Review: The 'Boogie Down Edits' series hits Vol 17 and suffice to say if you dig James Brown you're in for a treat, while if don't you might as well skip straight on to the next review because this latest installment is all about the Godfather of Soul and nothing BUT the Godfather of Soul. There will be those, admittedly, to whom the very concept is anathema - this writer, certainly, has never had the kind of self-belief it must take to hear a James Brown record and think 'I could improve on that' - but the Boogie Down crew have made pretty decent fist of the job and with all the big, obvious classics represented, if you can handle the idea of James Brown re-edits at all, these are good James Brown re-edits to have!
Review: Five re-edits here, but the original source for most of 'em has us beat, though we can tell you that 'Do It For The Break' loops up chunks of Bobby Caldwell's 'What You Won't Do For Love' and 'Diamond Party Break' draws on William DeVaughan's 'Be Thankful For What You Got'. Elsewhere, 'Baby U Got Party Break' has subtle Hammonds and an acoustic soul-style vocal, 'Hello Party Break' marries an Akon-esque chipmunk'd female vocal to a strident male rap, and 'What Does It Take Party Break' centres around a looping piano riff. Any/all of the five should play well on more leftfield hip-hop and funk floors.
Review: Re-edit collections drawing on the work of a single artist seem to be something of a growing phenomenon lately, and here it's funk legend Rick James that gets the treatment. It's not a job that necessarily needed doing, admittedly - it's hard to imagine there are many DJs out there who play funk but can't satisfactorily programme a Rick James record! But as a tribute and a labour of love this 15-track set can certainly hold its own, and those who've rinsed the originals may well appreciate their getting a refresh here while the EP will also, hopefully, help introduce the work of the troubled proto-Prince to a new generation.
Review: The latest in the Lost Angeles re-edit crew's series of self-titled EPs/albums marks something of a departure from the script. Earlier releases were straight-up dancefloor re-edits, #14 was made up exclusively of Steve Wonder reworks: now on #15 they shine a similar spotlight on the funk output of the late, great Curtis Mayfield, but overlay each edit with bars from the likes of Nas, Rakim, Ice T and Lauryn Hill. It's an interesting approach that works best on 'It Ain't Hard 2 Funk', which is based on stone-cold classic 'Pusherman', though it does mean this EP's more one for the hip-hoppers than straight-up funkateers.
Review: The Boogie Down posse reside in Los Angeles, carefully crafting subtle scalpel jobs and releasing them in a series of eagerly awaiting compilations. We get six jams this time round, all funky as you like, but highlights include the smooth n' jazzy Magic FM soul of 'Can't Get Enuf", the melodic Paradise Garage grooves of "Friends" and the dreamy ethereal closer "Starship". Quality edits every time!
Review: Heads down for the 12th installment of the mysterious Boogie Down Edits series, in which our L.A-based heroes take their scalpel to more choice '70s and '80s material. They begin with the tactile Rhodes chords, drifting pads and loved-up house grooves of "E-Lusion", before returning to familiar territory with the talkbox-boasting P-funk shuffle of "Groove". "Street Boogie" saunters off on an edit-heavy, electro-propelled synth-funk tip, before "Feel Free To Boogie" makes merry with eyes-closed guitar solos, rubbery slap bass and punchy drums. Finally, "Infatuation" is piano-laden roller that sits somewhere between classic disco, Italo-disco, boogie and proto-house. It's arguably the EP's finest moment.
Review: We don't know whether the Boogie Down Edits crew spend a lot of time cruising round L.A in a convertible with the roof down, but their edits - often of old West Coast P-funk, boogie, modern soul and hip-hop - would make the perfect accompaniment if they do. There's plenty of similarly hot fodder on this latest installment in their self-titled series, beginning with the P-funk meets hip-hop soul gem "Nuthin' But A Jam". Elsewhere, there's plenty more dancefloor heat to enjoy, from the beatbox electro-meets-'80s soul goodness of "Dancing", and the instrumental Prince re-rub "Boogie Lover", to the '80s disco stomp of "I Want U", and the Vaughan Mason & Co tweak "Roller Boogie".
Review: You get the impression that Los Angeles' Boogie Down Edits crew has one priority: to ensure that the party always gets going. Certainly, the Californian collective has gone for the jugular on this tenth edition of their self-titled rework series. Their intentions are clear from the start, when they deliver a smooth, soulful house-influenced remix of a well-known R&B staple ("Wish"), followed by a beefed-up rendition of The Disco Dub Band's "For The Love of Money". Elsewhere, the tooled-up treats come thick and fast, from the exotic Eastern disco-goes-house of "India Funq", to the New Jack Swing revivalism of "Chocolate City".
Review: One of the joys of Californian re-edit crew Boogie Down Edits' self-titled releases is their willingness to breathe new life into forgotten, overlooked or lesser known West Coast disco, boogie and electrofunk jams. They're at it again on this ninth volume in the series, opening with the poppin' and lockin' synth-funk brilliance of "At The Concert", before brilliantly beefing up some eyes-closed '80s soul in a rolling house style ("Believe"). Elsewhere, they reach for the disco ammunition, variously delivering percussive disco/boogie fusion ("Tamiko's Groove"), heavy orchestral stomp ("Do What You Feel"), and cheery disco-funk ("Git Your Luv").
More no-nonsense.
Review: Los-Angeles boogie masher-uppers, Boogie Down Edits, are back with the second helping of their Cumbia Boogie chapter, a series reserved for Latin-influenced disco bombshells. Much like the previous outing, the second instalment of the series contains a gorgeous load of organic percussion and carnival-esque vocals; the shining moments reside in the piano-led "Espinas" and the reggaeton-leaning "It's A Pity". It's party time, people!
Review: Californian edit outfit, Boogie Down, have been on a roll since they first unveiled their first compilation last October. The series has been fast n' furious, with the seventh installment arriving just in time to catch summer's final rays. This time there are seven new sizzlers, including the sped up chi-chi disco loops of "Time", the funky drummered Curtis Mayfield-isms of "Right On!" and the percolating electrofunk soup of "Beyond The Funk".
Review: The Boogie Down Edits crew have been busy. It's not all that long since their last outing, yet this fifth instalment in the series boasts no less than seven tried-and-tested reworks. Naturally, the standard is high throughout. Throw in an admirable desire to mix up the genres - contrast, for example, the Bollywood-goes-New York stomp of "Disco", with the talkbox-heavy Roger Troutman rearrangement of "Come With Me", and the intergalactic down-low madness of "Let's Party" - and you've got a package that bristles with highly playable fodder. While there's a bit more contemporary heaviness to the bottom end, the crew's desire to treat the original material with due respect shines through.
Review: The Los Angeles-based Boogie Down Edits crew are slowly gaining a reputation for the quality of their scalpel works, which tend towards the sympathetic whilst taking account of the needs of contemporary DJs. This fourth expansive volume in the series contains plenty more reasons to be cheerful, from the tight electro-funk shuffle of "Special Love" and P-Funk bounce of "The Cats Away", to the Prelude-ish synths and boogie badness of "Searching" - and razor-sharp B-boy electro of "Talk Boxing". They also find space to squeeze in the rubbery funk bass and drum machine beats of "Bernadette", and the superb disco-funk rub "Disco Dancer". Extra points will be awarded to anyone who recognises the original source material.
Review: With this, their latest EP, Los Angeles's finest re-edit outfit, Boogie Down Edits, intend to inject a little sun into this cold and dark New Year. They don't do a bad job either, and although some purists will baulk at the liberties taken with classics like "Cybernetic Love", "What's Going On?" and "Midas Touch", there are plenty more obscure jams here to brighten everybody's day.
Review: Here we have the sophomore outing for Californian edit crew, Boogie Down, who specialise in sunkissed retro West Coast vibes. Keen to make up for lack of releases, they've jammed a whopping nine scalpel jobs on to this release. We've been grooving to the whole lot here at Juno HQ, but our faves include the minimal cowbell and clap-athon "Get Up", the dreamy Supremes teaser, "Hanging On" and the squelchy G-funk synth jam, "West Side". Dope.
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