Category Archives: Funk
PLEASURE-SPECIAL THINGS.
PLEASURE-SPECIAL THINGS. Having spent spent several years honing their style and sound, Pleasure were “discovered” by Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders. Pleasure’s persistence had paid off. Pleasure had worked hard at improving and honing their style. They’d also made sure any band that swung through Portland, were handed a copy of Pleasure’s demo. Grover Washington …
THE DETROIT EMERALDS-LET’S GET TOGETHER.
THE DETROIT EMERALDS-LET’S GET TOGETHER. By 1978, when The Detroit Emeralds released their final album, Let’s Get Together, much had happened to them. The last few years had been eventful, and marked a change in the The Detroit Emeralds’ fortunes. For their first three albums, The Detroit Emeralds it seemed they could do wrong. Their three …
JULIEN DYNE-DECEMBER.
JULIEN DYNE-DECEMBER. One of the most anticipated albums of recent months, has been Julien Dyne’s third album December. It’s just been released on BBE Music, and sees Julien pick up where he left off on his sophomore album Glimpse. On Glimpse we saw a tantalising glimpse of the direction Julien Dyne’s music was heading. This …
ANGOLA SOUNDTRACK 2.
ANGOLA SOUNDTRACK 2. Following three aggravated uprisings in 1961, the Angolan authorities were forced to act. There was no denying it, Angola was in crisis. The country could implode. Something had to be done. The status quo wasn’t an option. What followed was a double edged sword of repression and reform. For the first time, …
GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS-I FEEL A SONG.
GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS-I FEEL A SONG. For too long, Gladys Knight had been in the shadow of Diana Ross at Motown. Between 1967 and 1973, Gladys Knight and The Pips released eight albums. Then in 1973, when her contract with Motown ran out, she signed to a label where she would be wanted …
DAMON- SONG OF A GYPSY.
DAMON- SONG OF A GYPSY. For any collector of psychedelia, if they’re lucky enough to find a copy of Damon’s Song Of A Gypsy, it becomes one of their most prized possessions. Finding a copy is another thing. Copies are rarer than hen’s teeth and are changing hands for large sums of money. Recently, copies have …
CHIC-NILES ROGERS PRESENTS THE CHIC ORGANIZATION-BOX SET 1/SAVOIR FAIRE.
CHIC-NILES ROGERS PRESENTS THE CHIC ORGANIZATION-BOX SET 1/SAVOIR FAIRE. Considering how influential Chic proved to be, and the commercial success and critical acclaim they enjoyed, it’s about time a lovingly compiled and lavish box set celebrating their career was released. After all, for their first three albums Chic could do no wrong. Their 1977 eponymous …
HARTLEY AND WOLFE-BESPOKE FUTURE.
HARTLEY AND WOLFE-BESPOKE FUTURE. Last year, DJ Vadim released his tenth solo album, the critically acclaimed Don’t Be Scared. One of the singles from Don’t Be Scared was I’m Feelin’ U, which featured Essex’s finest purveyor of all things soulful, Greg Blackman. Now a year later, DJ Vadim and Greg Blackman are about to release …
AMERICANA 2.
AMERICANA 2. Two years after the release of their first compilation of blue-eyed soul, Americana, Zaf Chowdry and Mark Taylor return with the followup, Americana 2. It will be released by BBE Music on 11th November 2013. Americana 2, which features sixteen tracks from the seventies and eighties, is described on the album cover as …
PSYCHEMAGIC-DIABOLICAL SYNTHETIC FANTASIA.
PSYCHEMAGIC-DIABOLICAL SYNTHETIC FANTASIA. There are many artists who I’d describe as enigmatic. When it comes to producers and DJs, there aren’t as many. Falling into the category of enigmatic are Psychemagik. They’ve definitely ticked the no publicity box. This means many people won’t have heard of the legendary crate-digging, production and DJ-ing team. That’s means …
NEW ORLEANS FUNK VOLUME 3.
NEW ORLEANS FUNK VOLUME 3. From the moment you put on Soul Jazz Records’ recent compilation New Orleans Funk Volume 3, you’re transported to the Big Easy. It’s the Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street is full of tourists desperate to experience the sights and sounds of one of America’s musical capitals. Filling the air, is …
KING FLOYD -I FEEL LIKE DYNAMITE-THE EARLY CHIMNEYVILLE SINGLES AND MORE 1970-1974.
KING FLOYD -I FEEL LIKE DYNAMITE-THE EARLY CHIMNEYVILLE SINGLES AND MORE 1970-1974. For King Floyd, it was a case of second time around. After his debut career album A Man In Love, which was written by Dr. John, failed commercially, he joined the post office. Three years later, King Floyd made a comeback. He recorded …
WORLD PSYCHEDELIC CLASSICS 5:WHO IS WILLIAM ONYEABOR?
WORLD PSYCHEDELIC CLASSICS 5:WHO IS WILLIAM ONYEABOR? To celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary, Lauka Bop will release World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who is William Onyeabor. As rhetorical questions go, it’s one of the best. No-one can say with any certainty who William Onyeabor is. Much of his life is shrouded in mystery. There’s a reason for …
THE TEMPTATIONS-ALL DIRECTIONS.
THE TEMPTATIONS-ALL DIRECTIONS. When The Temptations were recording what became All Directions, the group were determined not to record two songs that eventually appeared on the album. One of these songs was Run Charlie Run and the other was Papa Was A Rolling Stone. The Temptations were absolutely determined not to record these songs. They …
GOUSH BEDEY.
GOUSH BEDEY. Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979, music almost overnight, became illegal. No longer were concerts held, sheet music printed or albums released. Suddenly, Iran’s vibrant and eclectic music went into hibernation. Musicians headed overseas. They became exiles. There was no point living in a country where they were persecuted and banned from making …
SILVETTI-SPRING RAIN.
SILVETTI-SPRING RAIN. Despite enjoying a career that lasted four decades, Bedu Silvetti is always remembered for his disco classic Spring Rain. It originally featured on Silvetti’s 1976 debut album World With Words. On its release as a single in January 1977, it reached number four in the US Disco Charts. Seven months later, Spring Rain …
FOXY-GET OFF.
FOXY-GET OFF. Before Foxy’s recording career got underway, they honed their sound playing on a whole host of albums released on Henry Stone’s T.K. Records. Starting with Blowfly, then Timmy Thomas, Miami-based Foxy were T.K’s studio band. Foxy picked up where KC and The Sunshine Band left off. They were now T.K’s most successful signing. …
MONK MONTGOMERY-REALITY.
MONK MONTGOMERY-REALITY. Music was in Monk Montgomery’s blood, especially jazz music. His younger brothers were the legendary jazz guitarist Wes, while Buddy, played vibes and piano. Despite coming from a musical family, Monk’s professional career only started when he was thirty. He was a bassist, but unlike his predecessors, eschewed the double bass for the …
RIPPLE-SONS OF THE GODS.
RIPPLE-SONS OF THE GODS. During their seventies heyday, Ripple released just two albums and nine singles. This included two dance classics. The first of these was I Don’t Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky. Released in 1973, it reached number sixty-three in the US Billboard 100 and number eleven in the US …
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