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Athens Of The North
Browse the latest digital releases on Athens Of The North
Review: Here's your chance to get hold of a little piece of music history! Ben White was a session musician who played on records by Marvin Gaye and the Salsoul Orchestra, among others, but whose solo career added up to just two singles, including this one which originally came out on LA Records back in 1982. Now it gets a second crack of the whip courtesy of crate diggers extraordinaire Athens Of The North, with 'I Would Have To Be A Fool' an ultra-slick slice of early 80s boogie while the accompanying 'Just Give Love A Try' treads a more syrupy, soulful path.
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ATH 171S
26 Jan 24
Disco/Nu-Disco
26 Jan 24
Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Juno Recommends Disco
Review: Words says it was during a casual hangout at Pikes that the idea for "Tonight" was born. Fast forward, and Athens of the North's resident ensemble, East Coast Love Affair, known as the 'house band,' welcomed the addition of the soulfully talented vocalist Theo Suess for their latest release. Departing from their previous disco-funk sound, "Tonight" takes a different musical journey, blending skittish lo-fi beats, immersive chords, and a lively synth-bass. Hovering between deep house and lo-fi boogie, this track is a genuine gem, featuring Suess's emotive lead vocal. Then the original gets a fantastic twist with a dub mix with fragments of Suess's vocals echoing through a captivating, love-infused instrumental backdrop.
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ATH 175
08 Dec 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
08 Dec 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: Athens Of The North mainstays East Coast Love Affair return with a chugging nine-minute sonic journey called "I Can't Wait". So slo-mo you might forget your dancing, it features the soulful vocals and lyrical prowess of Shetland-born, Edinburgh-based R&B singer and songwriter Philomenah. Having previously contributed backing vocals for ECLA in the past, Philomenah takes the lead on this epic number, infusing it with a modern-day Onda vibe sprinkled with pop elements. Deeper yet is the House Dub - a secret gem for those intrepid selectors out there working the clubs - with a straight up Bonus Beats sound to get that Masters At Work vibe back in the house. Next Please!
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AOTN 12023D
01 Dec 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
01 Dec 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: Euan Fryer and Nick Moore are the culprits behind East Coast Love Affair, Athens Of The North's in-house covers band, who've been plying us with covers of obscure funk, disco, soul and boogie gems for a few years now. Here, though, they serve up a couple of original cuts, with 'I'm So Glad' a slab of rambunctious, uptempo 70s-style funk/soul with a sultry female vocal, a scorching backbeat and fierce brass, while the comparatively sedate but still pretty pacy 'Miracles' has a more boogie-ish feel musically but is topped by a chorus'd male vocal that conjures visions of big afros, matching velvet tuxedos and ruffle shirts.
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AOTN 12021
13 Oct 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
13 Oct 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
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ATH 180
06 Oct 23
Pop
06 Oct 23
Pop
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ATH 179
29 Sep 23
Hip Hop/R&B
29 Sep 23
Hip Hop/R&B
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ATH 149D
16 Jun 23
Soul
16 Jun 23
Soul
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ATH 149D2
16 Jun 23
Soul
16 Jun 23
Soul
Review: James Alexander Bright you may know for his leftfield output on !K7, Tom Findlay you almost certainly know as one-half of Groove Armada, and now Athens Of The North bring us the deadly duo's first collaborative full-length. Laidback, shimmering electronic pop is the order of the day, with fragile, wistful male vocals much in evidence and the tempo - as the title makes clear - never getting much above walking pace. In terms of dancefloor action there's really only the slightly beefier 'NY Disco (Smile)' to talk about: this is an album made for late-night home listening, or for lazing by the pool, mojito in hand. But in such circumstances it'll go down most pleasingly.
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AOTNLP 065
09 Jun 23
Funk
09 Jun 23
Funk
Played by: Juno Recommends Disco
Review: James Alexander Bright and Groove Armada's Tom Finlay have recorded an album together, which we'll be able to hear in early summer 2023. To get us in the mood for that set, they've followed up their previous teaser singles on Athens of The North - 'Fireflies' and 'Slow Dance' - with another, 'NY Disco (Smile)'. It's an atmospheric, mid-tempo affair that sees the pair wrap a synth-powered, mid-tempo, proto-house style groove with warming chords, cut-up vocal snippets, electronic percussion and nods aplenty to New York nu-disco heroes Metro Area (including one motif that, we think, is a direct reference to one of Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani's most beloved tracks). It really is an excellent excursion, which makes us think that the forthcoming album could be very special.
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ATH 163
31 Mar 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
31 Mar 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
Played by: Juno Recommends Experimental
Review: Scottish producer Andrew Wasylyk offers an alternative mix album to 2020's spiritual-jazz and neo-classical masterclass in melody - Fugitive Light And Themes Of Consolation. This new LP is his third for Athens Of North Records, and is as much a different perspective as a companion piece. The 10 songs still circle landscapes for meaning, channelling half-heard melodies and misremembered memories; caught somewhere between settling down and setting out towards the shining levels of the estuary and beyond.
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AOTNLP 062
27 Jan 23
Ambient/Drone
27 Jan 23
Ambient/Drone
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ATH 123
27 Jan 23
Soul
27 Jan 23
Soul
Played by: Juno Recommends Funk
Review: Detroit-born jazz musician Wendell Harrison did a lot of seminal work with the likes of Phil Ranelin and Tribe in the early part of his career, but he's also slipped out some seriously funky wares like this rare joint originally from 1982 on Wenha Records. Athens Of The North are champions of such records, picking them up, showing them some love and getting them out to a fresh audience, with Harrison's version of Stevie Wonder's 'Rocket Love' gets up front in all its groovesome glory.
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ATH 126
27 Jan 23
Funk
27 Jan 23
Funk
Review: Coco & Ben were a partnership between Benjamin Robinson of Ben And The Squeeze Tight Band and an uncredited singer (presumably the Coco of the title), who came together for one perfect and extremely rare single from 1979. Now Athens Of The North have dusted down these two smooth as silk soulful disco jams and given them a fresh pressing. 'Good Feelin' is a mellow, soul-feeding cut for Sunday afternoon reveries and toe-tapping country drives alike. 'See The World' is a more sultry affair for those who like their grooves to dig in a little deeper.
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AOTN 12019
27 Jan 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
27 Jan 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: A simple two-tracker here from Athens Of The North in-house band East Coast Love Affair, AKA Euan Fryer and Nick Moore. 'Get Down' finds the duo collaborating with the mysterious Quiet Storm on a languid, hazy number that channels the more soulful end of 80s boogie, and that centres around a dreamy "get down, get down, get down" male vocal and a jazzy guitar lick that loops endlessly throughout. The accompanying 'Do You Feel' is a more upbeat and jaunty affair but still fairly laidback, and if anything wears its 80s boogie influences even more proudly on its sleeve.
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ATH 118
20 Jan 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
20 Jan 23
Disco/Nu-Disco
Review: Athens Of The North will always be one of our favourite labels no matter what they're serving up. The Edinburgh-based deep diggers this time look to Race 'N Rhythm, which was once upon a time a 12-member jazz group based in Oakland. Jazz-master Rudolph Peters managed the multi-racial band and though they were admired on the vocal live circuit they only ever released one single before later doing an album. 'Space Saver' was recorded in California in 1982 and is a sultry and romantic soul sound with leads and coy rhythms. 'Candybar Superstar' on the backside is a pure fire dancefloor heater with high-energy claps, horns and vocals.
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ATH 130
09 Dec 22
Soul
09 Dec 22
Soul
Played by: Darren Clark, Pete Herbert, Juno Recommends Downtempo, Andy Downtown Science, MR ABSOLUTT
Review: Linkwood clearly enjoyed the process of recording his 2021 album Mono, which was created in a week in the Athens of the North Studio in Edinburgh, as he's repeated the exercise on Stereo. It's an impressive sequel all told, with the long-serving producer delivering an even deeper, warmer and more evocative excursion informed by his love of analogue deep house, classic sci-fi techno, the 80s compositions of Jan Hammer, intergalactic electro, drum machine-driven synth-funk and star-gazing ambient music. It sounds like it was primarily made with vintage synthesisers and drum machines, which when combined with his impeccable sound design and judicious use of outboard effects results in an enveloping, immersive and highly atmospheric sound that rewards repeat listens. In other words, it's another fine album to get lost in.
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AOTNLP 061
25 Nov 22
Balearic/Downtempo
25 Nov 22
Balearic/Downtempo
Various
Played by: Juno Recommends Funk
Review: Edinburgh-based Athens Of The North are best known for wonky leftfield house and disco/soul, but they've never been afraid to throw the odd curveball. One such came in the form of 2020's 'For The Love Of You', a compilation of lover's rock covers of funk, soul and disco classics, and now here comes a second installment, which packs reggae-fied takes on much-loved gems from the likes of Dennis Edwards, Randy Crawford, Bill Withers, William DeVaughn, The Mary Jane Girls and, perhaps more surprisingly, Simply Red. Covers collections have of course long been a staple of the reggae scene, but they can often be a bit hit-and-miss - thankfully this one features a lot more hits than misses!
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AOTNLP 064
02 Sep 22
Soul
02 Sep 22
Soul
