Review: Nang Records continue to document the history of French synth discoid duo Space, here focusing on "Deliverance", the title track from their second album from 1978. The dramatic overtones of the original will amuse and astound in equal measures when you realise that's not a male choir on backing but two sessions singers multi-tracked to oblivion by producer JP Illescuo! "Deliverance" has been sampled and covered but never remixed, and Nang make up for that with four reworks. Kompakt deity Justus Kohncke is on hand to provide two contrasting remixes - the "Wild Pitch" effort has bubbling synths and a hard house groove that latches onto the smooth vocals of Madeline Bell and doesn't let go. Kohncke's other 'Take Me Places' mix is proper mutant disco, frenetic synth stabs and rolling bass lines included. The new school of Italian disco take care of the other remixes, with A Love Supreme (Tirk) indulging his inner Patrick Cowley on the "Hard Disko" remix and helping Fabrizio Mammarella in crafting an expert acid crazed remix under the Heels Of Love moniker.
Review: Belarussian chanteuse Tania Haroshka should be a familiar name to nu-disco enthusiasts. She's already provided headline-grabbing guest vocals on releases by Spanish producers Rayko and James Rod and here gets a decidedly Balearic and dreamy release of her own. There's much to enjoy about the original version of "Time Is Now", from Haroshka's sweet, heartfelt vocals and the bubbly bassline, to the dreamy chords and spacey electronics that rise in prominence as the track goes on. Old pal Rayko provides the remixes, serving up vocal and instrumental "Tropical Disco" takes that replace the original's dreamy electronics with sun0kissed, eyes-closed guitar solos and a more stripped back, bass-heavy groove.
Shield Of Love (Sare Havlicek And Loudery First Avenue remix) - (5:45) 120 BPM
Shield Of Love (instrumental) - (6:23) 120 BPM
Shield Of Love (Sare Havlicek And Loudery First Avenue instrumental) - (5:45) 120 BPM
Review: Next up on Nang, they finally got a record that they signed back in 2011/2 out the door. Why it has taken them six years of A&R to turn this one around is another story: but better late than never. Featuring the mysterious Unclepasha with Loudery aka Marc Green (boss of Nang), "Shield Of Love" is the kind of disco house that is funky and filtered to perfection: think the 'French Touch' vibe. It also gets an awesome remix: Slovenian Hare Havlick teams up with the aforementioned Loudery on a euphoric trance rendition - the old fashioned way and just the way we like it. Also conveniently included are an instrumental version of both renditions for DJ use.
Review: Since launching as a Tirk sub-label in 2009, Nang Records has gone on to outlive its parent label and become one of the most reliable imprints in nu-disco. The label's progress has traditionally been charted by compilation series The Array, with new volumes appearing every 12 months or so. This latest installment is naturally packed with highlights, from the sparkling disco-soul of Hot Toddy's remix of Situation's Andre Esput hook-up, "Get To Know Me", and the contemporary Italo-disco throb of James Rod's "Steelerr", to the quirky Balearic bliss of Cardmoth, the synth-heavy wooziness of Deepkey, and the trippy, acid-flecked thrills of Aimes' "A View of Istanbul".
