The collective that includes the Poets of Rhythm, Whitefield Brothers and Karl Hector & The Malcouns present a series of rare funk, jazz, soul and world-psych singles compiled as an album. Presale at Stones Throw Feb. 6th. Worldwide street date Feb. 28th.

It’s been nearly fifteen years since the vinyl-only releases by the various ensembles helmed by Jay and Max Whitefield – also known as the Whitefield Brothers and the nucleus of the revered Poets of Rhythm – were collated onto an Original Raw Soul album. The last – 1997’s More Original Raw Soul – largely contained the duo’s heavy funk and soul… well before the aughts’ Deep Funk revival that one could argue began with these two German siblings’ earliest recordings.

Fitting, then, that this – Original Raw Soul III – looks back at recordings dating back over twenty years but never once sounds dated or dull. There’s the garage funk of the early Poets incarnation the Bus People Express; the deep jazz of vocalist Bajka gigging with a Max Whitefield ensemble; the pan-African psych-jazz of the Whitefield Brothers. And that’s just three of the ensembles contained within. Original Raw Soul III’s sixteen tracks that span the gamut of forty years of musical innovation, recorded over the past twenty years, and presented anew today.

Contains two previously unreleased songs by The Transgressors, which also released on a 7” in conjunction with this album. Download one – the garagey funk number “Money For Born Money For Die” – below.

Download: Transgressors “Money For Born Money For Die.”
Buy: Original Raw Soul III
Buy: Transgressors “Will Power” 7″

Part three of what we think will be four – but might be five. Thanks to Sofrito’s Lewis Heriz we’re presenting another entry in our “Not Really A Podcast” series – the third song from the gig Heriz produced for the Poets of Rhythm/Whitefield Brothers, Heliocentrics drummer Malcolm Catto and vocalist Bajka at The Maze in Nottingham, UK, in 2006. This time – a cover of Egyptian drummer and bandleader Salah Ragab’s “Neveen.”

Download: The Poets of Rhythm featuring Malcolm Catto and Bajka ““Neveen.”

The Whitefield Brothers are in the midst of a European tour; last night they played at La Bellevilloise. We received a series of rave reviews from friends in the city. We hope to get some audio. At the very least, we’ll get some live shots from Now-Again’s official French photog, Mr. Mass, who snapped this photo of Max and Jan Whitefield (left and right) before the gig.

Carry on boys!

You can buy it here now!

Download: Whitefield Brothers “The Gift” (Oh No’s Ethiopium Remix)

Do you understand German? If so, you’ll dig hearing the Whitefield Brothers’ expound on their musical lineage in this piece on Germany’s Bunch TV. If you’re like us, and you can barely muster an “Eine milchkaffee bitte” when you’re sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Munich after finding a priced-out-of-this-world original Schiesshaus press of Can’s Monster Movie, well, you’ll at least enjoy hearing the band rock “Sol Walk.”

Link: The Whitefield Brothers on Bunch TV

It’s been a long time coming – and we know you’ve been frustrated with the delays – but you can now buy the Whitefield Brothers’ monstrous follow up to their cult classic In The Raw on Stones Throw’s webstore in both CD and LP form! The CD comes packaged in a “mini LP” cardboard gatefold sleeve and comes with a fold out poster. The double LP comes packaged in a thick, cardboard “tip on” gatefold sleeve.

Earthology – an excercise in global-psychedelic-jazz that spans continents in the Brothers’ search for new sounds to be united by their trademark fierce funk – features Edan, Mr. Lif, Bajka, Percee P, MED, Quantic and members of Poets of Rhythm, Dap Kings, El Michels Affair and Antibalas.

Link: Buy Whitefield Brothers Earthology here.
(and don’t forget about “The Gift” – along with Oh No’s remix – available here – and in stores now as well…)

“We do this for fun/to imitate Whites/to let our children know/what others are like.” The Whitefield Brothers’ Earthology album is out in some places now, but, for the most part, we’re still figuring out where the hell the CDs and LPs are! We’ll update soon, and, in the meantime, you can groove on this.

And just when we say we don’t often post album reviews here…. two in a row. Well, it’s not like the New York Times is reviewing our music, so a glowing review from one of the biggest dailies in the UK is something to talk about, isn’t it?

Read the full review by clicking here.

Earthology will be for sale in all formats on Stones Throw’s webstore on 1.19. Available everywhere 2.2.

We’ve finally gotten vinyl copies of the Whitefield Brother’s 12″ – The Gift, featuring Edan and Mr. Lif – from their forthcoming album Earthology over at Stones Throw’s webstore. We’re giving away the album version here. But you’ll have to buy the 12″ to get Oh No’s remix.

Earthology is slated for a January 19, 2010 release. We’ll currently selling the album exclusive pre-launch at Stones Throw. Buy it here.

The Whitefield Brothers just wrapped their fall European tour where they introduced their new album Earthology. Check photos from the tour courtesy Fabian Sturz by clicking here.

More on Earthology, on sale at Stones Throw’s webstore: click here.

Yes, it’s Forge Your Own Chains madness ’round here, but we were bumping this tune this morning. To be released as a giveaway with the Whitefield Brothers’ Earthology in January.

More news to come.

Buy it here.

Side A:

The Gift *
The Gift (Instrumental)

Side B:

Gifted (The Oh No Remix)
Gifted (The Oh No Remix Instrumental)

NA 5059 12″. 2009.

A Whitefield Brothers Production
Executive Produced by Egon and Whitefield Brothers
Mastered by Kelly Hibbert for Elysian Masters, Barcelona, SP.
Art direction by Lewis Heriz

The Gift: (W.Schlick/M.Whitefield/B.Baral/E.Portnoy/J.Haynes)

Edan – Vocals, Mr. Lif – Vocals, Martin Majevski – Trumpet, Zuzzi Krall – Trombone, Wolfi Schlick – Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Tuba, Niko Schabl – Alto Saxophone, MW – Drums, Organ, Percussion

Recorded by JW at Soul-Fire/Brooklyn, Hermann-Lingg/Munich and Edan/Brooklyn. Mixed by Jochen Ströh and WBs at Lovelite/Berlin

* Original version from the Whitefield Brothers album Earthology

Gifted (The Oh No Remix): (E.Portnoy/J.Haynes/M.Jackson).

Recorded and mixed by Oh No at The Last Element, Oxnard.

Download high res cover art here.