Back catalogue: Disco/Reediciones

Review: If Electricity is anything to go by, Eno Williams and his Ibibio Sound Machine band were particularly productive during the various pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and '21. The resultant album, the rightly acclaimed group's fourth studio set to date, is predictably inspired, with hired-in producers Hot Chip wisely choosing to subtly tweak rather than totally overhaul the band's distinctive trademark fusion of kaleidoscopic synth-funk, West African disco and boogie, '80s electro and the more electronic end of the post-punk spectrum. Highlights include the throbbing, polyrhythmic Afro-electro of 'Electricity' and the acid-sporting nu-disco brilliance of 'All That I Want', but it's the set's overall feel - described by Williams as "Moroder meets Afro-futurism" - that really delights.

Review: Pan-African supergroup Ibibio Sound Machine return with Pull The Rope, a tonal shift compared to their earlier full-lengths like Electricity; this one veers more on the side of acid house, highlife and disco, compared to the more histrionic electronics of the eponymous sound machine of that album, as well as Uyai and Doko Mien, heard thus far. As heard on the lead single 'Got To Be Who U Are', we are importuned with the command to be ourselves, as everybody else is already taken; such an injunction is met with a driving, time-of-your-life, weighty acid house production, which comes to neat effect when paired with Eno Williams' passionate soul vocals.

Review: Onsen Music isn't just the title of Shoko Igarashi's second album, but rather a manifesto of sorts. The name refers to a "genre" of music the saxophonist, flautist, and vocalist has created. A strange, bouncy-yet-angular corner of the electronic music universe that feels like it's inviting you to a party thrown by Mr Soft and a flying unicorn. Sounds extend themselves, curve, wobble, warp, float, glitter, and do everything else in their power to make sure you know this is a safe listening space that's equally danceable. Ever bubbly and colourful, 'Rainy' represents the full blown nu disco end of the record's vast spectrum, while the likes of 'Ukigusa' come over far closer to Ryuichi Sakamoto's clean, crisp and cuddly pop excursions - staunchly leftfield and out there, but strangely familiar and universally likeable.

Review: Il Bosco released his first EP back in 2011 on this label and the sounds epitomised the early roots of the Manchester-based label Red Laser. Now he is back with Mega Misses From The Manctalo Diskoteque, a new collection of vintage-sounding Italo-inspired disco games made, it sounds, with an arrangement one authentic vintage gear. Each of these cuts has a compelling rhythm and is embellished with gorgeous melodies and arps that range from dreamy to stiff to seductive. Deadpan vocals make 'Track 2' a real throwback, 'Track 3' has a funky, smooth cruising sound and the rest of the double album plays out with equal elan.

Review: The arrival of Il Quadro di Troisi could not have been more ironic. Anything but new faces on the music scene, the Italian electronic partnership of Eva Geist and Donato Dozzy debuted as the reality of living in a pandemic really began to hit home - November 2020. A month that usually calls for their brand of dark, Ital-disco-cold-synth stuff was void of the situations you'd want to hear it in. No parties, no clubs, no concerts - not even an opportunity to stick it on when getting ready to do something. Nevertheless, we've more than made up for it now, and having grown incredibly close betwixt that waking nightmare and today's chaos, the arrival of a new LP is an enticing prospect. As the notes explain, "everything changes, all things evolve, nothing stays the same... La Commedia marks the band's embrace of a more traditional song form, shaped by a very personal and distinctive musical style. The distinguishing elements of Il Quadro di Troisi's music meld into a unique mix that is both seductive and eerie, elegant and earthy, contemporary and timeless."

Review: Imagination was both an obscure German jazz-rock band from Dusseldorf who recorded a series of rather good records in the late 1970s as well as being a fine UK electrofunk act. They amassed a fine catalogue of great hits that made an impact across 28 countries and earned them four platinum discs and nine gold discs amongst other accolades. No Music No Life has now remastered The Very Best Of Imagination which offers up their most well-known hits such as the irresistible 'Body Talk' and slow motion workout that is 'Flashback' amongst many more.

Review: Indeep's 'Last Night A D.J. Saved My Life' is one of the most recognisable disco tunes of its generation, but also the title of the group's 1983 album. The New York outfit never had a tune as big as that one again but when something is such a fine mix of boogie, funk and soul as that and loved by everyone universally, does that even matter? The rest of the album which is now being reissued is packed with plenty of other more than useful dancefloor cuts with big hooks, buoyant drums and colourful synth work.

Review: Unlike most disco re-edit EPs, Salsoul's latest instalment of 'Reflex Revisions' are "proper" remixes, making full use of original master stems and session tapes sourced from the parent artists themselves. With all four tracks handled by French producer and remixer The Reflex, we know we're in good hands here - he's been at it since 2012. Reflex Revisions don't just add a janky kick beneath a beatgridded 16-bar loop, but rather, they move and sway with the tracks' original feels. Our case in point: 'A Little Love' completely reimagines the drum section found on Aurra's 1983 original, making the whole sonic experience much clearer and brighter. As much can be said for Metropolis' downtempo 'I Love New York', on which Reflex here makes the song grander, wider. Compared to most re-editors, this is an impressive feat occurring in a different ballpark.

Review: Tim Paris and Ivan Smagghe first joined forces as It's A Fine Line way back in 2008, delivering a sneaky re-edit 12" for the lauded History Clock series. They released their first EP of original productions a year later, but have been barely heard of since. This eponymous debut album has been long-mooted and it's really rather good with the experienced production duo gleefully drawing together elements of new wave synth-pop, post-punk disco, low-slung rockabilly, spacey electro, dub disco, and leftfield boogie. The results are uniformly excellent, with Smagghe and Paris backing up their stylish, period-centric production with a string of genuinely memorable tracks.

Review: Italoconnection deliver the second volume in their Midnight Confessions Italo trance albums series. The partnership of Fred Ventura and Paolo Gozzetti first saw the first edition of Midnight Confessions in 2021; three years later, a whole new fresh set of modern yet true-blue Italo sonics are unleashed. As Ventura's unmistakable lead vocals regale tails of optimistic liaisons and lost love, Gozzetti's monumental production style brings a torrential sheen to an otherwise well-known Italian dance style. On the likes of 'Cold War Lovers' and 'Systematic', we hear a further set of ruminations on current events, the former track marking a synthwave sojourn as Ventura laments the energetic anomie, the inhibitions of today: "we should be dancing, we should be dancing all night..." Released on a limited edition 2xLP via Bordello A Parigi.