New 20th anniversary edition of Soul Jazz Records’ long out-of-print ‘Miami Sound: Rare Funk & Soul from Miami, Florida, 1967-74’. The album has been unavailable for more than 15 years and is newly remastered.

Soul Jazz Records’ ‘Miami Sound’ features rare and classic funk and deep soul from Miami, Florida between 1967 and 1974. The album brings together million-selling artists such as Gwen McCrae, George McCrae and Timmy Thomas alongside artists little known outside of the sunshine state such as James Knight and The Butlers, Frank Williams And The Rocketeers and All The People.

Miami funk, soul and disco was dominated by TK Records, founded by Henry Stone in the early 1970s. Through myriad associated record labels such as Alston, Blue Candle, Dash, Glades, Cat and more, TK Records made international artists out of Gwen McRae and her brother George McRae, Betty Wright and KC and The Sunshine Band, all in the mid-1970s crossover period between soul and disco.

The music on this compilation shows the roots of this Miami sound. All the artists and musicians on this album worked together throughout the heyday of TK Records, when it produced hit after hit on an almost daily basis. The house band (the equivalent to Motown’s Funk Brothers) included songwriters such as Clarence Reid (AKA Blowfly, the adult comedian), Casey Finch (KC from KC and The Sunshine Band) along with musicians Little Beaver, Frank Williams and Robert Moore. As well as being the in-house band, most of these artists also ran successful solo careers, making Miami one of the most musically creative hot spots in the USA.

The artists on this compilation include Helene Smith, Miami’s first lady of Soul, Frank Williams and The Rocketeers (featuring a very young Little Beaver on vocals), George McRae’s rare groove classic ‘I Get Lifted’ (written by Casey Finch), Timmy Thomas’ truly experimental track ‘Funky Me’, Gwen McRae’s classic ‘90% Of Me Is You’, as well as a host of practically unknown Miami artists who never managed to make it outside the city borders.

TRACK LISTING

All The People - Cramp Your Style
Helene Smith - You Got To Be A Man
George McCrae - I Get Lifted
James Knight And The Butlers - Funky Cat
Gwen McCrae - 90% Of Me Is You
Little Beaver - Funkadelic Sound
James Knight And The Butlers - Save Me
Joey Gilmore - Do It To Me One More Time
Helene Smith - A Woman Will Do Wrong
James Knight And The Butlers - Fantasy World
Timmy Thomas - Funky Me
The New Clarence Reid - Cadillac Annie
Frank Williams And The Rocketeers - The Spanish Flyer
Della Humphrey - Don’t Make The Good Girls Go Bad
Frank Williams And The Rocketeers - You Got To Be A Man
Joey Gilmore - Somebody Done Took My Baby And Gone
Little Beaver - I Love The Way You Love

Get ready to unleash your inner seventies funk and soul enthusiast with the reissued edition of Miami's self-titled album! This record, which sadly became their last before disbanding in the early 1980s following the collapse of T.K. Records, for which they were the in-house band, will take you on a captivating musical journey.

The energy radiating from this album is almost palpable, filling the air with an electrifying atmosphere. From start to finish, Miami's self-titled album bursts with infectious energy that will transport you back to the soulful sounds of the era. As the needle hits the vinyl, you'll be captivated by the undeniable groove and irresistible beats. It's a sonic experience that will make you want to move your feet and let loose to the soulful rhythms. This reissued masterpiece brings new life to a record that has long deserved celebration and recognition.

So, let's give Miami's self-titled album the overdue acclaim it deserves. Dust off this musical gem, crank up the volume, and let the funky and soulful melodies guide you on a nostalgic journey. Get ready to groove like never before and experience the magic of Miami's unforgettable sound in this special reissue. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
A1 You've Come A Long Way Baby
A2 Freak Around
A3 Strange
A4 I've Been Lovin' You Too Long
Side B
B1 Eye For An Eye
B2 Broken Down Man
B3 Let Me See Some Knees Pleeze

It's only fitting that Khruangbin’s first-ever official live releases would be double albums paired with their tourmates: artists whose music they love and admire, friends who’ve become family along the way. Khruangbin’s ‘Live At’ series of live LPs traces just one small slice of the band’s flight plan through the years: it’s a taste of some of their most beloved cities, stages and nights. Each release comes with a limited-edition unique album cover exclusive for the recording’s home turf, just a little something extra for the fans that bring a little something extra. Most of all, Khruangbin’s ‘Live at’ series ignites both sides of the band’s magic: the warm, prismatic feeling of their albums and the bewitching energy of their performances.

‘Live at The Fillmore Miami’ features performances by Toro Y Moi and Khruangbin.

Latin Freestyle was a dizzying, passionate, ultra-modern music. It was the aural equivalent of a can of thirst-quenching Quatro or a Spanish Harlem dance-off, and it became the electronically constructed bridge between disco and house.

Freestyle grew out of the electro sound of the early 80s, combined clean staccato rhythms with morse code synth hooks, and topped them off with emotive, usually female, frequently Latina vocals. There was plenty more going on besides: proto-house piano lines, Cuban percussion, high emotion and synth hooks to die for.

Put together and annotated by Bob Stanley (who also compiled the acclaimed “The Daisy Age” and “Fell From The Sun”), “Latin Freestyle” is the first compilation to cover the whole gamut of Freestyle from its early 80s breakthrough to its early 90s revival. So many classics… Lisa Lisa made the UK top ten with the 808 joy of ‘I Wonder If I Take You Home’. Stacey Q’s cosmically great ‘Two Of Hearts’ came out in 1986, while 1987 saw the likes of Company B’s ‘Fascinated’ and Exposé’s ‘Point Of No Return’ become huge UK club hits.

Today, Freestyle is a scene with a solid collector’s market, and rarities like Janelle’s ‘Don’t Be Shy’ sell for hundreds of dollars. It’s a classic summer soundtrack, finally condensed in one Ace Records compilation – “Latin Freestyle”.

TRACK LISTING

1. Point Of No Return - Expose
2. Don't Be Shy (vocal/radio Mix) - Janelle
3. Lover Girl - Meg
4. Two Of Hearts (12'' Version) - Stacey Q
5. Together Forever (radio Edit) - Lisette Melendez
6. I Wonder If I Take You Home – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam With Full Force
7. When I Hear Music - Debbie Deb
8. Let's Go (Radio Version) - Nocera
9. Funky Little Beat - Connie
10. Show Me - Cover Girls
11. Nightime - Pretty Poison
12. Fascinated (12'' Version) - Company B
13. Dreamin' - Will To Power
14. Baby Talk - Alisha
15. Take Me In Your Arms - Lil Suzy
16. Thief Of Heart - Cynthia 

Double LP reissue of Air Miami’s lost-classic 1995 album, ‘Me. Me. Me.’ Remastered from original 2” tapes and now including 3 extra tracks. This one time pressing comes on coloured vinyl and in a gatefold sleeve.

Made up of UNREST’s Mark Robinson and Bridget Cross, Air Miami formed shortly after the D.C. indie rock mainstay’s demise in 1995, and together with drummer Gabriel Stout and producer Guy Fixsen (The Breeders, My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab), they travelled to their namesake land of Miami to record the entirety of Me. Me. Me. over the month of May at the famed Criteria Studios; a place where James Brown, Aretha Franklin, the Bee Gees, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC and countless more have recorded classic works. The album was then mixed at a studio in London where labelmates Lush were recording their 1996 LP Lovelife at the same time.

Nearly thirty years on, this deluxe reissue sees the 1995 album expanded to include all sixteen tracks from the album sessions, three of which are new to the tracklist: ‘Warm Miami May’ (not on original LP), ‘Pucker’ (previously unreleased), and the full version of ‘See-Through Plastic’ (edited version only previously seen on the EP). The record also features singles ‘I Hate Milk’ and ‘Seabird,’ a track that found new life recently when covered by current 4AD artist Maria Somerville, her first release for the label and part of the label’s 40th anniversary compilation Bills & Aches & Blues.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Hate Milk
2. World Cup Fever
3. Seabird
4. Warm Miami May (not On Original LP)
5. Special Angel
6. Afternoon Train
7. Dolphin Expressway
8. Sweet As A Candy Bar
9. Pucker (previously Unreleased)
10. You Sweet Little Heartbreaker
11. Neely
12. Bubble Shield
13. See-Through Plastic (full Version)
14. The Event Horizon
15. Definitely Beachy
16. Reprise

Another killer compilation from the ever-reliable Wagram here, featuring some of the most well known tracks in the history of funk from one of the most well known musical conduits, Henry Stone. Pieces like 'Funky Nassau' will definitely be something you've heard before, but there are a few less expected gems here too, it's yet another perfect overview from one of the greatest forces in the resonably priced compilation game.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Milton Wright - Keep It Up
A2. Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
A3. All The People - Cramp Your Style
A4. Freddie Scott - Same Old Beat
A5. Raphael Munnings - Sleep On, Dream On
A6. Vicki Anderson - I'm Too Tough For Mr. Big Stuff (Hot Pants)
A7. Clarence Reid - Miss Hot Stuff
B1. James Brown - Smokin' & Drinkin'
B2. George McCrae & Gwen McCrae - The Rub
B3. The Funky Bunch - Miami Funk
B4. Little Beaver - Funkadelic Sound
B5. The Jimmy Castor Bunch - Future Place
B6. The King Tutt Band - Throwdown (Unreleased)
C1. Wilson Pickett -Let Me Know
C2. Leno Phillips - I Like My Birdie
C3. Snoopy Dean -Shake N' Bump, Pt. 1
C4. Funky Nassau -Bahama Soul Stew
C5. Uncle Louie - Full Tilt Boogie
C6. Timmy Thomas - You're The Song (I've Always Wanted To Sing)
C7. Bobby Byrd - Back From The Dead
D1. Willie "Beaver" Hale - Groove On
D2 Jonny K - I'm Afraid Of The Dark
D3. Tempest Trio - Starlight
D4. Blowfly - Nobody's Butt But Yours, Babe
D5. Betty Wright - Gimme Back My Man

Alex Cameron’s newest and most musically expansive LP, the glistening Miami Memory, takes a surprising turn. Cameron’s flair for narrative and character are still on full display; yet Miami Memory’s most frequent narrator is, for the first time, Cameron himself—singing with stunning candor of his three-year relationship with his girlfriend.

“When you listen to these songs, and you’re waiting for the twist, or the joke, or any kind of discomfort, I can assure you none of those things were there when I wrote them,” says Cameron. “These are true stories, of actual events. Specific but never esoteric. And graphic but never offensive. Miami Memory is the story of a couple balancing sex with contemporary family values...It’s my gift to my girlfriend, a symbol to hoist on the totem of love.”

Though remnants of his synth-driven earlier work sneak in to unsettle the tone, the bulk of Miami Memory, produced by Jonathan Rado (Weyes Blood, Father John Misty) and recorded and mixed by Marta Salogni (Björk, Kelela), revels in the emotional overdrive of classic dad rock, its warm, anthemic songs driven by bass, guitar, sax, and layers of Vegas wedding chapel-ish organ.

Cameron’s dad rock funhouse of an album ultimately twists and subverts the genre: it recalls classics the white male ego has historically visited for its regular adrenaline injection, and morphs them into a singular “stepdad” rock that largely turns its lens away from the dads, celebrating the demise of old norms of gender and power. In his depiction of his relationship, Cameron reveals a striking honesty about love and sex in a time where a palpable fleetingness hangs over everything from relationships to human life on this planet—but also where constricting mores have deteriorated enough to let “family life,” in all its morphing forms, exist outside of social obligation. With arresting straightforwardness, Cameron now sings as himself, paying tribute

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Huge stadium-rock choruses and growling synths provide a glitzy and sturdy backdrop for Cameron's soaring vocals and robust 80's-tinged pomp. Huge, overblown, and great fun all round.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A:
1. Stepdad
2. Miami Memory
3. Far From Born Again
4. Gaslight
5. Bad For The Boy

SIDE B:
6. End Is Nigh
7. PC With Me
8. Divorce
9. Other Ladies
10. Too Far