Review: Not content with presenting us with the action-packed Gold Grooves compilation, the ever-generous Editorial are back with another meaty compilation. There are five new cuts to get to grips with here - Matt Hughes's luxurious tight-funk bass anthem "Solar Boogie", the lazy, lapping ocean beach disco of "Any Damn Time" by Danny Deluxe and the chuggin locomotive rhythms of I Gemin's "How Could It". Elsewhere Jay Airiness brings some Italo-space disco to the table with "Sunshine Grooves and "Public Transit" is slick cocktail-house at its finest.
Review: I Gemin has been busy this year, contributing to compilations and multi-artist EPs from such labels as ISM, Midnight Riot and Editorial. Here the Russian producer strikes out on his own via what we believe to be his first outing on Slightly Transformed. The title track is a great example of his self-proclaimed "intelligent house" approach, combining woozy, sun-kissed soul, disco and jazz-funk samples with occasional filter trickery, a warming bassline and relaxed (and some would say rubbery) house beats. The slightly bolder and more up-tempo "Easy Love" is similarly groovy, with the producer wrapping punchy horn lines, wah-wah guitars, jazzy horns and occasional female vocal snippets above a more rolling house rhythm.
Review: Yam Who's ISM imprint has been in fine form of late, delivering excellent EPs from Alena, Bubblegum, The Drive and Ilija Rudman. Here that run continues, as the veteran producer unleashes an impressive debut album from I Gemin, AKA newcomer Mike Popov. There's much to admire from the off, with "Can't Nobody" offering a deliciously loose and jazzy fusion of pulsating garage bass, two-step influenced beats, lilting deep house chords and evocative vocal samples. Elsewhere, he delivers some Floating Points-esque deep house lusciousness (the superb, boogie-influenced "Private Life") and - best of all - a carnival-friendly chunk of woozy, horn-laden, 21st century dancefloor soul ("Next 2 Me"). Yam Who and Leebo Freeman deliver killer remixes, with the latter's dub-flecked deep house take on "Next 2 Me" standing out.
Review: The latest missive from the Editorial camp is something of a summery treat, with a sextet of producers taking it turns to lay down warm and inviting dancefloor treats, First up is Matt Hughes, whose "Lonestar" joins the dots between eyes-closed deep house and rich, bass-heavy Balearic disco. Hotmood lays down a chunk of horn-heavy, party-hearty disco house, while Massimo Vanoni marinades a sweet, sun-kissed disco cut in several gallons of tasty rum punch. Elsewhere, Sunner Soul works the filters hard on the low-slung disco house shuffler "Good Parts", I Gemin gets all sweaty and loopy on "Disco Fevah", and Andy Buchan does a great job reinventing an 80s synth-pop cut as a saucer-eyed slab of peak-time goodness.
Review: Hold tight for more boozy dancefloor excess from the Editorial crew, a collective of re-editors whose musical output is always worth a listen. The seven-track missive begins with a chunk of electric piano-laden samba/jazz-funk magic courtesy of Nik M, before sometime Hot Digits and Midnight Riot man Frank Virgillio offers a more piano and percussion-laden chunk of sun-kissed Brazilian magic. Labor of Love gets the disco juices flowing via the cowbell-heavy shuffle of disco funker "Like I Do", The Funk District reach for the Clavinets on hazy roller "Baby Got It" and I Gemin smothers a tasty groove in liquid synths and deep house flourishes on "Oh Baby". To round things off, C Da Afro rearranges a warm and groovy electrofunk jam and Rica lays down some colourful nu-disco deepness.
Review: Having recently notched up a sixth year in business, Fingerman's Hot Digits imprint is in a celebratory mood - hence this all-action round-up of recent delights and unheard treats from the disco-loving label. Encompassing no less than 30 tunes, the collection giddily skips between warming beatdown disco (P-Sol's "Walter"), Mark E style slo-mo loop jams (Vigi's "I'll Be There") and glassy-eyed Balearic nu-disco (Picklejam's "Untitled Love"), before raising its hands skywards as the peak-time party-starters begin to appear thick and fast. Highights in this category include the vibrant jazz-house flex of Dexter Jones' "Swing Thing", the bustling boogie re-edit business of Monsieur Von Pratt's "Let's Dance" and the hearty disco-funk heaviness of Chewy Rubs' "Funky Bee Bop".
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: The second edition in Midnight Riot's White Isle-friendly compilation series arrives some eight months after its predecessor, right in the midst of a long Ibizan summer. Predictably, it's a fine collection of steamy, sultry, sun-kissed fare, with highlights including the Rhodes-heavy jazz-funk bliss of Mushrooms Project's "Rivea Corymbosa", the gently dubbed-out dancefloor shuffle of "Kids" by Shelvoy and Hi-Fi Sean, and the loose and loved up haziness of White Elephant's brilliant "Up For Air". Throw in brilliant contributions from the likes of JazzyFunk, Joe Morris, Yam Who, Jon Dorsey and Joutro Mundo, and you have an essential collection of horizontal treats and saucer-eyed shufflers.
Review: The best thing about spring is all the new stuff starts to arrive. Editorial have taken this idea quite literately and have rounded up a whole bunch of fresh new faces and tunes. There are nine fine jams contained on Spring Thing comp, some of the (many) highlights include the sweet and tender boogie-pop of "Good 4 You" by the artfully-punned Serge Gamesbourg, the throbbing bass loops of the sublime "Closer & Closer" and the mesmerising fusion of punk-funk bass and sunshine keyboard melodies on "Brighter" by Dagfest.
Review: London disco house imprint ISN presents us with a compilation showcasing recent graduates of their Class of '16. All the usual suspects are here; and they all pass, with honours! Hosting the ceremony is none other than Yam? Who, compiling the release tremendously with some surefire dancefloor fodder to make it one year to remember, and boy do they ever! There's the sweet boogie down vibes of The Hinge Project's "Brand New Day" and Freekwency's "Something Else On Your Mind" right through to the Italo favoured vibe of Ichisan's "Bela Libujanja" and not to mention sweet nu disco ditties by Joey Dice ("Puzzling Me") and Richard Seaborne ("U Said U Loved Me") showcasing the labels various moods and grooves in impressive fashion.
