The Mighty Cavaliers
Mapendo

Luke Una Presents É Soul Cultura Vol.2 de Various ArtistsMr Bongo presents a much anticipated second volume of ‘É Soul Cultura’, curated by the charismatic Manchester based DJ Luke Una. In May 2022, ‘É Soul Cultura’ Vol.1 seemed to land at exactly the right moment. Post-lockdown, optimism was back on the rise and the dance floors swelled again. For many listeners, Luke Una’s intriguingly woven pattern of new, old, rare and under-discovered music from around the world became the soundtrack to rejuvenated positivity. Piccadilly Records made the release their top compilation of the year, with Rough Trade placing it as their number two. The enthusiasm from the industry was mirrored by record buyers and demonstrated that in the right hands, moving through genres, tempos and decades can make perfect musical sense.It was clear from the get-go that the concept warranted a series, there are many sides to É Soul Cultura and many musical stories to tell. This second volume gives another opportunity for Luke to share his journey of the past four decades of staying up late and getting transcendental whilst listening to holy grail music as the city slept. It follows on from where Vol.1 left off, at times venturing into the deeper, spiritual, soulful, downtempo, experimental aspects of his tastes.

More than once Jay Richford and Gary Stevan’s Feelings has been described as the greatest library record ever released. Of course Be With can’t be seen to be playing favourites, but we have to admit, it’s pretty good. Insanely rare and immensely sought-after, it’s a tough funk, street jazz masterpiece coveted for many years by collectors of all musical genres.Since its original release on Italian label Carosello in 1974, Feelings has appeared on several labels with different sleeves and even under a different artist. Indeed cult library label Conroy put it out in one of their iconic red sleeves in 1976 and yes, Feelings has indeed had more than one modern re-issue since these “original” releases. But a record this special deserves to be kept in press and we think it deserves the Be With treatment.No, Jay Richford and Gary Stevan aren’t two of the most Italian sounding names. As the story goes these were the pseudonyms adopted by Stefano Torossi and Giancarlo Gazzani who wrote the album but couldn’t use their real names on the original release for legal reasons. But Stefano Torossi himself later both clarified and confused the tale further by explaining that Feelings was the work of four people not just Gazzani and himself. Fellow composers and musicians Sandro Brugnolini and Puccio Roelens also worked on the album and as Torossi himself explained “we all worked together”, with all four gents “dividing the royalties in equal parts… that’s the story.” Right, so, with that all sorted out let’s get back to talking about the music. And what music it is.Long hailed as a holy grail of library music, Feelings is the epitome of the sort of cinematic orchestral jazzy funk that is “that 70s library music sound”. Infectiously funky, deliciously melodic and with impeccible, elegant production, this record is the showcase for a stunning set of compositions and arrangements and with performances that are nothing short of virtuoso.

Freestyle Records reissue a DIY 7" from 1980 by short-lived all-female group Spoilsports. Existing at the intersection of post-punk, jazz-rock and modern soul - these two political yet playful numbers were laid down by a band formed from a range of players active in London's feminist and improvised music scenes at the time, and represent the groups only recordings.

Warm / If The Feeling Is Right de Beverley SkeetePress play on Beverley Skeete’s ’Warm' and a wave of evocative, vivid images of sultry, sun-kissed summer days will wash over you.'Warm' is UK street-soul / electronic boogie at its finest. An infectious groove that features an amazing vocal performance invites you to fall in love. Beverley Skeete is an under-the-radar talent and you only need to dip into the sheer number of productions she has been involved with to see the pedigree of her artistry. It includes working with superstars such as Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Bronski Beat, Elton John, Boy George, and Maxi Priest, to name just a few. She was also the vocalist for the 90s global house hit 'Passion' by Gat Decor. Beverley continues to work in music to this day and, in 2021, released her most recent album, 'Liberty’.'Warm' was Beverly's third solo single for the fabled UK record label Elite. Released in 1985, it was produced by the stellar underground production team of A Sojka / de Jongh Production. This duo is better known as Andy Sojka (Atmosfear, 3rd Army, et al) and Richard de Jongh. Elite was set up by Sojka in 1979 and was a hotbed for underground UK talent that often became staples of the most discerning US dancefloors too. 'Warm' and the equally remarkable soulful-dancer 'If The Feeling Is Right' are lesser-known jams from the label’s catalogue, but they have rightfully been championed by the diggers and collectors, and what beauties they are!Official Mr Bongo replica reissue of the original Elite release.