Marcelinho da Lua - Social

Marcelinho da Lua is a Brazilian reggae/samba/dub/electronic music producer, singer and DJ. Released in 2007, Social brings together a great mix of funk, samba, reggae and dub along with electronic beats.
The album also features special guests such as B-Negao and Tonho Crocco.
Check it!

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Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings - Give The People What They Want

Originally scheduled to drop last August, the album was instead put on the shelf and the Brooklyn-based band's punishing touring schedule put on hiatus as Jones battled cancer. For a while, the music stopped, but with Jones's successful treatment and a return to the stage confirmed next month in New York, the new album is just the sort of triumphant return the doctor ordered.
The 11-piece Dap-Kings, ably anchored by bassist, bandleader and Daptone Records chief Bosco Mann, again showcase their brand of unbridled soul and funk that has spearheaded the revival of the 1960s and 70s genre, and which has seen them and Jones perform everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to Italy's Umbria Jazz Festival.
It's also a sound that has transcended the fringes thanks to some high-profile collaborations. Fans will know the Dap-Kings had a heavy hand in Amy Winehouse's critically acclaimed Back to Black album of 2006, including credits on hit singles Rehab and You Know I'm No Good. Other collaborations with Michael Buble and Mark Ronson, meanwhile, have put the respective talents of guitarists Binky Griptite and Tommy "TNT" Brenneck, trumpeter David Guy, and tenor and baritone saxophonists Neal Sugarman and Ian Hendrickson-Smith firmly in the spotlight. Jones, however, remains the seductive and supremely talented frontwoman, oozing soul whether she's sticking her middle finger up at a love spurned on You'll Be Lonely, or relaying tales of hope as she does on the laidback and feelgood We Get Along.
There's an impressive diversity in tempo, too. While first single, Retreat!, is an up-tempo stomper and a thundering start to the album, it's a world away from the mellow Making Up and Breaking Up (And Making Up and Breaking Up Over Again), which lets the by now ubiquitous horns really shine. Stranger to My Happiness, meanwhile, is a playful number that sees Jones sing over a low-flung sax lick and chanting backing vocals that add a sharpness to her melodic command.
If there's anything to lament with Give the People What They Want, it's the album's length. Clocking in at about 34 minutes, the adventure is over all too soon. Given the challenges surrounding the album's release, though, it's a small and insignificant gripe.
The musician-owned and analog-proud Daptone Records continues to demonstrate that some of the best sounding soul and funk music doesn't require the latest digital equipment, and with labelmates such as Jones and the Dap-Kings on hand and now healthy, the future looks bright.

 

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RJD2 - More Is Than Isn't

More Is Than Isn’t, the fifth proper full-length from Philly beatsmith RJD2, opens and closes with the echoes of distant bird chips. A consummate crate-digger and sample hunter, RJ lines the path in between nu-disco, dusty soul, rock ‘n’ roll, spiraling organ runs, and brash hip-hop. As the title suggests, its 16 tracks are a cacophony of aesthetics pulled from the producer’s myriad inspirations. However, unlike other mad scientists, RJD2′s creations are beautiful offshoots of their distorted components rather than monster mashes.

Anchored by three tracks (“Suite 1″, “Suite 2″, and “Suite 3″), the album’s beats are granted ample room to roam before being reeled back into that celestial calm. During each movement, the creation and subsequent destruction of melodies builds tension across the broader piece. On the first half of the album, the soulful “Temperamental” and disco-leaning “Behold, Numbers!” establish the chillout tempos that the 8-bit electronics, heady Middle Eastern vibes, and rock riffs of “Her Majesty’s Socialist Request” are intent on eviscerating. The latter half’s Motown-indebted “See You Leave” (feat. STS and Khari Mateen), “Got There, Sugar”, and electro-pop current of “Love and Go” (feat. Aaron Livingston) serve similar roles.

 

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Fat Freddy's Drop - Blackbird (2013)

Let's start from just over halfway through the third album by Fat Freddy's Drop. It's the point where it goes beautifully bonkers, and showcases the band as not only the kings of laid-back and lilting epics but brain-rattling beat and soul mantras.
The first half of Blackbird is just what you expect to hear from Fat Freddy's. But then Soldier starts, soothingly at first, before the pressure drops, an eerie sonar sound takes hold and it plumbs the sonic depths, all with a nod to dub great Augustus Pablo. And from Soldier it ramps up into the pinging future funk of Never Moving, then Mother Mother moves from Caribbean trance done Aotearoa-style with big booming stabs of brass to stealth techno soul, and instrumental finale Bohannon grooves, grinds and bops away, taking you on one last enchanting trip.

 

 

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Alice Russell - To Dust

With due respect to fans of Amy Winehouse and Adele, songstress Alice Russell is the true blue-eyed soul queen from across the pond. The Essex singer has been around longer than either. Despite four previous albums, she's better known as a collaborator. Her résumé includes work with Mr. Scruff, DJ Yoda, Nostalgia '77, David Byrne, Fat Freddy's Drop, and most notably with Quantic. She possesses the firepower and range of Aretha Franklin and the intensity of Nina Simone. Russell is not a retro-soul singer. She's a soul singer. Period. She has always been more contemporary than nostalgic, her music imbued with more hip-hop, hard funk, dance music, and even jazz rhythms than Motown worship, but it's still rooted in deep soul and R&B. To Dust, her fifth album produced by longstanding guitarist TM Juke (Alex Cowan), is easily her most consistent offering. While there's a more organic, basic approach at work here, Russell refuses to leave her modernism behind. The brief, fingerpopping opener "A-Z" contains an infectious organ and guitar vamp-note to RZA: sample this. They set up behind a bright, breaking snare, and though it's merely a fun, simple, alphabet recitation that recalls Stax, she and her backing vocalists deliver it like a rave-up. First single "Heartbreaker" -- sequenced after "Heartbreaker, Pt. 2" -- welds rock, soul, and pop together in a tight, unforgettable, hooky melody. Russell's voice is out front, pushing the busted love lyric from the darkness into the light, hitting hard via pure vintage gospel. The song's emotion is messy, raw, unbridled; yet in the grain of her voice it is delivered with an immediacy and honesty that demand empathy from the listener. Speaking of gospel, it is a motivating force here, such as in the stirring ballad "I Loved You," the punchy "Heartbreaker, Pt. 2," and the crisp, moody "Citizens," which builds to shattering conclusion. Russell is a restless artist. Her sense of adventure is indulged in the slippery pop of "Hard and Strong," the funky, keyboard and upright bass swing in "For a While," the synth- and snare-fueled futurism of the title cut, and the anthemic closer, "Different." In Russell's world, music is as important as lyric and vocal delivery. This band, time and again, provides a swaggering, unshakeable foundation that gives her and her backing chorus everything they need -- and more -- to lift off. No matter what she's singing, Russell is invested. Emotion, whether happy, sad, devastated, angry, or ecstatic, is revealed not with mere vocal histrionics, but with Russell trusting her the song to guide her voice, telling her what it needs to resonate organically. To Dust is body music for the spirit, a celebration of all that is human. It is the record that should finally put her over to a mass audience. God knows she deserves it.

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Dumpstaphunk - Everybody Want Sum

During the past seven years, New Orleans-based funk outfit Dumpstaphunk has progressed from a fun live act to perhaps Big Easy’s most promising ambassador. All that time together gave the Ivan Neville -fronted group plenty of road-tested material to choose from for its first full-length studio album, Everybody Wants Sum. The band succeeds in creating an intriguing mix of styles and tempos throughout. An ode to New Orleans’ cuisine, “Greasy Groceries,” the lyrically deep “Outta Know Better” and the dirty funk of “Do Ya” anchor the 12-track release, yet it is the deep, in-the-pocket instrumental “Paper Chasing Britney” that truly shows off the swagger of the band’s years of steady gigging. Everybody Wants Sum proves that Dumpstaphunk is just as capable of throwing it down in the studio as it is on stage.

 

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Trombone Shorty - For True

Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews' is a rare artist who can draw both the unqualified respect of jazz legends and deliver a high-energy rock show capable of mesmerizing international rock stars and audiences alike. With such an unprecedented mix of rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop and soul, he had to create his own name to describe his signature sound: Supafunkrock! Andrews is the kind of player who comes along maybe once in a generation.
Equally adept on trombone and trumpet, Andrews plays a variety of other instruments as well. He’s applied the same skill sets and fierce discipline to his vocal instrument, to soulful effect, as the album demonstrates. Surrounding Andrews is his band, Orleans Avenue—Mike Ballard on bass, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, Dwayne Williams on percussion and Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax—virtuosos every one.
Produced by Galactic's Ben ElIman, For True, features Andrews' band, Orleans Avenue, as well as a string of legendary performers with whom he recently shared the stage, including Jeff Beck, Kid Rock, Lenny Kravitz, Ledisi, Warren Haynes, Ivan and Cyril Neville, The Rebirth Brass Band and more. Troy wrote or co-wrote all 14 tracks on the new album including co-writes with Ledisi, Kid Rock, the legendary Lamont Dozier and others.

 

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Soundtrack - Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels

Writer-director Guy Ritchie's street-tough look at London's decrepit underworld and the unsavory dealings of four best friends whose cockiness is undercut by some serious trouble features a soundtrack of quick dialogue sound clips, a smattering of classic rock, pop, and reggae, and a few current submissions as well. Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves," known most to rock audiences by the Clash cover, is a great piece of political resistance and laidback dub groove. James Brown's "The Payback" and "The Boss" and Iggy and The Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog" stake out the sharp end, while the late Dusty Springfield paints the softer corner with "Spooky." Ocean Colour Scene delivers the backwards guitar driven "100 Mile High City," and Stretch's "Why Did You Do It?" is a great recreation of early '70s soul.

Tracklist: 1. Hundred Mile High City - Ocean Colour Scene

2. HortifucKinculturist - Steven Mackintosh

3. Police And Thieves - Junior Murvin

4. Spooky - Dusty Springfield

5. Muppets - P.H. Moriarty/Lenny Mclean/Victor McGuire

6. The Boss - James Brown

7. Walk This Land - E-Z Rollers

8. Blaspheming Barry - Lenny Mclean

9. I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges

10. It's Kosher - Jason Flemyng/Stephen Marcus

11. Why Did You Do It - Stretch

12. I've Been Shot - Steve Sweeny/Frank Harper

13. Oh Girl - Evil Superstars

14. Guns 4 Show Knives 4 A Pro - Nick Moran/Dexter Fletcher

15. Zorba The Greek - John Murphy/David Hughes

16. The Payback - James Brown

17. It's Been Emotional - Vinnie Jones

18. 18 With A Bullet - Pete Wingfield

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Cody Chesnutt - Landing One A Hundred

Universally hailed as a thrilling new figure in music for his edgy, lo-fi debut, The Headphone Masterpiece, back in 2002, Cody ChesnuTT is a soul troubadour whose frank, socially conscious ruminations on life continue to challenge popular notions of what modern soul music can look and sound like. Landing On A Hundred, Cody’s second full-length LP, marks his return to the music game after a period of family-man retreat and reflection that did a world of good for him after his meteoric rise to near fame. The title is a reference to the slang saying, “Keeping It One Hundred,” or telling the whole truth, and for lovers of true blue Southern soul this new album is a must-have- the rhythm tracks recorded with a ten-piece band in Memphis-based Royal Studios, the sonic birthplace of some of the deepest works by soul and blues luminaries like Al Green, Buddy Guy and Ike & Tina Turner. Topics on Landing On A Hundred cover lots of grown-folks business: a man’s road to redemption after years of womanizing and crack addiction, the power and labour of slow-burning marital love that eclipses mere material expressions of affection. Keeping it truthful is ultimately what matters most in Cody’s songs.

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A Bad Donato - Joao Donato Psychedelicfunkyexperience (1970)

' "A Bad Donato" was an attempt to break into the contemporary overseas market. I wanted to be successful and bossa nova wasn't my thing anymore, it was too much singing -- João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim were all working closely with lyrics. Frank Sinatra had recorded their songs. Yet, my music didn't fit into any genre, or if it did it was jazz that wasn't such a commercial success. Jazz musicians were moving more into popular music, such as Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery, and they were starting to play to big audiences. Fusion came along and my record was something like that, a fusion of Brazilian music with jazz rock and electronica.'

"I don't play acoustic piano on this record at all, just the keyboards. At the time, music was very raw, noisier. The Beatles were happening, shouting out their lyrics, and Jimi Hendrix ... who shouted with his guitar. And I made the noisiest record I can ever remember making."

João Donato

 

 

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Karl Denson - Dance Lesson #2

Saxophonist Karl Denson may not have the name recognition enjoyed by new-jack jazzmen such as Charlie Hunter or Medeski, Martin & Wood, but that should change with Dance Lesson #2, his Blue Note debut. A versatile player, Denson played with Lenny Kravitz in the early '90s and helped found the acclaimed if short-lived Greyboy Allstars in the mid-'90s. He's also cut a handful of albums on small labels, the early ones more straight-ahead and the later ones more locked into the groove thing. Here, Denson's work on alto, tenor, and flute rides the dance-floor jazz groove with the melodic sense of Herbie Mann and the immaculate funk timing of Maceo Parker, who is undoubtedly an influence. An all-star cast of sidemen that includes Melvin Sparks, Charlie Hunter, Chris Wood, and DJ Logic urge Denson on by holding nothing back themselves. This set is also diverse--while some tunes delve deep into the groove, others verge on smooth jazz, making for a nicely paced, well-crafted album.

 

 

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Dynamo Productions - Analogue

DJ's Scott Hendy and Andy Smith are the brains and team behind Dynamo Productions and their debut release on Illicit/Invada, Analogue, bridges the gap between hip hop, old skool funk and breaks, giving respect to the past while keeping their feet in the present.

Hit The Floor warms things up, it's one for the dancefloor and has featured on Deadly Avenger's Fabriclive CD and also on the Battlecreek series - a highly sampladelic jam with a nasty organ sample on top. Get It Together uses the same sample that made Soul of Man's "Between The Eyes" such a popular tune.

MC Profile features on two tracks - the laidback Think and head-nodding hip hop of Back To Basics. The latter works for me as it is catchier thanks to it's funky bassline and more uptempo feel.

The uptempo joints on the album are it's high points, a healthy mixture of old skool breaks, funky basslines coupled with scratches and cuts that Andy and Scott are known for. Busta Beat is a personal highlight of the album thanks to it's b-boy breakbeats, latin orchestra horns and James Brown like "Bust It" samples. Look out for the breakdown in the middle!

The album also has it's share of downtempo tracks such as Slip Inn and the bluesy Airwaves featuring yawning strings on a laidback beat and the album finishes off with the piano heavy We're Through featuring a female vocal sample, which appears to be lifted off a classic breakup tune.

Overall Analogue is a great album and born out of the need for Andy and Scott to bridge the gap between hip hop and funk tunes in their block rockin' DJ sets and unlike DJ Format's album, doesn't over utilise the skit approach to bridging the gap between songs.

 

 

 

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Di Melo - Di Melo

If you´re into brasilian (soul) music you will love this record, but I can present you almost no information about the artist. It was rereleased on CD a few years ago, is hard to get on vinyl and you have to pay a lot of money for it, but never got much attention like other brasilian artists. This record is a true inspiration: soulfull vocals, funky grooves, Tropicalismo and Latin influences in general resulted 1974 in a record (as far as I know the only Di Melo release), that seems to be premature for the date of the release. It is time to rediscover this jewel and if you have some more informations about Di Melo, please leave a comment.

It is hard not to fall in love with this record, Samba Soul.

 

 

 

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The Cat Empire - So Many Nights

Forget the didgeridoo. The Cat Empire has to be the real sound of Australia. It’s perfectly multicultural, young, accomplished, fresh, funky and above all, fun.
They’ve stayed down-to-earth, innovative, and intimate despite their first two albums making platinum status and their third receiving an ARIA. This is a band that refuses to be pigeonholed. Listen to them, and I dare you not to smile and dance, even if you’re feeling glum.
Felix Riebl’s voice, holds everything together. It handles rap, meringue, big band sound, ska, funk, or jazz with an equal laid back smiling croon. And just when you think you can’t be caressed any more sweetly, along comes Oliver McGill on his amazing piano tearing your heart out with most amazing virtuoso. And then comes the trumpets, the flugelhorn, the trombone, the guitars, and the whole thing explodes into a terrific party where you just can’t stop dancing around the living room.

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AYB Force - Lost Breaks

A.Y.B. (Abnormal Yellow Band) FORCE is a trio of Japanese Break beat artists. Their only US release to date is the 2006 Lost Breaks. Lost breaks is typified by break beats and samples over jazz horns and piano. Before they were known as A.Y. B. Force they were known as DJ Lark Chillout and the Funk Messangers.

 

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Saint Germain - Tourist

Since the advent of acid jazz in the mid-'80s, the many electronic-jazz hybrids to come down the pipe have steadily grown more mature, closer to a balanced fusion that borrows the spontaneity and emphasis on group interaction of classic jazz while still emphasizing the groove and elastic sound of electronic music. For his second album, French producer Ludovic Navarre expanded the possibilities of his template for jazzy house by recruiting a sextet of musicians to solo over his earthy productions. The opener "Rose Rouge" is an immediate highlight, as an understated Marlena Shaw vocal sample ("I want you to get together/put your hands together one time"), trance-state piano lines, and a ride-on-the-rhythm drum program frames solos by trumpeter Pascal Ohse and baritone Claudio de Qeiroz. For "Montego Bay Spleen," Navarre pairs an angular guitar solo by Ernest Ranglin with a deep-groove dub track, complete with phased effects and echoey percussion. "Land Of..." moves from a Hammond- and horn-led soul-jazz stomp into Caribbean territory, marked by more hints of dub and the expressive Latin percussion of Carneiro. Occasionally, Navarre's programming (sampled or otherwise) grows a bit repetitious -- even for dance fans, to say nothing of the jazzbo crowd attracted by the album's Blue Note tag. Though it is just another step on the way to a perfect blend of jazz and electronic, Tourist is an excellent one.

 

 

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TM Juke - Maps Of The Wilderness

A cohesion of beautiful melodies and rugged beats, “Maps from the Wilderness” is an accomplished album that should earn TM Juke the same accolades as fellow Tru Thoughts album acts Quantic, Jon Kennedy and Bonobo (who now record for Grand Central and Ninja Tune respectively).
Having recorded various songs for Tru Thoughts under the guise of Al Stylus, TM Juke took it upon himself to adopt a name suitable for styles and sounds he wished to explore with this album. The styles are varied and they seem to span the full orchestral range; rolling timpani drums underpin hazy beats whilst delicate guitars flitter amongst intricate strings.
As a producer, TM Juke draws on funk, soul, hip-hop and jazz influences, but adds a greater depth and maturity with immaculate arrangements that belie his twenty four years and give “Maps of the Wilderness” a strikingly original yet strangely familiar feel. Owing as much to the sampler as the guitar, the TM Juke sound embraces atmospheric melodies and street savvy beats in equal measures: this is made apparent by the album’s guest vocalists. Jim Oxborough and Alice Russell who join together for “Knee Deep”, the first single to be taken from the album, a lush affair with a natural swing and memorable hooks.
Bringing back the hip-hop, Canadian MC’s Bread and Water lend their calculated style to “Get It Together“ whilst appearing on behalf of the UK, Rup gets lyrical and gives “Wilderness Kids“ an edge that sets it apart from any uniform hip-hop sound. “Maps from the Wilderness” has all the ingredients that make a great record, setting new agendas in instrumental music whilst retaining a universal appeal.

 

 

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Timewarp Inc - Groovy Booty

Timewarp was born in Athens, Greece 25 years before the second millennium. He was introduced to electronic music at age 13 when he acquired an amiga. Captivated by the fledging technology's potential he started working on his own sounds and soon found his musical identity in the area of chill sound beats. You can find him under the aliases Timewarp inc. or Timewarp a.k.a Angelos Stoumpos.
Being a dj as well as a composer he became famous in the Greek underground electronica scene in early 90’s. Over the years he appeared in numerous parties and venues and he created one of the first pioneering dance projects in Greece. Influenced by and joining forces with a number of other composers and artists he started expanding the character of his music, combining smooth baselines with melodic instruments like flute, percussions, vocals, guitars creating a very characteristic worm ethereal worldly sound.
At the same time his production style moved into funky sounds obtaining rough edges that applied to his music a dramatic intensity. His well-defined music signature can be easily identified in all his productions from dub, downtempo to funky breaks and dance .
Timewarp has contributed in many releases of various record labels like: ecco.chamber, Sony BMG, V2, Irma, Waveform and more. He licensed music for commercial motion TV advertising spots for brands like Honda, WV-Polo, Seat, Stolichnaya, Old Holborn, Alpha Bank and more.

 

 

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Saravah Soul - Cultura Impura

Exploding out of the cross-cultural melting-pot of London’s underground music scene comes the half-Brazilian, half-British SARAVAH SOUL (TRU THOUGHTS RECORDS) with their own special blend of Afro-Brazilian rhythms, 60's soul and Afrobeat.
Their first album was an internationally acclaimed sensation that took them touring all over Europe and Brazil with an intense, tightly honed live show, led by frenetic dancer and front-man Otto Nascarella and complete with carnival percussion parades, a festival favourite.
Their new album CULTURA IMPURA is an even deeper journey into their highly original sound and took them to various European cities. In the beginning of this year they again went to Brazil, where they played 7 different cities across the country, finishing the tour at the Bourbon Street that hosted the likes of BB King, Ray Charles, Medeski, Martin and Wood, etc.

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Jukka Eskola - Hub Up

A beautiful tribute to the electric side of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard , done by Jukka Eskola from Five Corners Quintet, in a mode that almost beats some of Freddie's classic work for CTI! The setting here is spare and simple , trumpet from Jukka, tenor from Timo Lassey, and bass, drums, and plenty of sweet electric keys. All hitting a groove that's soulful, soaring, and filled with the new sense of invention that Hubbard brought to his work at the start of the 70s. Most of the tracks here are originals by Hubbard , "Keep Your Soul Together", "Gibraltar", "Povo", and "Love Connection" , but the set also features the well-penned original "Deli", and a version of Weldon Irvine's "Mr Clean" , a key title in the Hubbard songbook of the CTI years!

 

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