WTF is Modern Soul anyway? Even inside the hallowed halls of the Success Bottling Co., the definition 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.