DJs: Most Charted - Disco - Most Charted May 2015

Review: Editor's Kutz on an RSD tip limited to 500 presses.... You just know this is going to be special. Apparently this has been work in progress since last October, but the hard work has paid off as an array of long lost cuts get treatments from the very best in the game. Case in point: Riccio's epic cosmic star gazer "Space Traveller" Em Vee's deep, dubby and hypnotic "Dance The Blues Away". More well-known classics to go under the knife include Jean Clause Gavri's stomping, emotion-soaked twist on a cover of Al Green with "Stay 2gether", Luvless's warm and loopy take on Stephanie Mills with "My Luvin" and JKriv's absolute dream-weaver shake up of Earth Wind & Fire's "Horizonte". Beautiful.

Review: New Zealand-based DJ/producer Frank Booker is no newcomer to the world of the floor-friendly re-edit. Having previously released killer scalpel works on Razor 'N' Tape, KAT and Disco Deviance, he's decided to launch his own edit series, Down In The Basement. As usual, there's much to enjoy, with Booker extending and working killer grooves, often with the assistance of healthy servings of dub delay. Highlights are plentiful, from the low-slung, percussive dub disco flex of "Track 1" and midtempo disco-funk bounce of "Track 2", to the riotous funk of "Track 4". All are expert revisions, with just the right amount of house style bottom end amongst the original grooves.

Review: Four years deep into its disco, beatdown and edit adventures, Smokecloud's status is nigh-on impeccable. Here we find them uniting four of their most creative craftsmen for four straight-up dancefloor pacifiers. Highlights include the sludgy slo-mo Edwin Starr on acid flavoured "Caught Up" and the Diana Ross homage that is the sun-skanked reggae party jam "CC Tribute" by VinylAddicted & SMQ. Instant smiles.

Review: Get the motor running, Eddie C's crimson Harley is on the High Road and cruising at a stately, limited hand-stamped speed. There's no danger of getting a ticket when beats are as luxuriously languishing as El Molito's dusty organ massages on "Put Some", the dreamy lullaby that is HRENO's "Closely Now" and the glistening guitar ripples of Eddie's "So Remoteman". But the ride isn't always smooth; Hrdvision's "BNW8N4U" gets a little white knuckle with its icy modularisms and snub nosed arpeggio and the warm-but-insistent jazz house stamps of Koosh's "Mouthful Of Gold Teeth" ensure you will creep over 55 at points during the journey... And you'll love every law-breaking second of it.

Review: After eight years, Claremont 56 is proud to present its' 50th 12" single release - a special collaborative 12" that's been some nine years in the making. Seu Torriso marks the debut from Paraiso, a project schemed up in the hilltops of Derbyshire, the sun-soaked beaches of Brazil and the bustling metropolis of Hong Kong.
The story begins in 2006, when then Matlock-based producer Ant Harrison (now resident in Hong Kong) began daydreaming about South American music. The veteran studio maestro - best known for his deep house partnership with Matt Rhythm under the Rhythm Plate guise - took to the Internet in search of inspiration, and found a Brazilian duo, guitarist Carlos and vocalist Nego. Having offered to produce some tracks from their jamming, he put together a range of tracks, adding drums, bass, Rhodes, strings (expertly played by Richard Hancock) and additional percussion.
Now those tracks, expertly mixed from the stems by Claremont 56 boss Mudd, are finally available. Both are deliciously breezy, with the duo's loose samba vibe enhanced immeasurably by Harrison's deft production and sympathetic rhythms. The title track kicks things off, delivering a jaunty, sun-kissed blend of shuffling acoustic guitars, cheery vocals, lilting saxophone and undeniably Balearic grooves. Mudd delivers an extended mix of "Filhas De Oxhum" on the flip, stretching out Harrison's groove seductively, whilst leaving enough space in the mix for Harrison, Carlos and Nego's original instrumentation and vocals to breathe. The result is a mesmerizing chunk of shuffling dancefloor Balearica, in true Claremont 56 style.

Review: Launched in late 2013, Paul Raffaele's Most Excellent Unltd has developed into a most unpredictable label, equally happy to facilitate more thunderous techno from Phil Moffa being released as it is to coax Mr K edits out of Danny Krivit. The label's first point of business for 2015 swings the focus on the edit talents of Japanese selectors Mori Ra and DJ Ground, two heads with deep knowledge of their country's musical heritage (here's a tip: check Mori Ra's Japanese Breeze mix series). Anyway Ghost Guide is a fine edit 12", veering from thunderous psyche drum work outs to slinky proto house via sultry 80s sax pop workouts and cosmic jazz. This one is likely to remain in many a record box!

Review: After impressing with their baggy, floor-friendly and often pitched-down blends of deep house and disco, Sleazy Beats Recordings called it a day in 2012, opening the Sleazy Beats Black Ops imprint in its place. Here, they continue to push forward their head-nodding, toe-tapping sound via an EP from Outplay label owner Junktion. It's a big of a killer, too, with the Dutch producer delivering a trio of tasty cuts built around hand-picked disco samples, rolling grooves, and just the right amount of warm, soul-flecked deep house elements. Our pick is probably "The Great Unknown" - it boasts the strongest, richest disco loops of the three, and some killer chords - though the breezy "Watching You Sleep" isn't far behind.

Review: If you're going to launch a new re-edit series, it's probably wise to get some big hitters on board. That's certainly what the people behind Theme From Kaffe have done for their debut offering. Italian heavyweights Bottin lead the way with "Ora La So", a lo-slung, Clavinet-heavy chunk of dirty Balearica blessed with sleazy, whispered vocals. Sleazy McQueen continues the eccentric theme with the chugging reggae-disco bounce of "Back To Hell", before Albion ups the tempo on the dusty, vocoder-laden wonky disco chug of "Experimento". An excellent EP concludes with the sprawling soundtrack disco of Ivory Boy's "Mare" and "Bright Mezcal" by Avanti, a curiously bumpin chunk of dub disco weirdness blessed with alien synths and a brilliantly rubbery bassline.

Review: Fresh cuts hot off the press with this new edits label! All we know about this label is that these guys are called Eccentrics and they make some pretty killer reworks...and right so, a good editor should be as incognito as possible these days! Four cuts of psychedelic disco and electronic Balearica, all re-jigged with a contemporary sort of production approach, one which renders these four disco trains into veritable floor-filler thanks to their new and improved kick drums. Dicey!

Review: Everyone's favourite edits label named after a US bathroom company, American Standard, return with one of their infrequent forays through the disco, funk and assorted musical curios that time forget with San Francisco's The Dream Chimney behind the buttons. The two tracks on Dream Chimney Dubs feel perfectly tailored for the early moments of a night, when the curious souls are starting to ponder a move onto the dancefloor. The quite delightful "Feather Bed For Hatch Back" should coax them into doing just that, a gently uplifting cosmic number with a subtle chug and a hint of Sakamoto to it. On the flip "Charlie Dub" is a wide eyed Balearic cut that sounds even better with the tempo nudged down to around -6.

Review: Pole Position and Glam Jam's joint project returns with four slinky, sassy floor burners that sit, rather fetchingly, in the house/disco axis. Hamburg's Cassara ignite the moving fusion with the filtered French touch jacker "Lady Leopard". Newcomer Darko Kustura follows with a silky, soulful disco debut before Cassara jumps back on the decks with another chugging house affair. This time nodding towards the MFF/Classic style of tightly plucked Chi-minded house grooves. Finally we land in London for a deliciously downtempo slice of twinkling Balearica courtesy of Benny & Gain. Beautiful.

Review: The seventh edition of KON's Star Time series shines some light on one of Michael Jackson's lesser know moments, a 1978 cover version of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" which is presented here in two differing versions. Kon's original "Who Shot Ya" version displays the Boston man's sublime editing skills in all their glory and just wait for that Nile Rogers guitar line to come in around the 5 minute mark. Thatmanmonkz takes care of the remix, steering proceedings into housier territory whilst there is a Jacko bonus to close out the 12". On "Inhuman Nature" Jacko's vocal floats out over a '90s style production from Kon that will please fans of SWV.

Review: Vas continues his prolific editing work with four more crafty extensions. First up a loopy twist on The Dells "All About The Paper" where the groove is kept locked with only snippets of the vocals ghosting in and out of the mix. Next up is a storming shake of Powerline's "Double Journey" (which has been famously edited and sampled by everyone from Harvey to Morales). Deeper again Margie Alexander gets the treatment as her steamy soul showdown from 1975 gets the foot-heavy focus. Finally we segue into electro boogie pastures as "Gigolo" closes the show with deep treacle spoken word and synth so soaking wet you won't need to wash for a week. Exemplary.

Review: The latest installment of Public Possession's Under The Influence series is an all-star affair, featuring off-radar re-edits of various obscure, left-of-centre dancefloor gems. Perhaps the most talked-about track comes from Samo DJ's, who's deliciously wide-eyed "Flyer Edit" breathes new life into a cheesy AOR tearjerker, turning it into a Balearic gem. There are a couple of excellent Italo-related reworks - Bell Towers' deep, evocative "I'm Obsessed With You", and Hey Convict man Tamas Jones' rousing version of Italo classic "The Heat of the Moment" - but its Tambien who steal the show. "Deep Hai" is fantastic - a trippy dub disco revision of an obscure Dutch synth-pop gem.

Review: The debut release on Disco Hamman, Baris K's Eurasia EP, is currently priced highly on the second hand market, and this long overdue follow up on the label is probably going to become equally sought after. A split release between Baris k and Jonny Rock's Paralel Disko project and Afacan, the five cuts on Disco Hamman dig deep into the vaults of the Ottoman discotheque and will add some Turkish delight to any disco selectors set. "Panayir Gunu" from Paralel Disko and the strange '80s stylings of "Dost Sevgisi" from Afacan are notable highlights but really all five tracks are sublime.

Review: The Brazilian disco and boogie scene of the late '70s and early '80s has been in the spotlight of late, with several labels releasing celebratory compilations of killer material. Here, Athens of the North get in on the act, re-issuing Painel De Controle's relaxed, jazz-funk influenced jam "Relax", a single B-side and album track originally released in 1979. Like many of the greatest Brazilian disco/boogie records of the period, it's loose, lovely and really rather sumptuous, inviting you to dance while offering a saucer-eyed hug with arms outstretched. Flip for the less celebrated, but no less potent, 1978 cut "Malandrinha", a bossa-tinged number that's almost unfeasibly sunny.

Review: Sleazy McQueen's Whiskey Disco label seems to be on fire at present, with new EPs of white-hot edits appearing on an almost weekly basis. Predictably, there's more high-grade material on this latest split artist four-tracker. Pontchartain kicks things off with a brilliantly dubbed-out take on Gayle Adams classic "Lifesaver" (previously successfully extended and re-touched by FLX One a few years back), before Osmose delivers organ solos, orgasmic groans and rump shaking beats on "Broadway Kiss". Flip for Derek Kaye's "Holdin' On", a deliciously celebratory number full of cheery scat vocals and incessant grooves, and "I Got Your Wang", a cheery, sun-kissed chunk of disco perfection from Rulefinns Kravstor.

Review: Given the way disco has been extensively mined over the last few years, it's perhaps surprising that crate-diggers are looking further afield for inspiration. This is a great example. Originally released in Lebanon back in 1978, Liza Liza is a perfect example of the way other cultures quickly adopted disco's dancefloor-filling ways. The title track is nothing short of superb - a hustling, low-slung chunk of Arabic disco full of swirling strings, atmospheric vocals and killer grooves. The original B-sides are even more eccentric, with the acid-friend "From The Moon" and the near Balearic "Summer Love" being both impressively odd and, strangely, rather addictive.

Review: We've become accustomed to Athens of the North delivering 7" singles packed full of obscure gems. Interestingly, the two tracks here - as great as they are - are relatively easy to come by, both being featured on GQ's overlooked by readily available 1980 album GQ Two. Even so, they're more than worthy of the reissue treatment, with A-side "Lies" - previously re-edited by Theo Parrish for his Ugly Edits series - offering a particularly sweet dose of warm and fuzzy disco/soul fusion. Flispide "Is It Cool" is almost as essential, with soaring horns and a killer bassline combining perfectly with the band's urgent, attractive vocals.

Review: BlackCash & Theo dust off two pairs of gloves... First their crate digging gloves to unearth Thrust, the one-off album Ohio duo McNeal & Niles recorded in 1979, then they dust off their editing gloves for two immaculate extensions. If you enjoy anything on Claremont (especially Paqua) then you'll be all over these cosmic instrumentals - notably the soft harmonies on "Summer Time" and the endless, star-gazing guitar twangs of "Punk Funk. You may recognise a few samples here, too... Madlib and Motor City Drum Ensemble are two of many who've enjoyed the fine hooks of Mc Neal & Niles.

Review: Following his stunning "Southern Breeze" EP on Aficionado, the shadowy Vision Of Panorama lets loose with a sandy-toed Balearic opus on Music For Dreams. Stately shiny vibes throughout as we range from the slow-motion fretless bass bliss of "Reef" to the unabashed 80s synth boogie of "Patches Of Light" by way of the horizon-set yacht jam "Port De Soller". With a sprightly piano-laced twist on the title track by Jex Opolis thrown in for extra measure, Music For Dreams has delivered something particularly special right here.

Review: Jeanie Tracey's "Can I Come & Play With You Tonight?" should probably be considered something of an in-demand gem, seeing as copies of the original 1983 12" version go for significant sums online. Happily, the crate diggers behind the admirable Athens of the North imprint have decided to give it the reissue treatment, giving all of the chance to own a copy. The original is a sweet boogie killer, with Tracey's smooth vocal riding a backing track heavy with vintage synthesizers, snappy drum machine hits and elastic live bass. Flip for "Hot (For Your Love)", an end-of-night slow dance number smothered in evocative strings and Tracey's tear-jerking vocal.