Here comes one of the most hidden 70s Cosmic Soul Funk vinyl 45 from East Germany. With the desire to bring the black Soul & Funk rhythm to the stages and dance floors of the GDR, a short-lived top band was formed after the dissolution of the Horst Krüger Band in 1976. Gotte Gottschalk and Petko Datschew formed the group Neue Generation. This group had everything it needed to take off quickly: first-class and experienced instrumentalists, composers, plenty of fresh creativity, and good connections to the youth radio recording studios. Gotte and Michael Behm had already proven with Horst Krüger's group that they had an incredible amount of black groove in their blood. With the idea
of establishing a funky sound in the rather rock-oriented GDR music scene, they recorded two absolutely outstanding funk rhythm burners immediately after the band's formation in 1977.
This now-released second single is, from today's perspective, an absolute milestone in East German Funk history and a must for every fan of funk grooves of the 1970s, drum breaks and soulful cosmic synth music.

A: Heiß, heiß
B: Funky, funky

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With two deeply cherished compilations already in the bag, Luke Una steps up for the third volume in his É Soul Cultura series on Mr Bongo. A love letter to the dancefloor and its power to unite people from all corners of society amid growing division and extremist politics. Genre-spanning in nature, the 15 tracks travel between cosmic soul, boogie, proto-house, slo-mo technoid grooves, drum machine afro, astral bass-bugging futurism, jazz funk, dance, and disco. Each having the ability to move the body as much as the heart.

From his formative years in Sheffield to co-founding Manchester’s much-fabled Electric Chair with Justin Crawford, through to helming the iconic LGBTQ institutions of Homoelectric / Homobloc, Luke has spent 40 years immersed in dance music. His latest outlet, É Soul Cultura, has grown from a label to a globe-spanning events series with Luke holding residencies and embarking on tours across the world from Japan and Australia to America and Europe.

“For me, the dancefloor was never about a one-dimensional, thudding, 130 BPM beat only. It's a much more dynamic, broader vision than that. I cut my teeth in an era where a 100 BPM record had as much impact, excitement, and energy as a 134 BPM dancefloor jazz funk or techno record”, Luke mentions. É Soul Cultura Volume 3 is the perfect embodiment of that notion: “It’s about four decades in the trenches playing dance music, the late-night afters, the shebeens, the basements, warehouse parties, the eight-hour journeys in East London, through to festival sets at Houghton and We Out Here. It’s music unconstrained by genre or tempo and more about making your body move”.

But this isn’t simply a collection of disparate dance tracks; they carry meaning and soul. “It’s less about escapism, more about reconnection. My experience of post-covid has been the coming together of all the clans in various clubs and gatherings. A reaction to a very toxic world out there, where the aggro rhythms of division have sought to divide us, and people don't meet as often. The coming back together face-to-face in clubs has encouraged a real love in the air, there's a real togetherness and collective spirit”.

Opening up the compilation is a track that channels that very message, the transcendental, soul-rousing Harris & Orr ‘Spread Love’. Joining the dots from there, to the low-slung deep house closer of Fatdog ‘Remember’, you’ll find electronic drum machine Nigerian funk, sitting side by side with dancefloor Cape Verdean brilliance, a post-punk cover of Fela Kuti, rubbing shoulders with cosmic electro, and an Una-championed, 8-minute, kickless DJ Harvey remix. There’s jazz funk in various guises moving from boogie synth to astral travelling, slo-mo acidic raw techno, and a ‘79 soul stepper, alongside swirling percussive Italo disco and tribal-charged house. All infused with an innate ability to bring people together.

As society becomes increasingly fractured, É Soul Cultura Volume 3’s message is more than movement. It’s about dance music’s power to unify people from all walks of life and break down the barriers that divide us.

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(180gr, limited edition, 500 copies, light blue translucent coloured vinyl) Powered by the jazzy electronic feel of Azimuth, Previsão Do Tempo is a highlight in the Valle discography.

This beautiful batch of tracks Marcos Valle has him pushing way past his bossa work of the 60s into a cool 70s mix of electronics and sexy scoring, for a sound that's a mix of Brazilian rhythms with other styles that evoke Italian soundtracks and French pop backing



Tracklist
A1. Flamengo Até Morrer
A2. Nem Paletó, Nem Gravata
A3. Tira A Mão
A4. Mentira
A5. Previsão Do Tempo
A6. Mais Do Que Valsa
B1. Os Ossos Do Barão
B2. Não Tem Nada Não
B3. Não Tem Nada Não (2)
B4. Samba Fatal
B5. Tiu-Ba-La-Quiéba
B6. De Repente, Moça Flor


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lim. Yellow & Orange Vinyl LP
Strut proudly presents Nuclear War, a powerful collaboration between UK collective The Heliocentrics, Sun Ra Arkestra legends Marshall Allen and Knoel Scott, and vocalist Bilal - issued on limited-edition “hazardous” orange and yellow vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day 2026.

Tracklist

Side A
Nuclear War
Where Pathways Meet


Side B
Angels & Demons At Play
Astro Black Ft. Bilal

https://soundcloud.com/strut/sets/the-heliocentrics-marshalll-allen-knoel-scott-ft-bilal-nuclear-war/s-58Rc2hElR1I?

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Germany
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Walter Thomas’s “Chicago Knights” LP features a retrospective of songs written and released between 1987 and 2009, primarily with the Roland 1824 and the Fostex 8 track reel to reel. Channeling the spirit of underground soul and dance music specifically rooted within the greater area of Chicago, Illinois–a city known for its deep and healthy soul and r&b roots–this compilation features 8 of its 9 tracks on vinyl for the very first time.

The intro track “I Wanna Get Witcha” dates back to 1987, holds a proven track record of kicking off many a dance floor, rocking clubs worldwide in a blur of boogie-funk, disco, and soul. “Immaturity” and both versions of “Fed Up” echo the emotional differences and tensions between lovers in a spat. “Magic City” served as the anthem and homage to its namesake roller skating rink in 90s-era Waukegan, IL. While “Chicago Knights” is a relentless mid-tempo groove inspired by the aggressive motorists that dominate Chicago roadways, “2nd Chance” drops the tempo to a slow r&b roll, preaching the ethos of love, peace, and forgiveness.

Last but certainly not least, “E&J’s” was a real commercial jingle used for a once legendary BBQ joint “E&J’s” in Illinois: a short bonus track to close out the LP. These 9 tracks are just a touch of Walter’s expansive body of work, and we’re stoked to bring them to you on wax.


Walter Thomas is a singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, and composer from North Chicago, IL known for his soulfully smooth arrangements and vocals. Walter has toured internationally with quintessential soul groups like the Temptations and Friends of Distinction, as well as opening for performers including the Floaters, Bette Wright, The Emotions, and The Drifters. His decades of touring with nightclub and concert performances have honed this gifted artist into a seasoned and refined live act.

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Way back in 1998, following five years DJing and organising free parties as part of Sheffield's Smokescreen Soundsystem, Andy Riley and Laurence Ritchie joined forces in the studio as Inland Knights. They went on to deliver a huge amount of high-grade UK house music, but it was on this EP - here reissued for the first time in remastered form - that they first showcased their distinctively chunky, DIY-influenced sound. Check first the squelch-and-bump of soul-flecked late-night roller 'Mud Substance', before getting your ears around the dubby bass, hypnotic beats and spacey licks of 'Souldoubt'. 'Deep In' is a strutting, energetic affair full of raw analogue bass and mind-mangling effects, while 'Spent Up' is a tougher and looser slab of deep house funk.


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DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
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