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Bandolier
Episode OneEXCLUSIVE
Played by: FINGERMAN
Review: Former Naughty But Nice man Chewy Rubs teams up with another unsung hero of the UK scene, Travski, for this four-tracker on his own Bandolier label - with impeccable results. 'Jellybean' gets the ball rolling with throbbing synth-bass and rap vocal bites from LL Cool J's 'I'm Bad' and Dr Octagon AKA Kool Keith's 'Bear Witness', after which there's more party-hearty cut-up action on 'Contra D'. We then drop down into a deeper groove for 'Feel This Dub', a bassy slow-burner topped with synth-strings and indecipherable, barely-there vocal snips, and stay there for the jazzier 'Feel This', which rocks the house-eulogising diva vocal from Antoine Clamaran & D-Plac's 'Get Up'.
Review: Chewy Rubs teams up once more with semi-regular partner-in-crime North Laine for this two-tracker on his own Bandolier label. The funk-tastic 'Games In The Street' finds the deadly duo reworking 'Street Games', a 1977 single by The Blackbyrds. That suggests the accompanying 'Win To Love' may also be a re-edit, but if so we couldn't tell you what it's a re-edit of... either way, though, it's a lively lil' dancefloor rumpshaker with Caribbean-sounding percussion (think 'Soul Limbo' by Booker T & The MGs) and a boogie-style "tell me how to win your love" female vocal.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, Juno Recommends Funky House, Rayko, CHEWY RUBS, FRAN DEEPER
Review: Chewy Rubs' Bandolier label bring us a two-tracker from Peter Makkai and Andras Szerepi, AKA DRJ & Gio, AKA The Magic Track, a Hungarian duo with a CV that takes in the likes of Masterworks, Hot Digits, Furious Mandrill and Spa In Disco. 'Lose Me' is a plenty playable slab of midpaced contemporary funk with some fine chords and wonky lil' bass squiggles, but to these ears it's all about the accompanying 'Side Turn', which tops a deep, percussive disco-house backing with what's either a cheeky Crystal Waters sample or one of the most faithful vocal homages you've ever heard! 100% pure class.
Various
Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, Juno Recommends Funky House, Rayko, Kongisto, FRAN DEEPER, Gino Boleti
Review: With 36 tracks to choose from, there's no doubting the VFM on offer here... or so goes the old clich?! But if those 36 tracks are rubbish, that's no good, is it? Lucky, then, that THESE 36 cuts come from the Bandolier label, which is headed up by Chewy Rubs - for this reviewer's money, one of the finest and most under-rated UK producers working in the disco arena today. Featuring multiple contributions from Chewy himself as well as label regulars Stephen Richards and Ian Upfold, picking highlights is pretty much superfluous here because while not every track is a killer, obviously, a good 30 or so of 'em are! But 'Sombrero' has been a surefire floorfiller for yours truly since its 2019 single release, so maybe start there...
Review: Ireland's Stephen Richards hails from Waterford, made his name with his Disco Daze and Waveforms radio shows and has gone on to record for labels such as Rare Wiri, Spa In Disco, Masterworks and Slightly Transformed. Here, he returns to Chewy Rubs' Bandolier with two original productions, with 'The Waveform' bringing the spacey, early 80s boogie vibes - the likes of The Rah Band spring to mind - while the sax-tastic 'Ensemble' ploughs a much struttier, rawer 70s funk furrow. The EP's then completed by Ian Upfold's remix of the latter, which smoothes out some of the rough edges to take us deeper into Balearic/nu-disco territory.
Review: Chewy Rubs is a name that'll always prick up this reviewer's ears and here he serves up a spanking new four-tracker on his own Bandolier label. The EP kicks off with 'Disco Magic', a solid lil' chugger with a male "disco dancing" vocal refrain. That's followed by the struttier and slightly more energetic 'Keep Going', after which we come to 'Love Takeover', a denser, more atmospheric jam with a cut-up female "your love is taking me over" vocal, before 'The Vibe', another moodier cut with a distinctive squelchy electronic bassline and male "feel the vibe" vocal shouts, plays us out.
Review: Four varied tracks make up this latest EP from Ian Upfold, a Brighton-based studio veteran who's latterly turned producer in his own right. The EP opens with 'Sugar' itself, an understated groover made up of warm, rolling bass, sprightly synth top-notes and occasional ultra-80s stings. That's followed first by 'Another Mile', which has a Nang-y, nu-disco kinda feel, and then by 'Zulu Shuffle' which, interestingly, marries the obligatory chanted Afro vox to both a full-phat disco b-line and warping, Prodigy-like synth/organ stabs. Completing the package is 'Made To Measure' - think 80s synth-pop with a jazz-funk twist.
Review: UK scene stalwart Chewy Rubs gets down with his bad self on an EP that can be safely filed under "tracky shit". With its acid bassline and cut-up rap vocal samples, 'Ruff Beats' is a simple affair but utterly irresistible, and will get bodies onto floors for sure. There are more rap snips on midtempo disco-house roller 'Hype Or Right', while the sample-happy 'Make It Funky' has a charmingly na?ve, late 80s/early 90s feel. 'Party Up' then plays us out on a slightly more straight-up disco tip. All four are eminently playable, but suffice to say the lead track has been well chosen.
Review: Anything with Chewy Rubs' name on it is sure to prick up this reviewer's ears, and the Naughty But Nice veteran certainly doesn't disappoint with this latest four-track EP, which finds him with his house hat on. The standout to these ears is 'Get Loose' with its rubberband bassline, party shouts and sense of just-repressed energy, followed closely by 'Sweet Little Booboo' with its chopped n' looped preacherman vox, while 'Active Ingredients' itself borrows from D-Train classic 'Music' and 'Team Work' is an eyes-down, blues-infused shuffler, built for the wee small hours and riding a b-line that kicks like the proverbial equine quadraped
Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, Juno Recommends Funky House, Gouranga, Chuggin Edits, Andy Buchan, The Magic Track
Review: A very solid four-tracker here from Mr C Rubs, opening with the chunky 'Afro Disco', which isn't particularly Afro-flavoured musically but does feature a snatch of sampled tribal speech by way of a vocal. 'Music To Move' then brings the peaktime disco-house stomper vibes, before 'Respect & Harmony' takes us into chunkier pastures. And then we come to what for this reviewer is the EP standout by far - 'Strictly Rockers', wherein a monster bass throb provides the musical backbone around which assorted FX, piano licks, shakers, vocal snips and more interwine for seven slinky, sinuous minutes.
Review: Seeing Chewy Rubs' name on a release is always guaranteed to prick up this reviewer's ears; for this four-tracker on his own Bandolier label, he ropes in the equally dependable North Laine, with predictably fine results. 'Down The Barrel' bravely revisits that most maligned of first-gen disco anthems, 'Devil's Gun' by CJ & Co (1977); that suggests the other three cuts may also be re-edits but if so they've dug nice and deep! Either way, 'Love Is All We Need' is a 70s-sounding near-instrumental, 'Knock One Out' has more of an early 80s feel and 'Click, Snap & Shoot' takes us into full-blown, shiny-suited boogie territory.
Review: Dadbod is a new joint venture from a couple of Australian house and disco producers, namely Downunder Disco and Henri Le Blanc, and here they come to Bandolier with 'Feel Nice', a curiously old school affair that's got something of a Raw Silk-ish feel, and that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a 3am deep house floor some time in the early 90s - in the best possible way. UK scene veteran Chewy Rubs is therefore an apt choice of remixer, and his dubbier pass doesn't disappoint one iota, while the EP's completed by 'Carnival', a funked-up looper that again has something of a 90s vibe about it - think Direckt's '2 Fat Guitars' or Mother's 'All Funked Up'.
Played by: FINGERMAN, REz, Juno Recommends Funky House, Rayko, Dave Mathmos, FRAN DEEPER, Andy Buchan
Review: Ever-prolific Hereford veteran Chewy Rubs steps up with another four-track EP on his own Bandolier label. 'Whoolly Mammoth' kicks us off in whompy, stompy, loopy fashion, before we get a slice of proper dancefloor struttery in the form of the fairly self-explanatory 'Tek Disco'. Next comes 'Hot To Trot', which with its clipped brass stabs comes a little closer to late 90s/early 00s-style filter disco, before the EP's completed by 'Easy Tiger', another looping bass workout in a very similar style to the opener, but now with the addition of six-string wails and keyboard licks redolent of early Chi-town house.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, SUNNER SOUL, Dave Mathmos, CHEWY RUBS, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Downunder Disco, Andy Buchan
Review: Four predictably fine slices of contemporary funk 'n' boogie courtesy of Hereford's own disco don Chewy Rubs. While retro-flavoured vibes may dominate, Mr Rubs shows a healthy disregard for convention or stylistic 'historical accuracy' - so 'Muffin Bizniz' marries scorching 60s Hammond funk to a "raggamuffin bizness and ting" vocal, while the early 80s boogie/funk groove of 'Ecstasy' (think Cameo or Rick James) gets augmented by the "acid... ecstasy" vocal snip from Beltram classic 'Energy Flash'. Meanwhile, it it's sheer squelchy bass and soaring strings retro disco silliness you're after then head for 'Happy When You're Free'.
Played by: Black Hawks of Panama, FINGERMAN, Jean Jacques Smoothie, Juno Recommends Disco, Dave Mathmos, CHEWY RUBS, 80's Child, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), That Needs an Edit/Pete Le Freq, Chuggin Edits, Downunder Disco, FRAN DEEPER, Andy Buchan, The Magic Track, Twin Sun
Review: Always a pleasure when a new release from Mr Rubs lands in the inbox! 'Dig It' kicks things off this time, a disco chugger that's dripping in restrained energy and comes topped with two male voices ("Can you dig it?"/"Yeah, I can dig it"). 'You've Got To Live' is a big, strutty funker designed to induce the throwing of shapes out on the dancefloor, while 'Music' is more the kind of sparse, stripped-down throbber that'll see you through the wee small hours nicely. Completing the EP is 'Destiny', a disco-house-boogie concoction with a looped female vocal and subtle hints of jazz around the edges.
Played by: FINGERMAN
Review: A four-track EP here from Ian Upfold, a Brighton, UK-based DJ and producer whose output has spanned both re-edits and original material. We're in the latter mode here, with 'Distance Living' a midtempo affair that'd work well for afternoon, bar or warm-up play, 'Dog Day Afternoon' a chunky lil' mover that'll appeal to disco, funk and deep house floors alike, 'Other Side Of The Storm' an unlikely but effective combination of sleazy funk grind and a full preacherman vocal that has something of a Roland Clark-ish feel, and 'Stress Release' a brass-dripping workout for the jazz-dancers. Good stuff all round.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, CHEWY RUBS, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Chuggin Edits, FRAN DEEPER, Juno Download
Review: Chewy Rubs is one nu-disco producer who's never afraid to throw in the odd curveball, and seldom has this been more evident than on 'Pluckers Luck', which sounds like a crazed disco producer jamming with an entire Russian orchestra - pretty sure we actually heard a bassoon in there at point! And there's DEFINITELY a kazoo... The EP's other three cuts are all perfectly serviceable nu-disco jams, by turns eyes-down ('Feel The Groove'), uplifting ('Boogie 1Nite') and lo-slung and funky ('Get A Lift'), but it's 'Pluckers Luck' that'll have 'em running up to the booth demanding track IDs.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, SAUCO, CHEWY RUBS, 80's Child, Henri Le Blanc, FRAN DEEPER, Juno Download
Review: Chewy Rubs joins forces once more with fellow nu-disco fave North Laine on a 70s-style disco cut that's offered up for public consumption in a choice of two mixes. The lead Vox Edits tops a bed of rolling funk bass and disco geetar chops with a soulful male vocal, brass fanfares and, around the four-minute mark, some fine vibes work, while the matching Chewy Rubs Rolllin' Dub pretty much does what it says on the tin, looping up sections of the track to create a chuggin', Sneak-y workout that'll be perfect for keeping fired-up floors moving in-between the anthems.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, SAUCO, CHEWY RUBS, 80's Child, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Kongisto, Juno Download, GalgoDK
Review: Irish DJ/producer Richards returns to Chewy Rubs' Bandolier Records with a three-track EP. The vaguely Crazy P-ish 'Grand AM' itself is a contemporary disco/funk/pop groover centred around a cascading bass riff and a distinctive half-sung, half-hummed female vocal. The Latin-flavoured, instrumental 'Sangria' is another funk jam but with brass taking the lead, before the EP's completed by 'Summer Stages', another very individual-sounding affair that centres around an ominous, looping bassline with something of a horror soundtrack feel. It all adds up to an EP whose originality puts it head and shoulders above a sea of near-identikit modern disco releases.
Played by: Black Hawks of Panama, FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, SAUCO, Mr Doris, CHEWY RUBS, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Andy Buchan, Kongisto, FRAN DEEPER, Akeem Raphael
Review: This reviewer always experiences something of a frisson when a new Chewy Rubs promo lands in the inbox, and this latest offering doesn't disappoint, packing two slabs of party-hearty, authentically 70s-sounding funk squelch ('Voodoo Disco' and 'Have A Bit Of Fun') and two tracks ('Golden Fire' and 'Welcome') that lean more towards disco-house and nu-disco. As with much of Chewy's output, it's hard to tell if these tracks are straight re-edits or just heavily sample-based productions, but no matter - if they're re-edits, the source material is sufficiently obscure that they'll sound "new" to most ears regardless!
Review: Frank Virgilio is a house and disco DJ from Naples who, with 30 years experience behind the decks, made the move into production around 2015. Here, he serves up two deep house nuggets for Chewy Rubs' Bandolier label (est. 2018). Up first is 'Voices', which after a breathy, grunted intro settles down into a heavy, bass-y tribalistic groove topped with a nagging keys riff and sweeping disco strings. 'Love Thief', meanwhile, is another chuggy affair centred around a bassline that recalls Adamski's 'Killer', which it pairs with chanted disco vocal snips. Both are solid set-builders that will work on house and disco floors alike.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Superbreak, LEGO EDIT, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Chuggin Edits, Downunder Disco
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.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Chuggin Edits, Downunder Disco, Aleito
Review: "Shall we go to the disco?" asks opener 'Do The Disco', but it's a fairly rhetorical question because after hearing the four tracks here, resistance to such an idea is gonna be pretty much futile! 'Do The Disco' is a looping affair but with a sound palette that's wide-ranging enough for things not to get boring. 'No Strutting' is a more contemplative, introspective kinda cut (albeit still very struttable, despite the title), while the instrumental and fairly self-explanatory 'Pianomania' takes us down a housier route before 'The Starlight' plays us out on a more chilled note - one for the Balearic jocks.
Review: UK-based Bad Barbie teams up with Chewy Rubs to deliver more of her disco re-edits here on the 'Locked In' EP, with forays into funk, house and reggae. She's known for her radio show on Kane FM, where her love of music and lively personality get a chance to shine, not to mention maintaining a rather curious Instagram account. Partner in crime Chewy Rubs is no stranger to the scene either, and heads up this very label: Bandolier Records. Get utterly hypnotised by the funked-up disco loops of "Breakout" which is sure to turn up the heat on the dancefloor, while the deeper and more low-slung groove attack of "Normalism" is reminiscent of the Chicken Lips/Bearfunk style - perfect boogie down vibes to play at sunset!
Played by: Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze)
Review: Some records take a little longer than others to really sink in. Take 'Sunken Ship', for instance: why, it could well be a full 30 seconds or so before it has you on your feet! But that simple looping, chugging bassline is a call to the dancefloor if ever we heard one, and once the matching keys come in, at around the two-minute mark, it's game over. Coming a close second to the title track is 'Flower Press', an urgent, pulsating jam with an organ line that's positively straining at the leash, while disco-funker 'Like Electricity' and the slightly housier 'Shifting Sand' complete a very fine package.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Juno Recommends Disco, Ash Reynolds, SUNNER SOUL, Monsieur Van Pratt, Dave Mathmos, CHEWY RUBS, 80's Child, FRAN DEEPER
Review: The nu-disco scene's favourite Wookee, Chewy Rubs, has dedicated much more time to collaborations of late. He's already joined forces with Fingerman and North Laine, and here shares the results of studio time spent with the previously unheard M.O.K.E. There's much to set the pulse racing throughout, from the rolling nu-disco warmth of EP opener "Echo The Love", where bubbly electronic motifs and surging synth lines ride an elastic groove, to the weirdo vocals and disco-tech vibes of the rather ear-pleasing "Silent Caller". Best of all though is title track "Beam", a fine chunk of 21st century Italo-disco/house fusion full of sparkling refrains, sleazy analogue bass and dreamy, sun-kissed melodies.
Review: In between promoting the latest Star Wars flick and fighting the evil Empire, hairy re-editor Chewy Rubs has somehow found time to join forces with old pal North Laine for a second collaborative EP on Bandolier. They begin by offering a punchy instrumental take on Deodato's horn-heavy jazz-funk era gem "Night Cruiser" (here re-named "Night Cruising") before successfully looping up a soaring, over-the-top disco classic ("Second Chance"). "Biological" is a fine, floor-friendly revision of a lesser-known swamp funk gem, while closing cut "Lovin'U" is a slightly tooled-up version of a glassy-eyed '80s soul sing-along. As the old saying goes, this EP is "all killer, no filler".
Review: Previously best known for offering up a handful of tasty singles on Sleazy Deep, Skeleton Keys pops up on Bandolier with a first solo single in almost 12 months. First up is "Barrio Fever", a wonderfully dubbed-out, bass-heavy and dancefloor-friendly revision of a much-loved disco-era chunk of Latin funk headiness. Skeleton keys has wisely retained many of the key original elements - think glistening guitar riffs, layered percussion and ear-catching horn motifs - while beefing up the bass and adding plenty of delay effects. "Not Whom You Seem" gives a similar sonic treatment to what sounds like an early 80s synth pop/AOR disco workout. It's good, though we still prefer "Barrio Fever".
Review: Ian Upfold's first two solo EPs on Bandolier were both rather impressive, so it's no surprise to find that his lasting outing is also packed to the rafters with synth-heavy, left of centre dancefloor treats. We're not quite sure whether they're re-edits or original tracks, but it many ways it doesn't matter; regardless, what you get is superb. Check first the off-kilter broken house beats, double-tracked bass (guitar/TB-303 style acid) and sparse but positive melodic elements of "Second Chance", before admiring the throbbing Italo-style arpeggio bass, droning electronics and heady chords of "Burning Sun". "Two of Everything" sounds like a bubbly Balearic cover of M's "Pop Musik" minus the vocals, while "Rounded Corners" is a chunky bounce through disco-house/deep house/gospel fusion.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Javi Frias, Juno Recommends Disco, SUNNER SOUL, LEGO EDIT, 80's Child, JAMES ROD, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Chuggin Edits
Review: Tom Vine AKA Chewy Rubs fires forth four more salvoes from his disco machine gun. 'Disco Hook' gets the ball rolling, a lively affair that sports some killer space disco stabs and a looped "disco music" vocal, and that recalls Joey Negro's work with The Trammps. 'Party Tool (Chewy Rubs G-Funk Disco Dub)' is another one that doesn't take much explaining, given that the relevant keywords are right there in the title; ditto 'Garage Disco IV', which rocks a super-infectious bassline not dissimilar to last year's 'Sombrero' and old-school "jack!" vocal samples, while finally 'Hypnotizin', as you've probably already guessed, borrows from Raw Silk.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Trotter, Juno Recommends Disco, SUNNER SOUL, CHEWY RUBS, LEGO EDIT, 80's Child, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Andy Buchan, Chuggin Edits, Downunder Disco
Review: For those who didn't live through the '90s, it was once the done thing to refer to ravers by their rhyming slang title: "Quavers". Therefore this collaborative EP from Chewy Rubs and Fingerman is aimed fairly and squarely at disco ravers. The title track brilliantly sets the tone, peppering a low-slung disco-house groove with intergalactic electronics, echoing spoken word samples and delay-laden string stabs. "Theory Funker" is a lesson in disco-tech heaviness - all swirling samples and acid-fired electronics - while "Maintain the Groove" is a lolloping dance into hazy dub disco territory. The most "disco-rave" cut of all, though, is closer "Maintain The Acid", a mind-altering re-make of the above cut smothered in psychedelic TB-303 acid lines and echoing disco samples.
Review: We were genuinely impressed by Ian Upfold's first outing on Bandolier last December, so hopes are naturally high for this relatively speedy follow-up. There's a wonderfully languid but elastic feel to opener "Secret Combination", a jolly fusion of Italo-disco style bottom end and cheery nu-disco melodies. Upfold wraps his distinctively lo-fi synthesizer motifs around a slightly wonky, chugging mid-tempo groove on "The Mover", before moving towards breezier nu-disco/disco-house territory on the unflinchingly sunny "Bouncy Castle". If that's not enough to wet the whistle, the Brighton producer offers up a superb climax in the shape of the "Bladerunner"-era Vangelis inspired nu-disco bounce of "Lone Wolf".
Review: The ever-prolific Chewy Rubs issues forth four more re-edited vintage dancefloor nuggets from his secret underground lair. The funk-fuelled boogie of 'Furry Mover' (a rework of One On One's 'Body Music' from 1981) opens proceedings, followed by 'Get Up Off Your Arse' (original source unknown), which has another big PHAT bassline, dramatic synth stabs and a western movie-like trumpet/bugle line. 'Love Your Glow' has an early 80s feel and much use of filters and FX, while completing the EP is 'Get Enough', a more smooth-rollin' affair that harks back to first-generation disco-house of the mid-90s.
Review: Bandolier presents a second salvo from fast-rising disco Jedi Double F.O.G, whose label debut last autumn remains one of the nascent imprint's strongest collections of cuts. Pleasingly, there's plenty to set the pulse racing this time round, too. Check first the hypnotic, mind-altering bump of "Hot & Wet", where punk-funk style sax loops and mangled vocalizations ride a rubbery mutant disco groove, before turning your attention to the electric piano-laden reggae-nu-disco fusion of "Who's Afraid of Disko Dreng", a wild but hugely attractive affair that defies easy categorization. Finally, the mysterious producer reaches for the cowbells on druggy and driving closer "I Do Anything", a throbbing late night fusion of angular arpeggio bass, mind-altering motifs and dreamy chords.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Dario Piana, Limpodisco, BRENDON P, LEGO EDIT, 80's Child, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Chuggin Edits, Sould Out
Review: The clue's in the title with this latest from UK label Bandolier, as Irish producer Richards serves up three slices of Latin-tinged disco. 'Disco Habana' itself is a midtempo, shuffling affair with a fluttering, insistent flamenco guitar line by way of a lead, augmented by female "yeah-yeahs" and the occasional space disco stab. 'Nuances', which follows, is more of a straight-up looping funk groove with a spoken male "I just finally feel I belong somewhere, you know?" vocal sample. Label boss Chewy Rubs then completes the EP with his Breakers Dozen Rub of the latter, which is a little more in-your-face sonically.
Played by: FINGERMAN, YAM WHO?, CHEWY RUBS, LEGO EDIT, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Chuggin Edits, Ruff Diamond
Review: Four more vintage gems get a 21st Century makeover on this joint EP from North Laine and the ever-prolific Chewy Rubs. First up is a faithful refresh of Sharon Redd's Prelude classic 'Love How You Feel', which lets Redd's spirited vocal do the heavy lifting. Then there's 'DehctiwS', a beefed-up take on an unknown disco/boogie nugget, followed by 'Let's Take A Ride', wherein Fat Larry's Band's 'Center City' gets a glitzy, shmaltzy reboot. But the MVP award goes to 'Sombrero', which is as infectious and irresistible a slice of stomping, piano- and flute-sprinkled Latin disco as you're likely to come across this year.
Review: Synth-y, squelchy contemporary disco bordering on slo-mo house is the order of the day on this four-tracker from rising Brighton producer Ian Upfold. '30 & Rolling' itself foregrounds a hefty walking b-line and Flat Eric-ish wobbles, while 'Sick Day Jam' contains nods to both early prog ? la Guerrilla Records and 80s electro. 'Love's Gonna Get You' then delves into the mists of time for inspiration and comes out clutching a famous Jocelyn Brown vocal from 1987, before 'Natural High' adds a little Balearic flavour with its Italo-house piano and sampled, spoken self-help vocal.
Review: Like fictional super-spy James Bond, Chewy Rubs prefers his re-edits "Shaken Not Stirred". "Took My Love Away (Chewy Rubs Deep Disco Vox"), the opening cut from the Star Wars-loving producer's latest EP, is every bit as potent and tipsy as a pint of Vodka Martini, with deliciously glassy-eyed female vocal snippets rising above a loopy disco-house groove. Similarly impressive is chugging, mind-altering throb-job "Love A Groove (Chewy Rubs Extend-it)", where spacey synthesizer arpeggio lines and quirky vocal samples rise above a pulsating, mid-'80s dancefloor groove. Elsewhere, "Garage Disco III" is a electric piano-heavy revision of a mid-80s NYC house jam rearranged in cahoots with pal Moke, while "Rake The Moon (Chewy Rubs Space Dust Rub)" is a creepy, ever-growing, house-friendly tweak of a weirdo space disco workout.
Review: The force is strong in this debut E.P from Double F.O.G, a debutant nu-disco Jedi operating from Bandolier's hidden base on Tatooine. The intergalactic action begins with "Death Star Express", which is the kind of all-electronic, synthesizer-heavy nu-disco workout that would get storm troopers hot under the collar at Darth Vader's bi-weekly discoid rave-ups. Despite the presence of chunkier, house style beats, "R2 Disco" has a more classic synth-disco feel, with swirling electronic strings and Clavinet lines combining to impressive effect. "Who's Your Daddy?" is an even more driving, funk-fuelled affair full of elastic synth-bass, vocoder vocals and bubbly melodies, while the heavier but similarly minded closer "It's Time To Go" sounds like it was created to get Ewoks break-dancing at their regular forest jams.
Review: Since launching the Bandolier digi-label earlier this year, hairy scalpel sort Chewy Rubs has served up some seriously fine cuts. Predictably, there's plenty more dancefloor gold to be found on the rework Wookie's latest four-track missive. "Garage Disco II", a rolling peak-time sequel that wraps new synth parts and sampled disco orchestration around a seriously muscular, shirts-off peak-time groove, sets the tone, before our hero joins forces with Moke for the disco-fied deep house roll of "Control Z". He returns to straight re-edit pastures on the fiendishly heavy, low-slung dub disco pump of "I Didn't Know", while "Hanging By A String" is a wonderfully cheery and sun-kissed exploration of orchestral disco pastures.
Review: Hirsure, Star Wars-loving scalpel fiend Chewy Rubs is one of the disco scene's more reliable re-editors. Over the years, he's delivered superb floor-friendly re-rubs for most of the scene's most checked labels, often prioritizing percussive grooves and low-slung basslines. That's exactly what you get with "Garage Disco (Chewy Rubs Dub)", the opening gambit from the disco Wookie's latest EP. The track is built around heavy, rubbery punk-funk style bass, dense pots-and-pans percussion and some mind-altering dub effects, but retains a strong link with peak-time dancefloors throughout. Elsewhere, Moke lends a hand on the driving, dub disco-meets-disco-house bounce of "Keep Improving On (Bubble Dub)", while "Somebody That Loves You (T&B Perc Dub)" is low-slung, bass-heavy dub disco delight.
Played by: Juno Recommends Disco, Limpodisco, CHEWY RUBS, LEGO EDIT, 80's Child, Chuggin Edits, Downunder Disco
Review: The Chuggin Edits crew is renowned for serving up, well, chugging disco reworks. We were a little surprised, then, when we discovered that they've pushed up the tempo a little on this latest Bandolier excursion. This is not a criticism, though, because all three tracks hit the spot. We're particularly enjoying "I Get Satisfied", a bouncy, brilliantly edited and subtly tooled-up version of a jazz guitar and Hammond organ-powered funk workout slightly reminiscent of Mr Scruff's "Get a Move On". Elsewhere, "Boogie Business" is a densely percussive, trumpet-heavy jazz-funk-neets-disco-house slammer, while "Funky Music" is a hazy, flute-heavy chunk of summery, mid-tempo bliss.
Played by: Valique, FINGERMAN, Superbreak, Juno Recommends Disco, Benjamin Ferreira, Limpodisco, CHEWY RUBS, LEGO EDIT, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Andy Buchan, Chuggin Edits, Sould Out, Downunder Disco, Paper Street Soul
Review: Hairy heroics: Chewy returns to the controls of his own new label Bandolier with four more expert edits. "Here Comes The Law" struts with brilliant momentum that's both gradual and dynamic before paying off with big funk sleaze. Elsewhere "The Game" is more of a hip-slinker with its trouser dropping slinky bassline, alluring percussion and sexual come-from-nowhere sax antics while "Get Some Lovin'" is the ultimate soaking wet chugger with lolloping slap-bass and classic loopy discoid vocal shots. Finally "Doing It Tonight" goes back to the source with brazen orchestral blasts over an addictive stripped back groove before dropping into a very well-known hook mid-way. The perfect tool for the best creative DJs, Chewy's got you covered.
Played by: FINGERMAN, Superbreak, Juno Recommends Disco, Limpodisco, CHEWY RUBS, Stephen Richards (DiscoDaze), Andy Buchan, Chuggin Edits
Review: Britain's premier disco wookie, Chewy Rubs, has decided to launch his own label, Bandolier Records. Here, he delivers the debut release, an enjoyable mixture of original tracks and sneaky, peak-time re-edits. He begins with the mid-tempo throb of "Baby Get Down", a colourful, bass-heavy fusion of hip-house, boogie and warehouse-friendly deep house, before charging towards peak-time via the classic disco/sparkling nu-disco fusion of "Disco Chicago". "Strange Love" is a pulsating, mind-altering re-edit rich in heavy bass, rising orchestration and cut-up freestyle vocal samples, while fine closer "Watch Out" (co-produced by Charles Christian) sits somewhere between hypnotic, Afro-tinged house and Clavinet-sporting disco-chug.
