So as our thoughts leave the domestic 09/10 season and Inter Milan’s European Cup triumph, we’re all looking forwards the soundtrack for the World Cup in South Africa; as long as it isn’t the vuvuzela!

Now, if you don’t know about the vuvuzela, you soon will. It’s a favourite of the South African footie fans, sounds like a wasp in distress and looks like a blow pipe with a trumpet end. And that’s a tortuous introduction to the first track by Flying Fish, ‘Blowpipe 2010’. Excellent piece of jazzy funk boogie with a flute lead and they turn up later on with some seriously funky breaks (‘Sing It Loud’) and some proper football madness.

The bulk of the album is made up of tracks by the Delicious Allstars (a collective of top producers and musicians that are the brains behind Delicious Digital). Not only are they the midfield maestro’s on this CD, they’ve linked up with LoopMasters and will be releasing a sample CD that features the vocals of Jocelyn ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ Brown no less.

Back to this CD, particularly big at the moment is ‘Afrolatino’ (with a Jazz Chronicles session coming up) and the funk jazzer, ‘Comfort Dodo’.

Where’s the South African connection you might be thinking. Well the Delicious Allstars slip in a teasing ‘Limbesa’ and ‘African Streets’ (think Bob James in Cape Town) but the big uns are Cobra’s sing-a-long ‘Afrika’ and low slung funk of ‘The Cobra In Africa’.

If you’re getting the idea that this CD has the joyous sound of a mix of Yam Yam/Lightning Head/Glyn BiggaBush and mid-Ninja Tune/current Freestyle Records you’d be about right.

The ‘Freestyle’ comes via the appropriately name Funkshone who shone on past 7” releases and here we get three of their best including the deep funk classic (already), ‘Purification Pt. 2’.

And it’s still not climaxed as you also get The Herbaliser (who you will remember did the fantastic Session 2 album last summer) with a ‘Bongo Boom’ big beat and a horny sax that’s very much in the DJ Food, 60s TV theme mix bag.

And as we’re so into Jonny Trunk and The Simonsound at the moment (great show yesterday on Resonance FM), if you think football and TV themes there’s not bigger than composer, arranger, producer, band leader and saxophonist Keith Mansfield’s ‘Grandstand Theme’ (Grandstand was the long running BBC TV Saturday afternoon sports show that was the SKY Sport News of its day -albeit it was only on for 5 hours and that included the horse racing!). It’s not the original Mansfield version but a Flying Fish remix.

OK even in the Football & Funk concept is stretched a little/lot, these tracks stand up in their own right for butt movin’ penalty shoot outs. Expect to hear these tracks all over BBC’s Radio 1 and 2, 6 Music and all sorts of podcasts as World Cup fever builds. This limited edition album so act quickly so you can dance to [insert your team here] when they win!

Reviewed: V/A - Football & Funk (Skyline Recordings/Delicious Digital) Release date: June 2010.
Tracklisting:
1. Flying Fish - Blowpipe 2010 (3:22)
2. Delicious Allstars - African Streets (4:05)
3. COBRA - Afrika (2:14)
4. Delicious Allstars - LilyMama (3:42)
5. Delicious Allstars - Limbesa (1:32)
6. Delicious Allstars - Afrolatino (4:40)
7. COBRA -The Cobra In Africa (4:11)
8. Delicious Allstars - Comfort Dodo (3:28)
9. Funkshone - Stop The Bus (3:10)
10. Funkshone - Soul Survivor Pt. 2 (2:42)
11. Funkshone - Purification Pt. 2 (3:16)
12. Flying Fish - Sing It Loud (3:08)
13. Nick ‘Dollar’ Hill - Round The World (3:18)
14. The Herbaliser - Bongo Boom (3:38)
15. Flying Fish - Mr Matatwe (Mig Mix) (3:13)
16. Keith Mansfield - Grandstand Theme (Flying Fish Remix) (3:31)
Bonus track
17. Flying Fish -Mr Matatwe (Original Mix) (3:11)

Links:
www.myspace.com/sklrecordings
decliciousdigital.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela
The Simonsound are guesting on Jonny Trunk’s OST radio show: Saturday, 22 May 2010 16:30 - 18:30 BST (End Time Estimated) 104.4FM in the London area or online at resonancefm.com
Celebrate the Art of Football Records this summer with the build up to World Cup 2010 this week with an exhibition at Selfridges of classic football vinyl from all around the world with the classics we’ve selected records from previous year’s tournaments by teams from Scotland, Germany, Brazil and of course England. www.artvinyl.com
5th June 2010 - Simon S, Martin Gordon & Gerry Hectic : Jazz Chronicles @ Sixty Million Postcards, Bournemouth 3 to 8pm www.sixtymillionpostcards.com