Review: Sundries' Disco Goodies series, which rounds up the best of the label's digital releases and presents them on multi-artist EPs, reaches its fourth instalment. It hits home hard from the start, where Berobreo's 'Soul Driven Dynamics' provides an attractive mix of 1970s orchestral soul samples and rubbery deep house beats. Experienced re-editor Oldchap brings the goods with a lightly tooled-up and beefed-up rework of an orchestra-sporting disco gem ('Coloridos'), before X Gets The Crest delivers a percussive, hot-stepping and filter-smothered re-wire of a much-loved Cymande classic ('Still Come Home'). Over on side B, Alexny's heavy disco-funk re-edit ('People Says') is joined by a hazy and horn-heavy revision courtesy of Sould Out ('City Gal') and the pitched-up disco loop-funk of 'Since You Came' by Workerz.
Review: Balear-y-eyed city pop from contemporary singer and pop musician Xiaolin, continuing her cover version releases on Bless You with another knife-edge crossing into dream pop. Having already covered 'Plastic Love' by Mariya Takeuchi and Prudence Liew's 'Afterwards', Xiaolin's is now revered as a deft rerubber of golden classics. Now comes 'Half A Dream', a version of Tina Liu's 1897 lead single, hailing from the urbane City Girl album. South Korean producer Mogwaa may back up the B-side with a remix, but for us, it's the doozy pads and laggard sample-pack hits on the A1 that make this one; the whole track sounds like one long hypnopompic awakening, as we blearily embrace the day, breathing in the downtown air.
More unearthed disco edits from the godfather of house music Frankie Knuckles, courtesy of the legendary Disco Queen. On the A side we have some rather deep down and dirty blaxploitation vibes (also sampled by Jamie 3:26 on "Dr F**K" several years ago) over a minimal proto-house drum track on "XXX" by XXX. On the flip, we have the powerful soul explosion of South Shore Commission's "Free Man" from their self-titled album of 1975. Now this one shows you all what a 'respectful edit' really is - listen and learn!
Review: Now released officially, Zackey Force Funk & XL Middleton's 'Hey MF / Phone Home' first came in a cloud of hype amid the decision by MoFunk to release "exactly ONE" copy of the test pressing to whomever proved themself keen enough to own it. We're not surprised that the label might anticipate such fan fervour, since this is a uniquely totalising modern funk gem, manifesting technically as a Johnny Chingas cover but in practice evidencing the relentlessly singular, syncretic combined production style of the LA natives. Chingas' original lyrics are invidious but infectious, a mood coaxed further out by the duo's breathy talkbox usage: "hey motherfucker, who do you think you are? you think you so much better than everybody else... what do you mean I'm a fake DJ?!"
Like We Used To Do (feat I, Ced & Moniquea) (4:33)
Review: If you think you know a cooler cat and more brilliant boogie producer than XL Middleton right now then you're lying. His Tap Water very much set that reparation in motion when it arrived back in 2016 right when modern funk was making a comeback thank to Dam Funk et al. It's a hard to find original that still stands up and now it has been followed up by a second volume of brilliantly squelch analogue funk, dazzling boogie baselines, lush sci-fi chords and retro future fills, vocals and hooks.
Love When It Comes Down To It (feat Z-Man & Moniquea)
Dena City Council (feat Blkwest, Pasadena Sean Fka S-Dee, & Gr8 Dane)
Kinda Faded
Under The Sun (Enois Scroggins feat XL Middleton & Dynamite D)
Another Summer
I'm Just Sayin (Blkwest feat XL Middleton)
Shotgun (feat Rev & Bo-Rocc Of The Doveshack)
Too Grown 4 That (The Touch Funk feat XL Middleton & Espe)
Why Don't They Get It (feat Pasadena Sean Fka S-Dee)
Review: A compilation of tracks from past albums, collaborations and formerly unreleased cuts by XL Middleton, G-funk-master extraordinaire from LA. Compiled specifically for XL's recent Japan tour, this release comprises the bulk of remaining copies, which, we can vouch, flew largely off the shelves, and fast. The sole focus on G-funk, albeit in his own signature style, has proven so far effective for XL; his production style tends towards the unmistakably steezy and squeezy, and it also borders on West Coast crunk and DJ Mustard-esque ratchet at points. XL entertains wonky 808s and smooth 2-stepped blears, effectively conveying the mood of "layered back", best enshrined in the happily system-conscious track 'Unemployment'.
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