Review: The mysterious Labor of Love crew has quietly been building a reputation online for some time now, via a combination of free edit giveaways and occasional contributions to compilations from Hot Digits and Deep Sense. Here, they present their debut EP for Hotbox Boogie, a collection of tried-and-tested reworks that offer the perfect balance between house-friendly chunkiness and original disco/boogie flavours. There's much to admire throughout, from the extended saxophone breaks and rubbery disco-funk shuffle of "The Time Is Now", to the hypnotic, Italo-influenced drug-chug of "Ah Suki Suki", seemingly a rework of Fern Kinney's "Groove Me". Best of all, though, is "Sing All Night", a delay-heavy dub disco re-cut of Gaz's "Sing" that wisely emphasizes the classic drum breaks and killer bassline.
Review: Hailing from Mexico, The Funk Disco District are on a mission to spread good vibes courtesy of impossibly slick 'sample based music...made to move people all around the world". Here, through Hotbox Records, they deliver their three latest jams - the deliciously fluid and jazzy Latin-disco-isms of "I'm Gonna Get You Baby", the uber slick, spacey disco-cocktail-house of "Get On Down" and the sumptuously languid Balearica of "Feelin' Alright". Smart!
Review: Hotbox Boogie is the deep disco offshoot of Denver edit label Hotbox. Release schedules are there for a reason, and this time it's the turn of shady funk fiend Brutal Disco to step up to the plate. He doesn't do badly either with the slap-bass showdown of "This Kinda Lovin" and the smooth 90s lounge vibes of "Make Me Feel Good" hitting the spot, but it's the epic joy of filtered disco house beast "Keep On" that really steals the show.
Review: The French Touch revival is alive and well in this here EP, boasting four examples of brilliantly relentless thumping house. From the filtered funk loops of opener "Movin On" to the low-slung afterhours slinker "Summer" via the electro-disco-meets-funky-house anthem "Love In" it's almost like Paris circa '98 again!
Review: Having spent the last few months unleashing original productions, Spanish producer Rayko returns to his roots with another EP of delay-laden, synthesizer-heavy re-edits. In truth, few rework boogie and electrofunk gems quite as well as the Madrid-based man, so Sweet Somebody is undoubtedly welcome. Naturally, highlights come thick and fast. "Time To Move" expertly dubs out a chiming, loose and oh-so familiar mid-80s boogie classic, while "Sweet Somebody" offers a grandiose, immersive take on a big, Italo-influenced dancefloor-pop anthem. The chugging, intoxicating "Time" is, if anything, even better, with cut-up vocals and sharp guitars riding a dubby, chugging electrofunk groove. Finally, a big chunk of '80s soul gets the extended treatment on "This Is Your Time".
Review: Romanian producer Grigore Daniel has enjoyed an intriguingly diverse career. The 29 year-old first found fame back in the mid '90s, as a young producer of trance and techno. He's mellowed a little with age, and now finds himself creating slo-mo and midtempo blends of dreamy deep house and wide-eyed disco. There's much to enjoy on this EP for Hotbox Music's Hotbox Boogie offshoot, from the woozy, undulating grooves of opener "Enigma", to the organ-laden disco shuffle of "Ghost Hunter" and pitched-down, bass-heavy beauty of twinkling bonus cut "The Nightfall". There's also some seriously sexy disco-deep house fusion to be found on MTYU's excellent remix of "Enigma".
Review: Imagine Michael McDonald, James Ingram and DJ Alfredo made a record and rubbed it with wire wool because it still wasn't smooth enough. That's "Tool For Love", all shimmering synth soul goodness to which Dave Allison adds some mean meandering bass and samples. "Joy To Be" meanwhile, is a sharp-snared early 80s electro funk smacker which gets both beefed up and stripped down by Hotbox Boogie.
Review: In recent times, Gregg "Fingerman" Holmes has approached Rayko levels of productivity, dropping EP after EP of floor-friendly, house-centric disco edits. Here he's at it again, giving a bunch of boogie classics the filter-heavy, house-friendly treatment. "Dance With You" turns Krystol's "After The Dance Is Through" into a slinky deep house chugger. Label owners Hotbox Boogie deliver a chunky, late night dub of the same track that should please those looking for a more "heads down" take on Holmes' interpretation. Elsewhere "Be Wit U" is looser and groovier in a chiming, synth-heavy '80s soul style, while "Le Diner et La Danser" bumps along on a wave of synthesized bells, flecked guitars and sultry vocal cuts.
Review: If you pine for that mid '80s wine bar funk vibe to return, you're in luck - it's here and it's brought the disco flute with it. Yep, "Your Love" is all basslines smoother than Galaxy, thin and tight guitar licks, shimmering chords and did we mention the flute? Oh we did? Well that too. Meanwhile "La Musique" takes us on a Real Thing-style trip but deeper, housier and more French... and all the better for it!
Review: Denver-based deep house label Hotbox Music has decided to launch a sister label, Hotbox Boogie, to release more disco and electrofunk-inspired sounds. The first release comes from long-time friend of the family Stranger Danger, a producer of suitably deep, groovy and warm material based in San Francisco's Bay Area. "Want Some More" sets the tone, lacing classic vocal samples from First Choice's "Let No Man Put Assunder" over a deep, warm, head-nodding disco-house groove. The Hotbox Boogie dub of the same track adds a little more dancefloor grunt whilst retaining the baggy feel of the original, while bonus cut turns Gwen Guthrie's Larry Levan-mixed classic "Peanut Butter" into a dubwise boogie-house groover.
Review: Veteran Italian DJ/producer Kiu D has enjoyed an eclectic career, producing D&B, nu-jazz, house and dubstep before turning to funk and disco re-edits. Here, he delivers more of the latter for Hotbox Boogie, building on the success of previous releases for Masterworks Music and Special Edition. He kicks things off with "Looking Good", a sparkling chunk of straightened out '70s funk madness, before the World of boogie-era proto house on "Don't Mind" and "Splendid Idea" (the latter boasting delicious jazz guitar and vibraphone solos). Elsewhere, check the rolling disco-funk warmth of "Bad Idea" and the bass-heavy romp of Groovemarket hook-up "House Party".
Review: It's been an impressive debut year from Australian producer Greg Packer, whose re-edits and remixes under the Dr Packer alias have won him a legion of fans around the world. Here, he makes his Hotbox Boogie debut with a quartet of floor-friendly, house-focused reworks of disco and boogie classics. David Joseph's Paradise Garage classic "You Can't Hide You Love" gets a thickset, 21st century makeover on "Can't Hide", while a familiar talkbox-boasting electroboogie cut gets straightened out and toughened up on "Jam Right". Best of all, though, is "I Love Sunshine", a singalong deep house take on Maze's "Joy & Pain" which utilises elements from both the original and live versions of the track.
Review: Having recently delivered cheery, DJ-friendly edits and reworks for Midnight Riot, Masterworks Music, Argentinian-in-London Fabiolous Barker offers up more glassy-eyed fare on Hotbox Boogie. There's much to admire throughout the five tracks, which - like many edits these days - expertly blend scalpel style rearrangement with compressed, 'straightened out' house grooves. Highlights include the addictive, honky tonk piano solos and disco-funk chunkiness of "Hooked", the thrillingly over-to-the-top "Try Me" (a version of a lesser-known cover of Gino Soccio's "Dancer"), and "You Stepped Into My Mix", a loved-up, house-friendly revision of a disco-era Bee Gees cut later made famous by Melba Moore.
Review: Here on Labor Of Love EP covert disco spy Labor Of Love delivers three cuts on the That's What We Doin' EP, and all of them look the American soul sounds of the glittering 1980s - "Favours" kicks things off as a slow jam with chiming keys, clavinet grooves and smooth n breezy vocals, next the title track is a faster golden boogie jam, the kind that Metro Area looked to for inspiration and lastly "Just For You" is the kind of raw bass strutter that would have set the coolest New York funk clubs alight back in the day.
Review: Javi Frias is rapidly turning into one of Europe's most consistently on-point re-editors. Equally as inspired by funk, soul, disco, boogie and house, the Madrid-based producer has previously released on Street Edits, Giant Cuts, Editorial and Midnight Riot. Here he pops up on Hotbox Boogie with more floor-friendly reworks of overlooked or obscure boogie, street soul and disco-funk gems. While largely re-tooled to suit house dancefloors, Frias' edits pay due reverence to the source material, with cuts such as "Shining Bright" and the superbly soulful "The One" emphasizing the original tracks' killer grooves. Picking a standout track is tough given the high quality threshold throughout, but we're particularly enjoying the heavy, extra-percussive Dub of hands-aloft disco-boogie gem "The Way".
Review: The name Funk Hunk conjures up images of blow-waved '70s medallion men in cream slacks and opulent chest hair. It's only fitting then, that this Denver disco don utilises the very music such funk hunks boogied to. Here he presents three fresh new re-edits that don't mess about: "La Je Taime" is all soft focus loops with slap bass and spacey vibes, "Next To Harlem" boasts a bassline very reminiscent of Fat Larry's Band's "Act Like You Know" and "Heaven" loops prime mid '80s soul grooves at their finest. Finally the tight, minimal funk of the "Labour Of Love" dub really shines here.
Review: Following recent excursions on Masterworks Music and Rebel Hearts, Kiu D returns to Hotbox Boogie, a label he's graced multiple times over the years. As usual, the four tracks on offer - three of which were co-produced by pal MKV - blend extensive samples from original disco and boogie records, with original musical elements. He begins with the clipped guitars, familiar vocal samples, and throbbing nu-disco synth bass of "Funky People", before delivering a breezier chunk of cheery disco-house in the shape of "Love Player". "Spank" puts a heavyweight disco rocket under the backside of Jimmy 'Bo' Horne classic "Spank", before the package is completed by the Bohannon-in-dub throb of "Funky People (Labour of Love Dub)".
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