Funk | Soul 401 Items

Straight outta Camden, NJ it’s Chocolate Star. Starting in 1980 Chocolate Star served as the outlet for the music of Gary Davis. Gary started Chocolate Star with his long time Camden compatriot Dennis “DJ” Jones after a few years spent under the wing of Peter Brown at P&P Records. But Gary’s storied involvement in music goes back further than that, having studied composition and arrangement with the late jazz great Manny Albam. Gary’s musical education actually started earlier than that as one of the people he learned the most from was his Uncle, famed jazz organist Richard “Groove” Holmes. When you combined the funk Mr. Davis inherited from “Groove”, with the street-sense of Peter Brown with the skillful composition and arrangements learned from Manny Albam, you’ve got Chocolate Star. Playing with a band composed of (very talented) people from his Camden neighborhood Davis released cut after cut of solid funk filled dance music. They’re all compiled here, from the Joe Sample inspired “Gee Dee”, to one of first commercial releases to lay the beat down with a drum machine in “The Pop”. Of course prominently featured is the legendary mover “Gotta Get Your Love”. “A Taste Of Chocolate: The Very Best of Gary Davis” has been assembled with Mr. Davis and whenever possible using Gary’s original masters. These cuts bridge the disco era, into Hop Hop and the earliest forms of House. Talented, versatile, and still able to get you out of your chair and shaking your behind...this is Chocolate Star. This is the very best of Gary Davis.

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2014

Led by Chris Hazelton, The Freedom Affair is a freight train of Kansas City soul! Dirty, funky drums, gritty horns, and the combined vocals of Misha Roberts, Seyko Groves, and Paula Saunders to put this band over the top. Politically charged soul music for the dancefloor!

WOW…. Dynamite cuts gives you for the first time on 7” two Jazzfunk gems from the mega rare hard to find LP by 47 times its own weight 1975 Fable records.

Cover with slightly bumped corner, close to NM

Sam Shepherd pulls from "global soul, ambient, jazz and folk" genres on the 17-track mix, according to the press release. It features four new tracks, including one from Floating points himself: a cover of Kenny Wheeler's "The Sweet Time Suite, Part I - Opening." Sarah Davachi, Toshimaru Nakamura and Lauren Laverne also contribute exclusive material, plus music by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, British jazz trio Azimuth and recent Resident Advisor feature star Kara-Lis Coverdale.

"The music is a selection of the kind of records I play to set the tone when DJing all night long," said Shepherd.

Includes 7" Single on Colored Vinyl.

Copy n° 186/300

The only woman featured on Worldwide FM’s Sydney broadcast, and having recently produced her first old out all-female showcase featuring musicians, visual artists, poets and DJs, 20-year-old Ella Haber has worked toward her debut for 15 years.

Shocked by a hushed crowd reaction at her first public performance, Ella’s realisation her voice could halt and occupy an audience’s thoughts bleeds into all aspects of her life. With early demos of her debut EP, CLAY, reaching the ears of Brisbane-raised, London-based musician Jordan Rakei, the recent Ninja Tune signee - impressed with her vibrant songwriting and compositions - lent his production chops to the project, arranging and recording live instrumentation at Old Paradise Audio in London, while Ella worked on vocal recordings in Sydney.

“Ella's timeless vocals and mature songwriting sensibility was the reason I wanted to work with her on this project. In a climate where artists often take shortcuts, Ella's determination and strong vision will make her stand out from the rest. It was a pleasure bringing her songwriting to life and I can't wait for the world to hear her music!” - Jordan Rakei

A multi-lingual multi-instrumentalist deftly weaving her songwriting prowess with trumpet, piano, spoken word, fresh lyricism and powerful jazz/soul performance, Ella’s ease within music is in stark contrast to her feeling for every other established structure. Set to release her debut single, Old Friends, written when Haber was only 17, she reflects on the impact Amy Winehouse’s debut album, Frank, had on her songwriting: “I had been writing music since I was a kid, but listening to Frank just gave me permission to write about love and all its pains and confusions in this way of transparency and brutal honesty I never had before. Old Friends was actually the first track I wrote from the EP, and, the first song I ever really felt proud of”

In a genre, and society, where identity is increasingly scrutinised, Ella Haber resists, comfortable only in the confines of music composition. Challenging, with full colour love and intelligence, she's not letting anyone off lightly. Her debut EP, CLAY, is out April 26 via Soul Has No Tempo.

CD comes in a soft case, instead of the original crystal case.
All booklets included.