Keith Mansfield – Contempo (KPM)

They say: “New directions in contemporary scoring.” Be With Records say: “Contempo is one of the best full album listens in the KPM 1000 library.” Succinct smoking soul, super tight breaks and string-drenched sleaze composed by the library master, Keith Mansfield. Many library records are a game of two halves and Contempo is certainly one of those. The first side cooks on a high funk breaks flame whilst the flip is something altogether more tranquil, yet no less groovy. It lays back with dreamier, post-coital grooves. Rugged funk opener “The Fix” confidently displays its low-slung languid grooves with heavy drums, horns, and bass. The punchy “What’s Cooking” follows and has a lighter, more whimsical touch. But the drums still roll and the clavs wiggle in fascinating opposition to those horns. The dark and moody intro to “Cut To Music” gives way to a more inclusive, relaxed funk that’s all irresistible bass and stabbing horns. The mid-tempo “Man Alive” signals the time to really get down. Closing out the A side, fresh guitar licks drip all over the slick drums of “Funky Footage”, with a New Orleans piano vibe coming on to really light a fire. The B side is more smoothed out, with beautifully arranged, sweeping strings, sax solos aplenty, and a real ’70s soundtrack feel. The super sleek and sexy jazz funk of “Breezin'” is as light and magical as you’d hope. An open-air masterpiece, its indulgent sound is just a taster of the sophisticated funk to follow. The elegant, romantic feels of “Good Vibrations” is a string-drenched, wah-wah fueled ode to living your best life. Whilst it keeps a very West Coast feel, the blaxploitation strut is certainly more Blackbyrds than Brian Wilson. “Sun Goddess” will blow your mind with the sensuous sound of glorious horns and beautiful keys. The luxurious “Love De Luxe” and its horizontal grooves have been much sampled, but here it proves that it doesn’t need any help to get you in an intimate mood. Closer “Snake Hips” is a cool mid-pace slouch. Originally released in 1976 but, like the very best KPM records, wonderfully timeless, Contempo is a rare example of a library record that is a genuinely great listen from start to finish. Reissued from the original analog tapes and remastered for vinyl by Simon Francis. 180 gram vinyl.