Down in the Valley 2

"A heavy selection of mod-rockers, garage and psych-funk tracks," runs the sub-title of new compilation series, Down In The Valley from Perfect Toy, encapsulating in a nutshell the multifarious pleasures on offer.

Volume 2 continues the good work of Volume 1 with yet another breathtaking selection. Morning Reign's previously unreleased Can't Get Enough Of It provides big-ass funky thrills along with this volume's only cover – The Penny Arcade's mod-funk take on Funky Way. Next come two frantic garage-soul cuts from a pair of super-obscure groups: 1906 & Company and Band of Gold while Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers' titty-shaking instrumental Strange Happenings slows things down to a monster shimmy with retro horror movie vibes. The Animal Show Band's Tell Daddy provides the male answer to Etta James' Tell Mama and rocks just as hard as the original while Gino Scorza's funk-tinged soul heater Little By Little (which he originally privately pressed himself) gets reissued for the first time. Closing the album is a real treasure by Big John K in the shape of his heavyweight slab of soulful blues-funk - Poor Souls.

Once again, Chan the Man – previously the guiding light for Perfect Toy's Down & Wired series - was the driving force behind this project. It is his incredible knowledge, combined with the network of record collectors, DJs and vinyl nerds that he has established over the past few decades which have made it possible to come up with such a high-octane selection of super-heavy and extremely rare tracks. Accompanied by detailed liner notes and never-before-seen photos of the artists, Down In The Valley 2 sets the bar high for future volumes.

Stone Monkey/ monkeyboxing.com – March 2018