Mr. Tea - "J As In Giraffe" (original mix) - (7:30) 120 BPM
Review: Volume 7 in the series but for once we can't really say "you should know what to expect by now" because what this compilation really goes to show is just what an eclectic and diverse camp the long-running Manchester label has become, with tracks on 'Paper Cuts #7' ranging from the near-ambient Balearica of Aniso Tropics' opener 'Apricot Memorex' to the self-explanatory synth-y stylings of La Guardia de la Luz's 'Trance Aleman de los 90s' via the uptempo strut of Jahn Solo's 'Disco'. So all we can really do is point you in the direction of some standout cuts, which for this reviewer would include D.S.D's luscious 'Just Can't Stop' and Benny Pitcher's 'Transatlantic Motion', which is like a little musical nod to the days when Paper comps were called 'Splinter'.
Review: Cal Gibson returns to Paper Recordings with a five-track EP that opens with the laidback, lightly jazz-tinged deep house of 'Late Nites' before moving on into synth-disco territory. 'Bet Its A Groove' is melodic, hypnotic and at times almost hallucinatory, 'Leroy' brings the early 80s electrofunk feels, 'Shivery' looks to 70s singer-songwriter pop for inspiration and seems purpose-built for accompanying Iberica sunsets while finally 'Work It' finds us shifting back slightly closer to deep house pastures. It all makes for very pleasant listening for sure, but it's the dusty title cut with its looped, Georgie Fame-ish vocal that takes the gold.
Review: Slightly Transformed bring us the latest installment in their occasional compilation series, which follows on from 'Summer Numbers 2019' and 'Summer Numbers 2020'. Regular visitors to this page should need no introduction to the respected London-based label, and with the album packing a whopping 26 tracks, there's certainly no space to give you a full blow-by-blow rundown: suffice to say that whether you're a fan of sparkling boogie nouveau, sumptuous string-drenched disco, deep 'n' groovy house, headnoddin' Balearica or any combination thereof, this is a comp you're gonna want to check for. Standouts for yours truly include Kiosko 33's Chuck Roberts-biting 'Theory Of House' and Kristoff MX's 'Funk With Me', but you'll find your own I'm sure...
Review: Paper Disco's 'Trash The Wax' series reaches its ninth installment, meaning you've probably got some inkling as to the kind of leftfield-leaning electronic disco grooves that make up most of the album already. That's not to say there's not plenty of variety on offer, though: Dan Wainwright's Beloved-esque 'Take It Easy', for instance, is quite a long way from the rolling, jazz-tinged deep house of J Kara's 'Talk To Me', and quite a long way again from the cosmic/Italo throb of James Rod & Aleito's 'Raum 909'. Jahn Solo's 'Dance For Me' is the one cut here that could be classed as 'trad-style' - otherwise, this is an album that will please those interested in exploring contemporary disco's outer fringes.
Review: With 17 tracks from nearly as many artists to choose from, you certainly can't fault this nu-disco collection from Rafaell Cancian's Brazilian label About Disco on the VFM front! It's hard to pick holes, too, when it comes to musical variety, with tracks ranging from the rock-tinged funk/soul vibes of Imanol's 'Improv' to the fierce acid meltdown that is Panko Samuele de Santis's 'Caldo Caldo', and calling at pretty much all stations in-between - albeit it's straight-up nu-disco jams from the likes of Jehan and The Secret Soul Society, and raw funkers like JB Boogie's 'Night Drive', that actually work best to these ears. Worth investigating for sure.
Review: Number eight in the series, and do you really need us to tell you that it's an object lesson in how to do 21st Century disco properly? Tracks range from the Kraftwerk/Yello-isms of From Beyond's 'Hypersleep' to Kooky & Damoon's genre-defying 'Confidence Of Ignorance (Dub'), which tops a sumptuous, jazzy funk/soul cut with a liberal dose of acid squelch, and from Jahn Solo's Ecstasy, Passion & Pain-biting piano houser 'Touch Me' to the sleazy early 80s Berlin throb of Brian SNR's 'Hot Shot', with a side-order of syprupy soul courtesy of The Secret Soul Society. Big names may be in short supply here but adventurous, imaginative grooves are not!
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!
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