Peoples Potential Unlimited At Juno Download

Review: Washington DC's People's Potential Unlimited has done much good work rescuing and reissuing long-forgotten electrofunk and synth-funk material. Here, they've unearthed more gems from the little-known (but particularly talented) keyboardist and producer Cyril Walker, who also recorded under as Mile High Pie and The Project. Saturday Night is a retrospective featuring eight little-known cuts, most of which are built around thick '80s synths, addictive synth bass and bold vocals. With impeccably high standards throughout and some real killers (see "Partay" and "Freedom"), it should be an essential purchase for anyone who digs original synth-funk.

Review: Ace Washington DC imprint People's Potential Unlimited come through with their most ambitious release to date as Superlife's Go Bananas offers the chance to grasp what is essentially a precursor to Detroit techno, and surrounds it with some finely chosen remixes. Originally released in ultra limited quantities back in 1982, Go Bananas was the end product of a chance meeting between Superlife's Danan Potts and a young Juan Atkins at the Recording Institute of Detroit. Inspired by witnessing Atkins' approach to making dance music, Potts recorded "Go Bananas" swiftly and it's clear to see how the dots between funk and the nascent Detroit techno sound are joined - all nonsensically fun vocoders, snapping percussion and squeaky textures. Adding a sense of musical luxury are some superb remixes from Legowelt, Peanut Butter Wolf, Steve Summers and Maxmillion Dunbar. Elements of what makes Potts' original so outstandingly quirky are retained by each of the producers to varying degrees - Steve Summers and Legowelt for example steer closest, choosing to subtly incorporate elements of their signature studio trickery. By contrast, Stones Throw boss Peanut Butter Wolf flips the track into a detuned EBM monster and Future Times alumni Max D gets heavy with the drum edits, itching rhythms and layers of busy noise. Big tip!