Con Funk Shun – Move On Up / Jay Cee – I’ve Been Thinking 45 (Last Bastion) 7″ Vinyl

Two contrasting, previously unreleased sides, Ltd to 300 (no repress) with picture sleeve
The A side is exclusively licenced from Con Funk Shun, a previously unreleased recording. (The only other release was an album length version on Con Funk Shuns’ 2015 ‘More than love’ cd).

Con Funk Shun signed to Mercury Records in 1976 and almost instantly became one of the most successful and prolific North American Soul n Funk artists of that generation. Today their US hits also feature in charts worldwide via countless rap/hip-hop samples drawing in a whole new generation. With sellout live performances (featuring original members, co founder Michael Cooper, Felton Pilate and Rev. Karl Fuller) and recent recordings including the highly acclaimed ‘More than love’ cd release, their popularity continues today. A 32 track greatest hits compilation, ‘Con Funk Shun – Con-funkshunizeya (The Mercury Anthology)’ was released in 2020.

Con Funk Shun’s music is also soundtracks of films including ‘Gone In 60 Seconds’, ‘Next Friday’, and ‘American Pimp’, which was featured at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Against that background, Andy Bellwood of Last Bastion Records explains “with 11 chart albums (one Platinum, four Gold) and 20 hit singles (eight top 10 RnB chart, one No.1) in the US, it’s still hard for me to comprehend that the 3rd release on Last Bastion Records is from these soul & funk legends. David & Goliath comes to mind, after all it’s a small indie label which only came into existence last year and operates out of a converted donkey stable in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park!” ‘The Jay Cee track additionally delivered another label aspiration, a new artist release.’

‘Move on Up’ was recorded in 2014 at The Soundform studios, California and it’s already an in demand, pre release, requested sound in dj sets and radio shows via an acetate & test presses. It’s the sound of New Orleans and the Louisiana swamps blending that Zyedeco beat with an accordion/squeeze box and Con Funk Shuns’ formidable horn section. The result; a unique and infectious arrangement – a dance groove which doesn’t diminish the socially conscious lyrics which would surely have Curtis smiling. … ”this is music that could get the most reticent of dancers itching to get out on the floor – and that is pure magic…” Ian Cantley (MorethanWar.com) On the B side, it’s Nu-Soul with ‘I’ve been thinking’ (lightly sampling a Northern Soul/Popcorn classic) and first heard to rave reviews as a rough mix via an acetate on the dj decks of Yorks’ Waterfront Blues and Soul Club sessions in 2016 where Jay was one of the resident djs. It’s also now the soundtrack to a short film produced by Connor Blackburn at Blackburn Films.

– Detour Records