“LillyGood Party” is a nod to the parties hosted by DJ/Producer Alex Attias in his native Lausanne. Over the years He’s release a number of tracks under various monikers such as Mustang or Freedom Soundz. He also was a part of West London’s broken beat scene during it’s apex via his Vision label. His latest release is a mashup of dance floor bangers and rare gems in various styles. There’s something for everyone starting with the high octane Disco funk of “Earth Overshoot Day” from Cotonete, armed with a Hugo LX remix. One of Tokyo’s finest producers Grooveman Spot’s “Do The Dance” has an wobbly infectious groove that will instantly fill a dance floor. “Curiosity” by Nicole Willis is remixed into a smoothed out soulful banger. Other highlights include a broken beat heater from Kaidi Tatham and Dego and classic RnB soul from Root Soul. Be sure to check Mr Attias next time he’s in your town. This compilation is evidence that he knows how to rock a party.

Reg Dancy

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With a career spanning four decades, there’s plenty of material to choose from the Dave Grusin catalog. Somehow “The Friends of Eddie Cole”, the soundtrack to the crime drama was never released until now. Grusin creates a cat and mouse imagery that mirrors the films deliberate slow pace. “Partridge Robbery/Take A Walk” is the only track over three minutes. It’s a slow burning cinematic gem heightened by an impressive string section as well as percussionist Emil Richards. “Jacky Meets Pete And Andrea” is a funky wah wah inspired tune but it’s woefully short at just over a minute. It’s just enough time for Saxophonist Tom Scott and bassist Chuck Rainey to cut loose. With “Baylis Robbery”, Grusin’s string arrangements build a quiet tension that only heightens the drama of the heist. It’s a theme played throughout the disc. Grusin demonstrates here that he’s unheralded when it comes to music scores. Like the film itself, it’s well worth going back to re-examine the rest of his work.

Reg Dancy

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Nick Wisdom and astrological, the Vancouver duo better known as Potatohead People have built an impressive resume over the years based on their brand of mid-tempo electro funk. “Nick and Astro’s Guide to The Galaxy” is their full length debut after an assortment of EPs over the years. “Quest For Love” embodies their signature sound with a laid back groove and a swaying chorus. “Do My Thing” reflects their J Dilla influence with a neck snapping drum snare beat. Illa J, brother of the late great aforementioned producer jumps on this track and two others as well. “No Sleep Til MTL” is an 80s flavored boogie tune with jazzy trumpet phrasings. These guys have nailed the art of beats and rhythms and this engaging release is evidence of that.

Reg Dancy

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“Almeria”, a province of Spain is scenic, sublime and a natural paradise not known to everyone. For pianist Jessica Lauren, it’s a place filled with fond memories and a romantic charm. They serve as an ideal inspiration to this beautiful new release. Lauren’s warm approach to harmony and rhythm are reflected in this blissful collection of modal compositions. “Kofi Nomad” is a simmering afro rhythmic tune augmented by Collocutor member Tamar Osborn’s baritone sax phrasings. “Amalfi” is a brimming bossa nova treat that features trumpeter Yazz Ahmed, Osborn on flute with Lauren singing the melody. The closing “Argentina” is a stirring duet between Lauren and Osborn. Lauren’s channels the subtlety of Horace Silver on this wonderful ballad. Simply put this is another winner from the premier pianist that shouldn’t be missed.

Reg Dancy

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The Expansions are a quartet hailing from South London. They made quite an impression with their debut EP “Lavender”. Their latest release “Murmuration” builds on their debut with more funk infused jazz and soul rhythms. “Pocket 5” is fueled by spirited drumming from Jonny Drop and a thumping groove courtesy of bassist Matt Summerfield. On “Cannonball” Dave Koor’s mellow earthy synths along with James O’Keefe’s guitar provide plenty of warm vibes. “Ivory Mountain” is an uptempo fusion highlight driven by spacey synths and a pulsating groove. The Expansions breathe new life into the 70s fusion period with this engaging record. They’ve learned well from their influences while creating a sound all their own.

Reg Dancy

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Nostalgia 77 founder Ben Lamdin celebrates fifteen years of glorious music with “Fifteen”. Lamdin along with the Tru Thoughts family collaborated in selecting some of their timeless ethereal compositions from their deep vault for this release. One can only imagine the challenge they had in picking just nineteen tunes. In the end it looks as though they did a fabulous job. Evidence of that comes from the opening track “Quiet Dawn”, a haunting tune featuring Beth Rowley on vocals. Alice Russell, whose powerful soulful vocals has received worldwide acclaim shines on “Seven Nation Army”. Other highlights include “Stars”, a gem that was recorded with the Nostalgia 77 Octet and the folk inspired “Beautiful Lie”. The Ambassadeurs trippy remix of “Sleepwalker” is a downtempo delight and captures the groups varied musical range. If you’re a bit late to Ben Lamdim’s body of work then this would be a great place to start. If you’ve been riding with him all along then this is a great reminder of the quality of music he has given us over the years.

Reg Dancy

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Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina form the group known as Nu Guinea. The last time we heard from them was on the impressive “Tony Allen Experiments”. With their sophomore lp “Nuova Napoli”, they capture the vibe of Napoli and the foundation of 70s funk and 80s dance rhythms in their music. Massimo and Lucio enlisted many of Naples talented musicians to blend live instrumentation with voices drenched in Neapolitan dialect. “Nuova Napoli” is a laid back sun drench soul with a twisted bass line and synths. “A Voce E Napule” is filled with lively percussion and sweet vocal harmonies. “Ddoje Facce” is a funky synth laden dance track and overall feel good tune. In fact the mood throughout the disc evokes images of crowded streets filled with people dancing to the drummers beat. This is a music journey through Naples that is worthy of repeated trips and another triumph for the talented duo.

Reg Dancy

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Ever since their first compilation in 2014 The Far Out Monster Orchestra has delighted us with invigorating dance tracks remixed by some of today’s acclaimed DJs. With three members of Azymuth, including Arthur Verocai and Jose Roberto Bertrami plus fellow Rio funk legends Banda Black Rio are back to deliver another fabulous collection of original compositions. On the title track we’re delighted by the vocals of Heidi Vogel over a bass driven dance friendly groove. “The Two Of Us” with Mia Mendes on lead vocals is another winner that’s filled with blissful orchestral arrangements and gorgeous vocal harmonies. This album comes with six vocal recordings and an instrumental of each track as well. It’s quality disco stripped down where the focus is on groove, melody and lush arrangements. These musicians have quite the resume when it comes to Jazz, Brazilian and funk compositions. With this release they’ve proven to be equally adept at infectious dance tracks as well.

Reg Dancy

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Hailing from Ann Arbor Michigan, Tadd Mullinix aka Dabrye wasn’t sure if or when he would create another record. Twelve years since the release of “Two/Three” A case of writers block and family matters put his projects on ice. So it was a cause for celebration to discover he was back in the studio wrapping up his long awaited follow up. “Three/Three” fuses laid back electronic beats as well as gritty boom bap joints that made “Two/Three” such a highlight. Detroit is represented well by Guilty Simpson on “Tunnel Vision” while Kadence along with Intricate Dialect & Silas Green trade verses on the spacey beats of “Culture Shuffle”. Shigeto, another Detroit Alum brings his diverse electronic sound with the funk deluxe “Sunset”. Dabrye’s connections extend well beyond Detroit with premiere rappers such as Ghostface Killah, Doom and Jonwayne jumping on board. “Three/Three” has a little bit of everything to keep your head on a constant nod. It’s a huge gap between albums but Dabrye has picked up from where he left off and that’s a boon for everyone.

Reg Dancy

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“Ruthless Day” is the second full length lp from Giselle Smith. Formely the front woman for the Mighty Mocambos Giselle has arranged a collection of high powered funk that allow her vocals to soar. Among the highlights are “Sweet Memories”, a mid-tempo track oozing with wah-wah guitar funk. “Hero” is a bluesy duet with Eric Boss. “Around again” is infectious funk with tasty piano arrangements. A potent release filled with emotive lyrics, Giselle is a welcome addition to the funk and soul scene.

Reg Dancy

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