Review: The latest offering from the Chop Shop camp aims to shine a light on a trio of up-and-coming re-edit artists. Polish producer Brick Fever made his debut on the label earlier this year, and here delivers two more party-starting highlights; the horn-heavy, synth-laden, straightened out anthem that is "Last Dance", and the smooth, soulful disco shuffle of "Stay With Me". Italian producer Ten Different also impresses with "Shake", a deliciously percussive, all-instrumental rework of the Jacksons' "Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)", before joining forces with Vaudafunk for a cheery stroll though house-friendly disco pastures on the swinging "Orlando Magic".
Review: This latest split EP from the ever-reliable party-starters at Chop Shop introduces two new faces to the roster: the previously unheard "DJ S", and sometime Vintage Music, Disco Fruit and Rebel Hearts types Gradient Logic. The former delivers a bouncy, slightly toughened up re-interpretation of Deodato's Brazilian disco-funk classic "Night Cruiser" (here re-titled simply "Cruiser"), while the latter get knee deep in Funkadelic on the kaleidoscopic synth-funk bump of "What About The Groove". Elsewhere, label talisman George Kelly drops a future re-edit anthem in the shape of the punchy, disco/boogie fusion "Feet Start Moving", and Vaudafunk teases out a killer saxaphone line on the distinctly big and bold "Sugar".
Review: It's been a good while since the mighty DJ Butcher served us up one of his meaty selections of disco off-cuts for our listening pleasure. DJ "S" begins by tackling the mighty 70s jam "Shaft" - adding a thumping great house kick to bring it up to date. Elsewhere we get filtered French-touch style grooves on Vaudafunk's "Somebody's Stole My Nuggets" and HP Vince's "Funky Disco Party" is all about the hedonistic loops. Finally we end with an extremely familiar funk riff, toughed up to devastating effect on S Nolla's "Do You Wanna".
Review: A decade has now passed since George Kelly established the Chopshop imprint as an outlet for goodtime grooves, sneaky reworks and club-ready re-edits that blur the boundaries between disco and house. To celebrate the fact, he's gathered together some of his label highlights on an expansive compilation. It's arguably best enjoyed via his action-packed DJ mix, which is tucked away at the end of the collection, though DJs will delight at the sheer volume and quality of the unmixed cuts on offer. Our favourites include the rubbery bounce of HP Vince's appropriately titled "Funky Disco Party", Kelly's killer Marlena Shaw revision ("Raised In The Ghetto"), the bustling funky house pleasures of HP Vince and Dave Leatherman's "Back 2 The Old Skool (House Mix)") and the disco-rap goodness of Captain Futuro's "Club Warzone".
Review: Having not only contributed to multi-artist EPs but also delivered a solo single of his own, it would be fair to say that Vaudafunk is now a fully paid-up member of the Chopshop family. There's naturally plenty of floor-friendly goodness to be found on Morning Munchies. Opener "Mornings", for example, is a near perfect example of how to successfully tool-up a swirling, string-laden, orchestrated disco bomb - think chunky house beats and just the right amount of production trickery - while "Piano Track" is a wonderfully breezy, sun-bright trip into jaunty piano house territory - all big riffs, rolling beats, extended breakdowns and looped disco strings. Clavinet-happy Italo-disco/house fusion cut "Munchies" completes a rock solid package.
Review: Fresh from a surprise appearance on Reptile Disfunction, Vaudafunk returns to regular home Chopshop with two more reasons to be cheerful. He opens with "Love Alone", a deliciously pie-eyed disco through peak-time disco pastures rich in undulating strings, toasty bass, echoing female vocal samples and bouncy house drums. He changes focus a little on "My Hoodies", peppering a locked-in disco-house groove with suspenseful string samples, looped hip-hop vocal snippets and ear-catching synth solos seemingly lifted from a stone cold classic. It's heaps of fun and, like the track that precedes it, sounds like a genuine scene anthem in waiting.
Review: Having previously included Vaudafunk tracks on a number of their multi-artist EPs, Chopshop has decided it's time for the Italian producer to serve up a full EP of his own. Flowered Shirt & Sunglasses begins with "Zora", a deliciously cheery and cheeky revision of a little-known European disco smasher from the Italo-disco era. He cannily uses extended filtered sections to emphasize key moments in the decidedly cosmic cut. "Love Is Psychedelic" is a bustling, string-drenched disco stomper, while closer "1999" sees him make merry with a lesser-known version of Pigbag's low-slung punk-funk classic "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag". When the famous horn line kicks in, there will be bedlam out on the dancefloor.
Review: On this tasty EP, Chopshop regular Vaudafunk stands tall and showcases a trio of "Vertical Jams". First up is "Vertical Jam" itself, a storming disco-house treat smothered in "Shaft"-style Blaxploitation guitars, razor-sharp disco strings and a chunky, bass-heavy house groove. The heady, peak-time disco house vibes continue on "Morning Stars", a filter-heavy loop jam that contains a couple of killer breakdowns and drops, before Vaudafunk rounds off proceedings via the excitement-packed, peak-time-friendly stomp of EP standout "The Dancing King". This, too, contains plenty of filter-heavy, build-and-drop action, suggesting it will cause commotion when played at the right time.
Review: DJ Butcher's Chopshop is all about good times and party edits. Here they present a summery various artists EP, Ibiza Disco People, with the white isle firmly in mind. Vaudafunk & Stefano Gambarelli's "One Shot" kicks things off with some filtered diva soul vibes, next HP Vince tackles an Italo disco classic on "Ibiza People", Disco Donuts' present a fast paced disco-house jam and "Party People" which is all about the elastic bass loops, cowbells and claps. Lastly Lou Casablanca pumps some much needed disco steroids into the veins of "Love Affair", resulting in big, loose hi-hats, a thumping kick and strings aplenty.
