Review: Dave Lee's Z Records imprint has always been a reliable source of the sort of grandstanding house, soulful garage and disco-flecked grooves that require strong vocals. Lee, of course, is a past master at this kind of thing, and his 20-plus year career has seen him forge links with many legendary vocalists. This compilation celebrates those 'divas' - there are notable appearances from Taana Gardner, Gwen Guthrie, Thelma Houston, Michele Weeks and Taka Boom - by showcasing some of their best work for Z. There's some great material peppered throughout, from the classic disco-soul of the Sunburst Band's "In The Thick of It" and "Everyday", to the block party electrofunk of Kola Kube's cover of Carly Simon's "Why".
Review: The series is the result of house legend Joey Negro's admiration for all the semi anonymous vinyl junkies that he has encountered on his own vinyl quests. Following the success of the Red Greg-compiled first instalment, we now have veteran radio broadcaster and soul aficionado Paul Phillips delivering his selection of long-lost classics. It's a veritable feast of rare disco releases (25 in all!), highlights of which include the glossy Philly sounds of State Department's "Slow Love", the Chic-isms of Pike's "Good Feelings", the digital electro-funk of Midnight Energy's "Saving Of My Love" and the sublime synth-soul of Ron Richardson's "Ooh Wee Babe".
Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from each new album in Joey Negro's "Remixed With Love" series, namely fantastic new revisions of classic disco, boogie, soul, electro and jazz-funk classics created using the original multi-track tapes. This third volume naturally contains a few inspired revisions of well-known cuts - a riotous take on The Fatback Band's "Do The Bus Stop", an astonishing, dubbed-out version of the Temptations' "Law of the Land" and a soaring, life-affirming rearrangement of Patrice Rushen's "Never Give You Up" included - but also some suitably smart tweaks of lesser-known gems. These include a sublime revision of the APX's '80s gem "Loose Yourself To The Groove" and an insatiable take on Mass Production's "Shante" full of jammed-out electric piano solos and rubbery electric bass.
Review: It's always a joy when a new Under The Influence compilation arrives from Z Records HQ. Even better when it's curated by none other than Sean P, the veteran disco/boogie producer pal of Joey Negro. Sean's diggin' skills are so legendary he even had his own section in the Music & Video Exchange and here he puts these skills to use, rustling up 27 dance obscurities. Highlights include the lo-fi UK funk jam "Bye Bye Baby" by Joanne Ellis, the dubbed-out punky bass mantra "Trinidad Rock" by King David and the percussion frenzy of Jimmy Spencer's mad cover of "Summertime".
Review: After several successful releases together, UK soulful house stalwart Sean McCabe returns to ZR, this time for a remix/mix album. We handed over the keys to the vaults of Z Records parts and let him run wild in his underpants. The album features 6 new exclusive McCabe remixes - Monique Bingham, Blackbyrds, The Sunburst Band and Soul Dharma, plus Sean's interpretation of an unreleased Akabu song Time Line". That's all alongside many of Sean's classic remixes, plus his personal favourites from the extensive ZR catalog and a DJ mix.
Review: Joey Negro's Z Records have a remarkable knack for knocking out vintage compilation after vintage compilation. Here though, they've really discovered a rare niche of unmined gold courtesy of Nuphonic's David Hill who acts as selector. As Hill explains "gospel music has often followed trends in secular music" and this album captures 24 attempts of gospel getting on the disco and boogie trains. Highlights include the hiNRG longing of "I Need You", the electro-soul of "Love Is The Message" and the piano & strings frenzy of "Awake O Zion".
Review: With the 2016 Ibiza summer season in full swing, Dave 'Joey Negro' Lee has gathered together a bumper collection of label tracks that are currently doing the business on the White Isle. There are few surprises amongst the 28 selections - think swinging piano-house, soulful grooves, sun-kissed broken beat, contemporary disco reworks and synth-heavy boogie-house - but the quality threshold remains remarkably high throughout. Highlights include Lee's glistening 2016 re-rub of his vintage Doug Willis anthem "Spread Love", a deliciously loose and synth-laden Fouk rework of The Sunburst Band, the bad-ass boogie business of Spirit Catcher's "Rendez-Vous", and a killer 1995 rework of Fonda Rae's "Over Like A Fat Rat" from U.S house legend Victor Simonelli.
Review: According to the law of weather, it's not officially summer until Joey Negro releases his annual compendium of sun-kissed funk, soul, house and electronica. Ergo, all rubbish weather you've experienced so far this season is down to this not coming out until mid August! Better late than never eh? And with cuts as beautiful and deep as Agora's flute-flicking "Montayo", Masters At Work's broken beat analysis of The Blackbyrds "Mysterious Vibe" and Supernova's Nalin & Kane style remix of Jakatta's "American Dream" the rain and grey skies have been worth it. 24 cuts, all unmixed for your DJ pleasure, squeeze as much out of this season and jump on this now.
Review: Given his credentials and track record, it's unsurprising that original disco and boogie artists are willing to let Joey Negro play around with their biggest hits. His first stab at this kind of multi-track remix, 2014's Remixed With Love, was such a success that he's decided to unleash another swathe of revisions over two vinyl double-packs. This edition features some killer reworks, including a sublime, on-point rearrangement of Gwen McRae's "Keep The Fire Burning" and a rolling, dubbed-out version of Grace Jones' "Pull Up To The Bumper" that rivals Larry Levan's classic remix. The veteran producer also successfully turns Pockets' "Come Go With Me" into a classic soulful house rub, and pushes Thelma Houston's "I'm Here Again" further towards disco anthem territory.
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