Contemporary Funk 407 Items

Members of Poets of Rhythm and Faruk Green present a heady approach to Jazz and Low Rock instrumentals from Berlin, Germany. Horns, drum breaks, basslines and keys seething with freedom and emotion. The debut LP from Feed LA works in tandem with the albums cover art, a beautifully structured abstraction of flowering sound beams, gently crashing into itself, uncovering intriguing rhythmic discoveries and subtle sonic nuances with each listen.

Feed LA is:
Özgür Bayraktar – keyboards, Daniel Ray Gahn – drums, Jeff Özdemir – bass, Michael Treetop Voß – trumpet, vocals

After their debut album Space Voyage for Warner Chappell, Eleven76 are back with a new album commercially available for the first time entitled Occhio Occhio. The album contains insect-themed outernational grooves with tropical and arabian flavours and smooth and buttered tunes with soulful vibes that are reminiscent of classic european library music. Vintage synthesizers and hot tape-recorded drums continue to lead Eleven76's mystique, with travels through funk territories and all the while frenzied percussion-heavy break beats keep b-girls and b-boys moving on the floor. Including the sold out first two singles "The Scarab’s Quest" & "The Hornet’s Nest" plus 3 exclusive tracks for this vinyl edition

Record Kicks is proud to present POST MOMENTUM, the new EP by Italian cult combo Calibro 35 to be released on limited edition 12" vinyl. The extended-play comes 17 months after the acclaimed previous Calibro 35 album MOMENTUM, which – as the band stated: "represented a look at nowadays and a reflection about making music right in the time that we're living". The tour began right after the album release in January 2020, but it was soon interrupted when the whole world suddenly stopped because of the Pandemic. Now "POST MOMENTUM" represents a re-start and the first step towards the future, picking up where they left off.

Among the six tracks of the EP, while "Digi-Tails" and "Stars and Stripes, Chirps and Bleeps" express the unique musicianship of Calibro 35 as we have come to know over the years, "Being a Robot is Awesome" and "Artificial Black Moon" see the participation of a guest from the world to come: Sophia, the humanoid developed by Hanson Robotics capable of interacting autonomously with everything around it, reminding us how being a Robot could prove to be the best strategy to survive sometimes. The opening of the EP is an alternative version of the single "Stan Lee" enriched by two heavyweights of Italian rap: Ensi and Ghemon that don't make us miss Illa J. The EP ends with another alternate version of "Stan Lee", this time in all its instrumental glory.
Active since 2008, Calibro 35 enjoy a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent bands around. During their thirteen-year career, they were sampled by Dr. Dre on his Compton album, Jay-Z, The Child of lov & Damon Albarn; they shared stages worldwide with the likes of Roy Ayers, Muse, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sharon Jones, Thundercat and Headhunters and as unique musicians they collaborated with, amongst others, PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish and Stewart Copeland and Nic Cester (The Jet). Described by Rolling Stone magazine as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that happened to Italy in the last years", Calibro 35 now count on a number of aficionados worldwide including VIP fans such as Dj Food (Ninja Tune), Mr Scruff and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin' Criminals) among others.

The band started back in 2007 when Grammy award winner producer Tommaso Colliva (Muse), invited some of the best musicians from the Italian indie scene - Enrico Gabrielli (PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish), Massimo Martellotta (Stewart Copeland, Adrian Younge), Luca Cavina (Retox, Zeus!), Fabio Rondanini (John Parish, Daniel Johnston) - to record some Italian golden age soundtracks. What started as a studio b-side project evolved in a full time band able to release 7 heavily acclaimed albums. Their last album MOMENTUM came out on Record Kicks on January 24th 2020. "MOMENTUM" stood out as a new starting point for the project.

We are starting 2021 with this incredibly beautiful and critically acclaimed track by Deborah Jordan, from her latest album ‘See In The Dark’ and this outstanding rework and extended edit by the songs original producer Marc Rapson. The extended edit is an exquisite journey through the original into an instrumental with stunning piano flourishes, magical strings and soaring vocals, continuing the journey of this unique and timeless track, which has been described as Deborah’s Magnum Opus. Rapson’s new Rework evokes memories of our most endeared hip-hop beat makers (Dilla, Q-Tip, Pete Rock) and takes us deep with masterful piano textures, resampled voices and the warmest bass you would have heard in years.The bonus track ‘Senses’, a standout from Deborah’s album, has also received the Rapson touch with a perfect hip-hop swing and ridiculous bass line which is exclusive to this vinyl release.

produced by Rick Rubin & Paul Epworth

Almost 2 years after the success of the album THE TONY ALLEN EXPERIMENTS and a few months after the release of the 7inch AMORE, Nu Guinea return to the scene with a new LP published by their newborn label NG RECORDS.
After touring the world looking for sounds suitable for their vibrations, NU GUINEA decided to go back to square one, Napoli, where Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina were born and raised. They watched their city from a distance reconstructing its energy from their studio in Berlin, calibrating the synths on the meridian of Vesuvius, the volcano that has always protected and threatened Napoli.
NUOVA NAPOLI is the result of a long musical research that has become a historical investigation on the sound that shaped Napoli during the ‘70s and ‘80s, starting from the contamination of genres (disco, jazz-funk, African rhythms) which ended up in Nu Guinea’s DNA.
In this album the synthesizers fill the spaces between the past and the future, tightening in a single body acoustic instruments, electronics and voices in Neapolitan dialect. It is the first time that the duo has worked with such a large group of musicians, some of whom are exponents of the contemporary Neapolitan scene.

WARNING: We recommend listening to Nuova Napoli while walking in the alleys of Napoli’s historic center, around wet clothes hanging and street vendors on tiny three-wheelers.

It's the album that modern funk heads have been waiting for - a Zackey Force Funk project produced entirely by XL Middleton. With no guest features or producers, Blue Blade Piranha showcases the chemistry of one of the west coast's dynamic duos of funk. XL's synth-driven soundscapes pull heavily from 80's boogie & 90's g-funk, with occasional sprinklings of house & minimal wave. They provide the perfect backdrop for Zackey's breezy, yet hallucinatory ruminations on the intoxicating highs and grievous lows of street life.

Rumba, Flamenco, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Disco, House,.

Sixth record by the Achilifunk Sound System "Super Soul Gitano". Txarly Brown, invents accidental Rumba Jazz Dance. Using as the starting point a collaboration with Jonatan Ximenis, the singer from Arrels de Gràcia, old soul, funk and jazz classics are revisited from the rumba point of view. From Bill Withers to Gino Paoli, everything is thrown on the beater. There are also some original compositions on B side.

The Achilifunk Sound System gives us their best record yet. Lalo López, Jack Chakataga and Txarly Brown have recreated all these classics, with the occasional help from Mr.Freak Ska and Voodoocuts.

Limited Edition for Record Store Day 2018!

The King Rooster are a heavy funk quartet consisting of Ian Stevens & Mark Claydon (Bass & Drums from London funksters, The Getup) joined by Sam Montero on keys & James Forster on guitar. Collectively the band have played, recorded and shared stages with artists such as Sir Joe Quarterman, Alexia Coley, JTQ, Gizelle Smith, Reuben Wilson, Pee Wee Ellis, The Getup, Speedometer and Rhoda Dakar to name but a few. Having released a cassette only EP, Charisma Café, last year followed by a string of limited 7 vinyl only releases on various independent labels in Europe and the US, The King Rooster & Dinked Records are pleased to announce their self titled debut LP on heavy weight 180g black vinyl for Record Store Day 2018. Limited to 500 copies with picture sleeve and printed inner, each copy comes with a unique download card for digital. 14 tracks, including 8 previously unreleased ones. Droppin' hard hitting instrumental workouts along with some heavy vocal bangers, real funk is the order of the day!

After the success of “Navegar” (2021) Joao Selva continues to spread wings, taking us on a journey into his musical universe, always as sunny as it is abundant. His new album “Passarinho” span a generous palette of musical influences: from Angolan semba to Cape Verdean funaná, via Caribbean zouk or Congolese rumba – João Selva's music channels the musical pulse of the Black Atlantic. In the most (im)pure Brazilian tradition, he also digests the contribution of North American music and freely incorporates elements from elsewhere into the irresistible rhythms of Brazil.

This new album transposes the elegant melodies and magnetic vocals of Joao Selva into unexpected musical universes, each producer having had complete freedom to add their own soundscapes. Patchworks present a sublime acoustic version of "Passarinho" mixing Caribbean percussion and captivating vocal harmonies. Art of Tones brings its sense of fiesta, transforming the infectious optimism of “Cantar cantar" into exuberant Afro-Latin euphoria. Voilaaa serve us his raw afro-disco grooves on “Vai te curar” adding smooth horns, sparkling funky keys and acid basslines. Canadian dancefloor killer Poirier takes "Chuva" to another dimension, adding his science of beats and a powerful bass to keep us dancing all night long (and even in the rain!). Uptown Funk Empire delivers an additive version of the irresistible "Menina me encanta", while Ireke elegantly revisits “Sete Ventos”.

Joao Selva and his crew distill lively and joyful music, full of good vibes and perfect for fully enjoying the summer. Take your caipirinha and go dance!

Tracklist

Let the clicking of the gears transport you to another world. A land filled with organic synthesizers, deep bass lines, moving drums and lo-fi textures, topped off with warm vocals and soaring strings, Dragonfruit takes you on a genre blending trip through their music. The first glimpse of their unique sound has been captured on their debut-album "Gears Of The Giant Machine”.

Dragonfruit are another prime example of an outfit who are looking to push the boundaries of genres. The Rotterdam-based group’s unique blend of sampled hip-hop crossed with influential neo-soul has certainly given them the scope to broaden their ever rising horizons. Full of confidence and a personality that shines through, their music certainly has many people wondering what’s going to happen next, with an individual unpredictability that has seen them featured in the likes of Earmilk and Kaltblut to date.

They now arrive, after a string of single releases, with their highly anticipated debut album ‘Gears of the Giant Machine’ arriving on October 8th through Super Sonic Records. The album is full of rich lo-fi textures and electronica that transcends beyond the norm, with the lead single being the relentlessly colourful ‘Digital Princess’. Modern R&B is more than prevalent here, with an upbeat slice of laden beats that match the wonderful lyricism of both Danique van der Vlugt and featured artist Amazumi. It’s catchy and juicy from the off, with the songs meaning centring around female empowerment which elevates the track even further once you realise its celebratory undertone of accepting who you are and loving it.

The album as a whole is an escape to a completely different place, and Dragonfruit have created this sonically diverse and unique listening experience. This ideology is more than well placed, as they encompass a whole range of sounds; synthesizers, deep bass lines, moving drums, topped off with warm vocals and soaring strings. ‘Gears of the Giant Machine’ will remove you from the mundane, with ‘Digital Princess’ being the catalyst. It’s clear that Dragonfruit capture the essence of what it takes to be a modernised power-pop outfit, and ‘Digital Princess’ is set to take a lot of people by surprise and wonder.

Speaking more on ‘Digital Princess’ Dragonfruit explains: “Digital Princess is a song about female empowerment, or empowerment of any kind if you will. It’s about coming to terms with who you are and celebrating that. In the words of Rupaul: “‘If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else”.

But not only that: if you don’t love and accept yourself, how can you expect anyone else to do so? So again: celebrate yourself. Reflect and recognise what you like and don’t like. Come to terms with what you can’t change, and change what you can if you want.”

The son of a radio DJ who introduced him to the world of record collecting, Harris grew up with music, progressing from violin, to high school drumline, to the Jazz Studies program at Virginia Commonwealth University. He also continued working with other instruments and developed an interest in sampling. His development as a producer – at first, without a computer or sampler – came first learning to replay samples on the drums, piano, bass or guitar.
DJ Harrison finds himself inspired by local musicians in the Richmond scene that’s as diverse and nonexclusive as they come. Among rappers, producers, punks and bluegrass bands, he falls within reach of an expansive pool of musicians to collaborate with. He lives and works in Jellowstone, a house turned recording compound occupied by his band mates in Butcher Brown, a “garage punk jazz funk” group

Six Nine Records Ltd. UK proudly presents two brand new mixes of the Golden Bridge tunes “Wouldn’t Be The Same” and “I Can Prove It” (an excellent updated version of Tony Etoria’s 70s modern soul track), where Matt Antunes delivers vocals on the first and Leon Beal on the latter. Both tracks originates from the first (and so far only) full length album from 2019 by the duo consisting of Monolog (Yukihiro Kanesaka) and T-Groove (Yuki Takahashi) and are hereby released on 7” vinyl for the first time ever. Definitely not to be missed as it is a limited UK press with full colour printed picture cover!

LeSale is back with the Synchronized EP, which marks his fifth solo EP on Luv Shack Records. The title track is LeSale´s first foray into boogie-funk, featuring lyrics and vocals by Kathy Diamond, one of the great voices of the early nu-disco era and former singer of the duo Kdms, as well as tape mixing by vienna based studio wizard Sam Irl. “Synchronized” comes in 4 versions; the classic vocal mix featuring the full vocals by Kathy Diamond, the instrumental mix which is stripped of the vocals entirely, the extended dub mix, featuring arrangement and additional overdubs by Sam Irl, concentrating on the bare,funky essence of the track and finally a special remix by Ooft!. The Ooft! remix lays a club foundation for “Synchronized", taking it to proto house territory with a sparse use of original vocals and additional drums, synth leads and pads. As a bonus original track, we get “Superfluid", an upbeat elektro-funk journey

Fresh off of their 2020 offering Adult Themes, El Michels Affair is back with a new full-length release. Titled Yeti Season, this newest album has everything we've come to expect from EMA's patented cinematic style of instrumental soul music. Where Adult Themes inspired a soundtrack to an imaginary film, Yeti Season brings us to a different place in time_with new inspirations. Taken with Turkish-styled funk and an almost Mumbai-esque take on soul, El Michels Affair offers us a different kind of drama and imagination with Yeti Season. If you've been following along, this shouldn't be viewed as too far a departure for El Michels Affair. The first single off of Yeti Season showed their hand back in 2018. A double-sided banger, that release brought the musical textures to the fore that dominate this record. The first song, titled "Unathi," is fully realized with the beautifully haunting-yet-hopeful vocals of Piya Malik, formally of 79.5_another Big Crown artist. Singing in Hindi, Piya's ethereal voice is telling us to work and strive together toward progress. Even if you don't understand her language, you can still hear the urgency of purpose, creating a lasting vibe that sits on top of it all. Leon Michels explains that Piya had a vital influence on this record: "When Piya started singing in Hindi, she had a different voice, a different tone. I knew we had to do something together." And so Piya appears on three other songs on Yeti Season: "Zaharila," "Murkit Gem," and "Dhuaan." Each providing particular signatures to the album. "Zaharila" is a building and changing love song punctuated by blaring trumpets, driving drums, and Piya's pleading lyrics. While the more upbeat "Murkit Gem" opens with a fuzzed out, Wu-Tang-esque baseline that buoys Piya's stylings. The psychedelic guitar and Piya's changing tones and textures singing about an all-consuming love are what pushed "Dhuaan" on to the second single from Yeti Season. There is also a vocal appearance from Shannon Wise of The Shacks, yet another Big Crown artist. Her song called "Sha Na Na," lies more in the familiar EMA vein: melodic, hypnotic, soulfully visual. But between Shannon's airy singing, the jumpy baseline, moody vibes, the active drum lines, it sounds like a pensive walk home after a strangely dramatic night. So what is Yeti Season? It could be more of a feeling than an actual place or time of year. It's a heavy album_as evidenced by the signature musicianship and dramatic vocal expressions. But it's also a hopeful record, with phrasings, textures, and chord changes that hint at something better_or fuller_coming our way. You hear it in songs like "Ala Vida," with its stabby, pulsing chords laying a bedrock for EMA's bright, atmospheric horn lines. Or even in "Fazed Out," which leaves you with a feeling of determination, a striving for resolution even though the driving, march-like song structure should accompany some conquering army. This persistence has to come from the fact that Leon Michels and company finished this record during the lockdown. It was a tough and troublesome time. But look at what has come of it: Yeti Season_a record of high and heavy drama, but also one of hope and promise. It may take a year like 2020 behind us to find hope in a winter big footed creature like a Yeti, but that's where we are.

Frontier's Edge is the new EP by the fiery, energetic and genre-defying group The Budos Band. After a two-decade run with the legendary Daptone Records, Frontier’s Edge is the first new music from the group on the new label, Diamond West Records — run by The Budos' saxophonist Jared Tankel and guitarist Tom Brenneck. The Budos Band’s departure from Daptone was on good terms; the split from their long-time home base was an organic result of the band’s evolution. “It’s just a natural growth,” Brenneck says, admitting: “We’re going further away from the sound of Daptone and into territory they probably wanted to stay away from.” As a result, Frontier's Edge finds the group hungry, passionate and primed to charge into their next epoch newfound sense autonomy within the collective. “We’re a powerhouse in the studio; we can produce ourselves,” Brenneck says proudly of a long process of self-containment. “I take the helm, but the band, they know what they want.” As expected from The Budos Band, Frontier’s Edge resists analysis; it represents the band as they are: a contained explosion. You don’t pick apart Frontier’s Edge; you feel it all at once. “Somehow, we wrote six songs in two days,” says The Budos’ drummer, Brian Profilio. “Tom was able to take what we were doing and put it together in a cohesive manner” Whether this is your first rodeo with The Budos Band or you’ve been following them throughout their two-decade run, Frontier’s Edge contains their musical universe — Afrobeat, Ethiopian music, proto-metal, any number of other streams — in microcosm.

Heavy Hammond Funk quartet, The King Rooster, return with 2 brand new tracks following their successful self titled debut LP. Side A features the fast paced “Mudslinger” and the mud definitely sticks with this one – the break will mos def get the B-Boys/Girls up on the floor! Flip the script to find the seductive Ain’t Sellin’ Chicken – a mid tempo jam which certainly gets you licking your lips! Limited run of 500 – don’t sleep!

Key Selling Points:

-8th studio album for Cold Busted. Follow up to Soul Shower.
-Solid yellow shell cassettes.

Mister T., the renowned Greek purveyor of beats, returns to Cold Busted with Synchronized Roots, another fantastic album encompassing the many styles of the prolific producer. With a heavy dollop of funk providing the main ingredient, Mister T. deftly throws generous pinches of reggae, soul, hip hop, and electronica into his rhythmic concoctions. Previous releases have become heavyweight staples in the playlists of selectors worldwide, and Synchronized Roots is certain to arrive with equal acclaim. The album launches in a dub stylee with "Try Harder." blending reggae keyboard chops with dusty beats and infectious vocal snatches. The tape delay is put to good use, lending a classic cosmicness to the vibe. "Looking Above" continues on a dubby tip, delivering a more heady and smoked-out feel. Chunky guitar, bright keyboard lines, and an echoey saxophone accent the drum-heavy production. There's also "Basic Jam," demonstrating Mister T.'s fondness for genre collision. Boom bap beats bring the hip hop, the music bed delivers the funky R&B, and the vocal comes beamed in from Nigerian afrobeat. This combination has its own special flavor, joining vintage roots to create something fresh and new. Throughout its ten tracks, Synchronized Roots bonds sound with togetherness. Listen closely to the roots.

Over the course of the last five years, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio have established themselves as the world's premier funky organ trio. The organ trio, along with founder and manager Amy Novo, continues to devise the perfect blend of raw, passionate music and engaging industry practices. Through a firm partnership with label Colemine Records, the trio has garnered Billboard charting albums, sold out shows, tens of thousands of albums sold, and millions of streams. Lofty accomplishments for an instrumental organ trio. Now, with permanent drummer Dan Weiss behind to kit, Dlo3 is proud to present Cold As Weiss, their third studio album to date that finds them tighter than ever, and continuing to push funky instrumental music to a new generation of fans. For Fans of New Mastersounds, Soulive, Jimmy Smith, Khruangbin.