‘Triumphant experiments in privately-issued sci-fi soul music; lonely transmissions from a planet in a state of cultural fugue. Packaged in a one-way portal to the further limits of expression. Some assembly required.’

Truly pioneering electro-funk — treated, lo-fi, minimal, fundamentally desolate — this long overdue compilation of Sly’s own Stone Flower label runs the five 45s alongside ten previously unissued cuts, all newly remastered from the original tapes. The missing link between the rocky, soulful Stand! and the dark, ticking, overdubbed sound of There’s A Riot Going On, his masterpiece. The notes include an exclusive new interview with the great man himself.

A dozen deadly deep funk burners.

Plenty of TKOs — the Colombian opener, for example — beautifully presented.
A moving, mind-boggling testament to Afrobeat, with shout-outs from Ghana, Trinidad, the US and elsewhere.

Superbad from start to finish, this survey of the Cincinnati label in the after-shock of Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag. Almighty James Brown productions (or knock-offs) like Honky Tonk Popcorn, Unwind Yourself and Fever. That Coasters to close… bim.

The history of the Chicago label, and the life of its owner Arrow Brown: twenty tracks of blistering R and B, sweet soul, and discofied funk. Now on vinyl, in a sumptuous Numero box-set.

A fascinating delve into the bizarre and brilliant world of Jeremiah Yisrael and the funky disco treasures of Tap Records. The boxed vinyl is beautifully done even by Numero standards, with 11 extras and a free CD.

Three hours from the legendary Festival — Rance Allen, The Emotions, The Temprees, The Soul Children, Isaac Hayes, Richard Pryor, The Staples Singers, The Bar-Kays, Rufus Thomas and the rest.

A Stones Throw project.

Seventies Caribbean soul and funk — one ear tuned in to nearby Miami, with reggae and jazz in the mix too — from Frank Penn’s Freeport operation.

Calypso, blues, disco, funk, reggae, bruckdown, soul, folk — in the kitchen, Belizians would call it Boil Up. For the New York Post, ‘indispensable’; the Chicago Tribune’s ‘best reissue of the year’ (2006).

Sixth volume of Kon And Amir’s Mixtape series. Two discs stuffed with hip hop breaks.

Primitive choirs, spacious breaks, congas, old-boy rappers impersonating the devil, cast-recordings, thumping bass, and JB copyists — all with a heavy slathering of gospel gravy.

Four years of singles on the Lloyd and Deep City labels run by Willie Clark and Johnny Pearsall: sixties Miami’s rarest of the rare, including the vinyl debuts of Betty Wright and Paul Kelly.