DJ Ridym - Rare Soul Mix 21

When it's a rainy day like this all you need to do is kick back and listen to some rare soul gems while you prepare your Sunday dinner. We've got a sweet Solaris mid tempo dancer, some funky vibes from Dolly Gilmore and The Five Stairsteps some soul from Marvin Gaye, Leroy Hutson and Quincy Jones and a jazz funk classic Wind Parade from Donald Byrd to help you on your way!

As always hope you enjoy and I'll be back with some more next week

1. James Mason - I Want Your Love
2. Switch - My Friend In The Sky
3. Solaris - You And Me
4. Dolly Gilmore - Sweet Sweet Baby
5. The Five Stairsteps - Don't Change Your Love
6. Donald Byrd - Wind Parade
7. Brenda Russell - In The Thick Of It
8. Leroy Hutson - Love Oh Love
9. Marvin Gaye - Soon I'll Be Loving You Again
10. The Quickest Way Out - Hello Stranger
11. Quincy Jones - My Cherie Amour

DJ Grizz- 80's Soul Club Classics 11

                                      

If your younger life weekend TV habits involved Magnum, Different Strokes and Hill Street Blues then you'll definitely remember the 80's dancefloor greats we have here- its 80's Soul Club Classics Vol.11!

We kick off with a Herbie Hancock synth monster, there's some great Dutch Soul from The Limit, Rick James teams up with the Tempts for a 1982 hit, Unlimited Touch give us a club favourite and we end on Roger Troutman and Zapp's 1986 chart-topper... plus more shell suit wearing goodness!

Have a funky week Mixtapers!

Grizz- The Soul Mixtape Blog

Herbie Hancock - Rock it

I Level- Give me

Howard Hewitt- Im for real

The Limit- Pop

52^nd street- Tell me

Rick James and the Temptations- Standing on the top

Unlimited Touch- I hear music in the street

Windjammer- I thought it was you

Zapp- Computer love

DJ Ridym - Brit Funk & Rare Soul 8

Welcome once again Mixtapers to the latest instalment of the Brit Funk series and what a scorcher we have this time around. Our session kicks off with a dance floor banger from Take 3. There's 52nd Street with talented lead vocalist Diane Charlemange (RIP) who went on to work with Goldie on the eternal junglelist anthem Inner City Life.
We've got some real gems in Mirage, Nick Straker Band and The Hudson's summer groove show me you care. We end with a Cool Notes track and their first release, this rare reggae classic before they went more mainstream as a soul band. The track is a blues party anthem to this day so credit to their versatility and appeal.

It's goodbye from me until next time. Grizz and SoulnRnB up next. One Love

1. Take 3 - Tonight's The Night
2. Mirage - Summer Grooves
3. The Nick Straker Band - A Little Bit Of Jazz
4. Savanna - Never Let You Go
5. The Hudsons - Show Me You Care
6. Closer Than Close - You Got A Hold On Me
7. 52nd Street - Tell Me (How It Feels)
8. The Cool Notes - My Tune

DJ Grizz- Soul Niceness 150

Summers definitely over but don't worry, its all good... I've got Soul and Rare Grooves. Its Soul Niceness Vol.150!

The 70's and 80's good stuff starts with the monster hit from Wandsworth boy Junior, we've some great Funk from Clarence Wheeler and then George Clinton, there's a wicked Gil Scott Heron LP cut and we end on a 'Niecey' Williams RnB No.1 from 1982... plus more great old music!

Be ever Soulful- Mixtapers

Grizz- The Soul Mixtape Blog

Junior- Mama used to say

Average White Band- School boy crush

Clarence Wheeler and the Enforcers- Right on

George Clinton- We got the funk

Sergio Mendes- Mas que nada

Terumasa Hino- Send me your feelings

Gil Scott Heron- 17^th Street

Stephanie Mills- What cha gonna do with my lovin

Deniece Williams- Its gonna take a miracle

SoulNRnB's This is Rare Groove 14

The next installment of my Rare groove series features big names like The Pointer Sisters, The Sylvers, Sister Sledge and one Billy Ocean, alongside lesser known tunes from Alex, the Numonics and Carol Douglas. Press play below for some great soul tunes from the 70's and 80's and stay tuned for Grizz and Ridym coming up!

DJ Ridym - RnB Sessions 19

My100th mix bloggers!!
Hope you've enjoyed them. Peace

1. The Internet - Roll
2. Andre 3000 - Me 
3. VanJess - Control Me
4. R+R=NOW - Awake To You
5. Salaam Remi - Risin'To The Top
6. Kadhja Bonet - Mother Maybe
7. Teyana Taylor - Gonna Love Me
8. Midnight Hour - Dans Un Moment D'errance
9. Jericho Jackson - To Do List
10. Kanye West - Wouldn't Leave
11. Kamasi Washington - Street Fighter
12. Kali Uchis - After The Storm
13. Jorja Smith - Lost & Found
14. Bluestaeb - Didn't Cha Know

DJ Grizz- The Brand New Heavies

Time for some Funk on this chilly morning and what better than some revival Funk from the daddies of the genre The Brand New Heavies. Formed in London in the late 80's, being signed to the legendary Acid Jazz stable, these guys had great success throughout the 90's and are still going strong- championing that 60's and 70's heavy Funk sound (and changing their vocalist every coupla years!). Here's a selection of my favourites.

We kick off with their 1st hit Dream Come True, we've a great piece of funkiness with Gimme One of Those, there's the hits Never Stop and Stay This Way and we end on their anthem with their version of Maria Muldar's Midnight at the Oasis... plus more Heaviness!

Have a Funky week guys!

Grizz- The Soul Mixtape Blog

Dream come true

Gimme one of those

Sphynx

Never stop

Right on

Boogie kouala

Keep it coming

Stay this way

Midnight at the oasis

DJ Ridym - Rare Soul 20

Mellow soul for the soul is the theme for Rare Soul Mix 20 and we kick things off with a rare recording of the late Queen of soul herself singing Bridge over troubled waters and for me the best version there is. Sister Carolyn Franklin gives us the sublime and then its back to Aretha again with a mashup of Mos Def's Ms Booty beat blended with Aretha's One step, and why not?!

Mellowness continues with Madeline Bell, Mojoba and Nancy Wilson followed by the uplifting toe tapping sounds of the Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose which recently featured in the Spike Lee film BlackKKKlansman, so props to Spike for making a decent film with an interesting true story and a great soundtrack. We also have a rare reggae track from the Royal Rasses featuring lead singer Lincoln Thompson's unconventional vocals mixing high falsetto and low harmonies to produce a gem of a track.
We end the mix with a jazz funk nugget from the So Be It Band and another mellow soul number from Rasa.


1. Aretha Franklin - Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Live)
2. Carolyn Franklin - From The Bottom Of My Heart
3. Aretha Franklin - One Step (Mos Def Mashup)
4. Madeleine Bell - Love Is All You Need
5. Mojoba - Say You Will
6. Nancy Wilson - I'm In Love
7. Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - Too Late To Turn Back Now
8. Personal Touch - It Aint No Big Thing
9. The Royal Rasses - Unconventional People
10. The So Be It Band - Solo
11. Rasa - When Will The Day Come

DJ Grizz- Mellow Soul Classics 8

Nights are getting long, temperatures are falling as we eak out the last of Summer- time to wrap up on the sofa with a tall glass and chill! Heres the perfect accompaniment- Mellow Soul Classics 8!

The mellowness starts with the Queen of the 80's 'quiet storm' and ex Chapter 8 vocalist Anita Baker, keeping the Aretha flame burning with a 1973 gem written by her sis' Caroline, we've some great Luther, Bill Withers does his thing (and what a perfect thing it is) and we end on a Michael McDonald hit plus more laid back nuggets to check out.

Catch you all real soon!

Grizz- The Soul Mixtape Blog

Anita Baker- Caught up in the rapture of love

Gene Dunlap- Before you break my heart

Aretha Franklin- Angel

Jean Carne- You light up my life

Luther Vandross- If this world were mine

Bill Withers- I dont know

A taste of Honey- Sukiyaki

Blackbyrds- Love don’t strike twice

Michael McDonald- I keep forgettin’

#TheSoulMixtape SLAVE

Narrated by the legendary Steve Arrington, this mix is my tribute to one of THE GREATEST FUNK BANDS EVER. Slave.

Dayton. 1976. Trombonist Floyd Miller teamed with trumpeter Steve Washington to form Slave. The original line-up included Tom Lockett Jr, Carter Bradley, Mark Adams, Mark "Drac" Hicks, Danny Webster, Orion "Bimmy" Wilhoite and Tim "Tiny" Dozier. In 1977 the band signed for Cotillion Records, which is the label they remained with until 1984. In 1978 Steve Arrington, along with vocalists Starleana Young, Curt Jones and keyboardist Ray Turner joined the band. Arrington ultimately replaced Miller and Webster as lead vocalist. They moved to Atlantic Records for one LP (New Plateau) in 1984, then switched to the Atlanta-based Ichiban Records in 1985.

On this mix Steve Arrington takes us through the formation of the band, band members contributions, the big tunes, and the influences right up to where he left the band and they moved to another label, where truth be told, they couldn't match the pure funk genius of their heyday.

That being said, there was a certain alchemy to the band in the 70's and early 80's. Pairing unparralelled slap bass playing from the late Mark Adams, with strings and great melodies took this Funk band to another level. In my opinion, unmatched.

Bass player Mark Leslie Adams Sr died Saturday, March 5, 2011 at age 51 in Columbus, Ohio.
Guitar player Mark ("Drac") Hicks died on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at the age of 52 in Dayton, Ohio

Ridym and Grizz back soon, stay tuned.