VA - DJ Pogo - Block Party Breaks 2: Tough Original Breaks, Hard Funk & 70s Funky Rock (2001)

London's DJ Pogo holds the distinction of having compiled the first official (ie legal) compilation of old funk cuts plundered by dance and hip hop for their breakbeats with 1988's The Breaks. Block Party Breaks Vol 2 is his third breakbeat compilation and comes into a market saturated with LPs locating great, lost beats and samples. The appeal of these LPs (apart from their practical value to musicians) is both hearing familiar rhythms in original contexts (jungle's staple Amen break is featured on The Winston's "Amen Brother") and discovering absurdly obscure, long-forgotten funk workouts. Tracks by Dave Cortez & The Moon People, Magic Disco Machine and Juice haven't been commercially available since the 1970 s and sound like they've been hiding on imaginary blaxploitation and porn (especially Sesso Matto's moan-laded "Sesso Matto") soundtracks. Most cuts are raw funk (JB's horns, psychedelic guitar solos, dirty bass, wild drums) although Pogo looks to rock for Gong's "Esnuria" and Jeff Beck's howling "Come Dancing". Great for DJs/producers but also fab for anyone else who likes intensely gritty and excitable funk - Tony Marcus