A new reissue by Wewantsounds brings back a raucous free jazz, soul funk session recorded in an empty St. Louis sanctuary. In 1973, the late alto saxophonist Luther Thomas convened eleven players to record a funk/jazz free-for-all at a mostly empty Berea Presbyterian Church in the Laclede Towne neighborhood of St. Louis. The 1977 record that came out of that session was called Funky Donkey. Two side-length pieces of structured, percussion- and brass-driven improvisations, it hits like spiritual spontaneous combustion. The consistently spot-on Paris-based label Wewantsounds just reissued the al ..read more

Join us for a labels we love listening session at In Sheep’s Clothing NYC dedicated to Now-Again Records. Now-Again Records is a Los Angles based imprint that specializes in reissues and archival compilations of global funk and psychedelic grooves, both new and old. Founded in 2002 by revered record collector and ex-Stones Throw GM Eothen “Egon” Alapatt, the label has since its inception operated as a vehicle for lost music to not only be rediscovered, but also sampled and licensed for use in film and television. Music from the Now-Again catalog can be heard on American Gangster, The Shield, L ..read more

A sonic trip through Latin America with selections by El Marchante’s Osmar Romero. Last Friday on Cinco de Mayo, we presented a special listening session at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo. Dedicated to Latin experimental sounds, the event was co-presented by Osmar Romero of El Marchante and Del Caribe, a local producer, DJ, and collector. For those unfamiliar, El Marchante is a project that aims to compile, research and disseminate music made in Latin America. They currently operate a record store in Caracas, Venezuela, an online shop, and also pop up at ..read more

The great Jeff Parker shares five diverse selections from psychedelic jazz to visionary hip-hop. Jeff Parker is a musician that deals in many worlds. Equally adept at soloing through a jazz standard as he is crafting the perfect riff in a post-rock masterpiece, Parker is what music heads would describe as someone “who’s got it.” Beats, minimalism, musique concrète, free improvisation, Parker adapts to every situation in his own way, remaining true to his musical expression in each iteration of his craft. If we were to point to a specific moment, obviously, his arrival in Tortoise led to one of ..read more

Music by Kevin “Mr. Groove” McCord “for all who like M-M-M (Mellow Mood Music).” Heralded by Dâm-Funk as one of his favorite producers, Kevin “Mr. Groove” McCord might not be a household name, but if you’re a soul and disco fan, there’s a very good chance you’ve heard or danced to his music… A bassman, keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer, McCord started out as a founding member of Al Hudson and the Soul Partners and later went on to contribute to hundreds of r&b, funk, disco, and boogie dancefloor movers in the ’70s and ’80s including huge chart hits like the Tee Scott favorite ..read more

Nearing the holidays with more great new music from the UK, France, Switzerland, and Bay Area. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As music freaks who read these missives and are attuned to the bounty regularly arriving, we love sharing great sounds. Below are some particularly crucial new arrivals, a number of which will soon be available in the In Sheep’s Clothing shop. Tirzah – Colourgrade Written and recorded after the birth of her first child but before the arrival of her second, Tirzah’s Colourgrade is a follow-up to her 2018 ..read more

In light of her recent passing, here is a short musical introduction to the funk pioneer, fashion icon, and bonafide Nasty Gal. Wholly unique, a force to be reckoned with, and criminally underrated in the public eye: We still feel that Betty Davis, who died in February, hasn’t received the recognition she truly deserves. Often recalled in the music world as the “Godmother,” or the “Queen of Funk,” the public perception is that she’s a niche funk vocalist perhaps better known as Miles Davis’ ex-wife – if they know her name at all. Betty, however, was a bonafide songwriter and producer in her ow ..read more

Cosmic soul, breezy soft rock, and latin funk from Crates LA. Crates LA is a blog and music channel dedicated to uncovering obscure and unknown songs across a multitude of genres including sweet soul, cosmic jazz, soft rock, digital reggae, latin funk, and more. The founder of the channel, who prefers to remain anonymous, spends countless hours “listening to thousands of bad records so you don’t have to.” We’ve bumped into them more than a few times around Los Angeles diving deep into the darkest corners of the record shop… From Crates LA: “I dig for records constantly and love discovering new ..read more

Five new releases we’re extremely excited about. Each week the global listening community gets bombarded with new releases, reissues and restocks. As music freaks who read these missives and are attuned to the bounty regularly arriving, we love sharing great sounds. Below are some particularly crucial new arrivals, a number of which will soon be available in the In Sheep’s Clothing shop.  Kraig Kilby – Satori The first release on Just Us, a shop and label from Detroit’s Bill Spencer and San Francisco’s Izaak Schlossman (Loveshadow), is an absolute belter of a psych-jazz album, if you can ..read more

“A fusion of sounds.” More selections from the Armenian Diaspora (1971​-​1982). Darone Sassounian is an Armenian-American DJ, selector, and producer in Los Angeles who spent three years tracking down artists, labels, publishers, and family members of displaced Armenians who formed diasporan communities across the globe in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. His research took him to the Middle East, Europe, and parts of North America to uncover lost gems that represent the beautiful fusion of sounds and cultures produced by the survivor’s children. Sassounian’s work culminated in the excell ..read more