Back Catalogue

Review: Some would argue that Aeroplane's productions have not been the same since Vito De Luca and Stephen Fasano went their separate ways. While Fasano is rebuilding his career as The Magician, De Luca has been left to carry on producing and DJing as Aeroplane alone. Here he brushes aside criticism of his debut album with a debut mix set. It's actually rather good, offering a typically accessible and synth-heavy mix of groovy contemporary disco (Cosmonauts, Drop out Orchestra, Poolside), unreleased exclusives (his own, auto-tune heavy "Save Me Now") and forgotten gems (Stars On 33) that touches on curious Balearica, Italo and punk-disco. This digi version is available in its intended mixed form, but you can also buy the tracks featured individually!

Review: With a title like Smells Like A Remix Orgy, it doesn't take a genius to work out that this is a remix album. Specifically, it sees various disco and house starlets stamp their own style onto tunes from Ajello's 2011 album Smells Like Too Cheesy. There are, predictably, some tasty reworks to devour. Brennan Green impresses with a unique acid/electrofunk/Detroit techno fusion take on "Chocolate Black Leather", while Emperor Machine man Andrew Meecham turns "Dreams of Paradise" into an acid-laden electro-disco rinse-out. Those searching for a touch of disco campery should check Discodromo's screaming take on "Chocolate Black Leather", which makes it sound like some kind of long lost Bobby 'O' and Patrick Cowley collaboration.

Review: In recent years, we've become accustomed to disco compilations appearing at a furious rate. While many of these compilations are undoubtedly worthy of attention, the volume of releases can sometimes be bewildering. This 15 track selection from Al Kent, the second in his Disco Love series, ticks all the right boxes, however. Even by the highest crate digging standards, these tracks are pretty obscure; many won't have had much of an airing since their original release. Those into the rich, soulful side of disco - that brand of string-laden dancefloor material most associated with the Philadelphia International label and studio -will find much to enjoy. Perhaps the most noteworthy is Scarborough's delightfully sweet "Make Love To You", an epic of biblical proportions that lasts longer than most drunken one night stands. See also Valerie Simmons' supersweet "I Can't Make It On My Own" and the rousing orchestral manouvres of "I've Got The Need". An impressive DJ mix featuring album highlights by Kent is also included.

Review: Disco aficionado Al Kent of Million Dollar Orchestra fame is back with the third tour of his colossal record collection, sorry, compilation of rare funk, soul and disco gems. As usual the material featured here is of the lushly orchestrated, organic variety, but this time there's amorous theme to the selection too. Highlights include his own subtle edits of Mighty Gents and Disco Unusual as well as the lo-fi voicebox funk of "Oh! Baby/Get on Down", the driving 4/4 wah-wah banger "Something About You" and the spacey bonkers freakout of "Disco Fever".

Review: As someone who briefly escaped 70's Glasgow and got a taste of the golden age of NYC Disco, Al Kent is a perfect choice to lead you through a classy selection of some choice and rare Disco treats. Having used his huge collection in the past for re-edits and originals, he also took the bold step of forming his own band in 2007 under the name The Million Dollar Orchestra.

The selections here reflect the point at which Funk and Soul mutated into Disco, with most of the tracks capturing that pre-Moroder organic sound. Lee Alfred's Rockin-Poppin Full Tilting for example has a laid back vibe similar to Curtis Mayfield's more uptempo tunes. New Ghetto Express's version of Standing On The Verge of Getting It On (originally by Funkadelic) up's the tempo on the wigged-out classic, again combing the Funk with a Disco groove.

Lypso Disco by Smile Street People, as you'd guess from the title, has a playful Calypso lilt and bounce to it. Cosmic Disco by Patricia White on the other hand doesn't sound like something that Todd Terje or Lindstrom got their cues from, but it is a fun song with some brilliantly random thumb-piano playing in the background!

Anyone looking for samples will have a field day among these tracks, Sweet Daddy Floyd's I Just Can't Help Myself for example has a break in the middle to die for. You could loop up 4 bars practically anywhere and have something pretty damn funky to work with. For that reason alone, it's well worth having a listen and broadening your horizons.

Review: Long before disco-digging and needless re-editing became the pastime of a generation, Glaswegian graphic designer-turned-DJ Al Kent was doing both. For proof, check his acclaimed, illicit Disco Demands series. Originally launched in 2000 as an outlet for his obsession with barely-known 1970s dance music, it quickly became a conduit for his painstakingly faithful re-edits of long-forgotten disco records. Having seen his stock rise of late, BBE have decided to re-issue each of the five volumes in one bumper box set. For those with a love of disco's stranger fringes, The Best Of Disco Demands should be required listening. With 45 stonking cuts - some re-edits, others original studio versions - across five discs, it's an essential indulgence for disco heads everywhere.

Review: Given his encyclopedic knowledge of music, you'd expect any compilation put together by Bill Brewster to be full of unlikely gems and lesser-known anthems. That's certainly the case with After Dark, the first in a new DJ-focused series from the Late Night Tales camp. From start to finish, Brewster's selections are spot on, from the lowdown, slo-mo disco oddness of Sheffield chanteuse Marti Caine's "Love The Way You Love Me" and wide-eyed, acid-laden kosmiche of Coober Peder University Band's "Moon Plain", to the dirty electrofunk of Zed Bias's "Koolade" (featuring Toddla T, of all people) and mid'80s percussion fest of Martin Kershaw's "Keep On Pokin". If that wasn't enough, Brewster has also unearthed a decent Jamiroquai record. The wonders never cease.

Review: Bob Blank is one of New York?s most revered producers of all time. This compilation from Strut, is the very first retrospective on him and his work at his independent studio, Blank Tapes. This was one of NYC's most influential spots during the city's thriving art scene of the mid 70s and 80s. This exclusive compilation even includes the very first track ever recorded at the studio in addition to some hidden gems that have come straight from the studio's vaults.

Review: Joey Negro's Z Records have a remarkable knack for knocking out vintage compilation after vintage compilation. Here though, they've really discovered a rare niche of unmined gold courtesy of Nuphonic's David Hill who acts as selector. As Hill explains "gospel music has often followed trends in secular music" and this album captures 24 attempts of gospel getting on the disco and boogie trains. Highlights include the hiNRG longing of "I Need You", the electro-soul of "Love Is The Message" and the piano & strings frenzy of "Awake O Zion".