Ray Barretto
Pastime Paradise

The Coastal Invasion by Lucho Bermudez y su Orquesta

Fresh new 7' vinyl, just in time for the Spring/Summer. 2 slices of Funk, courtesy of XL Middleton & Moniquea."I Don't Wanna Wait" is a G-Funk "traffic anthem" depicting Los Angeles' road reality. XL's sneaky topicals, combined with his witty delivery, mesh perfectly with the heavy bass lines and piano solos. Available for the 1st time on 7' Vinyl, previously available on "2 Minutes Till Midnight""Daily Thing" is a Modern Funk heater, available for the 1st time on vinyl. Moniquea's making sure that whatever you need on a daily basis, she'll make sure to remind you. Perfect for lighting up the dance floor, this one is guaranteed to keep you moving.

Habibi Funk 021: Free Music (Part 1) by The Free MusicAvid Habibi Funk listeners may be familiar with Libyan composer / producer Najib Alhoush, who’s “Ya Aen Daly” - Bee Gee’s “Stayin Alive” cover - was included in our 2nd compilation.Najib’s group, “The Free Music” produced an astonishing 10 albums, all impressively strong and equally infused by soul, funk, disco and reggae. Groovy synths, thumping bass and drums and Najib’s distinct flavor collide for something special. Self-financed, all their albums are fully dedicated to their unique musical blend, a distinctly infectious groove that unfortunately didn’t make an impact outside of Libya due to the complex political situation at the time.When we made the selection for this album, we could have chosen a completely different number of tracks and the album would be been equally strong. There is a reason why it says “Part 1” in the title.

Vocal Shades And Tones is a miraculous leftfield library classic from the genius mind of celebrated UK composer/singer/vocal arranger Barbara Moore. It's a heavenly groove-based blend of jazz, Latin, soft-psych, folk-funk and gospel soul. Recorded for the legendary Music De Wolfe in 1972, it's an audacious start-to-finish listen, as dizzying as it is dazzling. It's a perfect snapshot of a musical era, supported by Moore's glorious vocal arrangements. Widely regarded among collectors, DJs, and lounge/easy-listening acolytes as an absolute essential it is viewed as the holy grail by many production music heads, rarely appearing for sale and disappearing in a flash when it does. Indeed, originals now go for over £300 and it's easy to see why. Just one of the reasons why this fresh Be With reissue, part of a wider De Wolfe reissue campaign, is so utterly crucial.

"Hot recordings from the golden era of the Italian sexy comedy film scene"Early Sounds Recordings, in collaboration with the historical Italian label "Eleven" and A. Dallera, puts together a compilation of some of the rarest and sought after disco and funk records inspired by the Italian sexy comedy era.

Temptation de ChainoThe creation myth behind Temptation weaves a tale of reinvention nearly as fantastic (in both meanings of the word) as that of its lead performer Chaino. The clatter of jungle birds, the chatter of frolicsome monkeys, and the gruff bellow of a majestic lion all conspire to challenge the woofer and tweeter of any listener’s hi-fi.Since its initial very limited commercial release exclusively on stereophonic reel-to-reel tape circa 1960, this long-player has occasionally made cameo appearances in record shops throughout the years, trickling out in limited numbers in a variety of formats, each iteration under a novel title and a different label.Temptation: The Exotic Sounds of Chaino is a hi-fi demonstration record of one bit of ironclad truth: the reason Chaino — who relocated to the ultimate exotic paradise in 1999 — is known as the self-styled “genius of African percussion” is that he merely anticipated that the rest of us admirers of his prodigious percussive prowess would soon enough bestow upon him those rightly deserved honors. This album’s long-overdue wider release should create many more such acolytes. And that’s no lie.