Review:
Spanish producers Angel Funke and Alex Brinken are experienced heads in the disco-house game. Here they join forces with an EP for party-starters Chopshop. Lead cut "What's The Colour" sets the tone, building a sparkling deep house/disco hybrid following a superb, cowbell and bongo-laden intro. It's based around a groove that recalls the late '90s productions of disco-house specialists Peppermint Jam. Funke's "Zombie" adds a little Afrobeat shuffle to the formula, building into a percussive frenzy via relentless organs and electric piano keys. The collaborative "Nu Funk A Go" slows things down, offering a spooky, smoky trip into classic trip-hop territory.
Review:
Middlesborough-based DJ/producer Appo has been mixing up and chopping up tracks since the late '70s. Here he makes his first appearance on re-edit imprint Chopshop with a five-track, pick 'n' mix assortment of floor-friendly reworks that touches on Balearica, AOR and, of course, disco. In the latter category come slo-mo disco-reggae drum workout "Fantasy Island" and scream-along disco-soul anthem "Getaway". Weirdly, two of the best cuts are also the most esoteric selections. Appo must have had his tongue firmly pressed in cheek when chopping up Cliff Richard's "Devil Woman" (really) and JJ Cale's "Cocaine". Both tracks are given a surprisingly Balearic new lease of life.
Review:
Veteran Swedish producer Beat Fanatic (Ture Sjolberg) knows a thing or two about a dancefloor teasing re-edit gem. Here on Tricky Situation he tackles the evergreen 1970s Ned Doheny classic Get It Up For Love, or rather a slowed down rework version, which ends up sounding like the Gypsy Kings jamming with some drunk cowboys. That's a good thing by the way. Martin Davies also joins the party, bringing along some peyote fuelled nu-disco meanderings with him. Never has something so silly sounded so good!
Review:
They seek him here, they seek him there, the elusive Bloody Tadi is rumoured to dwell everywhere from Dubai to Slovenia. What we do know is that Chopshop has gone beyond the traditional edit route and presented us with this excellent four-track hybrid of deep house and slo-mo disco. Highlights include the pilled up g-funk of "No Worms" and the deep and jazzy womb-house of "Been Too Long".
Review:
ChopShop Digital barely deviates from its' well-worn formula, which involves serving up multi-artist EPs full of tried-and-tested reworks. Happily, they're at it again here. BnC kicks things off with the break-driven funk shuffle of "Good Times Roll", before Woodhead & Hebegebe raise the temperature with the heavy funk-goes-Italo-disco surge of "Pony Up". West Country scalpel fiends Situation serve up the dusty soul sweetness of "Change For A Coke", while Senior Citizens attempt to outdo them with the similarly luscious and soulful "The Perfect Plan". Finally, label boss George Kelly steals the show with a killer re-cut of Willie Bobo/Ronnie Laws favourite "Always There".
Review:
Ricky Bonewell's music on the Slowburner EP incorporates three vintage songs re-edited into sinuous and percussive grooves. "Edit Your Love" is all dark sweaty basement bass and fierce percussion breaks, "Itadi" is throbbing late hip grinder and "Slowburner" is all dreamy dreamy synths and slo-mo bottom end, a beautifully seductive closer.
Review:
The latest offering from the Chop Shop camp aims to shine a light on a trio of up-and-coming re-edit artists. Polish producer Brick Fever made his debut on the label earlier this year, and here delivers two more party-starting highlights; the horn-heavy, synth-laden, straightened out anthem that is "Last Dance", and the smooth, soulful disco shuffle of "Stay With Me". Italian producer Ten Different also impresses with "Shake", a deliciously percussive, all-instrumental rework of the Jacksons' "Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)", before joining forces with Vaudafunk for a cheery stroll though house-friendly disco pastures on the swinging "Orlando Magic".
Review:
Something a little different from the Chopshop camp, as DJ Butcher and BnC join forces for a project inspired by the disco-biting world of early hip-hop. It's a definite progression for the Chopshop crew, who previously stuck largely to straightforward re-edits and mash-ups. Of course, there's plenty of reliance on classic samples - see the bumpin', jazz-flecked disco breaks of "Like We Say" and rubbery disco-funk groovery of "Freak The Groove" - but also plenty of invention within the bouncin', block-party grooves of "Firehoes" and "Play It Again". It's the latter - all head-nodding bump, twittering flutes, disco horns and addictive rap - that really stands out.
Review:
Chopshop regulars DJ Butcher and BnC have enjoyed considerable success since joining forces as Captain Futuro. Unlike their solo releases, which flit between funtime disco re-edits and housed-up party jams, their Captain Futuro material delves into the party-hearty world of hip-hop, old skool electro and, in this case, reggae. Both the cheeky "Natural Fun" (it samples, we think "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun") and "Dancehall Style" meld together elements of reggae, disco, hip-hop and electrofunk, largely with great success. "Gimme Some More" recreates classic '80s electro, while closer "Girls Wanna Dance" offers a new take on perennial party fave "I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Review:
Welcome to the future. Welcome to the past. Whichever direction you wish to travel, the Capitan will take you there in style. Cruising in a gas-guzzling disco edit machine, his vibes sing to any floors from the 70s right through until tomorrow. Each of these grooves have already been tried and tested with full vocals attached now Chopshop have commissioned a full set of instrumentals for added DJ creativity. Highlights include the reverb saturation on "Firehoes" guitar licks, the Chic-style bass juice on "Love Me Crazy" and the heavy horn action on "Play It Again". Ideal for all summer shenanigans, Futuro and Chopshop have delivered some serious goodness right here.
Review:
Captain Futuro, a collaboration between producer/MC Jeff Gonzalez and DJ Butcher, has long been one of Chopshop's most interesting projects. While much of the label's output focuses on straight-up disco re-edits, the Captain Futuro sound is much more akin to the original, disco and boogie-friendly sound of classic early hip-hop. This expansive debut album-come-compilation, which boasts both vocal and instrumental versions of many tracks, follows this simple goodtime formula, delivering a range of tracks that borrow heavily from both well known and obscure '70s and '80s records, adding fresh rap vocals and those lifted from previously released hip-hop jams. Predictably, it's a hugely enjoyable set, sharply focused on getting the party started, whatever the time or place.
Review:
With a sly wink and a beckoning wave of the hand, Chopshop invite us into their boudoir for another seductive trip into slinky rework territory. As usual, many bases are covered. Captain Futuro kicks things off with "Love Me Crazy", a slo-mo disco-flecked hip-hop head-nodder. Label supremo DJ Butcher turns Dave Gerard's "Twisted Message" (a sneaky bootleg version of the Furious Five classic) into a disco funk-breaks smasher, before laying down some revivalist rare groove fun in the shape of his own "However Do You Want Me" (a rework of Soul II Soul's "Back To Life"). A decidedly sensual package is completed by the misty-eyed headiness of Ill Advised "Superstition" (yep, a remake of that "Superstitition").
Review:
Hailing from Rio De Janeiro, producer Carrot Green's latest offering his a house prayer, literally a "Novena". The title track manages to combine a hypnotic funk with a nocturnal spiritualism. Elsewhere "Leadbelly" boasts a deep Chicago bassline thrills with Afro overtones, while "Novena" is chopped and housed up by DJ Butcher.
Review:
Label regular Cazbee has hooked up with Chopshop boss himself, DJ Butcher, for a new three-track groove-fest. Title track, "You Don't Know", is a slow burner, coming across like The Scissors Sisters doing a 70s ballad...produced by Morcheeba. "Hyped Up" is more party-orientated fare, capturing a killer vintage funk sample, looped over an almost AC/DC-style 4/4 beat and adorned with rationed synth flourishes. Finally, "In Search Of Phenomena" is fast and furious disco-funk, with rolling bongos and a meaty bass synth riff, all punctuated with some effective action from the brass section.
Review:
As with many of the label's releases, Chopshop's latest multi-artist extravaganza gleefully blurs the boundaries between sample-heavy original productions, sneaky reworks and the humble re-edit. Harold Vonghainiere kicks things off with a rolling, gently beefed up and straightened-out tweak of trumpet-sporting disco-era classic "House Party", before Childsy wraps of sublime, delay-laden sampled soul vocals (from the late, great Marvin Gaye, amongst others) around bustling beats and undulating, acid-style electronic motifs on the brilliant "Everyday". It's undoubtedly the EP's standout moment, though the slick deep house revision of a dewy-eyed soul gem that is S Nolla's sax-sporting "Too Hot" certainly pushes it close.
Review:
Re-edit heavy hitters Chopshop are back following their recent killer Greg Wilson/Groove Armada EP, and the big guns are out in force. Andrew Clarke is first up with "My Desire", an exotic funk bass and shimmering grand piano orgy. Then Yam Who? arrives at the party armed with "Quested": an immense synth-boogie looper that will slay you without even trying. Not to be outdone, DJ Butcher's "The Future Is Ours" risks weirding out the dancefloor with its twisted leftfield funk, and succeeds (possibly due to the dog barking bit). Lastly Appo ends with a classic: an arpeggiated disco cover of Chain Of Fools.
Review:
Having previously delivered both chunky disco edits and cheeky, bootleg style reworks, the usually reliable Chopshop crew offer up an EP dripping with soul and funk. Included is a loose, hip-hop tempo rework of deep jazz-funk standard "Nautilus" from Copycat (ideal for those bar sets/warm up moments), a head-nodding, heavy 4/4 tweak of an odd electrofunk record from DJ Raw Sugar, and a dubbed-out take on James Brown ("The Boss") by Discotech. Best of all, though, is DJ Agent 86's "Give It To Me Baby", a cheeky, horn-toting rework of freaky 80s funk legend Rick James.
Review:
Disco supremacy once again from international edit kings Cordycep. "No Cure" hits with the big soul hook that leaves us for dead, "No 9" is number one with its big piano rolls, purse-tight string and horn combinations and swooning harmonies before "Specalized" strips the vibe back to bare guitars and rhythm section before building us up again with dreamy piano uplift. Perfect summertime vibes.
Review:
Asian duo (they won't specify!) Cordycep consists of Cheryl Sin & Dony Han - a couple of DJs and producers who grew up in the 90's club scene. Their musical style is influenced by 'sample tracks'. Further inspiration comes from hip-hop such as Public Enemy, The Juice Crew, New Jack Swing through to legends such as The Bomb Squad, Marly Marl, Armand van Helden and Kenny Dope. On The Drop 1 EP, the first offering "Burning Up" is an edit of a certain 1977 disco classic. A respectful edit if you will and revised wonderfully for modern dancefloors. "Listen To The Music" is up next which is a raw and funky disco house joint with a few familiar hooks in there - after all they are sample freaks, as they made so abundantly clear! With its rolling bassline, tough and dusty drums and diva vocal snippets: this one is dancefloor euphoria.
Review:
Stafford's Dave Gerrard has been around for over 30 years so you can trust the DJ on this one. He's back on his usual stomping ground for more disco goodies on DJ Butcher's Chopshop out of Athens, Greece. He first takes the knife to the Jackson 5's "Dancing Machine" on "Generation 5" (great edit this one!), then he turns in an edit of a proper soul funk classic on "Repeat The Funk" (any guesses?) but finally he gives a Bill Withers classic a makeover on "You Got The Stuff". Class!
Review:
Greece's Chopshop are back. Having previously released work by Groove Armada, Yam Who? and Greg Wilson, this time they're here with another killer edit. George Kelly aka DJ Butcher's beloved label now takes the razor to some classic G-funk in the form of Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' But A G Thang". Tell us a DJ who doesn't need a edit of this classic? It also comes with a hand instrumental edit. Nice one fellas!
Review:
This latest split EP from the ever-reliable party-starters at Chop Shop introduces two new faces to the roster: the previously unheard "DJ S", and sometime Vintage Music, Disco Fruit and Rebel Hearts types Gradient Logic. The former delivers a bouncy, slightly toughened up re-interpretation of Deodato's Brazilian disco-funk classic "Night Cruiser" (here re-titled simply "Cruiser"), while the latter get knee deep in Funkadelic on the kaleidoscopic synth-funk bump of "What About The Groove". Elsewhere, label talisman George Kelly drops a future re-edit anthem in the shape of the punchy, disco/boogie fusion "Feet Start Moving", and Vaudafunk teases out a killer saxaphone line on the distinctly big and bold "Sugar".
Review:
It's been a good while since the mighty DJ Butcher served us up one of his meaty selections of disco off-cuts for our listening pleasure. DJ "S" begins by tackling the mighty 70s jam "Shaft" - adding a thumping great house kick to bring it up to date. Elsewhere we get filtered French-touch style grooves on Vaudafunk's "Somebody's Stole My Nuggets" and HP Vince's "Funky Disco Party" is all about the hedonistic loops. Finally we end with an extremely familiar funk riff, toughed up to devastating effect on S Nolla's "Do You Wanna".
Review:
These retweaked disco gems are solid gold. "Cleer Mind" strips a vintage cut down to locomotive drums, elegant strings and lilting sax refrains, "Love 2 Nite" ups the pace with chic sweeping orchestration, tight guitar licks and plenty of retro Pollard Syndrum hits, and finally the Raw Silk's immortal Do It To The Music lives on in the lovingly updated "Silky Music".
Review:
Fancy flavours may be all the rage, but there's little more delicious and refreshing on a hot summer's day than a cornet stuffed to the brim with vanilla ice cream. Certainly, that's the view of the guys and gals at Chopshop, who've named their latest collection of party-starting disco and electrofunk jams after the stuff. As usual, there's much to enjoy, from the rubbery bass and twinkling chords of Quincy Jointz and Shaddy's breezy "Rebel On The Run", to the sun-baked disco-house warmth of Brick Fever's "A Lot To Offer". As for George Kelly's title track, we can safely say it's the lick (sorry).
Review:
Having spent recent times darting between proper party fodder and strobelight disco delights, the Chopshop crew return with an EP the dips the tempo and depends the grooves for an altogether more slow burn feel. As usual, there's plenty to devour, from the warm chords and deep house sassisness of Peter Francis and James Omarta's "Slo Grind", to the lolloping, break-driven jazz-funk of Dj Butcher's "The Perfect High". Elsewhere, Andy Kidd doffs a cap to '80s rare groove with the soulful head-nodder "Remind Me" (arguably the EP's stand out track), and Rotarydisco76 impresses with the blazed, wide-eyed deep Latin funk of "Ultima Chance".
Review:
There's something pleasingly old-fashioned about DJ Butcher's approach. Steadfastly committed to toasty, feelgood grooves, his productions veer from hip-hop influenced cut-and-paste creations to straight-up edits and sample-heavy blends. You'll fittingly find all three styles here, from the pleasingly sweet feelgood electrofunk grooves of "Disco Nite", and sample-heavy boogie bounce of "Ef U En Kay", to the "To Be Real" biting jazz-funk niceness of "Real Brother". Even better is the Rhodes-laden deep boogie-funk headiness of "Where's The Funk", which fittingly boasts some heavy percussive breaks and killer old school vocal samples.
Review:
To date, DJ Butcher has earned himself a reputation as a purveyor of fine party-starting tackle - the kind of edits-not-edits that blur the boundaries between remixes, mash-ups and original productions. This latest EP for his Chopshop label continues on a similar theme, with lead cut "Boyz" sitting somewhere between old skool electro, breaks, house and boogie. "Need Some" - available in vocal and dub flavours - sounds like a long lost New York freestyle cut from 1985 (no bad thing in our book), while "The Party Has Just Began" [sic] fixes heavy synth bass to the sort of acid-laden breakbeat-house jam that was all the rage around '89-90. All four tracks are, of course, buckets of fun.
Review:
Chopshop supremo DJ Butcher is back following the success of his recent debut long player The Breaks. This time he's in pure uplifting party mode, delivering two slices of prime euphoric '70s disco. "Moog Brass Rhythm" is more than a little disco inferno with loops of brassy breaks held together with a nice 'n' loose hi-hat. A similar hi-hat can be found leading the slinky chopped up title track into sleazier territory. Good times are here again!
Review:
Disco deejay and scalpel-handy audio surgeon, DJ Butcher, has awoken from winter hibernation to deliver his first EP of 2015. The Last Hurrah boasts three new joints, all with a noticeably sultry vibe. "Making Mad Music" is all smoldering, percussive 1980s yacht-beat, "Talk Is Cheap" is a sharp, tight and a funky wake-up slap, and finally "You Promised Me Some Lovin'" is a combination of the two - with clipped, funky riffs grinding with sticky disco melodies.
Review:
To mark the fifth anniversary of his re-edit imprint ChopShop, label owner DJ Butcher now presents his long awaited debut long player, "The Breaks". It's an ambitious project that took at least a year of deep digging, sourcing, remastering and editing. It was a labour of love of course, and this album has clearly been crafted with lots of love - with plenty of newly restored and delicately tweaked rare '70s funk gems, including the much-sampled bassline of "That's Right", the laser-tom drum assault of "Disco Owl" and the spacey Californian yacht rock of "Breakdown".
Review:
After honing his skills with a series of well-regarded re-edit releases, DJ Butcher changes tack here, delivering a devilishly sweet fusion of deep electrofunk, B-boy breaks and old skool hip-hop vocals. Clearly designed as a tribute to late '70s/early '80s hip-hop (check out the Sugarhill Gang/Furious Five style vocals), "Sol Wrap" has enough about it to suggest that it will easily slip into contemporary party sets. There's an instrumental, too, for those who can't be doing with the vocal, while Leftside Wobble offers up a slick remix that replaces the bass with pulsing vintage synth hits. The Latin-flavoured Timewrap Remix is pretty tasty, too.
Review:
We're not sure where DJ Butcher keeps finding these rare and juicy joints to carve up for his Chopshop, but find them he does! His latest missive is "We Feeling Good" and totally upbeat beat slice of late '70s block rockin' disco-rap from the era of Sugarhill Records. Instrumentals and acapella versions are also supplied for maximum fun.
Review:
The much-loved Chopshop label is back with four more saucy retakes for your aural pleasure. Label boss DJ Butcher kicks off proceedings with the shimmering bass odyssey of "Paradise", and next is JMRS' new cover of The Stones' "Miss You" which livens up this disco-rock classic with perky guitar and a Lionel Richie-esque vocal, finally the slinky female fronted funk of "Good Time Groove Train" leads us into Ronin's stormin electro-disco remix of "Miss You" - easily the coolest joint on this excellent EP.
Review:
Previously found on compilations, here re-edit hero DJ Laurel, makes a solo debut on the mighty Chopshop. First up is the title track and suffice to say it takes a well loved 70s classic and goes back, Jack, and does it again...with a beefy back beat for good measure. Next, "Falses Faces", is more obscure, but just as effective with a tight, thumping funk groove and an impassioned vocal grunt-along. "I Wouldn't Treat A Dog" follows as a transportive melancholic Balearic dream, and "The Breakdown Funk" is an old-time boogie clap-a-long.
Review:
The disco edits are coming thick and fast this August, perhaps the summer heat has ignited all the producer's creativity. DJ Butcher's ChopShop label has a new missive, Special Things, which sees the work of four talented acts rounded up and compiled for our listening pleasure. DJ XS is up first with the punchy drums and 80s soft rock vocals of pop-house jam, "25 Miles". Next Fantasy Love Affair present "Slow Love" - a loop-heavy slice of mellow beachside dream-boogie, Ken@Work gives us "The Jackal", a slow and bluesy groover, and lastly Saint Mathieu wraps it up with "Finer Things", a glorious P-Funk influenced disco-house bomb.
Review:
Classic b-boy business from start to finish, Tom Drummond steps forward with a slice of premium party breaks that sits somewhere between Ugly Duckling and Abdominal. A flavour array ensues as we're bombarded with creative twists; the scratch-heavy, breakdance-ready chops of the Cuts edit, the neat sweet organ blasts of DJ Butcher's sexy disco twist and DJ Ace's serious attention to detail on the drums all score high on the funk-o-meter. Flipping the bird has never been so essential.
Review:
Tom's cheeky productions have surfaced on a plethora of cheeky edit labels including Drum Beats, Chunky Traxx and Shak. However he seems to be settling in with the infamous Chopshop and here he's stays put for a hip hop fuelled corker. "Rebounce" is a slinky funky breaks number coupled with Timbaland's rap from Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody" for a more hands-in-the-air party anthem. If, for some bizarre reason, it fails to work, then call in the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin "No Diggity Edit" which will destroy all and sundry and then some!
