Review: Long-serving producer Disco Tech has released more edits and reworks over the years than we've had hot dinners. Remarkably, he still continues to deliver on-point revisions - as this second volume in his ongoing 'Reworks' EP series proves. There's much to admire across the six tracks on show, from the atmospheric, slow-burn excellence of AOR disco revision 'Stars In The Ghetto' and the dub-funk wonder that is the James Brown-sampling 'Boss', to the peak-time '80s disco sing-along 'Take Time' and the on-point Clash dub disco revision 'Magnificent'. We also recommend 'Be With You', a deliciously groovy, dubbed-out take on a Doc Severinsen track that has long been a DJ Harvey favourite.
Review: An international meeting of the minds here as Japan-based British veteran Max Essa joins forces with Eddie C, who hails from Ontario in Canada but now calls Berlin home. Together they've come up with four classy jams that blur the lines between Balearica, nu-disco and deep house, with 'Melon Steppin' centred on a fragile keys riff but busting out some fine 303 squelch in the middle, 'Save Me' a more mellow and soulful affair with hints of jazz-funk, 'We Live In the Hills' all ponderous drums, haunting chords and more squelchy synths, and 'Sixth Bridge' a more midtempo, vaguely lounge-y closer.
Review: A dash of Trans-Atlantic collaboration here, as Miami-based Mexican (and Tour de Infinite founder) Rigopolar joins forces with Discoteca Seduction founder Disto Disco for the first time. Lead cut 'Untitled' joins the dots between driving, punk-funk-influenced dub disco, dark disco and trance-infused nu-disco, while 'Spaced Out' is a harder-edged and more rave-igniting slab of arpeggio-driven electronic disco that comes complete with robotic vocals. The latter is impressively remixed by Phunkadelica, whose revision is a strobe-lit peak-time treat, while 'Untitled' is reworked twice. First Colossio & Cabizbajo recall the halcyon days of "new rave" on a growling guitar-flecked revision, before Childs delivers a deliciously chugging, shoegaze-influenced wall-of-sound take that may be the EP's most inspired moment.
Review: Greek producer Goji Berry made his Katakana debut on the multi-artist 'Vol 50' EP back in 2017. Since then he's appeared on two further V/A EPs in the series as well as helming six of his own, most recently Vols 142 and 140. Now he's back with 'Vol 144', which finds him reworking a brace of classic soul/funk jams, namely Wilson Pickett's 'Funky Broadway' from 1967 and Lonnie Liston Smith's 'A Chance For Peace', taken from 1975's 'Visions Of A New World' album. Given the calibre of the source material, it's hard to go wrong, really - and Goji Berry certainly doesn't.
Review: Given the prolific output of his Rare Wiri label, it's a wonder Rayko finds time to get in the studio at all. But he does, regularly - and when he's not producing synthy, 80s-flavoured nu-disco jams of his own, he somehow also manages to fit in the odd cheeky re-edit or 20! Here, then, a score of such reworks are served up for your listening and dancing pleasure, with the emphasis firmly on lesser-known gems - sources include Ann Peebles, Diana Ross, Quincy Jones, Break Machine, Michael Sembello and Earl Flint, as well as US folk-rocker Barbara Keith's version of 'All Along The Watchtower', but there are plenty more that will have to go unidentified. Suffice to say, though, that if funk, disco, boogie, electro and pop from the 70s and 80s float your boat, this collection will leave you positively buoyant!
Review: In keeping with the approach of its predecessors, the fourth annual Boogie Angst compilation brings together "cool cuts" from the past year and a smattering of exclusives and previously unreleased gems. As you'd expect from a label helmed by Kraak & Smaak, it's a genuinely joyous and celebratory affair, packed to the rafters with party-starting workouts. For proof, check the revivalist disco-boogie cheeriness of Titeknots' 'Feels Good 2 Me', the future soul shuffle of 'Treat U Good' by Moods, Noah Slee, Lyriya & Meron, the summery electrofunk sunshine that is Art of Tones' kaleidoscopic rework of LUXXURY's 'Just Like It Was Before', the Rhodes-laden warmth of Kraak & Smaak's nostalgic 'All I Need' and the spiritually-enriching Latin deep house shuffle of Osunlade's Yoruba Soul rework of his Casbah 73 collaboration, 'Let's Invade The Amazon'.
Review: Despite the title there's no particular discernible 'summer' theme to this latest batch of re-edits from German maestro Alkalino, but that's probably just as well - after all, no one wants to hear 4/4'd up remakes of holiday 'classics' like 'The Birdy Song' or 'Agadoo', do they?! Instead the Audaz boss serves up another typically classy bunch of reworkings, drawing on sources that include Change ft Jocelyn Brown's 'Angel In My Pocket' ('I Remember All So Clearly'), Lenny Williams' 'Midnight Girl' ('The Music Plays And Plays'), Central Line's 'Walking Into Sunshine' ('I Got To Get Away') and Talking Heads' 'Seen And Not Seen' ('A Larger Forehead'), to name but a few.
Review: Although he's been operative since the start of the noughties, Unclepasha only has a handful of solo EPs to his name - most notably on London label Nang. Here the Russian producer pops up on Vintage Music, an imprint founded by his fellow countryman Sunner Soul back in 2010. What's on offer are, we think, kind of edits-not-edits - tracks that make extensive use of elements of forgotten old cuts, but with added beats and instrumentation. Title track 'Tol'ko Ya' blurs the boundaries between seductive, low-slung dub-disco, swamp funk and nu-disco, while 'Dubby' lives up to its name by properly dubbing out and beefing up a percussion-rich jam of unknown origin. To round things off, TSDC reworks 'Tol'ko Ya', giving it a filter-heavy, dub-flecked disco-house feel.
Munk & James Murphy - "Kick Out The Chairs" (Whomadewho remix) - (3:23) 102 BPM
C?cile - "Sweetness 86" - (6:28) 101 BPM
Review: Back in the 00s, Mathias 'Munk' Modica and Jonas 'Telonius' Imbery's Gomma label was at the forefront of the punk-funk and indie-dance scene. Imbery later stepped away and Munk shuttered the label in 2016 to concentrate on his new venture Toy Tonics, but now he's taking time to revisit former glories with this second collection of cuts from the Gomma vaults. The timing's probably right: with clubbing's Nag Nag Nag generation now hitting 40, the retro/nostalgia bandwagon was bound to get around to the 00s eventually, and while certain tracks here may be a bit too redolent of asymmetrical haircuts and scarves worn indoors for some, the set also undoubtedly includes some fine nuggets that deserve exposure to a new generation, notably Mercury's rather lovely 'Sweetness' and Munk's own James Murphy collab 'Kick Out The Chairs'.
Review: Best known for his releases on the Katakana label, DJ Laurel comes to Fingerman's Hot Digits with three new re-edits in a funk and soul vein. The title track reworks Wilson Pickett's cover of Eddie Kendricks' 'Don't Underestimate The Power Of Love', and is served up in two mixes: the soulfully chugging original and a beefed-up, nu-discofied remix from the label boss himself. Elsewhere, 'Street Tough' revisits the 1981 Ben E. King cut of the same name, while 'That's What Time It Is' is a 70s-sounding funk jam whose original source will have to go sadly unidentified.
Review: As anyone who has followed his career will tell you, Cor.Ece is a talented chap - a GRAMMY award-winning songwriter (he has enjoyed mega-hits with his work for Beyonce) and Honey Dijon collaborator who also happens to be a top-notch vocalist, producer and musician. On 'Be Here Before', he joins forces with Bastard Jazz regulars Bad Colours to deliver a fabulous full-length excursion. They set the tone with 'Say Yea', a constantly rising slab of soul-fired deep tech-house, before flitting between intergalactic house-soul ('Mars'), 21st century hip-house/nu-disco fusion (the ace 'What Happened To The Revolutionary'), UKG-influenced excellence ('Jeans'), Afrobeats-adjacent awesomeness ('Might Could'), slow motion boogie-soul ('Mt Miss U') and much more besides. Tip!
Review: Rayko teams up once more with Elena Hikari to deliver the pair's second joint long-player, following on the heels of 2023's 'Tu Alma Y La Mia'. But while that first album was good, this one's exceptional! Cinematic, cosmic opener 'Too Much' sets the tone but it's the second track, 'Nunca James', that really hits you in the face: it's a slow-burning monster, with Hikari's haunting vocal earning it a place in the box marked "truly sublime". 'Looking To Edge' is another BIG track that probably needs to be heard on a 4am dancefloor to be truly appreciated; after that you get four more cuts that blur the lines between cosmic/Italo disco, Balearica, coldwave, house and pop (including a new version of 'Extraordinarylove' from the first album) before the title track, another deep, slo-mo chugger, plays us out in very fine style. Excellent work!
Review: Although Alkalino has re-edited all sorts of music over the years, disco, boogie and Italo-disco tracks have always been his bread and butter. He's taken a different path on his latest release, offering up 'Transgenre Edits' that touch on a wide variety of sounds and styles. There's much to admire throughout, from the 105 BPM conscious soul-goes-dancing headiness of 'Songs That I See' and the weirdo disco-rock-goes-Italo-disco throb of 'Angry Eyes' (a take on a legendary 1979 by Skatt Bros) to the effervescent jazziness of 'Sad Sax' (an edit of the track sampled by Mr Scruff on 'Get a Move On'), the muscular, mind-mangling synth-disco throb of 'Angel Dust' and the bouncy Tango-disco rush of 'Funana'.
Review: Germany's DJ Friction once more dons his Frico re-editor's hat and serves up another brace of reworks of classic tracks from days of yore - more specifically, in this instance, days of early 80s boogie yore. First to get the treatment is 'Never Let You Go', a 1982 cut by UK outfit Savanna. Frico's remake is very faithful to the original, but most importantly he leaves the fine scatting section towards the end intact... doo doo dah-dah! Frico then turns his attention to 'Sparkle', another 1982 jam, this time by veteran Japanese singer-songwriter and producer Tatsuro Yamashita. Boogie lovers will be in raptures.
Body Heat (Flemming Dalum remix edit) - (3:00) 109 BPM
Body Heat (ZYX edit remastered 2024) - (3:19) 109 BPM
Body Heat (vocal) - (6:30) 109 BPM
Body Heat (instrumental) - (6:26) 109 BPM
Body Heat (Flemming Dalum remix) - (6:43) 109 BPM
Review: This 1984 single by Italo-disco duo Fokewulf 190 stands out from the crowd. Instead of the usual arpeggiated basslines of Italo-disco, it throws in a bubbly synth groove reminiscent of electrofunk. Layered on top are sharp synthesizer melodies with a new wave influence, atmospheric chords, a winding synth-saxophone, and energetic, heavily accented vocals. The singer, originally uncredited, was none other than future Italian synth-pop star Fred Ventura in his early days. Despite its unconventional elements, the track remains timeless. This quality makes it the perfect foundation for remixes by DJ Tin Tin and Flemming Dalum. Their approach is respectful, adding a touch of modern production without compromising the original's core sound. Interestingly, the remixes might even enhance the original. The stripped-down elegance and driving rhythm of the Fokewulf 190 version become even more striking when placed next to the updated soundscapes. This is a release that caters to both fans of classic Italo and those who enjoy modern interpretations of the genre.
Review: An exceptional EP showcasing rare South London British jazz funk, originally unveiled in the UK in 1984 by Tony Williams, a Jamaican-born producer renowned for his influential work on Funk Masters' jazz-funk classic, 'Love Money'. Resurfacing once more, 'Keep On Searching For Love' epitomizes the distinctive dub disco sound of 80s London, meticulously crafted with every element tailored to captivate disco enthusiasts. Featuring gated snares and captivating vocal performances by Linda Taylor, this track radiates with the brilliance of a supernova. 'Eastern Lady' presents an instrumental journey adorned with hypnotic basslines, drum machines, synths, and vibrant horn lines. Both tracks have been meticulously remastered from tape and are now elegantly repackaged for your listening pleasure. Keep the groove going!
Review: Last month, Connaisseur dropped a label debut from Cheema, an Italian DJ/producer renowned from "bringing the cultural traditions of Puglia to the club". We're not particularly well read on what those cultural traditions may be, but that EP was very good - as is this speedy sequel. Rooted in the cosmic disco tradition, 'Daunia Disko' is a head-nodding stroll through 100 BPM electronic disco pastures rich in hip-hop style breaks, razor-sharp acid bass, clipped guitar licks, saucer-eyed female vocal snippets and mind-mangling electronics. It's infectious and addictive in the best possible way. The accompanying remix is an altogether sweatier and more celebratory proposition, as Of Norway (Oslo twosome Vegard Wolf Dyvik and Carl Christian Streenstrup) re-imagine the track as a funky, acid-flecked slab of nostalgic piano house insanity.
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