London-based DJs, digging for the freshest sounds in deep funk, psychedelic soul & break-laden, fuzzed-up jams from the cosmic void! Dusty of finger and devoted to discovery, the Soulful Strut are fully-fledged vinyl junkies, hell-bent on riffling through the crates for long-forgotten 45s and criminally overlooked LPs.
Introducing "45 and counting ..." in which the Soulful Strut aims to make the final three quarters of an hour until the weekend go that little bit quicker by posting a 45 we like.
Fuzzed-up funk this week from Pete Parker on Kapp. Deep soul on the flip, but the star of the show is I Can't Stop Loving My Baby, which has one of the best fuzz guitar parts I've heard on a funk record.
45andcounting ... #11 Sister funk from the Windy City. One of the hardest 45s to find on one of my all-time favourite labels, Twinight, it took me around two years to finally track this down ... but it was well worth the wait. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kllIjgLQvMA
45andcounting ... #10 This week, one of Josh Davis's favourite 45s – and one of ours too: killer soulful funk outta Texas from James Polk and the Brothers featuring Yvonne. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6suWMDtXr3c
45andcounting ... #9 More r'n'b this week, and a 45 that to the best of my knowledge is unknown: Wayne Champion with Boogaloo News on the Invictus label. Don't know where this was recorded, or whether Wayne cut any other 45s, but this r'n'b monster is two-and-a-half minutes of dancefloor dynamite. Check it out via our new YouTube channel, now filming at Soulful Strut mansions ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT4gdnWpP2c
45andcounting ... #8
A styrene 45 on the legendary Thelma label, this early-60s Detroit r'n'b masterpiece sees Jimmy Gilford doting on his baby over a wonderful, bongo-driven percussion and sweet, soulful backing harmonies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2XBWuXDmq4
45andcounting ... #7 Banny Price with You Love Me Pretty Baby on Jewel. Surely one of the best r'n'b 45s ever cut, this Dale Hawkins production has it all: a galloping piano riff, dustbin-lid drums, Tarantino-style guitar licks, punchy brass stabs and, to top it off, a pleading vocal from Price that demands your attention. In a word, perfection. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YfPK_3dLHk
45andcounting ... #6 Nathaniel Mayer I Had a Dream on Fortune Records. Love this era of r'n'b, where you've got doo-wop, rock'n'roll and soul all rubbing up against one another to create this wonderful melting pot of post-war American music. Really need to find a copy of this 45 ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_63XkTiqqk
45andcounting ... #5 This week one for fans of the movie The Big Lebowski (who isn't?). Bettye Lavette absolutely kills this track – and I think The Dude would abide. If you fancy hearing more like this, all from original 45, head to Canal 125 on Caledonian Road later on ... we'll be spinning some tunes upstairs from 10pm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap9toSfQGQU
45andcounting ... #4 This sublime slice of soul on Music City records should appeal to those who dig the smooth sounds of Al Green. Enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbJevQW_YJw
45andcounting ... #3 Friday funk this week, and what's considered by some to be the greatest double-sider of them all: Herman Hitson with Ain't No Other Way on Sweet Rose records. The flip, You Can't Keep a Good Man Down, is a cracking northern tune, but for me it's all about this funk monster, which I never seem to tire of. Check it out ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfo9sfo-joE
45andcounting ... #2 This week we're going with a killer soul track from the Fuller Bros: Stranger At My Door on G, D & L. Love the guitar licks on this. Check it out ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO5PQU3sNYs