Syl Johnson is a name that any collector of deep funk will know all too well. His amazing “Different Strokes” from 1968 is one of the most heavily sampled breakbeats of all time, and in recent years saw a re-release on 45 (double copies are totally essential of course). Syl also enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence in recent years, touring the world and releasing new music – which makes his passing this week very saddening. Of course, I just had to drop a bit of Syl into the mix, amongst a selection of other funky goodness.