Review: Boogie Angst's series of club-focused, compilation style EPs can always be relied upon to deliver the goods. Predictably, this third volume in the ongoing series is packed to the rafters with tasty musical treats. Label bosses Kraak & Smaak lead the way with 'Fitipaldi', a Clavinet-sporting slab of Italo-disco influenced cheeriness that's available in both original mix and extended version variations. You also get two takes on Drop Out Orchestra's kaleidoscopic, string-laden disco-boogie rework of Steven Kimber's 'I Wanna Be The One'. Elsewhere, rising star Pontchartrain dances his way through nu-disco-influenced piano-house territory on 'Cheap Plants', King Mutapa reaches for warming Rhodes keys and jazzy disco bass on the deep house influenced 'Gimme That Funk' and FUTVRST offers up a filter-heavy exploration of French Touch influenced mid-tempo disco-house.
Review: A four-tracker here from publicity-shy French producer Georges, who's racked up nearly 20 releases on Boogie Angst and French label AOC but about whom we can tell you very little. 'Karma' opens the EP on a laidback, summery kinda tip with some chorus'd female aahs and oohs by way of a vocal. Next comes recent single 'Now You're Gone', which features Stee Downes on mic duties and will appeal to fans of Smoove & Turrell, Andre Espeut etc. We then head down a slightly deeper, jazzier path with 'Back To FM', before the EP's rounded out by a Dub of 'Now You're Gone'.
Review: Boogie Angst presents Music Ruined My Life, the brand new instrumental LP from Rotterdam-based artist and producer Moods! A respected act in bringing together a unique fusion of soul, R&B, and alternative influences - Music Ruined My Life was recorded live in the city of Leiden during the peak of the pandemic alongside a full band. With the LP tapping into a balance of soulful jazz, folk and funk inspired undertones that also touch of new age and lounge - this album is for the tastemakers out there. We recommend "Return To 4ever" for some splashy, dub-loving sounds, "Deeper Waters" for that new age, space-ambient funk, and "Music Saved My Life" for a funkier, house classic with broken beat tip. Moods!
Review: Kraak & Smaak's latest EP is not the disco-fired boogie-fest we've come to expect, but rather a collection of undeniably sun-baked tracks that were apparently inspired by daydreams of long drives along the Spanish and French Mediterranean coasts. They've nailed the sound of course, with the six tracks flitting between soft focus, mid-80s Balearic wooziness (the spoken word-sporting title track), gorgeous, bass-heavy nu-jazz ('The Cypress Garden'), Ennio Morricone-inspired excellence ('Sunflower Suite'), piano-powered disco-not-disco ('Corsica '80') and lusciously glassy-eyed downtempo gear ('Cul De Sac' and 'French Souffle'). Sublime afternoon delights - we approve!
Review: "Same Blood" is taken from the forthcoming 'Pleasure Centre' - the sixth studio album by Dutch trio Kraak & Smaak released on their own label Boogie Angst. The album's 'West Coast vibe' is due to them moving to Los Angeles for a month back in 2019, where they stayed in Echo Park and recorded in local studios, and sometimes even in the homes or backyards garages of their collaborators featured on the album. Featuring the emotive vocals of The Palms, "Same Blood" is a low slung and emotive number incorporating soul, funk, disco and deep house elements for an altogether captivating experience.
