Back catalogue: Disco/Reediciones

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: 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: During the latter stages of the "Philly Soul" era, New York remixer Tom Moulton delivered a string of inspired, DJ friendly reworks for the Philadelphia International label. For proof, check this fine selection of classic Moulton mixes for the storied imprint. Check first his version of Archie Bell and the Drells' "Where Will You Go When The Party's Over", which he brilliantly teases out and increases in intensity over nine spellbinding minutes. The funkier flex of People's Choice's "Jam, Jam, Jam (All Night Long)" is a sweaty, low-down treat, while the Teddy Pendergrass rework is a soaring disco classic in the Philly Soul style. Best of all, though, is the string-drenched disco celebration that is his mix of Lou Rawls' "See You When I Git There".

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: West End's double-pack re-edit series continues, with long-standing UK electrofunk hero and scalpel rework specialist Greg Wilson sharing a quartet of revisions. There are airings for two of Wilson's most sought-after scalpel works from the "Credit To The Edit" series - superb versions of Brenda Taylor's "You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It Too" and Raw Silk's "Do It To The Music" - as well as a couple of previously heard rearrangements that are on-point as per usual. Wilson first adds even more mind-altering delays and low-slung dub disco flavour to Forrrce's "Keep On Dubbin'", before superbly stretching out the mostly instrumental "Melt Down Mix" of Shirley Lites' synth-laden peak-time classic "Heat You Up".

Review: Reissued from the 1983 original press on House Of Music - and subject to many a reissue since, for good reason - the Italian duo BWH hear their enduring classic 'Livin' Up / Stop' rereleased once more. Something about the collaborative effrots of Stefano Zito and Helene Zito made for a dizzying concoction in Italo, and the lasting interest in this single is backed up by the song's squeezy-clean mix and Hi-NRG synth rollicks. 'Stop' on the B-side, too, is slower and more rapacious, and without it, the single wouldn't be the same.

Review: Mondo Groove is one of the leading purveys or disco, Italo and nu-disco and it has been for ages. This new and limited 12" is packed with four hard to find gems from between the years of 1983 and 1988. They have all been taken from the original master tapes for this special reissue. Camomilla's chugging and snappy 'Queen Of The Night' opens up with a squelchy arp and heavenly melodies, Noa-Noa gets more cosmic and De Dion offers the drama and neon colour of 'Sexy Cola' with a fine extended version while Sandy Samuel's 'I Like Sado Music' is a loose limbed percussive workout.

Review: Vintage Pleasure Boutique is an excellently named label out of Poland that is fast approaching its 20th releases. This latest 12" is another dazzling Italo disco gem that arrives on translucent yellow vinyl. Claudia T.'s 'Fatal Destination' arrived originally back in 1989 at the height of the genre's popularity and very much takes you back there with its cold but compelling synth sounds and crashing drums, all very reminiscent of the era. The soaring vocals brings the glorious hook next to zippy lead synths. This was a bit hit back in the day and is sure to win over just as many global dancers second time around.

Review: If you’re serious about the legacy of Italo disco, Claudia T’s ‘Dance With Me’ should already be a familiar classic. Polish label Vintage Pleasure Boutique have revived this essential piece of Euro party gear with a range of versions to suit all manner of dancefloor situations, leading in with the original uptempo ‘Dance Version’ before dropping the tempo in seductive fashion with the ‘AP Mono Remix’. Chris Van Buren jacks it back up with some pointed Lately bass heat that holds a laser-eyed focus on the club, while the ‘Vocoder Version’ operates as a spiced up dub with some choice robs-vocal processing.

Review: Disco heads take note, here's a reissue that's been a long time coming. Cordial only have one record to their name, so perhaps it should have been called Their First (and Last), but that of course only adds to the appeal for devoted diggers. Lovingly repressed by Past Due, this three-tracker from 1979 is fit to burst with musicality, from the uptempo flourishes of 'Wave' to heartstring-tugging 'Special Love'. It's absolutely rooted in the era, with a high-end sound which makes it frankly shocking they never recorded more after this golden gem. Sharks be damned, let the music reach those who truly appreciate it.

Review: First released in 1981 in the wake of the muscular, robo-disco epics 'Megatron Man' and 'Menergy', 'Get a Little' has long been one of Patrick Cowley's most underrated singles - or at least far-less celebrated. As this reissue proves, the track has lost none of its lustre over the years. A full-vocal number featuring a super-catchy chorus, the original mix (B1) and contemporaneous remix (B2) sit somewhere between electrofunk, Cowley's own brand of electronic disco and what we'd now call Italo-disco. It's a far-sighted sound that still sounds fresh all these years on. The A-side of this edition also boasts two contemporary updates from Alan Dixon, who adds subtly beefed-up house beats and a tidy nu-disco feel on both the 'Love Attack' and 'DJ Friendly Mix' variations.

Review: Having previously produced two tidy remixes of overlooked Patrick Cowley gem 'Get a Little', Alan Dixon has returned to the late, great producer's catalogue in order to rework another lesser-celebrated cut. This time round, he's turned his hand to Megatron Man album track, 'Lift Off', a typically throbbing, muscular vocal number that sits somewhere between thrusting robo-disco, sparkling electrofunk and synth-pop. Dixon first adds a little low-end grunt on the re-edit style 'Love Attack Mix', before delivering a sturdier and easier-to-mix 'DJ Friendly version'. On the flip you'll find Cowley's original and a rare, club-ready remix from the early '80s.

Review: The cover art for this limited 7" is worth the overprice alone and very much captures the nostalgic feel of the 80s disco sounds you will find within. This one marks Davey H's (aka David Humphrey) debut release for Six Nine Records and surely there will be many more after it because 'Keep Movin'' is a gem. The drums are lithe and lively, the vocals full of heart and soul and the chords cosmic. On the reverse is a T Groove UK remix that slows things down a little and ups the heft of the drums.

Review: Parisian jazz-funk, disco and boogie band Chatobaron - an outfit helmed by multi-instrumentalist Frank Chatona - have previously worked in the studio with house and nu-disco mainstay Art of Tones, so it's no surprise to see them recruiting the mighty Dimitri From Paris to mix their latest single. His A-side 'Club Vocal' mix is a genuinely riotous and celebratory affair, with strong group vocals (singing about how much they love 'your' music) and heady horns rising a jolly and joyous, piano-sporting disco-funk groove rich in low-slung bass and Cerrone style percussion. It comes accompanied not by one of Dimitri's deconstructed dubs, but rather an equally excitable 'Club Instrumental' mix that boasts all the goodness of his A-side mix minus the vocals.

Review: Earlier this year, French disco and jazz-funk combo Chatobaron joined forces with fellow Parisian Dimitri From Paris for the rather good 'I Like (The Music That You Play)'. While that was a wholehearted disco workout, this speedy sequel sees the band (and their high-profile collaborator) explore their West Coast jazz-funk influences via an inspired workout full to bursting with killer instrumental solos, dusty grooves, memorable motifs and a genuinely killer, cowbell-sporting percussion brerak. This time round, there are no Dimitri From Paris remixes; instead, dubbed-out disco favourites the Idjut Boys are on hand to smother the track in tape echo and dub delay. The result is a typically spaced-out, low-slung affair that naturally makes the most of the band's killer bassline and layered percussion sounds.

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: Disco Segreta unveils a mesmerising tale from late 1970s Italian disco that spotlights Sicilian maestro Franco D'Accardi. Leading ASA (Artisti Siciliani Associati), Franco blended genres including disco, folk and rock when, in 1979, he collaborated with American model Adrienne Edwards, releasing 'Mystic Night' and 'Disco Dancing' on a limited 45 RPM record. 'Mystic Night' electrifies with its fusion of drums, congas, and Adrienne's vocals creating a seductive disco masterpiece. Disco Segreta revitalizes these gems, including the B-side's vibrant rendition of Stanley Turrentine's 'Disco Dancing,' preserving their allure for contemporary audiences. These reissues celebrate the twilight of Italy's golden disco era in impeccable remastered form.

Review: During the 1980s, Fred Ventura (real name Federico Di Bonaventura) was a well-known name in his native Italy, moving from obscure new-wave and Italo-disco underground hero to dance music-influenced synth-pop hero. Here, the veteran's 21st century collaboration with Paolo Govetti, Italoconnection, reworks four of his most loved tunes from the 80s. They begin by delivering a cheery, melody-driven nu-Italo take on 'Wind of Change', before re-framing Fairlight-heavy 1988 classic 'Hearbeat' as a Bobby Orlando-esque chunk of Hi-NRG excellence. Their take on 'Lost In Paris' is a funky, arpeggio-driven throb job that doffs a cap to the power synth-pop popular in Europe at the tail end of the 1980s, while the new version of 'The Years' is a glossy, peak-time-ready slab of classic-sounding big studio Italo-disco.

Review: Fresh, bustling release magic by Tokyo-based edit/remix label Funtown, featuring a catchy and percussive disco cut replete with obscure, nigh-unidentifiable samples. Like scouring a neon-lit, Chevrolet-packed city at night - and being bowled over at the sheer wealth of nightclubs to visit and streets to drive down - the eponymous Funtown beefs up the percussion on 'Bigger Fun', extending and teasing the original elements of whichever obscurity made up the backbone of this texturally rich, limited-edition release.

Review: Newcastle's Hot Biscuit Recordings pull the strings behind many a white label sub-imprint, one of which is the elusive Funtown Records. The orchestrator of this edits series is obscure, and so are the sample sources for each of the edits heard on this 12". On the A-side, we hear a tight-lipped James Brown-style breakdown and ensuing boogie number, on which it is insisted that we "know what makes (this singer) feel alright". Good to know! The B-side, meanwhile, errs far further in the direction of instrumental synthfunk, proving the versatile mettle of this raucous reworker.

Review: If you like sensuous and slow motion grooves with hints of dub, reggae and disco all packaged up in super bawdy soul then look no further - this new 12" features a pair of singles that were first put out on 7" by Risco Connection's Otis Gayle. Up first is the glorious 'Sexy Eyes' which was a worldwide charting success and Dr Hook now brings new reggae vibes to his cover version, then on the flip is Domenic Troiano's 'We All Need Love', again with a mix of dubby disco and reggae stylings that have been draw out into extended format to make for a more lasting impact on the dancefloor.

Review: Gillespie & Co. - produce of the British city of Gloucester, and helmed by the mighty Andrew Gillespie - here serve up a weird and wonderful slice of international-soul-dub-everything. 'Keep On Doin' What You're Doing' is an ode to "keeping on trucking", a mantra for stoic steely-facedness we're all too used to in this country. Influenced by the sound of niche label Starsoul Records, this gem is mainly a collab between Gillespie and vocalist Dolly James, formally a backing singer for the likes of Van Morrison and Mick Hucknall. Wonky, filtered, sating and full of pan-flute and artificial handclaps, we're bowled over by this disco-soul gem.

Review: Texan psych-funk fun time outfit Golden Dawn Arkestra get some remix treatment via this double pack from Razor-N-Tape, which leads in with Austin Ato's positively dreamy deep house version of "Children Of The Sun". JKriv takes on "Cosmic Dancer" and makes it into a slick disco-fied workout that adheres to the RNT vibe, while Dicky Trisco takes the track and makes it into a suitably interstellar strutter heavy on the synth lines. Then then the second slab of wax offers up a side each to the original versions, from the Afrobeat-indebted "Children Of The Sun" to the sweet and starry-eyed disco of "Cosmic Dancer".

Review: The third instalment of NeighbourSoul rhythm's limited vinyl-only treatment of space-age nu-disco and funk isn't to be messed with. Straight to the point, the opening 'Love Attack' is a fast-paced guitar-led disco-funk banger - no warm-up, just dancing. Track 2, 'Dream Machine' is out-of-this-world, literally, with its vocal cosmic pinings of an android-dominated future scape against a relentless synth pattern.

Side B brings us back down to earth, to the middle of the night in the dance hall, 'Never Gonna Let You Go' is a mid-tempo groover that commands your joints to keep busting shapes no matter how tired your body tells you to feel. The guitar leads you into a false sense of security before the vocal adlibs and hypnotic brass pump the fever directly into you. 'San Fran Jubilee' closes the four-track, a nostalgic and sweeping crescendo of uplifting mid-tempo disco with some damn good sax.

Review: A really cool concept from Expansion here; one side is a reissued seminal classic, the other is a contemporary version. And what a way to start the start the series; hard bop hero Johnny Hammond influenced pretty much every soul, jazz, rare groove and funk artist who've followed in his path, and the joyously unpredictable "Los Conquistadores Chocolates" is one of his best. Naturally Japanese jazz outfit Quasimode are an ideal remix choice. Known for their wildstyle riffage and signature switches, they've paid the utmost respect to Hammond.

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: There can't be many out there who aren't familiar with Geraldine Hunt's 1980 single 'Can't Fake The Feeling', a genuine disco-boogie anthem whose Chic-style groove, tasty orchestration, gnarled guitars and sing-along vocals are so familiar they're almost iconic. Whether it needs remixing is open for debate, but Carl Cox has at least done a sympathetic job. His full vocal 'remix' adds a little house bounce to the track while retaining most of the original elements, while his 'rework' re-imagines it as a stomping disco-techno slammer of the sort that Dave Angel used to be famous for. Throw in the peerless original mix and a hard-to-find, late-'80s 'dub' mix and you have an excellent package.

Review: French label Boogie Butt gets us moving and grooving once more with a tasty new EP in the form of The Boogievison EP. It features a lead single from Ian Ash & Ella May, 'I Want To Thank You,' which pairs some jazzy chord work with a low-slung and warm house groove. The bass is funky and the vocals are seductive. It comes as an instrumental as well as a more direct and harder-edged Mr Doris & D-Funk remix. On the flip is Jessie Wagner & Fostin meet Ian Ash with 'Try Again,' a lovely soulful house groove with sublime and emotive vocals over another lush bass guitar. All very sweet tunes, these.

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: Indeep's 1982 'Last Night A DJ Saved My Life' is a stone cold classic. It has been remixed several times over the years and never stops attracting new audiences with each passing generation. On this latest reissue we get the 1980s New York-based trio's still hard-to-beat original version as well as the acapella and Smeddles's More Ass mix and More Ass dub. They are subtle reworkings that tweak the original for a little more dancefloor heft but do nothing to distill its still golden charms and catchy hooks.

Review: Vincent Fries second album as Italo Brutalo, the throbbing, darkwave and EBM-influenced heaviness of Heartware, has been given the remix treatment. There's eight high-grade, club-focused reworks to choose from, with our picks of a very strong bunch including CYRK's dark, twisted and funk-fuelled electro re-imagining of 'Reach Horizon', the glossy, big studio Italo-disco brilliance of Mufti's rub of 'Dream Machine' (think Stephen Hague producing the Pet Shop Boys circa 1986) and Shubostar's thickset, melody-rich, Bobby Orlando-influenced rework of 'Heat of the Night'. We'd also recommend checking out the two takes of 'Into a Sampler'. There's a raw, intense and breathless dark Italo-disco tweak courtesy of Fabrizio Mammarella, and a more chugging, atmospheric rewire by Kris Menace.

Review: Jackie Touche's 'Watch Out' is a highly sought-after Italo gem and one Michiel Van Der Kuy's most appreciated vocal productions. It has been unearthed by Vintage Pleasure Boutique from the Made Up Records catalogue and is denied by the lushness and richness of the classic Juno 106 synthesizer at its core. It brings ever-rising progressions with classic 80s Linn Drum suns that are tinny and metallic and lovely and pure bait for fans of 80s electronic sounds. As well as the restored and remastered original version you also get new remixes by Prospero, Bellatrix, A.P. Mono and Chris Van Buuren.

Review: Deep house on a 7" is a rather rather thing but this 45rpm certainly is worth your while. It is the first we have heard from Jazztronik, all producer and keysman Ryota Nozaki, since his Universal Language album last year. He has been at this now for 24 years and brings all that know how to these two jams. 'Evoke' is a lively broken beat workout with squelchy bass and improvised jazz keys that are restless and energizing with rich leads. 'Beat Hopper' (The 3rd Session) appears on the flip with more innovative keys and party-pumping broken beats. A tasteful duo for sure.

Review: As we roll further into the New Year we're still enjoying the arrival of plenty of new labels. Now Is Not The Time is one of them from the US that takes a bow here with its first EP, Lost In The Message. It's a three-way collab between the legendary Rahaan plus DJ Reg and Jerome O. What they do is chip up classic samples and killer grooves form the worlds of funk, soul, house and disco with 'Lost In The Message' kicking off in freewheeling fashion. 'Get Up Out Tha Water' has oems nice big horn energy and plenty of whistles and 'The M8 Track' is a deeper house sound with a belting diva vocal.

Review: Taken from Lorraine Johnson's first 'Album The More You Want' released in 1977 on Prelude Records and produced by Jesse Boyce and Moses Dillard, this single has been reissued many times over the years but always shifts. It's a textbook bit of floor-filling r&b, disco and soul complete with a brilliantly well-defined bass riff, soaring Philly strings and an empowering vocal from Johnson. On the flip, 'Feed The Flame' is even more celebratory with its big horns and stomping rhythms. Both of these are timeless classics that will unite dance floors and music lovers of all shapes, shades and sizes.

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: To kick off new label Takashimashuzo, Kammoushiki - who is presumably the boss - is dropping two new 12"s in the same week. This is the second and like the first, it is inspired house music that takes its cues from the 80s Ibiza party landscape. 'Magic Hour' has gurgling basslines riding up and down the scale with innocent keys and lazy drums. It's heartwarming stuff from sundown. 'Nakanaide' then ups the Balearic quotient with even more prominent and arcing guitar licks over bongos and soulful chords.

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: The blistering, one-of-a-kind West Coast disco-funk record 'U Need Me' by LA Propinquity surfaces as part of a new body of historic productions initially intended for compilation on a full-length LP. For reasons undisclosed, this never happened; instead, Italian sonic exhumers Cannonball Records have been afforded the privilege of reissuing these tracks across a series of 7"s themselves. Hardly and criminially under-recognised in their day, the L.A. Propinquity were nonetheless composed of the angelic city's finest, with drummer James Gadson forming a prominent part. A blast from the 1970s, 'U Need Me' is a beaming slice of unrequited longing, set to delicious funk tones that are as maximized as they are unstrained.

Review: Sound Metaphors offshoot Miss You has been particularly astute at licensing and reissuing long-forgotten European disco gems. They've found another unknown classic here in the shape of two gorgeously string-laden 1977 disco covers of Andalucian folk songs by singing sisters Las Dablas, both of which originally appeared on the same Spanish seven-inch. 'Zorongo' is authentic-sounding, faintly threatening disco rich in heady Clavinet motifs, soaring orchestration, low-slung 'walking bass' and sprightly piano stabs, while 'Solo Y Sin Problemas' is a slightly funkier and sweeter slab of mid-tempo disco. Best of all, though, is the new 'No End Extension' - a breathlessly brilliant, dub disco-flecked revision that teases out the instrumental sections before finally dropping the sibling duo's lead vocals.

Review: Roberto Zanetti was also known as Savage and was a producer who was beloved among Italo disco enthusiasts. His work in the 80s helped to define the genre and this is one of the tracks he turned out that had a particular resonance. The outstanding production from 1987 is as likely to captivate dancefloors across Europe now as it was back then. It became a secret weapon for many DJs the first time around and here makes a special return with a reissue that features a bonus remix by Alex "A" and Patrick Delay, which was originally released in 1988 in Hong Kong.

Review: Definitely one for the collectors, Lime was Canadian duo (then husband and wife) Denis and Denyse LePage, and 'Angel Eyes' was originally the second single from their third studio album, 1983's Lime III. Almost 40 years later, the track has returned as a short form release, offering the original synth pop anthem, and a clubbier dub mix.

For many, though, not least Unidisc Canada, the label carrying this re-release, the major selling point is a remix - and something of a remodelling - courtesy of Turbo Recordings boss and dance music icon Tiga. Forsaking the rather smiley and bouncy original work, in favour of something grittier and altogether more dystopian, it's a masterclass of rough, gnarly broken electro, reworking and chopping vocals into disorientating loops, before finally introducing a kind of warehouse synth pop sound.

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: Luca LTJ Trevisi is LTJ Xperience and he began his DJ and producer career in the 80s. He was a resident at two of Italy's most acclaimed clubs and sure knows how to craft a tune. As well as his own originals he is a master of the remix and someone who can rework any cut to be even more potent not he floor. He proves that here with four new versions that span deep and dreamy and cosmic disco. He tackles Vasquez, Black Mighty Wax, Soultrend Orchestra and Papik & Sarah Jane Morris and turns each into gold.

Review: DJ Hunee afro monster gets an official repress for Hot Casa in France. Calling it massive would bit an understatement.

Review: Music producers do tend to be rare breeds, so it's not a surprise to hear of a label series exploring the theme. 'Uncommon Species II' is the second installment of the series from the Swiss label Phantom Island, bringing together various artists for five curios centring on oddball future disco, nu-disco, and re-edits. Highlights include the dream-pop-Balearic Kejeblos Remix of Moreeats' 'Forever Fun' - in which a rogue male vocal seductively implores us to light his fire - and CCO's 'Cyanea' - a standout acid disco number. Frankly, though, all the tracks here are unusual bangers, packed with extra additions that only a rare breed of artist could add.

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: 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: Australian DJ and producer Dave Mathmos serves up an obscure edits entree, sampling/reworking a whopping seven disco cuts from the late 1970s and early 1980s, but adding just enough modern flair to essentially make them his own. A well-rounded, sticky quality is heard on this septagonal crock of heaters, with the downtempo slink-funk of 'Late At Night' and the equally sumptuous, string-backed plod of 'Wonderful Feeling' remaining our highlights.

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.