I'm not quite sure who in the Bay Area discovered this, but a bunch of sealed copies reared its ugly head on here in the mid 00s.  It's become one of those mythical raers that will cost you a car payment to acquire (unless you seek out the reissue which doesn't look all that common either).  This is an insanely eclectic private press latin funk jazz rock gospel record from the Bay Area.  It's got a bunch of ripping tracks on it like the latin funk jazz rock gospel song "Rejoice".  The opening cut "He's Coming" has tons of raw uptempo funky jazz action with a Santana-like rhythm section.  But wait, there's more!  This album has a  2 minute "breakface" moment on the steady latin groover epic "Te Amo" half way through the song.  It's funky and tough and guaranteed to appease the crate diggers. 

Aphrodite's Child was a safe 60s pop rock band from Greece that tested their limits with this 1972 prog psych concept album.  666 is the brainchild of band keyboardist Vangelis Papathanassiou (who went on to be successful in his own right as an electronic composer).  Blade Runner soundtrack anyone? The album draws influences from ambitious bodies of work like The Who's Tommy and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (the opening track "Babylon" even sounds similar to the Beatles title cut).  666 is a 22 track double album that runs the gamut from funk rock shredding  "The battle of the locusts" to spacey ambient acid rock "Aegian Sea".  It even includes a 19 minute psychedelic freak out "All the seats were occupied" anchored with some Titanic drum beats.   666 proved to be too ambitious for the group as it basically broke them.  Years later it became hailed by psych collectors, sample-based producers, and DJs as a prog psych treasure.

Richard David James aka Aphex Twin was a Soul Strut favorite back in the day.  The community consisted of a lot of electronic and hip hop producers and James seemed to marry the two well.  His first couple releases were more of the ambient variety while 1995's ...I Care Because You Do incorporated more rhythms whether it be jungle, hip hop, techno, while staying true to the his innovative approach to Brian Eno-style ambient music while tossing in cuts better suited for alien life.  Highlights include the spiritually warm lounge banger "Alberto Balsalm", the experimental hip hop techno blaster (complete with slamming doors on the 2) "Cow Cud Is A Twin",  and his underrated take on laid-back drum'n'bass "Wax The Nip".  A must for the blazing crowd.

Much has been discussed about Antoinette vs. MC Lyte here on Soul Strut.  Who was the better golden era female MC?  I'll let you decide.  With all that said, NY-based female MC Antoinette got her start collaborating with super producer Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor in 1987 and had a couple tracks featured on his The House That Rap Built compilation (alongside Salt 'N Pepa).  "Unfinished Business" was an Azor produced track that was released as a single only.  Antoinette has been compared to the female version of Big Daddy Kane spitting funky rhymes over Azor's infamous 70s funk samples (ahhh the days before copyright infringement.)  This has been heralded as one of the best female hip hop songs ever.  Another track "Let's Take it to the Top" off her 1990 release Burnin' At 20 Below is also a front runner.  God bless Golden Era Hip Hop! 

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra is known for their unique blend of throwback afrobeat crossed with 70s salsa (and like 17 people on stage).  Their free live concerts in Brooklyn in the mid 00's were legendary and highly touted here on Soul Strut.  Their 2001 debut Liberation Afro Beat Vol. 1 and 2002 follow up Talkatif,  didn't quite meet my expectations of what a true Daptone production could sound like.  It wasn't until I heard this 12", that the juices started flowing.  "Che Che Colé" is a cover of Willie Colón feat. Hector Lavoe's tune off their 1968 Fania release Cosa Nuestra LP (and the labels first big hit).  It's recorded in raw 70s salsa style with Antibalas' signature afrotbeat march, commanded by latin singer Mayra Vega.  The real treat is the on the flip side with the party starter Makossa mix and it's proceeding stripped down instrumental.  Pure afro funk goodness!

A neo soul classic!  This is the break through album of accomplished R&B songwriter and ex D'Angelo backup singer Anthony Hamilton.  Hamilton lays it all out on the line channeling 70s greats like Al Green and Bill Withers.  Hamilton gives a heart-wrenching delivery on tracks like "Charlene" and "I Tried" exorcising his relationship demons.  This is right before auto-tune ruined everything for R&B and you can appreciate his stripped out no holds barred approach to soul music. His Ain't Nobody Worryin' CD was all the rage on here as well back in 2006.

While I want to pick her I'm the One LP as the essential Soul Strut related Annette Peacock LP (check out the avant psych funker "Pony"), I chose the less trendier Perfect Release LP.  Annette Peacock approached rock music in a weird, abstract way experimenting with electronics and using her voice like a free jazz saxophonist (hitting sour notes for effect).  While cool, it was a little too unsettling for the average listener.  This is her more accessible West Coast / AOR  style album from 1979 with plenty of smooth grooves, warm tinkling Rhodes passages,a nd a little slap bass to keep the sedated listener alert.  It made it's round with the crate diggers thanks to the 14 minute spoken word funk track "Survival" popularized by J-Live's "Braggin' Writes".

70s cult female soul singer Ann Sexton was frequently in the conversation on Soul Strut.  Her In the Beginning LP graced many a Want Lists, but if I had to choose essential Ann Sexton it would be the 45 with "You're Losing Me" on it.  The track is a punchy Aretha-style dancer and it kills every time. File under: ESSENTIAL FUNK SINGLES THAT ARE AFFORDABLE.

Philly soul 45 released on the All Brothers label.  While the one side "I'm Still Waiting" is an unremarkable soul ballad, the flip is top shelf sister funk that made quite a few lists here on Soul Strut.  "You Did It" has a bounce to it  similar to 'Clean Up Woman" punctuated by a punchy horn section.  The backing track was released as an instrumental 45 under the name Freedom Now Brothers and conveniently titled "Sissy Walk".  It was later popularized by Fat Boy Slim on his single "Gangster Trippin'".

The height of the Memphis soul Hi-Records Willie Mitchell sound.  The Female version of Al Green?  Yes, please.  The tracks on here are short and sweet with the Hodges Brothers / Hi-Rhythm Section providing the syrupy southern style blues / R&B (complemented by punchy horns and a oven-warm organ).  It's the same formula used for Al Green's Gets Next to You and Let's Stay Together both recorded the same year.  Peebles pours her heart out into the microphone especially on tracks like "I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home Tonight" and "Trouble, Heartaches & Sadness" (written by her and soon to be husband and Hi records staff writer Don Bryant.)  They later struck gold with the hit "I Can't Stand the Rain."

In the late 90s / early 00s, these types of records made it's way out of production houses and into the hands of hip hop beat makers willing to spend big bucks for that hard to find sample.  This French library record was composed by Janko Nilovic under the alias Andy Loore and released as a 10 inch record.  The beginning tracks are snoozy muzak, but then out of nowhere Nilovic hits his stride with his signature moody French psychedelic mod-funk on "Opium Du Diable”.  That tracks sets the table for the drum and funky bass extravaganza “Mixed Drums”.  Beatnuts fans know the deal.  The last cut "Drummer Bells” is another heavy drum workout most suitable for purveyors of the b-boy stance.  Janko Nilovic has quite a repertoire of funk breaks spanning the 60s and 70s and this is a must.

Debut solo LP from this jazz vocal veteran who has a unique four-octave baritone voice.  This is a huge departure from his hard bop styles.  Instead he gets spiritual, spacey, funky, collaborating with experimental jazz rock composer William S. Fischer.  The album starts off with the jazz funk anthem "Celestial Blues" which was written by Bey, but recorded a few year's earlier by Gary Bartz.  The 1974 version recorded by Bey is a much slower, punchier recording and filthy funky.  The rest of that album is a good listen, but pales in comparison to the lead off cut.  Bey went on to record with Stanley Clarke in 1976 on his fusiony Children Of Forever LP.  He would not put out any solo records until the mid 90s which went back to his vocal jazz tendencies.

Andrew White was quite the character on the DC / Maryland jazz circuit during the 70s and 80s.  There were rumors he traded porn with DC jazz piano great Hilton Felton instead of paying him for sessions, and vise versa.  Around the early 2000s MASSIVE amounts of Sealed stock of this independent private press by White surfaced and the beat digging community went wild.  Funk breaks + Private Press + Sealed = digger orgasm?  The title track " Who Got De Funk?" is a 8 minute voyage through tepid Prestige jazz funk only to unleash itself at the 2 minute mark and get loose.  It's a fun track. I've never heard the rest of the album.  So, I can't comment, but I heard it's more like spiritual jazz.  He later revisited his funky title cut in 1981 with the live album Fonk Update.

Impossibly rare soulful funky blues B-side by Chicago bluesman Andrew Brown.   Only a couple copies are known to exist.  It caused all the rage here on Soul Strut in the mid 00s.  It's a killer cut and thankfully Numero Group added it to their Light: On The South Side in 2009.  "You Made Me Suffer" was originally recorded by Tyrone Davis and later covered by Brown, Metrogene Myles, and others.

In 2003, Bay Area Andre L. Adams "coke rapper" transformed from Dre Dog to Andre Nickatina and released Conversation With a Devil - Cocaine Raps Volume 3.    It was considered more accessible than his earlier efforts and it showed on the charts and in the club.  Especially with the west coast party stimulator "Ayo For Yayo".  The homemade beats are not the strength of this record (after a few listen you accept them for what they are). It's Andre Nickatina's strong storytelling skills, especially on the tracks like "Soul of a Coke Dealer".  15 years later, this album has taken on a cult following.  Although never released on LP, the CD is in high demand (and apparently it came with an "entertaining" hour-long DVD).

Ananda Shankar was the nephew of legendary sitar guru Ravi Shankar.  While Ravi had a more tradiotoinal approach to getting his sitar wisdom out to the public, Ananda was all about meshing with the pop music styles of the times.  His debut on Reprise from 1970 incorporated innovative groovy moog funk with classical Indian sitar and covered songs like "Jumpin Jack Flash."  The debut was not well received.  So he did not put an album out for another 5 years.  The album And HIs Music was released on the UK classical label His Master's Voice and was only available in India.  The album has a much rawer Bollywood soundtrack sound than its US released predecessor.  Two tracks stand out on this one.  "Streets of Calcutta" is an upbeat psychedelic funk instrumental with loud crisp drums and an ear piercing synth solo.  "Dancing Drums" are in the same vein.  The rest is soundtracky Bollywood stuff that is nice filler, but the opening and closing cuts are what make it.

One of the Brazilian "holy grails" for the beat digger community and a damn fine latin jazz record to boot.  Singer Ana Mazzotti enlists Azymuth to back her on this effort.  So you can expect some Rhodes-drenched funkiness to be peppered in with the bossa nova (and some mid 70s electronics...YES!).  It features a killer cover of "Feel Like Making Love", but also Teflon strong cuts like "Bairro Negro" and "Roda Mundo".

This record was a hot topic on Soul Strut when it was released.  Amy Winehouse burst on to the scene in 2006 with her smash album "Back To Black" which was a blend of modern day Lauryn Hiill style vocals with a refined 60s R&B sound.  The album was produced by retropop hit maker Mark Ronson (who had a loose affiliation with people who frequented this web site.)  The songs he produced used the neo funk band The Dap Kings who were the backing band for cult soul / funk hero Sharon Jones and others on their Daptone label.  Essentially drawing criticism that the Daptone sound was stripped of its essence and packaged for commercial consumption.  It didn't help that Winehouse was a British caucasian, either, enjoying massive amounts of overnight success.  Ensuing threads on Soul Strut documented her well publicized battle with drug addiction and sloppy live shows until she passed in 2011.  

For some reason, I get Ninja Tune and MO'Wax mixed up.  Maybe because they are both UK-based record labels and both released innovative electronic (trip hop-style) music from the late 90s / early 00s.  This type of music was all the rage on Soul Strut from 2002 to 2006 and Permutation was always in the conversation.  This is Amon Tobin's second album and when he started hit his stride.  Tobin approaches the samplers and drum machine like a true jazz musician chopping up complex drum-n-bass rhythms on top of jazz samples, peppered with eerie exotic melodies.  It's a 90s trip hop masterpiece and hard to digest with one listen.  The tracks "Nightlife" and "Bridge" will give you an idea of how amazing this guy album really is.