Disco Recommendations August 2015

Review: There's no secret to the success of Late Nite Tuff Guy's long-running Tuff Cuts series. Buyers have simply responded to the consistency of the Australian producer's approach, and the quality of loopy, house-friendly re-edits. This eighth volume features more party-starting fare, from the glassy-eyed extended breakdown of "Go For That" (yep, a Hall & Oates rework) and soft-touch house take on Marvin Gaye ("Heard It"), to the end-of-night bliss of "Dreams", a decidedly warm and rolling rearrangement of the famous Fleetwood Mac cut of the same name. As if that wasn't enough bangers in one place, he finishes with a triumphant rework of disco-era Michael Jackson ("Starting Something").

Review: Brooklyn's Razor-N-Tape reach out to the Lowlands and coax Hans Peeman into donning his Junktion alias for a new four-track 12" on their Razor-N-Tape Reserve label. Living up to it's dignified and reserved billing, this fifth release on the offshoot finds the Nijmegen-based Peeman laying down some luscious, colourful disco vibes that will brighten up any sun laden afternoon on the terrace. Title track "Hot & Bothered" sets the tone with a summery vibe underpinned by some bumping drums, whilst "I'm wishin'" glides with a subtle house bump and some wonderful vocal touches. "Fling Cleaning" sees Peeman veer off into disco chug territory, whilst "Visions of You" ends the 12" on a soulful note.

Review: Arthur Russell and Steve D'Aquisto's legendary 1980 club anthem has always been shrouded with stories when it comes to unreleased and alternative cuts. And West End have just added a whole load of fuel to the hype fire. Two versions and brand new edit: taking Arthur's original genuinely loose instrumentation and raw funk (as opposed to Levan's more famous stripped back club-ready takes that took the centre stage), both the female and male versions are here in all their extended, unreleased glory. For added measure, edit king Kon has crafted a duet cut that fuses both versions into one gloriously slack, free-flowing groove. We're all over this record.

Review: Editorial Records return with more disco infused flavours from around the world. These four nice and slow re-edits are sure fire weapons for any disco DJs crate. Ed Wizard and Disco Double Dee take on Brass Construction much like Venus did on Sunshine People 15 years ago for another nice re edit. Matt Hughes' "Sunshine" is an equally good effort; wait for the drop! "Pimp Talk" by The Owl retains the sleazy grooves of the original and Rahaan's take on fine boogie workout 'Feeling Fine' does the business, as always.

Review: Two diamonds mined from Studio One's ever-potent coalface, Ximeno have unearthed two sides for all occasions; Norma White's cover of Chic bubbles with early '80s light synths and subtle elements of boogie without losing its rocksteady roots while The Skatalite's rare rolling funk-up "Ceiling Bud" comes with breaks so hefty you could channel the spirit of James Brown and flutes and keys so psychedelic this highly limited 45 should come with a free Jethro Tull fan club membership. Delightful.

Review: Now nearing two years of consistent releases, Brazilian funkateers Selvagem and Elizio De Buzios tap deep into their disco spirit to create one of the best Chic cover versions you'll hear all summer. Big claps, bigger vocals and counter leads that wouldn't have gone amiss on Nile Rodger's original, "Le Freak" has had many incarnations, but this pays respect in full. Flip for an edit of Elizio De Buzios' 1980 Brazilian psych-funk cut "Tamanquiero". With added weight in the drums and a DJ-friendly re-arrangement, it's yet another sterling touch-up from the wild Sao Paulo duo.

Review: It's well known that People's Potential Unlimited boss Andrew Morgan has some serious crate digging skills. Even so, he continues to amaze with the obscurity and quality of the releases he chooses to reissue. Serious collectors have long sought out "Let's Ride" by guitarist Willie Lee Jnr under his occasional Junei alias. Originally released on 7" back in 1987, it's a killer chunk of synthesizer-heavy electrofunk blessed with some serious eyes-closed guitar solo action. Flipside "You Must Go On" - originally the A-side of the '87 release - is fantastic, too, offering a near perfect blend of sun-kissed Balearic attitude and smooth '80s soul grooves.

Review: Detroit prankster Chuck Hampton aka Gay Marvine is a veteran DJ on the Motor City Scene so when we delivers an edit you can safely bet it does the business. "Luvly One" is a classic disco cut up quantised for modern dancefloors. "Everybody's Looking For a Reason To Live" is rework of Depeche Mode's "Pleasure, Little Treasure" and it's pretty damn good. The hazy sunrise vibes on "Sea Lion" make the perfect track for anyone's after hours set. Finally 'Player' is a grooving, disco-funk edit that even KDJ would give fair credit to. Tip!

Review: After pit stops in Cuba and Kenya, Auntie Flo and Esa's Highlife World Series lands in Uganda for its closing edition. Recorded over various stints at the East Africa music conference DoaDoa in Jinja in the past year, these four tracks find our intrepid pair of travelling fusionists working with musicians from Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa. First up is "DoaDoa14" by Christopher and Swahili Alley, named in honour of its genesis at that year's conference and a fine journey through spiritual African house music. Next up Esa shows off his prowess at extended dancefloor burners with a superb twisting remix of Santuri's "Min Kula" whilst the B side features Bantu Clan Vs Sarabi's "Africa Ni Leo" in both extended and remixed by Behr form. A fine end to a consistently enlightening series.

Review: The Silver Rider is a transdimensional traveller and purveyor of fine disco, funk and soul. He is currently Earth-bound, inhabiting a studio somewhere between Brooklyn, NY and Austin, TX and has developed a penchant for drinking Laphroaig Scotch Whiskey. Here, he presents his first, solo vinyl release in the form of the "Silver Street EP" which features three cuts that blur the lines of boogie-funk, jazz fusion, tribal disco and psychedelic house.

Review: Given that Bufiman is another of Jan Schulte's many aliases, we probably shouldn't be surprised by the loose, live-sounding drums, rich electric bass and topsy-turvy acid lines underpinning "Die Mumie", the opening track on this typically eccentric EP. Or, for that matter, the cheeky synths, bold melodies and overall quirky air of celebration. Predictably, the rest of the EP lives up to these high standards, with the slap bass workout "Raising (Delay Dub)" sounding not unlike the greatest Balearic edit-not-edit of the season. The accompanying "Clean Dub" of the same track is also killer, with glistening new wave guitars and wild synthesizers adding to the deliciously glassy-eyed mood.

Review: Detroit prankster Chuck Hampton aka Gay Marvine is at it again with a bunch of edits that are well and truly secret weapons for all right proper disco heads. First up his rework of Donna Summer's "Love to Love you Baby" known here as "Luv to Luv" is damn right essential; who could argue? "Just Together" is exactly the kind of Prince re-edit required for modern dancefloors and "Avant March" is an ergonomic take on Liaisons Dangereuses. Finally he has the audacity to show us his take on Iggy Pop's "Sister Midnight" on "Midnight In Graceland". Well played!

Review: Munich's Public Possession keep on with their new wave Balearic aesthetic ever so nicely. This time by getting some Aussie larrikins on board. First up is Carpentaria aka Sydney's Tamas Jones and Paul Harmon. "Gadget Messiah" with its infectious bassline, creepy but catchy operatic vocals equally startling synth horns that somehow grow on you, a lot! Next is "Der Inder" with its epic analogue synth arpeggio and lush strings sounding rather reminiscent of an eighties film score. On the flip there's Hysteric, getting all Italo on us with its dark vibes and that gritty EBM style bassline on "Arabian 1" with as the title suggests: some exotic instrumentation floating on top of it all. The seductive vocals of "Arabian 2" and its intense strings workout is pretty killer too..

Review: Given the label's longevity and consistently on-point releases - in a variety of styles, it should be noted - it's somewhat surprising that Gilb'r's Versatile Records imprint is not more celebrated. Here, they welcome back Zoot Records founder The Maghreban (AKA Dr Zygote), who goes all Idjut Boys with a trio of heavyweight dub disco workouts. The title track - all booming punk-funk bass, horror-influenced synth flourishes and dense, live-sounding disco percussion - sets the tone, before he pushes things up a notch with the relentless, low slung synthesizer gooks and sweaty house beats of "Frenetique". Finally, he presses the button marked "weird-out" on the lolloping, jazz-flecked dub disco madness of "Kung Fu".

Review: Horror Disco merchants Antoni Maiovvi and Vercetti Technicolor return on their Giallo Disco imprint with Wild In Blue, an imaginary soundtrack featuring many of their contemporaries. Channelling the '80s aesthetic of John Hughes films or more recently Nicola Winding Refyn, this is definitely for fans of new Lust For Youth or old M83. Antonio Maiovvi's "Molly's Theme" channels New Order circa Brotherhood era. You could imagine HORD's "Deliverance" with its haunting synth pop playing while the protagonist confronts his rivals in The Breakfast Club. Los Angeles synth maestro Umberto, Rome's Mushy and London shoegazers Fever Dream also feature here. Absolutely delightful and highly recommended

Review: Unlike some of Dark Entries' Italo-disco reissues, Wish Key's "Orient Express" is fairly easy to come across on the second hand market. It is, though, no less alluring for that, and is most certainly worthy of the deluxe repress treatment. The Instrumental version, in particular - all relentless train noises, delay-laden drum machine solos and sparkling synthesizers - is absolutely killer. Wisely, Dark Entries has chosen to back it with three versions of Wish Key's 1986 single "Last Summer", an almost Balearic chunk of mid-tempo Italo-disco/synth-pop fusion. That, too, boasts a brilliant instrumental version - this time with a pleasingly glassy-eyed ambient build- up and a surprising Go Go Mix.

Review: Salamanca return with the fourth volume in their highly limited series of synth pop and disco edits. First up Hysteric unearths a quirky obscure blood sucking banger by Empire - "Ooh Dracula" - twisting it into a stomping Queen-meets-Ram Jam post disco gem. Mike Burns' digs deeper with the percussion-heavy "Possess Me", a slinky cosmic disco roller a la late zeroes Terje. Afrobot closes the show with the strangest track of the pack; part late 70s alien space shuttle gossip, part fairground, all angular 80s funk, it sums up the Salamanca spirit winningly.

Review: Mark Evetts, or simply known as Mark E under his production moniker, has certainly travelled the world throughout his house expeditions over the last ten years, stopping off at imprints such as Golf Channel, Spectral Sound and even Gerd Janson's Running Back. This time he's back on his own Merc outlet with a ricking one-tracker split in two different versions. The instrumental mix of "Who Do You Believe In?" takes over the A-side and it's a melodic house affair with plenty of synth goodness and low-end gluttony, whereas the vocal mix adds in some sultry female vocals to add a little bit of ambience and a whole load of soul. Beautiful.

Review: Macadam invite London-based newcomer George Kamm to their ever-tangled fray with four of the straight-up strangest edits you'll hear in a long time. Digging deep into the furthest, weirdest corners of synth pop each cut has a sectioning order against it; "Track 1" is a clanging, jittering stamp of a Japanese track that flips dynamically almost operatically, "Track 2" is the polar opposite as we're stripped back to creeped out Eastern European loopiness over a Kraftwerkian design. "Durst & Hunger" takes us deeper into the 80s with big guitars, trippy vocal textures and a bassline angular and juicy enough to make Black Strobe blush. Finally "La Spensa" rolls on a Hardcastle-style breakbeat with perfectly positioned vocal shots and oddball samples. Debuts don't come much fresher.

Review: Dutch producer Roberto Auser could hardly be described as prolific, but his occasional 12" singles are rarely less than essential (for proof, check the batucada-techno madness and tropical oddness of his 2012 Future Exotica EP, or 2013's throbbing Eclipse EP on Pinkman). Here he makes a rare return to action on Charlois, delivering a trio of typically eccentric cuts. The title track leads the way, delivering a brilliant blend of cacophonous live drumming, throbbing Italo-disco grooves and spacey synth lines. The slower "Horizon" sees him delivering a more Balearic take on cosmic disco, while "Come On & Do It" chugs and throbs in all the right places, before more live, Latin-influenced drumming takes things to another level entirely.

Review: Nein come correct with their first ever vinyl release. A collection of their favourite Tronik Youth remixes of last year (including the deep dream disco "Pain Relief" original), all delivered on white vinyl; this is rather special. Hardway Bros pinpoint the Moroderisms of the original and extend it into an epic space-travelling anthem, Man Power adds some nu-energy muscle and detailed 303 textures of "Whisky Zulu Hotel" while Damon Jee takes "Bell Common Tunnel" down to hypno town with a palpitating bass/kick arrangement that gradually develops with all manner of trippy designs and FX in a way that's not dissimilar to Emperor Machine. Which is blatantly no bad thing.

Review: Last year's Disco (A Fine Selection Of Independent Disco, Modern Soul & Boogie 1978-82) compilation from Soul Jazz offered undeniable proof that few diggers deserve their reputation as much as Dutch discotheque scholar Disco Patrick. Given the reception, it's no surprise to see that the London label have commissioned Patrick to undertake a second assessment of the genre's lesser known gems with the focus here on the years 1976-80. The first of two double LP vinyl samplers to accompany the full CD release finds Pat pulling out gems like the extremely pricey Skip Jackson curio "Micro Wave Boogie" and T.K. Disco treat "Cosmic Funk" by Mad Dog Fire Department. Any current disco spinners will savour Patrick's efforts here.