ISM At Juno Download

Review: After releasing his debut full-length on Bear Funk earlier this year, Croatian synth-disco specialist Ilija Rudman returns to ISM with two of his most interesting productions to date. "Crazy With You" - available in original, dub and lively Yam Who remix flavours - is arguably Rudman's most polished production yet, coming on like classic NYC boogie stripped back to its bare bones (think slap bass, Fairlight stabs, cowbells and a great vocal). "Let This Dream Be Real" continues on the same path, this time pushing a mid-80s soul vibe. It's similarly well produced and comes backed with a delicious nu-disco meets vaguely Balearic deep house remix from Disco Dirtbox.

Review: Containing the combined talents of members of Faze Action and Yam Who, Killer Whale might just be the super group of the nu disco genre. On their debut EP King Of New York they pay tribute to legendary NYC porducer Arthur Russell with cover versions of two of Russell's most famous Loose Joints tracks. Neither of Killer Whale's versions of "Tell You (Today)" or "Is It All Over My Face" deviate very far from the original tracks and instead are very faithful recreations with the sort of expert musicianship you'd expect from the people involved. Of the three remixers, edit don Leo Zero wins out with his percussion heavy extended club dub "Tell You (Today)" with the piano riff floating atop the submerged sax and vocals.

Review: Here, original 1970s jazz-funk/disco-soul combo Odyssey have been tempted out of retirement to re-record some of their best-known hits and fan favourites in the company of London producer Yam Who. They're lucky in some regards that they're in the company of a talented and sympathetic producer, because in the wrong hands "Legacy" could have been a dog's dinner. As it is, it works brilliantly, with now familiar favourites like "Use It Up & Wear It Out" and "Inside Out" given tasteful but distinctly different updates that should appeal to die-hard fans and newcomers alike.

Review: For disco heads, this Odyssey remix set should be an exciting prospect. Admittedly, the tracks being remixed are their 2011 re-recordings (originally seen on last summer's Legacy album) rather than the 70s and 80s originals, but don't let that put you off - especially as some of the reworks are superb. There's plenty of delightfully floor-friendly fodder on show, from Ray Mang's guitar-flecked re-invention of "Use It Up & Wear It Out" and Flash Atkins' Shaft-goes-dub-disco take on "Don't Tell Me Tell Her" to the everything-but-the-kitchen sink antics of Faze Action and DJD. While not every mix hits the spot, there's more than enough to warrant further investigation.

Review: Ron Basejam is the alter ego of keyboardist James Baron of Crazy P and Secret Stealth fame. Here he drops his superb full album for Yam Who's ISM label. Fans of Ron include the likes of Gilles Peterson (who put the charismatic ''Into My Life'' on the recent Brownswood Bubblers 5 compilation), DJ Harvey, Dam Funk, The Revenge and Greg Wilson, and it's easy to see why. The album trips through musical genres effortlessly taking elements of the past and fusing them with modern day production techniques. Ron's influences are all represented here, with touches of deep house, disco and melancholic dreamscapes set against jazzual synth funk-fired treatments and vocal sample snippet production. Definitely one to check.

Review: Following Ron Basejam's excellent Deep & Meaningless album comes this extra special remix package, crammed full of goodies from some of the most respected names in disco. As the production brains behind Crazy P, Jim Baron has crafted some sublime midtempo disco boogie beats in his day, and his new Ron Basejam project has been just as rewarding. For this set of mixes, ISM label boss Yam Who teams up with Ashley Beedle to smooth out "For The People, By The People" into a spacey slow-grooving jam, with drums that bring the old-school boogie flavour right up to date.

The Revenge gets the chance to string out the sublime and languid "No Jose" over nine epic minutes, building on a bedrock of shakers and the faintest taste of bass to give a masterclass in minimal arrangements. Crazy P's own Chris Todd takes on "Spirit" and makes the popping bassline (similar to Harvey Mason's "Groovin' You") the focus of the track - working perfectly with the laidback and sultry vocals. His Dubbed Out mix takes the track even deeper, adding superb congas and arranging the track to give it a strong and driving momentum. Killer Whale's Italo mix of "Is The Word" rounds things up perfectly - yet again another perfect midtempo beat with some crackling sine-synths that sparkle over the top. A great companion release to an already much-loved album, the remixes really do justice to the material.

Review: What was perhaps most thrilling about the early work of Off Key Hat pairing Leon Mayes and Darren Morris was its strange, oddball nature. Since leaving the now defunct Dissident imprint a few years back, they've progressively moved further towards a brand of oddball synth-pop that references Italo, electrofunk and acid just as much as early 80s new wave and alternative pop. Dangerous Machine, their debut album, completes that journey. With regular vocalist Michelle Manetti in fine voice, it features 10 powerful, leftfield synth-pop moments that veer from the wobbly and wonky ("Night Of The Off Key Hat") and sweet and funky ("Super Sound Single", "Emergency Calling") to the downright dirty (the Goldfrapp-ish "Lairy Lil' Junkie").

Review: Following the release of their well-received Dangerous Machine LP, The Off Key Hat get the remix treatment from Linton Brown and Seed. For those who've been following the synth-obsessed trio's career, Linton Brown's remixes in particular will come as something of a shock. He does his best to turn "Burnt Out Beach" into a radio-friendly, student-rave banger - all big piano and synth riffs and dubstep-pop beats. Seed's version of "Lairy Lil Junky" offers a more atmospheric dubstep take that wobbles impressively. Best of all, though, is the bonus cover version of Arctic Monkeys' hit "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" - a proper weirdo synth-pop take that's worth the admission price alone.

Review: There's been plenty of online chatter about this collection of slo-mo groovers, pitched-down disco edits and soft-focus midtempo deep house from Yam Who's ISM label. It's not hard to see why. It pretty much features all of the artists making their name on the slo-mo scene - Matthew Kyle, Rayko, 78 Edits, Sleazy McQueen, Heion etc - alongside familiar names pitching it down a notch or two (Yam Who, Trujillo, Ajello etc). There are some great slow house contributions, from the touchy-feely goodness of Martin Ruez' "Golden Sugar" and the low-slung stoner funk of Mr Chicago's "Bad Dub", to the snugly 80s soul/AOR flex of Magnetic Soul's "Head Over".

Review: Yam Who?'s ISM label come through with a four track slice of disco centric Futurism, featuring the man Yam himself alongside PBR Streetgang and Ron Basejam. It's the latter who takes the lead with a remix of Alena's "Changes" that sees her sultry vocal teased by a most excellent of analogue synth leads that splurges brilliantly across the crisp mid tempo chug. Yam Who? teams up with vocalist Natasha Watts for the similarly bottom heavy bump of "I'm In Love" which has a certain warehouse appeal to it. Up next, PBR pay respect to the godfather of soul James Brown with the gritty flex of "J2thaB" with the sadly departed Mr Brown strangely sounding at times like he wants to go to Tesco. We always took him for a Waitrose man, but regardless this is probably the track you'll reach for most! Finally Brothers Young do their thing to a Trammps classic, with little more than the bassline retained. Big tip!