LUXXURY (Kitsune, Future Disco, Boogie Angst, Eskimo) makes dance music for adults. Raw, funky bass-lines plucked with grown- man finesse. A mastery of synth native only to those who lived through the late '70s/early '80s. Dust in the glitter that vibrates in the space between string stabs and guitar jabs while the steady pulse and astral effects are beamed in from a cybernetic future Los Angeles.
Review: In keeping with the approach of its predecessors, the fourth annual Boogie Angst compilation brings together "cool cuts" from the past year and a smattering of exclusives and previously unreleased gems. As you'd expect from a label helmed by Kraak & Smaak, it's a genuinely joyous and celebratory affair, packed to the rafters with party-starting workouts. For proof, check the revivalist disco-boogie cheeriness of Titeknots' 'Feels Good 2 Me', the future soul shuffle of 'Treat U Good' by Moods, Noah Slee, Lyriya & Meron, the summery electrofunk sunshine that is Art of Tones' kaleidoscopic rework of LUXXURY's 'Just Like It Was Before', the Rhodes-laden warmth of Kraak & Smaak's nostalgic 'All I Need' and the spiritually-enriching Latin deep house shuffle of Osunlade's Yoruba Soul rework of his Casbah 73 collaboration, 'Let's Invade The Amazon'.
Review: After releases by DoctorSoul, Dave Mathmos and Vibes4YourSoul, Berlin-based Too Slow To Disco are back with number six in their edits series. This one comes courtesy of Los Angeles nu-disco wizard Blake Robin aka LUXXURY, who has built up a solid reputation via his method of using the multi-tracks of classic hits to create dubby/slow-mo versions of classics. On TSTD06, we have "Hello My Love" which is a loved-up and low slung slow burner that's worthy tackle for the late night, followed by the romantic '70s swagger of a well known AOR classic on "Baby Please Don't Go (Oooh No)".
Review: Los Angeles' LUXXURY has long been a masterful creator of the kind of warming, sun-splashed fusions of disco, boogie, yacht-rock and synth-pop that sound like they were tailor-made for soundtracking long drives down the Pacific Highway at dusk. That vibe once again comes to the fore on his glossy, impeccably produced new album, Ambiance, which offers a largely vocal-free, DJ-friendly version of the simultaneously released, radio-friendly 'Alright'. What we get is pretty much the same tracks as that set, expanded to include takes on previous singles and unheard workouts. There's much more reliance on groove and instrumentation, allowing us to marvel at his mid-80s style FM synths, Hall & Oates-esque electric piano motifs, rubbery bass guitars, colourful electronic flourishes and undeniably dancefloor-ready drums. Retro-futurist nu-disco at its finest!
Review: With 23 tracks to choose from, there's no faulting the value for money offered by this summer compilation from London's Slightly Transformed label. Such an extensive tracklist also offers plenty of scope for stylistic variety, with tracks ranging from laidback, groovesome boogie/soul jams like opener 'What Are We Gonna Do' to the mellow Balearic haze of 'Summer In The City', via the strident 80s attitude of 'Edgy', the looping filter disco of 'Something About Love', the authentic-sounding Blaxploitation funk of 'Mac And Carly Go Uptown', the Zapp/Cameo-isms of 'Firebabe' and even a bossa nova cover of Bill Withers. Serve poolside, accompanied by several mojitos, for maximum impact!
Review: Sultry warm disco sessions for the open air this season with this swift four-pack from Paper Disco combi Anoraak & Luxxury. "Fire Inside" swoons a summer disco vibe with Lauren Turk's breathy lead vocals - reminiscent of a certain Linda Clifford circa-79 or pop starlet Kylie (circa-99) - while look to Anoraak original "Up To You" for a percussive, cosmic and instrumental burner. Staccato guitars and drum machine sequences collide with the odd space pong and warehouse sized vocal processing in The Emperor Machine's remix, supported by a straight up free and easy 'Fire Side" instrumental with subtle chorus line. Hot hot hot.
Review: Album number three from Luxxury here. But where their 2006 debut was an electro/indie-dance affair and 2014's 'Luxxury Edits' compiled a load of the hazy, dropped-tempo re-edits they're best known for, 'It's Not Funny' finds them turning in 10 tracks that operate in Nang-esque nu-disco territory... complete with all the glistening 80s pop sheen, analogue synth sounds and yacht rock-ish overtones that description implies! There's nothing especially innovative or ground-breaking going on but fans of the style will find much to enjoy here (even if the falsetto vox can get a little relentless), with standouts including the dreamy, mid-paced 'Hold On' and Scissor Sisters-esque closer 'I Wanna Be Everything'.
Review: York might not be the disco capital of the world, but the way the gang at Alpaca Edits carry on it might just as well be! They've been trotting out world class soul, disco and funk edits for a good while now, and here they deliver the second instalment of their compilation in aid of testicular cancer support. There are 15 quality scalpel jobs this time around, with highlights including the rumbling, evening poolside boogie of "I Need A Drink" by Hotmood, the punchy electro-disco of "Head Lights' by Stephen Richards and the white-hot 70s disco rock of "I'm A Man" Pontchartrain.
Review: Following the recent release of Luxxury's double A-side "Hold On"/"Take It Slow", which featured reworks from J Kriv and Crackazat, Deep & Disco presents four more remixes. Greg Wilson delivers two collaborative versions; an acid-flecked deep house-meets-disco tweak of "Hold On", and a hazy, dubby, stripped-back interpretation of "Take It Slow". Arguably the most impressive remix on the package, though, comes from Aficionado Recordings and Music For Dreams artist Vision of Panaorama, whose version of "Take It Slow" is little less than a sparkling, slow-burning Balearic delight. While it retains some elements from the original - notably the bass, guitars and live drums - the additional synths and electronics are little less than sublime.
Review: Having previously released Orange, Blue, Green and Pink "collections", Eskimo Recordings continues its' colour-coordinated theme with a Yellow compilation. As usual, the collection draws on material from both established names and lesser-known talents, and does a bang-up job joining the dots between hazy Balearic pop, nu-disco, indie-dance and colourful, soft-focus house. While it's all of a high standard, we're particularly enjoying the sparkling dub disco-goes-Balearic flex of Satin Jackets' dub of Du Tonc's "We Can Hold On", the trippy analogue bump of Man Power's "Fisky", the splendid rush of Luxury's baggy disco groover "Breathe", and the camp, Italo-disco thrust of "El Wild" by the brilliantly named Zombies In Miami.
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