Contemporary Funk Vinyl 280 Items

Still sealed with hype sticker. Orange vinyl Limited edition.

Mariya Takeuchi is set to release her long-awaited original album after 10 years! This marks the 12th original album by singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi, following her 2014 release 'trad'. The album includes theme songs from movies, terrestrial TV dramas, Netflix anime, TV wide shows, and news programs, as well as TV commercial songs. It also features collaborations with Anri, harmonies with Tatsuro Yamashita on Western music covers, and self-covers of songs she provided to other artists, many of which are being released for the first time. This album, a culmination of the past decade, boasts a rich variety of styles and arrangements across its 18 tracks. The deluxe edition includes a CD plus a video collection titled "Precious Live Collection". This features 16 selected performances from her highly acclaimed first live stream, "live Turntable" in 2021, and the subsequent "live Turntable Plus", which included additional unreleased footage. Also included is the performance of "Genki wo Dashite" from the 2012 outdoor event "sweet Love Shower" held at Lake Yamanaka. This rare footage, featuring Mariya as a guest performer backed by the Tatsuro Yamashita Band, is being released for the first time ever, having not been aired by Space Shower TV, the event's organizer, at the time. This deluxe edition provides fans with a total of 17 video tracks, making it a must-have collection.

Alicia Keys/Shoshana Bean/Maleah Joi Moon - [Transparent Blue 2 LP] "Hell's Kitchen (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" / The 13 Tony-nominated Broadway musical is a coming-of-age story based on the life of Alicia Keys featuring her iconic hits including "Fallin'," "If I Ain't Got You" and more reimagined! In the mid '90s, in an apartment high above the energy and grit of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, 17-year-old Ali squints toward the horizon until she can just see the Hudson River. Despite the warnings of her protective mother, the symphony of the street calls to her - promising freedom, excitement, and the possibility of love. Finding herself. When a wise piano teacher helps her find her voice, Ali learns she can make the city her own. 2 LP set on transparent blue vinyl.

"We Are King" is the debut album by R&B trio King (currently named We Are King), released on February 5, 2016. It was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 59th Grammy Awards, making them the first independent artists to be nominated in that category. As soon as this debut album was released in 2016, it attracted tributes from many artists, including Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Robert Glasper, Erykah Badu, Quest Love, Giles Peterson and Avicii. The original version and even the 2017 reissue of the album is currently highly priced on the second-hand market. The entire album is a neo-R&B masterpiece, with the three's endlessly beautiful and sweet chorus work dancing over a nostalgic and futuristic sound that connects soul's past and future.

Cruisic develops a one-of-a-kind sound, mainly based on live drums and sequences. Their debut song, a cover of Azymuth's "Jazz Carnival," and a cover of 808 State's "Pacific 707" were released in the UK as well and attracted a great deal of attention. Cruisic's unique interpretation of the essence of house, Brazilian, jazz, acid jazz, and other major influences is expressed in a jazzy, groovy, and Balearic worldview. Their previous 7-inch releases, most of which sold out immediately, are now included as full-length versions, finally revealing their entire body of work!!

produced by Erykah Badu, 9th Wonder, James Poyser, Shafiq Husayn, Kariem Riggins, J Dilla, Madlib, Georgia Anne Muldrow. The Ankhh is backck!

Rung Hyang, a singer-soul writer who crosses over various genres, will release two EPs with Tendre, Taichi Mukai (tail) and others, as analog LP. Includes a new drum'n'bass remix by ☆Taku Takahashi (m-flo) as a bonus! Both sides of the LP record are covered with jacket photos taken by popular fashion photographers, including “romantia” by Mitsuo Okamoto and “aromatic” by Kisshomaru Shimamura. The artistic appeal of the album makes you want to keep it close at hand.

In celebration of the 20 year anniversary of this classic album UMe will be reissuing it back on vinyl for this first time in almost 10 years, on limited edition white vinyl.

Hand Numbered First Pressing

A long-awaited analog version of the gem of Japanese mellow fusion, which has been receiving a lot of attention from the City Pop~Balearic side of the music scene! The album contains many masterpieces such as "Ka Ri Bu No Yu Me", a Balearic/light fusion song with the scent of the ocean, "Manhattan Blue," a popular number that she also arranged, and "Click My Heart," a techno-pop song with a lovely and catchy electric organ. This is a piece that overflows with a unique sense of floating and loveliness, fully showcasing the diverse charms of the electronic organ known as the "Electone". The cover illustration by Tom Akamine is also excellent!

Shuya Okino x Root Soul!! The masterpiece of boogie-funk version of the famous album "Destiny" with live performance, the long-awaited analog version of this masterpiece is now available after a lapse of 10 years. The album features 8 songs including "Still In Love ft. Navasha Daya", replayed by Root Soul 2024 Edit. Root Soul is a renowned funky bassist who has been deeply involved with Kyoto Jazz Massive from the first album to the present. Eight gems have been selected and all songs have been newly "Replayed by Root Soul 2024 Edit". The live sound is on full display on "Destiny ft. N'Dea Davenport" and a cover of Don Blackman's "Holding You, Loving You", The strong boogie funk spun in perfect balance still shines brightly today.

The mysterious Tuxedo Funk Crew drops it in full length in 2015!

South London’s hottest young producer, Ed Black, known around the world as edbl, has teamed up with session legend and Youtube guitar sensation (his cover of Just the Two of Us has amassed over 5.5 million views!) Kazuki Isogai to create the perfect modern soul album!

As the first chords on album opener “Worldwide” warble, and Kazuki’s twinkling guitar starts to play, you can almost picture the two musical masterminds sitting across from one another, smiling as they recognize a riff or chord shape. It’s almost impossible to imagine that this album was created by two musicians on opposite sides of the world, in the middle of a pandemic. Their chemistry is undeniable, as Kazuki’s jazzy, slinky guitar solos dance across beats created by the singular talent that is edbl.

Yet, tracks like “Lemon Squeezy” show just how adaptable Kazuki is, as he backs down, letting “Nostalgia” (from South London Sounds) vocalist Taura Lamb take the spotlight. A riff here, and a reverb-drenched lick there is enough to showcase Kazuki’s talent, elevating edbl’s mellow beats to a whole new level.

Kazuki’s sweet guitar, and edbl’s soulful, mellow beats. What more could you possibly want? Don’t miss the long-awaited collaboration between two of modern soul’s most talented musicians, available on limited edition vinyl, only from P-vine Records.

When you imagine yourself driving along the coast with the top down, what music do you imagine is on? “shine”, from modern city pop trailblazer Junk Fujiyama is sure to be a contender as listening to it even in the dead of winter can transport you to that seaside road. The hotly anticipated sequel to last year’s “Happiness” sees Fujiyama once again teaming up with producer and arranger Tatsuki Kamiyama to create the pop, rock, and soul tinged city pop that has become Fujiyama’s trademark. With end of summer ballads like “Bokura no Summer Days ～Our Summer Days～” and summertime dance tunes like “Ai no Kiseki ～Trajectory of Love～” this album has a song for any occasion. Don’t miss the beautiful artwork by ‘hikari&’ which really ties the whole thing together. This summer album is sure to be one suitable for any season!

Begin guitarist Masaru Shimabukuro is releasing his first solo album on analog vinyl in his 55th year of life, featuring a splendid lineup of guest artists! Guest artists include Mongol800, Orange Range, Kariyushi58, kiroro, Ken Yokoyama (crazy KEN Band), Sami-t (Mighty Crown), and more! Begin debuted in 1990 and was inclined toward blues-rock, but later began playing Okinawa folk music as a guiding light. Since then, they have released songs with rich and varied musicality. The cover art is drawn by Masaru Shimabukuro himself.

Led by self-proclaimed "soul keyboardist" Swing-o, the piano trio 45trio is finally releasing their debut album. Since moving to Bloom Music in 2022 and releasing their cover of Weldon Irvine's classic "I Love You," every 7-inch they've released has sold out instantly. Their impeccable track selection, arrangement skills, and solid musicianship have garnered them overwhelming support from core DJs to Black music enthusiasts. The album ‘soul Review’ features 9 tracks, some presented as singles and others re-arranged, along with 5 new songs, perfectly capturing their unstoppable energy. Get ready for the release!

The long-awaited LP release of "sweet SPARE," the third album by I love you Orchestra Swing Style (ilyoss), a leading Japanese Jazz x Citypop band. The album features a danceable instrumental sound based on jazz and swing, and includes nine tracks featuring vocals from Hiro-a-key, Tamuraryo & Namichie, and Korean neo-soul sensation dosii.

Calling all fans of edbl! The Japanese debut from Tilly Valentine! Lending her voice to South London producer edbl on songs such as “Table For Two” and “Symmetry”, Valentine's star is quickly rising!

With high praise from The Oxford Mail and BBC Radio 6 music in her native England, Tilly Valentine has been making waves with her catchy hooks and mellow vocals. Her voice has crossed oceans, as her features on edbl’s South London Sounds have garnered high praise in Asia. Available only on this record is an acoustic version of “Retail Therapy” featuring edbl himself! With an obi-strip, this Japan-exclusive compilation of Tilly Valentine’s fantastic catalog is sure to be mellow, soulful, and groovy.

Five is the latest album from Khari Cabral & Jiva - a mouth-watering rare groove and acid jazz treat from the veteran bassist based out of Atlanta. The album features lead single ‘Show Me The Way’ released earlier in the year by UK label Splash Blue, and also two covers of the legendary James Mason from his jazz-funk classic Rhythm of Life.

Khari Cabral is a member of soul group Jiva, and outside his solo pursuits he’s also the touring bassist for four time grammy award-winning India Arie. P-vine is delighted to present Five as a limited edition LP with an iconic Japanese obi strip attached.

Limited to 200 copies, in this coor way only availabble at HHV.

Karate Boogaloo are proud to present Hold Your Horses, a mesmerizing new long-playing disc of original instrumental tunes from Melbourne, Australia’s most dedicated.

Sitting at the core of Melbourne’s burgeoning movement of cinematic instrumental soul, Karate Boogaloo’s roots go deep into the fabric of the DIY soul idiom. A mainstay of the Melbourne underground over the last decade, their now sought-after series of LPs delving into hip-hop sample culture and its relationship to funk music, The ‘KB’s Mixtapes’, are evidence of their long-standing contribution to the development of the Melbourne cinematic soul sound.

Henry Jenkins, Hudson Whitlock, Callum Riley, and Darvid Thor have been playing music together since their playground days. Meeting as high school preteens, these four friends explored the teachings of the great small combo instrumental bands à la Booker T & The MG’s and The Meters. With these lessons in one hand and their characteristic sense of goofy humor in the other, the ensuing 15+ years saw Karate Boogaloo develop the kind of shared musical language that can only be built through countless hours spent together existing as friends and musical allies.

Karate Boogaloo’s singular bond shines brightly on Hold Your Horses, the second album of original Karate Boogaloo compositions. Following on from the cult classic Carn The Boogers (College Of Knowledge Records, 2020), Hold Your Horses is a document of KB’s distinct interpretation of instrumental funk. A bona-fide journey from start to finish, each tune melds seamlessly into the next, deftly creating a world built on moments of cinematic tension, whimsical melodies and eerie discordance and underpinned by undeniable super heavy funk. Hold Your Horses respectfully builds on a legacy of soul music whilst remaining unimpeachably unique and authentic.

From Dusk Till Dawn, the first album of the new generation R&B band Halley, who performed at “sxsw 2024”, will be released on a long-awaited vinyl record! This is the culmination of Halley's work, packed with the lustrous and soulful voice of vocalist TaeHyun and a band ensemble based on R&B/neo-soul. Strongly influenced by jazz, R&B, soul, gospel, and funk, the music is characterized by elements of black music.

Orgone takes on 13 funk and soul classics! Otis Redding, Funkadelic, The Meters, Aretha Franklin, Betty Wright, and Booker T are just a few of the artists Orgone cover on this mixtape collection with some help from friends as well! Expertly recorded and performed, you could make an argument for some of these being better than the originals, but we'll suffice it to say that it's a simply killer set from beginning to end!

Without a pandemic, you’d now be listening to an album wholly recorded in Cuba with local musicians. Back in 2020, everything was organised, so that in May 2021 we could get started. Yet, the sanitary measures proved to be a fierce adversary, so rather than giving up entirely we decamped to Dakar in October the same year – a compromise that ended up being a positive event in itself.
Cuba has a long African history. Under mass enslavement and the Transatlantic trade, Africans were forced from their homelands, against their will, taking their music along with them. Merging throughout the centuries, taking on European influences, led to the birth of a distinctive Afro-Cuban musical tradition. Highly percussive, brass-based, simmering, full of danceable rhythms. The spirit etched into thousands of recordings, forever turning towards Africa. The departure point here is not to keep things the same. Rather, a return to the source enacts a loop – much the same as those providing the foundations for hip-hop beats.
The flame when it’s re-lit illuminates everything. Thanks to the Senegalese musicians in Dakar, the Cubans who crossed the Atlantic to join us and my usual family of musicians, this music – a cross-section of covers and original compositions - exists as a homage to Afro-Cuban music. Made in Africa, in Senegal. Three worlds, three languages, three colours. Recorded over 17 days, non-stop, germinating the seed born in Cuba at the end of 2020 so that the most beautiful fruits might be cultivated in Dakar, 2022.
When the world doesn’t seem big enough, we look up to the sky where even the blackness is lit up, where those I loved who are now gone shine as stars, shining as brightly as all the others. Each time I think I’m not going to make it; I recall the star of my mother. Then the path becomes clear.
Pandemic, visa problems, cultural clashes, bank transfers that didn’t go through, a fractured foot – this project sometimes felt like a series of accumulated challenges. The only thing linking us, a shared love for the music, each of us invoking our personal star and all that we have overcome.
In this way, the music is born as a call to our stars.

Yakul are James Berkeley (vocals and keys), Tom Caldwell-Nichols (bass), Sam Hughes (drums) and Leo Utton (guitar) who are based out of Brighton UK. The band marry introspective lyrics with deep grooves and jazz infused progressions, blending a range of styles into a sound they call “Future Soul”. Their collaborative works with London beatmaker edbl were also great, so they have become a topic of conversation among music fans not only in Europe but also around the world. In 2022, an album co-produced by South London producer edbl and the band's frontman James Berkeley was released in Japan, and in 2024 the band was invited to perform at the Java Jazz Festival, one of the largest jazz festivals in Indonesia. In 2024, the band will be invited to perform at the Java Jazz Festival, Indonesia's largest jazz festival, and is also attracting attention in Japan and other Asian countries. Here is their brand-new album from P-vine.

“Flow”: A Reviving Sound of Unity Beyond the Pandemic, with Collaborative Voices Echoing Across Global Music Scenes Nao Yoshioka’s latest album “Flow,” born from overcoming the trials of the pandemic and rediscovering light, represents a collaborative effort that brings together artists from various countries, bridging the gap in a divided world through music once again. Collaborations with artists representing scenes from the US, UK, Netherlands, Australia, and Japan, including Devin Morrison, Reuben James, Mxxwll, Jael, Jarreau Vandal, and Takuya Kuroda, amplify her musical identity. Elite engineers, including Qmillion, who mixed Robert Glasper’s masterpiece, and Sam Brawner, known for his work with Anderson .Paak, also contributes. After enduring challenging times, this album, themed around self-discovery and expression, guided by Nao’s deep creativity in a state of immersion, leads listeners into an uplifting sound that sways both hearts and bodies, inviting them into their own immersion. This blend of soul, R&B, jazz, and funk becomes a symbol of hope and revival that Nao delivers to the world, resonating as a baton of timeless music.

Finally the debut full length LP from Aeon Seven is upon us! After a production career going back to the year 2000, this French maestro has been a creative force in all areas of production, DJing and animation. First gaining some serious attention from the funk/breaks community worldwide with his exceptional Funky Furious EP (2005), he has gone on to produce a clutch of incredible mix tapes that beautifully reveal his deft touch on the turntables and in the studio, he's written a couple of singles for 45 Live Records and produced some slick DJ tools with the Thundercuts series on both 7" and 12". Throughout all this time Aeon Seven has been honing his craft both musically and visually. His love of the instrumental, and obvious love of soundtracks, psyche and jazz come through in all of his productions. From the downbeat and wonderfully eerie and atmospheric themes of "The Hidden Hand", the cosmic harp led soundscape of the opening track "Outer Space Illusion" to the uptempo and funky blaxploitation vibes of "Mankind Hunt", Aeon Seven's grasp of songwriting is mature and expertly executed.

The highly anticipated follow-up to Thee Sacred Souls's breakout 2022 self-titled debut, Got A Story To Tell, features 12 all original new songs, a soaring statement of exquisite craftsmanship from this young band from San Diego whose story grows bigger by the day. Recorded and produced by Gabriel Roth at Penrose Recorders, in Daptone’s Riverside, CA studio, and written in the throes of supporting their 2022 album, which was met with significant excitement and major touring that brought them across the world. What swirls together on Got A Story To Tell is an appreciation of decades of soul music, and beyond - a sound and feel that is timeless, lived in, and very much in the now. Album opener “Lucid Girl” champions independent women, set to some of the toughest sounding drums and bass the band has yet to put to tape. “Waiting On The Right Time” slinks with a touch of slow-burning psychedelia. A plea for empathy punctuates “One and the Same,” with Lane singing: “We’re one and the same, I feel one day / We learn to live with each other / In love, not fear / Just for a moment, why can’t we be together.” “On My Mind” is a sweeping orchestration, with Lane navigating the complexities of finding happiness while balancing the good with the bad. The album is punctuated with strings and squelching guitar, trundling piano, pops of conga, horns - it makes for a thrilling, layered listen that rewards with multiple spins.

Still sealed. tiny wear

The trio's collective musical DNA, the years spent constructing it in Houston's local-meets-global cultural stew, ensures the band continues to sound like no one but itself. A cascade of crisp melodies emanates from Marko's reverb-heavy electric, dancing gently around Laura Lee's minimalist almost-dub bass triangles, while DJ's drums serve as the tightened-up pocket and unwavering dance-floor on which all this movement takes place. Yet there's a freshness to A La Sala's instrumental interactivity, less concerned with getting further out than going deeper in, a profound desire to celebrate the world's external wonders. Where prior albums strived towards music's polyglot edges, such inquiries now sound like beloved intimacies. Here, Khruangbin's sonic touch-points - whether spaghetti-western film scores (on "Fifteen Fifty-Three"), West African discos (on "Pon Pón"), G-funk fantasias ("Todavía Viva"), living room dancing moments (the first single, "A Love International"), or even ambient found-sounds (on "Farolim de Felgueiras” and throughout the album) - are ingrained characteristics. This is who they are! Unique and huge (and growing), ambitious and driven. Khruangbin's aspirations and commitment to playful creativity even extends to A La Sala's vinyl packages, of which there will be seven distinctive covers and color-sets. Designed by the band using Marko's multitude of travelog photos, the images are windows from the band's living room onto a set of daydreams, scenes of impossible skies, external glances that illuminate what is going on inside. Each cover image comes with a matching color vinyl. These too are all about looking out and looking back, in order to better look ahead.

Twenty-eight years ago, pissed-off twelve-year-olds around the universe discovered a new planet, a Black Planet. Public Enemy’s aggressive, Benihana beats and incendiary lyrics instilled fear among parents and teachers everywhere, even in the border town of Laredo, Texas, home of the future founders of the Latin-Funk-Soul-Breaks super group, Brownout. The band’s sixth full-length album (out May 25th) Fear of a Brown Planet is a musical manifesto inspired by Public Enemy’s music and revolutionary spirit.

Chuck D., the Bomb Squad, Flava Flav and the rest of the P.E. posse couldn’t possibly have expected that their golden-era hip hop albums would sow the seeds for countless Public Enemy sleeper cells, one that would emerge nearly three decades later in Austin, Texas. Greg Gonzalez (bass) remembers a kid back in junior high hipped him to the fact that Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise” is built on James Brown samples, while a teenaged Beto Martinez (guitar) alternated between metal and hip-hop in his walk-man, and Adrian Quesada (guitar/keys) remembers falling in love with Public Enemy’s sound at an early age. “When I got into Hip hop, I was looking for this aggressive outlet . . . and I didn’t even understand what they were pissed off about, because I was twelve and lived in Laredo . . . but I loved it and I felt angry along with them.”

Joseph Abajian (Fat Beats’ owner) must have sensed the deep hip-hop well lying beneath the versatile band’s Latin-Funk veneer. “I thought their sound would work covering Public Enemy songs,” Abajian says, and, “it was good to know they were P.E. fans . . . We came up with a track listing and they went to work.” Despite the band’s eagerness to work on new original material (an album of original songs is slated for next year), they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pay homage to this iconic and influential posse.

Translating sample-based music to a live band turned out to be more of a challenge than they anticipated. Adrian tried to get inside the Bomb Squad’s [Public Enemy’s producers/beat-making team] head in order to find the inspiration to reinterpret P.E.’s songs: “imagine the Bomb Squad going back in time and getting the J.B.s [James Brown’s funky backing band] in the studio and setting up a couple analog synths and then playing those songs.” While some songs closely follow the original musical blueprint, others use the source breakbeats as jumping-off points later sweetened by Trombonist Mark “Speedy” Gonzales’ horn arrangements, synth wizardry courtesy of friend-of-the-band Peter Stopschinski, and DJ Trackstar’s turntable scratches. But don’t listen expecting to hear paint-by-numbers recreations of classic Public Enemy jams. “Our approach is never in the tribute sense,” Adrian explains. “We’ve always taken it and made it our own, whether it’s the Brown Sabbath thing or this Public Enemy thing.”

Coming off numerous tours as Brown Sabbath and even a stint backing the late legend Prince, Brownout is arguably the tightest and funkiest band on the road today and they’re psyched to bring this revolutionary music to the people. For a band without an overt political agenda, they collectively couldn’t resist the opportunity to play this music live, especially now. “If there’s any way that we can use the already political and protest nature [of P.E.’s music], we would like to try,” Beto says. “The album’s title, Fear of Brown Planet is definitely a relevant idea today and we’re not afraid to put it out there, because we want to speak out.” By reinterpreting these hip hop classics in their unique style and channeling the spirit of Public Enemy that first echoed around the world and captured their imaginations all those years ago, Brownout is doing exactly that.

On Seeds, Georgia Muldrow takes a step back and leaves the beatmaking to Otis Jackson Jr., aka Madlib. As producers, Muldrow and Jackson are not worlds apart, so the switch requires no adjustment on the part of the listener. That said, this is one dense and tight set, barely over half-an-hour in length, and it's definitely in contention for Muldrow's most focused, funkiest, and (somewhat ironically) personal release to date. Throughout the record, the emphasis remains heavily fixated on her family as a unit of salvation and purpose. The most direct track of the lot is "Husfriend," where she honors her relationship with Dudley Perkins (a/k/a Declaime, who appears on “The Few”). Muldrow can't quite divorce the planetary and personal issues, heard vividly on "Best Love," which sounds just like a simple, sweet, straight-ahead love song until she starts asking her other half for money to build water wells on three continents ("We can make a difference if we try now"). Overall, Seeds is another left-field deviation in Muldrow's career: it's one of her most captivating and immediate front-to-back statements of purpose as a singer, but it's also the first album where she's handed over all the production duties to somebody else. In celebration of this album’s decenary run, Someothaship Connect is pleased to reintroduce an anniversary edition repress of this captivating release in partnership with Fat Beats.

Celebrated as one of New Orleans' greatest entertainers, Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. Continues the zydeco tradition forged by his father (accordionist Rockin' Dopsie) and his legendary band, The Twisters. Having collaborated with Beyoncé, Paul Simon and Tina Turner, and featured in the 2024 film, "Roadhouse," Dopsie, Jr. #and his band continue sharing the joy of zydeco with a soul-stirring, body-moving album led by the powerful vocals and singular washboard stylings of David Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. [Translucent Purple LP]

Big AC Records are proud to present ‘Wonderland’, the astonishing debut LP from London-based soul ensemble, Wonder 45. The album is set for release on Friday 31st May and is available to pre-order on LP and CD now from www.bigacrecords.com
The band have released a steady stream of singles over the last few months, receiving international airplay and strong support across the UK Radio network. Their second single, ‘Cry’ was playlisted on BBC Radio 2 for three weeks in early 2024 and was also heavily rotated on BBC 6 Music and KEXP in Seattle. The follow-up ‘Make It Happen’ was premiered on 6 Music by Craig Charles, who touted Wonder 45 as “One To Watch” in 2024.
Continuing in the best traditions of contemporary soul performance from Sharon Jones, Black Pumas, Alabama Shakes, as well as Al Green, Aretha Franklin and in the case of the title track, “like a 21st century Joe Cocker”(Blues and Soul Magazine), the nine tracks of ‘Wonderland’ are sincere affairs of the heart, crafted with tremendous loving care and the utmost attention to detail. The band’s rich, analogue production combined with powerful, soulful performances and heartfelt songwriting, make you feel as though you’re the only one in the room.
‘Wonderland’ straddles the line between traditional and contemporary soul with ease, but wherever it sits in your playlist it’s an album packed full of feeling. From the blown out and tear-stained vocals in ‘Cry’ to the gentle reassurance of ‘Nothing Gonna Change’, the vocals soar on this record, flying on the wings of smooth horns, organ and beautiful bass.
The title track ‘Wonderland’ has a real fairground feel, taking you on a spin through what feels like the world’s most intense one night stand. But there’s plenty of pace here too – ‘Superman’ storms through the skies leaving you feeling superfly with some gritty drums and tight AF guitar, while ‘Walk Into The Fire’ inducts you into the cult of Wonder 45 with some heavy beats made for dancing, but leave you on an emotional high. And if you need something to bring you up, Make It Happen will inspire you with huge horns and vocals.
Expect heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears to run through the playground of funk and soul sounds that is ‘Wonderland’. Need to know how authentic funk and soul goes down? Wonder no more.

Runner-Up at Apollo Theater Amateur Night! Highly Anticipated Debut Album from a Major New Talent Set to Take the World by Storm Nao Yoshioka's first album, "The Light," was recorded by three teams in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Japan. The notable vintage soul artist Brian Owens from the U.S. handled the instrumental recording and vocal direction for three tracks. In New York, Dani Elliott and Orly collaborated on songwriting and provided tracks. In the Netherlands, Shirma Rouse, hailed as the No. 1 Soul Queen, also took charge of the instrumental recording and vocal direction for three tracks. The Japanese team featured top musicians from the scene, including Takuya Kuroda, a trumpeter renowned for his work with the José James Band. Soul music, connected through Nao Yoshioka, casts its spell from Tokyo to the world.