Review: We're used to Al Kent offering up epic, ten-minute plus re-edits of obscure, barely-known disco gems. Even so, his latest two-track scalpel missive is particularly sizeable, featuring as it does two near 12-minute excursions capable of creating pandemonium anywhere they're played. Virtual A-side "Fist of Fury" is particularly potent. We're not sure of the origin of the original, buts its mazy Moog solos, jaunty bassline, jammed-out electric piano lines and string-laden orchestration is heady, intoxicating and surprisingly spacey. In contrast, "Erotic Queen" is a low-down disco-funk grunter in which razor-sharp disco strings largely play second fiddle to dense drums, funky Clavinet lines and aggressive funk guitars. It switches focus several times and includes a few extended drum sections that really raise the temperature. In other words, it's a masterful edit.
Review: Hot on the heels of his fittingly titled "So Good" EP on G.A.M.M earlier this year Al Kent returns with a very neat double-A that ticks all the right disco boxes. "Vince" pays respect to Montana with a total dance fantasy, polished and weighted perfectly for today's floors. "Esther" pays equally emphatic dues to the good lady Phillips with a thumping, unabashed twist on "Boy, I Really I Tied One On". Homages don't come with much more respect and craft than these.
Review: Here we have a real meeting of minds with the esteemed re-edit label Gamm recruiting Glasgow's very own nu-disco veteran Al Kent to serve up some more of his fine work for our listening pleasure. There are just two cuts featured here, but who needs quantity when you can have quality, eh? "So Good" sees a sultry seductress heavily breathe her words over a smouldering Love Hangover-style twanging groove. "Victorious" meanwhile incorporates 70s disco rock, over-excited clavinets and bongos galore. Heavy-duty boogie vibes!
Review: Hot on the heels of his fittingly titled "So Good" EP on G.A.M.M earlier this year Al Kent returns with a very neat double-A that ticks all the right disco boxes. "Vince" pays respect to Montana with a total dance fantasy, polished and weighted perfectly for today's floors. "Esther" pays equally emphatic dues to the good lady Phillips with a thumping, unabashed twist on "Boy, I Really I Tied One On". Homages don't come with much more respect and craft than these.
Review: Aroop Roy - London based soul boy 'of many dimensions' - has been pretty silent for nearly a year. Perhaps he just went on holiday in some exotic far-flung dimension, but he's back now, all guns blazing. Brazil Breakdown Part 2 features three spicy cuts of feverish retro Latin funk, all boasting irresistible beach party grooves and seductively catchy vocals.
Review: Londoner Aroop Roy describes himself as an "artist and producer of many dimensions". In the past we've tended to call him a 'bearded soul boy". Anyway one thing that's true is that this guy sure knows how to blend Afro, soul, jazz and funk. This is his first release since album Nomadic Soul a few years ago and it sees the man tackle two of his favourite Brazilian tunes in his inimitable style. More please!
Review: Aroop Roy returns to his "Brazil Breakdown" series for the first time in over two years. Not even taking a whole slew of singles on the likes of Basic Fingers, DOC, Kampana and House Of Disco into account, he's more than made up for lost time. "Flecha De Fogo" is a heavy sunset soul piece that works around a Nazare Pereira samba with woozy chords, layered percussion and an alluring vocal. "Todo Mundo Tem Amor" takes us deeper into Aroop's dancefloor psyche with a much more driving beat. Golden.
Review: Two new slices of disco edit heaven from Swedish remix king Beatconductor, courtesy of the GAMM label. Herbie Hancock's fusion disco epic "Saturday Night" gets rejigged with a DJ-friendly, Salsoul-style drum intro before launching into its samba-soul main section, while Afro-Cuban jazz king Mongo Santamaria has his piano-led gem "Espiritu Libre" again remixed with a percussive intro built in to allow for perfect mixing.
Review: GAMM welcome a new face into the fold in the shape of Stockholm's Seegweed, who aptly demonstrates his panache for the edit on some classic jams. First up, Seegweed drops a subtle take on Angela Bofill's Stylistics cover, clearly not wanting to mess with a classic like "People Make The World Go Round". Deft percussive touches and some bottom end embellishment are added to the core which takes full effect on the midpoint break. Up next, the jazz funk break delight of Ben Sidran's "About Love" gets the subtle Seegweed treatment, and he does a neat job of extending out the sweetness that is Sly & The Family Stone's "Family Affair".
Review: Two more killer soul edits on Gamm from DJ Asparagus, who takes another pair of smooth classics and builds them up for the floor. The title track is a subtle but effective edit of Bobby Cauldwell's "Open Your Eyes", which has plenty of piano-driven good-times soul bursting out - perfect for last-tune revelry. Meanwhile "100 Ways" is another skilful treatment of the James Ingram song of the same name - a must-have for Yacht Rock aficionados
Review: The Rev's back! Parisian edit magician serves up four revised soul excursions for modern audiences to experience the second time around and in true style. On the first side he takes the knife to a couple of Gladys Knight classics, namely the feel-good "Don't Make Me Run Away" and the uplifting "Love Gives You The Power". On the flip it's George Duke's turn, "Say That You Will" is you all know is a sultry deep soul number for lovers while "Party Down" is definitely for night people; this one is pitched up for optimum dancefloor effectiveness too!
Review: A relative newcomer to the re-edit scene, this Reverend P is nonetheless bound to quickly attract a full flock of worshippers judging by his talent for subtle re-touches of some criminally overlooked vintage funk beauties. Here we get two instalments of "After The Dance" - one with lush brass and strings, and a rolling discofied version. Also included is the uplifting vocal bouncer "Go Away Dream". Slick stuff.
Review: The most Reverend P is continuing the good lord of re-edit's work, delivering rare funk and soul to new believers. This time round, "Brown Baby" by Diana Ross - culled from her famous Touch Me In the Morning album - gets gently tweaked into ten minutes of exotic funk bliss. On the digital flip however, things liven up with the shimmering diva funk of "Emotions". Praise be!
Review: The most Reverend P is continuing the good lord of re-edit's work, delivering rare funk and soul to new believers. This time round, "Brown Baby" by Diana Ross - culled from her famous Touch Me In the Morning album - gets gently tweaked into ten minutes of exotic funk bliss. On the digital flip however, things liven up with the shimmering diva funk of "Emotions". Praise be!
Review: A relative newcomer to the re-edit scene, this Reverend P is nonetheless bound to quickly attract a full flock of worshippers judging by his talent for subtle re-touches of some criminally overlooked vintage funk beauties. Here we get two instalments of "After The Dance" - one with lush brass and strings, and a rolling discofied version. Also included is the uplifting vocal bouncer "Go Away Dream". Slick stuff.
Review: Long-running rework imprint GAMM has pulled off something of a coup here, persuading the legendary DJ Spinna to offer up two of his most cherished, off-the-books remixes. He's in full-on house mode, serving up interpretations that layer soulful vocals over tactile grooves. He begins with "Don't You Blow", where mazy, high register synth solos wrap themselves around skipping beats and a killer analogue bassline. It's this mind-altering combination, as much as the quality of the all-female vocals, that make the cut such a hit. There's a slightly more "classic soulful house" feel to Spinna's version of "So You Say", with impeccable vocals and snaking sax parts riding a rich, warm and evocative groove built around bouncy drum machine beats and disco style bass guitar.
Review: The GAMM collective have been enjoying a seasonal slumber during the Winter months but with Summer scheduled to arrive the label are cranking back into business with the first of several releases. Reaching out to South America, GAMM invites Buenos Aires based producer Doctor Stereo into the fold for a double drop of Latin hotness. On the A Side, Mandrill's horn heavy 1972 classic "Hagalo" is given a self styled 'Nueva York A Buenos Aires mix' by the good Doctor who retains it's breezy feeling whilst beefing up the drums with mucho caliente results - watch out for the drop! On the flip, Dr Stereo turns up the heat with the Latin B-Boy bomb "Jet 2 Panama" which has the old school feel of Quantic's early Breaking Bread output.
Hagalo (Doctor Stereo De Nueva York A Buenos Aires mix) - (5:00) 105 BPM
Jet 2 Panama - (3:48) 99 BPM
Review: The GAMM collective have been enjoying a seasonal slumber during the Winter months but with Summer scheduled to arrive the label are cranking back into business with the first of several releases. Reaching out to South America, GAMM invites Buenos Aires based producer Doctor Stereo into the fold for a double drop of Latin hotness. On the A Side, Mandrill's horn heavy 1972 classic "Hagalo" is given a self styled 'Nueva York A Buenos Aires mix' by the good Doctor who retains it's breezy feeling whilst beefing up the drums with mucho caliente results - watch out for the drop! On the flip, Dr Stereo turns up the heat with the Latin B-Boy bomb "Jet 2 Panama" which has the old school feel of Quantic's early Breaking Bread output.
Review: If any label is widely known for the quality of its output, then it's Gamm, and here it presents three new classy edits for our pleasure. First up we get the hazy, Afro-jazz otherworldliness of Flo Sanders' "African Superstar", D'Ray's low-slung retro casino funker "Here We Pie Again" and the sweeping disco camp of Barbara Blow's "Throughout Your Precious Love".
Barbara Blow - "Throughout Your Precious Love" - (6:59) 119 BPM
Review: If any label is widely known for the quality of its output, then it's Gamm, and here it presents three new classy edits for our pleasure. First up we get the hazy, Afro-jazz otherworldliness of Flo Sanders' "African Superstar", D'Ray's low-slung retro casino funker "Here We Pie Again" and the sweeping disco camp of Barbara Blow's "Throughout Your Precious Love".
Review: DJ/producer duo Troo Luv and Charlie Loud aka Heartbreak Sound have a great knack of re energising hip-hop acapellas and dropping some of the finest mash-up material out there at the moment. This latest release on GAMM is an essential purchase which comes in four pieces - with D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" given a slow, nu-Philly groove, Jeru Tha Damaja's late-period hit "El Presidente" treated to a thematically-correct Cuban remake, Mos Def's "Ms Fat Booty" redone with a new, DJ Spinna-esque set of beats, and Common's classic "The Light" given a gritty make-over.
Review: DJ/producer duo Troo Luv and Charlie Loud aka Heartbreak Sound have a great knack of re energising hip-hop acapellas and dropping some of the finest mash-up material out there at the moment. This latest release on GAMM is an essential purchase which comes in four pieces - with D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" given a slow, nu-Philly groove, Jeru Tha Damaja's late-period hit "El Presidente" treated to a thematically-correct Cuban remake, Mos Def's "Ms Fat Booty" redone with a new, DJ Spinna-esque set of beats, and Common's classic "The Light" given a gritty make-over.
Review: Two new slices of disco edit heaven from Swedish remix king Beatconductor, courtesy of the GAMM label. Herbie Hancock's fusion disco epic "Saturday Night" gets rejigged with a DJ-friendly, Salsoul-style drum intro before launching into its samba-soul main section, while Afro-Cuban jazz king Mongo Santamaria has his piano-led gem "Espiritu Libre" again remixed with a percussive intro built in to allow for perfect mixing.
Review: For the second time, Swedish edit maestro Seegweed blesses GAMM with a set of extremely tasteful extensions. The key to being a cool edit pro is in the selections, and Seegweed smashes it with Willie "Brothers' Gonna Work It Out" Hutch and his hitherto obscure "Slick", which comes chock full of warm, early 70s Blaxploitation motifs. The more raw and Latin-flavoured "Lo Que Dice El Abacu" by Los Munequitos De Matanzas also gets a DJ friendly intro, while Lou Bond's sorrowful and beautiful "To The Establishment" is simply stunning and sounds even better given Seegweed's double-tempo treatment.
Review: French fusionista Izem steps up to Gamm with three international boundary-smelting funk gems that star point blank into the future while retaining strong roots to the past. "ITT" is almost techno in its relentlessness as it breaks into a hyper-charged, steppy Afrobeat. With its Latin licks and clipped chants, "Celia" is so Brazilian you can hear the cheers from Rio Maracana Stadium. Finally, "Hajja" is the most retrospective of the three thanks to its electro boogie bass, lavish pianos and sultry French vocal. Three edits made wholly his own, each of these cuts emphatically explains why Izem has enjoyed white hot hype from the Wah Wah crew, Gilles Peterson and Quantic.
Review: Also known as Jamie 3Too6, this badass Chicago dude knows his disco and delivers it in devastating quantities he does, with relish. "Blessin'" is an uplifting slice of live, drivin' funk, the kind that slayed the Garage of an evening. Digital B-side "Whole Lotta Love (Back To The Box Edit)" sounds like NOIA covering Led Zeppelin - all dirty electronic riffs and 4/4 beats that slowly escalate over the course of 14 minutes!
Review: The latest in a string of excellent GAMM releases, Swedish edit/remix maestro Jazzy Jens has a ball with The Undisputed Truth's progressive early-70s soul classic "Smiling Faces Sometimes" on "Undisputed". Speeding it up a little and adding just the right amount of extra percussion and delay to certain vocal phrases, he keeps the original's vibe nicely in tact whilst also making it a DJ's delight. Backing "Undisputed" is "Guarapera", a nicely arranged romp through some vintage Latin rumba and modest disco beats.
Review: Not much is know about JM edits, but considering this EP is released on the well established Gamm, it's fair to say this was always be something from the classier end of the re-edit spectrum. Here we get four slick and smooth re-teaks of quality soulful house ("Africa"), soul ("I Love You") Afro beat ("Flea") and dobby, bluesy funk ("Who Is He"). Top class!
