Emma Donovan & The PutBacks - Dawn (2014)

Acclaimed indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan and Melbourne rhythm combo The PutBacks come together to bring you "Dawn", an LP of hard hitting and heartfelt soul songs telling stories of grief, struggle and redemption. "Dawn" is a gritty, uniquely Australian record, simultaneously classic and contemporary. The songwriting is in turns optimistic, angry and melancholic, and on occasions bruisingly honest. The music is fluid, live and raw, recorded in one room on eight channels of analog tape and the electric connection between Emma and the band comes through in every beat.

The Shaolin Afronauts - Follow the Path (2014)

The driving force of The Shaolin Afronauts is Ross McHenry, the ARIA nominated composer, bandleader, producer and bassist based in Adelaide. Alongside co collaborators Lachlan Ridge and Dylan Marshall, It is their opmbined wide ranging musical tastes, impeccable production and instrumental skills that always result in music that is original, thought provoking, unexpected and quite beautiful.

2011's debut album 'Flight Of The Ancients' was a critical and commercial success story. The follow up 'Quest Under Capricorn' further cemented the bands reputation for forging their own very particular sound - and now in 2014 - as the band prepare to tour Japan & Europe (including 2 prestigious shows at The Glastonbury Festival) Freestyle Records is proud to present the expansive & epic Follow The Path.

Cookin' on 3 Burners - Blind Bet (2014)

It's hard to believe that it's been 5 years since Cookin On 3 Burners released 'Soul Messin' the incredible album that included their massive crossover smash single 'This Girl', of which the vinyl 45 ended up being one of those records that was changing hands for crazy prices among the record collecting cognoscenti.

The long wait has certainly been worth it, as Blind Bet not only ticks all the boxes you would expect from the band (the best in contemporary soul-jazz, funk and amazing production) but the musical textures they create are more varied and eclectic than ever before. The album opens with the minimalist, crisp funk of Skeletor, which is promptly followed by Flat On My Back featuring Tex Perkins on vocals, which is an excursion into swampy blues territory with more than a hint of Tom Waits' gritty delivery.

Kerbside Collection - Mind The Curb (2013)

“A gritty rhythm section of old school drums and Fender or upright bass, alongside funky Hammond and Rhodes, with some sweet George Benson-ish jazz guitar licks on top.” From the quiet tropical suburban back streets of Australia's 3rd largest city (Brisbane) comes a young all instrumental ensemble called Kerbside Collection, creating a mixture of some forgotten rare groove sounds – good times instrumental jazz funk with a touch of soul.
The sound of Ravi Welsh (Guitar), Jason “Paprika” Bell (Drum & percussion), Chris Poulsen (Hammond & Fender Rhodes) and Jeremy O’Connor (Fender “P” & double bass) harks back to the 60s and 70s Californian West Coast music of artists such as Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Chico Hamilton, Joe Sample and The Crusaders, whilst tipping its’ hat to today’s contemporaries keeping the ‘feel’ alive (Soulive, Bobby Hughes, James Taylor Quartet, Eddie Roberts & The New Mastersounds, The Menahan Street Band, The Stance Brothers, Frootful etc).

The Cactus Channel - Wooden Boy (2013)

It’s soul music, baby, but not as we know it. The backbeat and the handclaps are still there and the horns still sound. The bass bumps, the organ screams and the guitars still twang, but the singer has left the room. Everything is shades of blue. This is soul music for the after hours. For the solitary dancers and the lonely hearts. The soundtrack to solitary headlights on a midnight highway. What to call it? Who cares! Can you dance to it? Just try not to. No one’s telling you to throw your hands up in the air, but no one would be surprised if you did. It’s dark here, so you can do your own thing.

Wooden Boy  was recorded by The Cactus Channel — a ten-piece band from Melbourne, Australia — all born in the 90s and raised on the internet.

The Bamboos - Fever In The Road (2013)

Australian soul music innovators TheBamboos return with their genre-defying new album, ‘Fever In The Road’, released 8th November on Pacific Theatre through Inertia, with a national tour starting on 29th November.

Band leader Lance Ferguson once again enlisted John Castle (Washington, Josh Pyke, Gossling, Pez and Kate Miller-Heidke) to co-produce ‘Fever In The Road’, the band’s sixth record and first on Ferguson’s own label. This repeats the same winning combination that worked on the band’s breakthrough 2012 album ‘Medicine Man’, which garnered them three ARIA Award nominations (Best Independent Release, Best Urban Album & Best Live Act), and saw the single “I Got Burned” feat. Tim Rogers reach #54 in Triple J’s Hottest 100.

The Liberators - Power Struggle (2013)

"The new Liberators album is peppered with dark, sinister grooves worth of the fiercest dancefloor battles" Martín Perna (Antibalas)

The Liberators are back with the brand new album "Power struggle". Born in an unused factory space in urban Sydney, The Liberators - a compelling 10-piece Afrofunkjazz steamroller - have relentlessly pushed their sound to become leaders in the Australian Afrobeat resurgence. With their second album "Power Struggle", The Liberators have gone deeper and darker into the polyrhythmic, horn-driven realms of Afrobeat, producing eight weighty songs worthy of fueling any revolution. With a maturing mix of jazz, latin, soul and funk, it's obvious the sounds of fracturing world events echo throughout the album. The Liberators produced Power Struggle in Sydney, recording straight to tape in a no-nonsense, no-overdub fashion, capturing the phenomenal vibe of their live shows.

Ross McHenry - Distant Oceans (2013)

Ross is an ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association award) nominated composer, producer and bass player whose diverse body of work carefully walks the line somewhere between instrumental jazz and the current wave of post-Dilla producers. His previous projects (including The Shaolin Afronauts) have seen him tour worldwide and led to him taking part in 2010's Red Bull Music Academy (where he met label-mate kidkanevil amongst others).

Hiatus Kaiyote – Tawk Tomahawk (2012)

HiatusKaiyote are future soul. Based in Melbourne, the four-piece fuses neo-soul, hip-hop and electronic beats along with flavours of Latin, jazz and opera, all presented with a cinematic sheen.

The band formed in mid-2011, and ever since, they have been rackingup accolades, including album of the week on Gilles Peterson’s show on BBC Music 6, and props from luminaries such as Eyrkah Badu, Questlove, Shafiq Husayn, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, James Poyser, Pharaoh Monch and Jean Grae.

Their debut release, Tawk Tomahawk, peaked in the Top 10 played Albums on KCRW in June and July, 2012. The band has shared bills with Brainfeeder Records artists, Taylor McFerrin, Lapalux and oOoOO, Warp legends Chris Clark and Harmonic 313, sound genius Robin Fox.

Menagerie - They Shall Inherit (2012)

Menagerie is the spiritual jazz project from the prolific producer, songwriter and guitarist Lance Ferguson, best known for his eclectic and highly acclaimed work under the Lanu and The Bamboos monikers, and here venturing out to explore new musical terrain. The first album, ‘They Shall Inherit’ is out in December 2012 on CD, vinyl and digital; featuring a guest appearance from the legendary US jazz/funk vibraphonist Roy Ayers, the album has gained early support from the authority on all things leftfield, Gilles Peterson (Worldwide/BBC 6Music).

Kylie Auldist - Still Life (2012)

The third album from Australian soul/funk singer Kylie Auldist is out now on Tru Thoughts. Entitled ‘Still Life’, the new LP sees Auldist singing straight from the heart and telling the stories of her life, exploring themes such as love, loss and the passing of time with an intelligence and depth that only experience can inspire.

By turns wistful, uplifting, poignant and simply smoking hot, ‘Still Life’ is brimful of bright, accessible funk and sultry soul, served up by the velvety voiced diva with a healthy dose of disco inspired boogie. The album was co-written and produced by close collaborator Lance Ferguson (Lanu/The Bamboos), whose versatile production skills – as showcased across his many Lanu and The Bamboos releases – snap into action here with a classy updating of the ‘70s dancefloor sound. Exquisite string and horn arrangements on the record sit amongst emotive piano melodies, driving drums and the strut and snaking groove of Ferguson’s guitar.

The Cactus Channel - Haptics (2012)

Hear that sound? Raw, loose and nasty funk, recorded straight to analog tape. It’s just like the old days, but so new it’s sporting a badass teenage moustache. Now that Melbourne funk sensation The Cactus Channel have graduated high school, they’re taking their own brand of high-octane, instrumental car chase funk and smooth soundtrack soul to the people with their debut, Haptics. On the road and on the airwaves, 2012 is the year The Cactus Channel come of age.

Back in 2009, the founding members of The Cactus Channel were already jamming on some classic soul feels, tripping on Eddie Bo, James Brown and their contemporaries, and using words like “Boss” and “Cat” while trying to make it through year 10 in 21st Century Australia. What began as experimentation in Junior Stage Band developed into outright insubordination in Senior Jazz Ensemble and by 2011 The Cactus Channel were an out of control ten piece funk orchestra with the momentum of a runaway train who could count The Dap Kings’ Tom Brenneck and soul legend Charles Walker as fans.

Randa & The Soul Kingdom - What You Need (2011)

Hailing from Perth and firmly at the forefront of the Australian funk and soul scene are Randa & The Soul Kingdom led by Jordanian born and Australian raised soul sister Randa Khamis.

With producer Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos, Cookin On 3 Burners, Lanu, Black Feeling) at the controls of the debut self titled album, the result was bristling with edgy, gritty funk and soul. The buzz on Randa And The Soul Kingdom led to a full European tour with label mates Deep Street Soul, a live session for Mark Lamarr on BBC Radio 2. Randa was being lauded as a modern day equivalent to Marva Whitney, Ann Sexton and Vicki Anderson in their prime by Mojo Magazine, Blues & Soul and Randa's music even featuring in the US version of teen TV show Skins.

Instead of flying straight back to Australia after the tour, Randa spent 6 months residing in London collaborating with funk/soul artists to write her second album. Inspired and influenced by the music and musicians in London, the second album What You Need was born. Finally back in Melbourne, Australia she went straight into The Shed Studios where the songs were recorded and produced by Lance Ferguson and John Castle (Megan Washington) once again at the controls.

Whilst retaining the funk undercurrent, this new album What You Need also often incorporates elements of 60's and Northern soul, 70's disco and some more down tempo, reflective moments within what is a varied and mature collection of songs.

With this follow up album, Randa & The Soul Kingdom cement their reputation as one of the most hard working and authentic purveyors of genuine 21st century soul.

OUT NOW ON FREESTYLE RECORDS

The Bamboos - 4 (2010)

Bamboos vocalist Kylie Auldist’s work on this album could truly be described as virtuoso, especially on tracks such as “On The Sly”; huge live number “The Ghost” – in which she really changes up the vocal style range-wise and shows us she’s got many more tricks up her sleeve – and the hard-hitting track “Keep Me In Mind”, that sees Kylie delivering possibly her best ever recorded vocal performance on a chorus hook that is equal parts gospel soul and hip hop. Other vocalists also add a major degree of excitement: adored US rapper Lyrics Born features on the party funk number, “Turn It Up”; and the incredibly catchy, fresh and unique “You Ain’t No Good” features the mysterious and reclusive Tongan, King Merc, more of whom may become known when this tracks drops as the second single, later in 2010. The brooding guitar figure, ’60s soul drums and reverbed-out claps come across like the mutant love child of Phil Spector and Gnarls Barkley – setting up King Merc’s soul-drenched vocal like a rough mounting for a fine stone.

‘4’ is one of the most exciting, original, vibrant and downright addictive albums of the coming year, and could easily see The Bamboos catapulted beyond the confines of a genre to permeate the international mainstream musical consciousness
…The Bamboos have arrived!

Bamboos @ Tru Thoughts - "On The Sly" - The Bamboos Home Movies pt.1 -

The Bamboos: Deep Funk Masters

The Bamboos are Australia's masters of Deep Funk and Super-Heavy Soul.
Formed in 2001 and released the 7" single 'Eel Oil/Blackfoot', earning them international acclaim from the likes of Mr Scruff, Patrick Forge and Jazzanova. Their next release 'Tighten Up/Voodoo Doll' was signed by Kenny Dope (Masters At Work) and Keb Darge (Legendary Deep Funk) for their U.S-based imprint Kay-Dee Records.
Making their home at U.K's Tru Thoughts records in 2005, The Bamboos debut album ‘Step it Up’ was released jointly by Tru Thoughts and Ubiquity Records (US) in 2006. The second Bamboos long-player "Rawville' was released in 2007 and was described by IDJ Magazine (U.K) as " ...arguably the finest Funk album of the modern era"
In 2006 and 2007 The Bamboos toured Europe and the U.K, bringing their unmistakable sound to venues including The Jazz Café in London and countries including Germany, Spain, Ireland, Italy and Belgium. The Bamboos live shows have evolved into non-stop mixtape-style throw-downs that draw the links between Hip Hop, Soul, Funk and old-school Breaks.
The Bamboos have performed as a backing band for international artists including: Eddie Bo (US), Joe Bataan (US), Eddie Floyd (US), Alice Russell & The Quantic Soul Orchestra (UK)

Official Site

The Bamboos @ MySpace

King of the Rodeo video (feat. Megan Washington)