Back catalogue: Disco/Reediciones

Review: If you don't have love for Rahsaan then you don't have love for life. The American is a veteran of the edit scene and someone who can flip any joint into a joyous groove. Here, Hot Biscuit have assembled a limited double 12" that brings together some of his best 'Disco Edits, Versions & Dubs." 'Big Bisou' opens up with a jumble of Afro drums and loose limbed rhythms, 'Mamoe Lowe' then has tribal vocal chants and raw percussive energy, and 'Preto Velho' then brings a little more laid back soul to the party. '77' is a funky disco strider and 'Secondo' closes with some hard assed funk.

Review: Marcella Bella's 1983 album 'Nell'Aria' which translates as In The Air is a real gem amongst many in the Italo disco scene of its time. It pairs her own sensuality with evocative disco arrangements and plenty of big tunes like the title track but also the shimmering 80s synths and sentimental vocals of 'La Battaglia'. Bella is the sister of Gianni with whom she often collaborates and is bother of Antonio and Saretto. She released an incredible 28 albums and this is easily the most well known.

Review: Chicago house mainstay Glenn Underground is as good at crafting neat edits of the classics as he is serving up his own superb original house compositions. It is the former which he does here on his own label and first up on the A-side he adds his signature smooth grooves to a track but the late, great funk master Amp Fiddler. The B-side begins with his Retro mix of beatmaker extraordinaire Mos Def which has loose-limbed drums and soulful pads that reach to the heavens, then he looks to acid jazz innovators Incognito and their 'I Can See The Future' and flips it into a nice funky and drawn out house groove for vibrant dance floor fun.

Review: Owhaaou features four cuts taken from the incredibly hard-to-find and obscure Metamorphose album that was released back in 1984 by this legendary Benin soul star. He blends rare Afrofunk with digital soul as evidenced by the recent reissue of Dans le Tchink System. Now this label celebrates his work once more with this futuristic and expansive new record which was recorded on 24 analogue track channels with skilled backing musicians such as Hilaire Penda on bass, Poly Rythmo de Cotonou's Daniel Bentho and more. The title track is a big disco party starter then there are more sombre moods on 'Magnifiec' and a silky edit of 'Zemidjan' before 'Mi Tchinker' gets that booty shaking.

Review: Imaa is an experimental disco, funk and soul project which has graced the discography of the DD Lahouve Production label since at least 2014; in said timeframe, this mysterious moniker has topped up at least five releases in the French city pop vein. Although little information can be tracked down about the main artist or artists behind the project itself, we can verify that the new 12" record 'Funky Town' is indeed something special, an original, slick and catchy electric groove featuring the rampart new jack production of producer Claudio Esposito.

Review: Limited edition 12" dedicated to the Neve A Maggio song flavoured with four remixes. Three from Mushrooms Project and one with a 90's house style by Deep88. Wrapped in elegant electronics and an international flavour, Sara's voice recounts the unusual in these days characterized by strong anomalies and cold solitude. Like when it snows in May, like when you want to pick a rose and instead find yourself blinded by a white reflection, completely out of place. Yet there is life, under that white; breath, pulsation, a rhythm that presses and makes you dance: a song that drags you away from a daily life troubled by extraordinary events, which become intimate and confidential, but still unique, like every single snowflake.

Archeo Recordings is a reissue record label that regenerates old, lost, obscure and forgotten rare gems of mostly Italian music but also all over the world of the 70s, 80s and 90s.
All releases are licensed audio tracks re-mastered in their original form with sleeves recreated for today but all based on the original images. Archeo would like to make the music available to a wider audience of collectors, DJs, music lovers of a forgotten time.

Review: Those who regularly dance at disco clubs may already have heard Saturday Love's killer debut single, '2 Be Free'. Released digitally earlier in the year, it's a wonderfully timeless chunk of late '70s NYC disco revivalism produced by KON and featuring sublime lead vocals from New York singer Furious. This highly anticipated vinyl release naturally leads with Kon's original extended disco mix, where Furious's Sylvester-esque vocal rises above walking bass, rolling beats and Logg style piano motifs, but also includes two new revisions. Oliver Dollar cannily reinvents the track as a sweaty, peak-time-ready chunk of disco-house, before Baltra lays down a sweeter, more melodious take that sits somewhere between slick nu-disco and rushing Balearic house.

Review: New label alert! Takashimashuzo comes from Japan and opens with some blissed-out Balearic deep house from Kammoushiki on this hand-stamped white label. 'Cosmic Sea' has archetypal Balearic guitars noodling in amidst endless synth modulations and over breezy house beats. It's a beautiful cut that takes you to the Med in an instant. 'Geronimo' brings jazz-funk vibes, languid guitar work and tumbling drums over shuffling kicks. It's fresh, colourful, inviting stuff that kicks off this new label in enough style to mean we will be checking in again soon.

Review: Kalita Records are proud and honoured to announce the first ever official reissue of the four choice tracks from Randolph Baker's privately pressed sought-after 1982 disco album 'Reaching For The Stars', plus an unreleased instrumental take of 'Party Life' sourced from the original 24-track analogue master tapes.

Originally recorded at Jim Morris and Rick Miller's Tampa-based Morrisound Studios, 'Getting Next To You' features both a mixture of both local Florida talent plus jazz superstar Nat Adderley and bassist John Lamb at their finest. Originally pressed in a limited run of just one-thousand copies, with no distribution and most copies being sold in the local city and on Randolph's own merchandise table at the back of live gigs, original copies have long been sought-after by both collectors and DJs alike, acknowledged as a true grail and masterpiece in the disco scene and deservedly demanding extortionate figures to those lucky enough to find their own.

Here, in collaboration with Randolph, Kalita Records have chosen to re-release the four choice tracks from the album: 'Getting Next To You', 'Jazzman', 'Callin' Me' and 'Party Life'. The former is an in-demand horn and chant-filled disco masterpiece, which, as Randolph explains, concerns unity and "everyone on the same level in other words, everyone just loving life". It is arguably the song that Randolph is most well-known for in the disco and funk scene and perfect for the modern discerning dance floor. 'Jazzman' is an instrumental track with prominent trumpet and saxophone solos working with funky basslines to produce a truly great jazz-funk groove. It was "a tribute to Nat Adderley and Duke Ellington's bass player, John Lamb, for being so generous and saying yes to the project". 'Callin' Me' is a soulful disco number featuring the lead vocals of Laurie Erickson and is "about being on the road and ensuring loved ones that you will always come back home no matter what. It was like a promise to ensure loved ones they didn't have to worry". Lastly, 'Party Life' is a joyous disco track with a strong funk bassline and horns. As Randolph recalls, it "was the joy like after an actor finishes a movie. There was nothing but joy. It's finished; let's celebrate big time. Where everyone in the studio yelled at the top of their lungs - The End!" Here, with access to the 24-track master tapes we have been able to include the original version plus an unreleased instrumental take, allowing us to focus on the infectious bassline and make it even more ready for the modern dance floor.

Accompanied by extensive interview-based liner notes and never-before-seen photos.

Review: Star Creatures' latest release titled The Chicago Boogie Volume 2: This Love Will Last picks up where Attack of the Chicago Boogie Volume 1 left off, with Tim Zawada and Kool Hersh curating more selections of rare Chicago boogie tracks in collaboration with the Munster Boogie crew. Originally released last year, this reissue includes music written, produced, recorded and pressed proudly in The Windy City itself, with this vinyl edition featuring art from Ben Marcus based on versions of compliment cards and flyers from the scene in the 80s.

Review: Limited edition, hand-stamped white label 12"s from Smoove, reworking as though each of its remixed originals were axiomatic expressions of sonic perfection. 'Dance', for example, has a well known 80s classic reworked to stomping, heavyweight perfection - stretching its vocals to breathy ecstasy. Meanwhile EWF's 'Can't Hide Love' and 'Playing Your Game, Baby' by a certain Mr White, unite over a similar subject matter; there's no point in hiding your love. All aboard the underground love train.

Review: Veteran Newcastle-based producer Johnathan Watson aka Smoove is back with the third instalment in the Multitrack Reworks, a new series that will be putting out limited edition, hand-stamped white label 12's that are made from reworked tunes constructed from the original multitracks. This one features the deep down and dirty P-funk of A-side cut 'Deep', while over on the flip Watson lends his Midas touch to a solid reconstruction of a certain deep funk classic by Slave, as well as a spruced up soul classic for all the heads out there on 'Superman'.

Review: Smoove is one half of the legendary edit duo Smoove and Turell from Northern England. He goes it alone here on the fourth volume of his Multitack Reworks series with two slices of the kind of grooves that we know and love and him for. A-side 'Live' and flip track 'Egypt' are both prime cuts of timeless funk with driving drum breaks and plenty of catchy and hooky melodic motifs. These limited edition, hand-stamped white label 12"s always do damage on the dancefloor so are well worth picking up.

Review: Gustavo C's G.U.S label - short for 'Golden Unreleased Songs' - exists for one purpose: to offer-up limited-edition singles featuring previously unheard gems from the disco and boogie era. The label has already released buried treasure from Central Line and Kenni Rightout and here delves into the archives of obscure 80s electrofunk outfit Odyssey & Co, a band not to be confused with the far better-known Odyssey. 'It's On' was originally recorded and mixed in 1983, but for one reason or another never hit stores. It's a quality slab of soul-fired boogie-funk rich in rubbery bass guitar, spacey synths, eyes-closed vocals and post-electro machine drums. The A-side original mix is on-point, but we prefer the slightly stretched out and more dancefloor focused flip-side 'Dance Mix'.

Review: After breaking a decade-long hiatus by releasing the Sad Cities album last year, Swedish disco mavericks Sally Shapiro have been on a roll through their association with Italians Do It Better. Jonny Jewel's label is the perfect home for their Italo-informed, pop-baiting sound, and now they're back with a new single called 'Rent'. It's another seductive excursion into the future-past of electronic disco, with the extended mix on the A-side complemented by the instrumental on the B-side and a team-up between NICOLAAS and Steve Moore for a remix. Meanwhile, Italoconnection step up for a version of Sad Cities track 'Believe In Me', rounding out another strong EP from Shapiro and Italians Do It Better alike.

Review: Archeo know how to hunt down a rare jam and give it the kind of reissue it deserves, so who better to handle this job? Tonica & Dominante was a studio project conceived by Antonio Iglio and Antonio Moxedano, which yielded a couple of singles and an album at the end of the 70s. It's a warm, organic sound before Italo disco swerved hard towards synthesisers and drum machines, and you can see why anyone digging for the rarest grooves would go crazy for the two tracks on this previously rare-as-hell 7". This new Archeo version ports the original tracks onto 12" and folds in two tasteful, clubbed-up dub mixes from Leo Mas & Fabrice.

Review: Italian synthpop group Koto dropped their most seminal tune 'Jabdah' in 1986 and it has been a real dance floor classic ever since. Often coming out over the years with plenty of remixes (there have officially been 12 in all over) and versions as part of best of comps and whatever else, here it comes on a dedicated 12" picture disc with one extended version and one for DJs. It was the band's first single that charted and is still the sort of catchy and emotive tune that gets the dancefloor going and locked into its lush synth sounds and beguiling lyrics about space newspapers and waltzes.

Review: Martinelli - presumably not the Brazilian one who plays in the midst of Arsenal's attack - has his classic disco gem 'Cenerentola (Cinderella)' reissued here by ZYX, a label that is well known and revered for doing just that. First up is served as an extended vocal mix that places the sentimental vocals front and centre with the sleazy sax lines also shine bight. Following the more direct Italo disco workout that is the instrumental comes a remix of the vocal that has a much more bright, tropical and steamy hot feel perfect for summer sessions and then last of all a remix of the instrumental that might be the perfect balance of everything.

Review: Miss You's latest missive takes us back to 1979 and the sole single from Italian singer Angela - a previously 7" only affair that made limited impact outside of Italy on its initial release. Lead cut 'Teneremante' is a typically colourful and camp Italian translation of disco, whose over-the-top excellence and bold lead vocal from Angela have an endearing 'easy listening era singer does disco' vibe. Musically, it soars, with the addition of lo-fi but spacey synth sounds (alongside classic disco orchestration) making it sound a bit more eccentric than it actually is. Original flip side 'Angela E Cosi' is a more suspenseful, low-slung affair built around a slower and headier groove, AOR disco instrumentation and another soaring vocal from Angela.

Review: Rita And The Danger ' Io E Lui Al Lago Nassua' is a much sought after but hard to find track from Rita And The Danger. It was recorded some 44 years ago in the Italian city of Bari and for this first ever reissue has been fully restored so it sounds superb. Originally released in 1980 on the Flop Record label it has lush melodic overtones that flow into synthesized sequences that recall early electronic pop. The cult success of the track ensured that Rita and The Danger connected with an audience that reached well outside their home region of Puglia in southern Italy.

Review: Dirotta Su Cuba is an Italian jazz / funk / pop band formed in in Florence over 30 years ago. We have another pressing of their 2020 single "Nothing Is Impossible", with the smooth acid jazz of the original complemented by the low slung, Latin influenced funky house on the Cimbamix - which is worth it for the price alone. Over on the flip, hop aboard the slo-mo funk train on the splendid "Thinking Of You" (Dove Sei) (feat Sonny King) once again featuring Simona Bencini's amazing vocal work and finally a roaring cover of the soul classic "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" (feat Antonio Farao & PNUC).

Review: Originally released in 1979 on Dominant Records, this double single features production by Italian composers and vocalists Antonio Iglio and Antonio Moxedano. 'Tigre' and 'Gennarino 'O Sioux'' saw extreme demand after becoming instant cult classics. The bass is tight and the vocal melodies are instant foot tappers, you'll be humming it for hours. The original 7" is one of the most wanted and rarest around, with very few copies ever going on the second hand market - reaching the hundreds in some cases - a huge leap forward for the Neapolitan Disco Funk scene, and a testament to the pure talent of these artists in what was arguably the beginning of a golden era for Italian funk and soul.

Review: Disco heads are considered Modern Talking's 1985 maxi-single 'You Can Win If You Want' a classic for many years. It's textbook Scandi synth-pop from the group that contained producer and songwriter Dieter Bohlen, vocalist Thomas Anders and various other guest members during the 80s. The group put out some 13 albums but this one was always the standout. The original comes as a Special Dance Version and Instrumental while 'One In A Million' is also included on the flip for extra dance floor fun. This superb reissue comes on luxurious gold vinyl making it even more special.

Review: Archeo Recordings bring us some more Balearic Italian treasure here with some gold initially recorded in Bologna almost two decades ago. It's a collaboration between friends Bottin and Lucio Dalla that has never before been on vinyl. 'Lunedi Cinema' was an ident that played before Monday night movies on of one of the main Italian TV channels for many years. This electronic version includes the Martedi Mix from 2008, a Minibar Bonus Track and also a mix by pioneering Italian dream house dons Leo Mas & Fabrice with a Bottin dub sealing the deal. It's a superb package of real Italo music history.

Review: Vega Records finally drops this EP from Honeysweet having teased tunes from it on the Vega Records 5 Pack Unreleased III. It's a superb house offering with lashings of soulful groovers, all produced by Josh Milan. First out of the blocks is 'Last Night Changed It All' featuring Lawrence Clark on sax. It's a jam that will pack out the floor but brims with real musicality from the magical Rhodes, picked bass guitar, rhythm guitar and drums. 'Crazy' is a more raw, textured percussive sound but then come plenty more feel-good grooves for sun-kissed dance floors such as 'Being Free.'

Review: 'Italo Disco Donna' compiles the efforts of the many female singers to contribute to the 80s Italo disco scene. Just six tracks across two sides of wax chart everything from romantic ballads to electropop experiments, from the honest and naive emotings of Luna & Black Connection's 'Flame' to the short-circuitted sonic circus that is Patrizia Pellegrino's 'Bandito'. Mondo Groove have once again reestablished themselves as among the best Italo pushers around, as this is a quality EP of truly original gems.

Review: We're big fans of what the Whiskey Pickle label has been doing over the course of its first few releases. This 10th outing from Silver City is another case a point. Across four fine cuts, it explores deep house and Balearic sounds with real heart. 'Atalaya' opens with dreamy and shiny synths up top sprinkling in some subtle cosmic energy and 'Nomad' then gets more down and dirty. 'Before' again casts you adrift under starry skies on a warm summer's night and 'Calisto' is for when the lights go down and the dancefloor is where you want to be.

Review: Six tracks by some of the less conspicuous names in 1980s Italo disco scene get pressed to a singular unifying 12" here. Commemorating Cruisin' Records' 40th anniversary (1983-2023), 'Takes Over' is a delightful compilation scouring the exclusive vaults of its back catalogue, with label mainstay Nello Jay handling curation duties. Largely centring on the year 1985, two cuts from, 'Japanese Girl' and 'Lady Fantasy', come courtesy of Max Him, while the likes of 'For Your Sweet Information' by PJ Marcus, 'In Your Eyes' by Roxana', and 'Heigh Ho' by Fabian Nesti all stomp, gyrate, and whoop away, indulging the very same escapist fantasies as those involved in the scene back then.

Review: Chicago outfit Wavelength tap into the funk traditions of bands like Parliament here with a seductive and rather sleazy new EP for Soulistic 360. The whole thing has been arranged by Windy City soul innovator Rahaan and comes on white marbled vinyl 12". Opener 'Can You Handle This Funk' is slow, steamy, sensuous with its languid kicks, live, raw drums and drawled vocals all luring you into the groove. The remix is a subtle teak of the original and on the flip is 'Kemetic Dance Party' which brings more Afro style drums and some bold sax lines to get things going in a more energetic way.