Review: Ten years ago, Eskimo Recordings emerged from Ghent, as an outlet for mix albums from hometown heroes the Glimmers. Since then, the label has gone on to be a leading light on the nu-disco and nu Balearic scenes. Fittingly, this expansive tenth anniversary set was put together by the Glimmers, and features two solo DJ mixes featuring label highlights aplenty. For DJs, the real bonus is the huge selection of unmixed tracks on display, which adeptly showcases the depth and variety of the label's output. Highlights are plentiful, from the woozy Scandolearic vibes of Lindstrom & Prins Thomas and brilliance of early Aeroplane, to the sun-bright dream pop of Hiem, and the bouncing dancefloor groovery of LHAS Inc.
Review: More gung-ho re-edit and rework business from the long-running Chopshop imprint, this time with a distinctly summery feel. As usual, there's plenty of variety, and tried-and-tested reworks that lock classic cuts into contemporary trends. Groove Motion gets things going with a distinctly dubbed-out take on Carly Simon's Balearic classic "Why" - think filters and delay aplenty - before Dave Gerrard delivers a sparkling, loopy dub of "Glow at Night" - all lazy jazz guitar solos, flexible disco bass, twinkling pianos and clipped guitars. Ilya Santana provides some decidedly dubby, quirky early '80s post-punk chunkiness in the shape of the excellent "Boomerang" (probably our pick), before Touchsoul instils some percussive swing and disco-funk sassiness to his late night delight "Mazed Projections".
Review: Spanish nu-disco don Ilya Santana serves up four typically luxuriant, synth-drenched jams on his own Astrolead Recordings label. 'A. Lear_New York' is a slow-grinding shimmer-athon augmented by some plangent rock guitar in the mid-section, 'Going Home' goes full-on Italo/cosmic and gets seriously tripped-out as it progresses, 'Swing Africa' has the chanted Afro-style vocal you probably expect and jazz horns you might not, and finally 'Gone Rock' pushes into that under-explored territory where funk, rock and disco collide. 'Going Home' with its Levan-esque wonkery is the standout, but it's a strong EP all round from this master of the nu-disco game.
Review: Legendary Canary Islands producer Ilya Santana recognised for his constant stream of releases on labels like Nang, Porn Wax and Eskimo returns to Astrolead Recordings for a second release in "Won't Look Back". Merging Italo and baerlic themes with a touch new wave and madchester guitars, Santana sends in a star-sailing synth progression graced by the slightest touches of a cosmic disco, slowed down, made lo-fi and chugged out New Order style by Throne Of Bloods always solid Hardway Brothers.
Review: Hailing from the Canary Islands, disco producer Ilya Santana is the owner of Astrolead Recordings. He has also released on labels as diverse as Nang, Permanent Vacation, Eskimo and even Daniel Wang's Balihu over the years. On the first edition of 'Astrolead Edits Hits' he selects his best re-rubs of disco, funk and rare groove from his back catalogue. There's a Frank Farian vibe on the sensual "Astromachine" taken from last year's Space Delights EP, a neon-lit boogie down vibe on the slo-mo groove of "Fog" and a rather familiar hook on the powerful disco inferno of "Running".
Review: It's time to welcome back Spanish nu-disco veteran Ilya Santana, who has been missing in action, presumed DJing, for the best part of two years. As comebacks go, "Electric Mind" is pretty darn good. Underpinned by druggy, Italo-disco style arpeggio lines and squeezable synth-bass, the slo-mo shuffler's best asset is undoubtedly the wild variety of vintage synthesizer lines that Santana smartly layers on top. The remixes are rather tasty, too. There's a decidedly Baldelli-esque, guitar-laden "Cosmic Western" remix from Rare Wiri boss man Rayko, while label regular James Rod pushes up the tempo and emphasizes Santana's Italo-disco influences on his dancefloor-friendly revision.
Review: Canary Islands disco legend Ilya Santana hooks up with the voice of a generation, Woolfy, for another pioneering release on the Spaniard's label, Astrolead Recordings. Combining an '80s electro vibe with touches of funk and cosmic Italo, the single brings with it a bonus instrumental version and classy uptempo remix for a heavier, industrial tip. Youch! This one's hot.
Review: Spain's 'chunk house' hero Ilya Santana has joined forces with Midlands nu-disco guy Slync for this mutual musical love-in. First up is Santana with the dreamy six minute Italo-disco-meets-Balaeric of "Midway". Slync then takes the track on a much more laid-back trip with plenty of delayed guitars and loops. He then provides his own "Don't Cha", a fluffy handbag house confection, for Santana's remixing hands where it becomes an exhilarating hiNRG odyssey.
Review: All of a sudden, Rayko is getting a little nostalgic. Here, he goes Back To The Roots of his Rare Wiri imprint, offering up brand new remixes of the cuts that appeared on the label's first release way back in 2008. First up, Phunktastike and Julian Sanza remix Ilya Santana's "Instrumental Odyssey". Sanza steals the show with a sparkling Balearic disco re-rub built around his own rubbery electric bass, chugging beats and flowery synth solos. There's a similarly terrace-friendly feel about Sportito's breezy and atmospheric take on Rayko's "White Russian", while Lone Soldier turns the same track into a low-slung, Italo-influenced chugger.
Review: For their latest tidy trip into re-edit territory, Rare Wiri has turned to the undisputed talents of synthesizer-loving nu-disco don Ilya Santana and label founder Rayko. The latter offers up some chunky, delay-laden P-funk thrills in the shape of "Revenge of the Rare Wiri", before returning later in the EP with the eyes-closed rock style guitar solos, thickset synth bass and swirling female backing vocals of poodle perm-sporting mid-80s MTV wig-out "Demons". Santana charges off on an Italo-disco flex on the arpeggio-driven, synth-sporting sleaziness of "Angie", while closing cut "Dreams" is a pitched-down shuffler laden with robotic vocoder vocals, bold synthesizer riffs and more pulsating, arpeggio style bass.
Review: Spanish re-edit hero Ilya Santana is back with more early '80s sounds. This time "Big Foot" has that moody cosmic yacht rock vibe that evokes images of an Alan Parsons-soundtracked drug deal gone wrong in Central America circa 1982. There's a whole host of back-up remixes, all of which brandish Uzis under their rolled up jacket sleeves. Highlights include Rayko's Jan Hammer-meets-Lindstrom jam, the punchy melodicisms of Future Feelings rework and Nelue's spaced out chillwave version.
Review: Ilya Santana, a man whom we can say with some degree of certainty is the Cayman Islands' finest disco export, releases this lovely new EP via Eskimo Recordings. Santana's pedigree is well established - his first ever release came on Daniel Wang's Balihu imprint no less, with subsequent productions seeing the light of day on Tirk, Permanent Vacation and Gomma. He also released two fine 12?s on Eskimo in 2010, namely Burning Jupiter and Erin. "Transborder" is classic Santana tackle - 80s synth work, emotive strings and an immensely pleasing disco thud. Remixes come from two esteemed sources; Minilogue (Mule Electronic, Cocoon, Wagon Repair) and Letherette (Planet Mu, Warp, Ho Tep). For our money it's Letherette's off kilter, twinkling re-rub that resonates the most.
Review: Ilya Santana uses complex structures and enchanted melodies in his music in an attempt to uncover hidden emotions. Having previously remixed The Human League, The Phenomenal Handclap Band and Lindstrom, Santana's first release for Eskimo is "Burning Jupiter," a spaced out, disco tinged piece of electronic. The singles precedes his debut artist album, out later this year.
Review: Two Spanish stalwarts of the nu-disco and edits scene join forces on this two-track EP. As you'd expect from Rayko's Rare Wiri label, the emphasis is on re-edits, though there's enough additional production and contemporary trickery on display than you're average scalpel cut. Ilya Santana steps up first with "Logic", a decidedly cosmic, and trippy re-build of Japanese producer Logic System's 1981 electronic classic "Clash (Chinjyu of Sun)". Rayko, meanwhile, drops "Baby", a similarly dubbed-out and floor-friendly remake of what sounds like a forgotten Italo classic. Knowing Rayko, it could just as easily be something well known put through the mangler; either way, it's one of his strongest cuts for some time.
Review: West Country nu-disco dons Situation are the latest outfit to and compile and mix an installment of Nang's popular Beach Disco Sessions series. Happily, they've dug deep into their crates, putting together a selection that blends back catalogue material from the Nang and Tirk labels (Ruf Dug's quirky mix of Klein & MBO's Italo-disco classic "Dirty Talk", the blissful nu-Balearica of Sorcerer, AN2's overlooked rework of Space's "Carry On, Turn Me On") with vintage material and overlooked gems from a decade of nu-disco (see the early Hans-Peter Lindstrom remix of Fuzz Against Junk's "Country Clonk"). Naturally, there are a few of their own tracks and remixes in there, too, including the deliciously woozy deep house cut "Here Comes The Sun" and a sublime, string-drenched remix of Love/Money's "Strange Kind of Love".
Review: After 12 years in the game, Spanish nu-disco stable have reached the 100-release milestone, and they're celebrating with an imaginatively titled compilation packing eight brand new tracks that have been handpicked by label boss Rayko. Obviously, with eight tracks from as many artists there's a fair degree of stylistic variety on offer, but the emphasis generally is on heavily electronic grooves - sometimes veering into Balearic/coffee table pastures, sometimes served with a darker, more leftfield twist. It's really more of a home listening album than a collection of club cuts, but for dancefloor purposes start with the contributions from Ilya Santana and Sauco...
Review: The Boite Music label arrives with a fresh various artist EP as its introduction taking in a swathe of electrified disco, industrial Italo and body music for the masses. Turning acid techno and heavy rave elements into something smooth and spiralling is Ivan Fanra and "Acid Noise" next to the '80s inspired arpeggios and Lindrum snare slams of Jason Peters' "Along The Road". Molinar & Mijo's channel some Dirtybird-esque bubble and squelch sounds in their track "Sixteen" while Ilya Santana & Rayko are hit up for a synth-waving "Flashlight At 7AM" that cruises next to Sauco's "East End Boys" with some pumping, exotic and instrumental themes. Yeah Boite!
Juan Soto - "Oh Ziggy, Wil You Ever Win?" - (6:44) 113 BPM
Ilya Santana - "Obscure" - (5:08) 109 BPM
Alex Arcocha - "Take Me Out" - (6:57) 126 BPM
Aimes - "Cafe Disco" - (6:55) 118 BPM
Review: As the title suggests, Spa In Disco's latest multi-artist extravaganza is aimed aquarely at dancefloors, though in these times is more likely to inspire bedroom DJs to dance around their kitchens or living rooms. There's plenty to get the juices flowing amongst the eight tracks on show. Check first the rubbery bass, sparkling pianos and summery nu-disco vibes of Future Feelings' rushing "Bold Drink", before turning your attention to the revivalist Italo-disco chug of Sauco's "Orion" and the hard-wired, acid-flecked analogue chug of Ilya Santana's superb "Obscure". Highlights elsewhere on the EP include the revivalist electrofunk chunkiness of Juan Soto's "Oh Ziggy, Will You Ever Win", the dreamy Balearic breakdowns of Rayko's "Jungle" and the up-beat nu-disco cheeriness of Aimes' "Caf? Disco".
Review: Spain's Rare Wiri label bring us their second retrospective label comp, which follows on the heels of last year's Vol 1, and just a quick glance at the artists involved - who include Ilya Santana, Rayko, The Beat Broker, Yam Who? and Ziggy Phunk - will give the initiated a pretty good idea of the quality on offer! Gazeebo's 'Soul Dance' is rooted in the deep funk of the early 70s, Phunk's 'Let It Move You' is a brass-spangled disco-house groover, Rayko's 'B-Nano' has an 80s Italo vibe, 'Whishbone' by Parissior channels late 70s Euro-disco, and so it goes on for six more very playable nu-disco bullets.
Review: Following a fine retrospective of "original productions and reworks" earlier in the month, the Rare Wiri label has prepped another killer compilation to help mark the imprint's 10th birthday. This time round, boss man Rayko has gathered together some of the label's most potent re-edits. The quality threshold remains impressively high throughout, with highlights including James Rod's chugging and cheery disco-boogie shuffler "So Easy", the dreamy deep house throb of In Flagranti's loopy version of "Walking In The Rain", the sparkling saccharine soul/jazz-funk flex of Yam Who's revision of "In Your Eyes" and the pulsating Italo-disco/disco-funk fusion of Ziggy Phunk's take on "One Evening". Throw in a clutch of top-notch Rayko re-edits and the result is an essential collection of floor-focused reworks.
Review: Hearty congratulations to Rayko, whose Rare Wiri label has just turned ten. To celebrate the label's decade in dance, the Spanish producer has put together this fittingly fine collection of archive cuts. It features no re-edits, just original tracks and associated remixes. There's plenty to set the pulse racing throughout, from the Clavinet-sporting crunchiness of Limpdisco's compilation-opening "Moving To '70s" and Spiritcatcher's D-Train style NYC boogie revision of Julian Sanza's "Can't Stop The Feeling", to the jazz funk-flecked deep house/disco fusion of Nowsense's "Smile" and Situation's wonderfully atmospheric electro-acid revision of James Rod's "Disco Rocket". Naturally, there are plenty of Rayko tracks and remixes dotted throughout, including a wonderfully spacey and bass-heavy take on Ilya Santana's "Electrik Mind".
Review: Spanish producer Rayko has delivered some impressive dancefloor magic courtesy of his Rare Wiri label. Ranging from re-edits to deep nu-disco and everything in between, the imprints sound is all encompassing. That philosophy is fully explored here on Retro Future Disco, bringing all kinds of disco approaches to the table. Highlights include the schmokin' 70s jazz-funk of "Hot Head Disco" by Psychemagik, the legendary Il Flagranti's rare re-edit of new wave classic "Walking In The Rain" by Flash & The Pan and the dreamy, star-crossed synth-pop of "In Your Eyes" by Yam Who? Something for everyone here.
