Duca Bianco

Other World - (7:43) 110 BPM

Dolce Julia - (7:07) 82 BPM

Voice Of Omicron - (6:32) 123 BPM

Monkey Key - (5:55) 110 BPM

Review: For what is only their 12th-ever release, Rimini-based Italian label Duca Bianco bring us this four-tracker from hotly tipped Manchester disco/funk experimentalists Talking Drums. We're firmly in leftfield territory here, so if you were expecting immediately accessible mirrorball stomp, think again! Instead you get 'Other World' with its Afro drums, jazz organ and soul/lounge-style male vocal, the melancholic 80s-sounding torch-pop of 'Dolce Julia', the wonked-out sci-fi boogie of the dense, shuffling 'Voice Of Omicron' and the looping, summery Afro/tropical vibes of 'Monkey Key'. Dancefloors that relish a dose of the unexpected should definitely groove to this one.

DB12 012
20 Jan 23
Disco/Nu-Disco

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Black Bones

DB12 011EXCLUSIVE

T-2017 - (4:40) 135 BPM

Coming On Strong - (5:00) 125 BPM

B.E.E.F - (5:52) 115 BPM

Keep Dancin' - (5:00) 120 BPM

Played by: Vincent Inc, Juno Recommends Disco

Review: Not to be confused with the French indie/rock band of the same name, Black Bones are a DJ crew from Belfast who are known for their genre-agnostic Glimmers/Alkan-esque club sets. No surprise, then, that this four-track EP for Duca Bianco is a similarly wide-ranging affair. At least two of the four cuts are essentially re-edits, with 'B.E.E.F' biting Heaven 17's '(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang', while 'Keep Dancin' reworks Chris Isaak's 'Dancin' from 1985. The genesis of the other two is less clear, but the angular, strutty 'T-2017' appears to have beamed in straight from mid-80s Berlin while 'Coming On Strong' takes us into pounding Italo/EBM territory.

DB 12 011
20 Dec 22
Disco/Nu-Disco

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Alex From Utopia

DB12 008EXCLUSIVE

buy whole release (2 tracks) from ~~$2.94~~ $2.46

Spanish Guitar Tune (Pikes Anthem) - (7:39) 104 BPM

Spanish Guitar Tune ('87 Love dub) - (5:54) 102 BPM

DB12 008
12 Dec 22
Disco/Nu-Disco

from $1.47

ADSX/Hanoben

DB12 007EXCLUSIVE

Sina's Freund - (5:41)

Werner's Spiel - (5:59)

Elvira's Katzenfisch - (5:47)

Mund - (5:49)

Review: Audiosex and Hanoben stepped out together on Discos Capablanca back in 2018 with the on-point acidities of Phone Sex, and now they're teaming up once again for this killer clutch of edit tackle for the always interesting Duca Bianco label. Rather than the well-mined stocks of disco and funk that usually get dusted down by edit scavenegers, these two have turned to synth pop and German new wave sounds, coming up with four deep cover, deliciously dishevelled pieces which align perfectly with the brand of acidic club music they make themselves. Elvira's Katzenfisch is a prime case in point - a broad, sweeping slice of synthwave which sounds like it might slide off the reel to reel at any moment, while Frank's Einsamkeit swells into a searing 303 burner for the darkest dungeon dancefloors.

DB12 007
20 Sep 21
Disco/Nu-Disco

Casinoboy/Jack Pattern/Rune Lindbaek/Khidja

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DB12 006EXCLUSIVE

Casinoboy - "On My Mind" - (7:06)

Jack Pattern - "Of Unknown" - (6:11)

Rune Lindbaek - "Ratsastic Empress" - (4:51)

Khidja - "Chuncho" - (11:12)

Review: The sixth helping from Duca Bianco is a big disco offering that kicks off with a first track from Casinoboy in a decade. His On My Mind is a corrugated jam with knotted bass and deadpan 80s vocals then some a secret unknown weapon that layers angular, slapping drums with rave sirens and a dark disco beat. Contemporary disco legend Rune Lindbaek then comes good with a sci-fi trip and gauzy synth lines of Ratsastic Empress. Last of all, Khidja rounds out on Chuncho, a smooth groove with far-sighted pads that get you in the zone.

DB12 006
06 Sep 21
Disco/Nu-Disco

Franz Scala/Hysteric/Beatfoot/DJ Dollpin/Cherrystones

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DB12 055EXCLUSIVE

Franz Scala - "Sweet Carillon" - (7:19)

Hysteric - "Pleides" - (6:43)

Beatfoot & DJ Dollpin - "Osdorp Discoteca" - (5:51)

Cherrystones - "Gom Red Raga" - (6:53)

Review: The Duca Bianco posse continue to plough headlong into the thicket of vintage dance music across genre boundaries, with a crack team of deepest diggers picking out lesser spotted jams and giving them an expert re-rub. First up, Franz Scala drops some synth-pop B-side dub mix magic on Sweet Carillon, before Hysteric leaps into action with the staccato body-popping bombast of Pleides, coming on like Yello and The Human League rocking out with Thomas Dolby. Beatfoot & DJ Dollpin bring a seriously salty slice of proto trance voodoo on Osdorp Discoteca, capturing the magic of the sound when a melting pot of influences such as Italo disco were feeding into the musical mix. Cherrystones finishes things off with Gom Reg Raga, a loping, polyrhythmic meditation with plenty of mysticism folded in between the earthen drums.

DB12 005
12 Apr 21
Disco/Nu-Disco

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Tom Bolas

DB12 004EXCLUSIVE

Tanz Ohne Planeten - (4:51)

Guestlist Of Love - (4:59)

Fick Mich - (5:13)

Shinjuku Strut - (4:06)

Review: Duca Bianco brings the disco goodness once more here with Tom Bolas serving up four fresh cuts. Tanz Ohne Planeten is a go slow chugger with ling legend drums and glistening chords. Guestlist Of Love soars on a slick electro beat with robotic vocals adding some cyborg funk. Fick Mich steps it up with withering chords and libidinous vocal cries over stark and steely drums. Last of all, things get seductive and blissed out on Shinjuku Strut, a retro future vocal disco gem designed for good times. This is a hugely varied EP that nails four very different but equally brilliant styles.

DB12 004
01 Mar 21
Disco/Nu-Disco

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DJ Si Si Si Gracais

DB12 003EXCLUSIVE

We're Gonna Make It - (8:32)

Glide Right - (6:24)

Gerry - (5:58)

All The Feeling - (7:58)

Review: Duca Bianco have been on a roll lately with their off-beat edits and versions, finding a unique niche in a saturated market by welcoming a bit more of that psych rock sound into their grooves. Up next it's DJ Si Si Si Gracias, who is happy slinging out loose and jangly funk that sounds like it's been picked up in 1980s New York lolling around outside The Mudd Club with one eye on Danceteria but definitely too freaky for Studio 54. Gerry is a special highlight - a slow and delirious groover with wild synths spilling all over the funk. If you want things really messy though, head straight for the dub chaos of All The Feeling, where the percussion sounds like it's falling in on itself (in a good way).

DB12 003
24 Feb 20
Disco/Nu-Disco

Indovina Key/Guillaume Des Bois/Cherrystones/Banzi

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DB12 002EXCLUSIVE

Indovina Key - "Suy Taysik" - (5:25)

Guillaume De Bois - "Sequence Fiction" - (5:11)

Cherrystones - "Grunts Breakfast" - (7:26)

Maybe Tonight - "Tribuna Politica" - (4:21)

Review: After a first volume that included Smagghe & Cross and Tom Bolas, Duca Bianco are back with another round of deviant disco delights for discerning diggers to get down to. Indovina Key's Suy Taysik is an insanely catch slice of synthy-disco, while Guillaume De Bois bathes in the sludge, all held together by some gorgeous full-fat leads. The omnipresent Cherrystones brings a heavier tint with the clattering pots n pans vibe of Grunts Breakfast and then Maybe Tonight bring a serious dose of 80s madcap sampling and boogie funk to Tribuna Politica.

DB12 002
16 Dec 19
Disco/Nu-Disco

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dane//close

DB7 004EXCLUSIVE

Percy - (4:52)

Bolass'd - (5:03)

Review: dane//close is sounding fierce as hell on this 7" edit grip for the ever-excellent Duca Bianco. Having previously moonlighted on Power Station and Prasens Editionen, you know this is a head with an instinct for alternative selections to make you move. First up he tackles the incendiary I Don't Wanna Go Out by iconic Australian punks X (not to be confused with the LA band), stretching out the rowdy groove of the original's two-minute burst. Things take a slinkier turn into oddball boogie sleaze with Bolass'd - the source material isn't so easy to detect, but it's definitely a jam to get low tempo lovers moving.

DB7 004
03 Jun 19
Disco/Nu-Disco

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Kito Jempere

DB7 003EXCLUSIVE

FKA Lany - (4:14)

Drakon - (4:27)

Review: Operating out of Saint Petersburg, Kito Jempere has been bringing a broad church of influences to bear on his vintage grooves for labels including Pleasure Unit, Bordello A Parigi, Bahnsteig 23 and many more. Now he's the latest to lend his touch to Duca Bianco's series of 7" edits, following strong entries from Cherrystones and Tom Bolas. FKA Lany is a slow and bombastic jam with a boogie-tastic lead and oodles of swooning female vocals, while on Drakon he tackles a Thomas Leer classic with lashings of Oriental mysticism. Both tracks should suit eclectic spinners with a taste for 80s production.

DB7 003
20 May 19
Disco/Nu-Disco

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S&C/Tom Bolas/Hanoben/ADSX/Schmoltz

DB12 001EXCLUSIVE

S&C - "Drug Of A Nation" - (7:45)

Tom Bolas - "Folterkammer" - (4:20)

Hanoben & ADSX - "Dreifaltigkeit" - (8:46)

Schmoltz - "Starnight" - (4:26)

Review: To date, Rimini's Duca Bianco has put out just two 7"s by Cherrystones and Tom Bolas specifically. Now the label widens the net with a various artists 12" that features four disco-not-disco burners for adventurous party people to shake down to like they're in 1980s New York. S&C present "Drug Of A Nation,", a raw, funky garage rock jam embellished with wild synth parts. Tom Bolas brings things to a more Afrodisco flavoured peak with a cheeky famous funk lick and killer robo vocoder. Hanoben & ADSX take things in an Italo direction with Dreifaltigkeit with some incredible vocals to boot. Schmoltz sets things adrift in supreme Balearic style on Starnight.

DB12 001
15 Apr 19
Disco/Nu-Disco

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Cherrystones

DB7 001EXCLUSIVE

Blood, Campari & Sand - (4:06)

Meta Weta - (4:51)

Review: The mighty Cherrystones originally dropped the crackling party heat of Blood, Campari & Sand on his own Bandcamp page, and now he's doing the right thing and committing it to wax and digital via Duca Bianco. It's a vital, funk-rooted jam that revolves around dusty drum licks and piano, as badass as it is considered. Meta Weta is equally cool in its execution, this time using some uneasy synth pulses that reverberate between the laconic step of the beat. Drawing on library music, Giallo and deep-digging grooves from the outer reaches, Cherrystones once again demonstrates his knack for off-kilter tackle to get the freakier party set moving in approval.

DB7 001
25 Mar 19
Disco/Nu-Disco

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Tom Bolas

DB7 002EXCLUSIVE

Kangham Funk - (5:00)

Senopati Punk - (5:11)

Review: Duca Bianco's 7" series continues with aplomb following Cherrystones' essential drop, and this time esteemed German DJ and producer Tom Bolas is at the controls for two more heady trips into the far flung corners of funk. First up he drops the loose and limber "Kangham Funk," which bends and wobbles around liquid guitar lines, bugging synths and dreamy Oriental vocals. "Senopati Punk" is not a three-chord riot as the title might suggest, but rather a subtly noirish synthwave delight fronted by another striking female lead vocal. Two sides that complement each other even as they say very different things, but both aimed squarely at the eclectic groove-hunting crowd.

DB7 002
25 Mar 19
Disco/Nu-Disco