Best Funk & Soul Records of 2025
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Annie & The Caldwells — Can’t Lose My (Soul)
A disco-soaked, gospel-lit soul album that hits with the force of something built over decades.
Buy Annie & The Caldwells - Can't Lose My (Soul) vinyl here
The Budos Band - VII
Budos Band return with a heavy, hypnotic blend of psychedelic funk, cinematic soul, and that signature haze of doom-tinged swagger.
Buy The Budos Band - VII vinyl here
The Diasonics - Ornithology
On Ornithology, The Diasonics widen their cinematic funk universe without losing the precision that made their debut a cult favorite.
Buy The Diasonics - Ornithology vinyl here
Durand Jones & The Indications — Flowers
Leaning into the softer, silkier corners of soul, Flowers finds Durand Jones & The Indications settling into their sound with the ease of a group that’s grown together, changed together, and come out the other side blooming.
Buy Durand Jones & The Indications - Flowers vinyl here
Eddie Chacon — Lay Low
With Nick Hakim sculpting the production into something hazy and weightless, Eddie Chacon turns his quiet, reflective vocals into a kind of hypnotic magic.
El Michels Affair - 24 Hour Sports
With 24 Hour Sports, Leon Michels stitches together psychedelic soul, hazy funk, and dub-warped pop into a vocal-driven affair infused with his effortless retro-tinged touch and a slew of stellar guest spots.
Buy El Michels Affair - 24 Hour Sports vinyl here
Eje Eje - Primordial Soup
Eje Eje, the solo project of Şatellites founder Itamar Kluger, returns with a kaleidoscopic journey through Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Turkish sounds filtered through psych, funk, dub, and electronic textures.
Buy Eje Eje - Primordial Soup vinyl here
40 Winks — SPIRITS
On SPIRITS, Belgian duo 40 Winks return to their brand of instrumental hip-hop-funk, blending dusty drums, piano loops, and ghostly vocals into a sound that leans toward the cinematic without becoming too heavy.
Ibex Band — Stereo Instrumental Music
Recorded in 1976 with (for the time) rare access to a four-track machine, Stereo Instrumental Music documents a group whose influence ripples through decades of Ethiopian pop, jazz, and funk.
Buy Ibex Band - Stereo Instrumental Music vinyl here
Leroi Conroy — A Tiger’s Tale
Leroi Conroy finally steps into the spotlight with A Tiger’s Tale, a slow-burn classic in the making, and a must-grab for producers, beat nuts, and instrumental soul heads.
Buy Leroi Conroy - A Tiger's Tale vinyl here
Loaded Honey — Love Made Trees
Loaded Honey stitch together elements of modern soul, indie folk, and psych, with an earthy, analog gentleness at the core.
Medline — The Edge
Instead of sampling, Medline plays nearly every instrument himself in his home studio, covering jazz-funk and library favorites from artists like Jacky Giordano and David Axelrod, rendering them with a craftsman’s precision and a crate digger’s affection.
Buy Medline - The Edge vinyl here
Sholto — The Sirens
Stepping into darker waters, Sholto blends strings, harp, and hushed electronics into cinematic soul tracks that feel soft on the surface and shadowed underneath.
Buy Sholto - The Sirens vinyl here
The Sorcerers — Other Worlds & Habitats
Drawing on Ethiojazz, 60s and 70s library music, and shadowy Afro-funk motifs, the Leeds ensemble sketches a sound that feels ancient and futuristic at once.
Buy The Sorcerers - Other Worlds & Habitats vinyl here
Surprise Chef — Superb
Surprise Chef’s groove science keeps getting more refined, and Superb shows the Melbourne crew at their loosest and most locked-in.
Buy Surprise Chef - Superb vinyl here
Sven Wunder — Daybreak
Known for his blend of modern library music and jazz-leaning rhythm work, Sven Wunder leans deeper here into sun-lit orchestration and gently propulsive grooves with his most radiant album yet.
Buy Sven Wunder - Daybreak vinyl here