Review: Give My Love by In Dat Groove & Lee Wilson is an infectious late-night jam with soft calypso vibe to it and the DJ Spen Rework elevates with soulful house flair, adding a depth and groove that's irresistible for dancefloors. The L'Amour Disco mix rounds out the package, paying homage to classic r&b, disco and house sounds with a polished nod to the 80s. Both versions offer a unique flavour, making this release a stunning collection that caters to diverse musical tastes. Whether you're in the mood for tropical warmth, soulful beats, or nostalgic disco, 'Give My Love' delivers beautifully.
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (Smeddles More Ass mix) (6:09)
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (Smeddles More Ass dub) (5:22)
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (vocal) (5:42)
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (acappella) (3:11)
Review: Indeep's 1982 'Last Night A DJ Saved My Life' is a stone cold classic. It has been remixed several times over the years and never stops attracting new audiences with each passing generation. On this latest reissue we get the 1980s New York-based trio's still hard-to-beat original version as well as the acapella and Smeddles's More Ass mix and More Ass dub. They are subtle reworkings that tweak the original for a little more dancefloor heft but do nothing to distill its still golden charms and catchy hooks.
Indo Tribe - "Bring In The Pulse" (MFK mix) (5:10)
Indo Tribe - "In The Mind Of A Child" (First Born mix) (5:04)
The Future Sound Of London - "Hardhead" (Frothin' At The Mouth mix) (6:06)
The Future Sound Of London - "Pulse State" (831 AM mix) (7:20)
Review: Jumpin' & Pumpin' looks back into the seminal archives of The Future Sound of London here to reissue their fantastic The Pulse EP from 2008 which also featured tunes from Manchester pair Indo Tribe. It is they who start with 'Bring In The Pulse' which features some Happy Mondays hallelujahs, mad rave whistles and bristling electronic breaks. 'In The Mind Of A Child' (First Born mix) is then a bouncy techno cut with more visceral synth and acid lines and The Future Sound Of London kick off the flipside with 'Hardhead' (Frothin' At The Mouth mix) which is an assault of breaks, congas, whistles and rave signifiers. 'Pulse State' (831 AM mix) is that perfect tune to zone out to on a late night drive on the motorway.
Review: Juan Atkins released some of the funkiest, dreamiest techno of his imperious career as Infiniti. a collaboration with Orlando Voorn,. 'Game One' originally came out on Metroplex in 1994 and it's since become an essential part of the Detroit techno canon. On this release for Kontakt we're treated to some visionary remixes of the track from trusted experts, leading in with Steve Rachmad's pumped up, springy rendition on the A-side. It's a version which upholds the machine soul sensibility of the original, paying all due respect to the blueprint Atkins laid down as a Detroit techno pioneer. On the flip we get treated to two contrasting versions from Santiago Salazar, with his first take heading into interstellar electro territory before casting adrift on the deep house-tinted 'Sci-Fi Xicano Remix'.
Review: A compelling journey through minimal and tech house, blending futuristic elements with rich, danceable grooves. Side-1 opens with 'Survival', a track driven by a deep bassline and a sci-fi atmosphere that's both hypnotic and forward-thinking. The title track, 'Redemption', follows with techy, space-infused techno energy, creating an expansive soundscape. Side-2 brings versatility to the forefront. 'Connected (Kevin Tribute mix)' is an undeniable dancefloor weapon, packed with uptempo beats and a bold fusion of house and techno influences. It's a vibrant, big-room-ready highlight. The EP closes with 'A Loophole In Time', a downtempo treasure that transitions into jazzy, lounge-inspired ambiance, offering a smooth, melodic finale perfect for late-night introspection. 'Redemption' EP demonstrates Infinity Plus One's mastery of mood and groove, providing a versatile collection that moves seamlessly from high-energy dancefloor moments to introspective, melodic reflections.
DJ's Delight (Mark Knight & Michael Gray remix) (5:58)
DJ's Delight (6:19)
Review: Family outfit Ingram first burst through in the late 1970s as a funk and disco vocal outfit, but it's arguably their 1980s work that's retained its allure. While they made numerous classic cuts in this period, little has lasted the test of time quite like far-sighted 1983 single 'DJ's Delight'. Light on their usual group vocals, the original mix features various subtle alterations of the same melodic motif clustering around a killer bassline and boogie style machine drums. It's a stone-cold boogie classic all told. This reissue pairs the Ingrams' original take with a tooled-up, subtly housed-up remix from Mark Knight and Michael Gray. We still prefer the original mix, but it's tastefully done and offers a decent update for those who prefer slicker beats and more low-end weight.
Review: Toolroom's Fool's Paradise offshoot has done a good job in offering up fresh, disco-inspired material, but it also acts as an outlet for key crew member Michael Gray's 21st century reworks of classic disco cuts. On this 12", the long-serving Essex producer puts his slant on Inner Life's boogie-era gem 'I Like It Like That', a 1982 Salsoul single fronted by a then young Jocelyn Brown and produced by Leroy Burgess and Patrick Adams associate Stan Lucas. Gray begins with a lightly housed-up - but suitably reverential - full vocal remix, ensuring plenty of space for the studio band's squiggly synths, bold pianos and dextrous bass guitar. Arguably even better is the B-side 'Dub', which alternates between heavy groove sections, extended breakdowns and effects-laden showcases of Inner Life's piano, bass and synths.
Review: The classy work of Etui continues here with Insect O bringing a unique dub techno perspective to this latest marbled vinyl 12". 'Sandstones' is a classic of the genre - the fathom-deep bottom end, the rippling chords that gently make their way across the face of the tune before disappearing to an infinite horizon and the oversized hi-hats adding more scale. 'Volca Dub' is more textured and slower, with melodic motifs sinking in deep next to icy hi hats and 'Everlasting' ups the ante with some sleek, dynamic minimal techno that is again dubbed out to perfection.
Instant Funk - "I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)" (T Groove remix) (4:42)
First Choice - "Love Thang" (T Groove remix) (4:52)
Review: Here are two absolute gold standard Salsoul classics given a new spruce up thanks to the remix skills of T Power. Wisely, they've chosen to take a softly softly approach to such sacred material, but there's a little extra dancefloor oomph where it counts to make these tracks pop off that little more against more modern fare. First up is Instant Funk's evergreen classic "I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)", and on the flip it's the impossibly perfect "Love Thang" by First Choice. Both have never sounded better - full credit to T Power for doing this one right.
Review: Back in 2022, James Burnham aka Burnski started a White sub-series of his much-hyped Instinct label and the first one sold out as quick as a flash. Now he is finally back with a follow-up that will likely do the same. This limited one-sided 12" slab of sonic filth features just one tune, but what a tune it is. '02' is a house cut with elements of garage percussion, old-school dirty bass, and even some trance-infused chords that chime with what's going on in the dance world right now. Some return horns at the breakdown really send it into overdrive and it's not hard seeing this one blow the roof off many a club this summer.
Review: Established in the UK in 2009 as master-builders of disco-house builds in the late naughty noughties, Instruments Of Rapture first cut the red tape with Ilija Rudman's 'Part Four' and lasted for just three years until 2012. And while the early axing was a shame, we think real works of art are those which are short-lived but profuse in quality. Now kicking back into gear after almost 15 years, the label now return to double up as both label and moniker, humorously titled 'You're Cured Mate'. Described as a "soundtrack more hypnotic and deadly than ever", this new one follows 'The Formula' of cut-short, hypno-loop lyrics and carnal felid whispers (especially in '7 Grams Of Funk'), marking an EPs' worth of subtle libertinage in 2025, the year of the snake.
Review: IMS these days usually stands for the annual Ibiza Music Summit that kick starts each summer sedans, but for this disco-loving diggers out there, it means just one thing: International Music System. Here we have the latest reissue of some classic Italo disco tunes from the much-loved outfit, all remastered once more. This trip of top tunes have been taken from their 1983 album and they sound as good now as ever. 'An English '93' is a strident cut with melodies washing over the face of the cold drums and big chord stabs. 'Run Away' then gets breezy on a summer groove, and closer 'Bubble Rap' has that super old school feel.
An English '93 (Italo Deviance Floating mix) (6:33)
Review: Italo-disco originals International Music System released a handful of singles and two albums during the early-to-mid 1980s. Many of those killer cuts have been reissued over the last few years, leaving space for unheard tracks and remixes. This EP boasts both, starting with the previously unissued 'Ready To Believe' - a delay-laden blend of electro, synth-pop and Italo-disco topped off with a sweet female lead vocal. Most DJs will likely be interested in the trio of reworks of classic catalogue cuts stretched across the rest of the EP though. Fabrizio Mammarella delivers a raw, heavy, mind-mangling and lightly dubbed-out re-fix of 'Nonline', Franz Scala subtly breathes new life into the trio's early classic 'Dancing Therapy' - a genuine neo-Italo-disco treat - and Italo Deviance adds some sweaty, acid-flecked spit and polish to 'An English '93'.
Review: International Music System's Volume 3 reissue by Italy's Mr Disc Organization label pays homage to the early 80s Italo house artist, featuring the cult classic 'Dancing Therapy' and flip track 'The B Generation,' offering a blend of early dance electronics, Italo house vibes, and robotic 80s sound bites. With its infectious beats and nostalgic atmosphere, Volume 3 is a delightful journey into the world of Italo-Disco, sure to please both longtime enthusiasts and newcomers to the genre.
Review: This isn't Interstellar Beats' first rodeo for the UK's OGE Music. This upstart Cheshire cat also made an earlier self-titled four-tracker in 2023, and now comes fresh on its heels with a glassy glamp housing four more beady beds of sound. 'Space Loops' and 'Small Talk' are twin siren songs of sfumato funk and house, not treading too lightly nor too heavily. 'Room Service' and 'Do It Again' follow as jankier, verging on bluesy blowouts, their titles giving vibes of a luxury hotelier's idealistic fantasy. The B2 is especially gritty and echoes the more streetwise garage house sounds of old, though we've come a heck of a way to minimal.
Review: Intrallazzi and Dario Piana have been friends and Milanese scene contemporaries since 1981, when they both fell in love with the distinctive Afro-Cosmic sound of local DJ (and later Piana collaborator) Daniel Baldelli. Since then, they have both made records aplenty under a variety of aliases, but this EP on Leng marks their first joint release. The headline attraction is opener (and lead cut) 'Out of Control', a dubbed-out cosmic disco chugger propelled by echo-laden percussion and a deep, low-slung bassline, smothered in psychedelic synth and guitar sounds. Fellow Italian producer LTJ Experience remixes, offering up a stripped-back and acid-flecked interpretation. Elsewhere, 'Lazise' is a TB-303-sporting cosmic shuffler and 'Saocraffen' is a Baldelli-influenced fusion of Afro-cosmic funk and ethereal Balearic sounds.
Review: First released way back in 1982 but exceedingly hard to find ever since, Intrigue's 'I Like It' is a classic slab of Brit-funk era UK boogie whose lyrics playfully muse on craving cash when you have very little ("I really want your love but I'd rather have the money and I like it"). This Backactcha Records reissue features both versions from the original 12" - the EP-leading full vocal mix and the longer, more club-focused flip-side instrumental - as well as what appears to be a previously unreleased remix. This builds up brilliantly via drums and short rap sections before introducing the killer basslibe, pianos, synths and lead vocals. It's a fantastic and arguably more club-ready take on a much-loved but previously impossible-to-find Brit-boogie classic.
People All Around The World, Can Make It (Studio live take) (5:51)
Review: Milanese quartet The Invisible Session has a proven track record of delivering soulful nu-jazz workouts, with each successive release displaying a different range of influences (think jazz-funk, soul-jazz, Afrobeat, spiritual jazz and so on). So what do they have in store for us this time round? In its original form (side A), 'People All Around The World Can Make It' is a deliciously languid, fluid, sun-splashed number that effortlessly joins the dots between Afro-soul, soul jazz-and jazz-funk - all spiritual group vocals, Tony Allen-style drums, punchy horns and spacey synthesizer flourishes. The accompanying 'studio live take' is stripped-back affair that adds attractive delay trails to the horns, removes the vocals and prioritises the Fela-inspired groove. In other words, it's effectively their take on a reggae style 'riddem' version. Proper.
Review: Leibniz's return was always going to be interesting given previous work and so it is. Each of the five news cuts exemplifies the power of simplicity with grimy, hypnotic mantras that showcase Leibniz's mastery of the genre. Stripping away unnecessary details, he focuses on what truly matters to cook up a minimalist sound that hits hard. These sounds really emphasise the notion that less is more, with each one full of refined technique and ability to cut through the noise. It's a masterclass in minimal techno that proves what to ignore is just as important as what to keep.
Review: In 1994, Vienna-based project iO, which was composed of Patrick Pulsinger, Erdem Tunakan, Umberto Gollini and Gerhard Potuznik, released a series of 12"s titled 'Attack', 'Decay', 'Sustain,' 'Release' on their iconic label Cheap Records. Known for their minimalist, Detroit-inspired techno, one standout track, 'Claire', broke the mould with its mid-tempo beat at around 110 bpm, jazzy chords, sample-based groove and sharp 909 drum sounds. It bridged techno, trip-hop and house and caught the attention of Mo'Wax Records in London, who re-released it to great acclaim. Embraced across genres, it quickly became a DJ favourite and remains a beloved classic to this day which is why it reappears here.
Review: By now a very well-recognised trailblazer of the minimal house and techno circuits, iO Mulen (Aleksandr Voznichenko) shares his third album, Rock Like This, through his own Mulen imprint. Refusing to fall back on heavy-handed press notes, the eight tracks on this perfect composite storm are enough to bewitch us of their own accord. These house and techno retrofusions play out like the kind of sounds that the impossible dangling contraption depicted on its front cover might generate; 'Rock Like This' throws back to Chicago deep house and jankout acid trance, magicking up a shockingly good fusion of disparate styles in a bionic mode, while the rising actions of 'How Do You Say' and 'Emergency' teem with twin enjoyments of and reverences for 90s Euro and acid techno. There are cosmic-trancier subplots on there too, such as 'I'm Waiting For', which selects its constituent sounds with an aesthete's ear, striking a difficult balance of the raw and the fine. Voznichenko refuses to privilege one referent genre over another, and it results in a respectfully done, carefully made and truly exciting dance record, unafraid of cheese nor sophistication, and reconciling the two.
Review: German house abstractionist Isolee makes a welcome return, surfacing on Pampa with his first new material since dropping his album Well Spent Youth on Koze's label back in 2011. Creative batteries recharged, Isolee is in familiar form on the three track Allowance 12"; the title track adopts his trademark bare bone approach with soothing lines of melodic intoxicants gently pulsing with intent over the soft edged house groove. This hypnotic opener hogs the A Side, leaving the chiming minimalist rhythmics of "You Could Do Your Memories" to duel for your attentions with the far too playful "Wobble".
Review: Vincent Fries second album as Italo Brutalo, the throbbing, darkwave and EBM-influenced heaviness of Heartware, has been given the remix treatment. There's eight high-grade, club-focused reworks to choose from, with our picks of a very strong bunch including CYRK's dark, twisted and funk-fuelled electro re-imagining of 'Reach Horizon', the glossy, big studio Italo-disco brilliance of Mufti's rub of 'Dream Machine' (think Stephen Hague producing the Pet Shop Boys circa 1986) and Shubostar's thickset, melody-rich, Bobby Orlando-influenced rework of 'Heat of the Night'. We'd also recommend checking out the two takes of 'Into a Sampler'. There's a raw, intense and breathless dark Italo-disco tweak courtesy of Fabrizio Mammarella, and a more chugging, atmospheric rewire by Kris Menace.
Review: Marcello Giordani, known as Italo Deviance, returns with a two-track release that captures his decades of dance music expertise. Side A delivers a vibrant blend of house and disco, bursting with infectious energy and a nod to vintage Italo grooves. On the flip, acid influences seep in, creating a hypnotic, mind-bending experience driven by crisp production and dynamic rhythms. Mastered by Francesco Salvadori at Sweep Audio in Berlin, this release is a testament to Giordani's ability to craft tracks that balance nostalgia with forward-thinking sound design, making it a must-have for discerning selectors.
Review: The Italoexotica Crew has won plenty of plaudits for its first two outings and this third one is another doozy. It's an EP that takes you back to a time when disco was king and the Italian scene did it as well as anywhere. "The parties began with the romantic melodies of the piano bar and then ignited the souls and flowed into eroticism" says the label. These sounds capture that from the chinky house drums and Shaft vocals of 'Disco Boy' to the florid synth arps and cosmic overtones of 'Sono Tua' via the more sleazy and seductive deep house of Di Saronno's 'Sexxx (Con Me)'.
Review: Romanian renegade Iuly.B is back with more of his widescreen, synth-rich constructions for the minimal-not-minimal brigade. This time he's bringing his wares to Italian label Modvlar, who were last spotted releasing Valentino Kanzyani back in 2021. The whole Crystal Cave EP is brimming with invention as the techno synths come cascading down around the snappy house beat on the title track and 'Vital Expansion' lets expansive sweeps of pads and charged arps shape out the sound before letting the drums rip. 'Traffic Jam' is just as ear-catching thanks to its low-down bassline and metallic, rhythmic signal processing, giving Nobodi plenty to work with for a liberally dubbed remix to close the record out.
Review: Mishell Ivon and Vincent Kwok are back and combining their skills once more with this brilliant bouncy new funk outing on The Sleepers. The first tune on this pocket-rocket of a 7" is 'High', a funky weapon that is high on life and built around well-syncopated drums and a percussive bassline. The icing on the cake is Mishell's vocals which weave in out of the synth stabs and lush keys, all of which are well arranged. Flip it over and you'll get lost in the funk once more with 'In The Dust' with its masterfully rhythmic bassline and more of those buttery Mishell vocals.
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