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X-ray Ted / Various - Funk N' Beats, Vol 8 (Curated By X-Ray Ted)

Funk N' Beats, Vol 8 (Curated By X-Ray Ted) Bomb Strikes

Following fine outings from Fort Knox Five, the Allergies, Smoove and Marc Hype, amongst others, Bomb Strikes' reliable Funk N' Beats compilation series returns with rising star X-Ray Ted at the controls. In keeping with the series' heavyweight, funk-fuelled style, the Bristol-based DJ and beat-maker has gathered together a killer collection of soul, hip-hop and funk club cuts, with a smattering of more laidback numbers to keep things fresh. Highlights are plentiful throughout, with our picks including the boom-bap brilliance is Aldo Vanucci's tidy remix of 'All Down' by Mr Doris and D-Funk, the dancefloor jazz heaviness of Nostalgia 77's 'Changes', the cut-and-paste craziness of Double Dee & Steinski's 'Jazz' and the disco-funk masterclass that is X-Ray Ted's own 'Party Time'.

Jungle Fire

Firewalker EP Razor-N-Tape

irst released on vinyl three years ago and now finally available on digital download, this must-check EP showcases a quartet of killer re-rubs of back catalogue tracks by L.A-based Afro-Latin funk fusionists Jungle Fair. The headline attraction is undoubtedly a pair of reworks by Ashley Beedle and Rob Mello's reborn Black Science Orchestra project - their first revisions for over 15 years. They first serve up a wonderfully percussive, analogue bass-propelled deep Afro-house remix of 2014 cut 'Culebro', before reaching for the delays and delivering an arguably even better dancefloor 'Dub'. You'll also find JKriv re-imagining 2013 single 'Firewalker' as a bumpin' chunk of horn-heavy dub disco, and a cracking Latin disco take on 'Village Hustle' courtesy of Bosq.

exclusive

Le Funk De Demain Kraak

Olivier Cohen & Roland Vongo are OR - landing on Kraak with Le Funk. A French duo who met in London whilst roving the city's vibrant disco scene. Now the two combine in a wealth of knowledge and dancefloor experience which they show off in Le Funk De Demain. The original burns like disco should only to be kept at a simmer through sheer coolness! Furthermore, there's the chill mix that throws down some ice cold bassline funk, ad-lib percussion and clap tracks for that extra Kraak and smack effect.

Hansi

Funky Grooves Vol 14 Viking Grooves

St Albans-based Hansi serves up four more covers on this latest addition to the long-running 'Funky Grooves' series on his own Viking Grooves. 'Changes' gets the ball rolling, rendering Black Sabbath's classic heartbreak ballad in a tortured, southern soul style - it's almost like Otis's revenge for the Black Crowes! The other choices of cover on the EP are perhaps less surprising - Timmy Thomas's 'Why Can't We Live Together', Run DMC's 'Peter Piper' and The Jimmy Castor Bunch's 'It's Just Begun' - but in all cases Hansi puts his own distinctive spin on the original, making for an EP with more than its fair share of attention-grabbers.

X-ray Ted

Party Time Bomb Strikes

Taken form the forthcoming Bombstrikes compilation - Funk N' Beats Vol. 8, curated by Bristol DJ and Beat Smith X-Ray Ted, 'Party Time' is available digitally for the first time. Originally available on a limited run of vinyl, the release sold out within a matter of days. This one has already picked up some serious heat with support from DJ Koco, Krafty Kuts, and Craig Charles on his BBC Radio 2 show.

Big Asha

DR SANTA EP Sound Exhibitions

Big Asha brings us a four-tracker that shows working within well-established styles doesn't HAVE to mean simply aping the past. All four tracks featured here can safely be filed under the 'funk' umbrella, but only 'Salinas' and 'Panagra' would sound recognisable to 70s ears: elsewhere, 'What's Cooking?' blends funk and deep house influences to very impressive effect, while 'Sounds At 20 Fathoms' ploughs a much more wonky furrow and actually wouldn't have sounded out of place on Basement Jaxx's 'Remedy'. But it's 'Salinas' that takes the gold - check out those jazzy keys and that squelchy bassline.