Remy LBO, normally known for his electronic beat work, holed up in an Oregon cabin last winter to create something loose, spontaneous, and decidedly more organic.  “Umpqua Fire” is exactly all of those things, a record that should easily please fans of Madlib’s forays into jazz and funk.  The vinyl (limited to 300 copies and [...]

Now-Again just dug up more amazing old music to reissue.  Rikki Ililonga & Musi-O-Tunya’s “Dark Sunrise” collects three albums by the godfather of “Zamrock”, a Zambian genre full of nods to funk, psych, and pop.  The set comes with three LPs, each an exact reproduction of an important Ililonga album (Wings of Africa, Zambia, and [...]

Few things get us more excited than amazing, obscure funk reissues from Stones Throw sub-label, Now-Again.  The Equatics’ “Doin It!!!” is a funk/soul masterpiece, originally recorded in 1972 by a bunch of high school kids.  The LP comes housed in a heavy-duty tip-on jacket with extensive liner notes by Egon.  All this for a mere [...]

Hmmm… this is interesting. So while Numero Group was working on tracking down tunes for a new compilation they are working out – featuring “Chicago-by-way-of-Puerto Rico Salsa, Latin funk, Guaguanco, Guajira, Merengue, Bolero, and Rumba” – they happened across a storage spaced filled with 152 copies each of 12 different original 45s from the Ebirac [...]

Does what it says on the tin. Insound has tons of records, you have lots of empty shelf space. If you don’t, then you need to buy some new shelves and place an order at Insound where the entire store is 15% off for an entire week using coupon code “swjune15″ – insound.com.

Seriously, try to keep up with these international funk and soul reissues, I dare you.  They will drain your bank account and your social life.  That being said, these two new compilations are a pretty stellar deal.  The “Si, Para Usted: The Funky Beats of Revolutionary Cuba” series covers Cuban funk, soul, psych, and jazz.  [...]

Damn, just when I was congratulating myself for chilling out on the funk reissues, this absolute must-buy record dropped.  Check out this description from the site:  “Following the success of Psych Funk 101, Egon presents Joel Stones’ Brazilian Guitar, Fuzz Bananas. If Psych Funk 101 was the freshman seminar in global-psychedelic grooves, then this album [...]

I know it seems like we basically run a site about Stones Throw, but they put out so much good stuff, we just can’t help it.  First up is the new album from The Whitefield Brothers, “Earthology”.  Expanding on the straightforward funk of the last album, the Brothers have incorporated sounds and instruments from around [...]

Holy shit, I could not have purchased one of these faster.  Madlib’s newest jazz-fusion project, The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble has released an album on vinyl!  “Miles Away” is a 2xLP that comes packaged in a beautiful, heavily 60′s-70′s influenced gatefold jacket.  I can promise you right now that if you like [...]

I’ve pretty much been pacing the room like a maniac waiting for the vinyl release of Oh No’s “Dr No’s Ethiopium”, and it looks like I can finally relax.  Here’s the rundown:  Oh No (Madlib’s brother) made this record with help from Egon’s massive record collection.  It was “inspired-by and sampled-from rare 60′s and 70′s [...]