Review: Three years on from his latest solo outing, Crazy P's Chris Todd AKA Hot Toddy returns to House of Disco with a predictably fine EP. Our pick of a strong bunch is the tough, revivalist electrofunk flex of "Wilde Touch", where clipped guitar riffs, crunchy Clavinet lines and colourful melodies ride a rubbery bassline, though the Paper Recordings-era Crazy P deep house/disco fusion of "Still We Are" is also impressive. Speaking of Crazy P, lead singer Danielle Moore provides vocals on the Imagination-ish Brit-boogie business of "Positive Emotion", while the EP's other track, "Synthesize", is a darker and more spaced-out chunk of weighty, bassline-driven nu-boogie goodness. This digital edition also features a fine IPG rework of "Still We Are" that turns the track into a bass-heavy, spaced-out nu-disco epic.
Review: Here's something to set the pulse racing: a high-profile collaboration between Balearic nu-disco don Aeroplane and veteran French DJ/producer/disco digger Dimitri From Paris. In its' original 'Extended Vocal" mix form, "Can't Get Enough" is a sublime slice of summery disco revivalism laden with walking bass, clipped guitar riffs, ear-catching synths, ear-catching cowbells, crunchy handclaps and a soaring lead vocal from Leela. The pair's accompanying "Dubstrumental" is an authentic, disco-era style flipside dub complete with extended percussive breakdowns and stripped-back instrumental passages, while Yuksek's fine remix takes the track further towards "French Touch" style disco-house territory with an added dose of delay-laden proto-house magic. Big!
Review: First released on wax almost three years ago, Hade's first edits EP for Razor 'N' Tape has finally made it to digital download. This is undoubtedly a great thing, because it's arguably one of the Brooklyn imprint's strongest collections of cuts to date (and that's saying something). He opens via the sweaty, occasionally dubbed-out disco-funk goodness of "Say What You Wanna Say", whose combination of killer grooves and slowly building heaviness guarantees good times. He flips the script entirely on "Jeep Cherokee XJ", crafting a killer hip-hop jam out of dusty jazz samples and boom-bap beats, before dancing his way through an early slab of harmonica-laden disco-rap ("My Thang"). To round things off, Hade once more joins the dots between hip-hop and jazz on hazy closing cut "Range Rover HSE".
Review: Two months after making his Masterworks Music comeback with an EP of tidy re-edits of rare and obscure jams, Chris Grubizna returns to Danny Worrall's popular label with a similarly minded sequel. There are six tracks to choose from, all of which have been given a slightly more metronomic swing and a bit more bottom-end weight to suit contemporary dancefloors. Highlights include rush-inducing opener "All You Need" (a rubbery revision of Barbara Roy and Ecstasy, Passion & Pain's 1981 gem 'If You Want Me"), the clavinet-heavy disco-funk chug of "Gettin' Down", the low-slung Miami Funk/disco fusion of "Miami Vice", and the jazzy disco sunshine that is closing cut "Summer Joy".
Review: Thanks to a string of rock-solid releases on Toy Tonics and Slam City, amongst others, Rhode & Brown has proved to be one of the most reliable deep house duos of recent times. Here they prove their growing eclecticism via a superb EP for Permanent Vacation. Opener "Aku Aku" is superb, with the Munich-based duo cannily combining dreamy female vocal snippets, undulating acid lines, stirring chords and bubbly bass on a track that blurs the boundaries between deep house and Afro-house. Elsewhere, "Not My Mind, Not My Planet" is a rushing chunk of arpeggio-driven piano house/Italo-disco fusion, "Break 2 Break" is another rushing retro-futurist peak-time workout laden with rave style piano riffs, and "Cliches & Romantic Arguments" is a Tuff City Kids style chunk of synth-heavy Balearic house warmth.
Review: Given the sad loss of Andrew Weatherall earlier in the year, this posthumous release undoubtedly has added emotional weight. It was written and produced by the much-missed DJ/producer and regular studio partner Nina Walsh last year, and here emerges as the debut release on Pamela Records, an offshoot of Diesel, Dave Jarvis and company's long-running, edit-focused Moton imprint. It's a hugely impressive swansong, with Weatherall and Walsh drifting between ultra-emotive, strings-and-synths-laden electronic disco bliss ("The Moton 5"), slap-bass-propelled, glassy-eyed goodness (the hard to describe "Slap & Slide"), analogue-rich, late '80s style Balearic chug ("March Violets"), and fiendishly sparse, dubbed-out brilliance ("The Moton 5.2"). Rest in peace Lord Sabre.
Review: Milan based Take It Easy label and party is back. This third drop comes from label owners Dirty Channels, Bugsy and DJLMP with the addition of the historical Italian dj and Paradise Pizza's label owner Memoryman aka Uovo. After their big success "Watchin Out" and "Catch Me", Dirty Channels open the EP with an Afro-influenced sample stomper followed up by an afrobeat vocal tool by DJLMP. "I Wonder" brings some crackly Detroit atmosphere by Memoryman aka Uovo. "Pomiri Dan" completes the set, percussive sample stomper by Bugsy on his first appearance on the label.
Review: As Cole Odin emerges as a producer we've got to know from the San Francisco area who once appeared on Golf Channel compilation in 2015, he now brings some extra attention to the eclectics label with this new EP. Using looping, motorik momentum and endlessly inventive guitar motifs to create a sonic landscape that's satisfyingly familiar yet littered with signposts to new and exotic destinations, one can't help but hear flashes of The XX through to Stereolab's "Simple Headphone Mind". Take in Bristol remixer DJ Jack Priest for something spiralling and Italo alongside Adam Warped's folkier remix, and you have that perfect blend of the organi and traditional with the surreal. Happy days.
Yogtze - "Please Hold The Line" (Fred Asquith remix) - (6:39) 135 BPM
John Noseda - "Spiral Galaxy" - (6:44) 120 BPM
Lipelis, AC - "Central Store" - (6:14) 120 BPM
Review: Running Back bring us four despatches from disco's more experimental fringes. The EP opens straightforwardly enough with Llewellyn's 'Synergy Bar', a lively, throbbing houser with hints of both disco and prog in equal measure, not to mention a distinctive fluttering topline. But Yogtze's pacy, EBM-ish 'Please Hold The Line' soon takes us into somewhat more leftfield territory, before John Noseda gives us 'Spiral Galaxy' - think John Carpenter trying his hand at Italo-disco. Lipelis X AC then close out the EP with 'Central Store', another Euro-inspired cut beamed straight in from around 1983 or so.
Review: Neo Blues 3 announces its arrival via our most trusted Vehicle label that's been a port of call for disco edits for the world over. Turning in another four-tracks here it's spearheaded by the uber-warm kick, woofing bass and melodic percussion sequences of "Sea-Line". Harking back to the days when artists like Eddie C and Tornado Wallace were dominating the slo-mo, chugging disco sound, "Condition" adds yet another beefy boost to a Ken Roger's classic, while funkier soul and blues jams from Kings of Survival make the cut alongside that all time cinematic classic by Rodriguez's ("Sugarman").
Review: On their previous outing, long-serving nu-disco duo Drop Out Orchestra joined forces with vocalist Emma Putila for a cheery outing that cannily combined elements of celebratory disco old and new. This time out, they've opted for more of a Balearic nu-disco feel, with calming flute solos, rich electric piano chords and colourful synth sounds riding snappy drums and one of their trademark bass guitar lines. Throw in some clipped, Chic style guitar riffs and jazzy solos and you have a track tailor made for lazy afternoons and humid evenings. The obligatory remix comes courtesy of rising star Monsieur Von Pratt, who makes the most of the pair's brilliant bass and guitar parts, combining them with chunkier beats and a few more squiggly synth lines to excellent effect.
Review: A range of house and disco styles are touched upon on this split EP from Copenhagen's Jahn Solo and New Zealand's Kennedy, coming on Manchester label Paper Disco. Driven along by insistently fluttering guitars and a full-phat bassline, Kennedy's 'Who Rocks '89' recalls nothing so much as late 80s Italian house while 'Superfly' is one part early 80s Eurodisco to one part mid-90s house euphoria. Not to be outdone, the man from Copenhagen gives us the laidback but jaunty 'It's My House' with its lively brass stabs and sing-song vocal, and 'Night People', an authentically 70s-sounding disco workout topped with a cheeky harmonica line.
Review: Some 17 months after their first collaborative edits EP first hit Juno Download's virtual shelves, buddies Chewy Rubs and North Laine return with a third (and possibly final) collection of joint reworks. They begin in confident mood via "Future Ready", a gently tooled-up, house style extended edit of the Winners' NYE-friendly disco gem "Get Ready For The Future", before turning a sweaty disco-funk workout into a beefy, peak-time-ready chunk of disco/deep house fusion ("Precious"). "Night Out" is a bouncy and cheery revision of a synth-laden 80s soul/electrofunk number, while "Who's Having All Your Love" is a killer flip of a glassy-eyed old school-house number that may well be the EP's standout moment.
Review: Having previously featured on some pretty hot labels over the last few years, most notably Midnight Riot, sometime Get Down Edits "family member" Jay Ru pops up on Hot Digits with his most expansive release to date. It begins a quartet of varied, sample-heavy productions, with highlights including the head-nodding, Beatdown style dancefloor soul bliss of opener "Such A Long Time", the bubbly, horn-heavy tropical nu-disco bounce of "Flippin' The Bird", and the multi-coloured, club-ready goodness of Fingerman hook-up "Sweet Hum". The equally as impressive remixes that follow include a superb bumping house meats nu-disco revision of "Movin' On" by Paul B, and a rolling, peak-time tweak of "Flippin' The Bird" by Fingerman and Chewy Rubs.
Review: Based in London, Tici Taci specialise in "electric funk rekkids at tempos below 120BPM, with live instruments to the fore". Which makes the label the ideal home for this debut long-player from Albanian producer Uj Pa Gaz, AKA Erlind Hoxha. Across the album's eight tracks you'll find an enchanting cocktail of Balearic, Italo, EBM and straight-up disco influences, with standouts including the lazy, hazy 'Chuga' with its earworm of a whistling synth and 'Nepotik' with its unusual pairing of Underworld-ish synths and vocoder vox, until the gentle, beatless Spanish guitar piece 'Mallorca' brings the album to a more chilled close.
Review: Paul Older (aka Paolo Vecchiato) is a northern Italian DJ with almost 20 years of experience behind the decks. Older is constantly looking for new music and ideas as he assembles and orchestrates a mixture of sounds to shake up the dancefloor. After releases on Daje Funk and Ocean Trax, he now gets groomed for the big time on his latest for the mighty Masterworks Music. The Boogie Explosion EP features the groovy dancefloor shakedown of the title track, the familiar '70s New York City disco feels of "Dream" and the low slung late night action of "Sit & Dance" closing out this piping-hot offering from a name you're going to be hearing more of in 2020.
Review: Three solid nu-disco/disco-house jams here from Ladies On Mars, possibly the most inaccurately named artist in history as there's only one of him, he's definitely not a lady and he actually comes from Buenos Aires, not Mars! 'Just Enough' is a pleasant disco-house roller with a gospel-leaning chorus and a Hed Kandi-ish feel overall, while 'You'll Be Mine' has a more authentic early 80s boogie vibe. The standout for this reviewer though is 'Ain't Too Proud', which tops a jaunty, plinky-plonk rhythm with a big, blues-y male soul vocal from the Cee Lo Green/Aloe Blacc school of thought - peaktime singalong action will doubtless ensue.
Review: Having recently notched up a sixth year in business, Fingerman's Hot Digits imprint is in a celebratory mood - hence this all-action round-up of recent delights and unheard treats from the disco-loving label. Encompassing no less than 30 tunes, the collection giddily skips between warming beatdown disco (P-Sol's "Walter"), Mark E style slo-mo loop jams (Vigi's "I'll Be There") and glassy-eyed Balearic nu-disco (Picklejam's "Untitled Love"), before raising its hands skywards as the peak-time party-starters begin to appear thick and fast. Highights in this category include the vibrant jazz-house flex of Dexter Jones' "Swing Thing", the bustling boogie re-edit business of Monsieur Von Pratt's "Let's Dance" and the hearty disco-funk heaviness of Chewy Rubs' "Funky Bee Bop".
Review: When operating under the V's Edits alias, re-edit maestro Valique can always be relied upon to bring the goods. It's little surprise, then, to find out that his latest collection of fresh cut-jobs - an epic affair featuring no less than 24 tracks - is packed to the rafters with high-grade fare. We don't have enough space to list all of the highlights, but we'd suggest checking out his rolling revision of Lee Dorsey's "Night People", the low-slung disco-funk heaviness of the Brass Construction rework ("Gotta Do It"), the intergalactic disco deepness of the Marvin Gaye revision ("Funky Space"), the lightly tooled-up, slowly unfurling take on Tom Browne's "Funkin For Jamaica" and the sweeping, string-laden disco brilliance of "Miracle (V's Edit)".
Review: Four cuts here from Mexico's Mateo Gonzalez - better known as Theus Mago - that will suit those who like their disco on the more electronic/leftfield/experimental side. Opener 'Apache Nights', for instance, owes far more to bleep techno and the early Warp sound than it does to the likes of (say) Chic or Earth Wind & Fire, while the accompanying Chicken Lips re-rub comes on like Kraftwerk jamming with Rennie Pilgrem. 'Piu Mosso' is a more straight-up homage to early 80s Euro/Italo disco and centres around an infectious, Arabic-sounding hook, while finally closer 'Sergio Ramos' could work in disco/Italo/EBM and progressive house sets alike.
Review: Since launching in 2016, Kevin Griffiths' Isle of Jura label has become one of the most talked about imprints around, something we attribute to its inspired mix of dusty-fingered crate-digging reissues and the Australia-based Brit's own colourful productions as Jura Soundsystem. This label sampler tells the story so far, gathering together some of the most sought-after slabs from the imprint's growing catalogue. Highlights are plentiful throughout, from the disco-reggae sunshine of Yvonne Archer's cover of Chaka Khan favourite "Ain't Nobody", and the deep ambient house trip that is the 'Sun & Moon Mix" of Holy Ghost Inc's "Walking On Air", to the flute-laden, unearthly new age exotica of Zann's "Tatopani" and the hazy, synth-laden Balearic bliss of Chayell's "Beach". In a word: essential.
Review: The ever reliable Midnight Riot returns with a piping hot nu-disco joint by the Thessaloniki-based DJ/producer Dim Zach, who follows up some impressive outings on Rayko's Rare Wiri and Golden Soul in recent times. "Lonely" is a low-slung and funky number; perfect for the warm-up or the late night alike, with a catchy and familiar hook that's sure to work the dancefloor. Dim Zach is one to keep an eye on in 2020!
Review: In its original form, jazz-funk and electrofunk-flavoured neo-soul number "Elgin Towers" was one of the standout moments on Smoove & Turrell's recent (and must-check) sixth album, "Stratos Bleu". Here it gets the remix treatment, with Crazy P man Chris Todd leading the charge under his now familiar Hot Toddy alias. Todd kicks things off with a warming, deep disco vocal version that places Turrell's fine vocal atop a bed of Balearic guitars, bubbly synths, snare-heavy drums and dreamy deep house chords, before offering up a mostly instrumental "Dub Mix" that's even more Balearic, loved-up and life-affirming thanks to some suitably stirring chord sequences. Fila Brazillia man Steve Cobby takes a totally different approach on his remix, re-imagining the track as a slow, languid, string-laden downtempo soul treat.
Review: Based in Guadalajara, Mexico, Hotmood made his name on the re-edits scene but has been turning out more original productions of late, two fine examples of which can be found on this new EP for his own Discoweey imprint. 'Dance With Me' is a sprightly, string-led slice of disco euphoria that's got dancefloor energy by the bucketload, if you can handle the slightly cheesy, Euro-style harmonised vocal. The killer, though, is 'What's Going On Here', a low-slung funk bass workout topped with snatches of spoken vocal - a track that speaks directly to the hips and ass, and will drag both onto the dancefloor in 30 seconds flat!
Review: A warm welcome back to sometime Wonder Stories, Silhouette Music and Roam Recordings artist Jac The Disco, who here returns to the Spin On This label, which is the artists very own imprint. It's a suitably strong EP all told, with two solid 'JTD' originals being backed by similarly strong remixes. Opener 'Manglik' is a metronomic, chugging affair, with Jac The Disco peppering a throbbing, Mororder style arpeggio bassline with rising and falling synthesizer melodies and spacey electronic flourishes. Eric Duncan piles on the wide-eyed chords and synthesizer sounds on his excellent remix, while "Goddess" is a much more spacey and cosmic chunk of pulsating electronic disco. Arguably even better is Juan Maclean's accompanying rework, which gives the track a bigger, more acid-flecked feel.
Review: Although French veteran Ludovic Llorca has previously provided remixes for Z Records, "Flower Child" marks the first time one of his original productions has appeared on Dave Lee's long-serving label. While there are naturally some subtle nods towards Llorca's classic house sound in the track, it's little less than a flash-fried chunk of disco revivalism that brilliantly wraps period instrumentation - crunchy Clavinets, funk-rock style guitar licks, slap bass and sweeping strings - and a soulful lead vocal around live-sounding beats that are guaranteed to get you up and dancing. It's accompanied by a similarly impressive instrumental version, which wile a little less impactful is nevertheless a genuine aural treat.
Review: For his latest trick, spoonerism-loving rework maestro V (AKA sometime funk-breaks producer Valique) has decided to offer up a second selection of "Neo Blues" scalpel works. He begins by delivering a chunky, rolling revision of Ann Feebles' rock-tinged gospel-funk classic "Beware", before chugging his way through a pitched-down revision of a weighty T-Rex glam-rock classic ("Jewelry"). This is followed by EP highlight "Holis", an inspired - and suitably epic - "Afro-blues" revision of one of Nina Simone's greatest moments, and the low-slung voodoo-house hypnotism of "Mississippi Lullalby (V's Rendition)". To finish with a. flourish, the Vehicle main man then adds some elastic new drums to Otis Redding's version of "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay".
Review: More from Faze Action member Robin Lee's offshoot Andromeda Orchestra project, whose throbbing and forthright releases have previously joined the dots between revivalist disco and the synthesizer-driven world of Italo-disco. In its original form (track three), "Don't Stop" is an authentically produced riff on the K.I.D track of the same name rich in swooping, razor-sharp strings, Clavinet-happy disco grooves and glassy-eyed female vocals. It comes accompanied by a stellar peak-time remix from Lee's old pal Ray Mang - all layered drum fills, swirling noises and jangling piano riffs - and a spacey, beat-free ambient "Reprise". Bonus cut "Kano Line Dance", a funky mid-tempo shuffler that joins the dots between boogie, jazz-funk and P-funk, is also rather tasty.
Review: They don't get more legendary than Daniele Baldelli. As one story goes, the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling and Nicky Holloway went and witnessed one of Baldelli's legendary Afro-cosmic sets in Ibiza in 1988, which in turn inspired them to throw their own parties in London that same year - and the rest is history. Originally released in 2006 on vinyl and CD, Daniele Baldelli presents Cosmic Disco - A Journey Through Elektro Afro Funky Sound finally gets a digital reissue. From euphoric and spaced out Italo disco journeys like "Cronos" or "Corona Borealis", through to hypnotic Afro moments like "Hararibode" and "Mamba" which truly capture the moments of tribal trance that made his hometown residency at Cosmic (where he apparently used Technics and incorporated drum machines long before Ron Hardy or Jeff Mills) in the early '80s the stuff of folklore - this is essential listening for any serious DJ or electronic music nerd
Review: In the past we've referred to Andy Buchan as one of nu-disco's rising stars. These days, he's well established, offering up tunes that regularly incorporate a wide range of influences whilst retaining the celebratory excitement associated with the contemporary disco scene. "Kingfisher Funk" sits somewhere between a re-edit and an original production, with Buchan reaching for humid, delay-laden horn samples, an Escort-esque revivalist disco groove, echoing female vocal snippets and just the right amount of trippy electronics. His fine original mix comes backed with two hot-to-trot reworks: a sped-up, filter-sporting disco house bumper from Reece Johnson, and a brighter, breezier dub disco style "reshuffle" from prolific producer Chewy Rubs.
Review: Fresh from impressing via a first outing on Hot Digits, Tonbe returns to his own imprint, Disco Fruit, with an overflowing picnic basket of summery dancefloor treats. The emphasis throughout is on musical warmth, with elements borrowed from a variety of lesser-known jazz-funk, disco and electrofunk cuts combining well with the producer's own deep house sounds and largely club-focussed drums. The results are uniformly entertaining and enjoyable, with highlights including the boogie fizz of "Always There", the Bongo-riffic West Coast deep house bounce of "Freaky Situation", the carnival-ready roll of "Latina" and the Chimes style breakbeat soul heat of "Stick Together".
Review: Audaz returns with this week's installment in their impressive Lolita series, taking the razor to the tape and presenting some respectful edits for maximum dancefloor impact. Munich-based Alkalino & Co. are up to number 30 in the series now, and it's jam packed full of disco goodies. Go deep into the outerzone (with bells on) with "291", then you'll definitely feel alright on the sexy vocal classic "293", or, you can get seriously cosmic (like a love machine) on "295". Elsewhere, feel the native love on the euphoric "297", or get low slung towards the end - with some good ol fashioned soul classics on "299" and "300" respectively.
Review: Tigerbalm is the new solo alias of Earthboogie member Nicola Robinson, who started work on her vibrant (and rather good) debut single "Ello Koko" while travelling in Lombok, Indonesia. The track features musical mates Alex Searle (guitar and bass) and Patrick Dawes (percussion) and sees Robinson giddily join the dots between dub disco, tropical house and more Balearic pastures via low-slung bass, South East Asian percussion, Indonesian vocal samples and bright and breezy guitar riffs. Flamingo Pier provides an outstanding revision that adds more synth-heavy colour while making more of Dawes dense percussion, while J Kriv re-imagines it as a ludicrously heavy chunk of bass-driven Afro-house/dub disco fusion. In a word: ace!
Review: A four-track re-edits EP from Re-Loved here. Indonesia's Per QX is up first with 'Feed Me', a low-slung disco-funker topped with an impassioned diva vocal, before Get Down Edits bring us 'Suite Magic', a reworking of Le Pamplemousse's 1978 hit 'Sweet Magic' (possibly via Matrix's 'Get Out' from 1992, an early Kerri Chandler production which also sped up the sample to the tempo heard here). Chewy Rubs once more looks to Latin music for inspiration on 'Munky Fonkey', which rocks disco strings and a half-sung/half-shouted Mexican vocal, while the EP's completed by Maffa's 'Love's Generosity', a sumptuous, near-instrumental workout with an authentic late 70s feel.
Review: Future Disco invites you poolside and guides you through the long hot summer days, where the parties begin early and finish late. Taking you from lounging by the pool under the clear blue sky to sunset house, this is perfect for any laidback occasion. an essential summer soundtrack that features key artists such as: Dutch trio Kraak & Smaak who present the sensual lo-slung disco of "Don't Want This To Be Over" (Jean Tonique Remix), U.S. artists David Marston & Life On Planets who team up for the evocative deep house groove of "Contortions" feat. Hannah Noelle & Dan Izco, and Berlin-by-way-of Vancouver artist Jayda G who serves up the hypnotic Detroit vibe of "Rishikesh". Elsewhere, the ever reliable Butch delivers the main room dancefloor drama of "Lale", and Brazilian techno legend Renato Cohen makes his comeback on "Sweet Nightmare" but makes a departure from what we're used to on this funky house anthem. Also comes with a continuous DJ mix.
Review: Hot on the heels of recent Isle Of Jura label compilation 'Tales Of Jura' comes a new six-track EP from label boss Jura Soundsystem AKA Kevin Griffiths himself. Griffiths cites "dub, ambient house, leftfield disco and Balearica" as influences - a contention that's readily borne out by the grooves contained herein, with the first two tracks getting things going in a dubby kinda vein before more electronic influences start to hold sway. 'Wonder Drops' is a particular stand-out, coming on like slowed-down Chi-town house heard through a sunshine haze, while 'With You' will please the leftfield/downtempo spinners and 'Movement' could find its way into progressive or minimal sets.
