The Swap Meet 3 May 2026

Sunday the 3rd of May was James Brown's birthday - the Godfather would've turned 93 - but rather than trot out the usual JB bangers, we went completely sideways with global covers, reinterpretations and JB-adjacent joints from every corner of the globe: Brazilian jazz-funk, Afrobeat, big band, boogaloo, library music, orchestral easy listening, and everything in between. Enoch Light's lush big band arrangement of "Hot Pants," Dick Hyman's barrelhouse take on "Give It Up or Turnit Loose," ESG's stark post-punk reimagining of "There Was a Time," Albert King cutting "Cold Sweat" from a Delta blues angle, joined by Combo Xingu, Larry Willis, NZ's Quincy Conserve, and the Boogaloo Combo. Kirk held it down through the boogie and soul section with some serious heat, and from there we moved into a deep run of soul, jazz-funk, smooth boogie, and contemporary beats - from Azymuth's cosmic Brazilian groove and Bob James to George Benson, Shakatak, Shalamar, and and exclusive spin of some forthcoming heat from one of NZ music's MVPs: Nathan Haines. The back end got more current with Los Retros, Ego Ella May, Corto Alto, and Shy One's "Nort Wess" choppy electro and grime-inflected mid-range synths released on South London's Touching Bass late last year. We rounded things out with Orgone's deep funk stomp "Hambone" and Alex Nut and Steve Spacek's "Bright." A big spread for a big birthday - happy 93rd, JB!