Funk | Soul 250 Items

The Stars, where Milwaukee meets San Francisco. Cedrick Rupert was the guitarist for the band 'Impulse', a group who formed in the early 70's of Milwaukee and backed local soul outfit, The Quadraphonics, whom recorded the hit “Betcha If You Check It Out/Prove My Love To You”, which was released internationally on the Warner Brothers imprint.

In the mid-70s, Impulse relocated to Oakland, CA to work alongside another Milwaukee icon, Harvey Scales to record their self-titled album, Impulse, which was recorded at the Wally Heider’s Studio in San Francisco. Alongside these sessions, Scales & Rupert would work on various recording projects for different clients, including a group called 'The Stars', commissioned by the label, André.

Two tracks, '(We Are The) Stars', & 'Best Friend', provide the energetic flavour of the disco driven scene of what was happening at that time in the Bay Area.

Soul Classic BY Soul and Hip Hop Godmother Sylvia Robinson, Released IN 1975 on her Vibration Label and reissued on Vinyl for the first Time IN Decades, With Bonus Tracks.

Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue Sylvia Robinson's super rare soul LP released in 1975 on her Vibration label, part of her All-Platinum/Stang/Turbo empire. A few years later, she would launch Sugarhill Records and put hip hop on the map with "Rapper's Delight" in 1979 and "The Message" in 1982. "Sweet Stuff" features several Sylvia cult classics including "Private Performance," "Soul Je T'aime", a cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" and the mellow favourite "Sho Nuff Boogie" recorded with The Moments. As bonus tracks, the release features "Sho Nuff Boogie, Part 2" which only came out as the single's b-side at the time and the long version of "Soul Je T'aime", all packaged in the album's original artwork. Born and raised in New York, Sylvia Robinson began recording at a young age under the name "Little Sylvia" in the early 1950s. She gained exposure when she teamed up with Mickey Baker scoring a hit in 1956 with "Love Is Strange" as Mickey & Sylvia. She went on to record many singles during the late 50s and 60s before setting up her own label, All Platinum Records in 1966 followed by Stang Records and Vibration. Through these labels, she had several hit records in the 70s as a producer including The Moments' "Love On A Two Way Street" and Shirley & Co's "Shame Shame Shame". ? Sylvia Robinson continued to record as a solo artist shortening her name as 'Sylvia'. She got a massive hit of her own with "Pillow Talk" in 1973, a song she'd originally penned with Al Green in mind. The song went to nr 3 in the charts and started a string of other hits over the next few years. In 1973 she covered Serge Gainsbourg's 1969 megahit "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" renaming it here "Soul Je T'Aime" and duetting with Fania Records' Latin soul singer Ralfi Pagan. ? The following year was also busy for the singer and producer with three singles that went to the R&B chart: the Soul Ballad "Alfredo", the Funky "Private Performance" and "Sho Nuff Boogie," sung with The Moments. They are all featured on the album "Sweet Stuff" which was released in 1975. Interestingly the song "Sweet Stuff" notoriously sampled by J Dilla for "Crushin'" doesn't appear on this album even if "Sho Nuff Boogie" sounds very much like a forerunner of the song with its similar languorous pace and almost identical melody. "Sweet Stuff" is packed with other tasty soul songs including "I Can't Help It", "The Notion" and "Love Is The Only Thing." Four years later in 1979, Sylvia Robinson would make another genius move with the launch of Sugarhill Records and the Sugarhill Gang's single "Rapper's Delight" which would revolutionize music and almost single-handedly launch hip hop but that's another chapter of Sylvia Robinson's life. Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue one of her rarest albums from her best 70s period for the first time in decades and make it available on vinyl.

In the Spring of 1978, Aaron McCarthy Jr, a.k.a. ‘Jelly’ was invited to Miami by local producer, Thomas Fundora to assist Herman Kelly with his forthcoming album, ‘Percussion Explosion!’. Herman, who was studying at the University of Miami at the time, had met Jelly whilst studying Music Theory together at Henry Ford Community College in Detroit. Both Detroit natives, Jelly had founded the group the Soulful Sonics, later to be known as Pure Pleasure whilst Herman transferred to Miami. The group Life consisted of Jelly on Vocals, Percussion & arrangement, Oliver Wells on Keys, John DeMonica on Bass, Michal Cordoza on, Guitar, Travis Biggs on Horn Arrangements and Keys. ‘Percussion Explosion!’, which included the infamous ‘Dance To The Drummer Beat’, was recorded at ‘Miami Sound Studios’, as a forthcoming release on Fundora’s Electric Cat label, distributed by RCA. On reviewing which tracks made the album, there was a track recorded during those sessions that Herman decided to leave out, a song Oliver Wells had been working on and completed once Jelly arrived called ‘Everybody Needs Lovin, Now’s The Time’. Originally known as ‘Now’s The Time’, Jelly finalised the lyrics and arrangement and cut a deal with Fundora to transfer the master for an independent release on a joint label ‘fu-ja’, made up of FU (Fundora) & JA (Jelly). Jelly had started performing professionally after joining the Navy in 1970. Stationed at Naval Air Station Glynco in Brunswick Georgia, he was part of the Navy band as well as working the clubs with local groups. ‘Hey Look At Me’ was written whilst in boot camp, a song that when he performed & won with at a Whcb talent show upon returning to Detroit. The song was recorded using a 4 track in 1976 at Richard Wells Studio, Detroit. During the late 70s, Jelly was pursuing a successful career in music locally in Detroit by hiring spaces and hosting cabarets. A graduate of local teacher & Motown Orchestra player Ernie Rodgers, Jelly would hire musicians from his class to perform with him at these events. The majority of players who would become Jelly’s group, ‘Skybirst’. Both ‘Hey Look At Me’ & ‘Everybody Needs Lovin, Now’s The Time’ were mastered by Greg Reilly at Super Disc in Detroit and sent to Nashville to get pressed as a quantity of 200. Jelly released his single in July of 1978 as part of a show he had lined up at ‘Mr Kelley’s Lounge’, an exclusive venue in downtown Detroit. Fast forward 30+ years, Jelly was reminded about this single after Brad Hales of Peoples Records played this track at a European Soul Weekender that, needlessly to say, saw a regained interest in this elusive single. Jelly’s currently working on his biography so be sure to look out for that, it’s a pleasure to be able to present to you these two timeless tracks.

Some twenty years after René Costy's passing, his work - finally - goes global. Moreover, this being a selection out of more than 400 tracks from a virtuoso, versatile andinsatiable artist, it is hard to underestimate the importance of this compilation, which focuses on Costy's library music production from the 70's.

Italian Producer Clap! Clap! Returns To Bristol's Black Acre With His Third Album, 'Liquid Portraits'. Born And Bred In Florence, Cristiano Crisci's Musical Career Extends Back To The Mid-90s Where He Started Out As A Rapper, Before Picking Up A Saxophone And Exploring Both Jazz And Jazz/Punk Fusion With Trio Cane, And Then Returning To His Electronic Roots With A Smile For Timbuctu Project - A Collaborative Effort That Released Four Albums And Performed Across Europe. By 2008, Crisci Decided To Strike It Out On His Own As Digi G'alessio, Channeling The Same Hip-Hop Meets Electronic Music Energies As Those Animating The Nascent Los Angeles Beat Scene For A String Of Eps And Albums. Soon Crisci Hit Upon A New Formula When He Started Combining Samples From The African Continent With Energetic Drum Programming. The Results Led To The Birth Of Clap! Clap! In 2013, Which Has Since Been Recognised And Supported By The Likes Of Paul Simon And Gilles Peterson. The Stripped-Back, High-Energy Yet Inventive Sound Caught The Attention Of Black Acre With Whom Crisci Has Been Working With Ever Since, Including His First And Second Albums 'Tayi Bebba' And 'A Thousand Skies'. Returning To Black Acre, Clap! Clap!'S Third Album Once Again Deploys His Inimitable Technique In Fine Style, However With New Eyes As This New Project Signifies A Definite Shift In His Work Having Spent The Last Few Years Learning The Art Of Mixing Which Has Lead To Some Breakthroughs: "In Recent Years I've Spent A Lot Of Time Studying Essential Mixing Techniques. I Then Built An Acoustic-Treated Room And Set Up My New Studio. I Started To Convert Digital Into Analogue And Vice Versa With Good Converters And Achieved Sounds That I've Never Heard Before From My Speakers. This Had A Huge Positive Impact On My Mixes And Result On My Music." Entitled 'Liquid Portraits', The Album - As The Name Suggests - Is A Collection Of Sonic Paintings, An Attempt At Capturing Furtive, Subconscious Memories Through Sound. The Tracks Reference Trips Crisci Took And...

They Say: “New directions in contemporary scoring”. We say: Contempo is one of the best full album listens in the KPM 1000 library. Succinct smoking soul, super tight breaks and string-drenched sleaze composed by the library master, Keith Mansfield. The creator of the romping tunes that became the iconic themes to the BBC’s Grandstand programme and their televised Wimbledon Tennis Championship coverage, Keith Mansfield was perhaps KPM’s most prolific artist from the mid 1960s right the way through the 1980s. As well as the sort of pop orchestral sound that is all over these classic library records, he could also turn his hand to raw, edgy rock and funk. Quentin Tarantino is a big fan, going as far as including some of Keith’s work on the soundtracks to Kill Bill and Grindhouse. Many library records are a game of two halves and Contempo is certainly one of those. The first side cooks on a high funk breaks flame whilst the flip is something altogether more tranquil, yet no less groovy. It lays back with dreamier, post-coital grooves. Rugged funk opener “The Fix” confidently displays its low slung languid grooves with heavy drums, horns and bass. Smokin’ in slow motion. The punchy “What’s Cooking” follows and has a lighter, more whimsical touch. But the drums still roll and the clavs wiggle in fascinating opposition to those horns. The dark and moody intro to “Cut To Music” gives way to a more inclusive, relaxed funk that’s all irresistible bass and stabbing horns. The mid-tempo “Man Alive” signals the time to really get down.

They Say: “Contemporary scores for visual effect”. We say: Synth-heavy, low-slung space-funk masterpiece. The creator of the romping tunes that became the iconic themes to the BBC’s Grandstand programme and their televised Wimbledon Tennis Championship coverage, Keith Mansfield was perhaps KPM’s most prolific artist from the mid 1960s right the way through the 1980s. As well as the sort of pop orchestral sound that is all over these classic library records, he could also turn his hand to raw, edgy rock and funk. Quentin Tarantino is a big fan, going as far as including some of Keith’s work on the soundtracks to Kill Bill and Grindhouse. This is it. This is THE ONE for us: Keith “The Man” Mansfield’s Vivid Underscores from 1977. A sample freak’s wet dream and one of Be With Rob’s favourite ever KPM records. A must for fans of Brian Bennett’s Voyage (yes, That good). And no, we’ve no idea either why it took us this long to get round to tackling this monster of a record. But then again some things are worth waiting for. Attention! Calling all crate diggers, DJs, beat heads, Hip Hop junkies, MF Doom fans! Behold! Vivid Underscores makes sampling easy. Prepare to be up all night, every night, chopping, looping and splicing these endless grooves and spacey synths.

LaRose Jackson, who you may remember from "Luv Jones" - the 2014 party-cer tified smash duet with the incomparable Charles Bradley - steps into the spotlight with her funky solo debut, "How Did I Get Here ". Born and raised in Coney Island, LaRose's rich timbre and asser tive vocal deliver y caught the attention of producer Tommy "tnt" Brenneck one night when he was in attendance at Charles Bradley's legendary "Black Velvet" show at Club Essence - where Jackson was also a regular performer. The two hit it of f and began collaborating on several sides, the fruit of which we humbly of fer up here. LaRose's tough-as-nails delivery coupled with the infallible groove and sure-shot horn arrangement courtesy of the Menahan Street Band distills the track down to Soul in its purest form, without sacrificing any of the rawness one comes to expect from a TNT production. Expect much more on the horizon from LaRose and Co.. This is just the tip of the iceberg!

American Rhythm 'n' Blues singer Nathaniel Mayer (1944-2008) is mostly remembered for his raw vocal timbre and for his particularly wild live act. Originally released in 1963 on Detroit based label Fortune Records, "Going Back To The Village Of Love" still sounds like an incredibly explosive hyper-energetic irreverent piece of pure Detroit sound.

Anonymous British funk studio outfit Ultrafunk was spearheaded by Blues & Soul magazine proprietor John Abbey, who ran a fashionable record shop and label called Contempo in London’s West End during the 1970s; he conceived of the group as the UK counterpart to US studio bands like Mfsb. Arranger Gerry Shury, who had worked with Barry White and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, drafted guitarist Chris Rae and bassist Frank McDonald (who often composed library music together) and future Rubettes drummer John Richardson to form the group, in situ. A lack of band photos, suggestive song titles and a predilection for American cover tunes led many to believe the band was US-based. Their self-titled debut LP is where the myth all begins, with a number of truly atmospheric and cinematic hard funk instrumentals, given added textural depth through full orchestration, including covers of Bill Withers’ “Use Me” and Stevie Wonder’s “Living In The City.” Though not quite as compelling as the better-known follow-up set, Meat Heat, there is still plenty to savour on Ultrafunk, making this debut companion disc a must-have for all true funk aficionados.

* New Pressing On Orange Colored Vinyl *Betty Davis' 1974 Sophomore Album They Say I'm Different Features A Worthy-Of-Framing Futuristic Cover Challenging David Bowie's Science Fiction Funk With Real Rocking Soul-Fire, Kicked Off With The Savagely Sexual "Shoo-B-Doop And Cop Him" (Later Sampled By Ice Cube). Her Follow Up Is Full Of Classic Cuts Like "Don't Call Her No Tramp" And The Hilarious, Hard, Deep Funk Of "He Was A Big Freak."

Dynamite cuts are again proud to be the first label to release one of the all-time Funk and soul club classics. The famous Video man break as it was known back in the day of hip hop djing. “the Assembly Line” by Commodores is not only a superb drum sample but it is also a banging tune with the great story of life!

On the flip is the super funky “Gonna blow your mind” which believe me if you like it funky, Hold on!!

These amazing track are all Must Have 45s Cuts! Loaded with classic B-Boy break, Loops and club dancers.

The beginning of 2020 has seen the release of the new Alex Puddu fulllength record, “Discotheque”, a strong set of soulful and melodic tracks with a tight production that brings you back to the late ’70s and early ’80s jazz-funk and boogie music scene. Apart from the 10 tracks of the official album, some extra material had been produced, and “All I Want Is Your Love” is an unreleased track coming straight from those recording sessions. The song was originally written by Alex Puddu, with the collaboration of Rodney Stith, who wrote the lyrics and sang on it. Stith is a very talented American soul vocalist from Petersburg (Virginia, Usa), with a vocal style that reminds of Bobby Womack and The Temptations’ David Ruffin. “All I Want Is Your Love” is an up-tempo R&B ballad with a strong hook-line and catchy chorus, and we felt it was great enough to deserve a special 7-inch release. As a B-side, you’ll find the full version of “Don’t Hold Back”, a record launch single that’s become a hit especially among UK radio stations.

We’ve worked with Ian Willson to reissue his insanely good, self-released West Coast classic “Straight From The Heart”. Privately pressed and originally released in 1985, this is the only album Ian ever put out. A magical blend of AOR/sophisticated funk/synth-boogie/spiritual jazz and modern soul, it’s a spellbinding record of many colours. You might already know “Straight From The Heart” for the dubby-disco paranoid-balearic anthem “Four In The Morning”, and it’s easy to assume this is probably just another one of those one-track LPs. But trust us when we say it’s definitely not. This is an impressively slick record from start to finish, just ask those modern soul DJs and AOR collectors who’ve managed to find a rare copy in the last 35 years. It could’ve (should’ve?) been number 1 all over the world back in 1985.

Vivian Copeland was a budding young singer who was brought to the Poindexter Brothers attention by her husband. Vivian was to record several Poindexter compositions beginning with “I Don’t Care What He’s Done “ and “So Nice I Had To Kiss You Twice” which paired together gained a 45 release on the Bell distributed Amy (577) label in 1967. A further three 45 releases by Vivian would appear on Jeff Moore’s D’oro label. Firstly the now highly sought after “Chaos (In my Heart) b/w “Cushion The Blow (D’oro 1002) in 1968. Secondly A cover version of Maxine Brown’s “Oh, No Not My Baby b/w I Don’t Care” (D’oro 1006) another Poindexter song, and finally a version of the Billy Terrell and Ray Dahrouge penned song “He Knows My Key (Is Always In The Mailbox) b/w So Nice I Had To Kiss You Twice” there are two releases of this 45, the local D’oro release on a gold label and a subsequent blue label release which was distributed by Atlantic Records.
The Poindexter Brothers, Richard and Robert where raised in the city of Newport News, Virginia. Both brothers had been members of different high school groups, Robert the eldest, sang with The Swans and then ‘The Silvermoon quintet’ before joining the U.S Navy. While Richard performed as a member of ‘ The Rocketters’ and then later ‘The Gems’. Richard did travel to New York during 1963 with The Gem’s to appear at the renowned Apollo Theatre, where upon he was reunited with his brother. Robert, who following his discharge from the service had made the Big Apple his home.
Following the Apollo gig Richard returned home to Virginia before permanently joining his brother in New York during 1964. Richard leaving his wife and children behind vowing to send for then as soon as he scored a hit record, something he felt would happen in a matter of a few months. Following a three wait Richard was finally reunited with his family due to the success of Linda Jones’s 1967 hit “Hypnotized” which the Poindexter’s co-wrote. Following every high there usually comes a low (or two) so during 1969 and again being short of money the brothers decided to start their own production company choosing the very apt label name “Win Or Lose” the label’s first release was the brothers self produced, performed and co-written song with Jackie Members (Robert’s wife) “What I Did In The Street (I Should’ve Done At Home)”a very clever and intricate duet by the brothers with musical accompaniment provided by a group of local Bronx musicians, The Mapasiveyo Band. The b-side of the 45 is a cover version of the Johnny Ace Duke label standard “Never Let Me Go”. sadly this 45 fell by the wayside (although the song was latter covered by Florida artist Barbara King). ‘Win Or Lose’ Productions did later hit pay dirt through a plethora of Poindexter songs recorded on The Persuaders including the hit record “Thin Line Between Love And Hate” for Atco Records.

My Music is a stellar spiritual soul / jazz-funk gem, recorded by keyboardist-singer Samuel Jonathan Johnson in 1978. The epitome of a cult classic, it didn’t do much upon its release but steadily found an audience over the decades that followed. It eventually worked its way into the culture, and latterly the wantlists, of wave after wave of soul aficionados. This is music that shares the jazzy R&B DNA of contemporaries like Roy Ayers and is an intoxicating blend of mellow moments and more groove-heavy tracks. Spacey keys and lush production give it a luxurious, enveloping warmth.

Transcendent Yemenite interpretations of Bollywood soundtracks from 1982. An ultra-rare album by Jacky Mckayten who combines his own Yemeni heritage together with popular Indian music from film. A deep journey amidst tablas, sitars, and electric guitars, through heartbreaking songs of love and betrayal. McKayten was a highly influential musical figure in Israel yet remained largely underrated until his recent untimely death. This is his most powerful work, reissued for the first time, from the original master tapes, excavated by Fortuna Records.

The melodically adventurous soul of Leon Ware continues its expression in his final opus Rainbow Deux, released on double vinyl on September 13th. The album features new songs recorded and performed by Leon before his health turned, leading to his transition on February 23rd 2017. Co-produced by Taylor Graves, it has stellar musical contributions from the likes of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Ronald Bruner Jr, Rob Bacon and Wayne Linsey.

Their ‘Synchronised’ album from 1980 is one of the rarest ‘rare grooves’ and both original copies and the ‘Northern Soul’ single “I Was Born To Love You” still sell for over £1,000 a copy. Of the two sides “You’re The One” has become the most enduring and in demand, again an original reach which has been sold for £1000 on the collectors scene. In this edition the release has been restored to how the original first looked and sounded on Pendulum Records artwork from Expansion.

Includes 7" Single on Colored Vinyl.

This Is What You Are is now available on 7”. This release is enriched by a brilliant and elegant Brazilian version in a typical samba-jazz mood.

Extremely popular on the Northern Soul scene, Ann Sexton's 1973 full-length 'Loving You, Loving Me' gets reissued on vinyl, including reproduced artwork and labels.

Tuxedo is back with a new single, “Shy,” the follow up to their critically acclaimed “II” album. In collaboration with the iconic funk band, Zapp. Tuxedo delivers a highly addictive new funk single for the dance floor.

2LP gatefold with liner notes, 180gr vinyl. 'Funky Chimes' is a two-hour collection of excellent and unique grooves. It contains 27 of the most interesting yet long forgotten Belgian dance tracks from the seventies.

The two songs included in this 7-inch, “Spooky” and “Hurt So Bad”, directly come Andrea Balducci debut album “Bloom” (Schema Records, 2012, SC 459): two evergreen standards modernized and rearranged in a smooth, refined groovy soul key; a voice ins pired by crooners such as Frank Sinatra, Jamie Cullum and Michael Bublé, over music played by an exceptional team of musicians. These are songs that speak to the heart.

Collectable vinyl reproductions of Big Bucks classic Northern Soul.

TThe two best tunes from his 1979 album "Love City" on Cotillion Records, both are in demand modern Soul dancefloor gems with the flipside getting its first time ever 7" release.

Originally released in 1969, “Fischiando in beat” presents twelve gems of instrumental beat music,
fabulous specimen of that music genre often labelled with the much-abused term ‘lounge’ – or ‘easy
listening’, if you prefer. Forget about the experimental “Synthi Time”: here you can only breathe an
incredible desire for fun and dream of the late 60s, Rome and its exclusive cocktail party.

The most ‘avant-garde’ Umiliani can
be found here, with excellent examples of a Maestro exploring new sounds and the future of the music.

A delicate, slinky figure with a powerhouse voice, Ann Peebles occupied a special place among the many great talents that roamed the halls of Memphis' iconic Hi Records in the 1960s and 1970s. While producer Willie Mitchell was the company's heart, musicians the Hodges Brothers its soul, and Al Green its top star, it was Peebles who gave the label its first national success, and a lasting female identity. Over the course of seven albums and dozens of singles for Hi, Peebles expressed a complex range of moods and emotions in her music. Her songs were alternately pleading and defiant and destructive, but always, utterly soulful.

Nothing New is an album by Gil Scott-Heron of stripped down acoustic versions of songs from his back catalogue, recorded in New York between 2005 and 2009.

Originally released as a limited edition vinyl only LP for Record Store Day 2014, now regularly available!