Soul-Funk

After repeatedly being visited by a strange messenger in his dreams while on tour in the islands of Greece, Toby Pazner became consumed with a vision to tell the stories of TheOlympians through music. Chosen by the gods as a messenger for not only his musical gifts, but for his unique position at the center of the Daptone family, Toby built a home studio from scratch and employed some of the top soul musicians in the world to help him breath life into this album. The result is a dramatic and cinematic journey to the outer limits of instrumental soul music, built on a foundation laid by the same craftsmen who’s bricks built the legacies of Sharon Jones, Lee Fields, Charles Bradley, The Budos Band, and Menahan Street Band, and painted with lush strings, harpsichord, harp and horns. The Olympians is destined to be the instr umental gem of the year.

After a first edition acclaimed internationally, Favorite Recordings and Charles Maurice finally follows-up to their French Disco Boogie Sounds compilation with a second volume!!Pursuing his fine work at digging rare music from around the world, DJ and collector Charles Maurice presents another brilliant selection of great music linked to France and French West-Indies: 12 hidden and forgotten titles, all produced between 1978 and 1985, whether in France, or by French artists abroad. This time again, he perfectly browse and defines the great energy and quality of this specific Disco/Funk scene at that time, both in the underground market, or through bigger labels.On one hand, tracks by Crystal, Jackie Esam, Ideku Dynasty or Marc Ashy, were produced by small artists and labels from the French Caribbean and African community and also filled with a raw spirit and some Tropical influences. On the other hand, tracks by Claude Morgan, Greg Smaha, Roots, or Black Bells Group, were released by major labels such as Phonogram, RCA, Derby, or Carrere, thanks to confirmed independent producers, acting not only in France, but also in Canada and the US.Today, Favorite Recordings and Charles Maurice are very proud to unearth these 12 gems, with amongst them some very hard to find and almost unknown titles.

The two glorious 80s boogie tracks written and produced by Roy Ayers are released here on 7" single for the very first time. The two songs were originally released back to back on 12" single for the Uno Melodic label, copies exchanging hands for over £400. These are the only two known recordings by Ethel Beatty, "It's Your Love" much sampled on the hip hop scene.

THE EARLY WORK OF A MUSICAL GENIUS WHICH BECAME A STAPLE OF THE MINNEAPOLIS SOUND FOR DECADES TO COME.Formed in December 1975 by Pepe Willie (the former husband of Prince's cousin), 94 East was the Minneapolis-based funk group with which Prince first came to prominence. Willie was a key player in launching Prince's career, spotting his many talents and quickly enlisting the young maestro into 94 East (named after Interstate 94 in Minneapolis). Alongside Willie, Prince composed one song for them, "Just Another Sucker", newly remastered for this release along with "One Man Jam".These are two of a collection of epic tracks laid down by the band between December 1975 and February 1979, with Prince's nascent musical power to the fore. Remastered versions of the complete recordings are available across three new Charly releases: CD (CHARLYF840), single LP (CHARLYL219 - purple vinyl ) and triple LP box (CHARLYL221) with bonus tracks and instrumental versions.The band disbanded in 1979 when Prince became a star in his own right . And the rest is history. . .

As part of our 10 years anniversary Mukatsuku is proud to release the holy grail instrumental long version co produced by Tommy Stewart of 'Brotherson' from Atlanta USA resident Ojeda Penn.There were two versions of the album Happiness on the IFE independent label. They looked almost identical but the first version contained the now rarer elongated jazz fused instrumental version of 'Brotherson' and then a few months later they recut the album with a much shorter version adding strings and vocals.The former version is now being sold up to £500 so this 12 is a welcome release to the reissue market. According to Mr Penn this is the first time either version has been reissued officially and Mukatsuku after many years of discussion is glad to finally be in a position to finally put out both versions on one phat 12''

Long overdue for a vinyl pressing, Kenny Dope’s extended mix of “Shy As A Butterfly” by The Mighty Sceptres is now available on a proper 7in. The B-side features a killer dance floor-ready cumbia rework of “Nothing Seems To Work Right” by Spark Arrester.With a well-received debut album under their belt and notable song placements in shows such as Ray Donovan on Showtime, The Mighty Sceptres drop a new 7in single featuring Kenny Dope’s extended mix of “Shy As A Butterfly”, previously only available as a bonus on their digital album. With collectors, record shops, and fans alike clamoring for a vinyl version, the 7in was hands down the preferred format of choice. Hailing from Blacksburg VA where he’s been a mainstay of the local music scene and purveyor of all things funky, Spark Arrester’s cumbia rework is a perfect fit on the B-side rounding out a single that’s sure to keep bodies moving on the dance floor all summer long and beyond.