Contemporary Funk 505 Items

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the mysterious steel pan out­t hailing from Hamburg, Germany have amassed a cult following around the globe. With a slew of classic 7"s and two critically acclaimed full length albums, they set a high bar for themselves, one they clearly intend on pushing even higher with this new offering. On their third album, aptly titled Expansions, Brsb are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different. Covering songs that span genres and range from mega hits to album cuts, they make them their own with their unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago. Part of the allure of a new record from Bacao is ­nding out what covers they chose. However, die hard fans are also waiting to hear the original numbers like the stellar album opener "Tough Victory". Its airtight rhythm section, brass arrangements, and layers of steel pan melodies make the term "cover band" a shoe that could never ­t Bacao. Within the next three songs they go from Jazz (Galt MacDermot), to Hip Hop (Slum Village / J Dilla), to a dance ‑oor classic (Grace Jones) taking them all on with their signature style, expanding on the originals. An easy crowd favorite is their gritty, gully, and neck snapping cover of the Timbaland produced Jay-Z club hit "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". The infamous crushing Bacao drums start the show and the moment they start playing the top line on the pans, all bets are off. Sure to become a dance ‑oor ­ller is their bottom heavy ,four on the ‑oor version version of Sylvester's classic "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight". They venture into some gutbucket funk with Ike Turner's "Getting Nasty" and bring the steel pans to Minnie Riperton's Jazz classic "Les Fleurs". Digging deeper in the modern canon and paying tribute to a tribute, they cover Erykah Badu's homage to the late great J Dilla, "The Healer". This is the type of thing to make Spice Adams jump on his kitchen counter and scream. From the second the beat drops they give the original Madlib production a run for its money, shaking subwoofers with the eerie tremolo bass while the pans play E. Badu's vocal melodies. By the time the album is through Bacao has taken the listener on a journey that spans a myriad of energies, tempos, and moods while somehow managing to keep it all under one umbrella. For all that, these songs are alive, and they will be taken out of the context of this album and sewn into the fabric of DJ sets around the globe for many years to come. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is breathing renewed life into the originals and continuing to push the boundaries of steel pan music, or, as the title suggests, expanding on it.

Without change, there is no progression, and being stagnant has never been an option for Gizelle Smith. On her third album, Revealing, the singer flexes her newfound artistic freedom, moving past the creative limits that have kept her pigeonholed as a soul and funk artist for too long.

Born and raised in Manchester, with a multicultural upbringing steeped in soulful music, Gizelle was destined to follow in the footsteps of her father, Joe Smith, the former guitarist, musical director and songwriter for Motown stalwarts The Four Tops. She took up singing at a young age, and in 2009, cut her first album of gritty deep funk tunes with the Mighty Mocambos in Hamburg, Germany, followed by extensive touring throughout Europe. Her follow-up, Ruthless Day, was released nearly a decade later, also rooted in the sounds of soul ingrained in her musical DNA.

For her latest effort, Gizelle could have played it safe and recorded just another soul album. But in a tragic twist, the course of her future was altered forever by her father's death in 2019, which prompted a total creative reset. "I was pretty much emotionless towards music in general and I had lost all sense of direction with my own artistry," Gizelle says of her darkest hour. "My whole identity as a song-writer and musician vanished into the ether with my dad, like a cord had been severed." Unable to focus on the material she had already been working on, she decided to start from scratch, "because regardless of what was happening in my life, an album needed to be written." Hunkering down in New York City with her producer Steffen Wagner and her fiance, bassist Joseph Sam, she embarked on a 10-day writing spree.

The nine tunes emerging from this session represent a unique combination of R&B and funk, but the singer doesn't shy away from experimenting with pop and rock stylings. With her impressive yet restrainedly candid voice, laced with a combination of coolness and sensitivity that's near impossible to mimic, Gizelle communicates authenticity, a completely fraught concept and one absolutely central to her art. In many ways, Revealing is a testament to Gizelle's musical growth, personal freedom and maturity.

It also draws attention to her writing talents. When songwriters talk about life-altering experiences, they often do so in exaggerated tones. But Gizelle's songs don't come off overstated, they are grounded and relatable. Take the opener "Agony Road," an almost therapeutic exercise in dealing with the seven stages of grief. Or take "Better Remember (They're Controlling You)," which addresses social conditioning. "Three Tiny Seeds" is a testament to self love and spiritual growth, and "The Girl Who Cried Slow" serves as an inspirational hymn for personal fulfillment. "Over the years, I feel like my lyrics especially have become more meaningful and they are particularly important on this album," Gizelle says of her writing.

Viewed in the context of her evolving sound, Revealing is more of a logical continuation of Gizelle's music, not a radical departure from her background in soul and funk. For connoisseurs of Aretha Franklin or Lyn Collins, there's still plenty to love here, as long as you're allowing Gizelle to take you with her on her new path. "I have such a plethora of beautiful influences, I just want to channel and express myself in any musical way I want, across musical landscapes that I choose," she explains.
With Revealing, Gizelle Smith reveals herself. This is what freedom sounds like.

An Canadian group formed by 3 outstanding female vocalists "the SPANDETTES".their masterpiece second album which was released in 2015 and also includes a cover of the popular Hawaiian AOR Lemuria, is released as the LP with OBI-strip! A casual sense of disco boogie and acid jazz, a sweet and tropical atmosphere that is perfect for summer.

Little Creatures are long running Japanese band formed in 1987 while still in high school by Takuji Aoyagi (Vo/G), Masato Suzuki (Bass/Key), and Tsutom Kurihara (Dr/Per). They gained popularity while performing street shows centered around Shinjuku and Shibuya and debuted with a single in 1990 “things TO Hide”. 2020 marks their 30th anniversary from their debut. In January of 2021, they released their 8th album, “30”, a masterpiece packed with advanced minimal pop music that can only be made by the current Little Creatures, which boasts overwhelming musicianship and career.

Limited to 500 copies. For the first time ever on vinyl Four new instrumental tracks, produced, recorded, composed & played by Dam-Funk. . Originally released on June 2nd 2015 as a free streaming promotional EP before the release of Dam-Funk’s sophomore album Invite The Light. Pitchfork described “Free” the EP closer “… distills his daily inspirational thoughts into a breezy, sun-kissed glow, delivered with his usual cool sincerity. Of course, the style is purely West Coast, but the message is universal: funk is freedom. And in Dâm's world, funk is the future.

Limited to 500 copies. 2015 EP for the first time on vinyl for the collectors.

Longform Modern-Funk at it’s boldest - these two epic songs - diehard fan favorites officially mixed, mastered and commercially available for the first time only on DamFunk’s Glydezone Recordings. In just two tracks D-F creates over 30 minutes of his signature, sprawling, elegant Modern-Funk instrumental narratives. Mastered by the talented Matthewdavid (Leaving Records), this is the definition of ‘extended play’.

In their 6 years on air, Flip The Script Radio has become the industry standard, the go-to radio show where fans and industry heads alike flock to hear the next hip hop superstars before they blow up. Steeped in the rich history of the scene, FTSR's focus on real MCs, genuine turntablism and their 'do it for the culture' approach has garnished them praise from every corner of the hip hop universe. To celebrate their 6 Year Anniversary, Flip The Script Radio has joined forces with Good For You Records and one of the greatest MCs of all time for a very special, limited edition 7" release. We are beyond excited to present this work of art by a cultural icon, one of the best lyricists of all time, Grand Puba. This special edition vinyl release revisits one of Puba's most beloved classics "I Like It", reinvented with an 8 piece band, an acoustic version, featuring freshly re-spit verses by the rap legend himself, breathing new life into this crowd favourite.

Jimi Tenor going back to riff-based territory on this 7" collaboration with DJ Sotofett. A-side's Kontula Mix leans heavily on a robotic guitar riff, strong punching drums, layered psychedelic vocals, energetic drama and feeding drop outs. Wania Mix on the B-side inverts electronic with organic drums, red-threading the bassline and accompanying keyboards with electrifying breaks and solid state dubs! Heavy duty upfront cosmic funk!