Review: It's been a decade since producer Smoov and singer Turrell put together their live band. To celebrate the fact, the popular combo has put together this fine career retrospective. It's full to bursting with dancefloor hits plucked from their sizable catalogue, as well as fan favourites that inspire rapturous responses when performed live. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the high-octane thrills of "I'm A Man" and funk-rock fizz of "You Could've Been a Lady", to the Hammond-heavy stomp of "I Can't Give You Up" and the Motown style Northern Soul rush of "Lay It On Me". It's also nice to get another chance to wallow in the band's punchy, breakbeat-powered funk cover of Yazoo classic "Don't Go".
Review: Jalapeno bring us their latest V/A collection rounding up the cream of the label's recent releases. The line-up features all the usual suspects (The Allergies, Ivo FitzRoy, Flevans, Smoove & Turrell and label bosses Skeewiff) as well as a handful of newer names, and if you're a fan of the label's trademark blend of funk, soul, breaks and hip-hop - with the emphasis this time out firmly on the soul side - then it's hard to see how you'd end up dissatisfied here. Standouts for yours truly include Wolfgang Valbrun's 'Cyclone', with its big, cavernous production redolent of 60s/northern soul, and Mr Doris & D-Funk's rapped homage to UK childhood 'Back In The Day', but you'll doubtless find your own favourites...
Review: We're full of respect for the team behind Jalapeno Records, who have now been offering up the finest in funk, soul, hip-hop, disco and breakbeat for 20 years. It's a landmark that calls for a celebration, and with this compilation they've certainly marked their anniversary in style. The 20-track set is full-to-bursting with party-starting heat, with vintage gems from the likes of Skeewiff, Ikon, Kraak & Smaak and Featurecast being joined by more recent highlights from current imprint heavyweights such as Smoove & Turrell and the Allergies. Highlights are plentiful, with our picks including the break-driven revivalist soul headiness of Aldo Vanucci's 'You're All Show', the summery positivity of Gizelle Smith's 'S.T.A.Y' and the rushing disco brilliance of Dimitri From Paris's essential edit of Izo Fitzroy's 'I Want Magic'.
Review: A must have for DJs looking to get the sound of Toolroom into their mixes, House Party Vol. 6 is full of the freshest new music from some of the hottest acts right now, Boasting a huge a total of 70 tracks plus three album guest mixes by label staples Sllash & Doppe, Jaded, Paige and Nihil Young. Highlights come from: KC Lights & Leo Stannard who serve up some super soulful vocal deep house on "Cold Light", Danny Howard teams up with Eli & Fur on the glassy eyed and bittersweet euphoria of "Next To Me", the return of legend Hatiras (with Vincent Caira) on the low slung and jazzy joint "It's All Right", as well as Chicago stalwart Anthony Attalla nailing that rolling main room tech house vibe on "Don't Stop" and some slinky and hypnotic progressive house from Rauschaus and Peer Kusiv on "Mesopotamia".
Review: Glasgow's Shaka Loves You has rightly earned a reputation as disco-centric duo on the rise. Because of this, it's little surprise to see them at the controls on Bomb Strikes' first foray into the disco-focused compilation market. The Scottish pair have naturally pulled out all the stops for the occasion, selecting 20 hot-to-trot cuts that aptly blur the boundaries between disco, funk, nu-disco, electro and boogie. Highlights include, but are in no way limited to, the hazy, sun-kissed soul of Lack of Afro's "Back To The Day", the thickset P-funk revivalism of Kraak & Smaak's "Dynamite" and the rubbery disco-house-meets-UK soul flex of the Reflex's remix of Omar's "Vicky's Tune". Throw in a tasty selection of the pair's productions and you have a suitably strong collection.
Review: A new mix from perennial party faves Soul Clap is always a cause for celebration, but there's something extra-special about this particular exercise in dancefloor nostalgia. Nice 'N' Ripe Allstars sees them revisit the bulging back catalogue of Grant Nelson's Nice 'N' Ripe label, an imprint that has tracked the rise, fall and subsequent rebirth of UK garage since its' birth in 1993. Soul Clap's mix - an action-packed 30-track affair featuring some of their own edits and remixes of classic cuts - does a great job in showcasing the best the label has to offer, flitting between early US garage style jams, loose soulful house, sturdy two-step, bass-heavy speed garage and the kind of long-lost jams which should be bitten by today's retro-minded house producers. In doing so, it offers an impeccable history lesson.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.