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First Word are keeping it moving for 2017 and welcoming Kaidi Tatham into the fold, with a firing four-track EP, 'Changing Times'.Kaidi is a talented multi-instrumentalist that's produced, featured, remixed and performed with an array of artists across numerous genres; jazz, soul, broken beat, hip hop and beyond.Perhaps best known for his work with Bugz In The Attic, 4Hero and Dego, his accomplished catalogue of musicianship can be heard amongst the likes of Amy Winehouse, Slum Village, Mulatu Astatke, Soul II Soul, Leroy Burgess, Amp Fiddler, Macy Gray, King Britt, DJ Spinna, Gene Harris, Mr Scruff, The Salsoul Orchestra, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Blu, Vikter Duplaix, Nathan Haines, Phil Asher, IG Culture and Eric Lau, to name a fraction.

Finally available again on a 7", two essential disco and soul cuts from Silvia Striplin orginally releases in 1980. Produced by Roy Ayers on his Uno Melodic label.A. 'Give Me Your Love'An umptemp disco groover for the more discerning dancefloor. Sylvia’s glorious vocals float over a sumptuous uptempo Roy Ayers tracj. Sampled by Armand Van Helden, Deepdown and Madd Rapper.B. 'You Can't Turn Me Away'A soul breakbeat classic. Deep downtempo business, this shows Roy Ayers at the height of his powers and Sylvia more than does the track justice. Beautiful!The instantly recognisable bassline was sampled by Notorious BIG/Junior Mafia on ‘Get Money’. Also sampled by Naughty By Nature and Backstreet Boys.

Mukatsuku launches into 2017 with two killer official reggae disco versions to ignite your jam ...

On their new 45, Mako & The Hawk take you back to a time when breaks were funky and rappers knew how to rhyme for a massive double dose of fresh original boom-bap. With beats forged from previously un-sampled (and legally cleared!) vintage funk breaks and emcee Chima 'The Doctor' Anya delivering lyrical wisdom, The Devil Made Me Do It and Strut Your Stuff are a pair of block-rocking jams to turn any party out!Mako & The Hawk bio.They might sound like a seventies cop show but Mako & The Hawk are always on the cut, producing and spinning floor-filling dirty funk and soul, old school hip-hop, reggae and party breaks.Since forming in 2009, the pair have had vinyl and digital releases on Breakbeat Paradise, Freestyle Records, Funk Blasters and Tour of Booty, garnered frequent radio plays on Craig Charles' BBC Radio 6 Funk And Soul Show, supported the likes of JStar and The Bongolian and held down a never-less-than-packed seven year long residency at Mr Wolf's in central Bristol.The Hawk is bassist for mod-funk legends and BBC Radio 2 darlings Big Boss Man, while Mako also produces as one half of Mako & Mr Bristow and is the long-running editor of music site monkeyboxing.com.This autumn will finally see the long-awaited vinyl seven inch release of their throwback boom-bap double A-side featuring rapper Chima Anya on beats created from never-previously-sampled early 70s Stateside funky soul."I've got a real soft spot for what this pair get up to!" (Craig Charles, BBC Radio 6)Chima Anya bio.Chima Anya is an internationally renowned emcee who time and again has proven to be ahead of the curve while simultaneously staying true to the foundation. When not blessing mics worldwide, he moonlights as a medical Doctor in the depths of south London.

Japan's Sauce81 follows up on his modern boogie/funk gem 'Natural Thing', with the equally infectious 'Dance Tonight'. It may sound like it's been hiding in a dusty crate of unheard records all these years, but it was actually recorded last year in Tokyo, all vocals, instruments and production handled by the man himself. Forthcoming on 7inch in Feb 2017. Includes Dub version on the B-Side.

One of the best mid-tempo disco raritys (and we mean rare) to come out the Deepfunk scene. When Keb Darge first played 'Party & Get On Down' in the early 2000s in Soho it put a few noses out of joint as it was such a departure from the deepfunk driving take no prisoner sound. True to Keb's Scottish stubbornness and like any real DJ he stuck to his guns and created a dance floor favourite. Athens of the north bring BAB to 12" for the first time, not only that but its a nice wee extended cut transferred direct from the master tapes. No brainier if you got class.

First time the full version of the Jazz-Funk classic LP track 'Too Soon Your Old' has been cut to 45, essential.Penny Goodwin grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin singing in church with Al Jarreau, doing weddings, talent competitions and bar mitzvahs. When she left school she started singing in popular mob run clubs such as Alfie's, Sardino's, and King's Four graduating to clubs in Chicago and Caesar's Palace in Vegas. Despite her huge talent only this one studio LP exists, a mix of covers by Marvin Gaye, Gill Scott Heron plus original songs by herself and manager Sy Lefco. The LP also featuring strings by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and jazz guitar legend Phil Upchurch. One of the great american jazz vocal LP's by Milwaukee's unsung queen of jazz.