DJs: Most Charted - Disco - November 2011

Review: After years of digging up the more perverse grooves, the quartet of disco obsessives known collectively as Soft Rocks are finally on the cusp of releasing a debut album. Amusingly aimed as a riposte to the "endless army of laptop-savvy poseurs that upload their bland nu-disco or faux-Chi-house directly to a cesspool of digitally downloadable fodder", the Soft Rocks juggernaut present an illuminating taste of what to expect with lead single "We Hunt Buffalo Now". Jorge Socarras, vocalist for San Francisco punk funkateers Indoor Life, lends his vocal talents to a track that veers through richly detailed and ever so slightly drunk disco dub, deviating in all sorts of directions, with a guttural bass line at the core. The legendary Andrew Weatherall is called upon to remix the track in a gothic disco fashion not dissimilar to his all conquering revision of Toddla T, which is as excellent as you would expect. Roll on the full album please!

Review: James Johnston joins the likes of Mark E, Mario Basanov and Francis Inferno Orchestra on Under The Shade with There Is Always Time To Change. The EP's title track boasts encapsulating guitar riffs and a confident drum beat as it delves between nu-disco and deep house. After solo successes this year on Boogie Originals and On The Prowl, Andy Ash is up as remixer for "There Is Always Time To Change" and he transforms the original into an upbeat floor smasher with head strong kicks and gloriously attacked chord sequences. On the flip, James's "Love Is So Real" heightens the mood as it darts between tight drum rhythms and electronically manipulated vocals; an ever rising tension in its step. Last up is "Witness The Invisible", which closes the EP with crashing metallic samples and an electro arp'd synth.