Review: ISM's tenth anniversary celebrations tend towards the epic, with the Yam Who-helmed label serving up a series of bulging retrospective compilations stacked to the rafters with imprint highlights, dancefloor hits and overlooked gems. This second selection boasts 24 more tried-and-tested ISM classics, from the rubbery disco-funk bounce of Birdee's "Chemistry" and the synth-laden electrofunk revivalism of Qwestlife's D-Train style revision of "Streetlife" by Natasha Watts, to the spiraling Balearic disco throb of Pete Herbert's killer remix of Gemini Brothers' "Jeckermich" and the piano-powered nu-disco-soul of Rocco Raimundo's "Higher Lovin", featuring the smooth vocals of Stee Downes. Other highlights include the boogie-soul revivalism of Sweetooth's "Make Believe" and the hypnotic deep house/electrofunk fusion that is Mark E's fine revision of Heion's "Follow Me".
Review: Lepizig crew A Friend In Need regular serve up compilation style EPs featuring tasty tracks from a select group of like-minded local and international producers. Here they go further, delivering an expansive, 11-track collection that could well be the imprint's strongest release to date. After beginning with a chunk of sparkling ambient brilliance by Afinns, the set flits between deliciously dreamy, groovy and tactile mid-tempo fare (mostly courtesy of slo-mo specialists such as Heion, loop-master 78 Edits, MermaidS, La Tumerie and Buzz Compass) and more peak-time-friendly tackle that similarly fuses elements of swirling deep house, rubbery disco and glassy-eyed boogie. These cuts are particularly potent, with the contributions by Mono & Luvless, Lootbeg and Quadrakey standing out.
Review: In the past Romanian producer Heion (aka Razvan Ghenciu) has dabbled in both disco and house. Here though, he returns from a bit of a break with a new EP, In The Moment, which also introduces a jazzier tone to his sound. The title track kicks things off with laid-back Mediterranean moods - gentle percussion, warm synth washes and jazzy keys tinkling away. Elsewhere "Hot To Trot" ups the tempo and adds shimmering arpeggios into the mix, "Embrace It" meanwhile embraces the live and loose funk bass and finally The Model reworks Hot To Trot into deep trance-tech.
Review: Hailing from Romania, Razvan Ghenciu is keeping on the disco pressure, releasing yet another in a sizzling string of recent EPs. He very cleverly manages to straddle the divide between nu-disco and house: "This Time" is slow, synth heavy Balearica with lashings of melancholia and "Big Fever" is all about the boogie stabs, funky basslines and bongos. Remix-wise it's all about the totally 90s Ruben and Ras New York Kitty mix of the former.
Review: Romanian producer Razvan Ghenciu is going places in the nu-disco universe, having already released on the Los Grandes label, he now returns on Gazeebo International. Perfectly suited to the label's woozy cosmic ethos, this EP is a collection of three exquisitely produced forays into the cosmos. "Plus Lights" is a mid tempo funk workout with a slinky bassline wrapping around gentle bongos, spacey toms and chiming guitar work, "Wanderlust" is a slow and trippy accidental stumble into an exotic sauna scene from an old blue movie and finally "Barefoot" is a lazy, galloping soundtrack to a yacht party at sunset.
Review: Second time around for Romanian producer Razvan Ghenciu's So Much Soul EP, which gained plenty of plaudits on its 2012 release on Los Grandes. Here, the EP's four original tracks get a good seeing-to from some of the leading lights in the 2013 nu-disco/disco-house scene. There's plenty to enjoy, from the darting P-funk synths and classic house pianos of JKriv's rework of "Circus", to the ultra-deep house smokiness of Softmore's luscious version of "Silk". There are some particularly tasty slow jams, too, of which Rocco Raimundo's suitably sleazy remix of "Circus" stands out. Really, though, it's all good.
Review: Having rightly made a name for themselves as purveyors of high-grade goodness, House of Disco continues to churn out the hits. Following hot on the heels of their collaborative compilation with Dikso Records comes another hook-up, this time with Kolour Recordings. Given the similarity of both labels' output, it's little surprise that House of Kolour is a bit of a winner. Musically, it's jam-packed with warm, groove-laden cuts that straddle the line where deep house, disco and re-edits meet. Highlights are, naturally, plentiful, from the shimmering beauty of Debonair's Fantastic Man rework and the funtime bounce of Hystereo's "Choral Twist", to the loopy-but-swinging soul of Sleazy McQueen's "Pretty Baby", and the hustling deep house goodness of Medlar's previously unheard rework of Noodleman's ace "Starlight".
Review: Dynamicron's Los Grandes label returns with another bumper, album-length trawl through the world of contemporary "edits-not-edits" - groovy, hypnotic dancefloor fusions that touch on disco, soul, Balearica, deep house and AOR. Across the 11 tracks, there's plenty to excite, from the dubby slo-mo shuffle of Brandon P ("Mo Lovin") and organic groovery of Heion ("Keep On Hiding"), to the classics-reinvented style of DJ Butcher (the "Wordyrappinghood" biting of "You Don't Stop") and Irregular Disco Workers' booming Balearic dub disco. Best of all, though, is "Bakerman", a cracking Laid Back rework from the talented Get Down Edits.
Review: Having recently impressed with an EP of touchy-feely gorgeousness of Matthew Kyle's In The Woods imprint, Romanian producer Heion returns to Superbreak with another extended selection of slo-mo and midtempo chuggers. Those familiar with his production style should know what to expect: deliciously tactile fusions of deep house, boogie and disco with a starry, soft-focus feel. There's some hypnotic, filter-heavy bump in the shape of the stringy "There Will Be Something", twinkling goodness ("Look Up"), twittering nu-Balearica ("Midnight Talk") and, most impressively of all, some thoroughly E'd-up filters-and-slap-bass action on "Need More Space".
Review: Sydney-based scalpel fiend Superbreak - AKA DJ/producer Kosta Ellis - has achieved something of a rare feat: running a digital-only re-edit imprint that's turning heads. Here, he offers up a flavour of things to come with an extended EP of tracks from many of the label's regular contributors. Heion and 78 Edits provide some groovy, house-friendly groovery, Edinburgh-based B-Jam provides the obligatory soulful slow dance number ("Down Baby"), and Thomass Jackson [sic] delivers a jaunty, darting, delay-laden take on a forgotten disco gem. There's also a heavyweight, filter-laden percussion jam from Brother J and a cheeky rework of "Whole Lotta Love" from Ellis and pal Brevil.
Review: With Valentines Day just around the corner, Editorial changes tack and takes a step into the world of loved-up, slo-mo groovery. It's a smart move. They've got some great up-and-coming producers involved, with Matthew Kyle's pal Joseph Terruel and Aussie moustache man Rocco Raimundo both offering deliciously deep, spine-tingling rubs. The latter's epic, filter-heavy "Looking For You" is arguably one of the best things he's done to date - a sinewy, string-laden disco slow dance that should impress all but the most miserable of disco purists. Heion's "Run" and DJ Steef's "I Can Win" are gorgeous, too, offering loopy, bass-heavy grooves with just the right amount of lip-smacking charm.
Review: With a release on Matthew Kyle's excellent In The Woods EP due to drop shortly, Romanian producer Heion could soon be a weighty name on the blossoming disco/house scene. Certainly, this five-track selection of sample-heavy house groovers shows great promise. They're not disco edits in the strict sense - despite the promise of the title - but rather thick, loopy, groovesome house cuts in the Matthew Kyle style. There's a definite touch of the Tiger & Woods about the hard, filter-happy electrofunk of "Jam Sam", whilst "She Moves" and "Time For Action" bump along in a classic French Touch style - all heavily compressed bottom end, choice disco loops and heady builds.
Review: This time round, fast-fingered re-edit evangelists Editorial have set their sights on breathing new life into dusty, obscure and occasionally much-played soul nuggets. Those with a passion for the dubbed-out, slo-mo end of the contemporary re-edit scene will enjoy 78 Edits' typically hypnotic "Slick" and DJ Raw Sugar's charmer "Barry Me Softly" (yep, the Walrus of Love gets a tweak). If you like your grooves a little more uptempo, you'll devour Disco Tech's delightful "Tight Money" - an unlikely anthem in waiting, we reckon - and Ed Wizard & Disco Double Dee's dubby disco-funk groover "Movin". It all adds up to an impressive selection of well thought-out reworks.
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