Review: Less than a month has passed since Andy Buchan's last outings - an expansive EP on Hot Digits and a single-tracker on Hot Gorilla - and he's already back in action. We're not complaining though, because Buchan has been one of the most consistent producers in the modern disco scene for some time now. 'Evol Lady' is bouncy, positive, cheery and life-affirming, with Buchan making great use of sparkling, house style piano riffs, squally sax solos, chunky house beats and undulating orchestral samples lifted from a familiar disco record. It's a genuine hands-in-the-air affair that's bound to get people going out on the dancefloor when music festivals return this summer.
Review: A single-tracker here from Leeds lad Andy Buchan, who's known for releases on Peppermint Jam, Audaz, Rare Wiri, Chopshop, Spa In Disco and Midnight Riot, among other well-respected labels, as well as his many re-edits. 'Basement Beats' is a rolling, party-hearty funk/soul cut with something of a late 60s feel, and centres around a looped female vocal snip saying "down, down, down" (or something very similar) atop scorching Hammonds and rinky-tink pianos, with a couple more vocal snips accompanying the breakdown around the four-minute mark. Simple stuff, perhaps, but it's groovy, baby... it's outta sight!
Review: Five very solid contemporary funk/disco jams make up this EP from Andy Buchan a native of Leeds. The vaguely Afro-tinged 'Awayo' itself marries fluttering funk guitars to synth strings, female wails and some hefty bottom-end squelch, while 'Disco Down' ain't nothin' but 6m40s of rolling groove. The lively, jazzy 'Swing That Thing' takes us into housier, more uptempo territory; then we drop back down into 'Dream Walking' (think the Bee Gees with added funk sleaze) before 'Disco Down' gets reworked for house floors, with a vocal chant added, on the Get Down Edits Remix.
Review: After previous releases on such acclaimed disco labels as Spa In Disco, Rare Wiri, Midnight Riot, Paper Disco and Audaz, Leeds native Andy Buchan (alongside partner-in-crime Conan The Selector) set up his own Hot Gorilla imprint earlier this year. This sixth EP from the label sees him providing two very authentically late 70s-sounding gems, with 'Your Love' a hazy, lazy affair that sports a sensual, breathy female vocal and some understated house-y pianos, while 'Can't Hide' is a more funk-oriented, Latin-tinged near-instrumental cut whose sampled female vocal is buried deep in the mix.
Review: More hot-to-trot heaviness from Andy Buchan, one of the nu-disco scene's genuine rising stars. In keeping with his other recent outings on Hot Gorilla, "Voodoo Disco" is a funky and forthright affair, with hard-wired, energy-packed Clavinet motifs, sampled female vocals, swelling strings and bubbly electronic lead lines leaping above an electro-tinged beat. Jet Boot Jack delivers a far funkier version rich in stomping drums, Chic style bass and guitars, and a sprinkling of soul horns, while Funk Edwards cheekily re-imagines the track as a throbbing slab of Italo-disco-meets-nu-disco. Both reworks are excellent, though it's Buchan's original mix that we think hits home hardest.
Review: Andy Buchan's third EP in as many months on Hot Gorilla is another sweaty, celebratory treat, though we'd expect little less from one of nu-disco's genuine rising stars. This time round he's not serving up sizzling original productions, but rather two hot-to-trot re-edits that should appeal to all those who like their disco to sound weighty, funky and horn-heavy. He begins with "Don't Do That (J Cas Edit)", an energetic slab of party-heavy disco funk rich in wild sax lines, bumpin' house beats, ceaseless male group vocals and crunchy electric guitar licks, before dipping the tempo a little on the beatdown-goes-psychedelic funk haziness of "Kosmick Funk (Rock Me Baby Edit)". The latter is equally as heavy as its predecessor and arguably twice as hedonistic, despite its lolloping mid-tempo beats.
Review: In the past we've referred to Andy Buchan as one of nu-disco's rising stars. These days, he's well established, offering up tunes that regularly incorporate a wide range of influences whilst retaining the celebratory excitement associated with the contemporary disco scene. "Kingfisher Funk" sits somewhere between a re-edit and an original production, with Buchan reaching for humid, delay-laden horn samples, an Escort-esque revivalist disco groove, echoing female vocal snippets and just the right amount of trippy electronics. His fine original mix comes backed with two hot-to-trot reworks: a sped-up, filter-sporting disco house bumper from Reece Johnson, and a brighter, breezier dub disco style "reshuffle" from prolific producer Chewy Rubs.
Review: Man of the moment Andy Buchan is back in action, transferring from Citizens of Vice to up-start imprint Hot Gorilla in order to release one of his strongest cuts to date. In its original form, "Higher" is a deliciously bouncy, sun-soaked and thrillingly positive affair. It sees Buchan pepper a baggy and bouncy Balearic disco groove with arms-raised old school piano stabs, colourful synth doodles and a handful of short vocal samples. It's undoubtedly celebratory, as are the accompanying remixes. Pal Conan The Selector brilliantly re-imagines "Higher" as a sweaty fusion of rolling disco house and low-slung, sax-sporting funk, while Fingerman explores similar sonic territory before re-tooling the track as a piano-heavy rave roller in its latter stages.
Review: Having recently notched up a sixth year in business, Fingerman's Hot Digits imprint is in a celebratory mood - hence this all-action round-up of recent delights and unheard treats from the disco-loving label. Encompassing no less than 30 tunes, the collection giddily skips between warming beatdown disco (P-Sol's "Walter"), Mark E style slo-mo loop jams (Vigi's "I'll Be There") and glassy-eyed Balearic nu-disco (Picklejam's "Untitled Love"), before raising its hands skywards as the peak-time party-starters begin to appear thick and fast. Highights in this category include the vibrant jazz-house flex of Dexter Jones' "Swing Thing", the bustling boogie re-edit business of Monsieur Von Pratt's "Let's Dance" and the hearty disco-funk heaviness of Chewy Rubs' "Funky Bee Bop".
Review: For the label's sixteenth release, Citizens of Vice welcomes back rising star Andy Buchan, a producer who has previously plied his wares on Rare Wiri, Hot Digits and Masterworks Music. Opener "Kosmick" lives up to its name, with Buchan peppering a sturdy, arpeggio-driven grooves with waves of colourful synthesizers, sparkling aural textures and some suitably saucer-eyed melodies. "Come My Way" offers a chunkier, more groove-focused take on the same spacey nu-disco sound with the addition of tougher, house-style drums and wavy male vocal samples, while "2049" is powered forwards by stomping drums, sustained chords and a squelchy synth bassline. To round off the EP, "Come My Way" is turned into a dreamy slab of spaced-out synth-soul by the Paper Street Soul crew.
Review: You're only five years old once, so why not celebrate in style? And here Warrington lad Danny Worrall's disco and re-edits label Masterworks Music do just that, with an anniversary collection packing a whopping 50 back catalogue nuggets. You'll excuse us the full track-by-track, then, but suffice to say that this is the label that helped launch the careers of Dr Packer and Natasha Kitty Katt, both of whom feature here, and with names like Ziggy Phunk, Rayko, Alkalino, Chuggin' Edits and Fabiolous Barker also on bill, you should already have a pretty good idea what to expect. Classy stuff all round, and a great VFM package - here's to five more years!
Review: If you were looking to nominate a producer for the (entirely imaginary) "nu-disco don of 2019" award, Andy Buchan would be a strong contender. Here he rounds off a hugely successful year via a four-track missive on Masterworks Music. He begins with a driving slab of tooled-up funk fuzziness (the straightened-out righteousness of "Brand New Girl (Billy Garner Edit)", before flexing his disco muscles on the string-laden, percussion-heavy mid-tempo sweetness of "Bless My Soul (Bettye Swan Edit)". 'Disco Overtime (G'Night Edit)" is a filter-sporting take on a mid-80s dancefloor gem rich in soulful vocals, glistening guitars and colourful synths, while "Let's Dance (JB's Bo Horne Edit)" re-imagines a sing-along 1980s classic as a bump-along exercise in filter disco.
Review: Every 12 months, Fingerman's prolific Hot Digits imprint serves up an epic compilation entirely made up of exclusive, previously unheard re-edits, reworks and original productions. They're invariably excellent and this year's edition - the fifth in total - is even more epic than usual. There's naturally plenty to set the pulse racing amongst the dancefloor focused 32-track selection, from the throbbing Italo-disco style electronic sleaziness of Peza's "I Gotta Little Love" and the bouncy, acid-flecked cheeriness of Limpdisco's "Rush Hour", to the angular nu-disco heaviness of Andy Kidd's "The Dope Cube", the sparkling 80s boogie goodness of LUP INO's "Don't Stop Fooling" and and disco-funk-goes-house pump of Fingerman's "Family Ties". Keep an eye out too for rock solid rubs by Dr Packer, Chuggin Edits, Rayko and Andy Buchan.
Review: Citizens of Vice's latest on-point EP comes courtesy of Andy Buchan, a producer, remixer and re-editor who has previously released umpteen EPs on labels such as Midnight Riot, Hot Digits, Paper Disco, and Masterworks Music. To our ears, the standout cut is undeniably opener "What U Do 2 Me", a joyously summery and rush-inducing affair that layers bouncy piano riffs, elastic synth bass and pitched-down vocal samples over a suitably big and ballsy groove. Pete Herbert takes a different tack on his remix, re-imagining the cut as a sparkling, synth-heavy chunk of proto-house/Balearic nu-disco fusion. Elsewhere, "Get Down" is a driving chunk of organ-sporting nu-disco/deep house fusion, while "Dubble D" sees Buchan pepper another sturdy groove with jaunty synth-riffs, sunset-ready piano stabs and Italo-influenced electronics.
Review: Former DJ Mag Middle East editor Andy Buchan is undoubtedly one of the rising stars of the nu-disco and re-edits scene. His reworks are always of a solid standard - and often even higher - making each successive release a "must-check". Predictably he's in fine form on this Alpaca Edits outing, brilliantly kicking things off with the jaunty, peak-time-ready disco-soul stomp of "Clean Up Your Own Yard (J Moore edit)". Arguably even better is "Fortunate Son (Ccr Edit)", a percussion-rich rework of a flash-friend funk-rock classic, while closing cut "Say Wot (A Sensible Captain Edit)" is baggy, bouncy, giddy and blessed with the kind of bassline that will be stuck in your head for days. And yes, it is a revision of an overlooked Captain Sensible classic.
Review: Following a fine retrospective of "original productions and reworks" earlier in the month, the Rare Wiri label has prepped another killer compilation to help mark the imprint's 10th birthday. This time round, boss man Rayko has gathered together some of the label's most potent re-edits. The quality threshold remains impressively high throughout, with highlights including James Rod's chugging and cheery disco-boogie shuffler "So Easy", the dreamy deep house throb of In Flagranti's loopy version of "Walking In The Rain", the sparkling saccharine soul/jazz-funk flex of Yam Who's revision of "In Your Eyes" and the pulsating Italo-disco/disco-funk fusion of Ziggy Phunk's take on "One Evening". Throw in a clutch of top-notch Rayko re-edits and the result is an essential collection of floor-focused reworks.
Review: The first "Masterworks Legends" compilation saw label boss Danny Worrall giving digital debuts to a whole host of previously vinyl-only cuts. We're not sure whether he's taken the same approach this time round, but the quality of the material remains pleasingly high. Beginning with Dr Packer's hot-to-trot revision of Kiu D's Blaxploitation disco workout "Dynamite", Worrall offers up a swathe of hypnotic, disco-tinged house head-nodders (Ooft's "I Am Love" being a glassy-eyed standout), tasty '80s electrofunk revisions (Woodhead, The Silver Rider, Coutel, his own '80s Child project), thumping disco club cuts (Natasha Kitty Kat, Kiu D, James Rod, Ponchartrain) and sparkling nu-disco box jams (Gradient Logic). If you're looking for more tried-and-tested treats to pep up your sets, you should add this to your cart right now.
Review: Fingerman's Hot Digits label has now notched up 50 releases. To celebrate this landmark occasion, the man himself has selected 25 of his favourite cuts from the label's rapidly expanding back catalogue. As a showcase for everything that's good about the imprint, it does a bang up job, gleefully jogging between exotic mid-tempo disco and disco-funk (Frank Virgilio, Dr Packer, The funk District), slo-mo disco-acid (Fingerman's tremendous rework of B-Jam's "Sundog"), kaleidoscopic, reworked '80s boogie business (Casual Connection, Melon Bomb, the hard-tweaked filters and heady loop business of Chewy Rubs), tried-and-tested party-starters (Smashed Atoms, Get Down Edits remixing Stephen Richards) and giddy peak-time workouts (Shit Hot Soundsystem, Dave Gerrard, Thomas Maslo, Kiu D). As the old saying goes, this is all killer, no filler.
Review: Alpaca Edits are back with one of the scene's most favoured editors at present: Andy Buchan. The Leeds based disco DJ first cut his teeth playing in Dubai a while back, where he was editor of DJ Mag Middle East. Nowadays, you can find him playing across the UK and presenting his highly sought after resplices on top labels like Hot Digits, Masterworks, Spa In Disco and Audaz. His new Deja Vu EP features the disco inferno of "Imagine This" (Crescendolls edit), the lo-slung boogie down vibe of "U Did It" (Fatboy Ann edit) and the flamboyant What The "Jezahel" (Birley Shassey edit) - which was our favourite of the bunch.
Review: It's been a great year for fast-rising nu-disco producer, remixer and re-editor Andy Buchan. Fresh from impressing via appearances on Spa In Disco, Masterworks Music and Hot Digits, Buchan pitches up on Midnight Riot with two of his strongest revisions to date. While "Same As It Ever Was" is close to his usual style - think rolling house style beats, swishy noises, rich deep house chords and tons of synthesizer-wielding nu-disco swagger - it's title track "The Big Do" that's really got us hot under the collar. For starters, it's propelled forwards by some seriously good slap bass, with hazy, soul-flecked vocal samples, slick Rhodes style chords, starry eectronics and no-nonsense beats only serving to enhance the glassy-eyed, loved-up mood. Like much of Buchan's output, it has all the right ingredients.
Review: In the words of Paper Disco, episode six of their floor-friendly "Trash The Wax" series delivers "plenty of party pumping offerings". Predictably, proof of the set's club-ready status arrives via Hi-FI Sean's compilation opening remix of IPG v Hot Toddy's "Slow Motion Cowboy", which delivers a funk-fuelled riot of delay-laden guitars, funk rock attitude and sizzling dub disco grooves. Naturally, the rest of the collection is similarly strong. Highlights include a rare production outing from Bill Brewster (the throbbing, off-kilter Italo-disco him of "4 U Blue"), the Balearic Italo-disco bliss of Richard Norris's "Glow", the dreamy, arpeggio-driven nu-disco warmth of Kooky and Damoon's "Walk Back Into My Life" and Sheffield stalwart Solid State's deep, epic revision of "Remnants" by Speed For Lovers.
Review: To kick-start a fourth year of disco-fuelled madness, Hot Digits chief Fingerman has put together this sizeable compilation of previously unheard exclusives. As you'd expect, there's far more killers than fillers to be found amongst the 28-track deep selection or re-edits and original productions. Highlights include the clarinet-laden electrofunk-meets-disco bounce of Frank Virgilio's "It's Your Boogie Baby", the disco-goes-hip-hop flex of Tony Disco's delicious "Rolling Paper", the sparkling nu-disco goodness of "When It Comes To Funk" by Stephen Richards, the driving disco-house bump of Ash Reynolds' "Cold Girl" and the fuzzy electrofunk wobble of Don Dayglow's "Many Things". Throw in fine contributions from Chewy Rubs, Le Visiteur, norse man Jarle Brathen and, of course, Fingerman, and you have a must-buy collection of cuts.
Review: Smiling nu-disco producer Andy Buchan made a big impression in 2017, thanks in no small part to well-received releases on Thunder Jam, Chopshop and Disco Fruit. Here he pops up on Spa in Disco following tasty 2018 outings on Hot Digits and Masterworks Music. "Future Robot" is something of a rushing, life-affirming treat, with waves of Italo-disco style synths, P-funk squiggles and robotic vocoder vocals rising above a snappy nu-disco beat. Dubai's Don Dayglow does a solid job on the remix, emphasizing the track's Italo-disco influences via a bld and druggy new arpeggio style bassline. To complete the package, Bunchanan takes his scalpel to No Smoke's 1989 UK Afro-house classic "Koro Koro", somehow making it even more percussive and bass-heavy.
Review: It's fair to say that Andy Buchanan is on a roll. He enjoyed a hugely successful debut year in 2017 and has since kept up the pressure via EPs on Spa in Disco and Masterworks Music. His Hot Digits debut is a typically cheery and positive affair, with rolling, Italo-disco inspired opener "Spectral" - all restless arpeggio lines, dreamy chords and rising melodies - setting the tone. Of the four original tracks on show, the throbbing and attractive "Mind Blown" is probably the pick, though the Balearic boogie/laidback piano house flex of "Your Promise" is almost as inspired. Aussie adventurer Dr Packer heads up the remix package with a simply scorching, TB-303 heavy "Acid Disco" remake of opener "Spectral".
Review: A dance music journalist who headed up DJ Magazine Middle East, an award-winning DJ and now a rising producer- formerly Dubai based Brit Andy Buchan continues on with his winning streak of late, cementing his status with a well deserved release on Masterworks. Following up releases on top labels such as Spa In Disco, Chopshop and Alpaca Edits, the man in Leeds serves up a nifty edit of good old fashioned soul funk on "Say A Prayer" (Crown Heights edit), some neon-lit '80s R'n'B on the sweltering "Caught Up" (Prime Cut edit) or even some lo-slung shenanigans on the slo-mo disco antics of "Keep On Burning" (Latimore edit).
Review: York based label specialising in soul, funk and nu/old disco edits. They make what they like in headphones come out the big speakers - and hopefully some vinyl releases are coming soon. Next up for the label is Andy Buchan, who is back in his home of the United KIngdom after a long stint in Dubai. Here the Leeds based artist delivers "Caught In The Middle" and it hurts not knowing the name of the early '80s disco diva he sampled on this wicked edit. Next up "Kos Mick" does exactly what it says on the tin with this cosmic synth journey that reaches near intergalactic moments. There's also some super soulful galaxian vibes on "Dancing Tight" and "Space Chant" gets some Afro vibes in the house. In addition to deejaying and production, Buchan is a copywriter, editor and journalist who worked at DJ Mag Middle East. He is also a self-confessed expert muffin maker.
Review: Very talented Leeds man Andy Buchan was for quite a while one of the biggest DJs in Dubai. Since his return he has had some successful tracks on labels such as Rare Wire, Editorial and now Thunder Jam Records: an independent label for promoting disco, funk and nu-disco. Starting off with a super low slung edit of a certain '80s NYC disco classic in the form of "Delayed Rapture, we then get into some Balearic slo-mo house vibes on "Better Things To Come". On "Techno Logic" we get some Madchester style dance grooves happening until "Dylan's Groove" ends proceedings in real style with this pumpin' funky house party starter.
Review: Label-hopping producer Andy Buchan has enjoyed a quietly impressive year so far. This expansive outing on Fingerman's Hot Digits label comes on the back of successful appearances on Editorial and Rare Wiri. He starts in confident fashion via the dub disco bottom end and intergalactic synth flourishes of "Lunar Dust" before overdosing on happy pills with the sun-bright Balearic bliss that is "Lyla's Theme". Layered disco percussion, swirling vocal samples and ragged TB-303 style electronics combine on the rough-and-ready "Little Acid Love", while "Powerburst" is a pleasingly baggy slice of Balearic disco loveliness. There's also a tasty bonus in the shape of James Rod's rich and humid nu-disco interpretation of "Lunar Dust".
Review: Thunder Jam's latest release is something of a sprawling epic; a 23-track "Invasion" featuring some of the hottest names in the re-edit and nu-disco scenes, alongside contributions from lesser-known talents. There's much to admire throughout, from the low-slung boogie bass and cut glass disco strings of Phil Da Burn's "Wallflower" and the spacey synth-funk of Funk Bank's wiggly "Jamming With The Thunder", to the bouncy disco/New Jersey garage fusion of BOI's "The Gift" and the straightened-out sunshine soul of Dee Bunk's "Little Brown Eye Girl". Throw in solid contributions from Don Dayglo, Belabouche, C Da Afro and Andy Buchan, and you've got a pleasingly varied set of floor-friendly excursions.
Review: To date, Andy Buchan has delivered material to many of the nu-disco scene's most popular labels, including Editorial, Audaz, Hot Digits and Thunder Jam. This time round he's hooked up with long-serving Spanish stable Rare Wiri. It's a strong collection of dancefloor workouts, moving from the throbbing, hard-wired Italo-disco jauntiness of piano-laden opener "I Like It", to the sun-kissed nu-disco-meets-deep house warmth of "Rocking Music", via the hip-hop sampling boogie-house goodness of "Lost And Found". With its delay-laden rap vocal samples, tumbling synth solos, fluttering chords and breezy grooves, the latter track is probably the EP's standout moment.
