Review: Back in 2016, Crackazat launched the Period Works series as a vehicle for productions that explicitly paid tribute to his influences and inspirations, and in particular his love of glossy, musically rich 1990s US house and garage. Four years on, he's decided to gather together the tracks released so far in one place, adding a trio of previously unheard creations and a couple of bonus remixes to create Period Works - The Album. Highlights are plentiful, from the authentic 1970s disco rush of superb opener 'Waterfalls' and the classic Masters at Work shuffle of 'Fire Drift', to the 'Brazilian Rhyme'-goes-piano house rush of 'Fly Away' and the big room US garage bounce of 'I'll Be There'. The included squelchy, synth-laden rework of Sean McCabe's 'Holding On' is also superb.
Review: Undoubtedly the strongest selling point of Z Records' second set of "Dubstrumentals" (largely instrumental remixes to you and me) is the sheer number of previously unreleased mixes on offer. Sure, the quality of the disco and house cuts on show is uniformly excellent but it's unusual to get so many previously unheard treats in one place. There are some genuine gems, too, including a sparkling Hot Toddy nu-disco instrumental mix of Joey Negro's "Stomp Your Feet", an inspired Saison instrumental of Akabu & Linda Clifford's "Ride The Storm" that features two exquisite extended breakdowns, a must-have "Disco Blend Instrumental" of Joey Negro and Horse Meat Disco's "Candidate For Love", and a stellar, proto-house style dub of The APX's "Sweet Surrender".
Review: To coincide with Z Records' 30th birthday, boss man Dave Lee AKA Joey Negro has been sourcing new remixes of classic back catalogue cuts. Here he showcases the latest, which sees Tropical Disco label mainstay Moodena work his magic on the Sunburst Band's "Big Blow", a track first featured on the Lee-helmed combo's 1998 debut album. Moodena makes the most of the original track's low-down disco-funk feel, looping up the original groove, underpinning it with bouncy new house drums and making the most of Lee and company's brilliant instrumentation (think wah-wah guitar snippets, addictive horn blasts, rich electric piano keys and rubbery bass guitar). It's the kind of rolling, rock-solid revision that sounds like it will cause dancefloor devastation every time it's played.
Review: Remarkably, three decades have now passed since Dave Lee AKA Joey Nergo inaugurated his label, Z Records. To mark the occasion, Lee has compiled this suitably epic, 44-track retrospective. There are plenty of big tunes and underground anthems present- see Jakatta's "American Dream", Raven Maize's "The Real Life", The Sunburst Band's "Everyday" and Doug Willis's "Spread Love" - as well as some of the veteran DJ/producer's favourite catalogue cuts and some slept-on gems. Throw in a string of memorable remixes - think Ame's remix of Akabu's "Phuture Bound", Grant Nelson's vintage rub of Z Factor's "Gotta Keep Pushin" and Joey Negro's revision of Patrice Rushen disco classic "Haven't You Heard" - and you've got a brilliant retrospective of one of house and disco's most consistent labels. Don't sleep!
Review: Unbelievably, this much-sampled classic will be 20 years old next year. No doubt there'll be more new mixes on the way then, but in the meantime there's this very serviceable refix from deep house men-of-the-moment Saison. The London duo wisely leave those very familiar sweeping, string-like pads and Ms Clifford's spoken vocal to retain centre stage and concentrate their efforts on the bottom end, supplying a bassline and tough-but-muted drums to make the track more easily programmable for a new generation of DJs...some of whom won't even have been born when it was first released, but let's not dwell on that!
Review: We can think of few DJs more suited to compile a retrospective of killer 1990s house and garage than Z Records boss Joey Negro and Fanatix member Neil Pierce. It's perhaps unsurprising then that this follow-up to Negro's admired 2015 compilation is packed to the rafters with must-have treats. There are naturally some suitably big cuts present - see Kerri Chandler's fine mix of N-Joi's "Anthem" and Todd Terry's rub of Martha Walsh's "Runaround" - but for the most part the selections will be new to all but a small collection of veteran US garage enthusiasts. Our highlights include the riff-powered goodness of Slam Mode's "100% Power", Marshall Jefferson's deep dub of Screamin' Rachael's "Rock Me" and the soulful rush of Donald O's "Everything's Gonna Be Alright".
Review: This excellent collection from Z Records draws together some of boss man Joey Negro's favourite label cuts of 2019, many of which he of course had a hand in either producing or remixing. There are naturally tons of superb multi-track remixes of disco gems old and new (see the versions of the O'Jays, Delia Renee, Tamiko Jones and Double Exposure), as well as fresh revisions of vintage Joey Negro house productions under other aliases (Doug Willis, Z Factor, Foreal People) and a swathe of killer cuts that join the dots between disco and house (Sunkids and Chance, Four80 East and CeCe Peniston, Bobby D'Ambrosia and Michelle Weeks). Throw in tracks and remixes from the likes of Fouk, Crackazat and Lay-Far and you have a superb collection of peak-time-ready workouts.
Shay Jones - "When Love Calls" (E-Smoove's Late Night) - (7:08) 120 BPM
Slam Dunk'd - "No Price" (feat Chromeo & Al-P - Dr Packer extended remix) - (8:06) 123 BPM
Luke Solomon - "Light You Up" (feat Queen Rose & Amy Douglas - Louie Vega Roots mix) - (9:10) 123 BPM
The Lab Rats & The Experiment - "Music Is My Way Of Life" (feat Lisa Millett - The Lab Rats Present The Experiment/Lab Rats Main Experiment) - (8:11) 125 BPM
Copyright & One Track Minds - "Good For You" (feat Angie Brown) - (8:17) 125 BPM
Review: Foreal People is not an alias that Dave Lee AKA Joey Negro uses that often these days, but back in the late '90s he served up a string of singles under the pseudonym. Here one of those singles, 1999's GQ cover "Shake" featuring vocalist David Grant, is given the remix treat by contemporary disco and house hero Dr Packer. His opening "Re-Shake" has a groovier, looser and warmer vibe than Lee's '99 original, being closer to the sound and feel of GQ's 1982 track (albeit with a few choice contemporary touches and occasional dub style effects). Packer's instrumental revision is naturally even more delay laden, though it's more of a straight vocal-free take than a wild late night dub. Either way, it's rather good.
Review: The Z Records crew is off to the White Isle of Ibiza and they want us to dance along at home - hence this fittingly summery selection of celebratory disco and house gems. There are naturally plenty of recent label highlights (see the cuts from Crackazat and JKriv & Adeline) and a swathe of fine tracks and revisions from boss man Joey Negro. Amongst the many highlights you'll find the celebratory disco brilliance of Bob Sinclar, Dimitri From Paris and Byron Stingily's "Love Is The Answer", the boogie/house/soul fusion of Opolopo's colourful revision of "Searching" by Roberto De Carlo and Dyanna Fearon, the soulful house sweetness of Cookie's "Best Part of Me (Unreleased Original Mix)", and Faze Action's epic, solo-laden, jazz-funk style re-make of Raven Maize classic "Forever Together".
Review: When it comes to blending classic disco and bumpin' peak-time house, few can match Joey Negro - a man who has been offering up disco-fied house jams since the early '90s. There are naturally plenty of his own tracks and remixes on "Put Some Disco In The House", an expansive collection of quality disco-house moments, with highlights including the rolling disco-boogie heat of "Put The Music On It (Original Disco Mix)", the chunky, walking bass-propelled "Dancing Into The Stars" (with Horse Meat Disco and Angela Johnson) and a slamming rework of Sessomato's jazz-funk flavoured "Moody". There's plenty of heat to be found elsewhere, too, with standouts including JKriv and Adeline's "Vertigo", Opolopo's boogie-tinged revision of Sylvester classic "I Need You" and the spiraling disco pump of Yam Who and Jaegerossa's "Grateful".
Review: If you missed any of Z Records most potent releases this year, do not fear: boss man Joey Negro has brought together all of the label's best bits on one handy, plus-sized compilation. There's another chance to savour the Escort style Brooklyn disco revivalism of J Kriv and Adeline's "Vertigo", Sean McCabe's smooth and soulful rework of Detroit Rising and Ron Trent's impeccably musically rich remix of Joey Negro's "Distorting Space Time". Synth-fired boogie goodness is also provided via a superb "Unreleased Dub" of Janet Kay's 1980s gem "Eternally Grateful" and a brilliant Joey Negro rework of the APX, while soaring, string-laden disco hits are dotted throughout the compilation. If you dig disco, house and boogie, you need this in your life.
Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from each new album in Joey Negro's "Remixed With Love" series, namely fantastic new revisions of classic disco, boogie, soul, electro and jazz-funk classics created using the original multi-track tapes. This third volume naturally contains a few inspired revisions of well-known cuts - a riotous take on The Fatback Band's "Do The Bus Stop", an astonishing, dubbed-out version of the Temptations' "Law of the Land" and a soaring, life-affirming rearrangement of Patrice Rushen's "Never Give You Up" included - but also some suitably smart tweaks of lesser-known gems. These include a sublime revision of the APX's '80s gem "Loose Yourself To The Groove" and an insatiable take on Mass Production's "Shante" full of jammed-out electric piano solos and rubbery electric bass.
Review: Less than a month after Joey Negro dropped the original version of "Distorting Space Time" - a Lonnie Liston-Smith inspired chunk of intergalactic party disco rich in trippy instrumentation - as part of the vinyl-only Space Time EP, we're treated to a digital edition containing a trio of tasty reworks. Top of the pile is deep house don Ron Trent's sublime revision, which is not only typically warm, woozy and percussion rich, but also makes great use of dub delays and Joey Nergo's spacey FX. Elsewhere, Fouk successfully breaks up the beats on a formidably jazzy and bass-heavy interpretation, while Negro's own "Space Funk" take sits somewhere between luscious turn-of-the-80s jazz-funk and starlit electrofunk. The producer's use of crunchy Clavinet lines and talkbox scat vocals is particularly alluring.
Joey Negro & Horse Meat Disco & Angela Johnson - "Dancing Into The Stars" (feat Angela Johnson -Horse Meat Disco dub Wise vocal Mix- album Exclusive) - (6:41) 120 BPM
Oscar Perry - "Body Movements" (original mix) - (8:28) 131 BPM
The Sunburst Band - "Sitting On Top Of The World" (DJ Meme remix) - (6:53) 126 BPM
Cookie - "Best Part Of Me" (original mix) - (10:11) 121 BPM
Joey Negro - "Must Be The Music" (The original Disco instrumental) - (7:34) 121 BPM
D.C. LaRue - "Do You Want The Real Thing?" (Ron Basejam's Main Rub) - (7:31) 100 BPM
Review: It may have taken eight years, but Joey Negro has finally got round to putting together a follow-up to his superb Backstreet Brit Funk compilation. Like its predecessor, this sequel shines a light on Britain's under-appreciated musical response to the U.S soul, jazz-funk, disco and electro scenes of the late 70s and early 80s. On the whole, the showcased tracks are altogether deeper selections than those found on volume one, meaning obscure highlights come thick and fast. These include - but definitely aren't limited to - the low-slung disco-funk of Rick Clarke's "Potion", the glassy-eyed breeziness of Paradise's "Stop and Think", the footworker-friendly jazz-funk riot of Touchdown's "Ease Your Mind" and the samba-soaked carnival flavours of "Brazeila" by Brazeila. Oh, and a killer dub of Janet Kay's overlooked Brit-boogie classic "Eternally Grateful" that has never before been released.
Review: Joey Negro's "Love Hangover", a brilliant disco-house cover of the Diana Ross classic of the same name, is the gift that keeps on giving. Here, the eight anniversary 2016 re-master is bundled with two brand new re-rubs by Micky More and Andy Tee. They begin with the "Classic Disco Blend" revision, which is notably looser and more orchestrated in tone than Joey Negro's disco-house original, with the duo allowing every instrument used to sparkle at some point in the mix a-la original Salsoul mixer Tom Moulton. In contrast, their "Groove Culture Blend" beefs up the bottom end and loops key sections for a heavier disco-house vibe.
Review: A chilled Brazilian-tinged boogie cut from the recent Joey Negro epic entitled Produced With Love gets transformed into a piano fuelled, peaktime banger by Swedish jazz musician/producer Crackazat. He retains the Latino flavour of the original but 'adds bags of dance floor energy.' Dave Lee has been one of the most prolific producers in dance music over the last three decades and we would highly recommend the album to anyone who considers themselves a fan of proper house, disco or soul music. It features collaborations with such legends as Diane Charlemagne, Linda Clifford and Alex Mills. In addition to remixes of recent heroes of the scene such as Horse Meat Disco and Peven Everett.
Review: Half the fun of each new Ibiza season is the accompanying DJ mix albums that ensue. Here it's the turn of Z Records' legend, Joey Negro, who compiles and selects Z Records Presents Ibiza 2017. With Joey Negro you know you will always get an expert blend of house and disco, new and old. Here we see exclusives rub shoulders with first time digital virgins. Highlights include Dr Packer's thumping edit of "Change Position (88)" by Brooklyn Express, the hazy bass twangs of "Phantom" by A Band Called Flash and the warm electro of "It's More Fun To Compute" by Negro himself.
Review: Influential and prolific, Dave Lee has been one of house music's major proponents of soulful, disco-tinged, vocal tracks. Without question, he was instrumental in its development. Produced With Love is only the second ever Joey Negro album to be released and the first for more than 20 years. It proves that dance music with character still exists and rather than rely on sampling older records, the overwhelming majority of music is newly recorded. Rest assured that there's quite the supporting cast here, on the vocal front: the late great Diane Charlemagne on "Overnight Sensation", Canadian songstress and frequent Nick Holder collaborator Sacha Williamson on "I Recognize" and the legendary Linda Clifford on "Won't Let Go". Fellow London disco dons Horsemeat Disco collaborate on "Dancing Into The Stars" too. The second half of the collection focuses on Lee's impeccable remixes and yes: there is a version of "Must Be The Music" and a track by the inimitable Peven Everett entitled "Love Is Thicker Than Water" alongside several other gems.
Review: While Dave 'Joey Negro' Lee is a man of many talents, it would be fair to say that his speciality is creating impeccable blends of disco, boogie and soulful house. That's exactly what you get from "Must Be The Music (Original Disco Mix)", a brilliantly breezy and club-ready excursion full of slick female vocals, Nile Rodgers style guitars, undulating strings and colourful, boogie style synth flourishes. In some ways, it feels like a slightly more house-centric take on Lee's similarly minded work as part of the Sunburst Band. It's accompanied by a superb dub, where Lee's chosen musicians take it in turns to deliver killer synth and guitar solos over a chunkier, boogie-driven beat. In other words, it's another strong release from the Z Records founder.
Review: Z Records head honcho, Joey Negro, is back with a super sunny party jam, "Stomp Your Feet", of which the "Extended Mix" is a warm and bouncy retro boogie clap-fest. Negro also provides a spicier dub and the Tropical percussion loop-fest "Stomp Your Beats". However it's Hot Toddy's remixes here, a pulsating arpeggiated space-disco rework of the tile track and a fizzy and aquatic "Underwater Dub", that really stand out.
Review: Over the years, Joey Negro has delivered compilations focusing on a wide range of styles and sub-genres, including soulful disco, Italo-house, early U.S disco-rap, and Washington D.C go-go. Now he's turned his attention to electro, the style that did more than any other to inspire Britain's first wave of DJs and dance music producers. This "personal collection" contains a mixture of stone-cold scene classics - Aleem's Leroy Burgess-fronted "Release Yourself", Hashim's scene anthem "Al Naayafiysh (The Soul)" and Dwayne Omar's P-funk influenced "This Party's Jam Packed" - alongside deeper selections such as Kosmic Light Force's brilliant - and hard to find - L.A electrofunk classic "Mysterious Waves", and The Russell Brothers thrillingly intergalactic "The Party Scene".
Review: With the 2016 Ibiza summer season in full swing, Dave 'Joey Negro' Lee has gathered together a bumper collection of label tracks that are currently doing the business on the White Isle. There are few surprises amongst the 28 selections - think swinging piano-house, soulful grooves, sun-kissed broken beat, contemporary disco reworks and synth-heavy boogie-house - but the quality threshold remains remarkably high throughout. Highlights include Lee's glistening 2016 re-rub of his vintage Doug Willis anthem "Spread Love", a deliciously loose and synth-laden Fouk rework of The Sunburst Band, the bad-ass boogie business of Spirit Catcher's "Rendez-Vous", and a killer 1995 rework of Fonda Rae's "Over Like A Fat Rat" from U.S house legend Victor Simonelli.
Review: A UK disco master with almost 30 years experience, when Dave Lee aka Joey Negro presents his selections we all sit up and listen. Here's his take on the year that was and it's brimming with 19 rich and rewarding gems to see us through the holidays. Highlights include the deep gospel shuffle of "Reach Out (Atjaz remix)" by Sean McCabe, the sizzling crackle of camp disco accelerator "Unique (New York Underground mix)" by Danube Dance & Kim Cooper and Pezzner's warm synth funk rework of "Candy Coated Perfection" by Opolopo and Diane Charlemagne.
Review: With Christmas party season in full swing, Joey Negro has decided to reissue a couple of classic jams from his disco/boogie/jazz-funk revival project, The Sunburst Band. Both "Here Comes The Sunburst Band" and "U Make Me Hot" were featured on the expansive live outfit's 1998 debut album, and one of the contained remixes of the latter track - by long-serving smooth groover Yam Who - first saw the light of day on vinyl in 2004. The other remixes, though, are brand new. Fouk turns "Here Comes The Sunburst Band" into a spiraling, toughened-up disco-house smasher, before jazz-leaning producer Daniel Producer delivers vocal and instrumental versions of "U Make Me Hot" that sit somewhere between smooth hip-hop soul and vintage Herbie Hancock.
Review: Hit makers Rodgers and Edwards' mammothly influential Chic songs enjoy one of the finest curatorial salutes from UK disco's most discerning torch-bearer/creator Dave Lee. Digging deep into his vaults and unearthing some of the best homages, references and blatant covers, Negro join the dots and delivers some rarities you may have never heard before. Get lost in the music of She's shiny guitar strumming "Easy Money", freak out to Charanga 76's "Good Times" and get lucky with Van Jones's "Not About That"... Everyone knows about the hits and influence, most of us know how important a role Chic played in sample culture but Negro has gone the extra mile to celebrate some of the lesser known references Chic have had over the years. Freaking great.
Review: Few British DJs have such an instinctive grasp of '90s house and garage as Dave 'Joey Negro' Lee - he was a major player on the scene during the period, of course - so it's little surprise that the Essex producer's recent tribute comp was rather special. This sampler contains five killer tracks from the compilation, including some genuinely hard-to-find gems. Kerri Chandler's frisky, sweaty, and oh-so percussive "Ladbroke Grove" is arguably one of the great man's lesser-known classics, while the FK Groove rework of Mood II Swing and Fonda Rae's "Living In Ecstasy" is a classic chunk of soulful US house that's well worth revisiting. USG's "Ncameau", meanwhile, still goes for silly money on vinyl, and sees Ron Trent effortlessly fuse deep and soulful house with the assistance of Peven Everett (on trumpet, bizarrely) and Anthony Nicholson. All killer, no filler.
Review: It wouldn't be summer without every house label under the sun releasing an Ibiza-themed compilation. To be fair to Dave Lee's long-running Z Records imprint, they've been delivering White Isle-themed collections every summer for many years. Given that their sound - a blend of funk-fuelled grooves, soulful house, tech-tinged anthems, disco re-edits, boogie revivalism and classic US garage influences - is well suited to sun-drenched alfresco parties, it's little surprise to find that Z Records Presents Ibiza 2015 is rather good. While much of the standout material comes from Lee himself under a variety of guises (check, in particular, the Doug Willis jam "Crystal Lover"), there are also top-notch cuts from Sean McCabe, Opolopo and Fibre Foundation, whose cover of disco/boogie classic "Weekend" is simply superb.
Review: Here Z Records boss Joey Negro presents his own take on the everlasting 90s revival. Just like on all his other projects he's dug deeper to present gems the label say may have until now slipped under the garage doors (i.e. haven't yet been granted digital immortality). Highlights of these 26 rarities include Robert Owens' smooth n' sultry synth jam "Gotta Work", the bitchy disco of "Unique" by Danube Dance & Kim Cooper and the raw attitude of Mike Delgado's "The Murder Track". With this fine release, who needs a time machine?
Review: In recent years, Dave Lee seems to have been concentrating on remixes, compilations and side projects. As a result, "I Can Hear Your Body Rock" is, somewhat surprisingly, the first original Joey Negro single for two years. As you might expect, it's a deliciously summery affair that effortlessly joins the dots between piano house, early '90s US garage and '80s boogie. Lee concentrates on the latter on the alternative Serious Mix, which pleasingly sits somewhere between the delay-laden proto-house of Paul Simpson's Serious Intention project, and breezy early '90s house. For those who just want more pianos, Lee also obliges with the sumptuous "Pianohead Dub".
Review: Six years on from launching the It's A Summer Groove series, Joey Negro returns with a fifth selection of sunshine-friendly tracks from the Z Records vaults. While much of the label's output - soulful, accessible, funky and heavily influenced by disco, funk and boogie - could be described as "summery", there's something particularly bright and breezy about the 21 tracks gathered together here. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the smooth disco-soul goodness of the Reflex's recent remix of the Sunburst Band's "The Secret Life of Us", and the terrace-friendly piano house of Shur-I-Kan's rework of Zo & Erro & Phonte, to the vibraphone-laden boogie-house goodness of Rainbow Connection and Taka Boom's "Surrender".
Review: An eight-minute slice of celebratory slinky funk, Do What You Feel originally appeared on this veteran DJs Universe Of Love album. Now it's back in remixed form to keep the party going nicely. This time there are three incarnations - JN Revival's deep and punchy vintage handbaggy vibes, Supernova's bassier stoned acid and the warm funky house joy of Steve Mill's rework.
Review: You probably couldn't find a more fitting remixer for Joey Negro's live disco/boogie combo, The Sunburst Band, than serial re-editor and self-proclaimed "revisionist" The Reflex. Here, he naturally does a stellar job with the parts to a pair of Sunburst Band classics, emphasizing the more traditional elements of the original tracks in his usual trademark style. So, he goes heavy on the cut-glass strings on his superb 'Revision' of the breezy disco-boogie anthem "The Secret Life Of Us", before delivering a slightly chunkier, groove-based "Vocodub" of the same track. Best of all, though, is the London-based Frenchman's version of "Caught In The Moment", which majestically stretches out the intro before turning the original into a sun-kissed, soft focus, soulful house classic.
Review: Joey and his Sunburst pals get the treatment from two well respected men in the form of Ross Couch and DJ Spinna. Spinna takes "Trust Me" back to the mid '80s with lavish analogue synths, 808s and an overall snake-like proto-house sound. Couch, meanwhile, takes "Only Time Will Tell" into a more upbeat pasture with Blaze style piano majesty. Making great use of the strings, both his original remix and equally thumping dub pump with a timeless house soul that could enliven the sleepiest crowd. Perfect.
Review: With a clash of titans such as disco-house-meister Joey Negro and awesome bear-disco London club Horse Meat Disco, a record like "Candidate For Love" was always going to be a top-notch belter, and well, it is! Three versions are supplied too, with euphoric pulse-bass disco and arpeggiated Giorgio Moroder style mixes from Negro himself and a gorgeously seductive slo-mo bump n grinder from the Horse Meat Disco crew.
Review: It's another tight looking instalment on Z Records for legend Joey Negro's Sunburst Band outing - proper music for the body and the soul! You get plenty of action and a load more props on here: "Only Time Will Tell" and "Face The Fire" are both retouched with the lovely Angela Johnson's vocals, whilst Marlow & Truby secure your floor needs with two clubbier remixes. Check Joey Negro's refix too, of course - the man can do no wrong.
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