freestyle drop a much needed and fully licensed 12- repro from 1984, in the form of midnight energy s front line b/w saving all my love originally released on wal-brooks records. two slamming sides of spenny electro-boogiefunk from out of new jersey, written and produced by tony mclachlan of the fresh band (of come back lover fame) - dig in!

for lovers rock / reggae fans

recorded in 1979

menagerie from australia

reggae

reissue

collectors item

ltd soul 7 inch

reissue

reissue

reissue

reissue , disco/funk/ boogie / soul

boogie funk

reissue

reissue

reissue

jazz / funk

7 inch disco reissue

2022 refix

reissue from 1980

reissue

wiederveröffentlichung einer ehemals nur auf dem white label erhältlichen, äußerst seltenen debüt-12-

soul / boogie funk, reissue , original released in 1982

dan berksons debut-lp : dialogues

reissue

limited 7 inch release for rsd 2019.

wer über jahrzehnte hinweg tolle musik hören wollte, musste nur einen blick auf den bildschirm werfen. tv- und film-soundtracks waren oft die arbeit von us-legenden wie lalo schiffrin, oliver nelson & quincy jones und ihrer britischen kollegen ronnie hazelhurst und alan hawkshaw. sie alle schufen den soundtrack der 60er und 70er jahre zu einer zeit, als film und tv-musik unverschämt funky waren. hier knüpft auch andy tolman und sein musikalisches cartel an, von jazz zu soul und funk bietet cyphe- den soundtrack zu einem imaginären film.

brian auger, the london born keyboard genius & musical pioneer, lauded and loved by everybody from herbie hancock to mose allison, from the brand new heavies to the beastie boys, whose tracks have been sampled by mos def, common, air and kid loco, and his original compositions covered by sarah vaughan, richard groove holmes and he is the proud recipient of a us congressional award for services to jazz!
back to the beginning..again is a fantastic collection that demonstrates why brian auger is considered legendary.

funk / soul

electro boogie, reissue

originally released in 1983

reissue

reissue

reissue, originally released in 1983

easy listening feeling

rare groove spectrum vol.2

aufgenommen im jahr 2012 nach ihrem durchbruch für freestyle records. seitdem im tresor von the apples gelagert und gereift! es schien, als wäre die band längst überfällig für eine rückkehr zum label, und was könnte es besseres geben, als dieses kraftvolle, erhebende und headbangende blur-cover zu veröffentlichen.

reissue. collectors item

repress

ltd 2021 repress - a wide ranging, eclectic and progressive musical outlook has always been the lack of afro approach. his latest material follows suit as he harnesses disparate musical styles ranging from funk, soul and hip-hop to create a contemporary yet vintage musical escapade of superb songs. on his 4th studio album for freestyle records, the influences, sounds and musical textures are more eclectic than ever. below, adam talks us through some of the his favourite moments on *music for adverts*.

the third album from australian jazz group menagerie.

2020 reissue of the 2011 shaolin afronauts debut album.

funky business

classic funk, soul, jazz and latin vinyl

brian auger, karma auger and dan lutz live at bogie’s.

since the early 1990s, keyboard player jessica lauren has been a familiar part of london s alternative music scene. jessica s keyboard skills have augmented the live performances and studio recordings of world renowned artists such as jean carne, tom browne, dexter wansel and james mason, japan s united future organisation, and uk soul diva juliet roberts. her previous freestyle album jessica lauren four (2012) highlighted jessica s minimalist approach, something rare and refreshing in the jazz world: she instills her compositions and playing with a refined sense of space which makes her music as much about what she doesn t play as what she does.

omar has a totally unique, individual style and sound still marks him out as a future thinking and utterly unrivaled artist, who has collaborated with so many legendary names that it would be foolish to deny his worldwide reputation - who would dare contradict the likes of stevie wonder, erykah badu, carleen anderson, angie stone, common and fellow fans and followers like maxwell and jarrod lawson?
following on from 2013’s album the man, 2016 sees his new long player further cement this undeniable reputation. love in beats is omars 8th studio album of his long, illustrious career and may just be the most eclectic & varied to date. somewhat more electronic in it’s conception and sound than it’s predecessor, love in beats incorporates soul, caribbean rhythms, an undercurrent of funk, with touches of zouk, a jazzy waltz, spoken word and also features collaborations with us soul legend leon ware, blue note pianist robert glasper, grime mc ty, guadeloupe born singer jean-michele rotin, and uk soultress natasha watts, the floacist and mayra andrade, the cape verdean born singer who lives and records in paris.
co produced by scratch professer, omars grammy winning brother, this collection should create excitement worldwide, the sounds are varied - but all have omars’ unique fingerprint on them, style and substance beautifully merged!

the black feeling series on freestyle records reaches its third edition. presented as an old school collection of obscure covers versions funk, jazz & latin series classics by unheard of bands are in reality brand new re-interpetartions by lance ferguson the australian musical phenomen behind the bamboos, cookin on 3 burners and lanu. the previous black feeling singles and albums have become worldwide smashes hippy skippy moonstrut from volume 1 shifted masses of vinyl and has had millions of you tube viewings. volume 2 yeilded up a version of shaft in africa that even jazz fms peter young said was better than johnny pate s original! volume 3 sees dexter wansels life on mars get the black feeling treatment as well herb alberts rotation, cymandes brothers on the slide and mandingos black rite all super heavy and sounding massive for dance floors!

this 15 track, career spanning double vinyl, gatefold lp anthology covers 50 years of brian augers music - from his jazz piano trio, classic & rare tracks from brian auger, julie driscoll & the trinity, his pioneering 70s jazz fusion outfit the oblivion express and includes rare versions, and slept on highlights from his grammy nominated, award winning life in music as well as material from his forthcoming brand new live album live in los angeles with original oblivion express vocalist alex ligertwood back on vocal duties. back to the beginning is a celebration of one of musics great innovators, a musicians musician whos playing also speaks directly to the heart of whoever is listening. after over 50 years as a ground breaking professional player, his skills and spirit remain undiminished, one who still promotes a simple and always relevant message - peace through music.

having been one of the bands that has spearheaded the resurgence in deep, gritty funk and soul for over 10 years, and having collaborated with luminaries like eddie bo, marva whitney, sharon jones, billy wooten, sir joe quarterman and most recently ex james brown vocalist martha high, speedometer enjoy a worldwide reputation as a class act. and now in 2015, band leader leigh gracie and the group bring a welcome spotlight to a fresh vocal talent - james junior.

freestyle records is incredibly proud to reissue the music of ginger johnson & his african messengers. its bedrock of african drums, hi life, and jazz was in fact the precursor to afrobeat - and gingers direct and vital influence upon afrobeat, as guide & mentor to its undisputed champion fela kuti is just one part of a fascinating and underappreciated story that only now is being recognised for its significance.

ginger johnsons life is one of the greatest untold stories of african music in europe. a nigerian immigrant to london in the late 1940s, who quickly became the rhythmic backbone to the big band of the edmundo ros orchestra and the jazz group of ronnie scott. by the mid 1960s ginger was considered the only afro-latin percussionist to book, which is why he played with everyone from georgie fame, quincy jones through to the rolling stones.

following on from the digital download release of this swinging cover version - after masses of requests for a physical version - here it is - speedometers happening, soul-jazz/northern soul instrumental version of the huge pharell williams hit happy! the flipside is an utterley meserising track orisha which features non other than master congolero, dj, author and all round musical legend - snowboy!

kalbata is a techno & 2-step producer who previously released on labels such as soul jazz, brownswood and greenmoney. kalbata did a string of high profile remixes for artists such as fat freddy s drop, spank rock, the count & sinden and roll deep, collaborated with warrior queen and is also the man behind reissue labels fortuna and spring hill records. mixmonster is the man behind funk band the apples as well as a member of cut-n-paste duo radiotrip.

in 2011, frootful released their debut album colours on freestyle to great acclaim, with everyone from osunlade, craig charles and diesler praising it s modern-yet-retro blend of 60s soul, rocksteady, dance floor friendly jazz and r&b, whilst jazz fm made it an album of the week. the debut single taken from it, *fish in the sea* became a club hit, and also featured in steven soderberghs hit movie magic mike.
fast forward to 2013, and guitarist nick radford and crew return with an equally eclectic collection of songs and grooves that make up the new album, heavyweight. the title originates from a soul night nick used to play 45s at, but also tips its hat to the art of producing a record, in aiming to get an authentically heavy sound down - from the writing, engineering and recording, through to the final mixing and mastering. co-producer krzysztof oktalski played a big role in getting such a sound down, himself a big northern soul collector, who worked with larry stabbins and members of portishead on his stonephace album (on tru thoughts).

was einfluss und kreative leistung betrifft, gibt es unter großbritanniens zeitgenössischen künstler nur ganz wenige, die dauerhaft das level des jüngsten signings von freestyle records gehalten haben. seit omar 1991 mit seinen veröffentlichungen auf gilles petersons richtungsweisendem label talking loud seinen ersten großen durchbruch erzielte, hat mit so unterschiedlichen musikalischen legenden wie erykah badu, angie stone, syreeta wright, common, carleen anderson und einem gewissen stevie gearbeitet. mit so begeisterten und xxx mitstreitern wie den genannten, lässt sich omars anhaltende reputation als ausgewiesener prinzipal des souls nicht von der hand weisen.
auch 2013 bleibt omars ruf als künstler von ganz eigenem format ungeschmälert. nachdem er für seinen herausragenden beitrag zur britischen musikszene gerade erst zum order of the british empire ernannt wurde, hat in der heimat der popmusik selbst das establishment erkannt, was nicht nur seine fans seit vielen jahren zu schätzen wissen.

quest under capricorn marks a development and progression of the shaolin afronauts sound, which evokes the spirit of the mighty sun ra, mulatu astatke, fela kuti, john coltrane and a host of other free thinking musical pioneers and explorers and sets the group well apart from the glut of less explorative and imaginative groups of a similar ilk. the shaolin afronauts return with a highly original sound made up of classic influences, but tailor made for the 21st century.

legend is a word so overused in the music business that it has lost much of its original impact.

legend is a word so overused in the music business that it has lost it s much of original meaning. but freestyle records feels wholly justified in describing our latest signing as precisely that. martha highs impeccable soul credentials are beyond question, and for the uninitiated, here is a potted history of the ladies incredible musical history! a member of the jewels, who, in 1964 became part of the james brown revue, touring all over america on a relentless schedule of one-nighters, alongside vicky anderson and other stalwarts of that incredible live phenomenon that was beautifully captured on tape and released by smash records on the 1967 release presenting the james brown show.

the shaolin afronauts return!
2011s debut album from the shaolin afronauts >flight of the ancients< was a critical and commercial success story, lauded as a truly original blend of the sounds of 1970s west africa, ethiopia and the pioneering and progressive avant-garde jazz artists of the same period.
the first release in the freestyle 300 series - strictly limited edition, numbered singles.

freestyle records is immensely proud to be the new home for one of the uks most creative and in demand musicians, jessica lauren. jessica lauren four is her latest project, nearly entirely acoustic, and is an intoxicating cocktail of her many diverse influences including blues and soul, jazz and afro-cuban rhythms, combined with ambient dance music, always interesting, absorbing and surprising.

australian kings of dirty, gritty, low down funk and soul deep street soul are back with a vengeance! this slamming 45 builds upon the diamond hard funk & soul template they established with their self titled 2009 debut long player on freestyle records. and dsss new vocalist may johnston makes her presence felt on this teaser 45 for the new title track taken from the new album look out, watch out her voice combining the best elements of marva whitney and spanky wilson on this dance floor destroyer! on the flip side, london born ex pat shirley davis stamps her own identity on the bands version of masterpiece which is totally exclusive to this 45 and not available anywhere else. tough yet soulful, hard yet deeply melodic, deep street soul return ? doing what they do better than anyone else!

a brand new version of the beautiful ballad from the album colours, featuring the incredible vocals of angeline morrison. also features a brand new and exclusive kicking remix of slowtime by lack of afro.

as a multi instrumentalist, artist, producer, dj and in demand remixer, lack of afro (adam gibbons) has achieved a startling amount in the few years since his first freestyle releases. playing live and dj-ing across the world, producing and remixing everyone from tom jones, the pharcyde, the new mastersounds through to kraak & smaak. in 2011, as well as collaborating on an album project with eddie roberts of the new mastersounds, and having also produced and played on the jazz fm album of the week >colours<, by freestyle label mate frootful adam somehow found time to create what is, without doubt his strongest album yet >this time<.
as an introduction to this eclectic and progressive collection, freestyle records is proud to present the simply stunning single >a time for ...< which features wayne giddens smoky vocals on this mellow, sublime soulful outing. an accomplished songwriter, waynes own previous singles, >whatever i choose i lose< & >i ve changed my ways< have both enjoyed heavy rotation on bbc radio 2. this collaboration between these 2 multi talented musicians has resulted in this memorable and touching composition, and to contrast that the b side >numero seenko< is a club friendly, hard hitting funk tinged number that is totally exclusive to this single!

the fantastic people is a new swedish independent rock band with their own record label. the band was founded during the summer of love 2009 in borås. after a progressive and psychedlic rock n roll jam session, a nice dinner with good wine and a fat stack of old records... there was a brand new band.

back in september 2007, freestyle records released black feeling an album project brought to life by australian musical supremo lance ferguson, the man responsible for freestyle soul-jazz organ trio cookin on 3 burners, as well as the bamboos & lanu projects on tru thoughts recordings.
each track was presented under a pseudonym to give the impression of an album you would find whilst digging in a caribbean record shop or american thrift store. as a collection of reworked classics, the album set dance floors alight across the world, indeed, the single hippy skippy moon strut by the mighty show-stoppers became a huge selling 12 inch, and also notched up well over 350.000 individual viewings on you tube to date!
now in 2011, freestyle records is pleased as punch to be releasing this follow up album, the main concept with the >black feeling< cover versions is that the finished product should not just be some kind of carbon copy of an established classic and lance explains his approach further: >the initial study of the original recordings enables me to be freer with interpreting, re-arranging and changing them for the final album. often i will make changes to make a track a little more attractive or usable for djs and the dancefloor in general.<

never really comfortable with tightly defined and rigid musical pigeon holes, the fantastics! have always been pushing the boundaries and honing their musical eclecticism since before their first freestyle releases back in 2008. as a primer for their second freestyle long player >all the people< (fsrcd/lp091) which will see release august 2011, the band present this brand new three track 12 inch single which only hints at the incredible range of sounds, genres and styles that they forge into their own particular and highly individualistic approach that looks backwards, forwards and up and down at the same time..
teaming up with stunning vocalist sulene fleming, on the recommendation of dj, promotor and all round musical guru lubi jovanovich, the band set to writing with sulene (who first came to attention on the new mastersounds first album, with the funk club banger turn this thing around ) and the results speak for themselves!

the mysterious afro-soul of the shaolin afronauts first echoed across the dance floors of australia in late 2008. heavily inspired by the sounds of 1970s west africa, ethiopia and the pioneering avant-garde jazz artists of the same period, the shaolin afronauts draw on the this highly innovative and sometimes volatile era in music, using it as inspiration to create music with the same fire and intensity. though there is something refreshing and original about the afronauts, their music could be described as somewhere in between the heavy afrobeat of fela kuti and the ethio-jazz of mulatu astatke. the key to the shaolin afronauts unique sound is the line-up, which comprises of a three piece horn section, 5 piece rhythm section and three percussionists, and this polyrhythmic approach layers the groups sound with a mesmerizing and hypnotic texture. kicking off with journey through time (also released as the a side of the limited edition 12 inch vinyl single: fsr091) the multiple layers of percussion and rhythms indeed unleash an unstoppable groove, which is nicely balanced against the albums slower, more introspective moments, such as rise with the blind which along with haunting, mellow scarab prove that contemporary afrobeat rooted music doesnt always have to be an unrelenting, uptempo assault on the senses and can provide moments of sheer beauty and reflection. this added element of subtlety sets the shaolin afronauts music apart from much of the recent crop of other bands with similar influences, that said, these guys are still a collective capable of burning some stone cold classic and killer grooves, the shaolin afronauts are the band to watch out for in 2011

born in caracas, venezuela, and raised on the lower east side of manhattan, ray lugo has experienced such an enormous variety of music in his life time, from attending gigs by fania records super stars with his parents as a young boy, though to being a roadie on the beastie boys >license to ill< tour, performing in bands, managing bands, running record labels and club nights - ray has seen the music world from every angle possible...

swingy boogaloo was originally known as the instrumental heavyweight number by el gran combo: >gran combos boogaloo<. ray has augmented the original with new lyrics, chorus and title and the results speak volumes about the authenticity of this music. this beautiful little 45 single is a teaser for the forthcoming full length boogaloo destroyers album >mi watusi< (fsrcd/lp087) which will be creating waves all through summer 2011, take it from us!

though there is something refreshing and original about the afronauts, their music could be described as somewhere in between the heavy afrobeat of fela kuti and the ethio-jazz of mulatu astatke. this debut 12 inch single combines all these elements, >journey through time< having a hypnotic, spiritual feel, whilst the b side >kibo< is totally exclusive to this 12 inch single, and is an upbeat positive groove, both tracks only hinting at the delights the forthcoming album flight of the ancients (fsrcd/lp085) will contain.

follow up to the massive >bad bad jimmy ruckus< album - a soundtrack to a very hard to find blaxploitation film!

speedometer, one of the most successful uk funk & soul bands of the last decade, attain the next level of their musical ascendancy with the release of this amazing new 45 single.

the apples present: kings. the brand new release from the nine piece instrumental juggernaut. in a musical first for the band, they wrote, arranged and recorded music with specific collaborators in mind.
they held sessions with two of their heroes, a congregation with two musical and spiritual father figures from opposite ends of the apples rich spectrum: fred wesley - pioneer of funk trombone in particular and funk horn arranging in general with james brown, the jbs, parliament-funkadelic and the horny horns. shlomo bar - vocalist, percussionist, godfather of israeli world music. figurehead of the highly influential ethno-fusion ensemble habrera hateevit.

slamming breakbeat funk from philly. from the forthcoming soundtrack release >jimmy ruckus and the 5 fingers of death< ... >after this fight, you re gonna call me master grant. cuz i ll grant you life or death after whippin that ass<. - jimmy ruckus
what happens when you make a sequel to a movie that no one knows about? in the case of >jimmy ruckus in the five fingers of death<, you end up getting ridiculously popular overseas.

previously known as universal funk, the black lillies debut freestyle release is a distinctive and highly original work. fusing electronica, soul, house & jazz with an ethereal, eclectic other worldly feel and featuring contributions from thulla wamberg, hannah vasanth & jo harrop.