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: It's been over 15 years since this writer was one of 100 or so who gathered in a sweaty, low-raftered Amsterdam basement to witness the live debut of Dutch funk and disco hopefuls Kraak & Smaak. Since then, the young pretenders have gone on to become true elder statesmen of the scene - which is another way of saying that you just KNOW the quality bar on this latest collection of contemporary disco, funk and boogie grooves is going to be set high. There's no room here to go into all 24 tracks one-by-one, but with contributions from the likes of Ben Gomori, Flevans and Hotmood alongside a host of more up-and-coming names, suffice to say lovers of the aforementioned styles will not be in the least bit disappointed.
Review: US producer Blake Robin AKA LUXXURY first emerged with a string of "unofficial remixes" of everyone from Duran Duran to Kiss back in the early 2010s. But original productions soon followed on the re-edits' heels, and so here we are nearly a full decade later with his latest outing 'Alright', a shimmery, shiny, female-vocalled nu-disco workout that should appeal to fans of artists such as Escort and Sare Havlicek. The track's supplied in five mixes, but as they're all fairly self-explanatory takes from Robin himself (Dub, Ambient, Instrumental, etc) there's not really much more to tell you, is there?
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: Los Angeles-based producer LUXXURY returns with a new full-length album. Alright sees the talented producer (real name Blake Robin) experimenting with funk, synthpop and instrumentals across 11 songs which "are are all infectiously rhythmically-oriented while exploring new disco directions". Highlights include the neon-lit seduction of opening cut "What Are We Gonna Do?", the low slung and hypnotic dancefloor heater "Somebody Tonight", as well as the late-night boogie-down vibe of "Midnight Special" and the sunny and uplifting, open-air feels of "Set Me Free" (Song for a Person Walking Away) that's just perfect for this summer season.
Review: Los Angeles-based producer Blake Robin aka LUXXURY is back with "I Need Somebody", a rework of his previous single "Somebody Tonight" that's also included on this EP. Proper late night mood music if we've ever heard it, this deep disco house number features Robin's yearning vocals. The long hot summer nights continue with the equally sensual "Let's Stay Together" with its neon-lit synths and funky guitar licks underpinned by crisp beats, and ending with the low-slung heater "Midnight Special". "Buy it or risk being a laughingstock at the pool this summer" as the label put it best themselves.
Review: If you're looking for your fix of glittering, Nang-esque nu-disco then we'd heartily recommnend that you check out this two-track offering from Nolita label regular Luxxury. 'Somebody Tonight' has those shimmering 80s vibes in spades, and would be the ideal soundtrack for cruising around a marina in San Tropez with the top down - fans of the likes of Ilya Santana or Sare Havlicek are gonna love it! But its the deeper, more sensual 'Midnight Special' that takes the gold for this reviewer, thanks to the efforts of the seriously hefty funk bassline that takes centre stage throughout.
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'.
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