Review: Hot on the heels of their self-titled debut LP, a riot of punk-funk, mutant synth-pop and post-punk dancefloor workouts, Amsterdam outfit Baby's Beserk have been given the remix treatment. It's an interesting and highly entertaining collection all told, with Nikolas Wandt's inspired 80s Italo-goes-acid house revision of 'Eat Your Dollar' being followed by an excitable 80s electrofunk style interpretation of 'Rum 'N' Kola' courtesy of label regular Sam Ruffillo and a throbbing dark synth-pop re-wire of 'Rum 'N' Kola' by Each Other. To round off the EP, Kris Baha goes all angular, analogue and new wave on a stylish version of 'Glassy Towers', while Nicolini provides a delightfully low-slung, dub disco-meets-punk funk tweak of 'Eat Your Dollar'.
Review: Toy Tonics' latest release is a captivating collection of tracks originally introduced to the world via the German Gomma Records label during the years 2001 to 2010. Back then, Gomma stood as a pivotal figure in the Y2K indie dance movement, alongside luminaries such as James Murphy's DFA and Trevor Jackson's OUTPUT Records. Toy Tonics has taken it upon themselves to revive these early 2000s gems, with tracks encapsulating the raw, indie disco and punk-funk vibes that were the lifeblood of the party scene during those vibrant days. Gomma's influence was profoundly felt in off-location clubs like SCALA and RIO in Berlin, London's TRASH and 333 parties, to iconic Parisian clubs like Kill The DJ and Paris Social Club.
Review: Toy Tonics may be renowned for delivering delicious deep house and kaleidoscopic nu-disco, but the label is not averse to mixing things up - as their championing of Baby's Beserk, a contemporary four-piece inspired by a mixture of 1980s new wave, 90s indie-dance and post-punk posturing, emphatically proves. The band's self-titled debut album does a great job in setting out their sonic vision, where stylised male and female vocals rise above a mixture of low-slung bass guitar, sharp analogue synth sounds, delay-laden drums, proto-house pianos, woozy drum machine rhythms and dark, clandestine electronic textures. It sounds like it could have been made at some point between 1979 and '83, which of course is entirely the point, but with enough freshness to dispel any thoughts of hollow nostalgia or 21st century revivalism.
Review: Guiseppe Fimiani may be best known for his excellent re-edits as BPlan, but he's also released original material under that alias too. Here, though, he's decided to release music under his given surname for the first time, pitching up on Toy Tonics with an EP that joins the dots between American, Latin and Italian house sounds of the 1990s. This hybrid sound is exemplified by the piano-powered, Spanish vocal-sporting peak-time deep house release of opener 'Believe In Yourself' and the salsa-soaked joy of 'Amore Latino', where fluid piano solos ride a chunky house groove. Elsewhere, 'Melana' is a more percussion-laden excursion with live bass and a breathy, 'Sueno Latino' style spoken word vocal, 'Jungle Trouble' is a fine fusion of booming bass, bustling beats and sparkling piano riffs, and 'Vita Lenta' is a pitched-down, jazz-funk influenced disco jam.
Review: Following a string of collaborative EPs, Kosmo Kint goes solo to deliver a debut album piled high with effortlessly soulful vocals and colourful, synth-powered musicality. Of course, joint productions still feature - Sam Ruffilo makes his presence felt on two tracks (including the sparkling deep house synth-soul of 'Invincible', which also features Kapote), while Zac Tenebaum stamps his authority on 'Magic' and 'The Formula' - but there are far more solo works amongst our bulging list of album highlights. These include the deep, drowsy and soulful two-step garage brilliance of 'Only Gets Better', the seductive R&B/neo-soul wonder of 'Happy Ever After' and the subtly disco-influenced vocal house of 'Fake Love'.
Review: It's not often that a popular album returns in lightly tweaked and re-edited form, but that's exactly what's on offer here. The original 2019 version of Kapote's debut album, 'What It Is', was a genuine gem, but this 'lightly reworked' new edition is, we believe, even better. For proof, checked the hushed, TB-303 sporting jazz-funk-goes-loop-house flavours of 'Jaas Func Haus'' the carnival-ready, electric-piano sporting dancefloor sunshine of 'Brasiliko', the bouncy and loose-limbed excellence of 'Salvation' (whose rubbery bassline is an addictive delight), the organic 21st century jazz-funk-goes-electrofunk headiness of 'Fusion 79' and the wonderfully warming organic house delight that is 'LOVE'.
Review: Kapote and Kosmo Kint's various collaborative tracks on Toy Tonics are all top-drawer, so hopes are naturally high for his epic, action-packed remix EP. The headline reworks come from Detroit deep house legend Andres, who delivers vocal and instrumental takes on 'Misbehave' that place Kint's slick, soulful lead vocal atop an attractive bed of rubbery bass guitar, crunchy mid-tempo house drums, lilting lead lines and colourful chords. Elsewhere, Tom Jarmey offers a funky, shuffling, post-electro nu-disco rework of the same track, while Coeo drops vocal and instrumental versions of two distinctive mixes of 'Strangers': a rolling, retro-futurist 'House' take (all fluid and jazzy synth bass, sustained synth-strings and warming electric piano riffs) and a 'Garage Mix' underpinned by an Armand Van Helden style 'dark garage' bassline.
Review: Cody Currie has been a rising star for some time, so it's about time he released a significant sonic statement. Hotly anticipated debut album Lucas is just that: a musically expansive, collaboration-heavy full-length that neatly showcases his distinctive blends of deep house, disco, jazz-funk, broken beat and soul. It's a hugely impressive and enjoyable set all told, with our picks including the organic, spoken word-sporting bruk-up business of 'Voyage' (with Andreas Kon and Ally McMahon), deep and dope slow jam 'That Slick', breezy piano-house goes organic soul number 'Cash' (with MiK), the Kaidi Tatham-esque 'D?j? vu', sturdy vocal house number 'Danger' (with Eliza Rose) and squelchy, synth-sporting deep house bubbler 'Night Visions'.
Review: One-man musical whirlwind Felipe Gordon has been one of the deep house sensations of the last few years, notching up a formidable catalogue of subtly jazz-funk flavoured treats for all manner of labels. This EP for Toy Tonics marks something of a departure for the talented Colombian, as it marks the first time he's worked with a vocalist - fellow countryman Daniel Pardo AKA Bob The Egotist. The latter makes a big impression on title track 'Freedom', a weighty, wobble-bass propelled chunk of ultra-atmospheric, '90s-influenced deep house brilliance. The other four tracks on the EP are equally as impressive to be honest, with highlights including the flute-sporting, deliciously percussive 'Don't Try It', the shuffling, jazz-funk flavoured mid-tempo warmth of 'Time' (featuring marc Bianco) and the Georg Levin-esque brilliance of 'Expandable'.
Review: We can't tell you who Magou is - which may be frustrating since the producer's debut 12" on Toy Tonics two years ago caused a bit of a stir - but we do know that it's an alternative alias of an otherwise well-known and highly regarded Italian artist. Regardless of who's being the project, this highly anticipated debut album certainly ticks a lot of boxes. Opener 'Round Round', for example, joins the dots between Nu Guinea style Balearic jazz-funk and mid '80s Hugh Masekela records, while 'Eko' adds a little acid wiggle to breezy proto piano-house (while also including some subtle samples from a 1980s classic). This kind of kaleidoscopic, boundary-blurring fusion continues throughout, with other highlights including the Balearic dub disco of 'Dejarte', the loved-up Nu-Italo of 'Pas Jolie' and the loopy deep disco-house of 'Sample Dream'.
Review: Session Victim's last couple of vinyl-only releases have been blissfully Balearic affairs. While undeniably impressive and well worth checking, their latest EP - a rare outing on Toy Tonics - is a much more club-ready affair. They start in typically confident fashion with 'Chunky Dip', a constantly-building house loop jam crafted from various disco samples (think Soundstream, and you're close), before opting for a warmer, looser and more organic, Afrobeat-influenced sound on the warm and sunny 'MPFree Now' (which also boasts some superb old blues-rock samples). 'Hide & Seek' is an ultra-deep chunk of smoky late-night jazz-house/deep house fusion, while 'House In The Hills' is a drowsy mid-tempo number that joins the dots between Balearica, heady ambience and loved-up deep house. Quality... as usual!
Review: Toy Tonics latest signing, Gome, is a Hamburg-based duo who make, in their own words, "good mood music inspired by the 1980 Italo and Munich disco vibe". In practice, that means cheery and colourful cuts that combine electronic instrumentation with jammed-out electric piano riffs, rubbery bass guitar and the odd dash of funk guitar. It's a winning formula all told, with highlights including the jazz-funk-goes-nu-disco warmth of opener 'Fever (of the Night)', the sub-heavy, beatbox electro flavours of 'Bier and Gold (Vocoder Jam)' (not to mention its accompanying extended take with added German rap) and the proto-house-meets-late-80s smoothness of 'Shrimp Cocktail Part 2'. Classy and colourful... what's not to like?
Review: There's much to enjoy about the ninth volume in Toy Tonics' ongoing Top Tracks series, which showcases much played, sought-after highlights from the label's rapidly growing catalogue. The standard of material on show is uniformly excellent, from the warming and organic broken dancefloor soul of Cody Currie's compilation opening 'Moves' and the sparkling piano house retro-futurism of COEO's 'I Can Never Be Yours', to the Amp Fildder-esque deep house soul of Rhode, Brown & Kosmo Kint's 'Through The Night', and the good-time, carnival-ready dancefloor sunshine of Sam Ruffilo's disco-tinged 'Es Buena'. Throw in a couple of killer cuts from jazz pianist-turned-deep house don Joel Holmes, and you have a seriously good compilation.
Review: Martinique-raised, France-based producer Fenyan is a genuine rising star with a deep, soulful sound that impressively joins the dots between broken beat, dusty house, Zouk, Afro-house and tropical beats. For his debut EP following a few contributions to compilations, the sometime professional dancer has joined forces with enough talented artist on the up, Berlin-based American soul vocalist Kosmo Kint. The results are deep, soulful and rhythmically impressive, with warming instrumentation, punchy beats, toast bass and emotive lead vocals catching the ear. Our pick of a very impressive bunch is bouncy, ultra-deep workout 'Break Your Rules', though broken house bomb 'Take Of' and the effortlessly groovy 'Da Real' are also top-notch.
Review: Having previously worked alongside Cody Currie on two terrific EPs, GRAMMY-nominated pianist and producer Joel Holmes has gone solo on this latest outing for Toy Tonics. As you'd expect given his credentials, Osmosis really is a fantastic collection of cuts. Check first opener 'It Feels Good', a fluid, warm and effortlessly soulful number that brilliantly joins the dots between Detroit deep house (think Moodymann, Theo Parrish and Amp Fiddler) and chunkier NYC flavours, before turning your attention to the deep, woozy and fluid 'Playing With My Mind', which boasts some great Kaidi Tatham style keys and synths. 'Pose' boasts a more bass-heavy and thickset groove alongside Holmes usual starry synths, while 'Got To Survive' is a sparkling slab of jazz-funk/soulful house fusion.
Review: Last year, Kapote joined forces with regular home Toy Tonics to release Teutonik Disaster, a compilation of his own re-edits of late '70s and early '80s, "German new wave funk". 12 months on he returns to the same label with a new collection, Mushroom House, which boasts a mixture of Balearic, Afro and cosmic-influenced cuts from the imprint's vaults. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the rubbery, dubbed-out Afro-house bounce of Ponty Mython's 'Slippin' Into Darkness' and the dusty Afro-disco haziness of Munk's 'Nigerian Jam', to the intergalactic electro trip of the Asphodells' killer remix of 'The Circular Path' by the Deadstock 33s, and the deep space Italo-disco chug of Baldelli's sparkling 'Phobos (2020 Version)'.
Review: Four tracks by the mighty Phenomenal Handclap Band get remixed by the great and the good of the disco scene. Danny Krivit's Edit and Instrumental Edit of 'Let Out On The Loose' have a synth-y, epic feel, while Ray Mang's take on 'Judge Not' is the rumpshaking order-to-dance it was always gonna be. Cooper Saver's breakbeat house remix of 'Riot' is perhaps the most dramatic of the reworks on offer, while David Bay's Remix and Extended Remix of 'Do What You Like' are the most faithful to the original - but as that track was one of the strongest songs on the band's recent album, that's not a problem.
Review: Young Italian DJ/producer Sam Ruffillo recently staked his claim to being "one to watch" by contributing two brilliant, musically expansive tracks to Boogie Caf? Records' essential "Bologna On The Move" EP. Here he provides further proof of his "rising star" status via a debut EP on Toy Tonics. It's an assured and surprisingly mature EP, with Ruffillo adding all manner of neat, often jazz-funk-influenced musical touches to a thickset deep house groove on opener "Ride My Bike" and the jazzier, more percussive dancefloor bliss of "Midnight Funk". "Playa Bola" is a dreamy and drowsy slab of organic deep house soul rich in electric piano solos, while "Surf Ways" sees him pepper a seductive house groove with warm chords and playful flute solos. In a word: superb.
Review: They've been teasing it for a while, but finally New York disco fusionists Phenomenal Handclap Band have finally released the new album we've been promised for some time. Somewhat remarkably, "PHB" is their first full-length excursion for nine years. Bringing together recent club hits ("Remain Silent", "Judge Not" and "Jail") with a string of similarly ear-pleasing songs, the set's 11 tracks mix a loose-limbed NYC disco sensibility with nods towards arpeggio-driven nu-disco, chunky funk-rock, summery electrofunk (see the rather delicious "Do What You Like"), dreamy pitched-down pop ("Travellers Prayer"), gospel and Daft Punk-ish cheeriness (the radio-friendly goodness of "Riot"). As you'd expect, the arrangements, performances and production are all top notch, with even the more sanguine songs coming laden with DJ-friendly percussion breaks and heavyweight sections guaranteed to rock dancefloors.
Review: Magou is apparently a new alias for a producer who is "very well known in the contemporary disco scene". We've no idea who it may be, but we can safely say that all four tracks are luscious blends of 1980s synth sounds, the loved-up colour of Italian dream house, and the rolling grooves of deep house. Opener "Sample Dream" lives up to its title by turning a saucer-eyed 80s soul gem into a chopped-up synth-house masterclass, while "Clockwork Lemon" joins the dots between acid, tactile synth-pop and electronic disco while retaining a suitably loved-up vibe. Elsewhere, "More More More"is a slap-bass heavy loop-house gem in the style of Tiger & Woods, and "Heather's Body" is a bubbly, electro-sampling treat.
Review: Since last appearing on Toy Tonics two years ago, Felipe Gordon's profile has risen considerably, thanks in no small part to well received outings on Black Jukebox, Quintessentials and Razor 'N' Tape Reserve. His return to the popular imprint is of course a successful one, with each of the four tracks proving particularly alluring. He begins with the drowsy, blues-sampling cut-up deep house bump of "Wait On Me", before reaching for the crunchy disco drums, cowbells and funky bass guitar on the Holy Ghost-goes-house vibes of "El Meloncito". Elsewhere, "The Semimodular Bird of Jazz" is a fine bit of dusty deep house/jazz-house fusion, while "Definitely and Completely Mayor" is a slightly off-kilter dancefloor work out rich in poignant pianos and quirkily swung drums.
Review: Since joining Toy Tonics last year, the Phenomenal Handclap Band has served up some of their greatest material to date. Predictably, their third outing for the label is another winner. You'll find the band's original mix of "Remain Silent" - a wonderful slab of off-kilter revivalist disco rich in attractive lead vocals, authentic instrumentation and spacey synths - tucked away at the end of the EP. The headline-grabbing remixes once again come from Ray Mang, whose "Extended Mix" and "Instrumental Mix" both offer a slightly tighter, polished-up feel that's arguably more suitable for club spins. The EP also contains rather good "Remix" and "Dub" takes from Superpitcher which subtly strip the track back and give it a more spaced-out dub disco feel.
Review: For the uninitiated, Joel Holmes is a GRAMMY Awards-nominated American jazz pianist. It's somewhat of a surprise, then, to see him collaborating with deep house rising star Cody Currie on Toy Tonics. We're glad the collaboration has happened, though, because the resulting EP is exceptionally good. Check, for example, "Beyond The Stars", a wonderfully warm, loose and organic deep house cut rich in improvised scat vocals, hot-to-trot electric piano solos and heady jazz-funk bass, and the ambidextrous broken beat bustle of "A New Chapter", which is every bit as inspired as anything made by Kaidi Tatham or Dego. Elsewhere, "Blue TV Screen" is a deliciously jazzy deep house bumper and "Theme One" is an even deeper and warmer dancefloor excursion with tons of great solos from the effervescent Holmes.
Review: Just seeing the words 'Phenomenal Handclap Band' and 'Ray Mang' on the same release will be enough to get disco lovers' musical tastebuds tingling, and the results of this heavy-hitting hook-up - which rumour has it trails a new album - don't disappoint. Across four mixes (plus a Radio Edit) he variously pulls out the track's disco, gospel and house-y elements, with his Disco Mix the choice for straight-up disco floors, the Special Mix the pick for the Balearic crew and the Reprise the one for house clubs, with an Instrumental Mix also supplied to cater for anyone who finds the vox a little OTT.
Review: Fresh from fine recent outings on Lovedancing and Quintessentials, rising star Felipe Gordon releases his first EP on Toy Tonics, a label he's been loosely affiliated with since contributing a track to a compilation style EP last year. The centrepiece of the EP is clearly "Acid Party at Teusaquillo", a cut that cleverly combines classic deep house elements (woozy chords, spine-tingling pianos) with the jacking rhythms and mind-altering acid lines of early Chicago house. While the track arguably didn't need remixing, we're rather enjoying the deeper, jazzier interpretation from Retrogott and DJ Qualle, not to mention the enveloping warmth of Seb Wildblood's Detroit Techno-meets-deep house rework.
Review: Whether delivering slo-mo disco loop jams, heady deep house groovers or boogie-powered improvisations, Harry Wolfman can usually be relied upon to bring the goods. There's certainly plenty to enjoy on the producer's first EO for Toy Tonics, not least the lolloping, sample-heavy goodness of opener "Stromboli", where soulful vocal snippets, jammed-out Amp Fiddler style synths and sumptuous chords amble around a brilliantly loose deep house beat. Wolfman goes deeper still on the dusty warmth of "The Rickest of Rick" - all elastic jazz-funk bass, tactile stabs and heavily manipulated vocal samples - before donning his Speedos for a shirtless romp through jazzy deep house/disco fusion on the decidedly sun-kissed "The Accord".
Review: Munich twosome Rhode & Brown (AKA producers Friedrich Trede and Stephan Michael Braun) have put out an EP on Toy Tonics every autumn since 2013. B Tru 2 U, then, is their fifth annual missive for the prolific deep house stable. There's naturally plenty of rock solid club fare on show, from the brilliantly stuttering, chopped-up peak-time flex of "Mary's Tool" - think Tiger and Woods with R&B samples, and you're close - and moody-but-spacey late night pump of "B Tru 2 U", to the languid, solo-rich jazz-house shuffle of closer "Iruzu Jam". "Third Rail Mills", a dreamy but jaunty fusion of jazz-funk instrumentation of drowsy deep house grooves, is also rather good.
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