Duke Ellington And His Orchestra
Midnight In Paris

Deity, the debut album by Melbourne-based vocalist and songwriter Emma Volard, is a record of tensions: caught in the push-pull between light and shade, joy and sorrow, chaos and order, it’s an album that draws power from the divine messiness of the human experience. Synthesising acid jazz with modern R&B, dub with pop, and future soul with old-fashioned grooves, it’s a statement of profound artistic intent for Emma: a 12-part journey of self-expression and hard-won self-determination that combines the classic and the cutting edge to build something sleek and scintillatingly new. “This album is a revolt against oppressors, particularly those in the music industry — an f-you to anyone who tries to tear us down,” she says. Cathartic, vulnerable, and deeply, defiantly empowered, it’s a definitive document of feminist soul: a call for listeners to “discard the judgement of others, and embrace their bodies, their minds, and their souls.”This record was created on the stolen land of the Bunorong people of the Kulin Nation. We'd like to pay our respects to elders both past, present and emerging, and to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. It's a privilege to be able to live, create and flourish on this country. Always was, always will be, aboriginal land.

Quite possibly the best album ever from this fantastic funky combo! The band grooves hard and funky – with incredible drum work from Paul Stubblefield, tasty guitar from Walter Winston, and some famous funky flute and sax work from Gus Hawkins. Tracks on the album are rough and raw – with plenty of breakbeats, and some very tasty funky basslines that work perfectly with their choppy instrumental groove. A few tracks have vocals, but even those boast a real strength in the instrumental department – and very nicely keep up with the rest of the material. Titles include "Down In The Ghetto", "Burning Spear", "Express Yourself", "Soul", "Memphis Underground", and "Message From A Black Man".

Some things take time to happen, some things perhaps take a bit longer than they should but, finally, we are delighted to present an issue of the iconic, and sought-after, Brazilian album 'Alucinolândia' by Zito Righi e Seu Conjunto from 1969.The trippy, surrealist 60s cover design with hands holding eyeballs is somewhat confusing. Rather than the stoner acid rock record that the art may suggest, 'Alucinolândia' is actually a quintessential 60s gem, mixing samba, MPB, bossa nova, quirky organ-led mod-jazz groovers and easy-listening crooners with a relaxed cool swagger.Zito Righi aka Isidoro Righi, the Brazilian saxophonist, instrumentalist, conductor and composer brought together an illustrious cast for this masterpiece, including the much-loved vocalist Sônia Santos. Sônia delivers a masterclass on the album's opener, and maybe its crown-jewel 'Poema Ritmico Do Malandro’. The song is fierce and driving with an enticing funk intro that bursts into a Samba / Batucada workout. A real monster that works magic on the dancefloor. Sônia would later re-visit this track in 1971 on a recording for Copacabana Records, which Mr Bongo released as part of the Brazil45 series. The Brazilian songwriter Roberval penned three tracks on the record, including another highlight and the far too short 'Birimbau'; a catchy Brazilian jazzy-samba dancer at its finest. Other musicians include the drummer Fernando who also recorded with the greats Dila & Guilherme Coutinho.The fact the record was released in 1969 meant it was probably a bit out of step with its contemporaries in comparison to the works of artists such as Os Mutantes, Gilberto Gil et al. The core of 'Alucinolândia' is that of a more optimistic early to mid-sixties party feelgood vibe rather than the angsty, psychedelia, and rebellion of the Tropicália movement. Over 50 years since its release, the work can finally be judged on its own merit; and what a beauty it is.

Call the dance doctor - there's an outbreak of fever in the funkhouse! And here's the reason why - after more than two decades of deletion, Ace is once again making available the final piece in the splendid musical jigsaw that comprises the Blackbyrds' Fantasy Records catalogue - the original, seminal 1978 dancefloor-aimed compilation, Night Grooves. Actually, to refer to Night Grooves as just 'a compilation' is to undersell it big time. Granted, it does collect up a bunch of the Blackbyrds most eminent club cuts, all of which were originally released across five of the six Fantasy albums that came out between 1974 and 1978. And, technically, that does make it 'a compilation'. But - then and now - Night Grooves offers the potential punter much more than merely a repackaging of a bunch of classy cuts that they could just as easily find on other records. The incentives to own this set are manifold and obvious, and none more so than the fact that three of its tracks - Happy Music (lately championed off this very collection by turntable wizard/house music pioneer Danny Krivit), Rock Creek Park and Supernatural Feeling - appear here in versions that are exclusive to Night Grooves. All are specially extended re-edits that prolong the grooves, and the running times, of the original tracks by up to three minutes. None has been legally reissued before now, so even the most ardent Blackbyrds admirers will have had problems in tracking these tracks down since they were last available on vinyl. They alone should be reason enough for any of those aforementioned potential punters to purchase Night Grooves. But there's more, as you'd expect, in the shape of four further fabulous full-length flytes of funk - including the number that's probably the group's most widely-recognised recording, Walking In Rhythm. Factor their funkiness into the equation, and you have a set that's nothing but a natural 'must' for every full-on funkateer's collection. Whether on loud-cut, club-friendly vinyl or sweet mid-priced CD, Night Grooves more than serves its threefold purpose as a suitable overview of their glittering career, a first-class collection of their finest club moments and a mini-greatest hits, featuring - as it does - six of the nine singles they placed on the Billboard R&B chart between 1974 and 1978. If it's true Happy Music Makes You Feel Good All The Time, there's bound to be a whole lot of Feelin' Good goin' on Funkland this month...