Friday, September 01, 2017

NEW RELEASES: MAD MATS PRESENTS DIGGING BEYOND THE CRATES; FTG PRESENTS THE VAULTS VOL. 2; ONE WAY GLASS – DANCEFLOOR PROG, BRIT JAZZ & FUNKY FOLK 1968-1975

MAD MATS PRESENTS DIGGING BEYOND THE CRATES

Mad Mats is not only digging beyond the crates here, he's also digging beyond any conventional expectations you might have – as the set's got a unique vibe that may well make it one of the most compelling BBE compilations in years! The music is from the late 60s through the present – but it all comes together in a very future-sounding way – with rhythms that are often offbeat, electric elements that seem to crackle with independent energy, and vocals that can fall down in the mix one minute and burst forth the next! This isn't a dance music compilation, and it's also not a set of rare funk tracks either – and instead, Mats creates his own very personal journey in sound – heedless of time periods, genres, and often national boundaries. Titles include "Take A Stand" by Psalms, "Big Big Boss" by Johnny Moore, "Badly" by Cuthead, "Sherriff (Murlo rmx)" by Gappy Ranks, "Keep The Music Alive" by Yvonne Gray, "Evil Woman" by Bobby Hebb, "Jazz In Outer Space" by BSTC, "The Traveller" by Deft, "Space Based" by Mode M, "Don't Hold Back The Feeling (key trip dub)" by U N I, "Animations" by Intimate Disco, and "Jah I See You" by Ensemble Entendu.  ~  Dusty Groove

FTG PRESENTS THE VAULTS VOL. 2 (3-CD SET)

A huge amount of great work from the FTG label – one of the most trustworthy soul reissues on the CD market! FTG has reissued lots of 70s and 80s classics over the past decade or so, often with lots of bonus tracks – a fair bit of which are included here, as many selections are remixes or singles, and lots more are reissued from the new versions on their CDs! The 3CD set features 48 tracks in all – a hell of a deal – and titles include "Sugar Free (DEO radio rmx)" by Juicy, "Your Personal Touch (dance version)" by Evelyn King, "Closer Than Friends (12" version)" by Surface, "Automatic (12" rmx)" by The Pointer Sisters, "Use It Up Wear It Out (edit)" by Odyssey, "I'm So Excited (ext version)" by The Pointer Sisters, "Let's Groove (special rmx holiday version)" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Give It Up (12" version)" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "Rockit (12" version)" by Herbie Hancock, "Slip N Slide (7" version)" by Roy Ayers, "Betcha By Golly Wow (7" version)" by Norman Connors, "I Do Love You (7" version)" by GQ, "Begin The Beguine (disco version)" by Johnny Mathis, "Gangsters Of The Groove (UK 12")" by Heatwave, "This Is It (12" version)" by Melba Moore, "Rock The Boat" by Hues Corporation, "Insatiable Woman (12" version)" by Isley Jasper Isley, "You Are My Everything (ext version)" by Surface, "No One In The World (alt version)" by Dionne Warick, "Help Yourself To My Love (12" version)" by Kashif, and "Hi How Ya Doin (gravity mix)" by Kenny G. ~ Dusty Groove

ONE WAY GLASS – DANCEFLOOR PROG, BRIT JAZZ & FUNKY FOLK 1968-1975 (3-CD SET)


One of the coolest collections of grooves you might ever hope to own – a batch of tracks that come from the unlikely prog underground in the UK – but which are full of heavy basslines, riffing guitars, and funky drums! A few years earlier, the UK scene was in love with American soul and blues – which came through in famous straighter recordings of those modes overseas – but by the time of these tracks, the scene had really found its own vibe – stretching out in ways that were famously filled-out, yet still influenced strongly by more soulful modes in all the right ways! The result is a wonderful blend of soaring instrumentation, sometimes trippy production, and very groovy rhythms – sort of the hybrid that you were getting in America by groups like Chicago or Santana, but served up here by some much more obscure underground acts. The 3CD set is a fantastic overview of this wonderful moment – and features 58 tracks, along with a big booklet of notes. Titles include "The Bitch" by Gasoline Band, "Somethin You Got" by Second Hand, "Home Is Where I Belong" by Quicksand, "He's Gonna Step On You Again" by John Kongos, "Bad Times" by Paladin, "Travelling Like A Gypsy" by Hanson, "I'm A Thief" by Juicy Lucy, "So Many People" by Skin Alley, "3D Mona Lisa" by Paul Brett Sage, "One Way Glass" by Trifle, "Wake Up My Children" by Siren, "The Devil Made Me Do It" by Curtis Knight Zeus, "Drinking My Wine" by Hardin & York, "Little Message" by Jody Grind, "Eyeballs" by Blue Mink, "Celebration" by Chillum, "Weren't Born A Man" by Dana Gillespie, "I Saw An Angel" by Pentangle, "Libel" by Hard Stuff, "Pigs Foot" by Pesky Gee, "I'm A Man" by The Web, and "Indian Rope Man" by Noir.  ~ Dusty Groove


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