Various - Mainstream Funk (Funk - Soul - Spiritual Jazz - 1971-75) 2022 (Wewantsounds)

Label : Wewantsounds

Value :

Funky jazz and a touch of soul -- all pulled from the short-lived but legendary Mainstream Records -- home to a whole host of hip artists in the early half of the 70s! Mainstream picked things up from Impulse, Prestige, and other soulful labels of the 60s -- allowing jazz musicians to stretch out with a new sense of expression, but often in ways that hit a mighty nice groove -- kind of a 70s update of the soul jazz modes of the generation before, but with a few spiritual jazz touches too! You'll know a few names here from older Blue Note recordings, and they've got an updated 70s vibe, and are matched with some hip younger talents too -- all in a great array of grooves that's superbly selected throughout. 

Taste : 

Sarah Vaughan - Inner City Blues

Mike Longo - Matrix

 

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By Electric Looser

Horace Silver - Psychedelic Sally / Serenade To A Soul Sister 1968 (Blue Note)

Label : Blue Note

Value :

Two of Horace's best late 60s groovers -- both done with a hard-rolling soul jazz approach! "Psychedelic Sally" is particularly nice -- with a strutting little hook that made the track one of the bigger Blue Notes of the time!  

Taste :

Horace Silver - Psychedelic Sally

Horace Silver - Serenade To A Soul Sister

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By Electric Looser

 

Elias Rahbani - Mosaic Of The Orient 1992 (Voix De L'Orient)

Label : Voix De L'Orient

Value :

Mosaic Of The Orient«, the reissue specialists Right Track from Beirut release a compilation that makes 17 tracks from the two instrumental albums by Elias Rahbani, the youngest of the three Rahbani brothers, released under this title in 1972 and 1974, tangible again. This music is a pioneering achievement in its fusion of western elements and folklore typical of the country: The sounds of the oud and buzuq lutes, näi flutes and darbukka enter into a harmonious marriage with the sounds of synthesizers, electronic organs and drums with the greatest of ease and produce an almost synoptic quality of lasting, thus everlasting appeal. No wonder that pieces like »Dance Of Maria« appear as samples in songs by the Black Eyed Peas and others. 

Taste :

Elias Rahbani -  Mosaic Of The Orient (full album)

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By Electric Looser

Connan Mockasin - Jassbusters 2018 (Mexican Summer)

Label : Mexican Summer

Value :

Nothing is ever straightforward with Connan Mockasin, and nothing should ever be straightforward with Connan Mockasin. This riddled rule has never resounded more than on Jassbusters, Mockasin’s third album and first in five years. An unclassifiable, unconventional album that neither picks up from nor abandons the modes of 2013’s widely-embraced Caramel or its 2010 predecessor Forever Dolphin Love, Jassbusters foreshadows a five-part melodrama titled Bostyn ’n Dobsyn, directed by and staring Mockasin. Jassbusters soundtracks the unpredictable narrative of the television series in eclectic, electric ways.
Whether bending genres for shits n’ giggles or collaborating with artists like James Blake (who might just appear on a Jassbusters track), MGMT, John Cale, and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Connan Mockasin has always maneuvered in mysterious ways. After touring with the likes of Radiohead and Neil & Liam Finn (Crowded House), the Kiwi R&B surrealist continues assembling a cult around his theater, nay spectacle, of life with Bostyn ’n Dobsyn screenings and Jassbusters performances throughout October and November 2018.

Taste :

Connan Mockasin - Charlotte’s Thong

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By Electric Looser

Senor Soul - Plays Funky Favorites 1968 (Double Shot Records)

Label : Double Shot Records

Value :

Tremendously groovy work from the legendary Senor Soul -- a fab little combo from late 60s LA, and one who played in a wonderful blend of soul, funk, and Latin-based modes! The sound here is made up from elements that include vibes, organ, piano, guitar, and drums -- plus plenty of funky flute on most numbers, really taking the lead in a snappingly soulful kind of way! Like most LA groups of the time, Senor Soul do a great job of blurring lines between genres working in some jazz, but staying more in a soul instrumental bag and acting Latin at times, but usually going for more of a funky approach in the end! Some tracks are covers, and some are originals.

Taste :

Senor soul - Poquito Soul 

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By Electric Looser

Mike Francis - Features Of Love 1985 (Club)

Label : Club

Value :

This 12" version of "Features" is an absolute Italian masterpiece in both it's arrangement & production--excellent sonics too. The synth bass coupled with the acoustic rhythm guitars is something not heard too often, and works fantastically here. Excellent!

Taste :

Mike Francis - Features Of Love

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By Electric Looser

The Frightnrs - Nothing More To Say 2016 (Daptone)

Label : Daptone

Value :

The Frightnrs have plenty more to say here – and they say it in a really sharp-edged approximation of older rocksteady modes! The group are contemporary, but like the best acts on Daptone, they've got an instantly classic feel – thanks to instrumentation and production that take us right back to late 60s Kingston, but with some of the sharper funky currents we've come to expect from the label! And while The Frightnrs may pitch themselves as an old school reggae act, they're also one that have a heavy dose of soul – almost a late night New Jersey current to their music at times – as if the All Platinum/Stang label put out their own version of Jamaican soul.

Taste :

The Frightnrs - What Have I Done

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By Electric Looser