Al Kent

Review: Disco maestro Al Kent is a safe pair of hands when it comes to all things funky, and he's been setting dancefloors ablaze for more than 10 years with his exclusive remix of Odyssey's perennial classic "Inside Out". Smoothing out the boogie tones of the original and turning it into a fluttering disco-funk delight, it's an incredibly tasteful, velvety smooth version that until now has been out of reach of all but a very select few spinners. Now Mr. Kent has done the right thing and pressed up this heater for all to savour. Don't sleep as these will surely not be around for long.

Review: If we had to put together a list of the world's greatest dusty disco re-editors, Al Kent would come somewhere close to the top of the list. Further proof of the Glaswegian's scalpel-wielding genius can be found on this epic two-tracker for GAMM. We're particularly enjoying flipside "Erotic Queen", a 12-minute-plus revision of a near unknown disco track that boasts densely layered, sweat-soaked percussion, razor sharp strings, hammered-out Clavinet lines and, as the track speeds towards its near orgasmic conclusion, spacey synths and all manner of alternating instrument solos. Massive! A-side "Fist Of Fury" is tidy, too, with Kent working his magic on a particularly spacey, deeper disco jam that has Moog solos for days.

Review: Aside from releasing his own tunes and edits on Million Dollar Disco, Al Kent also dabbles in the fine art of compiling for the BBE crew, and this time he's been picked to pull together cuts for the label's fourth outing of the Disco Love series. As you'd expect, this is choc-a-bloc with odd, hard-to-find B-sides from the late 70's through to the early 80's, and his own edits are the perfect thing for the DJ who own the originals, but who wishes them to be that lil' bit straighter and kick driven. The opener itself, an edit of Clear's larger-than-life "Equal Love Opportunity" is a bit special...what a tune, and look out for the rest; all killers here. Tip for the disco heads, for real!

Review: In recent years we've become accustomed to disco compilations appearing at a furious rate. While many of these compilations are undoubtedly worthy of attention, the volume of releases can sometimes be bewildering. This eight track selection from Al Kent, the second in his Disco Love series, ticks all the right boxes, however. Even by the highest crate digging standards, these tracks are pretty obscure; many won't have had much of an airing since their original release. Those into the rich, soulful side of disco - that brand of string-laden dancefloor material most associated with the Philadelphia International label and studio -will find much to enjoy. Perhaps the most noteworthy is Scarborough's delightfully sweet "Make Love To You", an epic of biblical proportions that lasts longer than most drunken one night stands. See also Valerie Simmons' super sweet "I Can't Make It On My Own" and the rousing orchestral manoeuvres of "I've Got The Need". This luxurious gatefold double album also comes replete with extensive track notes from compiler Al Kent.

Review: As someone who briefly escaped 70's Glasgow and got a taste of the golden age of NYC Disco, Al Kent is a perfect choice to lead you through a classy selection of some choice and rare Disco treats. Having used his huge collection in the past for re-edits and originals, he also took the bold step of forming his own band in 2007 under the name The Million Dollar Orchestra.

The selections here reflect the point at which Funk and Soul mutated into Disco, with most of the tracks capturing that pre-Moroder organic sound. Lee Alfred's Rockin-Poppin Full Tilting for example has a laid back vibe similar to Curtis Mayfield's more uptempo tunes. New Ghetto Express's version of Standing On The Verge of Getting It On (originally by Funkadelic) up's the tempo on the wigged-out classic, again combing the Funk with a Disco groove.

Lypso Disco by Smile Street People, as you'd guess from the title, has a playful Calypso lilt and bounce to it. Cosmic Disco by Patricia White on the other hand doesn't sound like something that Todd Terje or Lindstrom got their cues from, but it is a fun song with some brilliantly random thumb-piano playing in the background!

Anyone looking for samples will have a field day among these tracks, Sweet Daddy Floyd's I Just Can't Help Myself for example has a break in the middle to die for. You could loop up 4 bars practically anywhere and have something pretty damn funky to work with. For that reason alone, it's well worth having a listen and broadening your horizons.