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As the video teaser before Crimbo should have made clear, Dre and Jay Z-sampled Italian cinematic music fiends Calibro 35 are taking their crime-funk to the next level on forthcoming LP Decade. Why? Because those bad boys have added orchestral elements. You see how that works don’t you? You come at them with fists they bring a knife. You bring a knife, they bring guns. You bring guns, they bring, like
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Tag Archives: Record Kicks
CALIBRO 35: SuperStudio/ Gomma (Vinyl 7″)
Heavily influenced by sixties and seventies crime flicks and sci-fi movies, Italian retro-fiends Calibro 35 have spent the last decade honing their cinematically funky sound. They’ve even managed to get themselves sampled by the likes of Dr Dre and Jay-Z. Blimey. How do you get bigger than that? Well, (not that it’s all about size you understand) the boys have decided to expand their THE TIBBS: Lies (Vinyl 7″)(2017) + Video
Looks like there’ll be a new album from hot Dutch funk/soul properties The Tibbs next year then. Lies? No it’s all true – that’s just the name of the new single which applies a decidedly Daptones-ish aesthetic to create a horns-led chugger on which singer Elsa Bekman ponders the – well – lies that people live. But how to represent this via an
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MARTHA HIGH: ‘Mama Feelgood’ audio premiere (2017)
Rating: The monkey does like to line up a dope audio premiere for you and this one is a real treat – James Brown’s original funky diva, Martha High, covers Lyn Collin’s Mama Feelgood with Osaka Monaurail as her backing band. And damn if it ain’t as good as the original. The track is the highlight of Tribute To My Soul Sisters – a whole LP from High and Osaka Monaurail out later
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MARTHA HIGH: Tribute To My Soul Sisters (2017)
Record Kicks must be feeling pretty smug having signed the late great James Brown’s legendary funky diva Martha High for an album of soul and funk covers of classics by High’s peers from back in the day. Well you would wouldn’t you? It gets better though, for High’s Tribute To My Soul Sisters LP finds her interpreting twelve bangers from back in the day with none other than Osaka-to-Tokyo
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HANNAH WILLIAMS & THE AFFIRMATIONS: Late Nights & Heartbreak (video)(2017)
Everybody knows by now that the Malcolm Catto-produced title track of the latest LP by underground UK retro-soul talent Hannah Williams got sampled for the title track of Jay-Z’s new album, right? It’s this decade’s Eminem and Dido story! How to represent said track in audio-visual format, though? I suppose the band could employ traditional ideas like good cinematography
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RECORD KICKS: Soul Sides (2017)
It’s summertime and therefore high time for your favourite Milan-based soul providing label Record Kicks to – er – provide a summery compilation of soul sides. Given their roster, it shouldn’t be too hard to assemble and whadyaknow? It isn’t. Say hello then to twelve-tracker Soul Sides which mixes up the new and the old, the soulful, the funky and the jazzy, the torch song and the
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HANNAH WILLIAMS & THE AFFIRMATIONS: Fighting Your Shadow (2017)
A new year and a new single off the debut LP for Hannah Williams’ new project Hannah Williams & The Affirmations. Yes – soul burner Fighting Your Shadow is the new one – but how to represent it audio visually? Some esoteric martial-arts themed reference to shadow-boxing perhaps? No? A noir-themed video? No? Ah – we’re going for a low-lit, atmospheric, retro split-screen film
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PAMA INTERNATIONAL: Heatwave (2016)
Rating: The long-absent Pama International make an impressive return after seven years with a new line-up and a sureshot rocksteady cover of Martha & The Vandellas’ Holland Dozier Holland-penned Heatwave – a.k.a Love Is Like A Heatwave. Vocals come courtesy of Jewels Vass and Anna Uhuru who conspire to sound a little bit Supremes-ish – appropriately enough
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MARTA REN & THE GROOVELVETS: So Long (2016) + video
Next up in the way of a single from Marta Ren & The Groovelvets is the noirish pomp of torch song So Long and judging by all the swearing it seems that soul hurricane Marta’s a bit upset. What could the matter possibly be? Well, a number of things it seems, though when she finally gets around to mentioning a former lover who left her, you suspect he’s probably the root cause. But how
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