Back Catalogue

Review: The new I:Cube album is a rapid-fire collection of tracks woven together (there's a clue in that title you know) which takes the manner of a live set. The idea is essentially to bring the dance music album back to its raison d'etre, the dancefloor. To keep things interesting, the tracks are whipped through with a wonderful irreverence, as cheeky radio interludes and impulsive switch-ups keep things from staying too formulaic. Rather than some vision of a smooth, linear DJ set, this album instead takes the stance of creating pleasure through disorientation. Mr Chaix is a master of alluring grooves, and he uses that gift to really mess with your head when he changes tack, as between the edgy bleeps of "Y.O.U.R.O.C.K." and the light-hearted disco stomper "Get The Fever". Those surprise moves keep you engaged through all 23 tracks of this joyous beast. Chaix's lack of pretension is one of his greatest strengths; the I:Cube way is a direct and satisfying one. At no point is it cheesy or hackneyed, but it never tries to be too clever for its own good. With a live feel to match that immediacy, the "M" Megamix is a triumphant statement of what a dance music album should feel like. It might not be a comprehensive answer, but it certainly puts paid to all those "collection of singles" efforts out there.

Review: London based disco duo, the C90s release their debut single on highly impressive Swiss imprint Relish. ?10:01? is taken on by Villa who splices up the original with some super disco accents on the new vocal version. A compelling vocal performances takes the disco production to the next level, turning this into an instant classic.

Review: Ahead of the release of his 100 Gomma mix CD, Parisian-in-London Jerry Bouthier presents a selection of the 26 exclusive edits he's done for the compilation. There are four edits to choose from, most confusingly of remixes rather than the original tracks! So, we get a catchy, singalong-edit of The Twelves' piano-centric rub of Munk's "Violent Love" and an action-packed cut-up of In Flagranti's hipster-disco version of "Look Look Look" by Golden Bug. There's also a delightfully short and sweet, radio style edit of Alan1's breezy synth work-out "Concentrate", and a percussion-laden extended version of the THC remix of Diskokaine's "Hall of Shame".

Review: Fifteenth are Brooklyn DJs Sammy Bananas and Thee Mike B, and on this, their debut release for A-Trak's Fools Gold imprint as a duo, they channel the spirit of Paradise Garage disco through the lens of contemporary electro to create party jams that feel like they would be equally at home in a warehouse as they would in a murky basement. "Tomorrow" is a slice of filter driven funk with a futuristic sheen that recalls Discovery era Daft Punk, complete with shameless guitar solo, whilst "My Fantasy (Part Deux)" utilises the same springy bass with a more furiously paced loop driven aesthetic. Finally, "Hollywood, NY" combines a hazy atmosphere with a laid back bass guitar groove which sounds like a lost 70s movie soundtrack gem.

Review: 18-year-old Norwegian producer/multi-instrumentalist Mathias Stubo may be a relative newcomer, but he's got some pedigree. Both his parents studied at the Norwegian Jazz Academy, and on this debut full-length for BBE, it shows. While there's little in the way of full-on jazz here, the genre's footprints are all over Stubo's wonderfully produced, expertly played disco, funk, soul and boogie-influenced instrumentals. It helps give 1979 (thus titled because most of Stubo's influences dervive from this 'golden year' in black music) a more mature, sophisticated and, critically, musically complex feel than you'd perhaps expect. Coupled with Stubo's clear sense of fun and an 18 year old's love of life, it makes for a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable listen.