Soul-Funk

When Terry Kane - a sound engineer who was barely twenty years old at the time - built an 8-track recording studio above Henry Stone's office space in the Hialeah area of Miami, he probably never envisaged that he was laying the bedrock for a creative hub that would spawn over 25 gold records and over 100 million record sales worldwide. In the process, it would help to make Henry Stone a legend of American music.At one end of the spectrum, warehouse boy turned global superstar Harry Wayne Casey - better known as leader of K.C. & The Sunshine Band - was pumping out disco classics on a massive scale with ubiquitous airplay and sell-out shows. At the other, Rodney Matthew and his group Formula 1, were relying on the might of the T.K. distribution machine to propel them into the spotlight. As remarkable as their 1977 masterpiece on Du-Vern records was, it inevitably failed to have the seismic impact of The Sunshine Band's commercial dance pop.For every success story like T-Connection, with their firebrand funk-disco fusion and major label achievements, there were equally talented acts such as Stevens And Foster who also called on Stone's services to showcase their vision: judging by the scarcity of original copies of their self-written and produced modern soul jewel on Jerri Records, they also failed to reach beyond the Sunshine state, save for the rarified ears of collectors and connoisseurs.The sheer amount of records that came out of those modest premises at 495 SE 10th Court - about 8km from Downtown Miami (as the pink flamingo flies) - is mind boggling. With a huge roster of in-house labels as well as production and distribution deals, label boss Henry Stone was a passionate, busy, and exceptionally well connected man.Stone would nurture the early careers of the likes of million seller Betty Wright, as well as provide a platform for Milton Wright and Leno Phillips (her older brothers) to express their creativity. Clarence Reid (AKA Blowfly) and Willie Clark penned a raft of amazing tracks for acts such as Jimmy 'Bo' Horne and Little Beaver (AKA Willie Hale, who would also write a wealth of material for others), while T.K. in-house band Miami's own Robert Moore also released records on yet another T.K. imprint, Blue Candle.The music scene in Miami and indeed, Florida, at the time was fertile and moved quickly with the times, there were hit-makers and risk-takers, shining stars and those who never went far.As a living document of Henry Stone's remarkable legacy, the diverse styles and ideas coming out of Miami-Dade County and beyond, as well as a glimpse at the successes and near-misses achieved by a dazzling array of artists at the time, this collection serves as an invaluable insight.- Press Page with images and text: http://athensofthenorth.com/henry/- first press of the 2LP includes holy grail bonus 7"- Brand New - Thousand Years- 18 incredible tracks from the Man who invented Disco- Selected by Rare Disco connoisseurs Euan Fryer & Ian Wright- Release will tie in with up and coming award winning documentary 'The Record man' about Henry Stone and his music in Miami. Film to see worldwide cinema release this year: http://www.therecordmanmovie.com/- Almost all tracks on LP reissued for the first time- Extensive sleeve notes from record collector and writer Jason Stirland- Personal Sleeve Notes from Joe Stone (Henry Stone's Son)- Original Artwork by renowned Scottish graph artist Elph - http://akaelph.com/- Unseen personal photographs from the family

Produced by Philadelphia's Legendary Sonny Hopson, Santiago is Indeed Neftali Santiago from Mandrill who took a break from the band in 1975 and did a little experimenting, this came out of a 6 hour sessions in which 3 tracks were recording, two being on this 45 and is Santiago's only lead vocal to date . The band lasted a year in that time supporting Gil Scott Heron and The Ohio Players live. A two sided disco stormer with all the right ingredients, great guitar hook, solid horn section and great vocal.Essential Disco

BACK IN STOCK !!!Giant 45 returns with 2 more tasty reworks.A side takes a blue eyed soul gem and reworks it for today's floors.On the flip we have a much sought after Japanese boogie classic reworked in the same way.Limited 7 inch pressing so act fast.

Fortuna Records reissues a double banger by Aris San, the absolute don of the 'Greek Jaffa sound'. 'Boom Pam' was released in 1967 becoming an instant hit nation-wide. The track ignited the 'Greek Craze' which would dominate Israeli taverns for nearly a decade. Replacing bouzoukis with electric guitars, San gave Greek music a psychedelic edge making it popular with the in-crowd of swinging Tel Aviv. On the flipside, his 1972 tune 'Dam Dam' is an equally infectious, ouzo fueled, dancefloor saga, demonstrating the absolute best of San's unique and influential style. Limited press as always, do not miss !!!

Two gold standard musical compositions I won't insult by labelling with a genre. 'Truth is the key' is one of my favourite tracks period, the Arp solo just does it for me in every way. The vocal will be familiar as Irene Datcher also sang on the James Mason LP (who also features on these tracks) . 'Dreamflower' should need no introduction, famously Sampled by Erykah Badu's 'Didn't Cha Know ' and many others. This is a sublime landscape is notable for Ryo Kawasaki's dreamy guitar work, Stone cold classic. Both sides surprisingly have never graced the 7" format until now , absolutely essential 45.