Review: Italo vibes don't come more authentic than this 29 year old beauty.... Experiencing Cori's original back in 83 must have been like taking a future tablet and landing in the 21st century. Seriously forward thinking, heedlessly groovy and unashamedly funky, it still stands tall by today's standards. There have been various unofficial edits and dubs over the years but it seems Nang's been giving the green light for this full release, complete with a sprawling dub that highlights and accentuates all the best elements of Cori's original. For good measure the slightly less-timeless original b-side "Mirror Of Your Own World" has been thrown in too. How delightful!
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: Given that Pete Herbert has done more than most to define the synth-heavy nu-disco sound, it's pleasing to see that he's finally got round to recording a debut solo album. Made in the Shade naturally encapsulates all that's good about Herbert's work - think colourful synthesizers, loved-up pianos, dreamy chords, rich analogue synth-bass, Italo-disco style arpeggio lines, disco cowbells and an saucer-eyed Balearic mindset - while delivering a string of tracks that sound as good slouched on the sofa at home as they do while dancing in the sunshine. Highlights come thick and fast, from the classic Italo-house surge of "Washed Up" and T-Coy-does-nu-disco cheeriness of "Night Boat", to the soul-flecked tingle of Robert Owens hook-up "Pass Me By" and groovy, acid-flecked deepness of proto-house shuffler "Time".
Review: Long serving Sheffield twosome Hiem has a new album ready to drop. First, though, we get a taste of what's to come in the shape of "Highlife", the duo's first single for two years. It's a jaunty and groovy affair, with band member Bozz doing his best Phil Oakey impression over a dub disco-meets-synth-pop backing track rich in rubbery bass guitar and sleazy saxophones. Nang regular Pete Herbert is on remix duty, delivering two floor-friendly interpretations in his usual elastic nu-disco style. He adds some Italo-disco inspired synth solos and fizzing electronic noises, re-playing the duo's bass guitar part on his favoured synthesizer of choice. Of the two, it's the Dub that we prefer, though the vocal version is almost equally as impressive.
Review: Deeply rooted in '70s and '80s disco, funk, boogie and rock, Raico Pena is the founder of Rare Wiri Records. Rayko's influences are masterfully interpreted and transformed into modern day dancefloor bombs. His name has appeared on literally dozens of great records scattered across labels like Eskimo, Is It Balearic? and of course Nang who present "No Stopping". His debut album entitled Rebirth first appeared on the London based imprint back in 2014 and this is his third release for them. Starting off with the original version, which is a deep/lo-slung disco joint for lovers and featuring Tania Harosha's gorgeous vocals. Ron Basejam (Delusions Of Grandeur/Futureboogie) takes it further into slo-mo territory, creating a nice chilled atmosphere while Santa Esperanza Records boss Ilya Santana (who has
Review: Having previously released the Atlanta Skyline EP on Nang in 2016, Russian disco/electro/synth-pop duo Hot Hot Hawk return to the label with their debut album. The 80s force is definitely strong in this one, thanks not least to the distinctly John Taylor-esque guitar that adorns many tracks, and leaves many sounding like a tribute to 'Seven And The Ragged Tiger'-era Duran Duran - albeit minus the vocals, as Legendary is an all-instrumental affair. There's an 80s feel, too, to the shimmering synths that are even more ubiquitous, but if you have a penchant for the sounds of that era then that's not going to be a problem, is it?
Review: Rene Lavice has been one of themost exciting additions to Andy C's Ram stable over the last few years. While the label is usually associated to strict drum & bass, Lavice's tunes push the boundaries of the genre way out into hyper space, and touch on many different influences in the process. "Human Safari" is a true hybrid tune, a mass of broken half-breaks, surrounded by raucous sonics ad playful atmpshperics. It's as daring as you're gonna get from modern d&b. It's definitely worth a gander!
Review: West Country nu-disco dons Situation are the latest outfit to and compile and mix an installment of Nang's popular Beach Disco Sessions series. Happily, they've dug deep into their crates, putting together a selection that blends back catalogue material from the Nang and Tirk labels (Ruf Dug's quirky mix of Klein & MBO's Italo-disco classic "Dirty Talk", the blissful nu-Balearica of Sorcerer, AN2's overlooked rework of Space's "Carry On, Turn Me On") with vintage material and overlooked gems from a decade of nu-disco (see the early Hans-Peter Lindstrom remix of Fuzz Against Junk's "Country Clonk"). Naturally, there are a few of their own tracks and remixes in there, too, including the deliciously woozy deep house cut "Here Comes The Sun" and a sublime, string-drenched remix of Love/Money's "Strange Kind of Love".
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".
Review: This is big: a collaboration between Balearic nu-disc heavyweight Pete Herbert and "the voice of house" himself, Robert Owens. In its original form, "Pass Me By" is bubbly and attractive, with Owens' adding deep, soulful and emotion-rich vocals to a sparkling, synth-heavy backing track that effortlessly joins the dots between freestyle, proto-house and Italo-disco. The equally impressive remix package is headed up by two fine reworks from Daniele Baldelli and DJ Rocca: a chugging, undulating cosmic disco vocal version and a spaced-out, groove-driven Dub that hits home hard despite the lack of Owens' full vocal. Elsewhere, Aussie adventurer Dr Packer gives it an electrofunk flavoured house makeover and Pete Herbert turns in a fluid, Balearic-inspired rework full of heady synth lines and tumbling pianos.
