Music Saved My Life (The extended Discomix) (8:21)
Music Saved My Life (The Full take) (6:11)
Music Saved My Life (The club dub) (7:47)
Music Saved My Life (The acappella) (5:21)
Review: Disco don Dimitri From Paris and the always glossy Glitterbox label is a perfect coming together as this new single proves. It has a cliched title but the music excuses that - it's pure timeless joy, with feel good vocals, big shiny strings and a knotted, funky bassline that cannot fail but ignore the floor. The musicianship is second to none on the extended disco mix and that areas on through all versions. There's the big full take, the more paired back club dub and a cappella, and all are dynamite.
Review: Mushroom Pillow is on a proud and so far successful mission to bring back Latin American music from the 60s-80s via its Relatin project. it's all about mixing up the traditional and the modern and putting fresh spins on what went before. Many of the originals they look to have gone unnoticed the first time round and that's the case here as Franc Moody adds his own twist to Elia & Elizabeth's 'Alegria.' His remix is a sympathetic one that gets the hips swinging over fat and funky disco bass and beneath the sunny Latin vocals. He strips them away on the instrumental version on the flip.
Review: Working with its sister label OST Recordings, Acid Jazz releases a new version of 'Family Tree' by Family Tree, on a smart-looking label based on the look of the original's Ananda label. For the first time since 1975, this new reissue comes with the Kevin Beamish Disco version and a shorter disco mix, as was initially compiled. Handcrafted by 'I Specialize In Love' hitmaker Sharon Brown and her group Family Tree, this eponymous disco-funk sheller is an unpolished study of musicianship above overproduction; the drums are dynamic and dry, lending ample space to Sharon's nostalgic familial reminiscences.
Hooked On Your Love (John Morales unreleased edit) (8:13)
Review: Serious Philly boogie business: In 1979 the Aleem brothers teamed up with serial hit maker Leroy Burgess for this outstanding bass slapping floor burner. Listen closely and you'll hear a young Luther Vandross on backing vocals as the twins bounce off each other with their signature high ranges. Meanwhile on the B we have a previously unreleased edit from one of the most vital, direction shaping remixers of the time; John Morales. Expect nothing but 8 minutes of pure disco bliss. We're hooked on this!
Review: In cahoots with legendary Japanese record store Jet Set, Freestyle Records has decided to offer-up a 45 featuring two tidy cuts from Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum 2 album, a second set of inspired cover versions from the multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and producer. On side A the Melbourne-based musician gives his take on Azymuth classic 'Veo Sobre O Horizonte', re-imaging it as a starry, vintage synth-laden shuffle through sun-baked South American jazz-funk complete with woozy horns, Herbie Hancock keyes and eyes-closed female vocalizations. On the reverse Ferguson turns his hand to Carly Simon's 'Why', adding gorgeous horn solos and sunset-ready flourishes to a faithful re-recording of the reggae-influenced number's familiar groove.
Review: Former Silver City man Fernando Pulichino seems to be mellowing with age. Having previously explored punk-funk, nu-disco and deep house on his solo releases, he's now switched his focus to dub-influenced, slo-mo Balearic synth-rock. Many of the old trademarks are still present - think rubbery live bass, fluorescent, vintage-sounding synths and unfussy beats - but are here joined by fuzzy guitar solos and an evocative vocal from guest star Fiorucci. It's a potent blend, reminiscent of early '80s cosmic rock with a little more nu-disco nous. The original vocal version is joined by a delicious Extended Dub, which impressively stretches out the infectious, head-nodding groove.
Review: This week on Peoples Potential Unlimited we have '1 2 3 Stella' which is the debut release by Alex Fernet - an artist from Bassano del Grappa, near Venice, Italy. A breezy and neon-lit boogie down affair from the late night that gives a brazen nod to the '80s, it is complemented on the B side by the romantic late '70s easy rock vibe of 'Tornerai' which is an Italian cover version of 'In your Eyes' by Badbadnotgood featuring Charlotte Day Wilson. Fernet impressively walks the fine line between undeniably kitsch and impressively cool.
Review: Hands up - this is one of our favourite ever jams and frankly we can't really understand anyone who doesn't rate it pretty highly. It is a classic of the early dance scene that got hammered everywhere from Warehouse to Paradise Garage and remains in a class of one decades on. Next to the brilliant original, which is from a time when proper songwriting and musicianship defined house and disco, you get a Ron Hardy edit that is more uptempo, with hissing hi hats cutting through the funky rhythms and loopy drums. Sublime.
Review: The American female vocal trio First Choice released their rendition of 'Love and Happiness' in 1973. The track is a cover of Al Green's original released just a year earlier in 1972, but First Choice's version was perhaps helped along the way by a peak case of nominative determinism: for us, theirs is the first choice. Featured on their debut album, Armed and Extremely Dangerous, it stood out on the Philly soul girl gang's record as one of the records most propitious to sampling by house and techno musicians, such as Todd Terry and Jungle Brothers. But this time, the legacy of this preceptive soulful-house interplay is honoured by a newly reissued remix by the mysterious but titanic Chicago producer Ron Hardy, whose inclusion on the record is the real star here. Hardy's signature reel-to-reel fuzzes and presence-bled hues effect recollections of a pre-DAW production setup, and the resonances of dub (woodblocks, four-tone hooks, burly basslines) nest the original Al Green vocal nicely.
Review: Pioneering disco outfit First Choice built up a fine arsenal of hits in the 70s and 80s. Amongst them was their epic "Armed and Extremely Dangerous" which now gets two new versions served up by Brookside. Hot Mix 5 and Chicago house legend Ralphi "The Raz" Rosario is the man doing the work and the brings big drums and vocals with some superbly soulful keys next to Craig J Snider. On the flip, the band's most iconic tune "Love & Happiness" gets a rework by Mike Maurro. It is more soulful and warm, laced with big drums and sweeping pads.
Review: For the seventh release on the all-limiteds Florence Funk imprint, we're met with two rare gems of the nu-funk and soul variety from Florence, the one themself. On the A, 'Funky Feeling' impresses with its dynamic yet still crunchy bottling of the funk, with all its *je ne sais qoui* intact, and in which occasional Omar Santana-style cut-ups can be heard, to giggle-inducing effect. The B, meanwhile, brings us the 'Heat' and insists we 'feel' it, but we hardly need to be told, as we're willing partners in this dance; this track, like the one before it, places its kicks and snare-clap layers front and centre, retaining the central sample but encouraging an extra danceable flavour, not usually heard on original disco recordings.
Review: Swirl People revisit their roots with a nostalgic four track EP from their early days as Fortune Cookie. This collection - which is their third release on L.I.T.S. - features carefully selected tracks from their original 1996 releases on Marguerite, a small label run by a friend. Nearly three decades later, these still much sought-after tracks are finally being reissued. The EP opens with 'Glitter Girls,' which is characterised by a catchy bassline, followed by the deep groove of 'Um Bongo.' On the B-side, 'Galactic Snackbar' offers a retro-futuristic feel, while 'Frisko Heaven' wraps up the EP with classic disco-filtered house energy. Timeless tackle, for sure.
Review: DJ International presents the re-release of this rare classic, "Only The Strong Survive". Frankie Knuckles' timeless production combined with the powerful vocals by Ricky Dillard makes this a dancefloor hit.
Review: US producer Pilooski shows us exactly how disco edits are done with their latest three-tracker 'Special Disco Versions', all three of which are dedicated to the work of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The time-honoured and unmistakable hit 'Beggin', already a hit in Pilooski re-edit form back in 2007, works its subtly breakbeaty, surround-clappy magic, perfect for those hankering after a more readily-DJ-mixable version of the hit. A spinal-scratchy French verison of 'Who Loves You' appears afterwards, not to mention the original version of 'Grease' on the B2.
Review: After 3 months holed up in the studio Blair French has emerged to bring you Genes / Space Conductor 7" in support of his forthcoming album The Art Of Us on Rocksteady Disco. The A-side holds the "Loose Fit" mix of "Genes", where Blair channels his inner Tony Allen for an expertly executed modern psychedelic Afrobeat cut featuring a heavyweight cast of Detroit characters including Todd Modes, John Arnold, and Paul Randolph. On the flip is "Space Conductor", a cosmic afro broken beat joint with heavy drums, a huge bassline, kora, and Blair's vocals, exclusively available on this 7" only. Housed in a full color jacket, cut loud to lacquer, and pressed heavy with pride at Archer on Detroit's east side.
Review: Blair French is the next quality artist to make their debut on the increasingly vital MotorCity Wine imprint out of Detroit. He brings hints of Balearic as well as signature smoky deep house from the 313 to his work here. 'Ancestarians' (Physical Mix) also has pan-African influences, jazzy melodies and rich organic percussion while the Spiritual Mix is all about going deep into ambient bliss. 'Champagne Kiddie Pool' then looks even deeper into the musical niches of South America with dembow rhythms overlaid with lively claps and cosmic chords. Last of all is 'Sandbox Fossils with driving bass from James Simonson and guitar from Ryan Gimpert.
Review: From P60 is an alias of Zoltan Nagy who this year marks the significant milestone of a quarter of a century in the music game and he celebrates by launching his new label Midnight Fashion Chill with his 'Fallin' EP. Over the years, Nagy has done it all from deep house to Balearic to lounge and downtempo and here brings that touch of class to six superbly soothing sounds that fuse all that and more. The opener is pure horizontal bliss, 'The Times We Spent Together' is a slow-motion daydream, 'Fallin' (with Jaidene Veda) is pure soul-soothing magic and 'When' is a gently lilting ambient soundscape crafted to perfection.
Review: Funkyjaws is the Belarusian DJ and producer Sergey Abramov, who has been dropping his funky disco heat on the likes of Kolour LTD and Shadeleaf Music before now, as well as his own fledgling self-titled imprint. This one kicks off with 'WME' which has some big horn action and stomping disco drums to liven up any party. 'Snapshot' has a raw vocal and atmospheric energy that is sure to uplift and 'Dancin' then brings some sweet hip-swinging claps. It's a string-laced disco affair to close with the majestic 'You'.
Jose Finagandara, Juan Diego Lllescas & Ground - "Something Sign" (5:39)
Akira Arasawa With KUN & FRANKY-CH - "Yunnan" (8:18)
Review: Especial Specials has joined forces with Osaka-based imprint Chillmountain Recordings to offer up another Enjoy Your Self EP. This one once again showcases the talents on its roster with label head Ground kicking off with a beatdown meets trance sound on "Utau Narukoyuri'. After that slow burner come tribal percussive sounds from 'Arauma' (Kobato Dub), sunny cumbia on 'Something Sign' and a meandering Balearic journey from Akira Arasawa With KUN & FRANKY-CH that is brought to life with new age flute sounds, bird calls, jungle drips and folkloric strings. A fantastic EP, then.
Review: Here comes Emotional Rescue and Konduko's last in their series of Noel Williams/King Sporty reissues, this time looking at later electro productions and the hip-hop/boogie influenced 'Sun Country'. Vocals and co-production come from Williams' long-time partner Betty Wright and as well as a vocal and instrumental mix there's a longform remix by Bay Area disco dub stalwarts, 40 Thieves.
By this point in his career, the godfather of Miami Bass had travelled a long way from his Jamaican roots in reggae and soul, paying homage to the warm climbs of the Sunshine State and laying down a much copied template using the TR-808 drum machine create the electronic emulations of the breakbeat, claps accenting the backbeat and trademark low frequencies shaking the floorboards. The instrumental stretches the arrangement, emphasising the interplay between electronics, bass, vocal samples, scratching and fx, the voice transformed into a percussive element in its own right. The flip sees 40 Thieves flexing their understated understanding of electro funk, making for a rounded, generation-jumping package.
Daryl System & Mr Fantasy - "Sequential Love" (4:37)
Review: Barcelona-based Italian label Dance Conmigo makes a bold debut with a four-track release that is fully aimed at igniting dance floors. The opener from Lukinsky sets the tone with a dreamy, nostalgic journey you won't want to let go of while Elgo Blanco raises the tempo, perfectly bridging day-to-night vibes. On the B-side, Flavio Folco's signature style shines on a track featuring a dynamic live bassline and energetic arrangement. Last but not least, the EP closes with a collaboration from Daryl System & Mr. Fantasy that delivers a warm 80s-inspired groove and cosmic harmonies that transport you to another dimension.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Da Starga Tora
Borealis
Alina
Exile
Nussing
Baboobap
Prelude
All Is Changing
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Back in the heyday of the Scando-Disco scene, Jann Marius Dahle had a flurry of records as Fjordfunk and under his own name. Rightly recognised by the leaders in that scene, he's been quiet for the best part of 20 years, but now he returns with the stunning, fully-rendered wonderment of "Infinite Zest". This is an album bursting with colour and musicality, as gorgeous instrumentation meets with tenderly executed disco with a distinctly Norwegian mood. From the starry-eyed synth interplay of "Alina" to the noodling funk of "Nussing", Marius Dahle's skill as an arranger and producer is a revelation. A well-deserved, long awaited return to the fray from a rightful peer of Prins Thomas, Lindstrom et al..
Review: Following a pair of well-received albums on Juicebox Recordings (not to be confused with A Guy Called Gerald's 1990s label of the same name), self-styled "nu-funk" duo Franc Moody have transferred to Night Time Stories for the release of new album Chewing The Fat. Like its predecessors, it blends a left-of-centre, Hot Chip style sensibility with colourful and nostalgic synth sounds, disco strings, good grooves and nods aplenty to both 21st century electronica and the Halcyon days of synth-funk in the 1980s. The results are frequently superb, with highlights including the throbbing-but-sparse 'Square Pegs In Round Holes', jaunty opener 'Driving On The Wrong Side of the Road' and the blissful, tactile and string-laden nu-disco bounce of 'Bloodlines'.
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