Review: When operating under the V's Edits alias, re-edit maestro Valique can always be relied upon to bring the goods. It's little surprise, then, to find out that his latest collection of fresh cut-jobs - an epic affair featuring no less than 24 tracks - is packed to the rafters with high-grade fare. We don't have enough space to list all of the highlights, but we'd suggest checking out his rolling revision of Lee Dorsey's "Night People", the low-slung disco-funk heaviness of the Brass Construction rework ("Gotta Do It"), the intergalactic disco deepness of the Marvin Gaye revision ("Funky Space"), the lightly tooled-up, slowly unfurling take on Tom Browne's "Funkin For Jamaica" and the sweeping, string-laden disco brilliance of "Miracle (V's Edit)".
Review: According to London label New State, Paul Harris and Steve Smith of Dirty Vegas have really enjoyed the process of putting together Days Go By (The Retrospective). They have gone back over their work and picked out some of their favourites over the years - a whopping 18 tracks, 19 remixes and a continuous mix by Harris. Speaking of the remixes: the Dumont & Wagener remix of "Human Love" gets onto an emotive and Balearic tinged trip, the remix of "Electric Love" by NYC house hero Eli Escobar remix gets well funky, and the always impressive Parisian Fred Falke delivers a typically neon-lit rendition of "Emma" from several years back. Along the way, while searching through music, video and photographic archives it has brought back lots of memories for the duo - and given them new energy and inspiration for their future music plans.
Review: Amazingly, it's been some 14 years since Kent-based house/pop fusionists Dirty Vegas made their debut on Credence, and 13 since they released their eponymous debut album. Here, they deliver their fourth full-length, once again effortlessly fusing jangly indie-pop influences with radio-friendly house grooves and festival-friendly EDM sounds. There are occasional nods towards tougher styles of dance music - see the thrusting pulse of "Photograph", Madness and X-Press 2 style "Save A Prayer" - but for most part it's a breezy affair, with hooky vocals taking centre stage. This digital edition also features a trio of acoustic versions, which only goes to emphasize the trio's pop credentials.
Review: It may have taken eight years, but Joey Negro has finally got round to putting together a follow-up to his superb Backstreet Brit Funk compilation. Like its predecessor, this sequel shines a light on Britain's under-appreciated musical response to the U.S soul, jazz-funk, disco and electro scenes of the late 70s and early 80s. On the whole, the showcased tracks are altogether deeper selections than those found on volume one, meaning obscure highlights come thick and fast. These include - but definitely aren't limited to - the low-slung disco-funk of Rick Clarke's "Potion", the glassy-eyed breeziness of Paradise's "Stop and Think", the footworker-friendly jazz-funk riot of Touchdown's "Ease Your Mind" and the samba-soaked carnival flavours of "Brazeila" by Brazeila. Oh, and a killer dub of Janet Kay's overlooked Brit-boogie classic "Eternally Grateful" that has never before been released.
Review: This compilation to celebrate Miami 2014 features 67 tracks in total, each one resonating with forward-thinking creativity and contemporary commercial dancefloor charm. There are millions of highlights but be sure to check out the slamming stomps and vocal edits on "Unspoiled Perfection", Angello, Matisse & Sadko's cathedral-level synth anthem "SLVR" and the mad-jack fusion of Nile Rodgers and Eats Everything "Do What You Wanna Do". These are just three of many - CR2 have raised the bar ridiculously high right here.
Review: Valique celebrates six years of consistent edit gold on his 12-year old Vehicle imprint. Digging deep across the collection he whisks us through the feels with a supreme range of instant party-pieces. From the blonde ambition of the slinky "Appelle Moi" to the freaky upbeat ground control of "Oddity" via the insane stretch and slap of "What The Hell?" and his versions of "Human Nation" and "Give Me Shelter", this is an immense set that brings us all up to speed and gets us excited for the next six years of edits. V stands for Very good music.
Review: Croatia's Funky Destination (aka Vladimir Sivic) has made a big splash on the funky breaks scene appearing on a variety of well renowned labels. However, the honour releasing his new long player, Supersonic Bomb, has fallen on the mighty Timewarp. Normally known for their nu-disco sound, the Grecian label has taken a chance on these 16 organic funk jams, and it's paid off! Highlights include the bubblin' piano boogie of "Getting Higher", the luxuriously silky "Eternal Light" and the fuzzy, breaky, disco house of "Get Up".
Review: 48 tracks, six exclusives, two mixes: Viper have already developed a strong-armed reputation for compilations over the years but this is taking things to a whole new ridiculous level. Investigating bass music's widest corners, the heady concoction of tracks ranges from premier league bangers (Wilko's remix of The Prodigy, Noisia & The Upbeats "Dead Limit", Andy C's "New Era VIP") to fresh-baked underground rollers (Dossa, Locuzzed and NC-17's drone-jump buzz-cut "Ninja", Dub Elements' deep space neuro-edged shredder "Metaverse") to lower tempo tear-ups from the likes of Pex L, Au5, Flux Pavilion and Doctor P and Specimen A. With heaps more in between, this accurately reflects just how exciting and closely linked all bass-laced genres are right now. Venomously immense.
Review: Teniente Castillo's Madrid-based disco/nu-disco imprint Play Pal Music got off to the perfect start last year, delivering a sweet compilation of re-edits, reworks and original tracks that found its way into the playlists of many top selectors. This follow-up repeats the formula, delivering a wide range of goodness, from the string-drenched nu-Balearic goodness of Trip Guitar's "El Vuelto", to the baggy, horn-heavy, filter-sporting disco-funk revivalism of Disco Tech's "Let Me". Highlights are plentiful, from the superb re-edits of Get Down Edits (whose touchy-feely "Holdin' Me Back" is excellent) and Beaten Space Probe (check "Gotta Play Funk", with its woozy synth doodles), to the heavy electrofunk of Juan Laya and Thomass Jackson.
