Review: As the title suggests, this wonderful EP from COEO pays tribute to the glory days of early '90s piano house. If you've been struggling through the current global pandemic, we guarantee that all four tracks will put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Our pick of a very strong bunch is 'Hyperactive', where bold piano stabs, style synth-sax motifs, New Jersey garage style organ chords and a rubbery, all-action bassline ride a sweaty and chunky, hip-house style rhythm. There is of course much to set the pulse racing elsewhere across the EP, from the deliciously deep, loved-up and glassy-eyed wonder that is 'I Can Never Be Yours', to the acid-fired bustle of breakbeat-driven closing cut 'Bliss'.
Review: As you'd perhaps expect from an act with multiple releases on Toy Tonics, Let's Play House and Razor 'N' Tape to their name, COEO's first outing on House of Disco is really rather good. The headline attraction is undoubtedly "Habibi Dub", a wonderfully cheery, melodic and up-tempo affair full of stylistic nods to 1980s Euro-disco and NYC freestyle (Fairlight stabs, bubbly Bobby Orlando bass, chiming synthesizer riffs, delay-laden drums etc). The package also contains two tasty remixes of the tune - a typically Balearic-minded, delay-laden piano-house take from Phillip Lauer and a more tropical-sounding Mix & Fairbanks take - while one of the two bonus cuts, "Joe Armstrong Theme", sounds like the kind of track you'd hear on the soundtrack to legendary 1980s TV series Miami Vice.
Review: Since the Disco Volante EP first appeared on wax a couple of years back, COEO has gone on to release a trio of sought-after EPs on Toy Tonics. Despite its' vintage, the five-tracker remains one of the Munich duo's strongest releases and sees them blend samples from classic recordings with their own drums and musical flourishes. Check first the breezy Afro-beat-goes-disco cheeriness of "Nigerian Affair", before whacking on the wonderfully rich keys and organic deep house bump of "Pajama Stomp", and the riotous, high-octane disco-house loop-funk of "Long Night Ahead". Best of all, though, is opener "Like It Is", a sweet, dewy-eyed, string-drenched soul revision that achieves the perfect balance between dancefloor grunt, and paying due reverence to the German pair's horn-heavy source material.
Review: For the fifth volume in their Tonic Edits series, the Toy Tonics crew has handed over the reins to label regular and sometime Razor 'N' Tape contributor COEO. There's plenty to set the pulse racing throughout. Opener "Cabrio Magio" appears to be a tooled-up take on a killer South American disco stomper while you'll find the rubbery electric bass, Chic style clipped guitars and eyes-closed vocals of "1981", as well as "She Keeps It Good", a superb P-funk/boogie rework which sees COEO brilliantly tease out the groove via some seriously cut-up loops.
Review: Having spent the last few years giddily hopping between labels, COEO has decided to settle down. Flesh World is the Munich-based twosome's second release of 2017 for Toy Tonics, an imprint they first graced back in 2014. As usual, they're in a positive frame of mind, serving up a trio of tracks rich with both the feel good pulse of disco and boogie, and the metronomic heaviness of house. Both "Flesh World" and "In Motion" explore similar sonic territory, with the duo working a range of ear-pleasing samples from killer old disco and boogie cuts. Best of all, though, is the Kapote Drum Jam version of "Flesh World", which adds a little percussive pressure to an already celebratory workout.
Review: Following a recent dalliance with Brooklyn-based Razor 'N' Tape Reserve, COEO returns to the loving arms of Toy Tonics with another solid four-track excursion. Happily, they hit the ground running with the rushing positivity of "Mydonna", a bumpin' chunk of peak-time house goodness built around some superb disco samples and a bustling groove. The accompanying, "alternate cut" smartly emphasizes some of the original instrumentation, whilst adding some subtle swing to the disco-house drums. On the flip, you'll find the deep, smooth and sensual "Torrow", and the breezy, atmospheric, piano-laden shuffle of "Coast To Coast".
Review: Munich-based twosome Coeo are probably best known for their various house excursions on Toy Tonics and Let's Play House. This time out, they're in a more disco-minded mood, delivering a killer re-interpretation of Escort's 2006 classic "Starlight" for Brooklyn scalpel specialists Razor 'N' Tape. Wisely, they tease out the Brooklyn band's killer groove - think Chic style guitar riffs and Konk drums - for two minutes before introducing the track's famous synth lines. By the time the vocals kick in, you'll be in full on "reaching for the lasers" mode. While the original didn't necessarily need messing with, the duo's edit turns it into an even bigger anthem. Hold tight!
Review: To date, Bavarian duo Coeo has released a number of quietly impressive deep house singles on a variety of labels, including Let's Play House, Seven Music and Dabit. Back In The Days sees them return to the Toy Tonics imprint they last graced back in 2014. There's a classic disco-house-meets-contemporary deep house feel to the groovy and attractive title track, while "Jugendstil" adds hazy jazz influences to the same successful formula. The bizarrely titled "+++" throws African vocal and drum samples into the mix, combining them with bold string riffs and unfussy house beats to excellent effect. Finally, bonus track "Humbled" sees the duo return to their filter-sporting best, with the results sounding like a fusion of Soundstream and Tom Trago.
Review: Munquito and Pacheco's Berlin-based imprint Toy Tonics drops yet another killer EP by the Coeo! The Munich-based duo are experts in deep house, and have even released on Let's Play House. "Native Riddim" is a sweet, summertime scorcher with some of the funkiest keys we've heard from these guys, while the alternate mix is a whole load deeper and a lil' more Detroit-esque. "Select Language" is the banger here, though, bringing in some tight garage swing and one sweltering bassline.
Review: Munich-based Coeo endured a slow start to their career, with a two-year gap between their 2012 debut on Globelle, and their recent comeback on DaBit. Here they pop up on Brooklyn's Let's Play House imprint with a fine collection of warm, rolling and unfussy US house-influenced tracks. "Be" boasts the hazy swing and cut-up vocal stabs of classic US garage, while "Thinkin' About You" adds some sleazy sax samples and long, drawn out strings to a classic New Jersey rhythm. The title track is a little more driving and energetic, but still retains the Rhodes-powered warmth of Coeo's trademark sound. The package also includes a decent - and rather smooth - Revenge dub of the title track, and "Good Love", a bustling, digital-only bonus cut.
Review: Having previously impressed with their releases on Seven Music, Sccucci Manucci, DaBit and Globelle Records, Munich-based deep house duo Coeo pop up on Toy Tonics. As its title suggests, "Feel Me" is a huggable chunk of tactile electronic deep house, with classic late night vocal hooks riding a warm and fuzzy groove - all crunchy synth bass, bouncy pianos, dreamy pads and classic US garage organs. Sometime Futureboogie and Wolf Music man James Welsh delivers the obligatory remix, offering up a wonderfully atmospheric deep jazz-house interpretation. It's arguably his best remix to date. In its' original form, "Say No More" is deep, breezy and summery, with jaunty keys and a borderline Balearic vibe. The longer, more electronic sounding "DJ Version" is a little tougher and groovier, whilst retaining the original's casually humid feel.
Review: Having met at school, sharing a passion for music and skating, Florian Vietz and Andreas Hopfl met at high school, the Coeo duo's name supposedly comes from a health and safety warning adorning the side of a coffee cup, which read "Contents Hot". It's something shared in this simmering collection of raw house tracks, with "Do It" starting hard and staying hard, and "Will I" features beautifully crafted vocals and an almost percussive arpeggio lead which sits mellifluously on floating pads and raw piano chords. Remixes come courtesy of Steve Huerta and Vorres, who add their resective dubby and gospel-esque approaches to the source material.
Doppelate - "Four Feet Up The Stairs" - (5:57) 118 BPM
Rhode, Brown & Leo Woelfel - "More Drama" - (5:38) 126 BPM
Marco Lazovic - "In The Jungle" - (5:17) 120 BPM
Review: Slam City Jams is an upcoming label from Munich, and its third release provides a platform for emerging house music talent. First up is production pair COEO, who are best known for their releases on Toy Tonics. "Never Going Home", their contribution to Volume 1, is an off-beat, slinky electronic groove that features a moody bass and warm, warbling melodies. By contrast, Doppelate's "Four Feet Up The Stairs" is more in keeping with classic deep house, thanks to its gentle keys and reflective composition, while on label owners? Rhode & Brown's "More Drama (Less Hysteria)", the release moves into the warm and squelchy electronic disco the Dutch West Coast. Rounding off this impressive EP is Marco Lazovic's Chicago-influenced "In The Jungle".
Review: The eighth release on Sccucci Manucci sees the imprint pack a hefty eight productions that traverse various house sounds from around the world onto two slabs of handstamped wax. From Coeo's bouncy and vocal track through to Mella Dee's dark and distinctively UK-centric track the label has tried to explore the sheer wealth of production talent on offer at the moment.
Review: The second instalment in the Tale of Tales series brings with it four more reasons to be cheerful. Dirt Crew regular Felix Leifur steps up first with "Eitt", a lovably loose, dusty and occasionally wonky trip into blazed jazz-house territory. The jazzy mood continues on Toy Tronics duo COEO's rolling deep houser "Clouds", before Moony Me peppers a bustling, organic-sounding groove with sparkling synth refrains and drowsy chords on the thrillingly hazy "Soul Mirage". Sune opts for a far more bustling, chunkier beat pattern on skewed disco-house caper "I'll Be Right Back", which features some superbly cut-up and rearranged vibraphone solos alongside punchy horn samples and a brilliant post-breakdown drop.
Review: Toy Tonics' annual 'best of' compilation series reaches its eighth installment. While the label's best known for disco and disco-house, there's a little more variety on offer here than you might expect: Cody Currie & Joel Holmes' opener 'Beyond The Stars', for instance, is a Latin- and jazz-tinged cut aimed straight at soulful house floors while Mangabey & Kosmo Kint's 'Time No More' veers towards pop/R&B territory. Nu-skool disco and boogie are still what Toy Tonics do best, though, and this compilation packs some fine examples, including Kapote's irresistible 'Jaas Funk Haus', Kapote's sugar-sweet 'Happiness Juice', COEO's so-80s-it-hurts 'What's Going On' and two contributions from the mighty Phenomenal Handclap Band.
Review: It would be fair to say that Toy Tonics releases a lot of "Top Tracks", making this seventh digital-only label sampler a must-have for those who enjoy the twin delights of heartwarming deep house and celebratory contemporary disco. Some of the label's biggest dancefloor hits of recent times naturally make an appearance - see Ray Mang's fabulous remix of Phenomenal Handclap Band's "Judge Not", Pontchartrain's cheery and chiming remix of Felipe Gordon's "Tell Me Something True", Los Amigos Invisibles and Dimitri From Paris's cover of Chaz Jankel classic "Glad To Know You" and COEO's brilliant "Japanese Woman" - alongside some gems that may have passed you by. These include the impeccable deep house of FYI Chris's "Encounters", two brilliant contributions from Kapote and Mangabey's drowsy disco-house number "Just Luv Machine".
Review: Not content with serving up regular doses of ear-pleasing nu-disco, the Future Disco crew has decided to start sound-tracking days spent lounging on the beach. Somewhat predictably, this second Beach Life selection is packed with seriously steamy, sun-kissed grooves. While this epic digital package does contain two (un-credited) DJ mixes, the real joy is the expansive - not to mention eclectic - selection of DJ-friendly, unmixed tracks. Check, for example, the sun-down, jazz-funk influenced bliss of Folamour's "L'homme Loup", the head-nodding lounge warmth of Snacks' "Daydream", the gentle Balearic nu-disco of Sirs, the lo-fi deep house haziness of DJ Boring and COEO, and the sand-in-the-shoes shuffle of Eli Escobar's delicious remix of Kraak and Smaak's "U R Freak". Throw in a swathe of tasty, laidback but floor-friendly deep house jams and you have a solid collection of serious summer jams.
Review: As per usual, the UK's Toolroom imprint has put together the definitive summer collection when it comes to tech-house and anything minimal. As you can see - and hear - there are 67 tracks on here, all from the very best and most coveted talent in the scene; Mark Knight features prominently, of course, alongside established house entities like Erick Morillo, Format: B, Sascha Funke, Nic Fanciulli, and many others. But, don't stop there, as there is plenty of new talent to discover in artists like SecondCity, GotSome, Marcellus Wallace, ANOTR, and many more. There are three continuous mixes available, also, one for each summer setting. This is BIG!
Review: Since launching back in 2012, Brooklyn imprint Razor-N-Tape has been responsible for releasing some of the finest reworks the re-edit scene has to offer. For proof, check out this second trawl through the label's rapidly expanding back catalogue. There's nary a duffer in sight, with highlights including the mid-tempo, eyes-closed disco brilliance of Michael The Lion's "Any Time", the swirling deep house/disco fusion of Junktion's "I'm Wishing" and the tactile boogie throb of Deep&Disco's sought-after "So Tight" (the best Thelma Houston rework we've ever heard), to the spiraling saxophones of Tom of Brooklyn's tasty "Summer Jam" and COEO's wonderfully evocative and slightly beefed-up Escort rework, "Light Star".
Review: Scene veteran Sean Brosnan is the selector behind Future Disco's latest all-action collection of nu-disco and disco-inspired house cuts, which is here presented in DJ-friendly, unmixed form. As usual, you'll find a clutch of recent peak-time club hits - see Louie Vega's fantastic rework of Sylvester's "Dance", the brilliant E-Live Remix of Saucy Lady's boogie-powered "Together" and Danny Krvit's simultaneously stomping and spacey Extended Vocal Dub Edit of Emilie Nana's "I Rise" - alongside previously unheard Future Disco edits and lesser-celebrated gems (see Amp Fiddler's "Steppin", Kraak and Smaak's collaboration with Luxxury, and Greg Wilson's exclusive tweak of Sweet Tooth T's cover of Chemise's boogie classic "She Can't Love You").
