Review: Audiosex and Hanoben stepped out together on Discos Capablanca back in 2018 with the on-point acidities of Phone Sex, and now they're teaming up once again for this killer clutch of edit tackle for the always interesting Duca Bianco label. Rather than the well-mined stocks of disco and funk that usually get dusted down by edit scavenegers, these two have turned to synth pop and German new wave sounds, coming up with four deep cover, deliciously dishevelled pieces which align perfectly with the brand of acidic club music they make themselves. 'Elvira's Katzenfisch' is a prime case in point - a broad, sweeping slice of synthwave which sounds like it might slide off the reel to reel at any moment, while 'Frank's Einsamkeit' swells into a searing 303 burner for the darkest dungeon dancefloors.
Review: Legalize Lambada Vol 6 brings a vibrant Italo homage that showcasing the talents of Albion, Ric Piccolo, and Hysteric. Side-1 kicks off with Albion's 'Nucleare,' an early 80s DIY sound track seasoned with robotic Italian vocals, serving as a unique introduction. Next, Ric Piccolo's 'Disco Teacher' delivers a potent mix of early disco and 80s electro sounds, setting the stage for some serious dancefloor action. On Side-2, Ric Piccolo returns with 'Alright,' continuing the danceable energy with another infectious groove. Finally, Hysteric's 'Moment' offers a moody, keyboard-rich Italo house track, exuding a sexy, soulful vibe that prompts deep, introspective dance moves. This compilation is for fans of Italo disco and disco and those seeking something fresh in these genres. Legalize Lambada Vol 6 is steeped with that Italo sound with modern twists, making it perfect for both nostalgic disco enthusiasts and new listeners alike. Whether you're looking to fill a dancefloor or enjoy some soulful Italo vibes, this release delivers.
Review: The third edition in Ten Lovers' Coin series hears Marcello Cassanelli, Caruso and Helen McCormack fuse churnout disco, chicken pickin' guitar and Rhodes solos, in an extravaganza of fresh, sartorial dance music. Never pressing too hard, Cassenelli's 'Starlight' and 'Tropical Breeze' go easy on the master channel, with unhurried pan flutes, roiling strings and twizzling G-synths stuck loosely to a soft but firm electro-tropical backbeat. 'Dream Horizon' is a brilliant outerlude on which to close the side. On the flip, Caruso & Helen McCormack allude equally to the Manchester Street Soul scene of the late 80s with 'Have & Hold', whose razor-edge r&b vocals and low-slung progression lend the record a surprise twist. Their 'Love You More', meanwhile is lushness personified, before Caruso's 'Central' chugs magnficently towards the run out groove with oozing synths and glitterball glamour.
Review: Charlie Charlie's 'Save Us' is a track brimming with raw emotion, and Mondag's remix feels like a perfect counterpart, bringing a subtle touch of melancholy with its soft saxophone solo. The track maintains its weight, but Mondag's approach gives it a dream-like quality, coaxing out the depths of its aching beauty. Bella Boo's edit brings a noticeable shift, tightening the rhythms and infusing the track with a sharper energy, but it never loses the soul of the original. Gerd Janson, meanwhile, offers an ambient version that feels like an entirely different experience - less immediate, but no less absorbing. On the other side, Hypernatural's remixes expand on the dreamlike, almost otherworldly feeling of the originals. Knightlife's take on 'Spirit Walk' stretches the song's already fluid nature, making it feel weightless, while Gerd Janson's remix of 'Stormfront' adds a darker, more reflective mood.
Review: Having already introduced us to many of their regular 'pals' - re-editors specialising in Balearic and cosmic oddities - Manchester's Drum Chums crew now wants is to meet their 'percussion pals'. They operate within similar sonic territory if this first multi-artist missive is believed, albeit with more of a penchant for dubbed-out drums. There's plenty to set the oulse racing throughout, from the metronomic dub-chug of Spice Route's incredible 'Gruler Dub' - a fine re-edit debut from the long-serving Bristol selector - and the expertly dubbed-out space disco trip that is DJ Pouffsouffle's 'Totally Manic'. Elsewhere, Manc stalwart Neil Diablo delivers the ultra-slow weird-wave pop of 'Starry Night', while Hysteric's 'Pinball' is a blue-eyed soul treat.
Rhano Burrell - "When Can I Call You" (feat Lisa Lee - Honey Dijon & Luke Solomon edit) (5:21)
Review: The second volume of edits of classic outings on Nu Groove records, assembling modern house heroes such as Dam Swindle, Phil Weeks, and Honey Dijon to re-fix tunes by the legendary Equation and The Burrell Brothers among others. Highlights include Dam Swindle's misty eyed extension of Equation's 'I'll Say A Prayer 4 U'- a perfect rainy day house anthem, and the paranoid phonk of Rhano Burrell's 'When Can I Call You' as remapped by Honey Dijon & Luke Solomon. Surefire party starters all round.
Review: Big Love's popular compilation-style A Touch Of Love series returns for a sixth instalment, with boss man Seamus Haji once again showcasing a quartet of tried-and-tested treats. Fittingly, he kicks things off with 'Serious', a kind of hbrid heavy garage-house/disco house affair featuring organ solos aplenty and vocals from Chicago legend Mike Dunn, before Moon Boots joins the dots between sweet 80s soul and nu-disco on the synth-powered vocal number 'In My Life'. Heavy, French Touch-inspired disco-house vibes are provided by DJ Fudge ('Escapade'), before Dutch rising star Danou P - with a little help from pal Jamie 3:26 on vocals - delivers the organ rich deep house/garage-house fusion of 'Fly'.
Review: The decorated Spanish producer and DJ Henry Saiz, who operates under the novel character moniker Hal Incandenza, has been in the scene for 15 years now. He comes to us this time with an EP under MM Discos, a 12" stringing together deep house, nu-disco and techno sensibilities mixed with classic vocal samples. The patchwork of genres is a floor filler, the sub bass sure to get heads rocking on 'Ceremony', the classic house references on 'Incivitas' being too perfect not to groove to. For something more retro futuristic and techno-house, Marvin & Guy punch in another fantastic remix for this record, giving their interpretation of 'Incivitas' a far more theatrical sound, less danceable and more thoughtful.
Review: Expansion is pushing the boat out for Record Store Day 2020. Chief among the label's must-check RSD releases is this 12", which offers up fresh re-edits - courtesy of an un-credited re-editor - of two sought-after cuts by late-'70s and early '80s West Coast fusionists Halo. The headline attraction is undoubtedly the fresh edit of the ultra-rare extended mix of 1981's 'Let Me Do It', a warm and groovy modern soul/boogie jam primarily known for its' familiar "let me do until you're satisfied" vocal refrain. The band's shorter original version is also included in the package, alongside a shorter re-edit of their sparkling, synth-heavy 1988 single "Life". In keeping with the more celebrated A-side, it's an energetic, life-affirming earworm.
Music Makes The World Go 'Round (instrumental) (3:30)
Review: Numero's Hottest Sounds Around collection captures obscure late-70s grooves from the Greater Antilles. Trinidad's Stan Chaman's Semp label delivered Wilfred Luckie's quirky 'My Thing' and the Hamilton Brothers' calypso-disco hit 'Music Makes The World Go 'Round' in 1978. Meanwhile, across the sea, Frank Penn's G.B.I studio recorded Stephen Colebrook's Doobie Brothers-inspired 'Stay Away From Music,' appealing to cruise ship audiences. All three tracks are packaged in a custom Numero sleeve, echoing the design of Edward Seaga's influential Caribbean music label, WIRL (West Indies Records Ltd.). This compilation revives the vibrant, eclectic sounds of the late 70s, providing a fresh look at the music that once enlivened the Caribbean scene.
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: Two out-and-out rarities from Hancock's Columbia-era output. Strictly the sole preserve of DJ promo back in 79/80, the clue is in the title 'special' disco remixes. Smooth, soulful and arranged with such style, every element of Herbie's essential ingredients is brought to the fore in its own time with its own space. "Stars In Your Eyes" swoons with a soulful ballad feel while "Saturday Night" pumps and jumps with party-pulling allure. Simply essential.
Review: If we had a pound for every hush-hush Sade remix or re-edit we'd heard over the years, we'd likely have enough to fund a night out - or at least a light lunch at an overpriced London restaurant. This one comes from - surprise, surprise - a mystery artist, on the freshly minted Illegal Paris rework imprint. It sees our shadowy hero give his, her or their take on 1984's 'Hang On To Your Love', re-framing the classic cut as a smooth, subtly nu-disco tinged slab of warming deep house excellence built around a rising and falling bassline, crunchy drums and tech-house tinged electronic flourishes. The superb full vocal A-side version comes accompanied by a dancefloor dub style 'instrumental'. This features occasional vocal snippets and loads more spacey synth sounds.
Review: It's hard to imagine how different club culture would be without Ron Hardy, the legendary American pioneer who set out the blueprint for how DJs should play. His own edits often formed plenty of the backbone of his sets back in the 70s and for many years the RDY label has been serving up some of his most reliable and go-to records. This 54th installment is a tasteful four-tracker that draws on house, gospel, disco and soul. 'I Have A Dream' kicks off with some raw Chicago jack, 'Dub Love' is a stripped-back sound full of menace and 'Hot Hands' gets busy with textural claps and screwy acid getting ever more wild. 'Acid' shuts down with mid-tempo drums full of rawness.
Review: Second time around for Harlem Hustlers' surging disco-house anthem, which first appeared in stores way back in 2005. This time round, the Italian duo have reworked it considerably, placing underground boogie legend Orlando Johnson's lead vocal front and centre while opting for some more organic-sounding instrumentation (the original was more sample-heavy). On their '2023 Rework' they channel the sound of Groove Culture label bosses Mickey More and Andy Tee, wrapping Johnson's vocal, tidy horns, flanged guitars and classic-sounding piano riffs around a warming bass guitar part and crunchy house drums. It's a very classy and far more authentically 'disco'-sounding track than their 2005 original. Their flip-side 'Get On The Floor' mix, meanwhile, has a smoother, more synth-heavy disco-house sound, less vocal and even more of the excellent horn sounds.
Review: There have now been almost 100 hundred entries on Mr Bongo's Brazil 45 series and as far as we can tell not one of them has been a dud. This time they opt for a big and airy soul sound from The Harmony Cats. They were an all female vocal quintet that hailed from Sao Paulo and banded together in 1976. Most prolific in the disco days, the b-side here is their best known tune outside of Brazil. It's got a cosmic breakbeat and light vocals that soar to the skies. A-side 'Seja Como Nos (De Pe No Chao)' is a just as sweet sound that transports you to Latin America in an instant.
Review: The Brazil45 series has always been pure gold and now come a pair f beauties from Harmony Cats, a vocal quintet-turned-trio from Sao Paulo known for their disco-era hits. Harmony Cats' 'Theme' from 1976 is their most recognised track outside Brazil and is inspired by Rhythm Heritage's Barretta's Theme with its spacey breakbeats, lush vocals and percussive flair, all of which have made it a true crossover classic. On the B-side, 'Seja Como Nos (De Pe No Chao)' delivers an exuberant Brazilian twist on The Jacksons' 'Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)'- it's a guaranteed floor-filler with radiant disco energy and Harmony Cats' signature vocal style.
Review: Two years on from his first appearance on Brooklyn's finest re-edit imprint, Martin Hayes returns with a second salvo of DJ-friendly disco revisions. The Leipzig producer goes for the jugular from the start, delivering a slightly straightened-out, house-friendly tweak of a celebratory disco gem on boisterous opener "Easy Come Easy Go", before serving up a sizeable edit of a slo-mo orchestral disco groover ("Tiff"). He returns to peak-time pastures via EP highlight "Turn You On", a wickedly up-tempo anthem built around razor-sharp strings, jaunty piano riffs, bustling beats and a seriously good "walking" bassline. To round things off, Hayes delivers "Love Shine", a far warmer and groovier concoction blessed with breezy piano riffs, extended percussion breaks and incessant vocal snippets.
Review: Earlier this year, London's long-serving Heavy Disco crew re-ignited their re-edit series after seven years away via a fine 12" containing tasty reworks of killer boogie-soul and disco-not-disco cuts from Tavares and the Police. On this similarly essential follow-up, they return to their string-drenched disco roots. A-side 'Disco Amnesia' is simply superb, with the scalpel-wielding cockneys successfully extending a sweet, string-laden disco gem and successfully taking it to soulful new heights. Over on side B, 'Let's Be Free' is a tidy rearrangement of an electric piano solo-heavy disco-meets-jazz-funk jam, while closing cut 'Unconditional Love' is the kind of mid-tempo disco-soul sing-along that's destined to feature as the 'end of night tune' at many a forthcoming party.
Review: Remarkably, almost a decade has passed since the first missive from re-edit crew Heavy Disco (AKA Ashley Beedle, Dave Jarvis and Darren House) landed in stores. Here the London collective returns for the first time in four years with two more tried-and-tested dancefloor rubs. "Run Down World" is particularly delicious, delivering a groovy revision of what sounds like one of the Police's hazier and more groove-based moments (IE there's less reggae influence and more of an AOR disco flex - think great grooves and flanged, spaced-out guitars). On side B it's all about "Times Are Bad", a fine extended revision of Tavares' deep disco/Steely Dan-goes-jazz-funk rub "Bad Times" that seems eerily fitting for the situation the world is in.
Review: Italian producer Heinrich Dressel has made a name for himself in a very focused pursuit of 70s and 80s synth wave soundtracks. Relishing in the horror and keeping one hand on the schlocky funk, he's graced the likes of Cyberdance, Strange Life and Mannequin with his Giallo-rooted sound, and now he's returning to Slow Motion with an exquisite EP of brooding, creepy crawlies that kick down low and keep it chilly up top. Paying tribute to iconic synth chips on 'CEM 8220' and exploring sweeter tones on the cascading 'Arpeggio Jawa', this is Dressel at his best.
Review: Italian singer Elena Ferretti was popular on the Italo and Eurobeat scene between the early '80s, produced by the likes of Giacomo Maiolini, Mauro Farina, Sergio Dall'Ora and Giancarlo Pasquini. One of her best known hits is the song "My World" (as Sophie). Here we have a reissue of Feretti's highly valued Italo classic (to those who know) in the form of "Witch" under the Helen alias - with which she used for half a dozen or so tracks in her career. A typically neon-lit Italo disco anthem of the timeless variety, with additional remixes by Centre Neptune chief Flemming Dalum and mad Aussie Hysteric - both of them giving the track a nice reshape for modern dancefloors.
Review: The Demon Singles Club offers up a carefully curated selection of sought-after and classic tracks by legends from days gone by. Next up in the spotlight is Greg Henderson with some super lush disco and boogie vibes recorded back in the early 80s by the enigmatic artist. He only made a few records in his short career but they all made their mark and this one, 'Dreamin,' is a case in point: it will fill any floor with its catchy grooves and lush riffs which have all been reasserted for this special reissue project.
Review: Manchester's Hidden Spheres becomes the latest artist to showcase his cosmic, percussion-heavy reworks and re-edits on Talking Drums' offshoot Drum Chums. As you'd expect, the sometime Lobster Theremin, Moods & Grooves and Rhythm Section International producer is in fine form from the off, delivering ear-catching, mildly Balearic reworks of genuine obscurities. The highlight for us is 'Stolen', a version of an early South African kwaito number that's big on proto-house bass, densely layered percussion, lo-fi synth melodies and fine lead vocals. Over on the reverse, 'You Better Dance' is a deliciously dreamy, reggae-influenced, mid-tempo Afro-Balearic treat, while 'Together' sounds like a re-wire of an eccentric bit of mid-to-late '80s bubblegum brilliance.
Review: Fresh from delivering a solid three-tracker on Drum Chums, Hidden Spheres returns to Rhythm Section International with what could be his most expansive and hard-to-pigeonhole EP to date. The Manchester producer excels on the A-side with 'Tanzen', a pleasingly nostalgic, warehouse-ready affair available in two distinctive forms: the breezy piano-sporting, summery, analogue-rich deep house gem that is the spine-tingling club mix, and the sweat-soaked, sub-heavy jack-track that is the 'Mate mix'. Elsewhere, he opts for weighty sub-bass, looped stabs and vintage turn-of-the-90s deep house vibes on 'Mind Over Mate' and reaches for sparse electro-not-electro beats on the late '80s early morning brilliance of 'Not Of This World'. To round off the EP, Paula Tape opts for hands-raised acid house nostalgia on her fine revision of 'Tanzen'.
Review: It's been a weird summer for sure in 2020, but you can improve yours by a guaranteed 100% with the addition of this hard to fine and often expensive 1980 great. High Frequency was a disco offshoot of Aleem, a boogie-funk, r&b and dance music trio formed in New York City. "Summertime" is the sort of bristling and infectious disco cut even the stony hearted can enjoy. The funky bassline, the feel good vocals, the lush chords - it's a real pearl of a track. The instrumental is just as feel good and uplifting. What a 7" this is.
Review: Some labels deal only in pristine soul legitness - and Celestial Echo are one such set of aesthetes. A reissues label, Celestial Echo focuses on modern soul and boogie, and is curated by Miche (Michael Davies) and Stu Clark. Following three impressively chosen sonic chrisms, all reissued in 2024 - releases by Glenda McLeod, Brutal Force and Winfield Parker - comes this fourth foray into one of the best-loved and perhaps only publicly known tunes by the obscure boogie singer Lisa Hill: 'I Am On The Real Side'. New York's Qit Records were the original purveyors of this track, though its initial obscurity is so baffling to us that we'd guess some case of derelict nobility was at play here; either that, or there was just this much amazing soul music being made in the big city at the time! Here, Hill proclaims her place on the right side of love, with a lyrical emphasis on the object of her passions proving themself to her before she submits.
Review: The first in a new series of split 12 inch releases from the Peoples Potential Unlimited camp, with both sides containing some exceptional 80s boogie action. The piano heavy croon of Hill's ''Delicate Rose'' features on the A Side due to popular demand after featuring on the PPU DVD. On the flip current ABC Wisconsin news anchor Roshell Anderson gets a reminder of former soul glo glories.
Are You Lonely? (Greg Wilson & Che Wilson mix) (5:57)
Are You Lonely? (The Revenge Redub) (7:04)
Are You Lonely? (Yam Who? re-edit) (6:13)
Review: Classic boogie-down antics for those that know on this wonderful old school production by short lived outfit Hipnotic. Alongside the wondrous rarity that is "Are You Lonely?", it also comes with four new interpretations of the much loved and sought-after funk fuelled gem. First up, Stockholm legend Peter Major aka Opolopo delivers his usual style of magic featuring an amazing bassline and slick neon-lit production style. Legend Greg Wilson is joined by Che Wilson to deliver smooth and lo-slung rework, while Scottish disco hero The Revenge does his usual slo-mo thang, before Midnight affiliated Yam Who? goes back to the program with his respectful edit.
Review: The Athens of the North label is a blessing for those whose tastes in soul, funk, disco and boogie tend towards the obscure and ludicrously hard-to-find. Their latest re-issue fits into both categories. Seemingly the only single they ever released, "Confrontation" came out in 1981 on Arista but copies have since proved incredibly hard to find; so hard, in fact, that original 7" singles now change hands online for nearly L300. The title track, produced by A Taste of Honey's Perry Kibble, is brilliant, though, delivering a soulful, heartfelt disco-funk jam full of smooth backing vocals, bubbling clavinet lines and deliciously righteous horns.
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.'
Please Take Me There (Makez vocal House remix) (6:30)
Please Take Me There (Sizmo A Capella dub mix) (6:39)
Review: House of Spirits made a fine debut on this label back in summer and now quickly follows it up with more sumptuous house sounds. It is an alias of Tom Noble, a mind full of soulful and blissed out musical ideas that he translates fantastically. 'Please Take Me There' is irresistibly cool and catchy with its funky bass riffs and many great guitar motifs all causing over a smooth groove. The Makez vocal House remix is deeper and has a hint of shuffling US garage to it, then the Sizmo A Capella dub mix ups the blissed out feels with new age melodies and supple, dubby drums.
Trip To Your Mind (Chris Hill & Robbie Vincent remix) (9:02)
Review: Second time around for Hudson People's most celebrated single, 1979's obscure and suitably hard to find 'Trip To Your Mind'. The track was originally released on a couple of different labels, and mixes from both 12-inches are featured on this reissue. The 'Hit House' version, which we think was mixed by the band's leader and in-house producer, is a superb dancefloor jazz-funk epic rich in disco-funk licks, a driving groove, jammed-out electric piano lines, punchy horns, occasional vocal refrains and duelling rock and jazz style guitar solos. On the flip you'll find the breezier and arguably more club-focused remix by UK jazz-funk legends (and Funk Mafia members) Chris Hill and Robbie Vincent, a version that dubs out the vocals a little, prioritises the percussion and adds some superb sax solos.
Review: Al Hudson & The Soul Partners' 'Spread Love' remains a cornerstone of Disco, emerging as a highlight from their 1978 album Spreading Love on ABC Records. This track, which has seen numerous covers and samples over the decades, is now officially licensed and remastered for the first time in 46 years by South Street Disco. The release offers a fresh perspective on this classic, with the A-side presenting the extended intro version as heard on the original album, while the B-side features the 1978 12" single version that plunges directly into the groove. This remastered edition not only celebrates the track's enduring legacy but also provides an opportunity for both new listeners and long-time fans to experience it anew.
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.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & Kaidi Tatham - "Doin' The Most" (7:32)
Matthew Law - "Dilla's Disco" (4:10)
Review: The Private Stock label is back with more of their irresistible house magic with a limited translucent red splattered 12" featuring some pretty big names. Terry Hunter kicks off with the sort of guitar-laced roller that you imagine would have been massive at Paradise Garage with 'Go Back Jack' then Ian Wallace brings big and sunny house stomps with his 'From Beginning To End.' DJ Jazzy Jeff & Kaidi Tatham then team up for the irresistibly feel-good disco, soul and house fusion that is 'Doin' The Most' and Matthew Law lays down dusty MPC drums with grinning bass and lo-fi atmospheres on the perfectly entitled 'Dilla's Disco.'
Review: This more than handy 7" single brings together two classic disco-era cuts from soul legend Willie Hutch. A-side "Easy Does It", which was originally featured on 1978's In Tune album, features Hutch in full-on Curtis Mayfield mode, singing passionately over a jaunty, jazz-funk influenced backing track laden with swirling strings, choral backing vocals (think Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" album) and Dexter Wansel style synthesizer solos. It's undoubtedly one of Hutch's finest moments and deserves to be in any serious soul head's collection. Flip for 1979's "Kelly Green", a sumptuous soul slow jam in which Hutch pines over a lost lover.
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