[Most of what we post on this site are new releases, but our tastes are all over the map. This weekly feature is a snapshot of what the Stranger Dance staff can't get out of their collective head each week. On any given week, we might be digging a new local act, an old jazz chestnut, the newest Japanese electro-folk or whatever else we've got on the turntable/iPod that week.]

This week’s picks are a little on the funkier side for us, with a legitimate house track, a thick slab of Afrobeat funk and some electro-funk of M.I.A. In case you weren’t feeling funky today, we’ve also got a decidedly unfunky favorite of yesteryear to round out our list this week.

Vague Panther: Smith N Hack – “Strength and Inspiration”

I recently discovered Fader Magazine (does that make me out of the loop?) and am really impressed by editor Matthew Schnipper’s weekly Tuesday picks of under-appreciated releases. This week’s feature was Smith N Hack’s “Strength and Inspiration” from the album Tribute (alas, it is only on vinyl). I think I listened to this DJ food about 100 times this week so I caved and decided to pass it along.

Stranger Jay: Tony Allen – “No Discrimination”

I’m knee-deep in a serious Nigerian music kick. I’ve consumed at least an hour of Afrobeat, Highlife and Jùjú every day for the past two weeks. There’s a huge wealth of music to dig through in Nigerian music, but there are two towering figures: Fela Kuti and Tony Allen. The two invented Afrobeat in the early ’70s, and continued to re-write the book for the next two decades.

From a 1979 Allen solo album, this nugget is pure afrobeat genius. It’s so slinky and beautifully layered with horns crashing over a mellow groove. It’s the contradictions that make Afrobeat so compelling to me; the same song is often both mellow and aggressive, repetitive yet mercurial, angry yet calm, complex yet understated. I could listen to this forever.

Uncle Corey: M.I.A. – “Big Branch”

I love this song – it’s been an everyday listen for the last three weeks since I found it. It’s a bonus track on the Japanese version of Kala and it’s genius. Bouncy, off-kilter production from Diplo (who’s fast becoming my producer of choice), M.I.A.’s twisted take on female empowerment – this song works.

Scooter: The Merry-Go-Round – “Live”

The Merry-Go-Round was a short-lived LA band that made a name for itself with this hit record during the Summer of Love (1967). Like many of the great songs from the era, its message focuses on the social/political climate of the day but still manages to be timeless and continuously relevant.

As for the music, the song could easily fit alongside anything on Rubber Soul or Revolver … and that’s saying a lot. Driving, angular guitar riffs, chiming melodies, and four-part harmonies are all present here. If you love the Byrds, middle-period Beatles, or ’80s jangle-pop like REM and the Stone Roses, you’re sure to dig this. Enjoy.