Review: The ever excellently named Danny Was A Drag Queen imprint return to "Chocolate Black Leather" Ajello's supreme collaboration with Hard Ton with this top heavy selection of remixes. Upon original release it was backed with a ton of revisions from Brennan Green, though this remix EP presents a more varied selection with the likes of Discodromo sharing space with the legend that is Q Burns Abstract Message. It's Cocktail D'Amour duo Discodromo who call shotgun with a propulsive italo remix, which contrasts nicely with the kind of breakbeat meets disco flutter of Tempelhof's effort. The brilliantly named Analog People In a Digital World turn in an expansive ten minute techno effort, whilst Q Burns provides both vocal and dub remixes with the loose limbed latter perhaps the pick of the bunch.
Review: With a title like Smells Like A Remix Orgy, it doesn't take a genius to work out that this is a remix album. Specifically, it sees various disco and house starlets stamp their own style onto tunes from Ajello's 2011 album Smells Like Too Cheesy. There are, predictably, some tasty reworks to devour. Brennan Green impresses with a unique acid/electrofunk/Detroit techno fusion take on "Chocolate Black Leather", while Emperor Machine man Andrew Meecham turns "Dreams of Paradise" into an acid-laden electro-disco rinse-out. Those searching for a touch of disco campery should check Discodromo's screaming take on "Chocolate Black Leather", which makes it sound like some kind of long lost Bobby 'O' and Patrick Cowley collaboration.
Can You Fell The Love (Demuja remix) - (6:06) 122 BPM
Can You Feel The Love (Nico Lahs remix) - (6:08) 125 BPM
Tessio (Volksfreude remix) - (6:48) 124 BPM
Happy House (Jakobin & Domino remix) - (7:58) 121 BPM
Yeah Yeah (Ali Renault remix) - (8:12) 120 BPM
Review: Austrian imprint Luv Shack kicks off 2018 with something rather special: a five-track collection of reworks of tracks by wild Italian twosome Hard Ton (the original versions of which can mostly be found on last year's excellent Party Hard Ton full-length). We're particularly enjoying Ali Renault's dark, woozy, stomping and warehouse-friendly take on "Yeah Yeah" (think Carl Craig's more hypnotic techno moments pitched-down and infused with low-slung acid house), though you'll struggle to find a more celebratory house cut than Jakobin and Domino's breezy re-make of "Happy House". Also worth checking are the two remixes of "Can You Feel The Love", with Nico Lah's ridiculously bass-heavy tweak standing out.
Party Hard Ton (Kiddy Smile remix) - (5:36) 121 BPM
Party Hard Ton (Lee Stevens & Audio Red remix) - (6:52) 123 BPM
Never Give Up (ROTCIV remix) - (5:59) 123 BPM
Cold Sweat (Kelton Prima remix) - (6:39) 120 BPM
The Way You Rock (Tomasz Guiddo remix) - (5:34) 123 BPM
Review: Italian group Hard Ton's second remix EP on Luv Shack Records comes packed with five more exclusive reworks. It features Parisian producer/rapper Kiddy Smile, fellow Luv Shackers Lee Stevens and Audio Red and Kelton Prima. Our highlights were "Never Give Up" getting the ROTCIV treatment: the Brazilian producer gives the track a classic mid '80s Chicago styled makeover. The other highlight was the Tomasz Guiddo Remix of "The Way You Rock" which similarly goes stateside, but with more of an early '90s sound: reminiscent of the legendary MK's style of dubs. Released earlier in 2017, Party Hard Ton was about the uniting aspects of electronic music and celebrating the concept of partying. The styles featured on the album were as diverse as the artists involved such as Moralez & Sames, Johnny Woo, Snuff Crew and Spiller. For those that missed it, we'd highly recommend it!
Shine By Night (Perseus Traxx remix) - (6:28) 125 BPM
Review: Italian electro house pair Hard Ton are what we would refer to as 'reliable'. We don't want that to sound boring, because that is exactly what this duo are not, but they've been pumping out consistently high levels of dance music euphoria since the late noughties. Here they return with a remix pack for the Luv Shack imprint, a five-track juggernaut with the right kind of vibes, kicked-off by 2 versions of "Style Ga-Galore", the first by the Gemini Brothers and the second from Andrew Soul. Sebastian Voigt's remix of "Queer Nation" is a bubbling house banger with a chunky percussion flex, wheres the two remixes of "Stumbling" & of "Shine By Night Ft. Snuff Crew" come respectively from Alinka and Perseus Traxx, the second of whom lays down an ultra-slick Chicago throwback.
Review: Hard Ton are a decadent Italian duo who were 'fused...from the musical loins of DJ Wawashi and heavy metal singer Max' nearly a decade ago. They make electronic dance music that is both sleazy and camp and have had releases on labels like Gigolo, Permanent Vacation and Bordello A Paragi. Here they release a 13-track album, Party Hard Ton, on Austria's Luv Shack label and it's a belter. Highlights include their floaty Ibiza-disco Spiller collaboration "Right Now", the otherwordly synth ballad "Be My Spell" (featuring Adriano Canzian) and the nasty jackin' narrative of "Stumblin'" (which features London's own Johnny Woo). Essential party material.
Right Now (Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca Erodiscotique remix) - (6:58) 122 BPM
Right Now (Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca Erodiscotique Dubstrumental) - (6:42) 122 BPM
Review: Following successful flirtations with Bordello a Parigi and Smile For A While, Hard Ton returns to Luv Shack. This time, the Italian duo has got original disco-house hero Spiller (he of "Groovejet" fame) in tow. "Right Now" offers a perfect fusion of loopy, disco-house riffs, swinging deep house beats, and the kind of vocal that should get them going out on the dancefloor. While it's good, the accompanying remixes from Dimitri From Paris and DJ Rocca are even better. Choose between the Italo-house/electrofunk fusion of the Erodisctotique Mix, and the piano-heavy thrills of the duo's Dubstrumental, which sounds like something that would have been popular at the Paradise Garage circa 1989.
Review: Hard Ton are the fun loving Venetian duo comprised of DJ Wawashi and heavy metal singer Max. Soaring falsettos "conjure up memories of smoky dancefloors during the heady days of HI-NRG" and are behind such fabulous titles titles like "I'm Your Machine" and "We Came Here (To Jack)". Their new track "Queer Nation" is a buzzing and grinding all analogue techno jam featuring a massive roll call, name dropping everyone that matters! There's a hot remix by Classic Recordings man man Luke Solomon too, which gives it that early noughties west coast tribal house vibe. Brazilian via Berlin Rotciv steps in to lend a helping hand on the deep acid groover "Style Ga Galore" plus they offer up something a bit more lo-slung and dusty on the deep disco of "The Way You Rock".
Review: Tongue-in-cheek, hands-in-the-air sweatiness is the order of the day as Hard Ton joins forces with Tom Holkenborg (AKA chart-botherer Junkie XL) to present a quartet of remixes of "Triple XL". The Italian duo's in-house "Reshape" leads the charge, with the delightfully camp vocal riding a Rimini-friendly fusion of Italo-disco, disco-house and mid-80s style Pet Shop Boys. Domenico Torti throws mentalist acid lines into the mix on his full-throttle 'House Mix', while DJ Overdose applies the eyeliner for a trip into breakdance-era electro/new wave fusion. Finally, there's a timely reminder of the talents of the late Andreas Gehm, whose throbbing, hard-as-nails acid house re-make is the EP's best moment.
Review: Angular, acidic and packed with party action, Italian duo Hard Ton continue to plough their own distinctive analogue brand of house. A sure-fire hit with anyone who enjoys Trax or DJ Pierre output from the good old days, or Hercules & Love Affair output from the good new days for that matter, each of these tracks pumps with a timeless air of Roland-pummelled funk and falsetto-flecked hedonism. Highlights include the jazzy keys and 808 hi-hats of "Monotone" and the crisp acidic riff on "Rise Up".
Review: Berlin house head Hard Ton returns to the Toytonics label he inaugurated last year with another round of jacking 90s vocal house. "Food From Love" has all the electrofunk tendencies of his last Toytonics release, combining a raw drum machine rhythm with midnight keys and a rising arpeggio which perfectly complements the yearning Bronski Beat-esque vocal. "From Club To Club" meanwhile wears its rave influences a little more explicitly on its sleeve, with a bubbling acid line and neon house stabs popping off in the background, while the pitched down backing vocals offer a subtle contrast to its companion. "Food Of Love" is also given a rather stunningly deep rework by the legendary DJ Sprinkles, who adds his own meandering bassline and latin percussion elements to give the whole thing a welcome bit of swing, before soaring off on an improvised piano line at the end.
Review: New German imprint Toy Tonics launch with panache and style, scooping up the instantly familiar Hard Ton for the hard jacking, high pitched action of the Not Again EP. According to the press release, Toy Tonics' remit is to focus on Berlin-centric artists whose music references 90s house and German electrofunk, which makes Hard Ton an obvious candidate. The title track "Not Again" is a glorious combination of fully primed drum machine funk, rich analogue bass, raved up keyboard stabs, deviating acid lines and of course Hard Ton's singularly unique holler. The ever dependable Snuff Crew are a perfect choice to remix the track, stripping down the melodic excesses and introducing their own unpredictable acid refrain and uber raved stabs to give the track a fresh look. Hard Ton's "In This Moment" throws down expansive keys and pads over rigidly framed "Set It Off" drums and it's given a looser, uplifting, almost 90s freestyle sheen by Dimitri From Paris and DJ Rocca.
Review: New on California's Cordovan label, GSUB's "Hudu" is a sleek UKF/grime banger that will seriously get under your skin despite its relative simplicity. After introducing itself with some tropical snares and tight bass hits, it breaks into a zombified Eastern horn riff which sets about transforming the tune. With the percussion handled just right with Roska-esque clarity, there's little not to love about the original, radio mix and dub versions that make up this very tasty single.
Master Of Disguise (Prins Thomas megamix Of Rodion's Megatron mix) - (10:32) 125 BPM
Master Of Disguise (Lauer remix) - (6:26) 122 BPM
Master Of Disguise (Lauer remix instrumental) - (6:26) 122 BPM
Master Of Disguise (Prins Thomas megabeats) - (5:38) 125 BPM
Review: Here's something to get the blood pumping: a surprise collaboration between Norwegian space disco sort Jarle Brathen and party-hearty Italian twosome Hard Ton, whose productions tend towards the camp, muscular and synth-heavy. In its original form, 'Master of Disguise' sits somewhere between Visage style new wave synth-pop (the Hard Ton twosome providing vocals), colourful Norwegian synth-disco and throbbing Italo-disco. Full Pupp label boss naturally steals the show remix-wise, delivering a killer 'Megaedit' of Rodion's Patrick Cowley and Giorgio Moroder-inspired remix - all pulsating, arpeggio-driven bass, sweaty percussion and sparkling electronic flourishes. Also worth a listen are Philipp Lauer's glassy-eyed Balearic disco rubs (vocal and instrumental variations are available), and Prins Thomas's dub style 'Megabeats' DJ tool.
