Dotted throughout our discography are certain songs so fine, certain breaks so sample-able, and hooks so hot that they deserve to be pulled together into one, crème de la crème compilation, united by a throughline of distinct, soulful stylings.
While often in reference to real, well-defined genres and sub-genres of soul music, records in Numero’s 500 Line bearing the “Eccentric” prefix and signature monochrome photography aren't so much definitive capsules dictated by strict adherence to genre as they are a cultivation of vibe for the casual connoisseur, rapid bin-flipper, or any in search of a nonstop, zero-skip type of situation. Mixing classic catalog heat with under-the-radar cuts from Numero-deep, as well as handfuls of yet-to-be-pressed bubblers that we’ve been excited about, these records function as instant, plug-and-play DJ sets that, if everything goes according to plan, ought to knock you flat on your back.
Eccentric Funk
And on the funkiest day, God said "Let there be breaks..." The stepping-off point for the Eccentric series arrived in the form of twelve unstoppable deep funk burners dredged from the Numerosphere. A smorgasbord of sounds from R&B’s dapper younger cousin, Eccentric Funk courses through the genre's nascent forms in the latter half of the 1960s' (Mickey & The Soul Generation, Sonny Harris & The Soul Reflections), while peppering in a deluge of influences, most prominently the blown-out fuzz and heady wah pedals of 70's psychedelic rock (Swithold, Human Race, Creations Unlimited). Loose guitars and chunky drums lie in wait for discerning break-makers to finely chop and flip. The only funk record you’ll ever need to own.
RIYL: The Meters, Average White Band, Curtis Mayfield, Betty Davis
Eccentric Disco
Heaven can be found somewhere around 120 beats-per-minute, or so it seemed in 1974, when four-on-the-floor beats and swelling string sections first began their rise to utter domination of the charts. Turning the pop soul sounds of Philly and NYC into dance floor devices by way of repetitive, rhythmic, and lengthy new excursions, the disco craze set the stage for the next 50 (500?) years of dance music.
Eccentric Disco is our take on the wide-reaching genre, delivered in the form of ten Numero-minted, dance floor ready dive bombers from disco’s all-too-brief heyday, previously swept under rug by the whitewashed glitz and glam of the era. Chugging grooves, bubbling synths, soaring strings, and sonorous voices are guaranteed to light up your night, on living room rugs and dance floors alike.
RIYL: Sister Sledge, Earth Wind & Fire, George Benson, The Brothers Johnson
Eccentric Deep Soul
WTF is Deep Soul anyway? Obscure micro genre or state of mind? Its presence is felt when lost love, emotional wreckage, and serious regret commingle on in-the-red 45s from south of the Mason-Dixon. Secular gospel music, modern blues, unhinged country-R&B? Now you've hit a nerve. English soul music enthusiast Dave Godin, who also coined the phrase "Northern Soul" wrote: "Deep soul is the logical, natural and unfeigned successor to, and development of, the blues, the more sober and reflective side of life that develops when events have conspired to help it dawn on you that life isn’t always one big party."
On Eccentric Deep Soul, we shine the Numero spotlight on 13 artists operating on the fringe of this passionate brand of Black American music. From the pleading strains of George McGregor's "Temptation Is Hard To Fight" to Joey Gilmore's roadhouse piano beat ballad "Blind Man," the blood-curdling shrieks of Chuck & Mac's "Powerful Love" to Langston & French's call and response bridge burner "Tumbling Down," Eccentric Deep Soul has everything you need for your next divorce.
RIYL: Otis Redding, Irma Thomas, Sam Cooke, McKinley Mitchell
Eccentric Northern Soul
More movement than genre, these Northern Soul floor fillers of the Eccentric variety represent that irresistably upbeat and classic 60's sound which, after making its way into record stores in Northern England as the decade wound up, sent local DJs and post-mod rockers careening into frenzied, dawn-to-dusk rave-ups, catalyzing decades of dancers and record collectors alike.
Compiling 17 handpicked 45s from across the Numeroverse, this album keeps the faith for both newcomers and veterans alike. Soaring vocals, driving beats, and syrupy strings… expect a blend of classic Motown-inspired sounds with a unique British flair that is sure to get your feet moving.
RIYL: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Shirelles, Jackie Wilson, Four Tops
Eccentric Boogie
With the disco hangover in full-swing, a new breed of R&B emerged to fuse the early-'80s dance floor gap between the hustle and house. As synthesizers, drum machines and vocoders became more widely affordable and commercially available, uptempo funk shacked up with the keyboard-inclined, reigning supreme all the way through Thriller. All the stank-faced basslines and promiscuity of the previous decade of funk, upgraded and updated just in time for the dawn of the information age.
For our Eccentric Boogie edition, Numero unearths the grailed-out jewels you can only dream of flossing. From the slick, stage band syncopation of Maxx Traxx's "Don't Touch It!" to Donnell Pitman's all-night anthem "Burning Up," to Pete & Cheez's smooth slap fest "You and Me" and the Prince-adjacent electro freak of Steven’s “Quick."
RIYL: The Gap Band, Mary Jane Girls, George Clinton, Patrice Rushen
Eccentric Modern Soul
Even inside the hallowed halls of the Success Bottling Co., the definition of Modern Soul is still a matter of serious debate. It once got physical, when our own Stephen Arndt and Tim Zawada had to be separated during a heated A&R meeting about the track list.
This cold war-style feud began in the UK's Northern Soul scene, when late-'70s disco-adjacent 45s were played alongside more traditional sixties fare. Current parlance places the genre firmly in the '80s, with stray synths and drum machines tolerated, if not outright encouraged.
An existential question emerged: Can strings and synths co-exist? How much brass is too much brass? Is it legal for the falsetto and guitarist to solo at once? Did that guy just slap his bass? Eccentric Modern Soul answers these burning queries and more, compiling eleven party starters onto a crate-ready single LP. Previously unissued heat from Wee, Ujima, and Wind align with Numeroverse mainstays Universal Togetherness Band, Mind & Matter, Maxx Traxx, and 94 East for a 40-minute sweat session. Everything but the club, so that a night in sounds like a night out.
RIYL: Teddy Pendergrass, The Whispers, Norman Connors, L.T.D
Eccentric Spiritual Soul
At the confluence of congas and Fender Rhodes, the Civil Rights Movement and vegetarianism, jazz-funk and gospel-soul, a Black-to-the-land movement in song sprung forth in the 1970s. Where Rotary Connection, Alice Coltrane, and Roy Ayers dared to fly, others flapped their free love wings, transcending the trappings of Top 40, sexuality, and capitalism at once.
On Eccentric Spiritual Soul, Numero digs deep into the private annals of the Black music diaspora, unearthing ten heavenly grooves for the tranquility bound listener. From Kalima's existential boogie banger "Where Is The Sunshine" to Fathers Children's proto-dub workout "Linda Movement," Lenny White's Bitches Brew comedown "Sweet Dreamer" to Spunk's Balaeric rainstick R&B "La Bimini," Eccentric Spiritual Soul has everything you need for your next incorporeal awakening. Flute not included, but encouraged.
RIYL: Pharoah Sanders, The Blackbyrds, Cymande, Lonnie Liston Smith
