Review: A treat for Mitiko fans this week, as the Montenegran nu-disco stalwart serves up an EP for Tonbe's Disco Fruit label that packs a whopping seven cuts with nary a duffer in sight. The title track is a languid jazz-funker that makes extensive use of the titular FX unit/instrument, and sets the tone nicely for an EP that starts out in funk and disco territory (with the wigged-out 60s organs on 'Best Thing' a notable highlight) then veers into housier pastures as it goes on, before dropping the tempo once more for 'Gone Away For Good' and 'Electronic Rhythm', the latter's piano licks and jazz trumpet bringing the EP to a very classy close.
Review: Montenegro's Sasha Mitich takes a slightly unusual approach on this latest re-edits EP, in that all four tracks coming under the scalpel appeared originally on the same album, namely Quincy Jones's 1974 long-player 'Body Heat'. 'The Grinder' was originally 'Boogie Joe The Grinder', 'Buffalo Soldier' revisits 'Soul Saga (Song Of The Buffalo Soldier)' and 'One Track' reworks 'One Track Mind', while the Minnie Ripperton- and Leon Ware-vocalled 'If I Ever Lose This Heaven' becomes 'If You're Foolin'. With musical backing from the likes of Herbie Hancock, Richard Tee, Bob James and Larry Dunn, do you really need us to tell you how good this is?
Review: I've no idea whether Mitiko actually intended the title of this seven-track offering to double as a 'serving suggestion' but it certainly works as one, as the Montenegran disco stalwart gives the dancefloor stompers a swerve and turns his energies to ploughing a much more laidback furrow. The shimmering piano chords and lazy, low-slung b-line that kick off 'Only Yours' set the tone for an album that seldom gets above walking pace but still manages to cram in nods to a wide range of influences - see, for instance, 'Phase One''s genius marriage of a Phuture vocal snip to some superbly smooooooooooth jazz-funk geetar licks, and was that a cheeky James Ingram bassline too? File under mellow horizontal loveliness.
Review: Three varied cuts make up this latest EP from Montenegran nu-disco stalwart Mitiko, coming on Tonbe's Disco Fruit. The EP opens with 'Turbo Flop', a moody, atmospheric affair with an undulating main synth riff that's similar in cadence to a Native American chant, and that's augmented from around the 1:30 mark by plangent electric guitar. 'Kaskazi Muziki' is a more uptempo cut with a plinky-plonk synth hook, fat funk bass and a male vocal in an unidentified language, and will work on house and disco floors alike, while the slow-grindin', Hammond-flecked 'Running Into You' drops the tempo once more and takes us a little closer to traditional funk/soul pastures.
Review: The titles here might suggest a re-edits EP but rest assured the five tracks ARE actually original, albeit sample-based, productions. 'Step Off The Train', for instance, does indeed bite EBTG's 'Missing' as you'd expect, but simply takes a two-line vocal snip and loops it up over a slo-mo grinder that sits right on the deep house/nu-disco cusp, while 'Oops Upside' is another house/disco fusion that draws not on The Gap Band but on a female-sung cover thereof. So let's not worry about sources and inspirations and just say these are five classy midtempo groovers that'll suit more discerning nu-disco floors down to the ground.
Review: The 70s force is strong in this one... listen to this latest full-length collection from Montenegran producer Sasha Mitich, AKA Mitiko, and you may have to remind yourself, as this writer did, that you're actually listening to a brand new album and not a set of re-edits! There are no spangly Nang-esque synths here, no wonked-out Italo-cosmic excursions, just seven slabs of fat-assed funk ('Real Nasty'), lavish disco-soul ('Thank You For Tonight') and, perhaps most interestingly, a couple of tracks ('Lay Down On Me', 'Universal Love') that lean towards a mellower, more 'crossover' style ? la Bill Withers or The Bellamy Brothers.
Review: Montenegrin producer/re-editor Sasha Mitich, better known as Mitiko, has been extremely prolific since emerging onto the scene around five years ago, reliably turning out a new album-length EP every few months - which has left him with a rich back catalogue to plunder for this 'best of' compilation. Most of the tracks here would appear to be re-edits rather than original productions, but if so then he's dug admirably deep - there are reworks of cuts by Sister Sledge, Janet Jackson and Kool & The Gang ('Celebremos' was the band's own Spanish-language version of 'Celebration'), but most of the other source material escapes us. Which, of course, just makes this set sound all the fresher!
Review: For his last outing on Disco Fruit, Montenegro-based Mitiko served up some "Naughty Things". On his return to the label, he's decided to share his "Beach View". It's a fine vista which naturally comes accompanied by the kind of warm, sun-kissed re-edits that will sound suitably saucy blasting out of the windows of locked-down houses this summer. Highlights are plentiful, from the low-slung, delay-laden Stevie Wonder revision that kicks things off ("Come Back Once More"), to drowsy, synth-laden jazz-funk-meets-electrofunk goodness of "To The Boogie Found", via the grandiose disco stomp of "How Sweet It Used To Be" and the pitched-down, R&B-goes-house warmth of closing cut "How I Feel".
Review: Fresh from the market, Disco Fruit offers up a suitably large pallet of juicy re-edits, tasty revisions and sun-ripened reworks. As you'd expect, there's plenty to get your teeth into from start to finish. Our highlights include the fuzzy 21st century disco-funk of Brian SNR's "Down For Some Loving", the bouncy, synth-bass-propelled funkiness of C Da Afro's "Music Is Love", the sleazy sweatiness of Frank Virgilio's flash-fried "Thick As A Brick (The ReThink)", the throbbing goodness of Loshmi's Italo-disco/80s rock revision "Palm Springs", the mid-tempo disco bliss of Mitiko's "It's Over, It's Over" and the disco-house bump of Tonbe's "Make It Last Forever".
Review: Montenegro's own disco don Mitiko clearly isn't a subscriber to the "less is more" theory: since 2016 he's put out no fewer than nine albums, all on Disco Fruit, and now here comes number 10. Don't expect any huge, groundbreaking innovation here: faithful homages, not sonic experiments, are Mitiko's stock-in-trade. But from the chuggy, laidback 'Nights Near The Fire' to the 80s boogie of 'Having Any Doubts' and 'Standing On The Line', and from the jazz-funk groove of 'On The Rock' to the unabashed cheesy/novelty vibe of 'Bad Man Of The West', it's all well executed and authentic-sounding, making this an enjoyable listen all the same.
Review: Get ready to boogie till you drop as Montenegro-based scalpel fiend Mitiko offers up a seven-track selection of lightly beefed-up re-edits. There's plenty of tried-and-tested fun to enjoy, from the chugging, synth-sporting disco-rock antics of "Boogie Till We Drop" and the surging K.I.D rework business of "I'll See It Again", to the low-slung swamp funk sleaziness of "Music Is Her Lover" and the rubbery boogie-soul goodness of slap-bass sporting workout "Won't You Blame Me". Wisely he's included a smattering of superb slow jams, too, with the '80s soul shuffle of "Out Of The Night Time" and slow disco groover "It's Over, It's Over" standing out.
Review: Mitiko's last outing on Disco Fruit, September 2018's "Easy To See", was a particularly expansive and action-packed set. The prolific, Montenegro-based producer seems to have simmered down a little, because this return to Tonbe's popular imprint contains just three tracks. Crucially, though, they all hit the spot. First up is the groovy, electric piano-laden dancefloor sweetness of "You Make Me", whose elastic bassline and fizzing nu-disco synths catch the ear. "Staring Into Blackness" is a slow disco-house chugger built around heavy bass guitar and Meters-style Hammond organ licks, while "Should I Go Now" sees our hero wrap snaking sax lines around another sumptuous, slow-motion groove and suitably Balearic acoustic guitar flourishes.
Review: Montonegro's Mitiko is one of the nu disco's scene's more prolific producers, releasing regular missives - most notably expansive EPs - on Tonbe's Disco Fruit label. Here he returns to action with another bumper crop of tried and tested reworks. This time round, his inspiration is guttural funk and heavy-duty dancefloor soul, with each slo-mo and mid-tempo revision coming with lashings of raw-throated vocals, bustling Blaxploitation guitars and weighty grooves. Highlights include the horn-heavy disco-funk/funk-rock fusion of "My Shoes", the sweeping, dewy-eyed disco sentimentality of "Easy To See", the Southern fried thrust of opener "Get Me Some Lovin" and the fiery funk-rock grit of "It Ain't Funny", which boasts some seriously intense guitar solos.
Review: More seriously sensual material from Montenegro's Mitiko. "Blue Cab Adventure" hits with a west coast feel, all warm synths and neo soul feels. "Every Street Brother" takes us straight to the heart of Chicago with a steely sense of funk while "Money Money Money" hits the money spot with a deep driving slo-mo 4/4 stamp that really gets under your skin and makes your body thrust in ways you didn't think were possible. Shake your money makers!
Review: You can tell that nu-disco don Mitiko was never a really a fan of singles just from examining his own output. This chap likes his releases to be jam packed with tunes, usually releasing long extended plays/mini-albums on Tonbe's esteemed imprint, Disco Fruit. Particular Groove is no different: boasting a whopping seven tracks, there's plenty to get your teeth into here. Highlights include the triumphant soul chant "Its Not Over", the filtered elastic funk-house rhythms of "Particular Groove" and the swishey and deep poolside vibes of "Waiting To Meet".
Review: Two years on from his last appearance - a co-production credit on Bra Zil's "Gaeira" on Smilax - Mitiko pops up on Disco Fruit with an eight-track edits E.P. He's clearly been spending plenty of time hanging out in the summer sunshine, because "Soul Baby" is packed to the rafters with groovy, laidback gems that sound tailor-made for hazy afternoons and sultry sunsets. Highlights come thick and fast, from the chopped-up, hip-hop style production and slick guitars of "Let U Know", to the sumptuous, string-drenched disco shuffle of "As U Grow Up", via the effortless jazz-funk bliss of the title track. Check, also, the energetic builds of "Cure For This", a tasty rework of Diana Ross's much re-edited disco classic "Love Hangover".
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