Review: In 1981, Macedonian singer Arian Krliu headed over to New York to record a bilingual album of disco and boogie treats. The resultant set was self-released in relatively limited qualities and has since gone in to become an in-demand item amongst collectors of global disco and synth-pop sounds. This officially licensed reissue stretches the album's original eight tracks over two slabs of wax to allow for a louder, DJ-friendly pressing. Record one boasts Arian's English language recordings; the sumptuous AOR disco of "Your Love Makes Me A Winner", the punchy, horn-heavy disco-bogie brilliance of "Can't Say Goodbye", the K.I.D style dancefloor badness of "Sure It's Funky" and blue-eyed soul of "Still Together". Over on disc two, you'll find Croatian language versions of the same tracks.
Review: While this fabulous album may sound old - as if it was an obscure, jazz-funk-tinged Italian disco release from 1982 - it is in fact brand, spanking new, making it the first new LP of original material released by legendary Italian imprint Best Record in over four decades. Created by Raffaele 'Whodammy' Arcella and Cosimo Cosmo Mandorino, it offers the same kind of boundary-blurring fusion of early '80s boogie, electro, low-tempo Italo-disco, jazz-funk, disco, Afro-cosmic and colourful Balearic pop (with a few cheeky raps and spoken word vocal passages thrown in) as the Neopolitan albums of the early-to-mid 1980s that inspired them. It's a brilliant set all told - one that authentically pays tribute to their influences and inspirations while offering something genuinely new and exciting.
Review: This time last year, French combo Cotonete joined forces with Brazilian singer Di Melo to deliver what became one of the sleeper hits of last summer - the Latin disco/jazz-funk fusion of "A.E.I.O.U.". Here they continue their partnership with a first collaborative full length. It's a quietly impressive outing, with Di Melo's distinctive vocals rising above cuts that variously doff a cap to sultry Brazilian disco-funk, Azymuth-esque jazz-funk, soundtrack-friendly cinematic soundscapes, Astrud Gilberto style sweetness and humid salsa-funk (standout "Kilario (2019 Version)". It's a warm, loose and hazy set that feels authentically South American despite its Parisian roots.
Review: Legendary DJ Guy Cuevas has his own music compiled here by Libreville Records. It's a magnificent showcase of his sounds which range from disco to jazz to afro. The French-Cuban writer, musician, and DJ has one been a mainstay on the Paris scene as resident at the mythical nightclub Le Palace. His ability to take crowds to euphoria knew no bounds and in the 80s he managed to turn out plenty of tracks that also help get you there. His most famous tune 'Obsessions' gets a new remix here amongst loads of other gems.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Da Starga Tora
Borealis
Alina
Exile
Nussing
Baboobap
Prelude
All Is Changing
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Back in the heyday of the Scando-Disco scene, Jann Marius Dahle had a flurry of records as Fjordfunk and under his own name. Rightly recognised by the leaders in that scene, he's been quiet for the best part of 20 years, but now he returns with the stunning, fully-rendered wonderment of "Infinite Zest". This is an album bursting with colour and musicality, as gorgeous instrumentation meets with tenderly executed disco with a distinctly Norwegian mood. From the starry-eyed synth interplay of "Alina" to the noodling funk of "Nussing", Marius Dahle's skill as an arranger and producer is a revelation. A well-deserved, long awaited return to the fray from a rightful peer of Prins Thomas, Lindstrom et al..
Review: Now this is exactly the sort of record we want to be hearing this summer. It's full of warmth, joy and soul from the New Zealand collective Flamingo Pier, who have already put out some well received 12"s on the Soundway Records label. As far as debuts go, it as good as they get with its majestic mix of big horns, deep house groves and euphoric disco vibes all finished with some super smooth vocals and the odd cheeky sax. Written in South Aukland during 2020 and capturing plenty of that spot's sun, the record brims with life affirming chords, bendy baselines and influences as broad and diverse as Roisin Murphy, Peven Everett and Tim Maia.
Blow Monkeys - "Save Me" (Neville Watson dub) (8:04)
Cisco Cisco - "If You Want Me" (Jay Shepheard remix) (7:11)
Bongo Entp - "Drommen" (SIRS remix) (5:48)
Darlyn Vlys - "Wuzu" (Tyu Tribe remix) (7:18)
Kimo - "Whirl" (6:50)
Discoscuro - "Discoscuro" (6:10)
Popular Tyre - "Feel Like A Lazer Beam" (7:35)
Class B Band - "Repli-can" (edit) (6:04)
Bal5000 - "Bleu Infini" (7:52)
Phil Kieran - "Find Love" (Andrew Weatherall remix) (7:43)
Das Komplex - "89" (8:05)
Brioski - "Calling 626" (edit) (5:20)
Review: Sean Johnston curates a compilation that feels as much like a love letter to a bygone era of cosmic and chugging dance music as it does a blueprint for the future. Across this translucent red vinyl double LP, he assembles a narrative that stretches from the dub-tinged grooves of Weatherall-inspired rhythms to rich, enveloping basslines rooted in the darker corners of the dancefloor. These selections capture the ethos of A Love From Outer Spaceinot a style, but a sensibility, where tempo slows and subtlety reigns. Rather than overwhelm, the tracks reveal their power gradually, layering textures and grooves with a painterly touch.
Review: Now released for the first time on vinyl in the UK, Parisian Nu-Disco sextet L'Imperatrice's 3rd EP Odyssee, released in 2015, was a 6-track journey through the dreamy, vintage sound of French disco-pop. Rereleased and renamed a year later under L'Empereur at a different speed, this gatefold contains the original EP as well as acoustic renditions of five tracks, plus a bonus track in Interlune, a strings piece that flows into the string instrumental of La Lune (Version Acoustique). The smooth bass and layered synth will hook you, but you'll stay for the vocal talents of Flore Benguigui who joined the outlet that same year. Her smooth tones are like melted butter against the bass. Odysee was a bold step for the band - but one that proved wildly successful and was just the beginning of the symphonic formula that L'Imperatrice has continued to refine to this day.
Review: L'Imperatrice's upcoming album Pulsar promises to be a vibrant fusion of funk, disco, pop, and house music, enriched with influences from French house and Italo-disco. The Parisian group show their versatility by incorporating elements of hip-hop, kosmische, and pop into their sonic palette, featuring guest vocalists such as Maggie Rogers, Erick the Architect, and Fabiana Martone, Pulsar promises to deliver a dynamic listening experience. With their infectious energy and innovative sound, L'Imperatrice continues to fascinate audiences, making Pulsar an eagerly anticipated addition to their discography.
Review: L'Imperatrice's upcoming album Pulsar promises to be a vibrant fusion of funk, disco, pop, and house music, enriched with influences from French house and Italo-disco. The Parisian group show their versatility by incorporating elements of hip-hop, kosmische, and pop into their sonic palette, featuring guest vocalists such as Maggie Rogers, Erick the Architect, and Fabiana Martone, Pulsar promises to deliver a dynamic listening experience. With their infectious energy and innovative sound, L'Imperatrice continues to fascinate audiences, making Pulsar an eagerly anticipated addition to their discography.
Review: Moderna's arresting debut album on her own Brave New Rave has been in the works for seven years and was written across sessions in Berlin and Mexico City. It is an exploration of Berlin's influence on techno, dark disco and queer culture that takes in a diverse array of influences and inspirations from the music of Prince to a collaboration with post-punk artist Skelesys via electro, dark wave and more. The tracks are all raw, dancefloor-focussed cuts with rugged basslines, layered and well-treated vocals and a futuristic sense of sound that draws you in deep and keeps you locked.
Something On My Mind (feat Duke Dumont & Nothing But Thieves) (3:38)
Higher Ground (feat Roosevelt) (4:35)
All My Life (feat The Magician) (3:25)
Die Maschine (feat Friedrich Liechtenstein) (8:46)
Review: Purple Disco Machine's third studio album, Paradise, is set to stun dancefloor disco's everywhere. This album features collaborations with artists like Metronomy, Jake Shears, Duke Dumont, Sophie and the Giants, Nothing But Thieves, and more. After winning a Grammy for Best Remix of Lizzo's 'About Damn Time' in 2023, Purple Disco Machine continues to dominate the global dance music scene. His recent hits include collaborations with Nile Rodgers, Benjamin Ingrosso, and Shenseea on 'Honey Boy.' A dedicated performer, his electrifying festival appearances include Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Lollapalooza. His sold-out Paradise tour of Europe highlights his appeal. Paradise pays tribute to the new age of disco with top-tier dance features and the big hits of recent months.
Review: Italy's finest sound-purveyors Slow Motion proffer a fantastic new release from CEO Fabrizio Mammarella in collaboration with Rodion, collaboratively recorded at the Marche Synth Museum (Museo Del Synth Marchigiano). A fully functional recording space, the museum houses several private collections of Italian electronic musical instruments, gathered over the many years since their creation; whether the artists actually got to use any of these classic machines remains to be uttered, but we can't deny that they were inspired. Both artists do thorough justice to their Marche region roots here, laying down eight slices of industrial dungeon-electro, mind-melting acid rollouts and spoken-n'-spelled ritual dances.
Franco Campanino - "Do It With The Pamango" (4:44)
Gianni Ferrio - "La Settimana Bianca" (3:06)
Giuseppe De Luca - "Studio X" (2:38)
Giuseppe De Luca - "Studio Z" (2:18)
Giacomo Dell'orso - "I'm So Young" (2:59)
Daniele Patucchi - "Runnin' Around" (6:22)
Stelvio Cipriani - "Il Sesso Del Diavolo - Finale" (2:54)
Franco Campanino - "Avere Venti'anni" (7") (2:39)
Alfonso Santisteben - "Doppio Sesso Incrociato" (3:23)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Breaking from his directorial duties, American cinema auteur Eli Roth (Borderlands, Knock Knock, Green Inferno) stops by the CAM Sugar sound studio for a rare double 7" LP, pinching listeners by the ear and dragging them along a forbidden trail along the gothic, red-lit path that is Italian soundtrack legendariness. Drawing his selections here from a wealth of Italian B-movie expertise, not to mention ownership in his own collection, the contemporary horrorist has chosen 20 delicious but still downright saucy disco, bossa nova and psych tunes here, centring on the Italian Sexy Comedy softcore era of 1969-81.
Review: The reissue of Saada Bonaire's self-titled album on "Bone vinyl" by Captured Tracks taps into the growing thirst for rediscovered gems from the past. This project, which started as a pop-art experiment in Bremen in 1982, combines brittle synthpop and digital funk with Turkish and Kurdish folk influences, creating a unique cross-cultural fusion that still feels fresh today. Saada Bonaire was originally a collaboration between DJ Ralph "von" Richtoven and vocalists Stephanie Lange and Claudia Hossfeld. They were inspired by the diverse sounds of Afro-Caribbean, Rai, and West African music, and their lead single, 'You Can Be All That You Are,' reflects this eclectic mix. Unfortunately, due to budget issues, the project was shelved after just one single, leaving this music largely unheard until 2013. The album is a product of its time. However, its charm lies in its eccentricity and the creativity that emerged in the shadows. Tracks like 'Little Sister' offer a quirky, funk-driven anthem that defies mainstream expectations. Saada Bonaire is a treasure for those seeking the next musical curiosity, a true oddity that deserves attention.
Review: Over Under marks a vital moment in Secondo's artistic evolution as he mixes up the functional with the experimental in-house and techno. Reflecting two decades of exploration, this new album recalls his early production style while incorporating lessons from the years. It opens with the kosmische pulse of 'Occhi Nuovi' and moves through various tempos and moods, from club tracks like 'Unlikely Companions' to deeper, reflective moments such as 'Solar Funk'. The album's progression weaves a carefully crafted narrative, blending alien funk, mid-tempo grooves and jazz-inspired texture that all shine bright.
Massonix - "Just A Little Bit More" (Electro instrumental mix) (4:45)
Elsi Curry - "U Make Me Feel" (Running Water aka Workhouse mix) (5:02)
Family Sensation - "I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You Baby" (Marshall Jefferson Symphony mix) (6:05)
BBG - "Snappiness" (7" edit) (3:53)
The Aloof - "Never Get Out The Boat" (The Flying mix) (7:53)
Moodswings - "Spiritual High" (The Moodfood Megamix) (9:11)
Review: House music exploded in the UK in 1987 and continued to blow up in the ensuing summers. But with all the high energy parties and ever more visceral rave sounds, people needed a break, and so it was that in February of 1990 the KLF invented new slowed down after-sounds on their Chill Out mix. This collection gathers best sub 100bpm cuts form that time, as assembled by Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley. Fun fact - the artwork for the LP is a picture from the new book on acid house by photographer Dave Swindells which is well worth copping if you can.
Review: System Olympia has been back and digging in the archives for this superb new and limited album, the New Erotica Collection (Durante Edition). It features some of their past tunes that have been sold out in quick fashion because of limited runs and others that have actually never before been available on vinyl. As you will know, or as you will find out, these are hallucinogenic tunes with mixes of disco, new wave, 80s pop, instrumental and nu-disco influences and each of them will light up any dancefloor with plenty of provocative and erotic undertones - just look at the cover!
Review: Two years and two months have passed since Scott Hansen delivered his fifth studio album Awake and there's a strong rumour that his sixth is en route. In the meantime, Ghostly have channelled the spirits to commission nine fittingly far-out, heavily textured remixes. From the faraway jungle breakbeats and spiralling arpeggios of Nitemove's shake-up to the sparse flute flexing and smoky beats of RJD2's jam by way of warped, time-bending nuances of Bibio's take, the all-star cast deliver an all-star collection of versions. This will keep us more than happy until the next Tycho tale arrives.
Review: Marcos Valle's second album, the 1983 self-titled masterpiece, is one of Brazilian music's many stone cold classics fusing as it does MPB, pop, soul and easy listening with plenty of American influences thanks to the artist's time living in LA. Valle's old brother Paulo Sergio and the legendary Lincoln Olivetti produced the album with a fine cast of guests like Rosana, Serginho Do Trombone, Robson Jorge and Oberdan Magalhaes adding their own vocal and musical flourishes. Standout tunes include Brazilian-boogie cult-classic 'Estrelar' (which was actually co-written by pianist, keyboardist and record producer Leon Ware) while the artwork itself is also well worthy of your attention.
Review: Soundway's latest essential collection successfully shines a light on synth-heavy South African music of the 1980s, chronicling local musicians and producers' attempts to create their own hybrid forms of boogie, synth-soul and bubblegum pop. Naturally, compilers Miles Cleret and DJ Okapi have done a brilliant job bringing together killer cuts that showcase the best of South Africa's '80s synth sounds, while at the same time ensuring a high ratio of rare and hard-to-treats. While some of the tracks genuinely sound like they could have been made in New York, London or L.A, there are plenty of others that include multiple instrumental nods to a diverse range of contemporaneous South African sounds. Crucially, the music is superb throughout.
Mystic Djim & The Spirits - "Yaounde Girls" (5:51)
Bill Loko - "Nen Lambo" (6:23)
Bernard Ntone - "Mussoloki" (4:21)
Pasteur Lappe - "Sanaga Calypso"
Eko - "M'ongele M'am"
Olinga Gaston - "Ngon Engap"
Emmanuel Kahe & Jeanette Kemogne - "Ye Medjuie"
Nkodo Si-Tony - "Mininga Meyong Mese"
Pasteur Lappe - "Sekele Movement"
Pat' Ndoye - "More Love"
Clement Djimogne - "Africa"
Review: Just when you think that the well of obscure music from around the world has run dry, Analog Africa returns to put the record straight. Pop-Makossa shines a light on a glorious but largely overlooked period in the story of Cameroonian makossa, when local musicians began to replace funk and highlife influences with the rubbery bass of classic disco and the sparkling synth flourishes and drum machines of electrofunk. The resultant compilation, which apparently took eight years to produce, is packed full of brilliant cuts, from the heavily-electronic jauntiness of Pasteur Lappe's "Sanaga Calypso" and horn-totin' Highlife-disco of Emmaniel Kahe and Jeanette Kemogne's "Ye Medjuie", to the dense, organ-laden wig out that is Clement Djimogne's "Africa".
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
The Mystic Moods - "Cosmic Sea" (2:34)
Life - "Cat's Eyes" (2:18)
Alan Bown - "Moanin'" (3:17)
Red Parish Group - "Dynomite" (2:58)
Andre Brasseur - "Saturnus" (3:23)
Black Buster - "Bump The Bump" (part 2) (2:45)
Biltze - "Wu Ying Chiao" (3:05)
The People Next Door - "Husband & Wife" (2:46)
Diabolic Man - "Diabolic Man" (2:27)
Performance - "Red Bullet" (3:05)
Dance Machine - "Virgin Ballet" (3:07)
Pharaoh - "Ramses" (part 1) (3:47)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Take It Acid Is Italy is on a mission to reeducate us all about the disco sounds of the 70s. While the time is largely associated with Abba and Studio 54, there was much more going on beneath the surface as this compilation proves. Millions of 45rpms were pressed, obscure and bizarre studio projects were born and then remained hidden from view in the record and junk shops around the world. Now, a selection of the best of them is unearthed and shared on this dazzling 12 track collection. From dubby to funky, cosmic to seductive, all shades of disco are covered.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Sadi Lancreot - "Dou Se Vou Ki Siwo" (6:07)
Max Et Henri - "Se Pou Demen" (3:54)
Dominique Panol - "Come On Baby" (3:45)
Mariz - "Si On Jou" (4:26)
Jocelyn Mocka Et Kassav - "Mizik Maladi" (5:53)
Christian Yeye - "Misye Zanndo" (4:57)
Ramon Pyrmee - "An Mwe" (3:36)
Experience 7 - "Bel Toubonman" (4:55)
Ka Leve - "Apre Nou Byen Cheche" (9:24)
Horizon - "Neg Mawon" (5:27)
Ti Celeste - "Testaman" (5:38)
Yo - "Fo'w Maye" (6:17)
Alex Rosa - "L'appel Des Champions" (4:49)
Gwo Siwo - "Bele" (5:53)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Strut introduces the highly anticipated third volume in the Disques Debs International series, diving deeper into the archives of one of the greatest French Caribbean labels, Disques Debs, based in Guadeloupe. Founded by Henri Debs in the late 1950s, the Debs studio naturally doubled as a record label and ran for over 50 years, releasing more than 300 7" singles and 200 LPs, cementing it as one of the foremost record labels to prize Caribbean music history. Not just limited to Guadeloupean musicians but also Martinicians and Parisians, the likes of Jocelyn Mocka, Mariz, Dominique Parol, Christian Yeye and Alex Rosa make this a thixotropic record, mercurial and restless as it is rooted in forms of zouk, biguine, gwoka and, of course, the nascent electronica. This third volume flaunts the label's dynamic latter-day period, as it interpreted the analog electronic dreams of the 1980s.
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