Review: Anyone who decides to dedicate a fair chunk of his debut edits release to scalpel cuts of tracks from Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane and Stevie Wonder must have gonads the size of watermelons. Sitting down could be an uncomfortable proposition, then, for the mysterious V, whose seven-track debut EP also includes chunky, floor-friendly re-tweaks of The Kinks and Sly & The Family Stone (as well as a couple of stonking disco bangers). While some would argue that much of the material here didn't need messing with, he's done an excellent job. The Dub of "Whole Lotta Love", for example, is pitched just right, offering much more bang and exactly the right amount of disco dubbiness.
Review: Amsterdam dwelling editor par excellence Em Vee took the solo reigns on the inaugural Lumberjacks In Hell - and truly excelled with a great reimagination of "Miss You". The second release on the label sees the German share duties with Spanish edit demon Rayko. First up is an expert rearrangement of Candi Staton's cover of the Bee Gee's standard "Nights On Broadway" which strips the track of its orchestral leanings to focus on the groove! Following this is a meaty take on a classic, with Barbara Keith's cover of "All Along The Watchtower" reinforced with some bottom end bump. Em Vee spreads a special disco version of Alma Lee's late 70s Philly delight "Gimme Your Love" with an extended intro that fully displays his edit talents.
Review: The mysterious V has got some balls. You see, it's common practice in re-edit circles to steer clear of certain big tunes and artists. V clearly didn't get the memo, because this second volume of party-hearty, floor-filling reworks contains sneaky dubs of tracks by Steve Miller (a smile-inducing version of "Fly Like An Eagle"), the Sex Pistols (a filter-heavy tweak of "Anarchy In The UK"), The Lovin' Spoonful ("Summer In The City") and The Beach Boys ("Good Vibrations", which gets a weirdly breaksy Balearic rework). Better, though, are the versions of the more disco and funk-inclined material. His Betty Wright rework ("Slip & Do It") is particularly magical.
Review: What more can we possibly say about nu-disco producer Valique and his two-year bootleg/edit/mash-up blitzkreig that we haven't already said? Listening back over these 31 offerings it becomes apparent that this is simply the soundtrack to one seriously mighty party. There are simply just so many dancing-on-tables moments here (we'll let him away with some of the shockers) including the grooved up DM cover "Personal Jesus" by Johnny Cash, the surreal, intoxicating deep disco take on Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" and the dreamy paradise melodies of "Still You". Here's to the next couple of years!
Review: Lately Leeds' Deelicious has seen his loose and groovy tunes grace the likes of Sound Exhibitions and Disco Fruit. Here he rolls out five sizzling new bangers. The urgent slice of socially conscious funk, "Lonely Town Lonely Street", kicks things off, "Trust Me" incorporates housier filtered loops into the mix and the title track is celebratory slice of disco-pop with some ace bloc-rocking breaks and punk-funk bass work. Elsewhere we enter orbit with the melodramatic sci-fi boogie of "Mechanical Body" and "Change Your Mind" is an amazing example of early underground dance music reconfigured by a 21st century perspective.
Review: As Eli Escobar let's it be known in "The Formula" that he's 'got something for you' as the sweet chorale chimes. There's a subtle Osunlade vibe to this album, the American's first, and Rhodes be flaying on "Visions" as they vamp to a climax like a Bootsy Collins solo. It's all stripped back business of "NY So Hi" - get down to this! And for some quality, sustained loops check out "Thank You Les". "Up All Night" is a dubbed-out, cool-as, disco-tinged burner and there's a whole load to discover here in a debut album rich with the type of soul you can only get from the streets of the big apple.
Review: The last missive from DJ Vas HQ was way back in November of last year. Thankfully the summer's sunny allure seems to have got his creative juices flowing and now we have four new offerings for our aural pleasure. Roy Ayers' "Our Love Will Bring Us Back Together" is teased out into sinewy, high-end boogie and BB&Q's "Imagination" home is improved, getting rebuilt into lasered robot funk. Crown Heights Affair also get two hip swaying brassy tracks featured here, rounding off the euphoric party vibes in style.
Review: This release reads like a re-edit producer's convention, with four different artists all delivering their own unique takes on selections from disco's past. "Hitney Wouston" is Deep & Disco's funky tech-house take on "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by you know who. It's an enthralling version that competes with Girls On Top's all-time reworking from back in the day. Alkalino's "Ruff N' Stuff" is a killer blend of throbbing bass, cowbells and a retro rap. Debonair's "Mellow Mellow" features a mesmerising, heavily filtered string loop and lots of disco lasers. Retro-house don Jonewaynes wraps things up with the looped slice of shimmering Balearica that is "Number 1".
Review: For a label that only launched this spring, four volumes of creatively executed party jams is beyond impressive. We reckon this could be Funk Fusion's best yet, too. From Rhythm Scholar's respectfully tripped out twist on "Lucy In The Sky" to Fabioulous Barker's slap-bass blazed take on Skeelow via the funkiest ever version of 2Pac's "California Love", it's an impressive collection that leans towards the more subtle art of editing rather than crass bootleg cut-and-shuts and will have a lot more timeless appeal as a result.
Review: Beards. Where'd they come from, eh? One minute it was all asymmetrical haircuts and 80s electro-pop, then the beards & disco brigade arrived. Well successful re-edit imprint Whiskey Disco proves that beards are still big and happening. YSE has a shady house music history but here displays his love of disco with four quality reworks. "Freeze Frame" is a vocoder-led slow building chant-a-long, "I Own The Boogie" is a deep and intense disco funker with killer basslines (both electronic and live), "Warm Wind Brewing" is a Fantasy Island/Love Boat romantic journey and "Here I Come Again" ends things with some raw disco seduction.
Review: It seems that the nu-disco trend of re-edits is one that just keeps growing. Everyone from Siberia to Greece is doing it, and now the fever has spread to Ireland too in the form of the Get Down Edits label. Thankfully these guys don't (usually) pick the obvious stuff - Fingerman samples Luther Vandross' "Never Too Much" on "Too Much" so they lose points for that, but generally it's all good jazzy, funky retro jams.
Review: For the uninitiated, The Gaff is a Canada-based DJ, producer and prodigious maker of "party breaks" - shorthand for re-edits and reworks that should appeal for those DJs for whom loose rhythms are of more interest than a straight 4/4 pulse. This first contribution to the digital-only Katakana Edits series is full of funk and soul-laden jams with heavy but snappy drums. There's a global feel, too, with excellent forays into afro-funk ("High Life") and Latin beats ("Mambo Number 5"). While all four tracks are carefully tuned to the needs of dancefloors, the afro-flecked disco-funk grooves of "Funny Saga" stands out.
Review: The scalpel fiends and rework hounds behind the Editorial label rarely disappoint, and this latest split EP is packed with floor-friendly midtempo goodies. The most revelatory cut of all is Ed Wizard and Disco Double Dee's "Slow Fire", a delicious 109 BPM bumper that re-casts Gwen McRae's electrofunk-era disco bomb as a stoned head-nodder. It works so well that you wonder why nobody's done it before. Elsewhere, there's some sweet groovery from Feza, a surprisingly percussive disco-funk jam from the usually dawdling 78 Edits, and a decidedly Balearic jazz-funk excursion from Manmademusic and Freshtone. Really, it's only the usually on-point B-Jam who lets the side down with the so-so "Everyday".
Review: Some re-edit guys go for pop, some do disco and others opt for novelty jams. Not French funkateer DJ Vas, however, nope, no-way, not ever. He deals exclusively in quality, sumptuous disco. Here he delivers four more cuts, you know, the ones that sound like silly o'clock joy at the Paradise Garage - the loose, Fender Rhodes back beat shuffle of "Go Get The Money", the sparkly tingles of spacey funker "Double Journee", the slappy raunch-bass of "Hold On Me" and the New York in the bad old days electro-funk joint "Gigolo". The real deal.
Review: Four excellent new funk/soul/disco bombs from the Whiskey Disco label, with some surprising covers and peerless edits for your aural delectation. Anthony Mansfield sets about deconstructing a fresh cover of "Hercules" by Aaron Neville, while fans of Philly/Al Green-esque slow '70s funk will love Cosmic Boogie's soft-touch edit of "How Can You Say Goodbye". Rayko ups the tempo a little with his mix of the boogie wonder "S&M (Sexy Music), while WD label-head Sleazy McQueen has a lot of fun with Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do", looping up instrumental sections just right for a new perspective on this classic Stevie joint.
Review: As the title suggests, this five-tracker from the previously re-edit-happy Editorial imprint showcases slo-mo disco/house crossover cuts from a selection of mostly little-known producers (the fast-rising Matthew Kyle aside). For those who've been digging the superb releases of labels like Sleazy Beats, Wolf Music and Instruments Of Rapture, Slo-Motion Potion comes highly recommended. It's largely impressive stuff, with DJ Butcher's epic "Shake Your Body", Kyle's deliciously sensual "Off My Mind" and 78 Edits' heady opener "Come On Baby" standing out. That said, the whole package is well worth a listen.
Review: This label recently launched by DJ Spinforth (and pals) as a next step extension to his biweekly column for the Ghetto Funk blog called 'The Scour', to highlight and showcase the unsigned talent that he encounters while 'scouring' Soundcloud. The next logical step was to actually release this stuff, so here's the impressive debut compilation snappily called Scoured Cream. Originally intended to showcase just five tunes, its now boasts eight including the stop-start blues-hop of "Sun No Shine", the wobble-soul of "Hell Yeah" and some electro-swing courtesy of Hong Kong Ping Pong.
Review: Here, Aaron Dae and JKriv gather together some highlights from the first three years of their popular re-edit imprint, Razor 'N' Tape. Given the label's infamously high hit rate, it's little surprise to find that Disco Cuts Volume 1 is full of tried-and-tested dancefloor smashers - the kind of dub-flecked, handily compressed jams that work wonders in both disco and house sets. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the dubby pulse of Deep&Disco's ace Chic rework "Feel The Rhythm", and the cheery '80s soul revivalism of Ron Basejam's gospel boogie cut "Someday", to the undulating grooves of Luvless' "Castles In The Sky" (you can guess the identity of the original source material) and head-nodding pulse of Only Children's chugging "Falling".
Review: This latest offering from the shady Katakana Edits crew makes their previous offerings seem positively anemic by comparison. Boasting a whopping 22 tracks, it's almost certainly guaranteed to provide decent ammo for every house party imaginable. Highlights include the chugging electro dub sing-along "Shakka Boom" by DJ Clairvo, the p-funk meets disco of vibes of "Miami Freaks" by Lee Zamah and Timewrap's pumped up version of The Velvettes's perennial Motown classic, "He Was Really Sayin' Something".
Review: There's a reason that Midnight Riot's eponymous compilations frequently charge to the top of the Juno Download charts. Put simply, they never disappoint. This ninth installment sticks to the now tried-and-tested formula - house-friendly re-edits and originals from across the disco, boogie, soul and funk spectrum - but predictably hits the spot throughout. As usual, there's a bonus mix - this time put together by globe-trotting scalpel jockey Rayko - and tracks come from both label regulars ('80s Child, Ziggy Phunk, Chewy Funk) and an impressive array of new or unheralded talents. It's in the latter category that you'll find some of the most impressive fare - see Phil Jaimes deliciously Balearic "Nowhere To Hide" and Cosmocomics' kaleidoscopic synth-funk jam "Mary Jane" - though the standard remains pleasingly high throughout.
Review: Every now and then we get a faint signal from this Beaten Space Probe, lost in the depths of the nebulous disco cosmos. It usually crackles through on our radio about once a year and is unanimously greeted with whoops of delight and much dancing on our analogue space consoles. This missive contains nine galaxian edits, presumably all peak time bangers on the hottest alien dancefloors. Highlights include the elasticated bass frenzy of "Double Lines", the Kool & The Gang redux "Don't Wanna Dance" and Fingerman's electro-boogie blaster, "Like 2 Baby". Far out!
Review: Sleazy McQueen's Whiskey Disco imprint continues to be one of the more reliable sources of disco and boogie re-edits. Rather predictably, this latest installment in the series is bristling with high-grade dancefloor material. There's some riotous, party-minded disco-funk from newcomer Scott M, who delivers a killer touch-up of Vernon Burnch's "Get Up", and a thrillingly low-slung chunk of rolling disco-house from VinylAddicted and SMQ. While Pontcharain also provides a tightened-up, filter-heavy tweak of France Joli's Prelude classic "Gonna Get Over You" - heavy on the delay, and with the urgent hustle of house - it's the contribution from Canadian stalwart Eddie C that stands out. A smooth, midtempo cut-up of a lesser-known rollerboogie jam, it rises and falls in all the right places.
Review: After impressing with a series of decent contributions to re-edit EPs from Chopshop and Man made music, Japan's Beaten Space Probe (AKA producer Shota Tanaka) strikes out on his own. The mood throughout Beaten Space Probe 01 is celebratory, as Tanaka subtly extends, tweaks and improves a string of groove-heavy disco jams. The four-track menu includes a particularly tasty extension of Loletta Holloway's "Love Sensation" and the deliciously optimistic "Nine Lives", a sugary sweet but surprisingly meaty edit that builds to a blistering climax. Best of all, though, is opener "Boogie Prancin", which is as addictive as it is cheery. That's very, by the way.
Review: The House of Disco site launches its new label endeavour of the same name with an impeccable selection of cosmopolitan sounds from four of the contemporary disco scene's most valued selectors. The ubiquitous Nicholas kicks things off with the slinking "Talking About Love" which leans on a soul classic with aplomb, and it's matched by the most upwardly mobile number on this release from Australia's Francis Inferno Orchestra. "Sun Up" is driven by one of those incessantly energetic filtered cores and surrounded by a thumping groove and leaves you gasping for the moment the vocal hook and hats finally kick in. Up next everyone's favourite South American dwelling East European exponent of super slow disco does his thing on "Outstanding" whilst Psychemagik indulges in some carnival leaning house boom on "Carnaval De Transoco". A deft release that corners all aspects of the modern discoteria needs.
Review: Spinforth's quest for freshness continues as he follows up the debut December Scour dispatch with another generous selection of chunky-jacksy bass joints. With gnarly fingers probing every party pie, across the collection we're treated to dubstep-meets-classic-Brooklyn ("Time To Rock"), 23rd century electro wobbles ("Boss DAT!") and VERY cheeky Cypress Hill booty business ("Insane Brains"... obviously!) And that's only three examples. Get Scouring.
Review: Bristol's X-Ray Ted is about the light and fun party jams, no cool digger's obscurities welcome here. Here he serves four guaranteed floor fillers starting with "Mild Mild West", a loose-limbed disco rendition of the Good The Bad and The Ugly theme, next "Too Good" sees Aretha Franklin get a house-shaped whoosh under her backside, "EveryMoney" meanwhile sees some vintage soul fused with classic Kelis and ODB and finally "Hold Tight" sees the show close with some sizzling neon-flecked arpeggiated disco..
Review: There's no denying Funk Fusion definitely live up to their name; take these first two tracks which sample and flip Kool & The Gang and Tribe Called Quest numbers into something new and different for 2015. There's also a cheeky garage remake of Basement Jaxx, and for something slower check out the hip hop throw down of Aretha Franklin's "Say A little Prayer For You" by KMT. And have you heard Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" pitched against Sean Paul lyrics? Well you have now. Something for everyone.
Review: Sneaky re-edit imprint Editorial likes to offer good value. As with previous releases, "Cross Corner" features no less than six floor-friendly reworks to satisfy the needs of all but the pickiest disco divas. While there are a couple of merely solid versions of well-known hits (Grace Jones and Marvin Gaye both get cut-up), there are far more high quality re-arrangements of lesser-known gems. Of particular interest are the contributions from The Legendary 1979 Orchestra and Manmademusic, both of whom wonderfully stretch out soul-flecked disco gems with inch-perfect precision.
Review: With a sly wink and a beckoning wave of the hand, Chopshop invite us into their boudoir for another seductive trip into slinky rework territory. As usual, many bases are covered. Captain Futuro kicks things off with "Love Me Crazy", a slo-mo disco-flecked hip-hop head-nodder. Label supremo DJ Butcher turns Dave Gerard's "Twisted Message" (a sneaky bootleg version of the Furious Five classic) into a disco funk-breaks smasher, before laying down some revivalist rare groove fun in the shape of his own "However Do You Want Me" (a rework of Soul II Soul's "Back To Life"). A decidedly sensual package is completed by the misty-eyed headiness of Ill Advised "Superstition" (yep, a remake of that "Superstitition").
Review: For their latest statement of intent, Bristol's nu-funk troubadours The Allergies have found a new home at Goodgroove. They've consummated the relationship in fine style too, going a whopping four times in the process. "Special People" is a roaring breaky funker that could easily be mid-70s O'Jays. Elsewhere we get daisy age hip hop jam "React", vintage Stax-style stomper "As We Do Our Thing" and guitar-led rap "Feel Alright". We're glad they're back!
Review: Valique once more dons his popular V's Edits guise for another trip into Balearic rework territory. This 18th installment in the long-running series has a "neo-blues" theme, offering the former funk breaks man a chance to deliver suitably dancefloor-friendly interpretations of cuts by Muddy Waters, BB King, The Doors and Rodriguez (a tasty re-arrangement of the 'Sugar Man's "Can't Get Away"). Interestingly, he also turns Dire Straits' radio-friendly, solo-heavy "Sultans of Swing" into a loose, tech-influenced house jam. Elsewhere, look out for a house-goes-breaks-goes-Balearic take on "Horse With No Name" (here titled "Has The Name"), and the bluesy powder house flex of "Daymallah".
Review: Fingerman's Hot Digits imprint has always reflected his production style, delivering releases that gleefully blur the boundaries between re-edits, remixes and original material, and blend elements of disco, funk, soul, boogie and deep house. This groovy, warm and floor-friendly formula is much in evidence on this first anniversary compilation. Featuring a blend of previously released gear, exclusives and a bonus DJ mix from Fingerman, Hot Digits: Year One is an effortlessly entertaining collection. There's naturally much to admire, from the subtle house beats and P-funk synths of Fingerman's own "Shine Yo Litez" (a rework of an old Grangers tune), and the disco-funk chunkiness of Groove Motion's "Party Now", to the compressed, dubbed-out disco house madness of Chewy Rubs' "Let It Go".
Review: DJ Vas, a former member of 1990s French house outfit Kojak, returns to action with a slinky selection of floor-friendly re-edits. First up, early Cameo jam "C To The Funk" gets a rolling, undulating rework - all looped grooves, parping horns, urgent vocals and '70s funk attitude. Vas then adds a little house swing to Joe Bataan's clav-heavy "Call My Name", stripping out most of the vocals to emphasize the original's killer groove. The un-credited "One Love" is a wide-eyed chunk of sensual sweetness, while Kleeer's "Winners" gets turned into an inspired slab of soaring jazz-funk goodness. Impressive stuff.
Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from re-edit/mash-up/rework specialists Chopshop; namely the kind of sophisticated, floor-friendly concoctions that appeal to both geeks and party-starters alike. This split EP features plenty more material to tickle the fancy of DJs, from the Clav-heavy disco groovery of Ill Advised's "Inside Out" (a smart Odyssey cover) and block party disco-funk of Captain Futuro ("Booty Express"), to the needless-but-fun Indeep cut-up "In The Mix" by Dave Gerrard. Best of all, though, is the fluid re-touch by Greg Wilson of DJ Butcher's "Music Turns Me On", a sweet cut-and-paste effort that's pitched just right.
Review: Breakerz Banquet switch the feast to a BBQ flex with a quartet of laid back summer vibes. Fresh from fronting the label launch, El Bomba takes the lead with "Party Your Ass Off". A refreshingly honest ode to smoking, drinking and fun times, it's an instant smiler. Knuckle Fingerz plays the spot-the-sample game with a whole range of well-known lyrical hooks and a Tribe Called Quest level groove. Cris Crucial plays a similar rap homage with added Dee-lite and Maars. Finally the whole team collide for the 'banger' of the bunch... Muscular drums, a clinically obese groove and party chants a-go-go, if you're not popping within 30 seconds, your volume function is faulty. Yummy.
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