Funk | Soul Sale 371 Items

É Soul Cultura Vol.1 seemed to land at exactly the right moment. Post-lockdown, optimism was back on the rise and the dance floors swelled again. For many listeners, Manchester based DJ Luke Una’s intriguingly woven pattern of new, old, rare and under-discovered music from around the world became the soundtrack to rejuvenated positivity.

This second volume gives another opportunity for Luke to share his journey of the past four decades of staying up late and getting transcendental whilst listening to holy grail music as the city slept. It at times ventures into the deeper, spiritual, soulful, downtempo, experimental aspects of his tastes. From the conscious, street soul fusion gospel of Veronica Mickie's 'Lost Children', to an excursion into Swiss, psych, progressive rock in the form of Pyranha, then onto the classic Indian music-inspired electronic workout of Andi Otto's 'Bangalore Whispers'. Luke hints at his softer side in Avis; a sweet, obscure cover version of Minnie Riperton’s ‘Baby, This Love I Have’, as well as championing local heroes in the shape of Manchester’s Yargo and their driving, obscure, proto-house belter, ‘Marimba’. There’s also Japanese, electronic, slo-mo heaviness from 1979, courtesy of Bach Revolution. House music is integral to the É Soul sound and is represented by Nav Aktah’s deep remix of Mr Scruff, and then there’s Isis ‘In Essense’; a track of such majestic brilliance that it has never left Luke’s record bag.

The selection is eclectic, global, and plucked from different times and spaces. In theory, perhaps they shouldn't work together, but there is a mysterious link that makes them gel as a whole. That’s what Luke does best. He creates a sort of musical alchemy, unifying the diverse.

It is best described by Luke himself, “It’s not about showing off, collector rarity, or ego-strutting, it’s all about telling stories, sharing the music, and making life’s journey mean something. In the end, of course, it’s just a compilation of other people’s music, but hopefully it’s more than that, adding something back to the pot.”

The Lowdown Band is an African American funk and soul group from the United States that gained popularity in the early 1980s with their hit single "Music Is The Answer". Formed in San Diego, Ca in the late 1970s, the band was comprised of musicians from both the East and West Coasts of the United States. The track was an immediate hit and gained popularity which peaked at #72 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #20 on the US R&B chart. It also achieved success overseas, reaching #61 on the UK Singles Chart

The Lowdown Band is an African American funk and soul group that gained popularity in the early 1980s with their hit single "Music Is The Answer". Formed in San Diego, Ca in the late 1970s, the band was comprised of musicians from both the East and West Coasts of the United States. The track was an immediate hit and peaked at #72 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #20 on the US R&B chart. It also achieved success overseas, reaching #61 on the UK Singles Chart.

Lost soul phenomenon Lewis Taylor's Numb finally arrives on double vinyl! One of UK soul’s most fascinating artists, most enigmatic figures and most under-appreciated talents, Andrew Lewis Taylor is a prodigious multi-instrumentalist and eclectic polymath. He enjoys a fiercely loyal following which, over the years, has included celebrity champions like Bowie, Elton and D'Angelo. Numb is Taylor's sixth album, initially released on his own label Slow Reality (an anagram of his name) and licensed to Be With for this long-awaited physical edition. It captures Taylor's wholly unique, intoxicating take on lush, late-night psychedelic soul music.

Lewis wrote and recorded these 10 brand new tracks after a 17 year break from making music, although the album came together over a two-year period. The years away have done nothing to dull Taylor's unique musical vision. He still astounds. The lyrical themes, however, have shifted. Understandably, more than a decade and a half of soul searching and unflinching self-examination cannot fail to influence this most honest of songwriters, and boy does it show. Numb marks a return to the darker, more mysterious side of his output: "Brian Wilson-channels-Smokey Robinson atmospheres", as Mojo put it recently.

After playing a rapturously received gig at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC in 2006, Lewis unceremoniously walked away from music and disappeared completely. An interview in 2016 shed light on some of the reasons for Taylor’s withdrawal from the business, but there was no hint of a return anytime soon. Then in June 2021, news emerged out of the blue that he was readying new music alongside Sabina Smyth with whom he had worked first time around.

On Numb, Lewis deftly balances stark, soul-bearing lyrics with moody mid-tempo pop-soul sheen. He deals candidly with depression, mental turmoil, even thoughts of suicide - clearly more personal than Taylor's earlier songs. The music is rich, warm and layered, with infectious melodies and hooks that stick with you. A true grower of an LP, it really does reward repeated listens. As Jim Irvin in Mojo reflected, "despite the depths these plumb, it's a curiously uplifting experience, unfurling like a concept album about life's challenges with an optimistic beauty at its heart."

Triumphant dubwise horns ring out yet, almost instantly, “Final Hour” takes on a dark, downbeat vibe. With lyrics that confront (and, seemingly, confound) death head-on, Lewis ensures the groove is still there, the beats still swing and your head still nods, strings glissade. Woven around delicate yet insistent piano and subtle strings over a killer bassline, the title track “Numb” is a good example of the lyrical themes throughout the album. As Taylor reflects, "So removed I feel no pain / And for all I know I could be having the time of my life" with a coda that feels very much in conversation with Brian Wilson's finest harmonies. "Feels So Good" is sophisticated 90s-sounding soul of the highest order. The music and vocals feel simultaneously optimistic and despondent. Downlifting. A neat trick, and one Lewis has been so adept at over the years. "Apathy" is a mini-epic, a symphonic-soul gem which builds and glides and, eventually, soars. “Worried Mind" is another slow-builder, creeping out the gate in a sketchy, discordant fashion before climbing to half-crescendo but never quite breaking free of its disorientating restraint.

The brighter "Please" presents a more hopeful mood, with the refrain "I still believe" ringing out as Lewis harmonises with himself. "Brave Heart" quietly struts from step one, as Lewis's falsetto swaggers over a downtempo backdrop with ace echoey drums, beautiful strings and serene electric guitar. Closing out Side C, "Is It Cool" answers its own (non-) question with a spellbinding five and a half minutes of swoonsome deep soul that oscillates between a restrained, barely-there backdrop and a lushly full musical accompaniment of acoustic and electric guitar and organ over bass and slick drums. The penultimate track "Nearer" is a magical, soul-stirring ballad in which Lewis sings of reaching a sweet salvation and achieving a peace of mind. If the hairs on the back of your neck aren't standing up by the midway point, you might need to check your pulse. Album closer and true tear-jerker "Being Broken" places Lewis's gorgeous voice high in the mix and the wordless falsetto and melodies invite you to ponder what Pet Sounds might sound like if it were refashioned as a dubby 21st Century electronic soul album. Astonishing.

Simon Francis’s vinyl mastering spreads out the ten tracks over a double LP so, as ever, nothing is compromised. And as usual, the records have been cut by Cicely Balston at Air Studios and pressed at Record Industry. Turn it up and let the Lewis Taylor sound envelop you.

Having previously produced for many UK Hip Hop artists under the moniker LG, and as the bass player for The Cromagnon Band - Len’s first solo album is a funk enthused experimentation that weaves an ethereal path through jazz, break beats, folk, hip-hop and otherworldly flavours. Across the 11 track LP, the organic instrumentation sits in tandem with synthesized moments as Len’s musicianship shines through. Drafting in musical collaborators such as Oge for lead vocals on the sublime single ‘We Are Here’, Bert Page (The Cromagnon Band), Nathan ‘Flutebox’ Lee, his past cohort Biscuit (The Speakers Corner Quartet) and many more, the album takes you on a journey through Len’s musical influences while at the same time delivering something that you’ve never heard before. Like a half-developed polaroid picture or a memory faded through age, At Mothers Feet feels like the mind’s eye squinting for clarity, and leaving us unsure if these are our lived experiences or those from a past life

As a discarded record collection of notorious Cafe Extase crossed their path, Left Bank constructed their own warped version of club music. The era was acid-jazz, p-funk and rare groove, the records covered in thick layers of mold and dust. Recorded a few streets from where the action once took place, Kelder Extase forms a musical resurrection of a basement that has disappeared.

Chicago's Magic Touch label gets the Numero Group treatment. Available for the first time ever on 7", Boogie Holy-Grail "Too Far Gone" has been "Too Hard To Find" on the second hand market since first introduced to the masses via the legendary cratesmith Mark Grusane of Mr. Peabody Records. Rare Groove Windy City Disco at its finest sliced, diced and remastered for maximum dancefloor potential. Bonus: Housed on replica "Double Disco Smash" 7" Magic Touch Sleeve.

* Kumi Showji's second album
* Originally released in November 1990
* Four of the songs were recorded in LA and arranged by Jerry Hey

Kumi Showji's second album, originally released in November 1990. Four of the songs were recorded in LA and arranged by Jerry Hey (M1, M4, M9, M10), horn player for the legendary Hawaiian fusion band 'Seawind' and Grammy award-winning arranger.