Smoove Presents Mo' Record Kicks Act II
(CD/Digital) Record Kicks RKX037, 2011-04-18

Mo' Record Kicks is back! And Act II is an even heavier collection of Record Kicks exclusives, b-sides, remixes and material that appears on CD and compilation for the very first time. The man behind this fine selection of RK sounds needs no introduction, DJ/Producer smoove has been an avid collector of all that is funk for more than 30 years and is one half of the renown duo Smoove & Turrell. He has releases out on Acid Jazz, Jalapeno and to name a few, as well as having founded the labels Wack Records and Wass Records. From deep funk to afrobeat, early reggae and vintage soul, Mo' Record Kicks II packs in the best of the Record Kicks sound. Whether you're a cool cat or a funky monkey, this collection will have you out of your seat and ready to hit the dance-floor at any time or day!

Various - Thai? Dai! The Heavier Side of the Luk Thung Underground
(CD/LP) Finders Keepers FKR044CD/LP, 2011-01-31

New 'Sounds Of Wonder' compendium featuring the heavier side of the Lukthung underground from Thailand's finest disfunctional outsiders. Proto punk-funk, warped cover versions and jaw dropping jams that belie belief! "Finders Keepers are pullin' out the purple olive" (Cut Chemist).
The styles featured on this compilation fall somewhere between Luk Thung ('song of the countryside') and Luk Krung ('song of the city'). Bangkok was a particular melting pot for the evolution of these two genres, the former alluding to musical themes and lyrics aimed at the wider national population, the latter looking westwards with a more urban 'sophisticated' audience in mind. The tracks here were experimentations or dice rolling by both little known groups, as well as established figures like Plearn Promdan. Some tracks might represent a specific artist's only foray into this musical area. Even within Thailand the majority of these tunes remain unissued, so it's with great pleasure that we present this glimpse of the strange underbelly of Thai Luk Thung in all its unique, original and outlandish glory - a small snapshot of an otherwise forgotten era.

The Bahama Soul Club - Bossa Nova Just Smells Funky Remixed
(CD/Download) Buyu Records BU008CD, 2011-02-11

13 Top producers, DJs and artists from all around the world worked their magic on a few Bahama Soul Club tracks from the stunning album Bossa Nova Just Smells Funky. Some of the best songs with singers like Pat Appleton, Bella Wagner, Sitzka, John Turrell & Kojato were rebooted into pure rhythmic bliss. A bright collection of Latin, House, Reggae, Funk & Soul with a thoroughly modern take on Dancefloor Jazz. Welcome to 15 tracks from selected artists such as: Club Des Belugas, Suonho, Tape Five, Mop Mop, Valique, Dr Rubberfunk, Mash &Amp; Munkee, Acusmatic Group, Renegades Of Jazz, Minimatic, Quincy Jointz, Dj Kinski, Frohlocker.

The Beat Generation 10th Anniversary Collection - Mixed and Compiled by DJ Spinna & Mr Thing
(2xCD/2xLP/Digital) Barely Breaking Even BBE162, 2011-03-29

The Beat Generation series which launched in March 2001 was BBE's first real foray into original artist albums and featured the debut solo albums for some of the worlds most respected essentially hip hop and modern r&b producers such as J Dilla, Dj Jazzy Jeff, Larry Gold, Dj Spinna and Will.i.am. It also included albums from legends such as Pete Rock and Marley Marl. In addition there were albums leftfield heavyweights King Britt and Madlib. Last but not least the set included a session of unreleased poetry from American literary giants - Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky and Greg Corso whose well documented movement lent its name to the series. These 10 releases have achieved global cumulative sales of over 300,000 CDs to date. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this cult series BBE enlisted the services of 2 of its stalwart associates and compilers to create a double mix cd featuring the best and most popular tracks from the 9 albums recorded for the series. Dj Spinna - (Beat Generation contributor and compiler of several compilations on BBE ) and DJ Mr Thing - former Scratch Pervert and DMC winner. For Digital customers they will be able to download a bonus mix by a Chris Read - UK Mixtape Maestro/ BBC 1 Xtra. The promotion of this release will be supported by events and re-releases of deleted titles, expanded version of some of the albums...

Disco Love 2 - More Rare Disco & Soul Uncovered compiled by Al Kent
(2xCD/2xLP/Digital) Barely Breaking Even BBE172, 2011-03-29

BBE is the home of quality underground disco. Everybody loves to dance to the quality sounds of yesteryear. BBE is single handedly bringing 70s and 80's dancefloor jams into the digital age. No more over repetitive best of no brainer track lists. This is record digging made easy. Hard to find gems now easy to get on cd and on your favourite online stores. Complete with bonus tracks. Al Kent's knowledge and passion about Disco music/culture is unsurpassed by his peers. He has a disco band and supplies records to the "Kings" of Disco. He's one of Dimitri from Paris's favourite DJs in the world playing disco music. And one of Joey Negro's who described him in Mixmag as "Scotland's answer to Walter Gibbons". He's released four rare disco compilations in recent years, all of which have sold out and are long overdue for a repress. He's released over 60 disco re-edits or remixes under various guises (who are the "Brown Brothers" anyway?), some of which are now collectors items in their own right distinguishing themselves from the glut of weekly edits by tune choice (this man knows all the tunes - he has all the tunes!), technical standard and production quality. His house productions have been released on everything from Hed Kandi to Azuli, as well as his own Million Dollar Disco label. Al Kent is the creative mind behind www.milliondollardisco.com, the world's leading web authority on Disco.

Various - Agogo Makes The World Go Round - Music For The Global Hipster
(CD/Digital) Agogo Records AR015CD, 2011-03-18

Loved Bina Ehud 60's vibe. Can't listen to DJ Cleon, very nice chap but working with the infamous bootlegger Pascal Rioux/Favorite who bootleged a track of mine and never paid for the web works I had done for him (don't trust this guy, total rip-off!!!). Mo' Horizons deliver some killer dancefloor bizness, as usual. The Quantic track is just MASSIVE. Calmera from Japan is amazing. Psychedelic freshness from Columbia thanks to La Planta... Well this is 21st Century Latin music at its best!!

Various - Nicola Conte presents Viagem 3
A Collection of 60s Brazilian Bossa Nova And Jazz Samba
(CD/Digital) Far Out Recordings FARO156, 2011-03-28

Travelling back to 1960's Brazil the Viagem series takes its third voyage. Digging further still Brazilophile and Italian jazz don Nicola Conte has re-discovered eighteen choice rarities 1963-1970. As the global centre for all that was musically chic, these bossa nova and samba jazz hybrids blend the passion of South America and Africa with the sophisticated style of Europe and North America. Often written to take bossa back to the people and in protest against the dictatorship that took hold in 1964 these long-neglected classics are expertly conjured together by Blue Note and Schema recording artist Conte. Poetic and wildly evocative the mix perfectly mirrors the creator's laid-back cool and a swinging cosmopolitan Brazil. Nicola Conte's love and dedication to Brazilian music is astounding. Evident in his own soulful approach to his music Conte has brought to the fore a truly legendary era in jazz and Brazilian music that has until the Viagem series been long forgotten. The selection of so many undiscovered tunes is sure to reignite the flames for many who have been digging for these rarities since their initial popularisation. Balancing a mix of instrumentals and sung bossas expertly sequenced Viagem 3 is an almost classical take on Brazilian pop Music.

John Morales - The M-M Mixes Vol. 2
NYC Underground Disco Anthems & Previoulsy Unreleased Exclusive Disco Mixes
(2xCD/2xLP/2xLP/Digital) Barely Breaking Even BBE155, 2011-03-28

Few can match John Morales contribution to the world of the enthusiast turned remixer come producer. John Morales is considered one of true legends of the mix. And his work some thirty years later continues to be cutting wedge and inspiring. Although familiar with John's work - his epic mix of Universal Robot Band's boogie anthem is the source from which BBE Records got its name - No attempt had been made to summarise the pinnacle of John's work. This second release is continued history lesson in dance music. He formed with the late Sergio Munzibai, M+M productions whose output of over 650 mixes will be unmatched by many celebrity big name remixers of today. From the Rolling Stones to Gloria Estefan, The Temptations to Hall and Oates, Aretha Franklin to BBE - we have all been moulded by Johns everlasting influence. This superb double CD presents some of John's finest works. One CD of classic boogie, cult favourites featuring John's first credited mix of Inner Life's Caught Up In A One Night Love Affair whilst CD two showcases for the first time previously unreleased mixes of gems from the legendary Salsoul catalogue from anthems like My Love is Free to the underground Cult hit Jocelyn Brown's Make It Last Forever. This is the legacy of the M+M mixes.

Fania Records 1964-1980 - The Original Sound Of Latin New York
(2xCD/2xLP/Digital) Strut Records STRUT078CD/LP, 2011-03-21

Strut is pleased to present the first ever definitive 2CD retrospective of Fania Records, the seminal New York latin label, spanning its influential heyday between its formation in 1964 through to 1980. This new 2CD set follows the development of Fania's sound during its key years including early Johny Pacheco and Larry Harlow outings from 1964, classic Fania collaborations between Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe, seminal Latin soul (Joe Bataan, Ray Barretto), boogaloo and epic outings by Fania's in-house super-group, the Fania All-Stars. The 2CD set is packaged in a thick digipak with a 32-page booklet including a full Fania label history, memorabilia, album artwork and many previously unseen photos from the Fania archive. The 2LP set will be released as a gatefold.

Various - Henry Street Grooves - Classic Deep, Funky and Jazzy House from New York
(2xCD/12"/Digital) Barely Breaking Even BBE175, 2011-03-21

Henry Street Music was established in 1993/94 in New York by Johnny "D" DeMairo. The label immediately went on to enjoy immense success with 2 club records that achieved huge pop crossover audiences - The Bomb by Kenny Dope aka Bucketheads and later with The Funk Phenomena by Armand Van Helden. The label's roster is a who's who of house music, featuring several releases from the likes of Dj Sneak, Terry Hunter, Little Louie Vega, Todd Terry, Ralphi Rosario, Todd Terry, 95 North, Paul Simpson, Ashley Beedle and many more. At the same time label boss Johnny D was an A&R at Atlantic records where he commissioned and was responsible for big hits such as Missing by Everything by the Girl, Professional Widow by Tori Amos and hundreds of other releases for Atlantic and Rhino. Henry Street has earned several gold discs across the world for sales across its repertoire. Five of the tracks from this compilation are previously unreleased. Tracks such as D2-D2 by Dj Duke are collectors classics and will be re-released and re-mastered on vinyl for the first time in over 10 years...