Funk | Soul 137 Items

Wolfgang Valbrun carries the torch for all great soul musicians with an incredible debut album, which looks at human frailty that's shaped by his lived experiences and perception of current affairs. Straddling the lines between soul, rock and blues, Wolfgang provides introspective insights through raw unapologetic lyrics, married with the incredible musicianship of his band. Nothing is off the table as 'Flawed By Design' examines relationships, money, religion, greed, growing civil unrest and the antagonism by authorities towards the marginalised. Institutional and social matters are addressed with this refreshing body of work, which calls for humanity to reflect on who we are, and where our actions will lead us. This Lp/cd comes with two extra tracks not found on the digital version of the album.

Reissue! Poets of Rhythm founding members first crucial piece of the funk spectrum recorded as The Whitefield Brothers. A wear-your heart-on-your-sleeve, hypnotic, defiantly psychedelic funk album that is as modern as it is grounded in the great musical traditions from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Featuring members of the Dap Kings, El Michels Affair and Poets of Rhythm. “The Whitefield Brothers In The Raw remains as potent in 2022 as the day it dropped twenty years ago. Originally released in 2002, and later reissued via Now-Again, the LP’s panglobal brew of ragged psychedelic funk dripped different, defying easy markers of genre, era, and locality...live breakbeat drums and tribal chants...anchor the set’s twelve tracks. Hypnotic and humid, come for the polyrhythms, stay for the swirling dub adjacent blasts of trumpet.” - Aquarium Drunkard

Keyboardist and composer Weldon Irvine is among the most celebrated Jazz-Funk artists of all time. A longtime bandleader for Nina Simone, he wrote the lyrics for Simone's iconic civil rights anthem "To Be Young, Gifted and Black". Throughout the 1970s, Irvine released a series of seminal albums full of deep, soulful, funky grooves, many of which were later mined for samples. The Sisters is a collection of lost tracks and demos from his late-1970s studio sessions with fellow Jazz-Funk luminary Don Blackman. A potent mix of instrumental and vocal tracks from a remarkably consistent artist, The Sisters contains the hit single "Morning Sunrise", famously sampled on Jay-Z's "Dear Summer". Now, this rare album is available on limited red colored vinyl while supplies last.

"Wa Yo Set" is a talented jazz funk band from Osaka. Their first album "boogieback", which can be called their initial impulse, is now available on long-awaited LP! The long-awaited LP version of the first album "boogieback" released in 2020 is now available. The album includes "rude boy" featuring T.A.M.M.I., a talented singer from Kyoto who is also regarded as a Japanese Erykah Badu, "Be" and "Marunouchi Sadistic". It is a historical masterpiece that embodies the urban folk music "adm (=Acoustic Dance Music)" that they stand for.

Active as a professional DJ in Japan since the late eighties, DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite is also a renowned remixer, compiler and producer. An avid record collector and an expert of the Wamono style, Yoshizawa published the Wamono A to Z records guide book in 2015 which instantly sold-out. The book unveiled a myriad of beautiful and rare records from a highly prolific, but still then unknown, Japanese groove scene.

After many years working as a record buyer for several stores, DJ Chintam opened his own Blow Up shop in 2018 in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. A member of the Dayjam Crew and a specialist of soul, funk, rare groove and disco music, Chintam is also an expert of the home-brewed Wamono grooves. He supervised and wrote the Wamono A to Z records guide book together with Yoshizawa.

For this third chapter of the acclaimed Wamono series, Yoshizawa and Chintam unheart some of the best and rarest light mellow funk tunes and disco boogie bangers produced in Japan between 1978 and 1988. Put the needle on the record, turn up the volume and dig right now into the Wamono sound - the cream of the Japanese jazz, funk, soul, rare groove and disco music developed throughout the years since the end of the sixties in Japan!

This electric compilation features Sorg who showcases his house inspiration, Zerolex Trio who continues their journey into the world of jazz-infused club music, Kopow who blends kenyan trap with silky beats by collaborating with Killer Bas, and Flow-er who engages in a funk-imbued discussion. As an exclusive combination of unique and exciting artists, Los Cumbabas will fit perfectly in your summer playlist. It's also an opportunity for the label to unveil Pierre Chiffonnier, our flagship project, involving the sweet melodies of the young duo Poligone.

With French Connection, discover rare tracks of Funk, Soul and Jazz made in France. 23 avant-garde nuggets from the 60"s and 70"s gathered in a nice double vinyl! With: Cortex, Janko Nilovic, Godchild, Francis Lai, Bernard Estardy, Philippe Sarde, Edition Spéciale, Bruno Leys, Jean-Claude Petit, Serge Gainsbourg...

Debut single from the mighty Tim Maia! Released upon his return from the USA in the late 60’s. Highly sought after and prized in its original form, we are very proud to reissue this record. Maia sings in English here – influenced by his time spend travelling and working in the USA. Both songs are very soulful, reminiscent of the great soul singers of 1960’s USA, who were clearly a powerful inspiration to him. Official Mr Bongo reissue. Licensed from Som Livre.

Straight from East L.A., Thee Sinseers embody the lowrider sweet soul vibe. Love songs, washed with reverb, slow tempos for rolling, and a vibe for days. This type of doo-wop soul has been embraced by the Chicano culture and with a growing scene, Thee Sinseers look to make their own mark. The A-side, a very doo-wop leaning tune is contrasted with the James Brown cover on the B, "I Don't Mind". Both sides just crush.

Two great versions of this soul dancer. "Bend a little" - The Supremes cut was released on a triple back cd and now first time on vinyl, perfect for all soul collectors Magic Disco Machine, offers a movin and groovin instrumental version, essential 7" double sider.
x600 copies only

New LP Color Edition pressed on opaque maroon & transparent yellow wax
First ever LP reissue

Liner notes by Jessica Hundley interviewing the band, plus rare archive photographs
LP housed in an expanded gatefold jacket
If God had a disco, the DJ would be playing California gospel-soul group The Supreme Jubilees. “We won’t have to cry no more,” the tuxedo-clad group would sing, in high, angelic vocals over smooth grooves. “It’ll all be over.” Prepare to dance and contemplate death all at the same time.

A band of brothers and cousins, the group was founded from two families: brothers Joe and Dave Kingsby plus Dave’s son David Kingsby Jr., and keyboardist Leonard Sanders plus his brothers Phillips (drummer), Tim (bassist), and Melvin (tenor). The Sanders clan grew up singing together in the Witness of Jesus Christ church in Fresno CA, where dad Marion was pastor. Guitarist Larry Price–who belonged to neither family–completed the line-up that recorded the group’s first–and, prophetically, only–album, It’ll All Be Over.

Released in 1980 on the group’s own S&K (Sanders & Kingsby) label, It’ll All Be Over pinpoints a fatalistic mood exemplified by the title. Its lyrics drawn from the Old Testament, its sound from the church by way of the disco, and it’s a feel captured by the album cover–a low, orange sun setting over the Pacific ocean. It is, as Jessica Hundley observes in the brand new liner notes, “both apocalyptic and seductive.”

Making the album was not easy. Sessions began in Trac Record Co, a country and western studio in Fresno, CA, where the engineer was so put out by the group’s requests for heavier bass in the mix, he stopped the session and kicked them out. They left with four songs–one side of the album–and the record was completed at Sierra Recording Studio in Visalia, CA. Leonard Sanders reported having a spiritual encounter in his sleep while in Visalia; the next day he recorded his part of the album’s title track in a single take.

After the LP was pressed, the group took their music on tour, first in California, where they played with acts including the Gospel Keynotes, The Jackson Southernaires, and the Mighty Clouds of Joy, and then on an ill-fated trip to Texas. A follow-up album was planned for 1981, but it never materialized; having slept sometimes a dozen to a room in Texas, the men in the band were reluctant to leave jobs, wives, and kids for the hardship of the road. The group simply fizzled out, even if the friendships never did.

A copy of the album sold to a fan on that Texan tour made its way to a San Antonio record store, where it was discovered nearly three decades later by collector David Haffner (Friends of Sound). He managed to track down the Kingsby-Sanders clan at a Fourth Of July barbecue in Fresno in 2004. And he eventually introduced the group to Light In The Attic Records, which now presents the album, restored, remastered, and available to the public for the first time.

Born in 1941, Rob Franken played in more than just Dutch jazz-circles. People who worked with him describe him as a slightly introvert, but purely musical sorcerer. He had great influence on the people he worked with, not only the younger, but also the elder, like Toots Thielemans for instance, with whom he toured Europe for several years.
Rob Franken liked to experiment with new instruments, and was the first person in Holland who made good use of the electric Fender Rhodes piano. Sadly, he died too young, at the age of 42.

The Ray Alexander Technique were four gifted musicians from Harlem led by Raymond Alexander Jenkins, they recorded their solitary LP ‘Let’s Talk’ in 1974. Amongst 70s soul and funk albums it is in the exalted status category.

Selected as a first time on a 45 is ‘Taking The Long Way Home’, a wonderful mid-tempo opus conveying the message of never giving up.

Featured on Side 2 is the band’s final and hideously rare LU JUN 45. Ray’s friend Chris Bartley was enlisted and was the featured vocalist on both songs - ‘I Am In Love With You’ is a stunning sweet soul ballad, whilst ‘I Wonder Why’ takes the tempo up a few notches and packs an equally emotional punch thanks to the great arrangement and Bartley’s achingly wistful performance.

Truth & Soul presents the second single from the newest band to come out of the burgeoning Brooklyn soul scene, The Olympians. Led by maverick keyboard player Toby Pazner, the Olympians second single is a perfect mix of deep soul and european library music. Recorded in Toby Pazner's bedroom studio, both songs are masterfully orchestrated, instrumental gems.

A permanent fixture in the world of Rhythm and Soul, James Hunter follows up five critically acclaimed albums with his latest recording, Whatever It Takes, for New York City’s renowned label, Daptone Records. At the height of his famed recording career, Hunter and Daptone co-founder and producer Bosco Mann recorded an elegantly crafted collection of 10 originals that are evermore poignant and compelling than the singer’s previous works. The James Hunter Six and Mann recorded Whatever It Takes straight to tape at Daptone's Penrose Studios in Riverside, California.

The first Brit to sign to Daptone Records, Hunter is revered by critics both in his native UK and stateside, with MOJO touting Hunter as “The UK’s greatest soul singer” and the Los Angeles Times praising his “extraordinary soul voice.” Of his prior recordings, Rolling Stone called his U.S. debut People Gonna Talk, “a treat not to miss” and his second album “unbelievably awesome,” while The New York Times noted of The Hard Way, Hunter’s “tight, slithery groove” and “sweet growl.” Hunter’s accolades include milestones of reaching #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart, a GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Traditional Blues Album”, years as a singer touring and recording with Van Morrison, and many TV appearances on Conan, Later…with Jools Holland, and other late night TV shows.

Subsequent to his acclaim as one of today’s renowned soul singers, Hunter’s restless genius penning emotive and captivating works results in his best written compositions to date on Whatever It Takes.

Back in the spotlight with a sublime new rhythm and blues record, James Hunter follows up six critically acclaimed albums with his latest recording, Nick of Time, set for release on Brooklyn’s renowned soul label Daptone Records.

Nick of Time is a shining testament of how a master songsmith continually draws fresh water from a bottomless well. Recorded and produced by Bosco Mann, Nick of Time features one of today’s foremost soul singers at the top of his game performing with musicians who’ve backed some of the biggest contemporary music stars including Daptone artists Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Nick of Time will be internationally released on March 6, 2020.

For Nick of Time, Hunter and Daptone co-founder Bosco Mann hunkered down in the label’s Penrose Studios in Riverside, California for what certainly will be one of 2020’s standout soul recordings. Unmistakably another stunning James Hunter album, Nick of Time is a voyage between beautiful, mid-tempo rumba recalling early King/Federal releases, while lush arrangements summon lost tracks from early '60s Burt Bacharach sessions. Nick of Time is steeped in an era when soul records were driven by earth-shattering vocal performances. James Hunter hands down ushers classic soul music into the 21st Century with a sense of timelessness that’s rare these days.

James Hunter is an everlasting writer of compelling narratives sung with true grit while backed by an ace band of New York City’s finest musicians. Nick of Time finds Hunter in the company of Victor Axelrod (piano), Adam Scone (organ), Rudy Petschauer (drums), Myles Weeks (bass), Michael Buckley (baritone saxophone), and Freddy DeBoe (tenor saxophone). On the road for an extensive U.S., U.K., and European tour in support of Nick of Time, Matt Slocum (keyboards) takes the reins on keys for a hearty James Hunter Six ensemble ready to electrify soul music fans as they hit venerable stages in a city near you.

Family vocal group the Esquires was formed in Milwaukee in the late 1950s; by the time they moved to Chicago to launch their recording career the group featured Gilbert Moorer, Alvis Moorer, and Sam Pace and although Curtis Mayfield turned them down, Bunky Sheppard recognised their potential, their debut single ‘Get On Up’ a smash hit that led to the recording of this brilliant debut album, an excellent collection of upbeat melodic soul with the group’s vocal harmonies in the spotlight. Further permutations would follow but Get On Up And Get Away captures the group in its illustrious eginning, full of shining joy. A top-notch release!

Four years ago, Liam Bailey visited NYC from his hometown of Nottingham, England to write and record songs with Truth & Soul (Jeff Silverman & Leon Michels), that could help secure him the ever elusive major label deal. Shortly after the group met, an instant chemistry led to a series of reggae and soul songs that have been long-time favorites at T&S headquarters. Soon after his visit, Liam Bailey signed to Polydor Records. This is the first 45 from an upcoming series of Liam Bailey singles on Truth & Soul.

Here are two great cuts, previously unreleased as singles, recorded for Al Sears’ Sylvia label in New York City in 1965. The Corvairs had one very good release on the label in a soul group harmony style. ‘I'll Never Do It Again’ and ‘A Feeling Deep Inside’ are more R&B and sound earlier than the 45 release. Both tracks have picked up admirers from their New Breed and Modernist CD releases and their release as a Sylvia repro label single will be very welcome.

This is masterpiece. And we mean it. Beautiful, golden-era soul written by Leon Sylvers III, produced by Jerry Butler and Keg Johnson. The Sylvers were a family from Los Angeles who were very successful during the 70’s and into the early 80’s, with chart hits – deep into pop-disco territory by then! – including ‘Boogie Fever’, ‘Hot Line’ and ‘High School Dance’. This is the groups second album, from 1973, and is one of their strongest. Opening with the awesome mid-tempo ‘We Can Make It If We Try’ the record moves
through funk, boogie and deep soul moods, finishing on a hazy, acapella version of The Beatles ‘Yesterday’. The Sylvers always provide a goldmine of samples. This album has been flipped by Madlib (for MF DOOM), Homeboy Sandman, 50 Cent, Ghostface Killah, Black Milk, Roc Marciano, David Banner & 9th Wonder and more. Official Mr Bongo reissue. Replica original artwork. Licensed from Pride Inc. 2006.

Official Mr Bongo reissue of the ultra-rare album by ‘Super Elcados’. A fusion of heavyweight Nigerian funk, soul & disco, originally released by EMI Nigeria in 1976.
The ‘Super Elcados’ (and ’Elcados’ on other recordings) recorded three albums in the mid and late-70’s, this is their first. It was followed by ‘This World Is Full Of Injustice’ and ‘What Ever You Need’.
Licensed from Geoffrey Johnson (Elcados), courtesy of PMG, with special thanks to Dave Hill for his help!

Kristian Jabs Is One Of Bristol's Favourite Sons In The Modern Era Of Electronic Music. As Pessimist, Boreal Massif And Soft Boi, Jabs Has Solidified His Position As A Leader Of A Generation Of Artists. In His Latest Carnation Jabs Presents 'Too Long', A New 7 Track Album Project Under A New Artist Moniker Of Stigma. Enlisting A Prolific Cast Of Collaborators In The Form Of L, Justin K. Broadrick (Godflesh, Napalm Death, Jk Flesh), Taylor E Burch (Tropic Of Cancer, Dva Damas) And Karim Maas, Too Long Clocks In At Almost 40 Minutes Of Personally Reflective, Intimately Authentic Cyber-Noir-Esque Trip Hop. Industrial Anarcho Breaks, Syncopated Sleaze, Analogue Call And Response. Too Long Is A Tale Of Texture, Feel And Tone. Unadulterated. Aiming To Shine A Light On The Relationship Between Poverty And Mental Health Issues In The Uk, All Proceeds From The Album Will Be Donated To Second Step Bristol, A Charity Dedicated To Supporting People With Mental Health Problems, Gently Acknowledging The Possibilities For Change.

They have been known to deep soul, funk and disco collectors for decades for their sought after 7” “Watching Out/Dazed,” long thought to be the band’s only recordings.
Egon tracked down Split Decision Band’s vocalist and songwriter Gordon Starr Flipping in the hopes of more and got it – with Split Decision Band, Now-Again presents a never-before-released album of devastatingly good disco and boogie from the unlikely
city of Des Moines, Iowa. Flipping’s collaborations with Prince’s stable made him a Midwestern legend, but his band’s music is more than an urban tall tale – this album finally proves to the world their merits.

Spinna B-ill's sweet cover of Al Jarreau's 1981 classic! A double-sided 7" record featuring a sweet cover number of Al Jarreau's 1981 classic "We're In This Love Together" by Spinna B-ill and a guitar instrumental tune by Yota Kobayashi on the B-side!

Soul Jazz Records" Holy Church of the Ecstatic Soul: Gospel, Funk and Soul at the Crossroads 1971-83 draws upon the extensive links between black American gospel music and soul music, showing how the sensibilities of gospel artists such as Shirley Caeser, Dorothy Norwood, Andrae Crouch and others crossed over into secular soul music during this period.Many of the most successful soul artists - from Aretha Franklin to Al Green, The Staple Singers to Sam Cooke - all drew upon their upbringing in the church for their musical inspiration. This album discusses how important the links between the black church and soul music were in creating soul music and spotlights some of the many important (and also little-known) gospel artists who walked this line between sacred music and soul, funk and disco in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Slowly feat. Mizuki Ohira "Drippin' Summer", a popular song that was included in a series of popular compilation series in Japan last year, and has over 10,000 listeners in less than a week after its release, is finally available on 7-inch analog! Slowly, which has been selling out 7-inch singles in rapid succession, welcomes next-generation singer/songwriter Mizuki Ohira as the featured vocalist for this smoky, summer anthem with vocals that mix coolness and passion. The coupling track features a superb Dub Mix by e-mura of Bim One Production!

For fans of Khruangbin, El Michels Affair, Madlib and Bonobo. Features the singles ‘It’s Real, ‘Amnesia’, and ‘The Ocean’. Will Dorey aka Skinshape has proven himself time and again a connoisseur for the cosmopolitan, across a prolific career expertly exploring understated sounds and theatrical textures. Taking his place alongside the likes of Khruangbin, Tame Impala, Bonobo and Madlib, Skinshape’s global kaleidoscopes are loaded with warmth and wisdom created on vintage analogue equipment applying a perfectionist’s touch. As a former member of indie band Palace, he has played everywhere from Glastonbury and BBC Maida Vale to headlining Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Speaking on his latest record Craterellus Tubaeformis, Dorey remarks, "As I continue to make albums, I always try to capture some elements of the original Skinshape style. Here I ran through albums 1-3. This record is really an echo of the "Life & Love" era of Skinshape, playful psychedelia, with punchy beats, fun surprises, and an attempt at meaningful lyrics." Named after a very specific genus of edible mushroom, Craterellus Tubaeformis shares all the attributes of its nutritious counterpart due to how difficult both are to cultivate. Skinshape’s music is the product of a highly devoted and meticulous composer who uses some of the rarest analogue equipment out there. The product is such a definitive sound heard nowhere else but so easily identified as Skinshape.

Shuya Okino x Root Soul!! The masterpiece of boogie-funk version of the famous album "Destiny" with live performance, the long-awaited analog version of this masterpiece is now available after a lapse of 10 years. The album features 8 songs including "Still In Love ft. Navasha Daya", replayed by Root Soul 2024 Edit. Root Soul is a renowned funky bassist who has been deeply involved with Kyoto Jazz Massive from the first album to the present. Eight gems have been selected and all songs have been newly "Replayed by Root Soul 2024 Edit". The live sound is on full display on "Destiny ft. N'Dea Davenport" and a cover of Don Blackman's "Holding You, Loving You", The strong boogie funk spun in perfect balance still shines brightly today.

Well before Shuggie Otis cut his debut album, musicianship and performance had long been a part of his life. The son of rhythm and blues legend Johnny Otis, Shuggie learned to play guitar as early as the age of two, and performed professionally with his father's band at eleven. Throughout his long and illustrious career he'd performed on records for the likes of Frank Zappa, Al Kooper, Etta James, and George Duke, to name a few. In spite of all this,widespread mainstream success eluded Shuggie for much of his career. His most famous release to date is his 1974 album Inspiration/Information, which would experience new resurgent life in the 2000s. Those willing to dig a little deeper however, would discover hidden gold in his earlier releases, especially in the album directly before Inspiration/Information, his sophomore 1971 release Freedom Flight. As with his debut, Freedom Flight was produced by Shuggie's father Johnny Otis, and built upon the distinct sounds of his debut album: lush, baroque, string section arrangements, paired with hard funk rhythms, and funky blues melodies, with the majority of the instruments once again performed by Shuggie himself. The album also features backing from premium session greats like George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar, and the track "Strawberry Letter 23" which became a monster hit for The Brothers Johnson 3 years later. Freedom Flight is a treasure of deft, technical skill, and virtuosic composition.

n 1969, a transformation in Albina was underway. Displaced by the Vanport flood two decades prior, an influx of Black residents had settled in the area after redlining practices among the city’s realty boards provided few other options. A local economy among Albina’s Black residents had flourished for a time, but soon declined due to chronic disinvestment by the city’s elites. As with many urban centers in America, the impending ghetto-ization of the neighborhood developed as the civil rights movement was in full swing. And the citizens of Albina had something to say about it.

During this time, Shades Of Brown came together at the Albina Arts Center - a community hub for practicing artists of all stripes. A product of the Model Cities initiative, the center was established to develop the cultural and intellectual resources in the neighborhood amid the protests and civil unrest of the times. Paul Knauls’ Cotton Club had shuddered its doors in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Albina’s Black residents had been forcibly displaced from their homes to make way for urban renewal projects conceived by the Portland Development Commission. And Williams Avenue, the once-vibrant hub for Oregon’s jazz music with myriad Black-owned businesses lining the streets, was at risk of becoming a blighted shell of itself. Left to their own devices, Black artists were organizing to convey truth through their work and the Albina Arts Center was ground zero.

Rehearsing at the Albina Arts Center, members of the Shades Of Brown found one other as a variety of Albina’s musical acts were shifting, separating, reconstituting, and forming anew. The group would feature members of the Cavaliers Unlimited, Little Nolan & The Antoine Brothers, Youthsound, Upepo, and the Norman Sylvester Band. And as luck would have it, Free Meal Ticket - renowned soul singer Wilson Pickett’s group - would disband while on tour in Portland. This left director, composer, and future Grammy recipient Thara Memory en route to the Albina Arts Center. He was quickly recruited to become the bandleader for Shades Of Brown.

Equipped with the ephemeral resources flowing from the Model Cities initiative, Memory organized youth and adults into a variety of ensembles, and with a penchant for results-driven rigor he would furnish his pedagogy via musical boot camp with the Shades Of Brown. The band was required to read and write their music. Before a note was to be played, members were summoned to the blackboard to chalk out their parts on a musical staff. And it was not uncommon that rehearsals consisted of the band being drilled with marching routines, as was common in the tradition of Memory’s southern upbringing. This went on for months. When the results were in, Memory gave the green light for the band to perform. And the Shades Of Brown would have something to say about it.

Celebrating Albina Music Trust’s tenth vinyl release, the story of Shades Of Brown circles back to the label’s first outing, The Gangsters. Both records spotlight the impact of Thara Memory’s tutelage while highlighting the legacy of community-powered arts education in Albina. Even the label’s logo mark is an inspired interpretation of the Albina Arts Center’s motif.

Being the sole recorded output of Shades Of Brown, the album reflects the group’s sense of fellowship as well as the sentiments of its contemporaries in Albina - makers, dreamers, activists, and youth - under-resourced and confounded by the City Of Portland’s blatant disregard. As vocalist Gregg A. Smith lays bare on “Searchin’ For Love”, one can’t help but hold the image of this community and its cry for decency in light of limited services and harm. Over half a century later, we now have this document to ponder. What are we doing to prevent this from happening again?

40th anniversary reissue on yellow vinyl.

An American soul vocal group that would go on to shape the sound of pop music much farther beyond their imaginations, Numero is proud to present the first official American 45' repressing of the Ponderosa Twins + 1 original 1971 release of Bound b/w I Remember You.

North American version on CLEAR vinyl
Limited 180g Vinyl Edition (500 copies) with obi strip
Rare Ghanese Highlife-Soul album from 1976
Featuring the Marijata band backing up Pat Thomas
First ever vinyl reissue
First ever release outside of the African continent

The legendary Ghanaian singer-producer Pat Thomas needs little introduction, he is a globally recognized vocalist and songwriter, famed for both his solo works and that with the highlife bands The Blue Monks, Broadway-Stargazers Dance Band, The Satellites, The Sweet Beans, Marijata, The Kwashibu Area Band and The Uhuru Dance Band. Between 1974 and 2019, he issued more than two dozen recordings offering a unique take on highlife, funk, reggae, soul and Afro-beat/pop. Pat Thomas’ work was sampled many times and continues to be featured on compilations by renowned reissue-labels across the globe.
Born in 1946 in Agona (in the Ashanti region) as Kwabena Nyamekye Amoo-Mensah, Pat Thomas almost literally had music in his DNA: his father was a music theory teacher and his mother worked as a bandleader. His uncle was none other than legendary Ghanaian guitarist King Onyina, who was not only renowned for his own recordings, but for his performing work with Nat King Cole, Miriam Makeba, Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. Thomas went to live with his uncle where he learned musical notation, began to study guitar and play drums. He became a notable composer, and as a teenager, quickly established a reputation in the local club scene as a singer.
In the early Seventies, he moved to Accra to join Ebo Taylor’s legendary highlife band The Blue Monks (their residency at the Tip Toe Nite Club is an important part of Ghanaian musical history). Pat Thomas left Taylor’s band (though their friendship and their musical association continued) and moved to the Ivory Coast in 1973, where he formed The Satellites. The band was short-lived but they did record a few singles. In 1974, he formed The Sweet Beans (which also featured Ebo Taylor in some of its incarnations) and started to cut several albums for the Ghanaian label Gapophone Records between 1974 and 1980. Soon, his singles started to become major radio-DJ favorites.
1976 turned into Pat Thomas’ busiest year…this was the year that he released his most-famed works: the “Stay There”, “Pat Thomas Introduces Marijata” and “Stage Two” albums! Marijata was a notable funky Ghanaian group (who had their own unique identity) that started to back Thomas’ on several of his classic albums.
In 1978, he was voted “Mr. Golden Voice of Africa” and in the first half of the Eighties he started issuing his well-known ‘Action’ album series…here his musical vision got broader and Thomas started to include Afro-Latin sounds & funky African disco parallel to his already signature Afrobeat-Afropop sound. It was also during this period that he moved to London to record several of his own albums and collaborations with other artists. Pat Thomas was restless…he moved and played all over Europe for the next years, recording for a series of labels. In 1990 he moved to Canada where he began teaching in addition to playing and recording (his 1991 album “Sika Ye Mogya” on Fire Records won the Album of the Year award in Ghana).
Pat Thomas remains active as a performer and recording artist in the 21st century and currently resides in Ghana, where he resumed his teaching career and plays across the African continent, making occasional forays to Europe.
The album we are presenting you today (Stage Two from 1976) comes swinging right out the gate with a set of nine monster tunes, heavy drum-breaks, reggae infused afro-beats, funky bass lines, Wah-wah-psyche guitars and lyrics that straddle between a sense of melancholy and frantic urgency. This is a quintessential Pat Thomas (backed by the Marijata band) record that every serious collector or fan needs to have in his collection.
Originally released in 1976 on Gapophone Records Ghana, Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the first official reissue of this rare album (original copies tend to go for LARGE amounts on the secondary market…that is if you’re lucky enough to come across one). This is also the FIRST time Stage Two is being released outside of the African continent. This North American vinyl version is limited to 500 copies on 180g Clear Vinyl and also comes with an obi strip.

Mastered and cut at 45rpm for high quality and loud sound, these 7"s are packaged in lovingly produced Brazil45 sleeves. Dancefloor essentials for all DJs and collectors!

"Move On Up featuring Kamata Mizuki" has been re-edited by DJ JIN (rhymester) for a long-awaited re-release in response to many re-release requests!! This killer cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up", released in early spring of 2021, has been reissued in response to numerous reissue requests. The B-side features "Beyond the Redemption," an original jazzy funk song in full Nautilus verse that also appears on the latest album, "A Story About You".

N.C.M. is the independent production company/label Napoleon Cherry has been working under since the late 80s with releases as Cool Waters and Station To Station. "When You Had The Chance" is from an unreleased slo-jam session from a few years back.

This album is about the depths of Mr. Confuse and therefore a very personal album in a way. The way he produces his music is inspired by growing up with the '90s hip hop producer technique of creating something new by referring unheard funk and soul. This from of appreciating '60s and '70s music in order to bring it on a new level of musical expression is a clear trademark of Mr. Confuse. This time he re-funked the well-known freestyle electro classic 'Let The Music Play' by Shannon.

Mo Heavy is the first Mohawkestra single to feature one of their original compositions as the A Side and it’s a belter! Replete with the signature Mohawkestra heavy organ working alongside driving guitar chops and the percussion gets plenty of time to shine.

As the a-side is a Mohawkestra original on this one the B-Side is ‘Buffalo Bill’ which is a rather unique funk fuelled take of ‘The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill’ from The Beatles’ White Album. The hint of the title and the melody are the only similarities though as Mohawkestra take the groove far out into the Funk spectrum and stripped back to raw elements.

In 1977, the Portland Trailblazers were at the peak of their game. Anticipating the team’s meteoric rise toward an NBA championship, songwriter Ron Stassens assembled his own dream team. Featuring members of Pleasure, Transport, and Slickaphonic, Stassens penned a theme song to amplify the team’s ascent and wound up with an album’s worth of soulful, disco-funk material.

Centering on Slickaphonic frontman, Milton Davis, the band was hopeful. But like the vast majority of Portland's musical output, the reels received a dose of regional airplay before being shelved. Davis left town. Stassens and the backing band moved on. Years later, we now this artifact, featuring a who's who in the Portland's musician community - banded together on this sole release.

But the album stretches beyond the confines of “Blazermania” with a deep connection to this era in Albina. "Let Me In" signifies Davis' yearning to be seen by his peers at a time when local musicians’ aspirations for fame and fortune were all too unlikely in Portland’s gatekept club scene - a quaint industry both culturally and geographically isolated from national access. Few musicians made it out. And Black musicians redlined in the city’s Albina district were disproportionately affected. Buried within a love song, Davis’ crooning on “All I Wanna Do” spells it out:

‘Some people want to drive a cadillac car / Some people want to be a Hollywood star / Oh no, not me / My poor heart just can’t break free / All I wanna do is think about you.’

Mystery surrounds Davis' background and why this tremendous suite of recordings has remained unreleased. In its time, the “Blazermania” single was successful enough that the band performed it on repeat during the team’s championship celebration (images of this can be seen on ESPN’s recent “30 For 30” featuring Bill Walton, as well as on the album’s back side jacket). What we do know is that Davis came of age in the Houston area where in high school he joined The Four Tempos - a soul group that would make their way to Los Angeles, cutting a few 45s for Rampart Records. When the group disbanded, he steadily worked his way up the West Coast Chitlin Circuit before landing in Portland. There he would fall in step with Albina's finest, fronting Slickaphonic for a short time. It is believed he would later front Doc Severinsen’s big band on European tours throughout the 1980s and produce R&B singles for major label artists throughout the 1990s. Davis passed in late 2020, having remained largely disconnected from Albina’s musician community since the time of this recording.

As with all releases in our catalog, listeners may now appreciate a piece of Albina’s legacy otherwise buried by selective history producers and the ensuing memory-making that has occurred in our region’s popular culture. These recordings document an important albeit buried moment. Its fleeting impact has been obscured in such a way that even Stassens, engineer Bob Stoutenburg, and the participating musicians on these takes can’t fully recall the entire cast of players on the three sessions that make up the record. Years of interviews and sleuthing the highest quality tape dub have produced the record we have here - a recording that all these years later demands, “Let me in.”

Millie Jackson’s first single was released on the MGM label in 1969 but her career took off when she signed to Spring where she teamed up with producer Raeford Gerald.

The single ‘A Child Of God (It’s Hard To Believe)’/ ‘You’re The Joy Of My Life’ was a Top 30 R&B hit and ‘Ask Me What You Want’/‘I Just Can’t Stand It’, ‘My Man, A Sweet Man’/‘I Gotta Get Away From My Own Self’ and ‘I Miss You Baby’/‘I Ain’t Giving Up’ not only did more damage on the R&B chart but also entered the Hot 100.

All four singles appeared on her debut LP “Millie Jackson”, issued on Spring in 1972.

Mastered and cut at 45rpm for high quality and loud sound, these 7"s are packaged in lovingly produced Brazil45 sleeves. Dancefloor essentials for all DJs and collectors!

Mark IV were from New York and released one album on Mercury Records in 1974 until we released their second in 201b called 'Signs Of A Dying Love,' which was a collection of unreleased songs recorded in the mid 1970s. There were two versions of the song 'I Knew It Wouldn't Last.' We featured the midtempo version on the album and the other was an exclusive play for Soul Sam, Lars Bulnheim and Steve Clancy for the past eighteen months.

"There was no internet, no cell phones. We didn't have streaming services, cable television, or even VCRs. People in Portland were out to see music seven nights a week"

In 1982, it seemed club nightlife in downtown Portland had reached its zenith. Musicians could make a living in a multitude of clubs throughout the city. And they made music on their own terms. Calvin Walker's recollection above speaks to the sovereignty of an independent community devoid of the recording industry's bottom line.

Lights Out gained traction when Pleasure wasn't in the studio or on the road. They were led by Pleasure's trumpeter Tony Collins, whose agenda involved prodding his group with gnarled fusion covers, complex horn arrangements, and masterful wardrobe flexing. "We wanted to be better at what we did," claims Collins. "Everybody grew."

But even with platinum level players holding recording contracts a la Fantasy Records, Lights Out struggled to find bookings in Portland's white-owned club circuit. "There were rules to these things and you had to play by them," remembers Walker. "They had to push up against that."

"I remember it being tough to get this band booked on the West side of the Willamette River back then," remembers bassist John Mazzocco. "When Peter Mott at Last Hurrah called to book us on a Tuesday, I was elated."

Knee-deep in the jazz fusion sound made popular throughout the city, Lights Out soon evolved into a synthesizer-fueled funk group fronted by vocalist Andy Stokes and featuring guitarist Greg "Gee Mack" Dalton. It's this era of Lights Out that made converts of the haters and annihilated 800-capacity dancefloors. It’s this era of Lights Out that is being celebrated on this release.

Recorded in 1982 at Wave Sound Studios - a facility that housed local punk acts such as The Wipers and The Rats - the material on this LP was intended as a demo for Solar Records. As a touring trumpeter for The Whispers, Collins was to pass the reel up the chain. When Solar fumbled it, Collins and Dalton left Portland for Los Angeles signaling the end of the group.

Forty years later, the legacy of this canonical Stumptown act has been remembered in devastating detail. The vinyl package includes a 12-page booklet of the band's oral history and deluxe archival photography. With tape restoration and mastering by Gus Elg, this painfully obscure recording has been waxed and buffed by one of the reissue industry's greatest.

Lights Out personnel have since made waves beyond the Pacific Northwest. Collins founded NDN Records in Atlanta. Andy Stokes has received the Grammy nod, releasing singles with Snoop Dogg and Battlecat. John Mazzocco toured with John Lee Hooker and was recently inducted into the Oregon Music Hall Of Fame. Damian Dillon went on to a successful radio career in Germany. And Greg Dalton has sessioned relentlessly, working with everyone from Patrice Rushen to Kamasi Washington to Tupac.

As Stokes puts it, "Being in this band gave me the strength to branch out. You don’t just do that by yourself. You have a family. This a family.” credits released July 15, 2022

Introducing the limited 7" re-release of the single by the legendary Bay Area group, Liason. Led by Morris 'Skid' Clay, Liason made their mark on the music scene with their distinctive sound and unforgettable performances. Recorded at Freeway Studios in Oakland back in 1977, this single captures the essence of the era and the spirit of the band.
Originally released on their independent imprint, 'A.L.C.' - named after three of the group's members astrological signs: Aquarius, Libra, and Capricorn - this single quickly became a cherished gem among fans and collectors alike. Now, decades later, it's being brought back to life for a whole new generation to enjoy.

Truth & Soul is proud to release the second single from uber-talented UK artist Liam Bailey.

Originally released in South Africa in 1983, In The Music......The Village Never Ends is one of those holy-grail African records that barely needs any introduction. Featuring the enormous 'Nomalizo', it's a record that aficionados around the world have been waiting many years for. Now, Be With Records proudly presents the hugely anticipated vinyl reissue of this bonafied classic.

“Things happen for a reason, man.” - Leo Nocentelli

At just fourteen, Leo Nocentelli was backing up Otis Redding. Soon after, he was playing on hits for Lee Dorsey, The Supremes, and The Temptations. As an original member of The Meters, Leo wrote instant classics “Cissy Strut” and “Hey Pocky A–Way,” but his greatest moment on record may be totally unknown, until now…

Recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s Jazz City Studio in New Orleans in the early ‘70s and then lost to the ages, Another Side is one of Leo Nocentelli’s most personal and definitive moments ever cut to tape. A mixture of funky folk and rootsy, raw emotion (think Bill Withers and James Taylor meeting Allen Toussaint at Link Wray’s Three Track Shack), this previously unheard album shines like the sun on a spring day on the New Orleans fairgrounds. Backing Nocentelli is an all-star line-up of New Orleans royalty, including Allen Toussaint (piano), James Black (drums), and both George Porter Jr. (bass) and Zigaboo Modeliste (drums) of The Meters. Deeply introspective, the album features nine original songs by Nocentelli, plus a soulful rendition of Elton John’s “Your Song.” Half a century later, these recordings sound just as fresh and engaging as the day they were recorded.

What makes Another Side even more extraordinary, however, is the fact that the album—which could have easily become a classic in the ‘70s singer-songwriter canon—sat untouched for decades; miraculously surviving the devastating blow of Hurricane Katrina, only to be found 2,000 miles away at a Southern California swap meet in 2018 by record collector Mike Nishita. The album’s incredible journey is documented in the liner notes by Sam Sweet (New York Times, Los Angeles Times), who spoke with Nocentelli and Nishita about the recording process and re-discovery of the tapes. Sweet’s full notes appear in the release’s accompanying booklet alongside hand-written lyrics by Leo Nocentelli. The first pressing of the vinyl edition will feature gold-foil treatment on cover and spine. Rounding out the package are original designs and layout by the multi GRAMMY®–winning designer Masaki Koike.

While Nocentelli was embedded in New Orleans’ R&B scene, he was also deeply inspired by the late 1960’s and early 1970’s rising singer-songwriters, and soon found himself exploring sounds that were miles away from his band’s hard-edged funk riffs. Whenever he had downtime from session work and shows, Nocentelli spent much of 1971 recording his newly-found, reflective, diaristic songs at Matassa’s Jazz City studio. Backed by longtime Meters bandmate George Porter Jr. on bass, Nocentelli crafted the lineups for his sessions to match the tone of the material. When he needed a pianist, he’d call Toussaint. For percussion on the slower songs, he used drummer Zigaboo Modeliste, but many of the tracks featured James Black—a frequent collaborator of Toussaint’s and a member of Ellis Marsalis’ jazz group, whom Nocentelli recalls as an “unbelievable” musician. The recording, which Nocentelli fondly refers to as his “country-and-western-album,” paints a picture of a young man yearning to find a sense of purpose. “I was going through some changes which were reflected in the songs that I wrote during that time,” he tells Sweet. Among them is the mid-tempo “Getting Nowhere,” in which he expresses a sense of frustration, as he watches others find success around him. Similarly, “Till I Get There” details a man who is struggling to persevere in his goals. In the soaring “Tell Me Why,” meanwhile, the singer contemplates the existence of God. Other songs center around fictional characters. “Pretty Mittie,” for instance, is sung from the perspective of a farmer who longs to give up his arduous life for the city. “You’ve Become a Habit” is about a man who falls for a sex worker named Fancy. “Riverfront” is based on stories that singer Aaron Neville shared, about his days working on the New Orleans waterfront. Nocentelli also chose to perform one cover: Elton John’s breakthrough hit, “Your Song.” The guitarist made the recently-released ballad his own—infusing it with a loping, head-nodding cadence, ever so tastefully “funkdafied” in true New Orleans fashion. By the time that the album was finished, The Meters were busier than ever. They had just signed a record deal with Warner Brothers and were now the official house band at Toussaint’s studio, Sea-Saint. There, they not only backed artists on Toussaint’s Sehorn label but had also become the go-to session musicians for every major artist that recorded in New Orleans. Rather than focus on a solo career, Nocentelli poured his energies into The Meters’ next album. Eventually, time moved on, as did Nocentelli, and he decided to store his unreleased solo album at Sea-Saint for safekeeping. In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Sea-Saint was among its victims. While Toussaint (who passed away in 2015) had sold the hallowed studio in the mid-90s, hundreds of his archived recordings remained in the building. The new owner salvaged what he could from the flooded building, shipping everything to a storage facility in Southern California. Boxes of tapes sat there for more than a decade before moving to another unit, which foreclosed a year later. The contents were purchased in a blind auction and, days later, sold at a swap meet. The fact that record collector Mike Nishita just happened to be there was pure kismet. Nishita, a DJ and brother to “Money Mark” Nishita (of Beastie Boys fame), recognized the Sea-Saint label on the boxes and purchased all 673 master tapes at the swap meet. He inspected the contents with his friend Mario Caldato Jr., the longtime audio engineer for the Beastie Boys. In addition to masters from Irma Thomas, Dr. John, Lee Dorsey, and Toussaint, there was a quarter-inch reel with Nocentelli’s name on it. As Caldato and Nishita played it back, they knew they had something special. “There was nothing else like it,” writes Sweet. “An acoustic album by the greatest funk guitarist who ever lived. It was the tape Mike would play for people to show them how special the collection was. The best album in the vault was something nobody knew existed.” Eventually, Nishita and Nocentelli connected, “He was so grateful, so sincere,” recalls Nishita. “I just kept thinking about how this music needs to be heard...Especially when you look at all the things that had to fall into place for these tapes to survive and be discovered this way.” As Nocentelli simply puts it, “Things happen for a reason, man.” And now, Light in the Attic is thrilled to give this remarkable record the spotlight it so rightly deserves. 50 years later, all is not lost.

“A genius” - Nai Palm (Hiatus Kaiyote)
“One of the most incredible live performances I’ve seen” - Gilles Peterson (BBC)
“He's like a human centipede sewn out of all the greatest musicians from the past 80 years’” - Liam Pieper

Emerging from Brisbane’s music-art bohemian West End in 2008, self-taught, prodigious musician Lachlan Mitchell aka Laneous, began his eclectic and colourful journey in music as the leading member of funk band KAFKA, stamping his trademark falsetto croon on an Australian music landscape that wasn’t quite ready for an artist whose standout influence was D’Angelo’s ‘Voodoo’. Word of their talent soon reached UK’s perennial tastemaker Gilles Peterson who featured the band on his compilation, Brownswood Bubblers Four alongside other breakthrough acts at the time, Mayer Hawthorne, Floating Points and Lone. A world-class guitarist, vocalist, composer, visual artist and – significantly - muse, Mitchell’s unique ability to shine, create and inspire across genres was his obvious forte, even then. Regularly sought after to provide features for other bands and cover art for Hiatus Kaiyote albums Tawk Tomahawk and Choose Your Weapon, he worked diligently to support his community. But while Hiatus’ Nai Palm told media Laneous was “a genius” he often credited music and drawings to pseudonyms.

In 2016, after 8 years of humbly dominating the Australian underground art, soul and jazz scene [with ‘mutant-soul/croon punk’ cult group Laneous & The Family Yah, reggae band Kooii and improv-jazz-beat trio, Vulture Street Tape Gang] Mitchell relocated to Melbourne - a move that would instigate and inspire the long-awaited debut solo LANEOUS record that fans and peers had been craving for nearly a decade. Excited to create new music with an artist they’d previously referenced as an inspiration, Paul Bender and Simon Mavin (Hiatus Kaiyote) came on board swiftly, joined by Hudson Whitlock (Cactus Channel) on drums and Donny Stewart (Jazz Party) on vibraphone and flugelhorn - a key element in bringing Mitchell’s vision of an exotica/soul infused album to life. In classic Laneous fashion, the musical references for the record run deep, winding through an eclectic array of artists from Martin Denny, Burt Bacharach and The Beach Boys to Shuggie Otis, Wild Cookie and Wu-Tang.

The debut single Modern Romance was unleashed in October 2018 with a kinky, captivating visual accompaniment that marked the return of the Laneous legacy. After selling out the Melbourne launch of the single, the band was invited to headline Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM x Northside Records live Melbourne broadcast, teasing exclusive album cuts and drawing high praise from Peterson, stating it was “..one of the most incredible live performances I’ve seen’.

Out May 10 via Soul Has No Tempo, Mitchell’s MONSTERA DELICIOSA stands as a sublime genre work, peerless in Australia - his magnum opus bears the name that’s backed him from day one:

LANEOUS.