Soul/Funk/Disco

Mavis Staples & Levon Helm - Carry Me Home

Released 20th May 2022. Iconic singer Mavis Staples is an alchemist of American music, and during...

Released 20th May 2022. Iconic singer Mavis Staples is an alchemist of American music, and during her 70+ year career one of her most beloved musical moments was her riveting performance in Martin Scorsese’s film’ The Last Waltz,’ performing “The Weight” with The Band, a moment that forged a life-long friendship between her and Levon Helm. Staples came to Woodstock, NY to perform as part of Helm’s renowned Midnight Ramble series, and the ensuing concert—available now for the first time on the...

STR4TA - Aspects

Released 26th March 2021. Gilles Peterson has partnered with Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick to reinvig...

Released 26th March 2021. Gilles Peterson has partnered with Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick to reinvigorate the loose, protean energy of the early-80s Brit-funk scene. STR4TA sees them mine new musical possibilities out of that shared formative era. On “Aspects”, they revisit that important period and the spirit that guided it: self-taught, DIY vitality, and a raucous energy built on live performance. Bringing a fresh slant to a sound first developed by groups like Atmosfear, Hi-Tension, Light of ...

The Superhighway Band - Studio City

Released 5th November 2021. In March 2020, both Nichol Thomson and Shawn Lee found themselves at ...

Released 5th November 2021. In March 2020, both Nichol Thomson and Shawn Lee found themselves at home without a live gig in site. Lee called up Thomson and said: "Now is the perfect time to make our smooth jazz trombone album"! Nichol laughed but Shawn... well, didn't! The pandemic was prime time to get smooth and jazzy! The two had already been working together the past few years on Shawn Lee and Andy Platts' Young Gun Silver Fox project. Nichol Thomson's horn arrangements have become an imp...

Sly & The Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' O...

Released 10th December 2021. Sly & The Family Stone are celebrating their 50th anniversary of...

Released 10th December 2021. Sly & The Family Stone are celebrating their 50th anniversary of There’s a Riot Goin’ On released December 10th 1971. The album was a commercial success featuring the hit single “Family Affair” reaching number 14 on the official UK chart. This was a departure from the optimistic psychedelic soul of previous records and shifted to a more political and militant vibe, perfectly encapsulating the turbulent political climate in the United States at the turn of the ...

Various Artists - Tokyo Glow (Japanese City Pop...

Released 10th December 2021. A stylish selection of city pop, funk and modern soul from Japanese ...

Released 10th December 2021. A stylish selection of city pop, funk and modern soul from Japanese labelNippon Columbia, selected by DJ Notoya and featuring cult classics and raritiesby Hiroshi Sato, Hatsumi Shibata, Hitomi 'Penny' Tohyama & many more.Annotated by Notoya with journalist Nick Luscombe and artwork by Optigram.Newly remastered audio. The selection on ‘Tokyo Glow’ starts with 'Kimugare' a relaxed mid-tempo track by Kumi Nakamura, actually a famous actress who only recorded one ...

St. Paul & The Broken Bones - The Alien Coast

Released 28th January 2022.  St. Paul & The Broken Bones have announced their new album The A...

Released 28th January 2022.  St. Paul & The Broken Bones have announced their new album The Alien Coast will be released January 28, 2022 on ATO Records.  Produced by Matt Ross-Spang, and featuring eleven new, original songs, The Alien Coast is the first SPATBB album tracked in the band’s hometown of Birmingham, AL. The arrangement allowed the octet to spend more time and tap a broader creative community than ever before, resulting in their most ambitious work to date. Led by singer and l...

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (50th Anniversary...

Released 5th August 2022. Motown’s “Prince Of Soul,” Marvin Gaye, was already a hit artist for ne...

Released 5th August 2022. Motown’s “Prince Of Soul,” Marvin Gaye, was already a hit artist for nearly a decade when, in 1971, he reached new heights with his album What's Going On. An immediate landmark recording, it was the first of Gaye's albums to break the top ten of Billboard’s Top LPs, and quickly became Motown's best-selling record. To this day, What's Going On is hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, earning the number one spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2020 list of “The...

Donna Summer - I'm A Rainbow (National Album Da...

This is a National Album Day 2021 release, available in-store on Saturday 16th October. It’s Sept...

This is a National Album Day 2021 release, available in-store on Saturday 16th October. It’s September 1981 and it’s matter of weeks away from the release of ‘I’M A RAINBOW’, the second album Donna Summer had recorded for Geffen Records, which had also been produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte.  At the time that the album was being recorded, the musical landscape had changed and production techniques were developing further. Geffen also wanted a more R&B-influenced album, despite...