Tramp Germany At Juno Download

Review: Jaribu Afrobeat Arkestra describe their sound as "Neo-Afrobeat", yet much of the material on second album Mediacracy looks back to the golden age of Fela Kuti. Sure, there are a few other influences thrown into the pot - juju, highlife, jaunty Afro-soul ("Afro-Soul Knows"), even Morricone-ish spaghetti western sounds (see "Tricky Liars (Part 2") - but their default position is devilishly reverential. That's definitely necessarily a bad thing, though. For starters, the playing and composition skills of the ten-piece band are brilliant. There's also enough disparate strands to entertain all but the most hard-nosed Afrobeat acolyte.

Review: Germany's premier vinyl-sniffing label, Tramp, consistently impresses with the quality of their obscure funk and soul reissues. Here, they unearth a slept-on 1974 album from Carl "Sherlock" Holmes, a Philadelphia-based funk musician who started life as a twist artist in the early 1960s. Investigation No. 1 was his only album. It mixes rousing funk workouts (see the blazing "Investigation"), occasional Latin boogaloo experiments (see "Modessa") and heavy party jams ("Get Down Philly Town") with some odd but endearing downtempo moments, not least a sugary cover of dewy-eyed standard "Close To You".

Review: German funk activists Tramp serve up Feeling Nice, a bumper portion of sought after rarities here, presenting no less than 15 gritty ditties. It's been something of a labour of love for Daniel Wanders and Tobias Kirmayer from Tramp, having begun the project in 2010, but they must be pleased with the end results. Both have dipped into their highly prized collections, with both parts of Guitar Ray's "Funky Pete" setting the tone for what to expect - tight bassline trickery, killer breaks and heaving brass sections. Other highlights include the muscular moog reverberations of James Polk & The Brothers and the downright funkalicious "Get Back" by the Herculoids. Big props to Tramp for doing all the hard work so you can enjoy what is truly rare funk.

Review: Committed German crate-digger Tobias Kirmayer apparently spent two years tracking down the 22 rare funk and soul records showcased on Movements 4, the latest volume in his acclaimed series. It shows. The heavy, fuzzy, long-lost tracks that appear here will be new to all but the most committed crate diggers. Predictably, Kirmayer has unearthed some real bangers. Check the powerful horns on Preston Love's "Cissy Popcorn", the reggae-influenced bump of DM Movements' "Ooo Wee Baby", the bluesy extortions of Old Metropolitan Band's "Summertime" or the upbeat madness of Ricky Williams' "Discotheque Soul"; all offer blistering, energy-sapping grooves in spades.

Review: If the idea of the festive season fills with you with dread due to the same bland, tired Christmas songs being rolled out, then worry not, because Tramp Records have gone to the trouble of sourcing twelve Christmas tracks of a funk and soul persuasion, largely forgotten by many. A labour love on the part of Jan Kohlmeyer and Tramp's Tobias Kirmayer, it was inspired by the lack of decent Christmas compilations, and with some of the finest 60s and 70s rare groove Christmas tracks compiled, you can be certain that these tracks won't appear anywhere else. From Vernon Garrett's "Merry Christmas Baby", through Binky Griptite's "Stone Soul Christmas" and Jimmy Reed's fantastically named "Christmas Present Blues", the tracks all have the spirit of Christmas without any of gaudy trappings of the season.

Review: Not that much is known about blues and soul singer Vernon Garrett, though he did leave a small discography stuffed with fuzzy funk gems and heavyweight funk-rock gems. Perennial crate diggers Tramp Records have mined that discography for this entertaining retrospective. Focusing on Garrett's most productive period (1967-97), The Story of... should appeal to those who like their funk deep, heavy and soulful. Garrett tried his hand at numerous styles during the period - contrast the horn-laden "Just Aint My Day" and the breezy but bittersweet "You Blew My Mind" with the scruffy heaviness of "Cave Man" -but rarely strayed away from the dancefloor.