Review: Six tracks from as many different artists make up this V/A offering from Richard Rossa's Stockholm-based Tom Tom Disco label. If you're looking for cowbells, handclaps and Philly strings, look elsewhere: the tracks here generally plough a far more electronic and leftfield-leaning furrow, blending influences from Italo, EBM, coldwave and early house. Frank Agrario's percussive, Afro-inspired 'Drum Circles' is the exception to that rule, but the standout for this writer is Guxi's 'Dribbling Disco', a mix of Italo and Chi-town tropes that periodically bursts out in unanticipated "proper disco" flourishes. Rabih Rizk's Middle Eastern-tinged 'Acid Drop' is good, too.
Review: Bologna, Italy's Francesco Brini, AKA, Frank Agrario, wears many hats: DJ, producer, mastering engineer, Swayzak drummer and owner of the Mozzarella Recordings and Spare Change Disco labels. Here, he comes to Sweden's Tom Tom Disco with three original tracks that blur the lines between nu-disco, funk and Balearica, with 'White Rabbit' also having a hint of Afro flava. Tom Tom boss Richard Rossa then adds a remix of 'Voodo' that's got something of an 80s new beat/EBM-ish feel, while 'White Rabbit' gets handed over to Tropikal Camel, who does his trademark Arab fusion thing.
Review: Since launching in 2017, Toulon-based imprint Act of Sedition has become renowned for the quality of its re-edit releases, many of which appear on rarely seen seven-inch "double-packs". This time they're trying something a little different by gathering together a swathe of previously unheard reworks on a must-check digital compilation. It's a fine set that touches on a number of interconnected styles and sounds, from loved-up Balearic nu-disco (Nu Pilgrims "Soul Shadow (Withers Shakedown)") and tooled-up Afro-disco heaviness (Belabouche's bouncy "Hey Africa"), to rushing revisions of stone cold disco classics (Monsieur Von Pratt's "Why", Reece Johnson's stomping "Piece of Mind") and head-nodding, toe-tapping soul (Mr Doris's "Hercules").
Review: When Andy Bull AKA Bully Boy launched the Act of Sedition label a couple of years back his aim was to release "the finest 45 edits" on seven-inch double-packs. It's something of a surprise, then, to see the label land on digital download with a sprawling collection of previously vinyl-only reworks and bonus edits. Expect a gloriously vibrant and floor-friendly mixture of gospel-tinged psychedelic soul (Jimi Hendrix's "Freedom"), Clav-happy disco-funk squelch (Disco-Tech's "Assassination"), sweet disco sing-alongs (SanFrankDisko's "Get It Right"), sweaty punk-funk/dub disco heaviness ("Cavern Dance" by V's Edits), high octane disco-camp (Mighty Mouse's cheerfully silly "Got To Have Nothing") and much more besides.
Review: First making his name via production work for Swayzak, more recently Bologna, Italy resident Francecso Brini has stepped out as an artist in his own right under the 'Frank Agrario' moniker. Here, he comes to Tom Tom Disco with a four-track EP that's a melting pot of dancefloor and world music influences. 'Nefro' is a looping, percussive workout with Egyptian/Middle Eastern overtones, 'Kalakutta' is an Afro-style deep houser with jazz tinges, 'Tapwater' is a mellower groove, again with an African feel, and then finally Leonor brings us an epic, remix of 'Kalakutta' complete with broody synths and cinematic spoken vocal.
Review: It's here! Stockholm's Richard Rossa aka Tom Tom Disco presents eight tracks of deadly, hot, cosmic grooves that are equal parts deep and psychedelic but above all: spiritual! Some of his beloved label's top signings strut their stuff on This Is Tom Tom Disco Vol 05. Some deep and cosmic nu-disco courtesy of Sano on "El Sano", some Middle Eastern exotica on the esoteric "Hazhid Asara" by Acid Hamam and some proper Italo vibes by Tony Disco on "Disco Solar" - one of the compilation's standout moments. Rest assured that label head honcho Richard Rossa represents here too (and is on point as always) with the dusty, boogie down antics of "Discow Ztrummer" which will surely have you gettin' down!
Review: Having previously plied his trade on Internasjonal Spesial, Tom Tom Disco and Spare Change Disco, Frank Agrario pops up on Glasgow's Maxi Discs. As usual, there's a pleasing looseness about the Bologna-based boffin's productions, with both the percussive, Afro-influenced nu-disco chugger "Balfonic", and altogether bolder "The Later The Better" making great use of analogue synths and live-sounding percussion. The latter features some musical elements that really shouldn't work together - most notably some sleazy, rave-era riffs, tasty piano solo and wonky drum hits - but somehow come together to create a really special track. Pete Herbert offers a smoother, cheerier rework to round off another solid EP from the Italian.
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