Review: Dutch culinary dabbler Niles Philips is back with an album that compares his remix skills to his cooking abilities. Compiling a selection of his finest reworks of artists such as Afternoons In Stereo, MustBeat Crew, Timewarp Inc and Trotter, he certainly serves up a tasty big beat buffet. Highlights of the 14 tracks include the bluesy afternoon haze of "Passion", the electronic spikiness of Latin lounge classic "Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps" and the hip-house/ ska-hop party anthem, "Cop Dat Shit".
Review: We're not quite sure why this German funk meister is so enthralled by lime sorbet in particular (other than that it tastes nice), but that is what he has chosen to dub his popular mix series. This third installment packs in a hefty 18 tracks and is available both as a continuous mix and as individual tracks too. Highlights include the mini Moog workout of QZ's remix of James Beige, the high-energy riff-o-rama of "Monsterjam" and the effervescent disco-funk of "This Sound".
Review: Timewarp man Angelos Stoumpus is a hard man to second-guess. He has a passion for turning his hand to different - if complimentary - styles, regularly switching from electro, funk breaks and disco to deep house, downtempo grooves and even dusty ambient. On his latest album-length excursion, Stoumpos effortlessly joins the dots between warming house, intergalactic jazz-funk, dark and spacey percussion workouts, acid-fired techno-jazz, trance-inducing space disco and grandiose ambient techno. It's an unusual but hugely entertaining fusion of sounds and styles, with highlights including "Into The Drum (Fast Version)", "Hukuro" and the sweaty "Morning Drums (Remix)".
Review: With a back catalogue that goes back two decades, Timewarp aka Angelos Stoumpos is a hugely experienced producer. However, for his latest release, he has sifted through his old tapes to deliver unreleased material from the late 90s. Despite the passage of time, these tracks have aged well; "DarkOff" is a dusty break beat affair, littered with repetitive vocal samples, while on "Phatmatic", he explores the kind of loose beats and low-slung bass that would previously been called trip-hop. Further showcasing his versatility, "Second Quest" is a moody, tranced out breaker, while on "Jazzpie", he delivers a chugging, Rhodes-heavy groove.
Review: After digging through his old backup files, Mister Timewarp (aka Angelos Timewarp Stoumpos) managed to recover these unreleased gems he made back in 1995 - 1998, and he now presents a new volume with another five deep/dirty techno grooves on Minimal Trippin. They finally see the light of day more than 20 years later. Highlights on this extended EP include the old school rave energy of "Back Age Techno", the adrenalised trance energy of "Techno Freak" (KickME mix) or the darkened warehouse stomp of "Techno Freak" that is perfect for those heads down moments on the dancefloor.
Review: Like its two predecessors, this third volume in Angelo "Timewarp" Stoumpos's "Deep Diggin Grooves" series gathers together more unheard cuts produced by the Greek party-starter during the late 1990s and early 2000s. It's an action-packed eight-tracker, with Stoumpos flitting between breakbeat-driven tooled-up deep house ("Tea" parts one and two), psychedelic breakbeat-house ("Tea - Dynamo Mix"), spacey, techno-tempo tech-house ("008"), Italo and freestyle influenced main room house ("Hypertouch" one and two) and particularly potent San Francisco style dub house ("Green Tea"). It's all pretty good, to be honest, with all eight archive tracks sounding fresh despite their relative vintage.
Review: Kraak Records offers up a second selection of "Deep Diggin Grooves" by Timewarp, AKA long-serving Greek producer Angelos Stoumpos. Like its predecessor, the eight-track set is entirely made up of previously unheard cuts produced by the multi-talented DJ and musician during the late 1990s and early 2000s. There's naturally plenty to enjoy, from the funk-fuelled acid bass and shimmering early UK tech house chords of opener "Where Da Funk", and the mind-altering dancefloor psychedelia of rolling deep house number "Deep At The Hole", to the snappy drum machine hits and Motor City techno influences of "4Fun". The drowsy, slowly shifting late night bliss of "Xamos O" is also worth a listen.
Review: Athens based Kraak Records present Angelos Stoumpos aka Timewarp: a veteran producer who has been super busy producing music since the late '80s. His first releases took place a decade later in 1999. He has been experimenting with various forms of electronic music - from techno and house, to ambient, trance and drum and bass. After finding old tracks on his computer, he managed to recover these unreleased gems he made back in the day. Most of these tracks a definitely a zeitgeist of the period, when electronica and breaks were the trend - and of course UK tech house. It's the latter where he really excelled - as best heard on the dynamic opener "Warm Before Get Cold" or the fluid and hypnotic "Something New For U", while "My House Is This" goes for a deep and minimal vibe instead.
AUditors DOmination - "Dreaming Of Zion" - (4:26) 74 BPM
Afternoons In Stereo - "The Meka Dub" (feat Niasony) - (5:52) 63 BPM
Shantisan - "Que Nego E Esse" (feat Micheline Cardoso - Timewarp Inc dub remix) - (4:36) 100 BPM
Review: Fill yer boots or digital DJ stockings this christmas with some fine dub tunes and versions of undeniable funk from the Timewarp catalogue. Taking in a host of remixes, instrumentals and edits; highlights include the freewheeling cool jazz of Freethinker Funk Essence's "Spring Air", the dance-heavy wares of Djtzinas & The Redgreen Wood Soundsystem remix to "Yuil Disco Breaks" and Funky Destination's sweet, dreamy and percussive "Roots People". Deeper house inspired dub tracks come from Shantisan in "Que Nego E Esse (Timewarp Inc dub remix) with fine originals from AUditors DOmination's "Dreaming Of Zion" and Groove Monkz's digi-ska track "Promised Land". The place to be.
Review: 'Funk' is what it says on the tin and funk is what you'll find inside it, as Timewarp serve up a 16-track best-of compilation paying homage to the squelchy, sleazy sounds of the 70s - tracks like Apedroid's 'Enter The Apedroid' or Basement Freaks' 'Soul Men' could have been lifted straight from the OST of some obscure Blaxploitation flick. Timewarp Inc's own 'Breakbit' is a car chase funk masterpiece, my reviewing notes for Leon's futuristic, sci-fi-ish 'Sexy Toy' read simply "aliens!", while special mention should be made of Koka Mass Jazz's opener 'Play The Game' - a new-old soul/funk jam par excellence, and a consent anthem for the post-#MeToo generation.
Review: What we have here are 15 contemporary funk and disco nuggets coming courtesy of prolific Greek producer Timewarp Inc and assorted friends and relations. There's a pleasing degree of stylistic variety on offer across the album as a whole, with tracks ranging from Afternoons In Stereo's cool, jazzy 'Party At Dick & Mimi's' to Dubstax's unabashedly cheesy yet strangely irresistible 'Wiggly Bum', via the sultry, sleazy boogie of Dogo Argentino's '2 Minutes To Midnight', a brace of deep house-leaning contributions from Atfunk, and Aris Kokou's Afro-percussive rework of Timewarp Inc's own 'Discogirls', making for a very checkable collection indeed.
Review: As the matter-of-fact title suggests, Mixing & Remixing gathers together a selection of the finest reworks from hard-working Grecian producer Angelos "Timewarp" Stoumpos. He stamps his now familiar 'nu-disco meets deep house' style over tracks from Quiet Fire, Noetic Nega and Gabriel Rocca, occasionally diverting to pay tribute to funk-fuelled hip-hop (the slick, synth-heavy old skool revivalism of his take on Morlack's "Let's Go Jamming"), and lay down some tougher, more obviously house-centric reworks. Of these, it's his version of "Hr Tichy" by Shanti Roots and Scheibosan - a dubby tech-house chugger full of exotic, Middle Eastern strings - that really hits the spot.
Review: Having first made his name with rasping funk breaks, Valique has in recent years focused more on disco and house. Here, he delivers his most deep house focused release yet, a sumptuous collection of recent remixes. Predictably, there's plenty to enjoy, from the midtempo deep house/nu-disco/deep funk fusion of Valique's "Future Boogie" remix of Dr Cuts' "Red Hot Chilli Cuts", to the piano-laden deep house bump of his "Anthem" mix of Funky Destination's "Down To The Music". Best of all, though, is the twisted 303 funk and piano solo madness of Valique's "Less Swing" remix of Emmanuel Bravo's "Little Swing".
Review: If it ain't broke don't fix it as they say, and this Euro party edits producer is certainly living by this maxim. Here we find the talented producer providing Greek label Timewarp with a selection of his reworks of disco obscurities. As usual it's hard to not want to get up dance to his infectious remixes including the pulsating, arpeggiated 80s night drive of "Yull Disco Breaks (instrumental)", the wah-wah heavy hip-house of "Blast" and the chaotic acid funk of "Nose Dive".
Review: One time funk/breaks producer turned party edit king, Valique, is not one to be burdened with the responsibilities that come with artistic credibility. This guy just wants to have a good time, and here on V-Shaped, a compilation of some of his best remixes, he provides 12 demonstrations of this philosophy. Highlights include his deliciously dreamy synth-disco rework of Kraak & Smaak's "How We Gonna Stop The Time", the accelerated swing/jazz minimal house of the "Dark Jazz Dub" by Nekta and his tough electro-funk remix of "Disco Life" by Basement Freaks. An impressive back catalogue indeed!
Review: Greek label Kraak, part of the Timewarp family, serve up a third collection of laidback grooves for your post-club chilling pleasure. Thankfully there's a bit more variety on offer than your standard-issue 'Ibiza chill-out' comp, with tracks ranging from the epic, mournful southern soul of MCurtis's opener 'Kiboo' (feat Hugo Kant & Daphne Bluebird) to the lazy, jazz-inspired deep house of Kiano & Below Bangkok's 'Now', via the sundown bliss of North Coast Vibes' 'Soul Time', the Blaxploitation funk of Vito Lalinga's 'Bitter Taste', the drifty Balearic prog of Jay Papa's 'A Touch Of You' and more. Dive in!
Review: Greek nu-funk label Timewarp Music's annual compilation series reaches Volume 7. Fans of the label will know what to expect, then, but for everyone else it's the perfect chance to get acquainted. Indeed, you'll struggle to find a better 15-track snapshot of the contemporary funk scene this month, with tracks spanning the spectrum from Hammond jams like Streamer's 'Mamma's Funky Life' to the sunny jazz-funk of Ivan Blanusa's 'Loungin', with detours into Afro-funk (Vito Lalinga's 'African United Rhythm' and 'Fela Mania'), Latin grooves (JazzProfilactika's 'Calle De Cubo'), acid jazz (Koka Mass Jazz's 'Play The Game') and more.
Review: Happy new year! Timewarp crack open a fizzy bottle of 2018 with this immaculate, party-pickling compendium. Their first Freestyle 4 Funk album in 18 months, it makes up for lost time with a full-house selection of warm, funk textures; the vibrant afrofunk feels of Vito Lalinga's "Move Your Body In Africa", the pant-swinging breaks and heroic horns of Sampleheadz' "Moving On", the smoky blues and psychedelic bubbles of Leon's "Body & Soul", the springy jazz mischief of JazzProfilacktika's "Samboppa", Mister T & Lucy Lune's bush-shaking fusion on "Retro Respect", the list of fresh soul-warm funk goes on and on. The perfect way to kick off a new year, Timewarp smash it once again.
Review: Greece's Timewarp label continues to plunder their disco reserves whilst flashing the proverbial funky cash willy-nilly. Yes we have another 16 fresh cuts (admittedly down from the last instalment's 31 so they should maybe think about tightening their wallets a little) on Freestyle 4 Funk 5. Timewarp is once again selector and some the many highlights he chosen here include the digi dancehall headnodder "Fyah Fyah" by Balkan Riddims, Jyal Funk's pulsating breaky electro rework of "Jamaican" by Funky Destination and the breathy jazzy shuffle of "Sensitive Kind" by Truez.
Review: Greek disco producer Timewarp teams up with an anonymous pal from funk blog extraordinaire, The Zuzu Club, for this compilation that's exclusively about 'great and fresh' new music. Although there's no theme they do look across the water to the Caribbean for some inspiration on the likes of the laid back reggae lament of "Theory Of Revolution" and the smooth dancehall grooves of "Baby Got Me Good". Elsewhere we encounter vintage electro-swing on Pavlov's "Moving Next Door", retro lounge-rock on "Jesu" By Loopez and even some good old big beat on "Jungle Boogie" by Chinese Man.
Review: There's no need for a funky bailout for Greece's Timewarp label as they have more than enough in reserve. So much so in fact, that they have rustled up another 31(!) fresh cuts for this, their latest compilation. Highlights include Niles Philip's quirky stop-start nu-funker "What'Cha Doin", the Euro/reggaeton hybrid weirdness of the Congo Sanchez remix of "Choices In Life" by AfroQBen and the bonkers electro-pop skank of "Blast" by good old Quincy Jointz (as remixed by Kowalski).
Review: "Since launching five years ago, Brazil's Royal Soul Records has provided party-minded DJs with a wealth of good grooves with which to entertain their crowds. Here, boss man Trotter marks a half-century of releases by gathering together some of his favourite musical moments from the imprint's bulging back catalogue. As the label has done from the beginning, Celebrating 50th Solid Grooves flits between shuffling breaks, nu-funk, disco-fuelled house and P-funk inclined nu-disco. Along the way, there's a chance to revisit Lyrics Born's heavyweight hook-up with Motion Potion ("Funky Hits Wrecked"), the spiraling dancefloor badness of Timewarp Inc's "To The Bone", and the revivalist P-funk-meets-breaks goodness of Quincy Jointz's "Cosmic Funk". Oh, and loads more besides."
