Bay Area Funk 2

The Bay Area was, and still is, a melting pot of cultures and sounds. The funk scene in San Francisco and surrounding areas reflects that eclectic vibe as artists incorporated rock, Latin, and blues influences into their work.

The tunes featured here were part of the soundtrack to the San Francisco Bay Area soul and funk underground from the late 1960s through the mid 1970s. Amongst the rarities and underground hits on Bay Area Funk II are stories of varied success and failure. Some acts only released one single, while others are certified legends who continue to perform. The original records compiled here are becoming harder, some near impossible, to find. So we're proud to offer this second volume in a series that aims to preserve the best of the Bay.

Ray Camacho has recorded over 600 tracks and played for Royalty and two leper colonies. Also included is the holy grail 7" from Project Soul. This super-rare one off is from a Vallejo band who's members went on to become ConFunkShun. Mike Selesia's band apparently ate LSD-laced Tootsie Rolls before recording. Southern Californian Faye Marshall spent time up in the Bay Area recording her tune with local funk legend and Bay Area Funk Vol 1 artist Marvin Holmes. The SF TKOs, led by ex-KSOL Program Director Herm Henry, only released one Bay Area 7" single. Curiously "Acid Lady" was only released in New Zealand in 1973 where it was licensed as the B-Side of "Herm" (which was featured on the first Bay Area Funk compilation) to Ode Records. Tasty rarities and treats from Primevil, Dawn and Sunset, Soft Touch, and The Windjammers sit next to Bay Area favourites like back-flipping sweet soul sister Sugar Pie DeSanto, 12 year old singing sensation Little Denise and one-time James Brown drummer Victor Green.

This is the 50th release for Luv N'Haight records. Since 1990 they have been re-issuing rare and essential soul, funk and jazz records. They do this legally by finding the original artists. Their 50th release returns us to the Bay Area where the label began. Luv N Haight was born out of the Groove Merchant record store on Haight Street in San Francisco and paved the way for the mother-label, Ubiquity records.