Francis Lai - Number One

Francis Lai is a French composer behind many great film scores such classics as A Man And A Woman and Emmanuelle 2 to name a few. Le Corps De Mon Ennemi is a killer soundtrack to a great movie. The soundtrack is packed with great funk with some nice prog rock flavors in the mix. It also has a deep and soulful masterpiece hidden between the heavy jazz funk cuts. Number One has such an inevitable groove and somehow the tune manages to create a nasty but classy mood at the same time. This would make a perfect intro for a Sunday soul mixtape. Enjoy!

Francis Lai - Number One [320 kbps, DivShare]

Bill Withers - You Got The Stuff

Hopefully you are aware that at the moment there's a re-issue of Bill Withers incredibly funky disco version of You Got The Stuff available at certain quality record stores. The original is way too expensive (at least for me) so go and find a copy of the limited repress because You Got The Stuff has one the deepest and funkiest breakdowns ever recorded.

Bill Withers - You Got The Stuff [320 kbps, DivShare]

I'm sure you know that DJ Harvey & Gerry Rooney did a great edit of You Got The Stuff back in early 90's. It's the opening track of their massive Free Range EP. I'm also sure that some of you don't think it's nothing special, just a break looping over and over but I've always had a weak spot for everything related to Black Cock Records so bear with me.

St. Tropez - I Want To Do Something Freaky To You

There are some decent cover versions of Leon Haywood's classic cut but the re-make by St. Tropez is hands down the best I've come across. Deep female vocals, great nasty vocoder chorus, intense strings and THE bass line take this track right there next to the original. Too bad the track ends too early just before the four minute mark. I would really love to hear them go all the way freakish with this one.

St. Tropez - I Want To Do Something Freaky To You [320 kbps, DivShare]

Eddie Drennon & The B.B.S. Unlimited - Do It Nice And Easy

Do It Nice And Easy has to be one of the coolest cuts in the history of latin hustle music. Disco Deviance released just recently Greg Wilson's awesome disco edit of this classic and I'm loving it. The edit works like magic with hot vocals from Donna Summer's Love To Love You Baby. The flipside of the 10th Disco Deviance 12" features Unwind Your Mind i.e. a fresh Greg Wilson edit of Touchdown's Ease Your Mind.

By the way Disco Deviance's excellent mix over at Cosmic Boogie is definitely worth a listen.

Eddie Drennon & The B.B.S. Unlimited - Do It Nice & Easy (With Love) (Greg Wilson Edit) [320 kbps, DivShare]

Eddie Drennon & The B.B.S. Unlimited - Do It Nice And Easy [320 kbps, DivShare]

Dâm-Funk - Beautiful Music 4 Beautiful People

Dam-Funk's new mix for Clae has been out for days but I haven't found the time to listen to it. Thank god I gave it a listen today. Over 60 minutes of sweet boogie and electrofunk gems mixed live via all original vinyl releases. No MP3s, no bullshit. You have to respect that.

In case you slept on this like I did, wake up and download Dam-Funk - Beautiful Music 4 Beautiful People [via Clae].

Sandi & Matues - The World Pt. 1

There are records with only a few known copies. The World by Sandi & Matues is one of them and it was on sale at this ebay auction that ended just a few moments ago. For some reason I was browsing that one though there's no way I would be willing to pay $ 3,383 for two and a half minutes of funky soul music.

I try to buy the original whenever the price is reasonable but cases like this, one has to go with the reissue. In this case the reissue comes with another great tune on the flipside. The Jazzman reissue of The World features Remember Me by The Trinikas on the b-side It'a beatiful piece of soul music with a great backbeat and amazing vocals.

Sandi & Matues - The World Pt. 1 [320 kbps, DivShare]

The Fatback Band - Street Dance

Street Dance is an excellent piece of funk from the early days (1972) of The Fatback Band. This opening track of Let's Do It Again has all those great elements that make up the funky sound of The Fatback Band. A unique drum sound by Bill Curtis, great guitar hooks and horns and a nice bouncing bass that makes the groove go on and on. Todd Terje has done a great edit that stays loyal to the original but beefs up the beat and extends the tune just the right way. Great work from him as usual.

The Fatback Band - Street Dance [320 kbps, direct link]

The Fatback Band - Street Dance (Todd Terje Rekutt) [320 kbps, direct link]

Kings Go Forth - One Day / You're The One

Milwaukee based 10-member band Kings Go Forth released the best 7" release of the scene last year. This limited edition 45 (500 copies, all pre-sold) features two raw funky soul monsters that will cause serious dancefloor mayhem whenever played out. Just amazing stuff. Too bad the pressing was so small and now the record already trades as high as $ 200 on ebay.

We've seen a lot of retroish soul/funk combos come and go during the last couple of years but what sets Kings Go Forth apart from all the others is their amazing vocal harmonies. Sure they have an amazing analogue sound with an excellent rhythm section and great horns but their soulful harmonies by three male vocalist are unbeatable.

Don't sleep on their upcoming 45 release featuring massive tunes Now We're Gone and High On Your Love. The single will be out in late February/early March but luckily it won't be limited like One Day b/w You're The One. Their debut LP is also on its way. Really looking forward to that one.

Kings Go Forth - One Day [320 kbps, direct link]

Kings Go Forth - You're The One [320 kbps, direct link]

Fusion Beats Vol. 2 - Bozo Meko

Fusion Beats Vol. 2 is a classic Bronx cut and paste battle track/megamix supposedly recorded by Afrika Bambaataa, Afrika Islam and Jazzy Jay. Originally this came out in 1981 but I think it's taken from a cassette recording put together earlier. The rip that I'm sharing is taken from this unofficial reissue that came out a few years back. A-side features an unlicensed live cut of Flash It To The Beat. Like I said, it's a bootleg from a cassette tape so that tells you something about the sound quality.

If Fusion Beats 2 was your cup of tea, make sure to check out Afrika Bambaataa's classic Death Mix. It's available for download here thanks to the Top Billin crew. An excellent blog by the way. Lots of cool new stuff and gems from their crates.

Bozo Meko - Fusion Beats Vol. 2 [320 kbps, direct link]

Kenny Smith And The Maximum Feeling - Skunkie

I went record shopping yesterday though I should have saved some money. Well, among many others I picked up Skunkie b/w Everybody Knows I Love You by Kenny Smith And The Maximum Feeling.

Skunkie is a great instrumental funky charger with an amazing drum break and a hilarious appearance by a guy who's high on helium. It was originally released by Kogan Records but there's only a few known copies around so Dopebrother Records reissued this gem back in 2006. Everybody Knows I Love you on the B-side is a nice soulful uptempo love song.

Kenny Smith And The Maximum Feeling - Skunkie [320 kbps, direct link]

Prince - Little Red Corvette (Dance Remix)

I just realized that I haven't shared a single tune from Prince. I decided I should correct this mistake right away by sharing Little Red Corvette or to be more exact the 12" dance remix which picks up things from the point where the album cut fades out. Littel Red Corvette was Prince's first top ten hit back in 1982.

I got an embarrassing confession to make; as a kid listening to this, I actually thought this song was about a red high performance sports car. Well, I suppose it was better that I didn't fully understand the symbolic meaning of little red corvette at such a tender age.

Prince - Little Red Corvette (Dance Remix) [320 kbps, direct link]

Rob Tex Presents The Jimi Remixes

There's not much I can tell you about the mysterious Rob Tex except that he's done two great remixes of Jimi Hendrix's funkiest tune Foxy Lady and I love them both. A-side is a funky laidback tune backed up with a great rugged breakbeat and the flipside features a skanky dub version of the same song. Make sure to check out also Rob Tex's disco edit of Grapevine.

Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady (Rob Tex Remix) [320 kbps, direct link]

The Meters - Soul Machine (Instrumental)

The world is full of great drum breaks but this one right here is the one for me. It's ripped from a Josie Records 7" reissue which comes as a part of this box set. I used to think this was an OG Meters tune but than I heard cand got confused. The two cuts are almost identical and they have more in common than you might know. I'm not gonna cover the issue but if you're interested, check out Home Of The Groove's in-depth article on the topic. The blog contains A LOT of information about the New Orleans funk scene.

The Meters - Soul Machine [320 kbps, DivShare]

EDIT: A dead link replaced with a working DivShare link.

The Firebolts - Everybody Party (Get Down)

I don't seem to have a lot to say about this one but I'll share it anyways. I believe it's on 45 only. It's a nice and warm uptempo boogie/funk tune with a great beat and a nice organic not so polished sound. Hum Along Song on the flipside makes me also stomp my feet.

Kon has done a great extended edit of Everybody Party. Make sure to cop it on a 12" b/w L.A. Will Make You Pay by Burton Inc. or as a mp3 from his blog.

The Firebolts - Everybody Party (Get Down) [320 kbps, direct link]

Hudson People - Trip To Your Mind

Trip To Your Mind is a great loft classic by Hudson People. The tune dates back to London's jazz-funk scene of the late 70's. The vinyl rip is from the 2nd UK pressing put out by Ensign while the OG was released by Hithouse, both in 1979. I first heard Trip To Your Mind on Kon & Amir's amazing mixtape The Cleaning. If you see the mixtape around, make sure to buy it, if you don't have it already.

Speaking of mixes...for some reason I've haven't been listening to the RBMA Radio though I've been told it features some great shows. For example I had slept on this great two hour radio mix by Kon & Amir. Well, I'm glad I found it eventually. Take a listen. Highly recommended.

Hudson People - Trip To Your Mind [320 kbps, direct link]

Earth, Wind & Fire - Gazillian Rhyme (Bozo Meko Edit)

The rumor has it that Gazilliain Rhyme is a Mark The 45 King remix. I'm not sure when and where was it originally issued but now it's available on a 7". A-side features an amazing party break edit of the classic tune Spread Love by Take 6. Anyhow, the original is a classic break but unfortunately it's not that DJ friendly since it's hard to mix and lasts for only a minute and a half. This Bozo Meko remix extends the tune and fattens the beat. This one is definitely on it's way to my Feel-Good Summer Anthem TOP 10.

Earth, Wind & Fire - Gazillian Rhyme (Bozo Meko Edit) [320 kbps, direct link]

Rhythm Funk Masters - Afro-American-Arctic

Rhythm Funk Masters released their debut album, Afro-American-Arctic, last year. The title represents the content pretty well. It's a solid blend of afrobeat, funk and some nordic elements. I've been meaning to buy this one for a long time but since it's released only as a CD and I rarely browse through the CD shelves I have kind of forgot to purchase it. Well, today I found it from my local record stores.

I'm actually a bit surprised and disappointed that this record has been slept on by many people meanwhile some mediocre retroactive afrofunk bands have gotten a lot of hype. And these guys are anything but mediocre when it comes to hard-hitting instrumental afrobeat/funk/jazz. They have definitely listened their Fela Kuti records and blaxploitation soundtracks but they aren't simply copying or imitating those sounds. For me the highlights of the album are Nudinuff, a pure afrobeat groover and Bushman, a great tune that's a bit more on the jazzier side like Donny Hathaway's The Ghetto.

Rhythm Funk Masters - Bushman [320 kbps]

Rhythm Funk Master - Nudinuff [320 kbps]

The Budos Band - Chicago Falcon (The Washington Sq. Lads Remix) feat. Wale

Because Make The Road By Walking was so amazing I've been listening to other Daptone related stuff a lot lately and rediscovered a nice remix of The Budos Band's track Chicago Falcon. The band is known for making raw instrumental afrobeat/funk whereas The Washington Sq. Lads Remix is completely different with electronic sounds and raps by Wale but still the remix works really well. The remix is taken from Scion CD Sampler Vol. 19. If you're not familiar with Scion AV, check it out. These samplers are part of Toyota's guerilla marketing campaign. The compilations are usually full of good tunes from independent labels. It would be nice to see more marketing campaigns like this one.

The Budos Band - Chicago Falcon (The Washington Sq. Lads Remix) feat. Wale [320 kbps]

Here's a cool video (made by pakratNYC) for The Volcano Songs that appears on The Budos Band's self-titled debut album (2005).

J.Rocc - Cooking Ingredients

Cooking Ingredients is a newish (spring 2008) mixtape by J.Rocc. I love the selection of the mix though I'm unfamiliar with many of the tracks...or maybe that's the very reason that makes it so great. J.Rocc mixes some really obscure jazzy funk and soul with style and grace typical of him. The mood of the mixtape is laid back and occasionally pretty hazy (in a good way) and then boom, all of a sudden you're run over by a killer break. Great stuff!

By the way, J.Rocc started a new blog last month. It's worth checking out. So far there's some Beat Junkies and Melo-D related stuff...surprise and a couple of mixes. Hopefully he keeps updating the blog.

J.Rocc - Cooking Ingredients [128 kbps]

Resense 006 12"

So far an Austrian label RESENSE has released eight EP's of great re-edits, mashups and other amazing funky latin stuff. RESENSE 006 is a 12" that consists of four latin flavored bossa brekabeat dancefloor monsters by The Captain, Sono Rhizmo, Palov & Mishkin and Mario's Tuna. I used to listen to this EP a lot last summer and now that the weather is cold, wet and gloomy at the headquarter of boogiebanger.blogspot.com it reminds me of those days in the sun and keeps me going.

The Captain - Every Man [320 kbps]

Sono Rhizmo - My House [320 kbps]