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The Now-Again inhouse band returns with a new EP of tracks that feature a heavy psych-funk/ bollywood-sitar/ Egon-has-his-fingers-in-here feel. And it's a welcome sound for the fellas, chopping up their obviously skilled group with the essential busted edges and a few black...
expand review eyes. The guitars are fuzzed a little more, the instrumentation is on the repetitive/hypnotic drive, and there's just a general mist (studio magic?) on top of these cuts that make them very intriguing. Includes 5 tracks total with a cool dub for "Sticks & Stones." -the mgmnt
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In a welcome meeting of past & present artists in the Now Again stable, Connie Price & The Keystones team up with LA Carnival vocalists Lester Abrahms and Leslie Smith for "Wildflowers(1)," one of the label's most engaging tracks yet. The addition...
expand review of Lester & Leslie on vocals lifts the Keystones solid backing up to something much bigger than your usual new funk outing. These guys are not aping JB (or anybody else for that matter) and come through with the kind of soulful and beautiful vocals that are simply non-existent on the new funk scene. The b-side gives us the full instrumental and a bonus beats(2) track that is just Connie banging away on the kit solo. -the mgmnt
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How can you not like this? Great late 70s soul disco reissue on Egon & Peanut Butter Wolf's Soul Cal label. If you aren't into this soul disco shit yet then you better get on it, cuz you're seriously missing out. This...
expand review record has apparently been highly sought after among collectors and has gone for more than $500! Ellis & Cephas definitely have the Bee Gee-esque vocals, but if that puts you off, don't worry - the funk makes up for it. "I'm Gonna Miss You Girl(1)" is the dancey track here, while "Heaven(2)" is a little moodier with a melodic bassline and some light synth in the background. -rikki
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With this comprehensive 2LP collection, Egon's long-talked about project for the Kashmere Stage Band has finally come to fruition. It's no secret that high school stage band records often contain funky, awkward and charming covers of popular music, but for the most...
expand review part this stuff is only interesting to collectors and people looking for an alternate Scorpio break; not so with the Kashmere Stage Band. These kids were not only a talented group of youngsters with a penchant for funk and soul covers, they also had a great leader in Conrad Johnson, an anomaly for the day who let them go as deep into the funk thing as they wanted (most bands just brushed against it on the rhythm section), plus write and arrange their own tunes. Lucky for us, he recorded and produced a number of albums with his band over the years (at least 10, all of them score city for collectors), and this comp collects the best of em. Songs to check for include Burning Spear(1), Kash Register(2), Kashmere(3), Getting It Out Of My System(4), Al's Tune(5) the requisite "Scorpio(6)" cover, "Headwiggle(7)" and more. Sabor! -the mgmnt
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Malcolm Catto is a British musician and deep-funk maniac/ record collector/ DJ who has been spending increasing amounts of time at the trap set in the last couple of years (check his previous MoWax releases). This 12" EP consists of 4 tracks...
expand review from the fictitious (and x-rated) "Blood's Haul" soundtrack, and accordingly features Catto and the Now Again stable indulging in the expected nasty, dirty throwback funk familiar to fans of labels like Soul Fire. Here though, the distortion-heavy circa-1970 grooves are combined with a kind of wide angle, almost eerie film noir soundtrack vibe, most notably on "The Shadows Of Leaves(1)." "Connie's Thing(2)" plays directly to the obsessions of breakbeat hounds, consisting entirely of loud, flanged-out fatback drums courtesy of Mr. Catto. Flipside continues in a similar vein, with breaks galore on both "Double Dutch(3)" and "Attack Of The Killer Penguins(4)." -gregcaz
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Fans of the Kashmere Stage Band know what to expect here: blazing brass, razor hi-hats and crisp snares, galloping bass. Leon Mitcheson was apparently a Texas elementary school teacher who had a love of the funk (and here I was stuck with...
expand review old Mrs. Aguilar) and hooked up this session. Obviously obscure beyond belief, the groove is relentless and charging, topped with vocals that hark back to Lightnin' Rod on the original version(1) and a low key Lyn Collins on the alternate take(2). Instrumentals for both, great cover art. -Monk
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As if releasing his brother's crappy punk band's 7" wasn't bad enough, now Peanut Butter's subjecting us to his own brand of fantastically awful singing(1). I'm surprised that distributors would even poke this thing with a 10 foot pole, but for those...
expand review in the know, it actually has quite a bit to offer. It's actually a pretty accurate take on Donovan's original (and includes the genuinely knocking instrumental(2)), a track that holds some quirky charm over the beat digging community, loved for more than it's little drum break. Chris wants you to love him too. -the mgmnt
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This is the third compilation in Luaka Bop's series of "world psychedelic classics," and this time David Byrne's label has hooked up with the west coast young bucks at Stones Throw to explore some sounds from '70s Africa. As the title hints,...
expand review this is not a strictly funky affair. The tracks tend to fall somewhere on the spectrum between baroque acid-laced rock and the more familiar afrobeat grooves we've heard in other compilations. The solid thump of Tunji Oyelana's "Ifa(1)" and the Super Eagles' "Love's A Real Thing(2)" (sounding a bit like an African LA Carnival) bracket the funk and rock ends of the spectrum, while Dahomey's Orchestre Poly-Rythmo presents a perfect illustration of the genres' blend with their heavy "Minsato Le, Mi Dayihome(3)." There are a couple of nice latin cuts (rumba was a popular sound in West Africa), "Allah Wakbarr(4)" being the choice for the traditionalist who might not appreciate the over the top fuzz guitar on No.1 de No.1's "Guajira Van(5)." Also check Moussa Doubia's JB-inspired "Keleya(6)" and Sorry Bamba's "Porry(7)." The ten cuts (spread over two pieces of vinyl) may not be DJ material for most, but are a diverse and interesting addition to the growing library of quality afro compilations. -monk
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