Review: Pete Le Freq's re-edit series reaches Volume 5, with more cryptic artist names providing cheeky clues as to the sources. 'Day And Night Working' by Son Of Jack is an obvious one (The Jacksons, 'Working Day And Night', 1982), while Salsoul Orchestra's 1975 'Chicago Bus Stop' provides the basis for 'Sheffield's Bus Station' by Sal's Really Big Band. Elsewhere, 'Tried, Tested & Positive' and 'Discovered A Vaccine', both credited to AAS, are a couple of string-drenched, uptempo 70s-style disco stompers with big diva vocals - and were known in a previous life as 'Tried, Tested And Found True' and 'Found A Cure' by Ashford & Simpson.
Review: A stalwart of the UK's deep house scene for over 20 years, Pete Le Freq comes to Alpaca Edits here with four very classy reworkings. Given that the original tracks in question are Skyy's 'Here's To You' (in Vocal and Dub flavours), Smokey Robinson's 'Being With You' and The Jones Girls' 'Nights Over Egypt', you certainly couldn't accuse the man of willful obscurantism when it comes to source material, but all three/four are very well done - especially 'Being With U', which has always been something of a guilty, schmaltzy pleasure for this reviewer and which just got one helluva lot easier to programme!
Review: Known first and foremost as a deep house producer, the UK's Pete Le Freq takes a tour of more disco-oriented pastures on this three-tracker for Rayko's Rare Wiri label. The tracks are essentially re-edits, but there's no five-minute 'loop it up and chuck a 4/4 kick under it' shoddiness here, and you could equally see them as being fresh tracks that are merely 'inspired by' vintage cuts. 'Believe In You' is based on Patti Jo's 'Make Me Believe In You' from 1973, N-Joi's 1991 rave classic 'Anthem' (1991) gets disco'd up on 'Anthemic' and 'Love Is Sweet' sees Anita Baker's 1986 soul gem 'Sweet Love' given a nu-disco makeover.
Review: Multi-track maestro Pete Le Freq is back with a third selection of hot-to-trot reworks created using original vocals and instrumentation from a range of disco and boogie-era cuts. He successfully teases and filters out the Jackson Sisters on "Refreq'ed Miracle", before putting his stamp on Phreek's Patrick Adams-produced Paradise Garage anthem, "Weekend". He then delivers two storming cuts based on Dan Hartman's "Relight My Fire": an extended instrumental ("Pete's Got Vertigo") and a sing-along version with added Loleatta Holloway ("Relight Dan's Fire"). Elsewhere, he successfully tampers with a Salsoul classic ("Twenty Percent") and sticks a bouncy house beat beneath a string-laden disco classic ("Luv Town").
Review: Alpaca Edits heavyweight Pete Le Freq continues to make merry with the multi-track tapes of dusty disco, soul and electrofunk classics. This second selection of "freak-outs" is every bit as on-point as its predecessor, with the self-proclaimed "Freq" sprinting through the soaring disco-soul brilliance of "The Playa" before slinking into '80s soul/AOR pop mode on the dreamy and quietly groovy "Any Further" (a period 12" Dub style revision of a well-known radio favourite). Elsewhere he tampers with Janet Jackson's Jam and Lewis produced classic "What Have You Done For Me Lately" with typically impressive results before successfully "talkin' about bad girls" on punchy rework "Naughty Girls". Best of all, though, is "Let No Man", a loose and life-affirming edit of one of the greatest disco records of all time.
Review: Right now it seems like a week doesn't pass without the release of a new re-edit EP from Pete Le Freq. While it's not that surprising - the disco edit scene is full of prolific rework merchants - what is eyebrow-raising is the way that the Alpaca Edits regular is able to keep the quality threshold impressively high. For proof, check the glassy-eyed yacht rock/AOR disco-soul brilliance of "Before", the all-action, slap-bass and string-laden disco heaviness of "Stompy McStompface" (this week's most humorously titled re-edit), and the filter sporting, dub disco style "Boo Ghee Nights", where one of disco's most famous cuts gets a tidy 21st century makeover.
Review: We'd like to think that Pete Le Freq completed these glassy-eyed '70s and '80s yacht-rock edits while dressed in suitable attire, specifically a pastel coloured, loose fit jump suit and boat shoes. Sadly, he probably didn't, but happily his "rewinds" will suit all those yearning for a bit of warm, sun-kissed positivity. Our pick of the bunch is "Say", where a string-laden classic from blue-eyed soul maestro Boz Scaggs is gently tooled up, dubbed-out and rearranged for maximum dancefloor impact. Elsewhere, "Yah Mo" is a tasty version of an eyes-closed, synth-laden '80s soul/yacht rock classic, while "Puddin' & Pie" is a groovy, occasionally echoing version of soft focus Toto classic "Georgy Porgy" that's just crying out to be rocked on an Adriatic boat party.
Review: Alpaca Edits founder Pete Le Freq is on a roll at the moment, with a string of high-grade EPs still to drop in coming weeks. "Burnin" is the first of these and is every bit as essential as the producer's previous edit EPs. He starts in confident mood offering up a groovy, subtly beefed-up revision of a Gwen McRae classic that wisely gives dcue prominence to the original track's killer bassline. "Turn Your Love" sees the friendly Freq get busy with filter tricks on a breezy version of a 1980s George Benson favourite, while "Dreamin' The Dream" is a driving, low-slung revision of a powerful disco-funk workout. Arguably best of all, though, is "What About Nile", a gently breezy, filter-sporting slab revision of a sleek, chic and lovelorn disco classic.
Review: Pete Le Freq is Alpaca Edits and Llama Farm head honcho, serial re-editor and reworker of soul funk and disco. Here he presents three respectful edits such as "L.O.V.E." where he delivers a lo-slung and funky affair: Greek style, no guesses who he resplices on "Shake It Up Cheryl" - it's an oldie but indeed a goodie. There's also a 1979 British soul classic thats given a nice modern revision here on "One More Step" - timeless stuff! Pete's been djing for the last 20 years, has played all over the UK and Europe, spinning with the likes of Inland Knights, The Littlemen, Soydan, Cagedbaby, DIY, Matt Shrewd and loads more. His productions have taken elements of disco, soul, funk and jazz with a large dose of wobbly bass and blended them all together in a deep house smoothie.
Review: Pete La Freq is a Cambridgeshire DJ that heads up Alpaca Edits and its parent label Llama Farm. On "Freq Show" be prepared for a Cameo sounding, neon-lit boogie funk edit that could well have been on the soundtrack to classic '80s films like Beverly Hills Cop or Action Jackson. And that P-funk bassline, manalive! Next up he serves up some lo-slung, deep disco business on "Stuff" that goes for that late '70s NYC kind of vibe. Finally "Changing Transport" is the kind of feel good and sunny 'respectful edit' that will appeal to fans of other equally lauded disco Stus of the moment - such as Perth's Dr. Packer or The Noodleman from Toronto. This follows up some awesome releases on the label in recent times, from the likes of Andy Buchan, RockNRolla Soundsystem and the charmingly titled C Da Afro.
Review: If you dig Masterworks Music's celebratory, feel-good approach to disco re-edits and reworks, we'd advise picking up this bulging, 26-track collection of killer cuts from the label's recent past. It begins with a superb disco-funk cut-up by The Funk District and ends with a smooth, rolling and glassy eyed boogie-era disco revision by Saskin S that's almost worth the admission price on its own. In between, you'll find a swathe of superb revisions from some of the edit scene's finest - South Beach Recycling, Hotmood, Chewy Edits and Dr Packer included - with the selected tracks variously touching on electrofunk, boogie, P-funk, Latino disco and super-sweet '80s soul.
Review: We should probably think of this tasty compilation as an early Christmas present from Danny Worrall's Masterworks Music imprint. Removing the gift wrap reveals a veritable selection box of disco, boogie and nu-disco treats. Worrall kicks things off with the wiggly synth lines and looped grooves of "What Would You Do" (a re-edit of a well-known, singalong synth-disco anthem) before handing over the reins to a succession of well-regarded re-editors and producers. Highlights come thick and fast, from the sax-laden disco-house bounce of Hotmood's "This is How I Do" and the Clavinet-sporting disco-funk throb of the Funk District's "Holiday Bounce", to the soaring peak-time disco of Downunder Disco's "Party Down" and Chewy Rubs' cheeky, Moodymann-meets-Todd Terje loop jam "Future Love".
