Welcome to a deep-dive collection built for the late-night journey, the focused moment, or the slow, deliberate turn of the head.
This isn’t background music; it’s an archaeological dig into the deepest strata of groove from 1968 to 2014. We’ve pulled together rare-groove funk that became the foundation of hip-hop (Cymande, Camille Yarbrough), psychedelic soul that scorches the earth (Lee Moses, Nina Simone), and the foundational blues from giants like Odetta. From there, the map expands to the intrinsic groove of Polar Bear, led by Seb Rochford, The Budos Band deliver instrumental Afro-Soul with a menacing cinematic punch, while Mulatu Astatke (aided by The Heliocentrics) and Henri Texier (main image) offer up Space-age Ethio-Jazz and European folk-jazz masterpieces that redefine rhythm. Whether you’re swaying to the Cuban grace of Ry Cooder and Manuel Galbán, feeling the low-fi rock and roll blast of Nick Waterhouse, or settling into the intricate beauty of Tin Hat, every track here serves a singular purpose: to remind you that the deepest feelings often come in the funkiest, most unexpected forms.
Press play, settle in, and let the obscure classics guide the way.
Show Playlist
- Polar Bear – Peepers
- Odetta – Hit or Miss
- Henri Texier – L’éléphant
- Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban – Drume Negrita
- Lee Moses – Hey Joe
- Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 – For What It’s Worth
- Dengue Fever – Ethanopium
- The Budos Band – T.I.B.W.F.
- Cymande – Getting It Back
- Sweet Tea, Alex Maas & Erika Wennerstrom – After Laughter (Comes Tears) (Sweet Tea Cover)
- Nina Simone – Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter (Live)
- Camille Yarbrough – Take Yo’ Praise
- Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics – Masenqo
- Terry Callier – Blues
- Nick Waterhouse – It No. 3
- Tin Hat – New West