Urban Junkies | Music | Old-School's Not Out...

The 'Mastercuts' series of the early '90s was ground-breaking in terms of compilation releases. Whilst the youth of the nation raved to the new-found delights of house music, one man made it his mission to document and showcase the black dance music that preceded it. Having started out on the Northern soul scene, DJ Ian Dewhirst was a man dedicated to introducing a new generation to rare grooves and club hits from the '70s and '80s.

Now Dewhirst is back doing what he loves with the 'Vintage Grooves' series. From old school hip-hop to disco to funk and beyond, he has put together the beginnings of another fine series of double albums. The music is of course impeccable even if it does lack the same impact of the original 'Mastercuts' due to the prevalent reissue culture that sees everything from those battered old Studio One singles to rare recordings of Larry Levan snoring re-released.

Yet with an average of 28 old club cuts on each 'Vintage Grooves' release, it's impossible not to say that these are the perfect instant collection for those new to each genre. The funk album alone houses the exceptional talents of the likes of Bill Withers, Sly & The Family Stone and The Isley Brothers.

What's more 'Dance Mixes Vol 1' holds a wealth of original DJ-friendly 12" mixes from Sharon Redd and others, and forthcoming editions cover jazz-funk, reggae and house.

What's not to like. It's vintage stuff indeed from a man who knows his 'Green Onions'.

'Vintage Grooves: Old School Hip-hop', 'Vintage Grooves: Funk' and 'Vintage Grooves: Dance Mixes Vol. 1' can all be bought online at Amazon.co.uk. 'Vintage Grooves: Disco' from Seamless.