Review: Four of Actual Sounds' most accomplished bootlegateers unleash their best blends for this exclusive four-tracker. Party insanity is guaranteed from the off: "Ice In Outer Space" fuses The Prodigy with Ice T, "Muppet Funk" takes the Animal's classic solo piece "Mahna Mahna" and charges it with a cool funk break, "The Real Ritz" grabs Eminem and flips him back to 1920s prohibition US while "Regulate The Dogg" closes the show with a very smooth marriage of "Drop It Like It's Hot" and Nate Dogg and Warren G's "Regulate". Seriously fruity funk: Each one is a peach.
Review: If you want breakbeat to soundtrack your New Year's Eve celebrations this year than Actual Sounds' 72-track Best Of 2013 compilation is 'the' release. This compilation features heavy inclusions from Spinback Harry, Funk You Very Much, Big Bang Breaks and Actual Phantom, but also a whole host of other names such as Baby Love, Stex, Rory Hoy, DJ Self and countless others. See 2013 out with a breakbeatin' bang.
Review: 32 tracks heavy, Actual Sounds have curated the ultimate booty breaks package right here. Each and every rub is a highlight, taking influence and sample inspiration from the '50s onwards. From the Little Richard-sampling "Tooty Frooty" to Big Bang Breaks' super-sexy take on Khia's naughty "My Neck My Back" ("Pussy Popper"), no genre or decade is left un-plundered. Taking things bang up to date, there's even a respectable bootleg of "Get Lucky" courtesy of Actual Phantom. Exclusive to Juno, this truly is an insane party package.
Review: Four volumes in seven months... Actual Sounds are ruthlessly efficient when it comes to showering the scene with fresh booty-shaking bootlegs. And it's business as usual as we're thrown around by the limbs to a 28-track strong selection of wide-eared funk fusions that range from an uptempo breakbeat cut n' shut of Nina Simone ("Ooh Baby") to Brooklyn era block busters ("Down With The King") via classic rave-meets-early house mashery ("A Bigbeat Treat"). A bargain and banging - these booties are keepers.
Review: If your record bag/CD wallet/hard drive (delete as appropriate) is flagging under the weight of soul-sapping breakbeat bootlegs and ill-advised ghetto funk remixes, help is at hand. This compilation from Actual Sounds does contain plenty of sneaky bootlegs and ghetto funk style reworks (including one that bites "Sweet Home Alabama"), but they're all of a much higher quality than we've come to expect of late. There are snappy trips into boogie breaks territory (Big Bang Breaks' "French Funk"), wobble-funk (a thunderous version of the Jacksons' "Rockin' Robin") and Madchester revivalism ("Free Soup"), not to mention a string of booty-licious ghetto funk stompers. If this doesn't wake you up, nothing will.
Review: Big booty business: Actual Sounds cherry picks 20 favourites from 2014's audio assault with party-priming results. A great opportunity to fill the gaps in your collection; highlights hang mischievously from every corner like groove Gremlins from Altered Grooves' monster-mashing "Muppet Funk" to Big Bang Breaks hip-hop homage "Regulate The Dogg" to Actual Phantom's essential montage soundtrack "Fly Tiger". From Rocky to straight-up block rocking, this is testament to Actual Sounds' dedication to edit craft.
Review: One of the most successfully prolific bootleg dealers on the nu-funk scene, Actual Sounds celebrate half a decade of dancefloor hell raising with this epic 40-track compendium that showcases their most talented artists and most bolshy of booties. If you've not had the pleasure of making the label's acquaintance yet, now is most certainly the time. From slamming up-tempo rip-ups such as Actual Phantom's insane "Fat Eric" to slinkier, sleazier jams such as Funk In A Can's killer electro blend of Luniz "I Got 5 On It" Actual Sounds understand all members of the dancefloor from moody rudeboy to a laser-loving raver. Booties don't come with much more distinction than this; here's to another five years.
