Review: Timewarp Music's 'Freestyle 4 Funk' series reaches its ninth installment, which (somewhat confusingly) comes in four volumes, subtitled #funk, #disco, #tropicaldub and #downtempo. This is the #tropicaldub selection, for which you can essentially read 'reggae and dub' as label regulars like Prosper & Stabfinger, DJ Laurel, Vito Lalinga, Funky Destination and of course head honcho Timewarp Inc step up to pay tribute to the sound of JA - while still allowing, as with the #funk volume, plenty of scope for fusions with other styles, be they Latin (see DJ Laurel's 'Sambafunk'), Afro (see Lalinga's 'Vrye Denke') or hip-hop and breaks (see P&S's 'Popping The Clutch'), not to mention one fine slab of straight-up funk (Zamali's 'Kings & Queens') and, in the form of 'Simoon', the obligatory weirded-out closer...
Review: !K7 continue to celebrate The Exclusives DJ Mix series that takes a 'best of' selection of tracks that were produced and performed by the DJs who mixed some of the earlier DJ-Kicks albums. Highlights here include the moody ballroom house of Jayda G's "All I Need", Cinthie's all time classic "Organ" to Leon Vynehall's deeply seductive "Ducee's Drawbar". Mr. Scruff & CyberPunkJazz make the cut with their space oddity "3001: A Space Disco Remix" next to some higher tempo experimetalisms from Laurel Halo's "Sweetie" - and let's not leave out a rare Robert Hood number via the etroit legend's dubbed out "Focus". That, and much more!
Review: Arriving just in time for the summer season, Hot Digits delivers a compilation that is tailor made to soundtrack lazy, hazy days. Even Funkier's "Feel So Good Inside" is an irresistible, funk-fuelled disco groove, while Ben Jamin's "Handle" inhabits a similar space. Soaked in wailing guitar and soulful vocals, it's a wonderfully infectious track. Both Andy Buchan and P-Sol raise the tempo with string-filled disco workouts, while Fray Bentos' "Danced To Death" offers a more electronic take on this sound. The compilation does veer towards house on occasion - most impressively with the subtle drum builds and chord progressions on Down Under Disco's "On My Mind". In the main though, Year Nine impresses most when it draws on disco and funk influences, such as the raucous party jam that is label owner Fingerman's collaboration with Chewy Rubs, "Block Party Bad Boy".
Review: There aren't many labels that can genuinely hold a candle to the electronic mastery that Hyperdub have been able to deliver over the last decade alone, seeing their catalogue now bulging at the seams with the most intuitive dance music innovation. This latest collection takes the title '10.4' and supplies us with a deep dive into the full spectrum of where Hyperdub are at, with legendary figures such as Ikonika, Cooly G, Scratch DVA, Martyn, Funkystepz and many more all making their return for a fabulous compilation display. From the high energy rave-inspired synth slinks of Ill Blu's 'Bellion' to the unorthodox percussive bubbles of 'Noyfb' from Laurel Halo & iconic glitchy melodies of Burial's 'Lambeth', this is a truly fabulous exploration into just how abstract electronic dance music can get. Another exceptional collection from a truly outstanding imprint!
Review: French label Beaumonde specialise in reissuing lost or forgotten global music recordings, mostly from the 70s and 80s. This new album-length collection, though, finds them handing over the keys to their archives to some of today's hottest up-and-coming producers - the fruits of whose labours range from Jet Boot Jack's remix of Acayouman's 'Take You Down', which should work on any floor where disco is played, to Bully Boy & TeeTwo Mariani's much more reverential Refix of Beliz's 'Mazunga'. The scales tilt quite heavily, it has to be said, in the latter direction: as such, this is an album that will appeal mostly to fans of Balearic, cosmic and global music styles, but that's worth checking by open-minded disco spinners of all persuasions.
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