Review: It's that time of year when label compilations arrive by the truckload, but this Midnight Riot collection is definitely one that stands out from the herd, because it packs more bullets than a Gatling gun! Leading the charge for yours truly is Yam Who? & Rikky Disco's 'Set Me Free' with its romping house pianos, fat-ass b-line and absolute killer of a jazz-like female vocal, but not far behind come Da Lukas's 'Drop The Funk' (which bites Diana Brown & Barrie K Sharpe's early 90s classic 'The Masterplan'), Domino DB's gospel-infused soulful house anthem 'You Got The Love', The Love Doves' strutty 'Sistahood', Brian Lukas & Suki Soul's Inner City-nodding 'Back Together' and, well, you get the idea! A disco, nu-disco, disco-house and boogie delight.
Review: Midnight Riot's ongoing 'Disco Made Me Do It' compilation series reaches volume seven. Like its' predecessors, the 20-track set prioritises fun and frolics, blurring the boundaries between disco, electrofunk, nu-disco and house via a mixture of unreleased cuts, high-grade remixes, exclusives and familiar favourites. There's naturally tons to get the blood pumping throughout, with the many highlights including Opolopo's deliciously squelchy, sun-soaked and soulful take on Danny Kane and Princess Freesia's 'I Love The Way You Do', Yam Who's fantastic, early '80s disco style rework of Bazza Ranks and Venessa Jackson's 'Talk Is Cheap', the synth-heavy nu-disco perfection of Sammy Deuce's 'Give Me Love', and the low-slung, party-starting brilliance of Brothers In Arts' 'We Got The Funk', featuring the distinctive vocals of Freakpower's Ashley Slater.
Review: An in-house three-way here as Midnight Riot boss Yam Who? teams up with his partner-in-crime Phil Rose AKA Jaegerossa (who runs the Black Riot sub-label) and regular collaborator Rebecca Scales, whose tonsils have graced several previous Midnight Riot releases. The resulting track is exactly the kind of uplifting Saturday night disco-houser you'd expect and is served in three mixes: DJ Mark Brickman's will pack the most punch on commercial floors but these ears are drawn to the slightly smoother, sultrier Original Mix, which comes with a matching instrumental and which will be the better bet in the more soulful spots.
Review: If dancefloor-oriented soulful/disco house and nu disco are what float your boat then this latest V/A from Midnight Riot is one you'll want to check for sure. Volume 6 opens with the beefed-up 70s groove that is Yam Who?, Jaegerossa & Suki Soul's rework of Stargard's 'Wear It Out' (as sampled on Pete Heller's 'Big Love') and closes with some pure boogie sweetness from SequenceProgram & Mishell Ivon, while in-between you'll find the hazy, lazy Balearic pianos of Luca V1's 'Take Me On', peaktime disco stompery from Natasha Kitty Katt, uptempo flute-fuelled funk from C Da Afro, the marriage of Caron Wheeler's tonsils and some killer disco stabs on 'Keep On Shining' and, well, you get the idea! Essential stuff for glittered-up groovers on mirrorball manoeuvres.
Review: Here's an EP that's almost a fully-fledged supergroup in its own right, as three very well-respected producers from the contemporary disco scene - Andy Williams AKA Yam Who?and UK duo Jaegerossa - join forces, and draft in accomplished vocalist Brian Lucas on tonsil duties. What they've come up with between them is an uplifting peaktime soulful/disco houser that'll go down a storm at the likes of 51st State and Vocal Booth Weekender, while for a more authentically 70s sounding pass you can head for the Live From Philly Mix. Radio and instrumental rubs complete the package.
Review: This latest collaboration between Yam Who? and Jaegerossa comes in three mixes, and between them should find its way onto a range of floors. The lead Yam Who? & Jaegerossa Remix is the one for the soulful/disco house floors, with a top-drawer vocal from Ms Wallace, lavish strings and a Joey Negro-esque exuberance. The Boogie Remix, unsurprisingly, takes us into boogie territory and sports a fat, squidgy bottom end to match, but perhaps more impressive is the Retro Soul Mix, an altogether more organic-sounding pass that could easily hold its own alongside the likes of the Dap Kings et al.
Review: Given the success of their previous joint single on Z Records, "Grateful", we know that Yam Who, Jacqui George and Jaegerossa are natural collaborators. Predictably, they've hit the mark again with this heavy, peak-time ready cover of Francine McGhee disco classic "Delirium". They've replicated many of the original's most potent features - think jammed-out electric piano riffs, heady vocals and wild synth solos - whilst updating it a little for house-centric contemporary dancefloors. The accompanying remixes are rather good, too. First, '80s Child and Ruff Diamond offer up a warmer, looser and breezier disco revision that adds a little more synth-heavy electrofunk flabvour, before Danny Russell and Ronald Christoph brilliantly strip the track back and emphasize the killer bassline on a superb disco-house take.
Review: Re-edit veterans Yam Who? team up with Preston soulful/disco-house duo Jaegerossa for this EP on Dave Lee's Z Records label, with two mixes of 'Grateful' on offer. The Original is quite a happy-clappy affair, sporting a gospel chorus and a lead vocal from Jacqui George while brass and strings help to keep the energy up. The accompanying Tweaked Mix isn't hugely different, truth be told, but does strip the sound palette back a little to let the percussion shine through. Expect to be hearing this a lot in the specialist soulful house clubs for the next little while...
Review: It may be detox January for some, but for Yam Who, it's champagne o'clock as he sees his label series reach its tenth volume. There's a mind boggling 27 tracks featured here, a veritable smorgasbord of deliciously disco tuneage. Highlights include the chaotic hiNRG of Seamus Haji's "ReLoved", the tough, but soulful, jacker "Many Lovers" by Judge Funk and the smooth, synth-boogie of "Takes Me Out" by G Prajekts.
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