The Budos Band - III (2010)

Staten Island-based 11-piece ensemble Budos Band first met in 2004 during jamsessions in Brooklyn, organized by Afro-Funk legends Antibalas. The lineup of the group is constantly changing, including various drummers and trumpet players, as well as a wide range of guest musicians. On "III", they fuse Afro-Jazz and pulsating Deep Funk, with a strong emphasis on the wind section as well as improvisation. The vibe of their music is generally very dark and psychedelic, with most of their tracks being gloomy jams rather than songs. Altogether, "III" is a fascinating and hypnotic creative effort, reminiscent of 60's/70's Spaghetti Western and Blaxploitation soundtracks.  

1.) Rite of the Ancients

2.) Black Venom

3.) River Serpentine

4.) Unbroken, Unshaven

5.) Nature's Wrath

6.) Golden Dunes

7.) Budos Dirge

8.) Raja Haje

9.) Crimson Skies

10.) Mark of the Unnamed

11.) Reppirt Yad

                                          

Various Artists - Africafunk: The Original Sound of 1970's Funky Africa (1999)

While tons of compilations featuring contemporary African music have been released over the years, most of them were just half-hearted attempts at recycling mediocre music and making a few cheap bucks. Africafunk, however,  is the exact opposite. Whoever compiled this killer collection definately knew what they were talking about. Even though all these tracks are from the 70's and are, in the broadest sense, "Africa-Funk", the scope of tunes is amazing. Every song represents a different facet of the genre, ranging from traditionals and afro-beat to jazzy psychedelics and funk fusion. The selection is superb, there is not one weak track on the album. Anybody who loves funk must listen to this record.

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra - Who is This America? (2004)

Heavily influenced by African music in general and Nigerian legend Fela Kuti in particular, New York-based ensemble Antibalas marries Afro-Beats with Deep Funk. The vibe of their jams is carried by dead-on basslines, hypnotic percussion grooves as well as massive, sometimes threatening horn arrangements. Most of the time the songs take lots of time to build up; just to finally peak in orgiastic saxophone solos or a state of complete trance.

1.) Who is This America Dem Speak of Today?

2.) Pay Back Africa

3.) Indictment

4.) Big Man

5.) Obanla'e

6.) Elephant

7.) Sister

8.) Money Talks

Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters (1973)

Being the top-selling jazz album of all time and the funkiest album ever to be added to the catalog of the U.S. National Recording Registry Head Hunters is a groundbreaking masterpiece in jazz fusion. A funky as shit blend of killer jazz grooves, insane solos and the characteristic outer space tone of Hancock's Fender Rhodes E-Piano, this album sounds as it had been recorded in another dimension. It is simply unbelievable how tracks that start off as simplistic as "Sly" or "Chameleon" suddenly gather momentum, just to ultimately catapult themselves into an acid trip of kick-ass wizardry.

1.) Chameleon

2.) Watermelon Man

3.) Sly

4.) Vein Melter

The New Mastersounds - 102% (2006)

British band New Mastersounds delivers pulsating Hammond Organ driven grooves with a touch of Acid Jazz. 102% is a journey through time back to 70's New Orleans Funk in the style of the legendary Meters.

1.) 102%

2.) Talk is Cheap

3.) Carrot Juice

4.) Thirty Three

5.) Colorado Sun (Jesse's Backyard)

6.) Give Me a Minute Pt. 2

7.) Rope-A-Dope

8.) Hey Fela!

9.) Bus Stop No. 5

10.) Return to Gijón

11.) Forgivness

12.) Talk is Cheap

13.) L.A. Root Down (Dub Siude of the Pier)

14.) Paranoid (Is it Any Wonder?)

The Apples - Buzzin' About (2008)

Oh my god it's the funky shit! Tel Aviv based nine-piece ensemble The Apples fuses funk with turntablism in a quite danceable fashion. Buzzin' About - their second  record - is a 52 minute booty shakin' tour de force that culminates in a batshit insane cover of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name of".

1.) Stack it up!

2.) Run This Town

3.) Debil's Dream

4.) The Bell Step

5.) Run Shai Ran

6.) Lou-E-Zee-Yanaa

7.) Kol Ha Yom Ba Halal

8.) Nuber Two

9.) Upskirt

10.) Yablaki

11.) Buzzin' About

12.) Killing in the Name of