Funky Instrumentals Vol 2

Not many come close to getting within touching distance of Nik Weston in the circles of global jazz and funk. So when there’s a limited Mukatsuku run of worldly treasure and discovery – helping artists step outside their own sanctum and get a footing on a much wider stage - get your sleuthing instincts to bag yourself a copy.

The first Funky Instrumentals from Gagle/DJ Mitsu the Beats was an olive in the label’s cocktail, and renewing links to his favourite East Asia destination, Weston’s 8^th Mukatsuku release unveils Tokyo’s Ken Morimura. His Descarga Pa’Ti sustains steady, Latin foundations, with a sun-basking horn section destined to raise the corners of mouths. But, true to the genre, it’s the instrument-playing on top that renders sitting down as an immoral occupation in Samba circles. Slowly getting hips to take on a direction of their own, like they’re in a hula-hooping face-off, there’s a piano portion that after happily towing the rhythm line, busts out a crazy off-centre freestyle across the 88 keys, egging on the bongo player after to similarly blister his mitts.

On the reverse, The Soultwisters’ high-energy funking comes from jazz’s other current hot-to-trot epicentre of Finland, and the performance of these boys is pure showbusiness. Soulpudding is their debut release and their live esteem, with a fair amount of well-heeled whoop-ass, is where proof of their ability lies. Runaway guitar rhythms and solos will have the girls going gaga in the front row in a pique of moptop-style adoration. Unlike the comparatively placid Morimura before them, The ‘Twisters put a brick on the accelerator from the first whistle, with the sticks-blurring drums and authoritatively funky brass seeing the quartet sweating the hell out of their immaculately tailored suits. Superior party music on both counts.