Love Unlimited

I was having a Love Unlimited listening session this morning so I've decided to plunder youtube to share some of my favourites

If you want me say it.



Move me no mountain



I can't let him down



High Steppin, Hip Dressing Fella (You got it together)

2000 Black ft Ferraz - So Right

Stand out track on A Next Set of Rockers album and my favourite tune of the year so far



http://www.myspace.com/2000black

Brownswood Bubblers Three

Third in the series from the Brownswood Record label, co-founding by Giles Peterson.

As with the previous two it highlights recent releases of left-field soul and jazz music. Highlights for me are Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band - Turn it out, Katalyst ft Steve Spacek - How about us, DJ Day - A place to go, Rozzi Dame - Morning Light, Emmanative ft Ahu - Turn your lights on and the thought provoking lyrics on the spoken word Prayers for angry young men - Charlie Dark & Roger Robinson

Also features Floatin by Stacy Epps

Amplified presents Dirty Soul Electric

Amplified is an alternative soul collective operating out of London since its inception in 2001. The mandate has always been the support and promotion of black music not embraced by the mainstream yet loved by millions around the globe. This singular goal alongside the support of the public has enabled Amplified to grow and become a subtle yet strong presence in the black music scene in the UK.

I have had the pleasure of catching Amplified sets as the warm up for acts such as Dwele when I have ventured down to Camden's Jazz Cafe. They also opperate an informative website (see links) that has put me on to plenty of quality music.

BBE have had the good sense to tap into the Amplified collectives good taste in cutting edge soul music and allowed them to release the first of a trilogy of complilations entitled Dirty Soul:Electric

Tracklist
You Need Me - Tiombe Lockhart
Untitled - Flako & Shaunise
Girl Of My Dreams - Coultrain
Holl Up' - JimiJames
Noohustle - Bilal Salaam
Right Here (Seoul City Refix) - Dj Mitsu The Beats (Feat. Dwele and Neco Redd)
Portion No. 9 - OliverDaySoul
Pusha Man - Ayah
The Uncomfortable Truth [CD only Bonus Track] - Nneka
Conflict - Sy Smith
Construction - Musinah
Get Out Of My Face - Up Hygh (Feat. Melo)
p.r.i.t.t.y Boy - HEAVy
Is U Rollin? - Sandie Black
I Can't Help Myself - Benny Sings

Samples of the tracks can be heard at

www.bbemusic.com

Madlib King of the wigflip

Out soon on BBE records a collection from the man responsible for pushing hip hop forward since the sad demise of his recording partner J Dilla.

Madlib has been at the cutting edge of hip hop production for a long time, however his involvement in some of the stand out tracks on Ms Badu's last album has raised his standing with the lovers of 21st Century Soul music.

King of the wigflip continues this with the track The Way That I Live featuring vocals from a lady who is going to blow up in late 2008 / 2009, Stacy Epps. Also the outstanding track for me on the album is the slow motion, bass heavy street soul of Yo Yo Affair featuring the vocals of Frezna.

I'm a soul boy but I love my hip hop too and the album has a stellar cast of emcees including Guilty Simpson, Murs,Talib Kwali, Frank and Dank and many more

The album will be the last in BBE's Beat Generation series and is released at the end of September

http://www.stonesthrow.com/store/album/madlib/wlib-am-king-of-the-wigflip


Promotional video here

Boogie Tunes

Boogie Tunes?

Not a term that was heavily used in the North. I first came across the phrase "boogie tune" on a series of compilation albums that everyone got in order to have a copy of Starvue Body Fusion

It was a term that I heard more and more after spending time in London. Clubs would list "boogie" as being played on the flyer. The music I would hear in the club would have the tempo of disco but the production would have a more electronic 80's production.

For a more detailed explanation of this genre of music check this article by Greg Wilson

http://www.electrofunkroots.co.uk/articles/the_building_blocks_of_boogie.html



Tracklist

Rhyze – Do your dance
New Jersey Connection – Love don’t come easy
Exodus – Together Forever
Unlimited Touch – In the middle
80’s Ladies – I knew that love
Plunky & The oneness of JuJu – Everyway but loose
Shades of love – Keep in touch (body to body)
Convertion – Let’s do it
Inner life – Moment of my life
Jeanette ‘Lady’ Day – Come let me love
Conway & Temple – You can lay your head on my shoulder (Love lights)
The Jammers – What have you got to lose?

Liquid Spirits EP

New EP from Liquid Spirit on the Dutch label Kindred Spirits.

Liquid Spirits is a band making soul and funk with due respect to an analogue past but still sounding relevant for today. Comparisons have been made with Rebirth and the Brand New Heavies

The band consists of:

Jasmin Tusjadia - vocals
Dedre Twiss - vocals
Lo van Gorp - vocals
Brian Zalmijn - vocals
Cyril Directie - drums
Marc Bien - guitar
Manuel Hugas - bass
Wiboud Burkens - keyboards

The new E.P. is blessed by the guest vocals of the legendary Leon Ware on the track Melodies. Phonte of Little Brother lays down some rhyhmes on the soul/ hip hop fusion of If You Don't Love Me.

This is not the first collaboration. See the youtube clip below



Available on 12" at Fatcity

http://www.fatcity.co.uk/Sales/pages/MusicPageRichMedia.aspx?pageid=15334

Kindred Spirits label

http://www.kindred-spirits.nl/artists.php?bandID=6


Click on the post title to link to the band's myspace page

Isaac Hayes Rest In Peace

Listening to my Mum and Dad's copy of the Oscar winning Shaft soundtrack as a kid was a massive influence on the music I've always loved.

Bronx River Parkway

Bronx River Parkway sees collective of musicians hailing from both New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico work together to produce the Puerto Rican funk that us San Sebastian 152. San Sebastian 152 will be released on Truth & Soul, a Williamsburg-based record label which brough us the El Micheals affair.

This project sees New York based musicians deep into recreating authentic 70's funk grooves temporaily relocating to Puerto Rico to work with an array of talented musicians who have worked with legends such Roberta Roena, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Ray Baretto.

Album sampler here



La Valla





http://www.myspace.com/bronxriverpkwy

http://www.truthandsoulrecords.com/

http://www.audibletreats.com/

Stephanie McKay - Tell It Like It Is

Tell It Like It Is the second album from New York born and raised Stephanie McKay. CDR’s of the album have been knocking around for a while now. Unfortunately it has taken almost 2 years for the general public to be able to get there hands on this eagerly awaited album due to her record label moving in the direction of indie rock, far away from Stephanie’s bona-fide soul and funk.

These record label politics led Stephanie to decide she had had enough and together with her business partner set up her own label, Muthas of Invention.

The buzz for the release of the album was instigated by the uplifting and funky 7” single Jackson Avenue (featured a couple of months ago on here and never out of my record bag since).

The album starts with title track Tell it like it is and sets the tone for the rest of the album, Stephanie’s new found self-determination and the desire to use her music as a vehicle for expressing what she is feeling and what she has seen. Gun crime, mothers grieving for children lost in Iraq, teenage pregnancy or just love or life.

The album is contemporary but is rooted in classic funk and soul, a large proportion of the album being given a live bluesy funk feel by producers Robert “Chicken” Burke and Demien Desandies. There are hip hop influences in there too, as illustrated by the aforementioned Jackson Avenue produced by Australia’s Katalyst (Stephanie appears on his album, What's Happening, out now on BBE records). Other producers on the album include Butter and Jacques Schwarz-Bart.

One of the albums of the year so far no doubt and I’m looking forward to live shows in the UK later in the year, appetites whetted by a recent PA tour in support of Lyrics Born.

http://www.stephaniemckay.com/

http://www.myspace.com/stephaniemckay