Review: Translating to "every time", "Cada Vez" strikes the perfect balance of looking back to look forward. Overwhelmingly big beats and party percussion shuffles and stomps amid well-crafted vocal edits and a background chant-like texture. Hitmaker Michael Grey adds further impact with a beautifully melodic edit. Armed with a big, bold vibraphone lead, we guarantee it will hit the spot.
Review: "If you want a job done properly, do it yourself," they say, but if the job's making disco-house we'd suggest leaving it to Michael Gray instead: he helped define the sound back in the Hustler's Convention days, and 20+ years of experience since have paid off! There's nothing especially new going on here, and Original, Club Vocal, Acapella and Radio mixes don't really take a great deal of explaining - it's just that '24 7 People' (a summer anthem in waiting with a one-line "24/7 party people" vocal) is the Brazil national squad, whereas a thousand sample-pack imitators are merely your local non-League side.
Review: When it comes to celebratory, life-affirming musical positivity, you can't beat Midnight Riot's ongoing "Disco Made Me Do It" compilation series, which gathers together a mixture of re-edits, reworks and original productions from the label's vast roster of artists. At 24 tracks deep it's a bit of an epic, though we can happily confirm that the quality threshold remains impressively high throughout. Our current favourites include the Redux Inc re-edit of Casa Blanco's P-funk flavoured hip-wiggler, "Funk & Dub With You", the rushing, piano-powered house bounce of "Got Me" by Ladies on Mars, label boss Yam Who's sparkling nu-boogie revision of Phil Jaimes' "My Sensitivity" and the deep, groovy '80s soul flex of Chevals' "Thank You For The Ride".
Review: Since launching in 2018, Midnight Riot's gospel-fired "Take It To Church" compilation series has proved hugely popular, hence this third volume of re-edits, remixes and sample-heavy original productions. As usual, there's much to set the pulse racing from start to finish, with highlights including the jazz-funk fired soulful house bump of Opolopo's remix of "Follow Me" by Sense of Sound Singers, the gospel disco/disco-house fusion of Sarah Dash's "Something Inside (DJ Spen & Reelsoul Remix)", the rubbery goodness of Carlton Low's 1980s sounding "Peace, Love, Happiness", the gospel-boogie brilliance of Jack Tennis's filter-heavy "Won't You" and the gospel scalpel science that is Divine Situation's superb "Goin' On" re-edit.
Review: As the year comes to a close, labels are naturally offering up celebratory compilations showcasing their strongest releases of 2019. The latest comes from Midnight Riot, a prolific imprint that rarely fails to serve up the fieriest contemporary disco heat. As you'd expect, the 26-track selection includes a blend of superb original productions (the nu-disco soul warmth of Jack Tyson Charles' "Glory", Alton Edwards sweaty, synth-bass propelled boogie-house gem "I Just Wanna Spend Time With You", the swirling disco headiness of Arthur Baker's "Reachin' Out") and re-edits/reworks (Dr Packer's gospel boogie revision "The Power", C Da Afro's disco-funk slammer "Party Purpose" and the suitably celebratory "Boogie On Time" by Ladies On Mars). As you'd expect, the quality threshold remains impressively high throughout.
