Review: Oh gosh! Whether you're massively into Deep In The Jungle but you've got a few holes in your collection that need filling, or you've just started getting into this side of the music, this 60+ anthem collection is an amazing resource for all modern day junglists. Curated by bossman DJ Hybrid, this collection takes us back through the label's history and cherry picks an amazing array of peaktime wounders, bruisers and bubblers. To pick one or two highlights from such a generous collection doesn't feel right so let us advise you to take in that tracklist, press play and totally vibe out to some of the best jungle bangers made in the last 11 years. Mad love to the DITJ crew!
Review: Six years on from launching the It's A Summer Groove series, Joey Negro returns with a fifth selection of sunshine-friendly tracks from the Z Records vaults. While much of the label's output - soulful, accessible, funky and heavily influenced by disco, funk and boogie - could be described as "summery", there's something particularly bright and breezy about the 21 tracks gathered together here. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the smooth disco-soul goodness of the Reflex's recent remix of the Sunburst Band's "The Secret Life of Us", and the terrace-friendly piano house of Shur-I-Kan's rework of Zo & Erro & Phonte, to the vibraphone-laden boogie-house goodness of Rainbow Connection and Taka Boom's "Surrender".
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: Dave Lee's annual round-up of 'essential' cuts from the catalogue of his Z Records imprint is always worth picking up, and this year's edition is no different. Packed with high-grade disco, deep house and what would once have been called 'US garage' (that's soulful house, kids), it's a near faultless selection that will keep you in peak-time anthems for months to come. Our picks of an extremely strong bunch include the electric piano-heavy, downlow disco-funk bounce of 'In Your Blood' (a rare collaboration between Lee, Darcus and Roland Wrightangle), Sean McCabe's lusciously warm and groovy take on Matty, Monique and Monique Bingham's 'Now What', Andres' loopy, boogie-tinged deep house version of Joey Negro and Sacha Williamson's 'I Recognise', and Backroom Productions' recently reissued rework of their own 'The Rhythm' (as The Power).
Review: Northern banger brigade GTA are marking a big old decade in the game with this walloping collection of beats across the spectrum. Delivered in 10s over five different themes from classics to remixes to floor-scorchers, the end result is an excitingly varied and feisty 50-strong spread of drum & bass perspectives where vibes range from Conrad Subs' utterly gully jungle vibes on his remix of Sl8r's 'Facking Jungle M8' to the thundering dancefloor wallops of Cliques' remix of the label bosses 'Pico De Gallo'. No strong is left unturned throughout the collection as we're just as like to be refreshed by liquid (Pyxis & Maykor's 'Guardian Angel') as we are flattened by venomous, laser-kissed neuro blasts (ICU's remix of 'Rip The Roof Off') Crash bang wallop what an album.
Review: With Christmas party season in full swing, Joey Negro has decided to reissue a couple of classic jams from his disco/boogie/jazz-funk revival project, The Sunburst Band. Both "Here Comes The Sunburst Band" and "U Make Me Hot" were featured on the expansive live outfit's 1998 debut album, and one of the contained remixes of the latter track - by long-serving smooth groover Yam Who - first saw the light of day on vinyl in 2004. The other remixes, though, are brand new. Fouk turns "Here Comes The Sunburst Band" into a spiraling, toughened-up disco-house smasher, before jazz-leaning producer Daniel Producer delivers vocal and instrumental versions of "U Make Me Hot" that sit somewhere between smooth hip-hop soul and vintage Herbie Hancock.
Review: Joey hinted at the quality of this album three weeks ago with the joyous single "In The Thick Of It"; but we don't think anyone could've predicted just how good the rest of it would be. Brushing on a broader canvas than previous albums, the wide collection of sounds and grooves here are some The Sunnie's best to date. From massive boogie curveballs like the slap-bass, cosmic disco instrumental "Jazz The DMX" to the timeless shimmering funk "My Way" (featuring fellow legend Diane Charlemagne) via straight up string-soaked house "Why Wait For Tomorrow" and myriad instances of criminally sexy P-funk, this album won't be a secret for too long.
Review: Dave Lee's annual 'Essentials' compilations consistently deliver on their promise by rounding up the Z Records' biggest dancefloor hits and overlooked gems from the previous 12 months. 2023's edition is, somewhat predictably, another must-have collection packed to the rafters with house and disco treats. There are plenty of genuine scene anthems present - see Dimitri From Paris's epic revision of Leonid and Friends' cover of Chicago's 'Street Player', Lee's stunning disco rework of Jamiroquai's 'Little L', and his epic AC Soul Symphony cut 'I Want To See You Dance' - as well as lesser-celebrated gems such as the disco-boogie shuffle of Dynasty's 'Still In Love', David Penn's driving rework of Raven Maize's 'The Real Life', and Grant Nelson's piano-powered revision of Lee and Omar's 'Starlight'.
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