95bFM: The Swap Meet

This week we have Dan Sperber guesting, and he arrived with a stack of "Jesus jams", most of them dug out of opshops around New Zealand. Highlights are: The Clark Sisters, the Detroit family group whose vocal arrangements influenced a lot of gospel and R&B that followed, and there’s a mix of private-press and church-leaning cuts from the Gospelaires of Dayton, Ohio and the Sensational Williams Brothers, alongside records from Paul Clark and Keith Thomas. Stephen Bell-Booth’s “Love Came Down” is some NuZillund Jesus juice. Elswhere we spin Bill Withers’ “Close to Me” as his LP "Naked & Warm" turned 50 this year, and Minnie Riperton, whose birthday it was, along with Jeanette McGruder of the Brides of Funkenstein. There are some secular jazz fusion moments: Bob James, Harvey Mason, Alphonse Mouzon and the Mahavishnu Orchestra; as well as some rando bits thrown in for good measure. Lay your hands on the radio!

This week we have Apera in as guest, with some Halloweeny faves, in addition to a slew of funky newies including: Joe Kaptein, Megiapa, Kofi Stone & Children of Zeus, Soft Chaos, Greg Foat and Jeleesa all turn up, along with newer collaborations like Kiefer, Tony Stone, Erick the Architect and Cartoons, and Corey Fonvitte, Sam Fribush and Morgan Burrs. Plus the usual Betty Swallocks you have come to expect. Bosh.

  Tairāwhiti's finest delivers this week's Swap Meet sesh - will all that good stuff you expect. press the button. James Brown – After you done it (1970) Bacao Rhythm & Steel – Port of Spain hustle (2016) P-Bass Expressway – Easyride (2005) Super 3 – When youre standing on the top (1982) Tihomir Pop Asanovic – Berlin I (1974) BW & The Next Edition – Work work work (1974)   Chicago – Happy cause I’m going home (1971) Ron Everitt – Mood two latin for you (1977) Maceo & All The Kings Men – Southwick (1970) Curtis Mayfield – Get down (1971)   D Influence – Good life (1997) Collective Peace – Let the music play (2020) Altitude – Silly (1991) Joe – Let’s stay home (2002) Jeroboam – Surrender (2026)   Cymande – Fug (1973) Rhythm Heritage – Three days of the condor (1976) O’Jays – This air I breathe (1973) Isley Brothers – Let’s make love tonight (1983) Caesar Frazier – Another life (1978) Carl Douglas – Dance the kung fu (1974)   Tunde Mabadu – Viva disco (1980) Sensational Roots – Calypso zest (1975) Spyro Gyra – Leticia (1978) Ray Camacho – Movin’ on (1978) Sun Ra – Children of the sun (1985) Tutus – Nanao nanao (1972)   Rufus & Chaka – Live in me (1979) Skwares – Step by step (1984) Second Image – Starting again (1985) Joey Negro – Beyond the dance (2010) Another Taste – Party lights (2025) Usje Sukatma – Waiting for your love (1983)   George Duke – Let your love shine (1982) Black Truth Rhythm Band – Save D musician (1976) Gil Scott-Heron – Madison Avenue (1978) Marvin Gaye – Anger (1978) Teena Marie – I’m just a sucker (1979) Mango – Ajoporro (1980)

Kirk's back at it. This week we celebrated 2 birthdays on the 11th, Mr. Daryl Hall turned 80 & Mr. Brian Jackson turned 74, so played some of their tunes. We had some amazing local business from new 'Soft Chaos' album & played a couple of jams from friend of the show & one of Kirk's favorite producers, not only in NZ but out of all the producers worldwide, Mr. Doug Allen the man behind 'Sudo Records', do yourself a favour & check his stuff out on Bandcamp. On sader news we lost Mr. Freddie Jackson on the 5th, 3 days after his 80th, so played a few of his solo jams, a couple of classics with him on backup vocals & also 2 songs from Mystic Merlin with him on lead vocals, R.I.P to yet another legend! A whole bunch of other heat as well. Hope you enjoy it, folks. Turn it up! 

It was the four o'clock roadblock this week, with in studio crew pulling up to the Swap Meet including: heavy collectors Campbell Ngata & Cassawarrior from Tairāwhiti, and also local hearoes Dylan Biscuit & Leon Aoki of Arcade Radio. We kicked off with two cuts from the unreleased Stevie Wonder EP that dropped this week marking 50 years of Songs in the Key of Life. The Mighty Sparrow's passing gets its due, and there's a first play of two tracks from Nathan Haines' new Soft Chaos album, "The Answer" and "Modulatea" getting an early airing ahead of release. From there the five of them more or less split off into their own territory, which makes for a set that moves around more than usual, soul and boogie rarities running alongside Brazilian and heavy West African that will put your Shazam on the fritz.  Good people and fine tunes for your earholes...

This week the show is brought to you by the don Campbell Ngata, broadcasting out of Gisborne/Tairāwhiti. As the 28th September 2026 marks a half century since Stevie Wonder's "Songs In the Key of Life" - which we need mark obviously! From there Boogie and post-disco rarities sit next to newer material from Paris Ford, Summer Vee and Another Taste, moving thru African funk and highlife heaters, K Frimpong and the Nkengas alongside a couple of Sun Ra and Marvin Peterson cuts that push things toward jazz for a while. For the second half he showcases Cymande, Ralph MacDonald, The O'Jays, Rufus & Chaka Khan before closing out with Funkadelic and a small clutch of contemporary tracks from Sault, Jeroboam and Aphrose. Press the damn button!

K & J back for te reo for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, a handful of waiata reo. We selebrate anniversaries for Funkadelic Tales of Kidd Funkadelic, James Brown Gravity, DJ Shadow Entroducing, The Roots Illadelph Halflife and Jeru the Damaja Wrath of the Math (all landing on round numbers this year). Birthday boys Eric Gale and Eddie Bo get a spot in the mix, and newies including Dawuna and Ezra Collective. Campbell up next week - see u next month!

Kirk's back, fresh from 'The Other Crate Record Fair' the day before. This week we had 2 birthdays, Don Was & Gene Page both on the 13th, so played a few from them. Also this week marking 50 years since the 'Car Wash Soundtrack' was released & 40 years for 'Cameo's - Word Up!' LP. Plus 2 years since we lost Frankie Beverly from Maze. Some old stuff & new stuff.   

This week it was the guy with the strange name's turn up to bat. We ran some fresh 2026 heat from corto.alto, Batuk & Spoek Mathambo, Sløy Gange, Nebraska & Dubi Drat, Akusmi, Dudù Kouate, Alex Nut/Steve Spacek and Inter-City repping the new stuff, before folding in classics from Ethiopian jazz, 80s and 90s hip-hop, the ever-present Brazilian rare groove, smatterings of dub and cumbia, and generous helpings of our comfort food: 70s deep soul, jazz, disco and boogie. RIP to soul giant Latimore, hip-hop OG Keith Keith, and jazz guitarist Gene Bertoncini. And happy celestial birthday to the one and only Sylvester.

Commander Campbell Ngata helms this interstellar funk mission to round out your August Swap Meet flight schedule, bringing only the tippity-topshelf business with well-loved American boogie and soul - a lot of obscure, small-label club and radio tracks interspersed with gospel-funk. We're never too far away from jazz, with  Ramsey Lewis, McCoy Tyner, Bobby Hutcherson, Errol Garner holding the torch, plus a few detours into reggae, Caribbean dance, Ghanaian highlife, and Ethiopian jazz-funk. Blast-off commences when you press that button: Five... four... three.. ignition sequence starts...