Review: Having previously tickled our fancy with a small selection of remixes of tracks from Rheinzhand's 2020 debut album, Music For Dreams has now delivered an expansive "deluxe" version that's genuinely full-to-bursting with notable, ear-catching revisions. There's not space to list all of the umpteen highlights, but our current picks of a very strong bunch include Dennis Kane's chugging, druggy electro-disco version of '14 Again', Peaking Lights multi-coloured post-punk disco dub of 'Synti', Red Axes' driving dancefloor re-wire of 'Kills & Kisses', Rz's foreboding, dark room-ready re-fix of the same track, Superpitcher's rubbery and low-slung version of 'Blind' and Chris Coco's fine disco dub of the band's 'Slippery People' cover.
Review: An apt title here for an EP that comes from a Leeds-based duo on a label that's headquartered in Stretford. The EP packs two tracks in four mixes, and is very much the proverbial game of two halves: Bonar Bradbury and Tom Thorpe's two originals both draw heavily on Italo/cosmic disco for inspiration, the latter also having something of an epic, proggy kinda feel, but the accompanying remixes - Elle's Gotta Chase Paradise Reshape of 'GCP' and the Psychederek Remix of 'Condor' - have much more of an indie-ish edge, the former rocking an almost coldwave/goth-y vibe while the latter recalls assorted UK indie bands' late 80s electronic dabblings.
Review: Roam Recordings was set up by Jason 'JP Soul' Peters and Jeni 'Jeniluv' Erickson in 2001, and has since put out records by the likes of Demarkus Lewis, Rhythm Plate, Hesohi and Dino Lenny. For their 100th release/20th anniversary, though, they've avoided the obvious 'best of' route and instead serve up 21 brand new tracks coming from a mix of familiar names (Emperor Machine, DJ Rocca, Tronik Youth) and newcomers. The overall vibe leans towards cosmic and Italo disco, but that's a very broad-brush picture - there are tracks here that could, variously, be filed equally well under house, techno, electro, Balearica or prog. Psychedelic electronic disco at its best.
Review: Eight years on from the release of Lost Tapes Volume 1, Aeon has offered up the fifth instalment in the popular compilation series. Predictably, the quality threshold remains high throughout with standout moments aplenty. Check first the opening slab of spacey gorgeousness from rising star Alan Dixon - the intergalactic deep house/punchy electro/acid-flecked nu-disco fusion of 'Space Manoeuvres', before admiring the deep Italo-disco chug of Machinegewehr's 'Call The Shots' and the dark, throbbing, neon-lit dancefloor intensity of Past Futura's 'Viva La Discotique'. We'd also suggest checking out the clips of Alex Virgo's 'Clown Car', a freestyle and Hi-NRG-influenced nu-disco romp that's as bouncy and colourful as they come.
Review: Make no mistake, the Italo/cosmic Force is strong in this one! In its Original form, 'Amalfi Drive' is a fairly straightforward nu-disco cut, albeit with the aforesaid 80s influences clearly in evidence. But it's when it's handed over to cosmic pioneer Daniele Baldelli and partner-in-crime DJ Rocca for remixing that the magic happens: hardcore Italo/cosmic lovers will fiend for their Iosso Remix, but it's their Arda Remix, which has hints of both progressive/melodic house and (if you listen closely) Ozric Tentacles-ish rock guitar wails, that's probably got the broadest dancefloor appeal.
Review: Bristol disco stalwarts Futureboogie bring us an EP from Hungary's Andras 'Gensi' Genser that features a brace of remixes from London lad Decius. The original of 'Primavera 707' is a dreamy 'nu-disco meets melodic/organic house' affair that's served up with or without a female vocal in an unidentified language - Portuguese, maybe? Decius's remix takes the track down a more Afro-inspired route with busy, shuffling percussion and a male vocal, though again a Dub is also available. Elsewhere, 'Humble Brush' is an energetic nu-disco instrumental, while 'The Great Body Buzz' is the finest cosmic-acid meltdown you'll hear all week.
Review: East London-based From Beyond, who's also one-half of Machine Disco and whose name may or may not betray an 80s horror fixation, brings us the glacial, synth-tastic 'Faster Than Light', a track that draws heavily on early 80s electro and Italo-disco for inspiration. On the remix front, Ivan De La Rouch takes us into darker, more EBM/new beat-ish territory, while Azaria's rework is more faithful to the original but does add a little low-end heft. The EP's completed by 'Tropic Of Venus', which is similar in MO to the title track but perhaps just a little bit warmer and more organic-sounding.
Review: First appearing on the outskirts of Dresden's Uncanny Valley with a release for its dancefloor focused Shtum offshoot, Polish producer Chino dives deep into a sonve ravine here with Autostrada. Bursting through the speakers with a raucous electro fidelity unmatched by most, all sounds here are rough, raw and super-powered in delivering a cross section of electro at its most hairy; be it the skittering punk riffs of the title-track to the spooky, neon-lit soul of "Carabo Cruise". Hardcore EBM and brutal new wave pumps like a beast in "Dyscyplina" with reverberating splashes of dub electro in "Alwernia" exploding on impact and richoetting everywhich amidst a barrage of stargazing synths and rock 'n' roll snares. Superpunk.
Review: Veteran Irish producer Leopoldo Rosa aka Lerosa is back with a new one this week on local imprint Lunar Disko. The Trust EP features six terrific tracks all delivered in his singular style; it opens up with the experimental synth intro "Who Can You Trust', followed by the moody, almost John Carpenter-ish soundtrack vibe of "Revelations' and 'Reborn'. Elsewhere, he heads to Detroit on the sci-fi electro of "Condition 1" and the acidified computer funk of 'Slow Bear'.
Review: Whether he's got his deep house or his disco hat on, the arrival of a new release from Costela always cheers this reviewer up and this latest outing for Boite Music is no exception! 'Cheer Up' in its Original form is a little more heavily electronic, 80s-sounding and Italo-leaning than much of his previous output - it's druggy, hypnotic and thoroughly on-trend right now, but for me it's the hazy, blissed-out Paper Street Soul Remix, which has a very Nang-y nu-disco vibe, that takes top honours. Not least for daring to bust out a full-on 80s guitar solo - shoulderpads and bubble perms ahoy!
Review: Roe Deers' relatively sparse discography to date is quietly impressive, with the pair flitting between mind-altering slow house, psychedelic electronic chuggers, and feverish fare rich in dense, tribal-influenced drums. The three original cuts showcased on the Lithuanian act's first Throne of Blood outing are similarly eccentric. Check first the weirdo guitars, dub disco bass, jumpy electronics and organic house drums of 'Lost Again', before examining the dark and driving creepiness of trippy throb-job 'Young Cats' and the filthy, arpeggio-driven intensity of brain-melting highlight 'Machine'. Remixes are provided of all three cuts, with Jonathan Kusuma's proto-house-goes-dark-disco rub of 'Machine', and Club Tularosa's Acid Arab-esque tweak of 'Young Cats' standing out.
Review: Goth industrial now makes its way into the oeuvre of Australian electro producer Jensen Interceptor with this fetishised Strings Of Fear EP. Keeping it most electro of all is the title-track that licks at the edges of EBM and new wave that should appeal to fans of Interceptor's classic material most. For the deviant techno DJs out there it's all about the raw intensity and 80s industrial demeanour of tracks like "Promise" and "First Day" with their metalworkers' percussion and gnarly basslines. Keeping it dark and delineated, with a touch of Fixmer McCarthy is "Leather Athletics". Not for the faint hearted.
Review: 100 Silk continue their unstoppable run of fine hazy house jams in brilliant style with this EP from Brooklyn based producer Octo Octa, who works through a number of styles to fantastic effect. "Let Me See You" is an interesting mix of slo-mo piano driven house, booty rhythms and vocals and arpeggiated Italo pop, while "High Reflection" takes the direction into more expansive territory with its breathy synths and billowing vocals building up to a beautiful crescendo of saw waves and icy melody. "Coldwaves" is a similarly roomy production, focusing on deep bass and glacial organ tones which give the track a frosty appeal. The undisputed highlight however is "I'm Trying", which takes a sample from an already well reworked Amerie track and filters it through some New Jersey house production with deftly handled classic synth stabs with an undeniably jacking quality.
Review: Optimo Trax 30 celebrates a double 30 years anniversary. The original release date of "Rejekto" is 30 years since Twitch started behind the decks. In 1987, it's almost folklore now that he picked up a copy of "Rejekto" and was smitten. Shortly after that, he got his first ever gig and played the said track in his set. It was known to be a fizzer every time time, but a few years ago he felt the time was ripe for a comeback and this time people danced to it. In fact, people loved it and would ask about it. 30 years later, it feels audiences are more open: or perhaps "Rejekto" was just ahead of its time? German duo Ra-Hen and Talla 2XLC would go on to become Bigod 20 with the addition of Thomas Franzmann (aka Perlon's Zip) on vocals. They were seminal in Frankfurt's early industrial scene alongside the likes of Lassigue Bendthaus aka Atom TM (Uwe Schmidt). Featuring the original, "U.S. Dub" versions and a slo-mo cover version by long-time Twitch friend and ally, the mysterious Frenchbloke.
