Review: Ever since the early days of the West London broken beat scene, vocalist and producer Colonel Red has been delivering killer chunks of distinctively British dancefloor soul. Wireless Soldiers, his fourth album and first since 2011, continues this impressive track record, delivering a set of songs rich in electrofunk synths, jazz-funk flourishes, modern soul sassiness and beats reminiscent of the Halcyon days of IG Culture, Mark De Clive-Lowe and Bugz in the Attic. Whether targeting the dancefloor or rolling out more considered, sofa-friendly moments, the good Colonel's productions consistently hit the spot, with his incredibly emotion-rich vocals providing a constant source of inspiration.
Review: In keeping with the approach of its predecessors, the fourth annual Boogie Angst compilation brings together "cool cuts" from the past year and a smattering of exclusives and previously unreleased gems. As you'd expect from a label helmed by Kraak & Smaak, it's a genuinely joyous and celebratory affair, packed to the rafters with party-starting workouts. For proof, check the revivalist disco-boogie cheeriness of Titeknots' 'Feels Good 2 Me', the future soul shuffle of 'Treat U Good' by Moods, Noah Slee, Lyriya & Meron, the summery electrofunk sunshine that is Art of Tones' kaleidoscopic rework of LUXXURY's 'Just Like It Was Before', the Rhodes-laden warmth of Kraak & Smaak's nostalgic 'All I Need' and the spiritually-enriching Latin deep house shuffle of Osunlade's Yoruba Soul rework of his Casbah 73 collaboration, 'Let's Invade The Amazon'.
Review: This is the latest instalment of Tokyo Dawn's acclaimed series, which compiles hot new international acts all championing vintage 80s soul and synth-funk sounds. Things kick off in impressive style with "Wow" by Coco Solid, a tune that evokes the tropical lit of Carly Simon's "Why?" Further on, Positive Flow and Heidi Vogel rock a vocal-heavy vintage soul groove on "Children Of The Sun", Teeko gets all gangsta with the slick P-meets-G-funk of "Tenshun", Rakotep does off-kilter hip-hop on "Get Up" and J-Felix and Jake Jon begin the 90s swing revival on "The Green Light". Another quality, varied collection.
Review: Iason Chronis has released a ton over music under the Mason alias over the last two decades, though nothing quite as cheery, celebratory, colourful and mixed-up as this album on Toolroom. His third full-length in total, "Frisky Biscuits" was produced during lockdown and was intended to be a much-needed shot of musical positivity. We'd say he's hit the mark, delivering a set that cheerily struts between strobe-lit disco-house fun, revivalist boogie, his interpretation of South African kwaito/mid-'80s dance music, Italo-disco, skewed synth-pop, squelchy, synth-laden hip-hop, hands-in-the-air piano anthems and the odd quirky, smile-inducing interlude. It's the kind of album that will put a great big smile on your face, whatever your mood.
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