The Lynx b/w The Hapshash Swing (Vinyl 7″)
PALE JAY: In Your Corner
Colemine Records’ Pale Jay has his new album Bewilderment slated for release in August and new single In Your Corner is lifted from it. It says here on the PR that it’s, ‘Afrobeat inspired,’ though frankly, what with Jay’s falsetto and and the keys it sounds much more like a funky slice of lowrider soul such as you might hear from Bobby Oroza. The PR also points out that while it’s musically
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SABABA 5: Eilat 22 (Vinyl 7″)
A nice slice of instrumental Eastern funk for you here on Sababa 5’s new single Eilat 22. This follows (and was recorded during the same session as) previous single Funk #1 b/w Funk #2 and very much maintains the quality pitting hypnotic bass and crunchy drum-breaks against crazy swirling keyboard solos. Turns out the single is named after the band’s studio on the borders of
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WOXOW: How Many Ancestors Do We Have? EP
Little Beat More label main man Woxow ponders the pedigree collapse paradox on new EP How Many Ancestors Do We Have? with Raashan Ahmad, Azeem and Reggae Roast’s Natty Campbell providing vocals. ‘Pedigree collapse’? Yeah – you know – the idea we all share a common ancestor. You see where this is going right? Silence the violence, increase the peace –
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DUBMATIX meets ROOTWORDS: Black & Blue
Dubmatix meets Rootworks on new single Black & Blue which comes in three vocal flavours and two instrumental ones. Most would probably describe the original version as ‘reggae hip-hop’ but check the ‘Hip-Hop Reggae Mix’ out and you’ll find the drums kick harder and the skank is to the fore while other layers (except Rootwords’ bars) are stripped back. Check the ‘Reggae Mix’ meanwhile
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BADBOE: Hard Times EP
Good to see Breakbeat Paradise label boss Badboe back in the saddle for Hard Times – hopefully not because of them. The upbeat party vibe here suggest things are all gravy at any rate. Turns out, this one’s been gestating for a couple of years starting with a dusty funky 45 in Boe’s collection which as time has elapsed has gradually been converted into a mellow, good-time, breakbeat
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ORIGINAL GRAVITY RECORDS: Down In The Basement (Vinyl 7″)
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The monkey has long been resigned to not keeping up with the 45 release schedule of label Original Gravity whose multi-band ‘roster’ actually consists of pretty much just one man – label boss Neil Anderson – who’s indefatigable brain conjures up soul, funk, early reggae and latin funk releases at a staggeringly prodigious rate. And Down in the Basement is merely the latest
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HONKA PONKA & GU: A Funky Little Something / TOM SHOWTIME: Jazz Biscuits (Vinyl 7″)
The second vinyl 7″ release for Oz label Members Only Recordings pairs two dancefloor tracks from different ends of the party hip-hop/ breakbeat aesthetic. On Side A, Our Label/ Origu Records man (not to mention writer, musician and DJ), Gu teams-up with like mind Honka Ponka for back-to-basics, DIY, instrumental party cut A Funky Little Something. Gu provides the drums, and there is a
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CARLTON JUMEL SMITH: It’s Gonna Be Alright
New York soul-man Carlton Jumel Smith delivers the next digital single to be lifted from Golden Rules forthcoming vinyl funk and soul sampler compilation LP, The Originals Vol. 3 entitled It’s Gonna Be Alright. As the title suggests, Smith delivers a heartfelt lyrical reassurance to a lover (in his customary honeyed-but-with-just-smidgin-of-rasp vocal tones) over a mellow drum-break
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KOOL KEITH: Space Mountain (feat. MARC LIVE)
Here’s the next taster of Kool Keith’s forthcoming Black Elvis 2 LP sequel to 1999’s Black Elvis – new single Space Mountain. As you’d expect from hip-hop’s legendary surrealist, nothing much makes overt sense lyrically but then, as with all of Keith’s material – when the rhymes unfurl over pulsing synth bass and slo-mo boom-bap beats – you always find that doesn’t bother you so much and
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