Back catalogue: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: Japanese live outfit, A Hundred Birds has a thing for creating classic covers. Over the course of their career, they've recorded countless covers, including organic, string-laden interpretations of techno scene staples such as "Blackwater" (originally recorded by Octave 8) and "Knights of the Jaguar" (The Aztec Mystic). Last year they offered up another warm and wonderous cover, this time of Stevie Wonder classic "All I Do". Here it gets a new lease of life courtesy of scalpel fiend Ryu The Man, who has delivered tightened-up, floor-friendly vocal and instrumental edits of the warm, rich, soulful and undeniably summery cover version. Both are rather good, though it's the vocal version that will win over dancers.

Review: Silky smooth Italian disco delights abound on this reissue from the ever reliable Archeo. Originally released in 1983, Mario Acquaviva's sought-after Balearic hit gets a much deserved repress to curb the sharks and bring these evergreen grooves to a wider audience. There are plentiful studio touchstones to appreciate here - a little whisper of Supertramp and Steely Dan alongside more overt disco grooves, with lead track "Notturno Italiano" being the stand-out hit. With a more mellow B-side including the sultry "Fortuna", this is a record as much about pure listening pleasure as party scenarios - sit back and let the sumptuous sound envelop you.

Review: New funk and soul grooves from Adesha and Vincent Kwok, the Italian vocalist and production duo responsible for a rain-made string of releases on Sleepers Records. 'Life's Too Short' and 'Blame Game' are infectious, talkboxing punchers; the former hears a muted guitar solo in its sultry breakdown, as if to say "don't be afraid of anything that stands in your way", while 'Blame Game' continues to deal with the tumult of difficult relationships, aiming to mood-set your next party with frank DX7 chords and 909s. This split single comes to a limited pink vinyl 7" and picture cover, and is limited to just 150 copies.

Review: Adesha and Vincent Kwok come together once more for a new transmission that takes its stylistic cues from "the glittering dance floors of the disco era to Minneapolis-inspired funk." These are lush tunes with gorgeous backing vocals, fine sax sounds and irresistible drums. First is 'Hot Mess' which is a classic disco workout with pumping drums and nice loos percussion under the soaring vocals and cosmic synth rays. 'Girl Fan' has a sizzling sax solo and describes the stages of fandom over punchy beats. This is the third collab from this pair on The Sleepers Record label.

Review: Here comes a second release on a mysterious unknown label from someone known as Admin, who has previously landed on a VA on Banoffee Pies. That was a deep house track but these two are very much lush and summery disco vibes. 'Halo' opens up with the sort of open-air Mediterranean gorgeousness that has you picturing yourself sipping cocktails by a twinkling ocean in the late afternoon sun. 'Rivers' then picks up the pace a little but remains awash with musicality and soul-stirring chords over organic, loose drums. Perfect stuff.

Review: Of all of the tracks that seemed to define the soul, funk and disco revival lead by Floating Points and his co-run Melodies International label, it is the title track off this albumfrom Aged in Harmony. It was a real anthem for the multi-hour DJ sets at Plastic People, for his cult-ish NTS shows and the parties he played to record obsessives all over the world. And it's easy to see why - the steamy sax, the classy strings, the hooky bass motifs and the lovely drums. Here it get served up twice, along with a load more tunes that include sentimental steppers like 'I Feel Like Dancing' and the lush Balearic melodies of 'Theme For Someone Special.'

Review: Not just a beautiful compliment to pay someone special, but a hugely influential record that inspired Floating Points' now legendary Plastic People parties, too... A super obscure and expensive one at that. Now re-issued on Floating Points' own Melodies imprint - across three 45s - the Detroit band get full exposure with the deliciously funky main track enjoying two versions before dipping into the softer, more pastoral charms of "I Feel Like Dancing" and the string-led swoon festival, "Theme For Someone Special". We close on two contrasting grooves; an earthy ballad ("Trust Me") and a Whitfield & Strong style funk instrumental ("Dance Awhile"). Cheers Sam!

Review: An iconic electro boogie / go-hop party jam from 1981, everything about AM FM's delivery on their debut single screams funk perfection; the big synth splashes, the sprightly keytar, the super-juiced basslines and the belting vocals all fuse in such harmony it still dazzles over 35 years later. Here we're treated to two subtly crafted versions from maestro Muro as the vocals take predominance on side A while side B is all about the immense instrumental which breaks down to its bare breaks before building back up again with pure party panache. Timeless.

Review: DJ Kawasaki fires up his tools and gets to work on a couple of tasty new edits here. The first is a slow disco mix of The Ananda Project's 'Cascades Of Colour' which is lush, low riding and built on loopy drums with silky synths that are finished with some sprinkles of cosmic melody up top. Sublime. Blaze's 'We Are One' then gets a special Fusion Funk Re-Groove mix which has more astral synth work ringing out from a tight and funk arrangement with lush bass lines and nice organic drums.

Review: A new Andermay release will always excited fans of retro-future disco sounds, Italo chords and nostalgic beats. This latest 12" on Blanco Y Negro kicks off with the unashamed throwback sounds of '1989' with its glistening keys and slivery drums. There is then big sentimental euro-dance sounds like 'Berlin' and the hi-nrg stepper that is 'La Antartida.' The final original is 'El Viaje Inesperado,' another rueful vocal layered over chilly 80s production and soppy chords. instrumentals of all three tunes are also included and are likely to find favour with most.

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: Apparel Wax have all eyes on summer with this hot new 7" which starts a new sub-series from the long running crew. It has the in house production team at the buttons for two brilliantly deep and jazzy hope outings. The first is a nice warm soulful house roller with clipped and funky beats, a fine female vocal and endless depth. Then, on the flip, 'Track 2' is damn sexy with its lavish sax lines drifting up top over percussive grooves that are laid back and loved up. Rather fascinatingly, this one comes with "non GM seeds".

Review: Apparel Wax quickly follow up their summery sounding first 7" with a second sizzling offering that is perfect for warm nights of outdoor dancing. The label collective is behind the music which kicks off with 'Track 1', a slinky mid-tempo house cut with jazzy sax lines lighting it up and dusty drums moving your feet. On the flip things are just as airy and carefree, with 'Track 2' featuring a cute vocal and lots of fluid synth expressionism. Like the first drop, this second one comes with "non-GMO seeds."

Review: Aside from reissuing a whole heap of glorious boogie material from the 1980'sm People's Potential Unlimited also have their own distribution roster, and Cosmic Chronic is right up there waving the flag for the US stable. To kick-start 2016, we have a four-tracker from newcomer Arcade Odyssey, and as you'd expect, they're every but as funky and lo-fi as those instrumentals from back in the day. "Spring Yard Zone" kicks off with massive electro baseline, tropical melodies, and a hazy vibe, while "Beautiful Forest" breaks the beat down and goes Eastern with its synths. Flip the plate and you'll be confronted by the huge, stabbing bassline and fast beats of the utterly gnarly "Neon Night Riders" - easily the gem of the lot - and wound down thanks to the gentler, more tame waters of "Port Town". Sick.

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: From the dedicated Neopolitan archivists Periodica comes a holy grail reissue of a deep cover, highly coveted release from 1983. The groove on Tonino Balsamo's 'Sta Guagliona Mo Dda' is an absolute neck-snapper, with the toughest drum machine beat carrying slinky b-lines and slick synth lines alike while Balsamo flows in a semi-rap style over the top. It's a monster given a fresh master to cut it with any modern jam you care to throw its way in the mix, and the instrumental is on hand for those who want to zero in on that throbbing arpeggio. Also watch out for the dirty beatdown 'Voglia E Mare', which lays the synths on even thicker.

Review: Sandy Barber's 'I Think I'll Do Some Stepping (On My Own)' came as part of 'The Best Is Yet To Come', the singer's 1978 album epitomising her influence over the genre of disco-soul. Now two remixers, OPOLOPO and John Morales, lead the charge in fleshing ever more joy out of this righteous original. 'You think you're so smart, well you're mistaken', goes Barber's refrain, as OPOLOPO's rework brightens nearly element to gaussian overload. John Morales' version, meanwhile, is much more emotive and belting, happily laboured in its faux-unquantized production.

Review: B. B. Seaton aka Harris Lee Seaton is one of those reggae vocalists who appeared on a dizzying amount of records. He has over 450 credits on Discogs and 22 albums. 'Dancing In The Moonlight' from 1986 is typical of his sound and brings an electronic feel to dub and reggae. An original will cost you the thick end of 200 quid so this reissue is well overdue. The A-side here is seven-plus minutes of reggae disco funk with a killer bassline, proto-house claps and back and forth vocals that just get the dancefloor going. A version and an instrumental close out the package, which arrives via Studio 1.