Hidden grooves from James Mason. It's been over three decades since Mason released the digger's classic Rhythm Of Life in 1977, and he still continues to bless us with soulful gems. "The Dance Of Life" was recorded in the same fertile late 70's period and was only recently re-discovered by Mason on several tapes from the time. The track is an uplifting jazz funk groover, complete with monster break (check the sound sample about 1 minute in) by Bernard Purdie and vocals by Fonda Rae! Talk about lost classic status. On the flip we move forward to "Up Jump," an vocoder-laced electro disco jam that sounds like it's from early/mid-80's. Both tracks taken from the Japanese CD-only Recollection Echo album, recommended.

• music label: Rush Hour 2015

reviewed by Powdered Floor 08/2015