Claudio Tallino - Calamo 1976 (Aris)

Label : Aris (ress Sonor)

Value :

A pretty fantastic soundtrack to a movie that looks pretty darn spooky -- not in the usual Italian horror way, but more in an earthy, ritualistic sort of mode! As part of that vibe, the music's got this great current of sex -- some funky elements mixed with grittier sounds -- often electric bass balanced with raw percussion, or a sweet electric bit moving alongside an acoustic one -- an approach that sounds especially nice when pounding piano lines play out with a great sense of strength! There's also some especially nice flute -- used almost as this surprising current of innocence, which gets cool counterpoint from some fuzzier guitar. 

Taste :

Claudio Tallino - Lone Stepbrother

Claudio Tallino - Smoke Gets In Your Head

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By Electric Looser

Willie Bobo And The Bo Gents - Do What You Want To Do... 1971 (Sussex)

Label : Sussex

Value :

Incredible work by Willie Bobo -- a slamming record of hard funky instrumentals, one that sounds different than any of his other albums! The record's a killer all the way through -- a mixture of Latin and deep 70s funk, one of the few perfect fusions of the styles, held up beautifully all the way through the set. We've always liked Willie a lot, but honestly, we don't know how he managed to make a record this funky  but we're also not arguing, just enjoying the grooves with tremendous delight and surprise. Great all the way through, and includes the break cuts "Do What You Want to Do", "Broasted or Fried", and "Soul Foo Young" plus a version of "Dindi", which, for some reason, Willie seemed to record every chance he got!

Taste :

Willie Bobo And The Bo-Gents - How Can I Say Goodbye?

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By Electric Looser

Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire De Melody Nelson 1971 (Philips)

Label : Philips 

Value :

Fantastic stuff – and a record that may well be the greatest ever from the mighty Serge Gainsbourg – high praise indeed, considering the greatness of Gainsbourg's other music! The album is one long suite built around a spare, electric bass-driven theme – a slow funk riff that's been sampled countless times over the years, and which has gotten the album continuous play on both sides of the Atlantic for many many years. The mighty Jean-Claude Vannier handles the arrangements, and Serge mutters the lyrics over the top, in a raspy loud whisper – while the funky rhythms dart in and out of odd washes of sound, and unusual eerie sounds. There's a very strong soundtrack feel to the album, as waves of music envelop the lyrics – tripped out in funky beats that have become legendary over the years, thanks to some very famous samples! 

Taste :

 Serge Gainsbourg - En Melody

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By Electric Looser

Janko Nilovic - Pop Impressions (Editions Montparnasse 2000)

Label : Editions Montparnasse 2000

Value :

Nothing pop about this groovy little record -- save, perhaps, for the fact that it's been sampled by a number of hip hoppers over the years -- because the set's one of the greatest ever from the legendary Janko Nilovic -- a real masterpiece of complex grooves and offbeat instrumentation! The album goes way past the usual sound library funk -- as Janko brings in so many different sounds and styles throughout -- using flute, tympani, oboe, 12 string guitar, and other unusual instruments with a very freewheeling set of grooves!

Taste :

 Janko Nilovic - Sacha Pacha

Janko Nilovic - Ballet dans l'espace

 

Janko Nilovic - Essai pop-art

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By Electric Looser

Lonnie Smith - Think! 1969 (Blue Note)

Label : Blue Note

Value :

Think!, organist Lonnie Smith's 1968 sophomore effort (and first for Blue Note), is easily one of the strongest dates the Hammond B-3 master would produce for the label. Featuring a stellar group of musicians including trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist David Newman, guitarist Melvin Sparks, and drummer Marion Booker, Jr., as well as a three-member Afro-Latin percussion unit led by Henry "Pucho" Brown, Think! is a perfect mix of funky soul and forward-thinking jazz. Kicking things off with Hugh Masekela's instantly memorable "Son of Ice Bag," both Sparks and Newman take searching funk-flow solos while Morgan seems to be remembering a certain Masekela lick he dug. Similarly expansive is the epic and frenetic Afro bliss-out "The Call of the Wild," which finds Newman in a heady, bluesy organ jam freak-out set against "Pucho" Brown's torrid Latin rhythms and Sparks' nasty repeto-funk guitar riff. By the time you get to the title track and realize "Oh, it's that "Think," all you can do is laugh at the utter hipness of it all and take pleasure in the notion that the album is only half over. 

Taste :

Lonnie Smith - Son Of Ice Bag

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By Electric Looser