Review: Founded in 2012, Madrid's Play Pal Music specialise in "new wave, post-punk, synths & guitars, fat bass, nu-disco, leftfield and anything in-between". That gives you an idea what to expect from this 15-track label compilation, as crossover styles like the punk-funk of late 70s New York, the new beat of late 80s Belgium and even the electro stylings of mid-00s Hoxton get thrown into the blender and mashed up into one gloriously sleazy, neon-lit, leather-clad dancefloor showdown that manages to be both a retro/nostalgic delight and forward-thinking at the same time. If 'Drop The Deal' or 'Walk The Night' are in your classics box, this is one to check for sure.
Review: Although busy releasing albums and singles, Relish boss Robi Insinna still could not stop himself putting out another label compilation, such was the quality of the stuff he had on his hands. Relish EP Six sees contributions from five different artists whose sound all manages to comply with the Relish vision. Highlights include the doomy new romantic electro-disco of Heretic's "Insurrection", the warped body music of Club Bizarre's "East Side Story" and the jack hammer nastiness of The Mansisters's "SSWS".
Review: To celebrate five years of releasing new wave-inspired, left-of-centre goodness, Madrid's Play Pal Music has put together this celebratory compilation of previously unheard treats from the label's growing roster of artists. As you'd expect, the tone is dark, druggy and psychedelic from the word go, with Rambal Cochet's hallucinatory, slo-mo opener "Dark Caravan" neatly signposting what's to come. There are of course plenty less intense moments scattered throughout the compilation - see the tasty tracks by Did Virgo and Amevicious, Vereno and Club Bizarre, for starters - but a low-slung, heavyweight jam is never far away. To our ears, the best examples come from Curses (the wonky disco-punk of "More Cherry Pie"), Theus Mago (the Motorik throb of "Low Cost Interstellar Drive") and Nozz (grandiose soundtrack Italo throb-job "Clock").
Review: Tokyo label Blindetonation drops a killer split release that encapsulates all that's great about modern disco. It opens with Gabriel Ferreira's "Slow Sugar", which, as its title suggests, is laid back but expansive, chugging along at 90 bpm or thereabouts. The tempo increases on Club Bizarre's "Supernova", with heavy claps and warbling acid creating a sense of spaciousness and a similar approach is audible on the lazy, dub-tinged groove of Bird Of Paradise's "92 Responder". The release takes an electronic turn on Steve Ekman's "Obscuria", a pulsing bass coming together with spiky beats, but soon enough, it veers back to its dubbed out environment courtesy of the languid groove of "The Back Door" by
Ivan Smoka, Christian C and Vinz Vincenzo.
Review: There seems be a move away from re-edits in the disco scene of late, with producers opting for original recordings instead of just sticking a bigger kick under someone else's classic. Here, highlights include the Terminator-style disco noir of "Meccanica Futurista", the immense sleaze of Castillo and Thomass Jackson's doom-disco joint "No Wifi At The Attic" and the Daniel Molosso-style warped electro-disco of "Round One". The sound of all the good stuff that's happening in disco today.
Review: Japanese DJ/producer Kezokichi made quite an impression during his time in London. Now he's returned to Tokyo and launched his own record label, Blindetonation, dedicated to "the disco of randomness - Balearic, drug chug, slow motion and weird vibe". Here, he kicks it off with an expansive compilation featuring a range of well regarded and little-known artists. Naturally, there's much to enjoy, from the sweet, analogue bounce of Jamie Paton's "Keys For Your Keeper (Dub)" and the near psychedelic chug of Tronik Youth's "The Past", to the bubbling electronics and eyeliner-clad melodies of Kieran Holden's "Stubbies", and the twisted, slow motion acid of Duncan Gray's "Kickintrusion".
Review: Clouded Vision boss Matt Walsh's first mix CD, The Clouded Vision Experiment, gained plenty of praise on its 2012 release. Three years on, he's finally got round to putting together a follow-up. As with its predecessor, The Clouded Vision Experiment Level 2 aims to join the dots between bouncy, electro-influenced techno, warehouse-friendly tech-house, glistening nu-disco (see the Eskimo Twins' "Elegy") and hard-to-define, dancefloor-friendly electronica (Richard Norris's "Dim The Lights" being a great example). The unmixed portion of the collection is full of gems, including tracks and remixes from The Hacker, Pulp Disco & The Outcasts (whose P-funk goes-acid banger "3.142" stands out) and the brilliantly named Forty Fingers Dynamo.
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