DJ Agent 86 At Juno Download

Review: Having previously delivered both chunky disco edits and cheeky, bootleg style reworks, the usually reliable Chopshop crew offer up an EP dripping with soul and funk. Included is a loose, hip-hop tempo rework of deep jazz-funk standard "Nautilus" from Copycat (ideal for those bar sets/warm up moments), a head-nodding, heavy 4/4 tweak of an odd electrofunk record from DJ Raw Sugar, and a dubbed-out take on James Brown ("The Boss") by Discotech. Best of all, though, is DJ Agent 86's "Give It To Me Baby", a cheeky, horn-toting rework of freaky 80s funk legend Rick James.

Review: Heavy disco action from Melbourne's Lightspeed Recordings on this remix EP from DJ Agent 86. Title track "So Hot" is actually less disco than it is 80s funk, with a hip-hop inspired vocal and more than a hint of Chromeo about it. As far as remixes go, there's something to please everyone; Jayl Funk takes the hip-hop elements of the track, isolating the catchiest hooks and bringing them to the fore. Space Ranger takes a cosmic direction with his remix with a bouncy Italo-inspired bassline. By far the most inspired remix comes from DJ Madness, who takes buttery analogue bass and wraps it around the slap bass of the original, while ethereal vocals float over the top. Fromage Disco's rework takes a more mid-tempo approach, but with a big room sensibility incorporating a rising synth siren into proceedings, whilst Fang Jr takes the slo-mo approach, stretching out the vocals across a rich section of Balearic violins. Finally, Mr Moonshine increases the speed and turns the whole thing disco-rock with a 70s guitar solo and diva vocal that works surprisingly well within the context of the original.

Review: Given Lightspeed Recordings' love of vintage synths sounds, electrofunk dub effects and contemporary nu-disco, it's little surprise to find that "Disco Me", a collaboration between funtime disco chap DJ Agent 86 and productive veterans Drop Out Orchestra, resembles a contemporary fusion of '80s electro and Italo. The solid original is joined by a wealth of remixes, including a sparkling, electric piano-laden proto-garage tweak from DJ Rocca and a chugging Italo version from Kid Who. Delightfully, there's also a wonderfully camp Hi-NRG take from George Kelly that bizarrely features a great electric guitar solo.

Review: The recent speculation that Todd Terje was responsible for the last Drop Out release - The epic "I Work Out" by Humorous Norwegian Disco Alias - means more people might be inclined to check out the rest of the Swedish imprint's prodigious output. And what better place to start than "Disco Me" the label's in house Orchestra's collaboration with Australian disco icon DJ Agent 86. The Melbourne DJ & Producer has over 20 years of experience and recently set up the Lightspeed Recordings imprint which has been making waves at night throughout the global discothèques. "Disco Me" is robo disco at its finest, a deep percussive groove propelled along by an elastic electro boogie bassline, replete with filtered flourishes for the surprise factor.