Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V, 2LP Vinyl (Young Money)

2LP £29.99 Add to basket

Tha Carter V has had a long road to release, most notably due to the feud (and subsequent legal battles) between Weezy and Birdman. Originally slated for a 2015 release, the album was put on hiatus when Weezy sued Cash Money for $51 million in order to get out of his contract. However, he settled that case in June of this year, and patched up things with Birdman at Lil Weezyana Fest in New Orleans, so things are looking up for the latest Carter opus. The long-delayed album captures Wayne how we want to remember him: openhearted, word-drunk, and exhilarated by the possibilities of his own voice.

Big Tone + House Shoes - Big Shoes, 2LP - Orange/Black Splatter Vinyl (Fat Beats Exclusive)

2LP £26.99 Add to basket

Orange/black splatter vinyl, limited to 100 copies.

“BIG SHOES is all about fitting the shoes that came before you and filling the shoes that will come after you. Taking the best from those who led and teaching those who will follow in your footsteps how to lead.” - House Shoes

BIG SHOES deals in legacy. The legacies we inherit, carry on or betray, and the legacies we leave behind for others. House Shoes and Big Tone know about legacy. The Motor City titans came up in a time when Detroit Hip-Hop experienced a super-bloom of creativity and innovation. In their own ways, they took on a mantle for the city and it’s music scene. They bled for it. They lost friends and pillars of their city. Then, they grew up and created families of their own. Still, they’ve pressed on and continued.
Tone and Shoes have been friends and collaborators for a lifetime. BIG SHOES is a chronicle of their experiences, together and alone, carrying out the heavy and heralded legacy of being a Detroit musician. This reconciliation of the pain their journeys have faced includes a recognition of the growth brought about as a result. BIG SHOES is also a family reunion, with a litany of guests, witnesses and friends.
This isn’t a Hollywood tale of triumph, it’s a bittersweet story of blessings and baggage. Our protagonists don’t end the album in loud and garish opulence, they complete a cipher. Where they began dealing with the weight of the lineage they carry on, we leave the story with our two auteurs in control and at peace with the patrimony they’ve built--and continue to build.

BIG SHOES is fully produced by House Shoes with Big Tone handling the mic, with family appearances from Denmark Vessey, Blu, Quelle Chris, Jimetta Rose, 87 and MoSel.

Gang Starr - Step In The Arena, 2LP 180g Vinyl, Urban Legends Re-Issue (UMe)

2LP £27.99 Add to basket

Step in the Arena is the second studio album by hip hop duo Gang Starr, printed as a 1990 release and commercially released on January 15, 1991. The album received critical acclaim and was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The Source magazine stated: “Step in the Arena stands alone on a musical level, yet it also remains true to hip-hop’s underground heritage.” In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source’s 100 Best Hip Hop Albums.

Urban Legends/UMe reissue Step In The Arena on 2LP 180 gram black vinyl.

Thee Sinseers - It Was Only a Dream, 7" Gold Transparent Vinyl (Colemine Records) Limited

7" Vinyl 9.99 Add to basket



Straight from East L.A., Thee Sinseers embody the lowrider sweet soul vibe. Love songs, washed wie th reverb, slow tempos for rolling, and a vibe for days. This type of doo-wop soul has been embraced by the Chicano culture and with a growing scene, Thee Sinseers look to make their own mark. The A-side, a very doo-wop leaning tunis contrasted with the James Brown cover on the B, I Don't Mind. Both sides just crush.

Kelly Finnigan - Catch Me I’m Falling b/w Trouble, 7" Limited Pink Vinyl (Colemine Records)

7" Vinyl 8.99 Add to basket



Pink colored vinyl limited to 1300. Debut single from Kelly Finnigan’s LP The Tales People Tell. B-side is exclusive to this 7-inch and will not be on LP.

The lead single that kicked off Kelly's solo career. Ultra sweet, super mellow, just one of the most tender moments on Kelly Finnigan's solo LP The Tales People Tell. Utilizing the pocket playing of Max and Joe Ramey from The Ironsides, Kelly's falsetto shines bright for all to hear.

Lee Fields & The Expressions – Wake Up / You’re What’s Needed In My Life, 7? Vinyl (Big Crown Records)

7" Vinyl 7.99 Add to basket



Following up on the massive success of Lee Fields recently released full length “It Rains Love” we drop another 45 for the DJs and collectors. This time showing off two different sides of Lee & The Expressions range. The A side “Wake Up” is Lee’s heavy duty, drum driven, anthemic tune for the times. Fields calls out the highly over–used and abused term of the current presidency “fake news.” Over a hard as nails sound bed courtesy of The Expressions he goes on asking people to wake up and not let this propaganda sway them from knowing what is right and wrong. The B side “You’re What’s Needed In My Life” is a gushing testament to the beauty of love. Solidifying his title as the Professor of Love it’s almost like he’s writing your girl’s valentine for you. Going beyond how happy the woman he is singing to makes him and telling of how she makes everyone she meets happier. This two–sider is about as classic as possible, a heavy duty funk banger on the A side, and nothing but love on the ballad B side. Another classic and timeless offering from the one and only Lee Fields.

Jedi Mind Tricks Presents: Army Of The Pharaohs – Ritual of Battle, 2LP Vinyl (Babygrande) Reissue

2LP 29.99 Add to basket



The sophomore album from the underground supergroup spearheaded by Jedi Mind Tricks’ front man Vinnie Paz. Available only briefly after a small repress, the album will now for the first time ever on Limited Edition Gold Vinyl. “Ritual of Batlte” also marks the first time since 2000’s “Violent By Design” that Vinnie Paz and Jus Allah have appeared on the same track together.

Blu & Exile - True & Livin', 12" Vinyl EP (Dirty Science)

12" EP 14.99 Add to basket

After 2017’s 10 year anniversary tour of Below The Heavens and a b-sides/rarities release in In The Beginning many wondered whether or not Blu & Exile would ever reunite for a proper new release or if that year was as much a curtain call as it was a celebration. Putting those questions to rest, Dirty Science Records is proud to announce the True & Livin EP – as Blu & Exile’s undeniable chemistry is yet again put on display.

“True and Livin feels like a spiritual call to all that have honor and truth in their being. It sees how present day and beyond is always trying to calculate or monetize what comes from God or what comes from an artist’s spirit, but it also recognizes the truth that is inside of Blu and Exile's music and brags about it, even in a humble way somehow. This might be the first hip hop braggadocio song that invites us all to feel the same about themselves as long as they connect to the spirit and truth that is inside this song and inside us all.” Exile says about the EP’s title track.

Positivity and strength remain a theme on this EP, in Spread Sunshine and the stand out posse cut featuring most of the Dirty Science crew in Choosey, Johaz, Cashus King, Aloe Blacc, Fashawn & Blame One on Power To The People. Blu adds, ““Power To The People” is a call to the people, a call for the people to unite. Unification is power, power in numbers.”

Adrian Younge & Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons To Die II (Serato Control Vinyl & Linear Labs) 2x7" Vinyl, Limited To 500!

2 X 7" Vinyl + Picture Disk 22.99 Add to basket

Standouts from GFK & Adrian Younge's 12 Reasons To Die now on Iimited edition serato 45's!

Limited edition double 7” picture-disc package containing two singles from Ghostface Killah’s Twelve Reasons To Die II project, originally released back in 2015 in conjunction with producer and composer Adrian Younge. ‘Get The Money’ features the dextrous flow of Vince Staples, now a mainstream star.

Holy Hive - Oh I Miss Her So / If I Could See Her Now (Big Crown Records) 7" Vinyl

7" Vinyl 8.99 Add to basket

Holy Hive, the group that coined the genre Folk/Soul, comes out swinging with this monster of a two-sider. The A side "Oh I Miss Her So" is pulled from their recently released Harping EP: a drop dead gorgeous tune of love and longing featuring the harping of Mary Lattimore. The tune serves as a testament to The Hive's gift for songwriting and arrangement, taking the listener on a ride from the first notes of Paul's falsetto to the outro featuring Dave Guy's (The Roots) gorgeous trumpet solo. The B Side is The Hive's crushing cover of Sunny & The Sunliners' classic "If I Could See You Now". Homer's world renown drumming provides an instant dance floor backbone to the tune while Paul's signature vocals add a welcome twist giving the original version a proper run for it's money. This cover is pulled from the forthcoming Big Crown Records label compilation "Dear Sunny..." a collection of Sunny covers done by the roster of Big Crown artists.

Sunny & The Sunliners – Smile Now, Cry Later / I Only Have Eyes For You (Big Crown)

7" Vinyl 8.99 Add to basket

Brilliant reissue on Big Crown from one of the pioneers of Chicano soul, Sonny Y Los Sunliners, with the A-side anthem 'Cry Now, Smile Later' and a Flamingo's cover of 'I Only Have Eyes For You' on the flip.

A. Smile Now, Cry Later / B. I Only Have Eyes For You

Bobby Oroza - This Love, CD (Digipack) And LP Vinyl (Big Crown Records)

CD 10.99 Add to basket
LP 18.99 Add to basket

When Bobby Oroza and the Cold Diamond & Mink production duo first got together in the studio they cut "This Love". That turned out to be a hell of a start. Since they originallyreleased it in 2016 the tune has become somewhat of an underground hit. From the heavy air play at car shows and swap meets in the South West to being featured in numerous movies and tv shows, it even made it's way to an Earl Sweatshirt mixtape. All of this has lead to a lot anticipation for Bobby Oroza's debut full length which is appropriately named after the tune that started it all. Big Crown Records is proud to present the debut full length from Bobby Oroza, This Love. Bobby pushes the borders of souland rock balladry and creates a sound distinctly his own. Cold Diamond & Mink provide a pitch perfect collection of lo-fi, low-key classics on which Bobby's smokey tenor floats atop, breaking hearts on some tunes and melting them on others. Maintaining the band's signature dark and intim ate aesthetic, they run the gamut of tempos, breaking hearts on some tunes and mending them on others. The group's second single "Your Love Is Too Cold" is a stomper that blends the groovy soul drumming of early Motown records with guitar that could have been lifted from a James Bond score and has been getting heavy spins across the globe at soul parties and on radio shows. Bobby takes care of the dancers with a few up numbers, ranging from the northern soul nods on "LonelyGirl" & "Falling in Love" to the 70s jazz funk nod on "Keep On Believing". However, the ballad lovers with the uncontrollable urge to two-step late into the night will be the real winners with "This Love". Bobby thrives on the bed of dark and intimate sensuality found on tracks like "Alone Again", "Down On My Knees", and "Deja Vu". The world is about bear witness, and surely be taken back by this strange and unique shade of Soul born in Finland but made for the whole world to enjoy.

The Maytals - Monkey Man / Day And Night, 7 Inch Vinyl (Jukebox Issue, Get On Down)

7" Vinyl 8.99 Add to basket

7' singles were instrumental to the development of the Jamaican music industry, more affordable than full lengths for the consumer, they also allowed the labels to turnaround what was being recorded into music played from their booming sound systems as quickly as possible. In that spirit, Get On Down will be reissuing some of the most crucial Jamaican sides on 45, staring with The Maytals 'Monkey Man.' Recorded in 1969, the cut was a smash hit in Jamaica and hit number 47 when released in the UK in early 1970. 'Monkey Man' went on to be highly influential on the British Two-Tone movement of the later 70s with The Specials offering up a ripping version of the cut on their 1979 debut. The B Side, 'Night And Day', though not a chart-burner, is certainly one of the most solid rock-steady cuts you'll ever encounter rife with bubbly keys, tight snares and Toots Hibbert's incredibly soulful vocals.

Symarip - Skinhead Moon Stomp / Must Catch A Train, 7 Inch Vinyl (Jukebox Issue, Get On Down)

7" Vinyl 10.99 Add to basket

A classic killer cut from one of the most strangely-named acts to ever record for Trojan Records – a tune aimed specifically at the growing market of young Brits listening to reggae at the end of the 60s – with a fantastic groove that effortlessly blends soul and rocksteady with some very offbeat lyrics, and a great chorus too!

Upsetters (Lee Scratch Perry) - Jungle Lion / Freak Out Skank, 7 Inch Vinyl (Jukebox Issue, Get On Down)

7" Vinyl 10.99 Add to basket

Fantastic early material from Lee Scratch Perry! "Return Of Django" references the Italian western theme in the title, but the sound is pure Kingston, pre-Black Ark – with a wicked organ line bubbling and dipping throughout the instrumental – while a tenor gets all crazy and honky at times, and deeply soulful at others! "Dollar In The Teeth" has a groove that's maybe more conventionally ska/rocksteady – but the horns still get all nice and weird!

Upsetters (Lee Perry)- Return Of Django / Dollar In The Teeth, 7 Inch Vinyl (Jukebox Issue, Get On Down)

7" Vinyl 8.99 Add to basket

Fantastic early material from Lee Scratch Perry! "Return Of Django" references the Italian western theme in the title, but the sound is pure Kingston, pre-Black Ark – with a wicked organ line bubbling and dipping throughout the instrumental – while a tenor gets all crazy and honky at times, and deeply soulful at others! "Dollar In The Teeth" has a groove that's maybe more conventionally ska/rocksteady – but the horns still get all nice and weird!

Pan Amsterdam x Iggy Pop - MOBILE, 7 Inch Vinyl (Def Presse)

7" Vinyl 6.99 Add to basket

Pan Amsterdam gave us "The Pocket Watch". Even when revealing his condition and true identity to the public. This didn't stop the flow of interest and respect from new found fans as well as fellow contemporaries. Open Mike Eagle became an immediate fan and patron of Pan Am and took him on tour last Fall. They even cut a single together entitled, "No Snare". One of the stops during the tour was Texas Pan Am and Iggy Pop agreed to meet up and cut a track. "The one thing that comes to mind when travelling through Texas is its Texas Tea (oil)" Pan Am said while on break in the studio. "There's a lot of ways of living that rendezvous at the local gas station". It was as if Pan Am grew up with this knowledge since the cradle or something. This, undoubtedly, is the thought process behind the tune Iggy and Pan Am cut, " Mobile".

King Tubby & The Aggrovators - A Noisy Place / A Ruffer Version, 7 Inch Vinyl (Jukebox Issue, Get On Down)

7" Vinyl 10.99 Add to basket

Keith Rowe and Tex Dixon didn't cut the copious quantities of wax many other Jamaican vocal groups did throughout their brief career together, but they did leave behind a few choice nuggets! These two easy rockin' rocksteady numbers lit up the JA and UK charts for a brief period of time, and trust us, you'll unbderstand why. Two instantly recognizable rude bwoy classics!

Keith & Tex - Stop That Train/Leaving On That Train, 7 Inch Vinyl (Jukebox Issue, Get On Down)

7" Vinyl 10.99 Add to basket

Keith Rowe and Tex Dixon didn't cut the copious quantities of wax many other Jamaican vocal groups did throughout their brief career together, but they did leave behind a few choice nuggets! These two easy rockin' rocksteady numbers lit up the JA and UK charts for a brief period of time, and trust us, you'll unbderstand why. Two instantly recognizable rude bwoy classics!

The Jamaicans / Duke Reid - Ba Ba Boom / Twilight Zone, 7 Inch Vinyl (Jukebox Issue, Get On Down)

7" Vinyl 10.99 Add to basket

7 inch singles were instrumental to the development of the Jamaican music industry, more affordable than full lengths for the consumer, they also allowed the labels to turnaround what was being recorded into music played from their booming sound systems as quickly as possible. In that spirit, Get On Down will be reissuing some of the most crucial Jamaican sides on 45, this time out with The Jamaicans most well-known cut “Ba Ba Boom.” The Jamaicans first formed in 1967 as the Cool Shakes. By the time the year was over, they’d updated their line up from a trio to a quartet, changed their name to the Jamaicans and took “Ba Ba Boom” to first place in that year’s Island Festival Song Contest. Soon after, the cut (backed by Tommy McCook & The Supsersonics) was issued on the Treasure Isle imprint to instant classic status. On the flip, it’s Twilight Zone, a reverb drenched proto-dub instrumental version of the song.

Kenix There's Feat. Bobby Youngblood - Never Been (No One Like You) 7 Inch Vinyl (Jukebox Issue, Get On Down)

7" Vinyl 10.99 Add to basket

Another rare nugget culled from West Ends incredibly influential back catalog. "There's Never Been Someone Like You" is a smoothed out soulful Disco jam and a Paradise Garage classic! Produced by the mighty Kenton Nix whose credits include working on records for Taana Gardner, Gwen McCrae and The Treacherous Three among many others and featuring the exceptional vocal talents of underground Soul singer Bobby Youngblood. Kenton Nix was something of a prodigious production talent who worked on numerous independent and major label projects and was a good friend of Larry Levan and had the honor of hearing his rough mixes and versions through the Paradise Garage sound-system which helped shape the end result of the records he was involved in. "There's Never Been Someone Like You" has always been a popular and sought after 12" among Disco / Boogie / Funk collecting aficionados since it's release nearly 34 years ago in 1980 and continues to be an influential record now in contemporary dance music. An utterly essential Disco-groove! This is the very first time this record has been re-issued and this pressing features both the long "dance" version and shorter 7" mixes of the track just like the original pressing from 1980. It has been re-mastered and re-pressed with the permission of and in conjunction with West End Records, New York City.ef Records (a subsidiary of rising soul label Colemine Records) a full LP to follow in summer 2019.

The Midnight Hour - The Midnight Hour Live At Linear Labs LP Vinyl (Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad) (Linear Labs)

LP 23.99 Add to basket

Adrian Younge is best known as a studio genius – and he's certainly working in that setting here – but in a live environment, with a larger group – in a way that really shows off a whole new side of his talents! Younge's partner here is Ali Shaheed Muhammad – who plays bass alongside Adrian's keyboards – and the pair work with a core combo that includes alto, trumpet, guitar, and drums – plus a string duo who really give the whole thing a special vibe! The sound is very different than just a regular funk group – and while strings are normally used as an overdubbed add-on for many recordings, it's great to hear them working live here – a perfect complement to the deep ideas that Younge and Muhammad bring to the music. The vibe is a bit like a live David Axelrod session – save for occasional guest vocals from Loren Oden and Angela Munoz – and titles include "Black Beacon", "Better Endeavor", "Do It Together", "It's You", "Dans Un Moment D'Errance", "Bitches Do Voodoo", "Ravens", "Gate 54", and "Redneph In B Minor.

Kongo Dia Ntotila - 360, 2xCD And 2xLP Vinyl (Pussyfoot Records)

CD 9.99 Add to basket
2LP 19.99 Add to basket

360°’ is the second record from Kongo-Jazz outfit, Kongo Dia Ntotila. The 10-track album pays homage to some of Africa’s finest dance music styles - revived, urbanised, and seamlessly fused with a heavy injection of jazz.The ensemble consists of Mulele Matondo (bass), John Kelly (guitar), Mbouta Kissangwa (drums), Diala Sakuba (guitar) and UK jazz horn players William Scott (saxophone) and Mike Soper (trumpet). BBC 6 Music's Tom Robinson described them as “totally authentic - as good as anything you get coming out of Africa… a great combination of sophistication, energy, musicianship and sheer life-affirming spiritual uplift!” ‘360°’ is all of those things and more. In the title track, Kongo Dia Ntotila explores the urban sound of African London, inspired by the current new jazz scene of the UK capital, it’s grungy, joyful and funked up. There is the pain of ‘Naleli’, a song that laments the suffering of Africa with a Jazz-Reggae sound. The joyful fusion of album opener, ‘Kongo’, as Kinshasa collides with London Jazz in a celebration of Congolese roots. The album sees the band move collectively through the sounds and styles of Africa exploring notes of joy, celebration, pain, and protest. Although Kongo Dia Ntotila has brought Jazz and Blues influences into their music, the heart of their sound is rooted firmly in the motherland. Get ready to dance your way through an intense, immersive and a seriously fun musical journey. With something for everyone, from dance floor divas to masterful musicians, ‘360’° will be appreciated for its catchy tunes as much as its technical artistry and sheer innovation.

Neal Francis - These Are The Days. 7" Blue Vinyl (Karma Chief & Colemine Records)

7" Vinyl 8.99 Add to basket

For Fans Of... Dr. John, Leon Russell, Allen Toussaint, The Meters, The Band. "I just wanted to be honest about everything, from my musical influences to my story," muses Neal Francis. After years of dishonest living -consumed by drugs, alcohol, and addiction - such sincerity is jarring from the 30-year-old Chicago-based musician. Liberated from a self-destructive past and born a new in sobriety, Francis has captured an inspired collection of songs steeped in New Orleans rhythms and Chicago blues. His music evokes a bygone era of R&B's heyday while simultaneously forging a new path on the musical landscape. Ohio-based Karma Chief Records (a subsidiary of rising soul label Colemine Records) a full LP to follow in summer 2019.

True Loves - Famous Last Words, Purple 7" Vinyl (Colemine Records)

7" Vinyl 9.99 Add to basket

Bringing together undeniable grooves and classic soul sounds, The True Loves are comprised of accomplished musicians who have touched the hearts and souls of music listeners and concert goers all over the Pacific Northwest. The focus of the ensemble is clear: create modern soul music that never loses sight of the originators yet remains steadfast in pursuit of that 'next fiery groove'. We are proud to present our first 45 with these talented folks! Featuring all three members of the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio!

Outlaw Posse - My Afro's On Fire Vol. 2, LP Vinyl (Hip Hop Be Bop Records)

LP 18.99 Add to basket

The long lost follow-up to cult UK hip-hop duo's classic 1990 debut that was recorded in 1993 and has only just been released, some 30+ years later! Killer boom-bap from Outlaw Posse (one half, MC Bello is perhaps well known as the rapper on KLF’s ‘What Time is Love') who originally released via the legendary Gee Street label (home to the likes of P.M. Dawn, Jungle Brothers and Stereo MCs) - essential UK hip hop history right here!

Sugar Bear- It's Hot / It's Hot (Remix) 7 Inch Vinyl, 45RPM (Hip Hop Be Bop Records)

7" Vinyl 9.99 Add to basket

Sugar Bear returns after a 30 year hiatus with new material. Limited picture cover 45 on Hip Hop Be Bop Records.

Side A
"It's Hot"

Side B
"It's Hot" (remix)

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band - Great To Be Here / All For Tha Cash 7" Vinyl (Big Crown)

7" Vinyl 9.99 Add to basket

By popular demand, Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is back with another must have of a two sider. With two tracks finding their way to vinyl for the first time that were cut during The Serpent's Mouth sessions but only made it to the CD and digital release, this 7 inch lives at the intersection of Funk, Soul, and Hip Hop.

The A side is Bacao's crushing cover of the Jackson 5's B-Boy classic "Great To Be Here". A tune that a lot of people probably thought had steel pans on the original version, a misconception that lead to BRSB choosing it for their inimitable treatment. They open the tune with a chunky open drum break that gives way to the steel pan work banging out the infectious and instantly recognizable guitar lines from the J5's version.

The B side finds Bacao diggin deeper into the hip hop crates again and coming up with a monster of a Gang Starr track to cover. Taking on their underground street anthem they cut for their Full Clip compilation, "All 4 Tha Ca$h". BRSB tease the tune in with the two top notes of the riff for the first 8 bars catching listener's ears and giving the DJs a record to work with. When the whole riff drops and they give away what the tune is they are covering awww shits & ooooooohs are sure to be heard out in the crowd.

Various - Greg Belson’s Divine Disco Volume Two: Obscure Gospel Disco CD (1979-1987) (Cultures Of Soul) Record Store Day 2019 Issue

CD £10.99 Add to basket

This is a Record Store Day 2019 item.

Although gospel and disco music seem like polar opposites, one is secular while the other has embraced a hedonistic culture, the marriage of the two genres has birthed the uplifting spirituality and dance floor thump found in gospel disco. By the mid-'70s many established and independent gospel artists started creating records with a tight four-on-the-floor beat that touched both churchgoers as well as patrons of the drug-fueled establishments of the '70s. Cultures of Soul Records is proud to present the second installment of Greg Belson's Divine Disco. Belson is one of the world's leading authorities on the funky gospel sound; for this collection he dug deep into his crates to undercover the rarest independent and private press gospel disco records ever recorded. Greg Belson's Divine Disco sound is one that's been heard around the world from his DJ appearances at Glastonbury's NYC Donwlow stage to LA's Funky Sole to soul nights across Europe. Many tracks are under the radar or recently discovered such as Harrison Jones - On that Other Shore, Converters, I've Been Converted and the super limited self-released 45 by Mr Jesse R. McGuire – Jesus Is On the Mainline. Only 50 copies were ever pressed. This volume even includes gospel disco from the UK with Paradise's brilliant Keep the Fire. This compilation also includes remixes and edits by Steve Cobby (who was a member of Fila Brazillia) and the Divine Situation production duo of Greg Belson and Paulo Fulci.

Gary Davis - A Taste Of Chocolate: The Very Best Of Gary Davis, CD (Traffic Ent)

CD £11.99 Add to basket

Incredible work from Chocolate Star – less a group than a record label or project name used for some excellent underground club recordings from the late 70s and early 80s! Gary Davis is the real brainchild here – keyboardist, songwriter, and main spiritual force behind the music – but Peter Brown also played a big hand in some of the initial Chocolate Star sessions too, and there's a definite P&P groove to most of this work! The Chocolate Star touch is perhaps best known on the classic club track "Got To Get Your Love" by Clyde Alexander & Sanction – but it's even better on the more obscure work throughout the entire package – an array of tunes that run from funky club to other modes that include mellow soul, old school hip hop, and even some very spare tracks that mostly just have keyboards and beats!

Titles include "Gee Dee", "Last Night", "Stay With Me", "Time For Love Is Now", "Super Jake", "Got To Get Your Love", "The Professor Here", "The Pop", "Gotta Get Your Love (Kenny Dope rmx)", "The Pop (12")", "The Professor Is Space Walking", and "Gee Dee (alt mix)"

Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel, LP Vinyl (Get On Down)

LP £19.99 Add to basket

When Bobby Brown left New Edition at the peak of their fame in 1986 he was staying true to his rules of really not giving a damn and doing what felt right to him. And while his solo debut King of Stage (1986) wasnt bad, it wasnt what fans were really yearning for - Hopefully he just goes back to New Edition one fan wrote in a 1987 issue of Word Up! Magazine. Little did we all know by the time King of Stage was dying down he was already hard at work on the follow up, Dont Be Cruel, and no one was even prepared for what was coming.

Dont Be Cruel immediately was a smash hit, to any naysayers this was the punch in the face, to NE fans this was a game changer, and honestly to many this was their first time even hearing him. Dont Be Cruel crafted the perfect match of amazing songwriting and the newly christened New Jack Swing sound that was flooding the streets. Bobby Brown proved why he was good to go solo as he owned each track on this album. The new King of R&B was here. The albums singles: Dont Be Cruel, My Perogative, Every Little Step & Roni all were number 1 singles. Rock Witcha made all other R&B ballads at the time pale in comparison. The album was one of the best selling albums of the 80s (33 to be exact). Dont Be Cruel over-exceeded what any R&B fan would expect. The albums producers L.A Reid, Babyface and Teddy Riley all did outstanding work channeling the right mix for Brown to finally take center stage. And after 20 + years this album still has a strong hold as the R&B blueprint for making hit albums.

Robbie Basho - Venus In Cancer, LP Reissue, Vinyl (Traffic Ent Group)

LP £23.99 Add to basket

"Though frequently overshadowed by his contemporary and Takoma Records labelmate John Fahey, the compositions and performances of Daniel R. Robinson Jr., best known by the stage name Robbie Basho, were integral in the development of the American primitive guitar style. Along with Fahey, and songwriter/composers such as Max Ochs, Leo Kottke, and others, Basho helped bring to the masses the distinct form of guitar finger-picking, which blended folk and country-blues with neo-classical composition techniques. Unlike his contemporaries, Basho went a step further by incorporating unorthodox open tunings on his 12-string guitar, as well as elements of Indian classical music, inspired by the sarod-playing of his mentor Ali Akbar Khan. Unfortunately Robbie Basho passed on in relative obscurity at the early age of 45 due to a fatal stroke, so he was never able to witness the extent of his influence. Nonetheless his legacy lives on in the works of American primitive guitar revivalists like James Blackshaw and Glenn Jones, as well as indie folk units like Currituck County or Six Organs of Admittance. All of Basho's signature stylistic elements are on full display on his 1969 album Venus In Cancer, which added onto his dextrous, steel-string finger-picking, additional cues from raga, flamenco, Appalachian folk, and even foresaw the arrival of new age music. A mystical and astrologically-inspired collection of guitar improvisation, one which clocks in at nearly 50 minutes, and a perfect representation of Basho's visionary American folk brilliance."

Harlem River Drive - Harlem River Drive, LP Reissue Vinyl (Get On Down)

LP £18.99 Add to basket

When initially released in 1971, many critics panned Eddie Palmieri’s 1971 album Harlem River Drive. Clearly, those critics were wrong. Regardless of critical opinion, the release was not the crossover success Palmieri and Roulette Records had hoped for, at least in the immediate. Over the years the release has developed a following among listeners, DJs and aficionados of rare-grooves.

The record may have been recorded towards the end of the Latin soul era, yet it features that genre's wonderful mix of Puerto Rican soul, Spanish Harlem Latin, and New York funk. Palmieri worked with an incredibly talented crew of Latin and R&B session musicians to create this quintessential New York vibe, a synthesis of funk and Afro-Cuban sounds. Contributors include Victor Venegas from Mongo Santamaria’s band, Palmieri’s brother Charlie, an accomplished musician in his own right, Bruce Fowler who went on to join Frank Zappa’s band, Dick Meza who went on to great things with Tito Puente, Ray Barretto and Celia Cruz, as well as Andy Gonzalez who’s pedigree includes recordings with Barretto, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colon and even Chico O’Farrill. Also appearing Randy Brecker and one of the all-time greatest of the greats Bernard Purdy.

An over-arching theme of Harlem River Drive is the thought that, as Palmieri puts it “The U.S. is richest country, all this immense wealth, side by side with the most intense poverty, racial prejudice; how is that possible?” A question that’s perhaps more even more relevant today than it was in 1971. A question that can be further explored with Get On Down’s reissue of this seminal recording.

Cloud One - Spaced Out: The Best Of Cloud One 2LP, Compilation Vinyl (P&P Records)

2LP £29.99 Add to basket

This is a Record Store Day 2019 item.

Produced by the legendary Patrick Adams, the studio-bound disco unit Cloud One made its debut in 1975 with the spectacular Atmosphere Strut and throughout the seventies, became the centerpiece for P&P, Queen Constance, Golden Flamingo, Heavenly Star, and Sound of New York, all labels ran by Peter Brown and Patricia Gilyard. At a time when most music was recorded with a full army of studio musicians, Cloud One records were mostly played, arranged and mixed in their entirety by Patrick Adams himself!!! The ability to "work on his own" allowed the music to feel more experimental than the work he did on major labels at the time. While there’s beenother compilations, this is the first official P&P collection dedicated to the work of Patrick Adams as Cloud One. Spaced Out compiles the best of Cloud One’s output with songs from their Atmosphere Strut LP, their Funky Disco Tracks EP and a number of known 12“ singles as well as some hard-to-find titles like Patti Duke, Don't Let My Rainbow Pass Me By, and Flying High. Spread accros 2LPs, Spaced Out is not only a good addtion to fans of the P&P Catalog, but also the perfect introduction to the work of Legendary Disco Producer Patrick Adams.

Dillinger - CB 200, LP Vinyl Reissue (Island Records, Get On Down) Record Store Day 2019 Issue

LP £19.99 Add to basket

First issued in 1976.
Available on CD and digital but vinyl has been out of print since the mid-80s. 2000 only worldwide.

By the 1970s Reggae had spread from Jamaica and become an international phenomena. Enter Dillinger, who rose up with the El Paso Sound System as part of the second generation of Jamaican toasters. His name came from American gangster John Dillinger at the suggestion of none other than Lee Perry (who produced his first album). A deal with Island Records followed, with sessions happening at Channel One Studios with Joseph "Jo Jo" Hoo Kim producing. Recording at Channel One in mid-70s meant Dillinger and Jo Jo were tapping into an immense talent pool in the form of The Revolutionaries, the studio' s in-house band. CB 200 features contributions from Earl "Chinna" Smith, Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Ansel Collins, Sly Dunbar, and Tommy McCook among others. The release also brought forth the career defining cut "Cokane In My Brain", a hit record on an international basis. Despite the success of CB 200 and "Cokane In My Brain" the release has remained out of print in all formats since the mid-1980s. Get On Down is about to change that, with their Record Store Day 2019 reissue of this too often overlooked Reggae masterpiece.

Tracks : 1. CB 200 2. No Chuck It 3. Cokane In My Brain 4. The General 5. Power Bank 6. Plantation Heights 7. Race Day 8. Natty Kick Like Lightning 9. Buckingham Palace 10. Crankface

Blind Willie McTell - Statesboro Blues/Three Women Blues, 10 Inch Vinyl 78 RPM (Victor, Traffic) Record Store Day 2019 Issue

10" Vinyl £18.99 Add to basket

Previously available on CD, LP and Digital.
Not in print as a 78 since the 30s. 2000 only worldwide. Though Robert Johnson may now be considered the biggest blues artist from the past, at the time Blind Willie McTell was both more popular and predated even Johnson' s earliest performances, much less Johnson' s short list of recordings. McTell played 12 string guitar in the Piedmont Blues style aka the Piedmont Fingerstyle due to the use of finger picking technic all the while being proficient with slide guitar. One thing is certain, as he rose to prominence in the 20s, McTell could not have been aware of the influence he would have on generations of musicians to come including the likes of Bob Dylan (who wrote a song about McTell), the White Stripes, Taj Mahal, Canned Heat and of course The Allman Brothers who turned "Statesboro Blues" into one of their earliest signature songs. For Record Store Day 2019 Traffic Entertainment is proud to present Blind Willie McTell' s 1928 release of "Three Women Blues" with "Statesboro Blues" on micro-groove 78 RPM vinyl housed in a spectacular recreation of the Victor label sleeve used for the original issue.

Tracks : A Side - Statesboro Blues B Side - Three Women Blues

James Brown Plays And Directs The James Brown Band - Sho Is Funky Down Here, Vinyl LP (Now-Again) Record Store Day 2019 Issue

LP £27.99 Add to basket

This is a Record Store Day 2019 item.

First issued in 1971. Sho is Funky Down Here and The Grodeck Whipperjenny are a pair of albums that are the result of an unlikely but highly productive musical relationship between James Brown, a superstar at the creative and commercial peaks of his long career, and David Matthews, a then young arranger-musician whose limited professional experience had little or nothing to do with the funk and soul of hiscollaborator. James Brown’s psychedelic album, created by his then-bandleader David Matthews, and issued at the same time as Matthews’ classic The Grodeck Whipperjenny. Underground, fuzzy, rambling psych-funk. The genesis of Brown’s Talking Loud And Saying Nothing, a 1990s hip hop sample staple, informing A Tribe Called Quest, Large Professor, Brand Nubian and others.Lacquered directly from the original master tapes at Capitol Studios. This is the first official reissue of both of these rare titles. Contains an extensive booklet with full annotation, liner notes by Brown historian Alan Leeds and never-before-published photos.

LP - Vinyl has been out of print since at least the mid-90s. 3000 only worldwide.