God Made Me Funky - We Can All Be Free [2006]

The Canadian Black Eyes Peas - funky like the name says and just as poppy really but I'm no longer young enough to be anti-pop and given that a large part of the beats and breaks I listen too were the pop of their time I'm unashamed of the fact. So be ready for an R&B flavoured mix of funky light hip-hop and almost serious beats and breaks. They've got a new album out this year (Enter The Beat) which is pretty good and I wanted to post their eponymous debut but I can't find it so you get this instead. If you like Plantlife or UnkleJam or Nu funk you should like this (or at least be pleased to know their sound). Would like to see them live that's for sure - they sound like one of those bands whose sound would carry well off record too...

Purchase: emusic, itunes
Freeloaders: the usual ...... 98facc93

Rephrase - Little Victories [2007]

Arrgh! I've had two opportunities to move permanently to Australia and I waish I has because the music scene there is rocking - I mean I knew about the live band rock scene but little did I realize that the best in dub/reggae/soul is coming from NZ and some hot beats/breakfunk is pouring out from AUS. And here's my sacrificial lamb to represent the Australian quarter. Some great breakfunk and mellow funky house all put together on one album - and even an AGFA remix to round it off.

Get Down, get down under.

Purchase: emusic, juno, itunes

Freeloaders: the usual d6218c3e

Gioachino Rossini - Petite Messe Solonnelle beginning [1863]

I'm getting married this December so I've been attending to my soul a bit more lately and am pleased to say that the C of E has lightened up/modernised a fair bit since my school days (i mean the vicar basically flogged us a DVD called Evan Almighty (it is a good film, mind you) and we even had a hymn to the tune of Dambusters to finish the service on in high spirits. But that was the only good him the rest where solemn latin dirge's that are about as connected with Jesus as capitalism is. And given that Jesus (if nothing else) was at heart a progressive rebel and worldchanger, it's always disappointeed me that his followers are so conservative. Which brings me to this little number, Rossini was an Italian master of Opera but like me (and anyone sane) he thought church needed jazzing up a little bit and so he created this take on mass. And boy is it so much better than anything less modern than a 20th century gospel choir of course whether or not its for you may depend on how against religion you are but Rossini said it best when discussing the work:

Have I just written music for the blessed or just some blessed music?

I'd say both, you?

Purchase: emusic, amazon, 7digital

Freeloaders: sharebee 9fd05937

MJ Cole - Cut To The Chase [2003]

[Waffle deleted]

My best summer ever was the summer in Brixton where the whole of South London was flooded with the sunshine tunes of M J Cole's Sincere. And heres the follow up album that I think was largely ignored - not as groundbreaking and elegant as his debut but nonetheless a listen that will help you understand why dubstep producers are in so much mourning for 2 step - only the good die young.

Purchase: plong, mp3fiesta

Freeloaders: sharebee ee7504e6

Border Crossing - Ominous [2005]

Reggae, dub, dancehall, hip hop - Border Crossing are the quintessential underscovered group. Perhaps they simply came too late -they could have saved us from buying every Massive Attack album in the hope that it would be as exciting as Blue Lines or as polished as Protection instead of rather uninspiring. Whatever the reasons I got this in the bargain bin and have listened to it regularly ever since - a quality and varied album that's never bland but possibly too easy on the ear to have reached larger status.

Purchase: 7digital
Freeloaders: sharebee a81d477a

All Good Funk Alliance - On The One [2005]

Often overshadowed by Washington DCs awesome Fort Knox Five, the All Good Funk Alliance have done some crisp tracks and remixes too and I've done my best to badger all my DJ friends into filling their BreakFunk stockings with AGFA and FKF. Sadly for them trawling the web for AGFA's albums defeated them until now (tunestop had one I think) and whilst their best tracks and mixes feature on many compilations there's nothing quite like an album to get you loving a group the way you should. 21st century funk to be sure and well worth purchase price from emusic.

Purchase: emusic
Freeloaders: sharebee da42cc3b

Keith Jarrett Trio - Changeless [1989]

Keith Jarrett isn't exactly underscovered, his Koln Concert album is one of (if not the) best selling albums of all time and a must have album. But whilst a lot of his work is improv and a bit too plinkety plonkety and jazz nerdish for many (and dare I say it me too). Changeless bucks that trend but seems to be largely ignored. Philosophically and musically perfect put this on loud, close your eyes and feel the music. Recorded live you can here the artists/audiences musical orgasms as Keith pushing the boundaries of experience. Or in the insert's words, this is:

D A N C I N G
E N D L E S S

L I F E L I N E

E C S T A C Y

Mp3 purchase: 7digital, itunes

Freeloaders: Sharebee 18a3d146

Smith & Mighty - Bass is Maternal [1995]

In the late nineties my heart and ears were firmly in Bristol - Roni Size, Massive Attack, Portishead - it was all happening - the birth of trip hop and drum and bass from Hip Hop and Jungle - what happens when the suburban meets the urban, black meets white (and every color in between). Anyway one of the more interesting bristol outfits was More Rockers and one of their more interesting groups was Smith and Mighty - so have a listen and digest, Bass is maternal.

Mp3 Purchase: Plong itunes

Freeloaders: Rapidshare 97465340 SmiMit_BaIsMat.rar

Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information [1974]

In his Dad's shadow Shuggie is a definitive underscovered artist who has been re-released in the 00s (so as usual shouldn't really be here!), he is apparently still kicking it with his Dad stateside. This guy was a musical polymath from production to experimentation - check him out you won't regret it and if you do you're probably in the wrong place!

Mp3 Purchase: emusic mp3fiesta itunes
Freeloaders: megaupload 9ISJRK8H

Barry Adamson - Oedipus Schmoedipus [1996]

Since he's got a new album out this year (Back To Cat) I've decided to revisit a favourite artist of mine from days of yore (the nineties). Barry Adamson is a talent, probably not underscovered as an artist, though since this album is listed as Experimental Indie everywhere and is over a decade old I figure it probably qualifies. Great atmospheric jazz with beats the real doozer here is "Something Wicked This Way Comes" which does what it says on the tin. Don't miss the vocals from Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker and Billy Mackenzie either - this guy is well-heeled.


mp3 purchase: amazon, plong, 7digital, itunes
Freeloaders: Mininova Barry Adamson