Review:
The Katakana Edits series reaches #70. DJ Laurel - also known for his work on Greek label Chopshop - is once more in charge of the virtual razorblade and sticky tape for this latest collection, which draws largely on source material from the 70s soul pantheon. 'I Can't Stop Ya' adds an outsourced spoken vocal and some fine sax noodling to a Ty Karim nugget of (nearly) the same name, 'It Only Happens' lends the late, great Aretha some extra lounge-y swing, while 'The More I Want' dares to take on the Teddy Pendergrass classic and actually manages to get away with it.
Review:
Previously found on compilations, here re-edit hero DJ Laurel, makes a solo debut on the mighty Chopshop. First up is the title track and suffice to say it takes a well loved 70s classic and goes back, Jack, and does it again...with a beefy back beat for good measure. Next, "Falses Faces", is more obscure, but just as effective with a tight, thumping funk groove and an impassioned vocal grunt-along. "I Wouldn't Treat A Dog" follows as a transportive melancholic Balearic dream, and "The Breakdown Funk" is an old-time boogie clap-a-long.
Review:
62 collections deep and still blazing up any party in a 1000 mile radius; Katakana deliver yet another fun and funk-fuelled package. All laced with a heavy rhythmic theme, attention to groove detail is paid throughout as we're treated to range of classic and deeply dug edits. "Galaxy" sets the tone with a sleazy strutting war cry before we're hurled into a Latin frenzy on both the sultry "Camina" and the bull-fighting "Descarga". Elsewhere "Leroy Loves Ya" brings the soulful touch and "JB World" closes with a little psychedelic mystique.
Review:
Greek re-edit powerhouse, Chopshop, is back this time with a new various artist's compilation, Lost In Grooves. There's plenty of jollies to be had here, beginning with the high drama of "Lost In Venice" a swirling disco features golden tonsilled sirens and bug thumping drums. Elsewhere Levantine's "Atmosphere" recalls the good old days of French Touch, with its warm, filtered loops, C Da Afro opts for lazy beats and sumptuous strings on "The Sexy Groove" and DJ Laurel mellows things out with some silky 80s synth funk grooves on "Rising On Top". Slick!
Review:
Oh dear, the Katakana edits are back once again, and that means pure and vibrant disco-house vibes for all shapes and sizes. Fray Bentos returns in fine style with two cuts, starting with the bumpy, utterly groovy "Body Down", followed by the deeper, more majestic jazzy feel of "Night Giver" - oh, those strings! DJ Laurel's up next, bringing through some proper stylish funkiness with "Yes I Know", sampling the late, great Pino Daniele on the vocals, while "More Shame" goes for the tribal touch, pushing through some lovely horns and a magnificent sway of seductive trumpets for that sexy feel. Yet more Katakana goodness!
Review:
The 54th EP from prolific rework imprint Katakana Edits is a triple-header, featuring hot new cut-jobs from Goji Berry, Little Prince and DJ Laurel. The latter's "Right On" is an undeniably sweet and soulful affair, with the producer underpinning slick '80s soul vocals and rising disco-funk horns with a low-slung, filter-heavy breakbeat groove. Although Little Prince's "Getting Down To Cuba" is an undeniably cheery peak-time affair - he adds a little house flavour to a Caribbean disco classic - the undoubted star of the show is Goji Berry. The producer serves up a trio of edits, with the hybrid Italo-disco/ electro-funk jauntiness of "I Need" and slow-mo, saucer-eyed vibes of "In The Heat" standing out.
Review:
Another month, another solid split EP from long-running edit imprint Chopshop. This time round, there's no unifying concept, just a quartet of cuts guaranteed to get things going out on the dancefloor. Saint Mathieu kicks things off with a chunky, party-starting rearrangement of a lesser-known European P-funk workout from the turn of the '80s, before DJ Laurel drops the cheery, chop-heavy disco-house chug of "Don't Hold Back". Label regular Dave Gerrard steals the show with "Glow Of Dub (Morning Mix)", a superior rework of a tactile, '80s soul favourite, while Cordycep closes proceedings with a hard-edged scalpel rework of a throbbing, early '80s, Prelude style electrofunk-meets-rap stomper ("The Key").
Review:
Volume 66 of the Katakana Edits is nothing but vibes from start to finish, and surely exactly what we need in the blazing summer months - edits, edits, and nothing but more edits! SO|KA's opening "Grease" is a dubby, weighty house chugger that blends effortlessly with juat about any form of dance tune, while DJ Laurel's "Lost In The Crowd" is a disco charmer that leads with horns and is backed by pumping beats, leaving the final "All Or Nothing" to provide the seductive charms thanks to a gentle r&b charm. Beautiful stuff.
