Back in 2001, The Whitfield Brothers dropped what is undisputedly the heaviest and grittiest album of the contemporary funk movement. An album chock full of funk music influenced by the African diaspora, an album as indebted to the Meters as to Mr. Kuti and his Africa 70, an album as psychedelic as those Ghanaian and Nigerian masterpieces by unknown psych-funk heroes such as Blo, Edazawa and the Psychedelic Aliens. Soul Fire, the label that released In The Raw in 2001, sold a small number of vinyl LPs, and as many CDs as they could self-distribute. Unfortunately for music-lovers worldwide, the CD quickly went out of print, and Soul Fire soon folded. The Whitefield Brothers debut album, regarded as a masterpiece by those lucky enough to have heard it, was largely inaccessible, until Now-Again reissued it across two plates in 2009.

Almost ten years on from the original, The Whitefield Brothers serve us the follow up. Somewhat less gritty, but amazingly evolved, Earthology, is out on LP and CD this week from Now-Again. Concentrating on hypnotic-percussion and more global influences, the brothers have also invited guests as diverse as Edan & Percee P to guest on the album. Check the promotional video featuring some curious anthropological South American footage.