Artist: Various/ John Morales Title: The M+M Mixes Volume 2 Label: BBE Genre: Disco Format: Unmixed CD, Digital
2009’s M+M Sessions Volume One was undoubtedly one of the most essential disco/electro-funk compilations of recent times. Over the course of two discs, it brilliantly chronicled the productive studio partnership of celebrated NYC engineers and mixers John Morales and Sergio Munzibai. Its disco digger-friendly mix of unreleased extended versions, after hours dubs and unreleased demos perfectly demonstrated the duo’s immense talents and deep knowledge of what would work a dancefloor. No disco collection was complete without it.
Naturally, hopes are high for this second instalment. This time round, Morales (the sole survivor of the M+M partnership) has dug even deeper, dusting down previously unreleased versions of some lesser-known bangers. For disco completists, then, The M+M Sessions Volume 2 is a more exciting prospect than its predecessor.
With 22 strong tracks to choose from – a number featured in both vocal and instrumental formats – picking highlights is tricky. It’s perhaps no surprise that some of the real stand-out moments come from Leroy Burgess-related projects – see the deliciously dubbed-out take on the Fantastic Aleems’ “Get Down Friday Night”, the uplifting “Hooked On Your Love” (another Fantastic Aleems cut) and Logg’s “Dancing In The Stars”. More of a surprise, perhaps, is Morales’ epic remix of War’s “Slippin’ Into Darkness”, which is the sort of lo-slung, reverb-laden dub disco workout that will appeal to fans of the Idjut Boys and DJ Harvey. Those of a more 80s disco persuasion will enjoy the version of Evelyn Thomas’ “Heartless”, which sounds like a cooler, underground version of Jocelyn Brown’s “Somebody Else’s Guy”.
These are just a few of the highlights; in truth, there are many. There’s a whole heap of Salsoul-related goodies, including Morales’ soon-to-be definitive version of Inner Life’s brilliant “Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)”. Oh, and a couple of quite remarkable, previously unreleased dubs of vocal disco anthems. Well and truly essential.
Artist: Various Title: BBE: Best Of 2010 Label: BBE Genre: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul Format: Digital
Released in 1996, the very first BBE product was itself a compilation – compiled by Bob Jones and entitled Sophomism Vol.1. Other compilations have been a key part of giving the label its edge, notably Keb Darge’s Funk Spectrum collections which fed a huge appetite for the rawest, dirtiest funk straight from the crates. This latest collection though shows the development of BBE over the past year – excelling at releasing living, breathing bands and beatmakers alike, all of whom still have a reverence for the foundations of jazz, hip-hop and funk that underpin the label.
Not that BBE is stuck in a rut. Right from the start of Spoek Mathambo’s “Mshini Wam” (which itself kicks off with the line “14 year old boy with Klashnikov gun”) you can tell the label has embraced booty-shaking bass music in a big way, with the South African’s banging grime proving a real eye-opener and a proper favourite straight away. Sick Girls’ “V-Skank” is another bold move into bass-quake beats and it’s a truly sick journey through punchy bass, arpeggiated randomness and twisted garage beats.
Elsewhere, hip-hop gets represented by Ty on the Slick Rick-indebted “Don’t Cry”, while soulful gorgeousness is here in abundance – Electric Wire Hustle’s superior “They Don’t Want” for example updates The Temptations’ sound for 2010, while Lady Daisey’s “Promise Sunshine” is a cooing, softly-strummed gem that can’t help evoke a cloud-free summery day. On a similar vibe, Kiwi singer Ladi6 keeps things pared-down and bumping on “Question?”, while styles as diverse as indie (Dark Room Notes) and electro-swing (Bara Brost) get an airing on this collection, as well as Dilla-esque future-soul such as Slakah The Beatchild’s “B-Boy Beef” or Roy Ayres-ish funky fusion like on Georg Levin’s “The Better Life”. BBE has indeed become a broad church, but one that still has quality in abundance.
Artist: Gilles Peterson/ Various Title: Gilles Peterson: Worldwide (A Celebration Of His Syndicated Radio Show) Label: BBE Genre: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul Format: 2xLP, 2xCD, Digital
For anyone not particularly au fait with how important Gilles Peterson’s long running Worldwide show has been to breaking new music, this exhaustive double CD retrospective is all the evidence you require. The emphasis on track selection has been to choose the artists which Peterson has debuted on his weekly broadcast, which is syndicated across the globe. Thus there are some classic tracks such as Amerie’s “One Thing” and “Galang” from M.I.A which were premiered long before the artists became international sensations (or should that be sensationalists in the case of M.I.A?). Alongside these and the likes of Winehouse and Dizzee, there are tracks from artists such as Benga, Quasimoto, Recloose and Theo Parrish – all big names within their respective realms and no doubt helped by exposure on Worldwide. This release is made all the more special by the conclusive sleeve notes compiled by Peterson and those who have worked alongside him over the years and some brilliant photography that charts his rise in the game.
Artist: Electric Wire Hustle Title: Electric Wire Hustle Label: BBE Genre: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz Format: CD, Digital
A future-soul sensation from Wellington, New Zealand that have supported Alice Russell, DJ Krush, Peanut Butter Wolf and Dam Funk in their short career, this self-titled album on BBE is their debut and is a bold, brave and very beautiful voyage through all manner of spacey and soulful sounds.
Opener “Waters” provides a thrillingly knife-edged start, with bass and off-kilter drums laying down a downbeat rhythm while singer MaraTK lays down a thick blanket of seductive cooing over the top. “Experience” continues in the same vein, with thumping filter-bass (reminiscent of The Bar-Kays’ “Holy Ghost”) giving it a really hard-hiting and dynamic swagger. Not averse to all manner of sonic experimentation, the drums on “Again” are reversed while a looped and dissonant string-drone gives it an eerie, aquatic vibe. Stacey Epps takes the lead on brilliant “Walk On” which dramatically shifts midway from being a woozy ballad to breaking into crunchy, ’70s-riffing guitars. The slow balladry continues on the gorgeous low-down soul of “Buy Some Land & Put a House On It”, this time seeing MaraTK riding some exquisite Marvin Gaye/Curtis Mayfield falsettos over string crescendos and some huge nu-jazz beats.
While the majority of the album is slow, sleek and very very soulful, there’s enough variety to really make this a distinctive debut. In particular, the addition of Stones Throw mainstay Georgia Anne Muldrow on “This World”, or the fun rocking guitars of “Burn”. The supreme Motown-isms of “They Don’t Want” is yet another highlight – aping those classic drum sounds to perfection, and the closing “Tom Boy” evokes Al Green without sounding cheesy or contrived for a second. A fantastic and very assured debut, this is a must for soul fans – from Smokey Robinson to Jamie Lidell.
Artist: Ty feat. Sarina Leah & Shaun Escoffery Title: Emotions Label:BBE Genre: Hip Hop/R&B Format: Digital Buy From: Juno Download
Ty has been a consistently classy MC and producer since he first emerged on Big Dada 10 years ago. He’s had the honour of a Mercury nomination, and worked with luminaries like Tony Allen, De La Soul and Damon Albarn in the process. But he’s never felt the need to sound like the next man, and has always kept his identity strong along the way. Now on BBE, “Emotions” precedes new album Special Kind Of Fool, and true to form, it’s a delight.
Smothered in Sarina Leah’s looped vocals and some tripped-out samples, Ty references everything from Cypress Hill, Justin Timberlake to 80’s novelty Rock Me Amadeus, and delivers it in his own distinctive London flow. The soulful vibe is kept in check with heavy and sparse drums, which keep it rooted in hip-hop. On a diferent tip, Bugz In The Attic’s “Daz-I-Kue” upps the tempo and puts a seriously funky broken beat under Ty, complete with some bass hits that sound a dead ringer for Lalo Schifrin’s Bullet soundtrack. Sarina Leah’s and Shaun Escoffery’s dueling backing vocals are also brought up in the mix and get rearranged into a smart call and response. Brooklyn legend and J Dilla protege Waajeed is let loose on a mix too, and delivers with a sly rearrangement of the chorus and some added eerie organ stabs.
This tune’s already had support from Mista Jam and Dj Semtex, and with any luck “Emotions” should help Ty reach out to even more fans of quality, non-cliched hip-hop.
Artist: Al Kent Title: Disco Love – Rare Disco and Soul Uncovered Label: BBE Genre: Disco/Nu-Disco Format: 2 xLP 12″, CD, Digital Buy From: Juno Records (CD, vinyl), Juno Download
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) ups 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 four 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.
Artist: Al Kent Title: Secret Sounds Label: BBE Genre: Disco/Nu Disco Format: CD, Digital Buy From:Juno Records, Juno Download
Scottish disco producer Al Kent is resident at Manchester’s Northern Disco club night and the man behind the live disco collective The Million Dollar Orchestra, who released the Better Days album last year to much acclaim.
The Secret Sounds EP comes from the mind of this true disco connoisseur, drawing from influences that range from Northern Soul to psychedelia, while reinterpreting and restructuring each track in a way that generates endless intrigue.
The standout tracks are hard to decide, but “Come Back Home” and “Strung Out” stayed in my head for long after I listened. This is an ambitious, meticulously sourced and composed disco which is essential for all lovers of the genre.
Artist: DJ Spinna Title: The Boogie Back Label: BBE Genre: Disco/Nu-Disco Format: 2xLP, CD, Digital Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
BBE continue to display the crate digging ethos of previous releases with the Boogieback which sees veteran DJ Spinna hark back to his youth of growing up in 70s Brooklyn when artists were beggining to meld disco and funk to form boogie (known to some as electro funk).
This double CD compilation sees Spinna mix 16 tracks of classics from the likes of Chemise and Final Edition with the rarer tracks on the first CD, and includes two re edits done by Spinna himself.
Thankfully the sometimes overindulgent scratching of a primarily hip-hop DJ is kept to a minimum here, with Spinna wisely deciding to let the tracks breath with simple transitions instead of showing off his well recognised turntable skills.
The second CD has all the tracks in DJ friendly full length which is quite the treat as the majority of these have not been freely available for some time.
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