Review: Hot Piroski Records have been on something of a hiatus for the last year or so but now make a welcome return with a new EP series. This collaborative affair is the result of an epic journey in an old Mercedes from London to Gunjur and finds label head Robin 12Tree working with The Gambia and Bongo Koi as Gambian Disco Express. 'Enlightenment is Now' marks their first release on Hot Piroski Records and it comes with vocals from Gambian mystic Rev. Joseph N'Gole, recorded on the banks of the River Gambia. This one has already been hammered by Psychemagik, Pete Herbert, and Severino from Horse Meat Disco so it comes quality assured.
Review: Three standout tracks from Dave Lee's 2023 album Metamorphosis - which he dropped under his AC Soul Symphony alias - now get pulled apart and reworked by the one and only Dub-disco king Ray Mang. First comes 'It's Got To Be Love' with its super funky and bubbly bass and lush string elegance, then he flips 'Tradewinds' into a deeper, still lush and lavish instrumental disco gem that is seductive and warm for the winter months. Last but not least, 'K-Jee' brings an infectious groove to the dance floor with a little more percussive energy and upbeat bounce - but again swooning strings are the icing on the cake. All three of these are classy and sophisticated reworks from the one and only Mang.
Review: Sheffield sorts Adelphi Music Factory tend to release bold, peak-time ready workouts that subtly pay tribute to different aspects of the Steel City's dance music story - and often not those more familiar to people outside South Yorkshire. Their latest two-tracker naturally contains a few nods to 'Sheffeel' dancefloor obsessions, though arguably fewer than usual. 'Someone To Believe In', for example, makes use of samples from an R&B acapella (something that early bassline house producers in the city frequently did), blending them with a loopy disco-house workout. You'll also find echoes of the city's mid-to-late-90s house scene on the funky, bass-heavy and disco-tinged flip-side 'Riding High On Your Love', whose sub-bass is just as beefy as that found on all those early 90s, Rob Gordon produced 12"s.
Beautiful You (Danny Krivit 7" edit Of Hex Hector's Lush remix) (5:20)
Beautiful You (4:34)
Review: The revered songstress that is AK is back on Most Excellent Unlimited for another hot and soulful single that comes on the heels of a special 7" release of her seminal 'Say That You Love Me.' This one, 'Beautiful You' is making its vinyl debut here and comes with strong messages of empowerment and affirmation. The lyrics and vocals are uplifting as is the music which comes in the form of a 7" edit by Body & Soul legend Danny Krivit' of GRAMMYr award-winner Hex Hector's Lush remix. It's a perfectly paired back sound with the original on the flip, and both tunes really make their mark. This is a great package that's exclusive to wax.
Review: For many of a certain age, Alice Deejay's 'Better Off Alone' is one of those tunes that takes you directly back to a very specific time in your life - quite possibly when you were first heading out to local bars and clubs, the sort with insane drinks offers and sticky carpets, a DJ who got on the mic too often and lots of fights in the taxi queue on the way home. That's to say it's a cheesy but loveable Euro-dance hit that sure will bring some fun to the floor now, almost a quarter of a century after it was first released.
Review: Alkalino's follow up to the 2021 release of the second installment of the Make Up series comes with all original production from the man himself. The first comes as the thumping tribal vibe sounds of "get ready' with the second on the A-side is a banger with 'Heavy as stone' with it's lush vocals that would work in any set. On the flip, 'Jack area' is classic sounding body jacking music that'll make you do just that. jack your body. and rounding out the ep is the gritty bass of 'reproduction'. This latest installment from Alkalino is a true testiment that he is a true master of making you dance.
Review: Donna Allen's 1988 cover of Maze classic - a glossy, synth-sporting, decidedly loved-up 80s soul affair - is perhaps not one of her most celebrated singles, but it's still a genuine gem - and a fine alternative interpretation of a much-loved song. As you'd expect, this remixed edition looks firmly towards 21st century dancefloors, with popular re-editor-turned-remixer Dr Packer upping the tempo and reaching for disco-flecked house beats in a bid for peak-time plays. The Aussie producer's A-side vocal version is tasteful and undeniably club ready, making use of most of the original instrumentation while (we think) re-playing the bassline. That bassline comes to the fore more on the stripped-back (but similarly loved up) B-side 'dubstrumental' mix.
Review: Whether or not Almacks is named after the word that was given to several social clubs in London between the 18th and 20th centuries or not we do not know, but people in those clubs might well have enjoyed getting down to the artist's beats. These new five cuts are all unnamed but all perfect blends of funk, soul, deep house and great samples. Those vocal chops lend lots of r&b loveliness and romance to the dusty, low-slung beats, hip-hop-inspired beats and middle grooves. There is also a bit of broken beat and Afro influencer later on. A heartwarming EP.
Review: Some four months after he lost his battle with cancer, BBE is releasing Paul 'Trouble' Anderson's final production - a fittingly joyous, upbeat and life-affirming cover of gospel standard "Happy Day" featuring the impassioned vocals of soul singer John Redmond. On the A-side of this 12" edition you'll find the "Classic Main Mix", a bouncy and rubbery fusion of soaring gospel vocals, bumping house beats, mazy organ solos, rubbery disco bass and clipped guitar riffs. It's superb all told, and a fitting final hurrah from one of the UK's most significant DJs of the past 40 years. Over on the flip you'll find the slightly more stripped-back "Classic Dub", where impassioned vocal snippets ride Anderson's killer groove, bouncy pianos and spacey synths.
Master Fusion (All My Love) (Albert Menendez instrumental mix) (6:47)
Review: We love nothing more than house music direct from the Windy City and that's what Vick Lavender's Sophisticado Recordings has got for us here. Angel-A is actually a native of Detroit currently living in Chicago and influenced by everything from jazz to gospel. She brings that to the fore here on the 'Master Fusion' single which is as soulful, lush and heartwarming as house can be. Her voice takes on many different forms from wordless coos to expressive declarations of love via diva wails. Lavender himself serves up a mix, while Albert Menendez offers both a piano-laced vocal mix and a broken beat, jazz-licked and synth-heavy instrumental which does still have the standout original vocal.
Review: Stockholm based Ari Bald is up next for Better Listen after inaugurating Honey Butter Records last year with that great release. He keeps on with that deep disco spirit with these four funky and lo-slung jams. On the A side, we have two ergonomic edits in the form of "That Lonely Night" and "Enchantress" respectively which are looped to perfection with some somewhat familiar hooks that gradually build up to that drop! That's where the thumping kick comes charging in and it's sure geared for maximum dancefloor dynamics. On the flip, get ready for the funk explosion that is "Moonshiner" or what could be your First Choice (mind the pun!) in the form of the smooth and sexy late night groove of "Are You Mesmerized?"
Missing You (Eric Kupper Director’s cut Tribute To Fk remix) (6:57)
Missing You (Ridney rework) (6:03)
Review: First released a decade ago and revisited periodically ever since, Arftul and Ridney's collaboration with UK soul queen Terri Walker is a 21st century house classic. This 10th anniversary edition - released in limited numbers for Record Store Day 2023 - pairs fresh revisions with classic reworks. Michael Gray steps up with a funk-fuelled, disco-tinged revision, before the insanely talented Opolopo opts for a deeper, jazz-funk-flecked revision that's as classy as it is soulful. Elsewhere, Eric Kupper's 'Directors Cut Tribute To FK' version is a strings-and-piano-laden treat, while Ridney's own 'Rework' is a tasteful, piano-sporting deep house shuffler.
Review: Los Angeles-based ASHRR are back on 2020 Vision ahead of a new album and this time serve up their own superb version of The Romantics's 1983 hit 'Talking in Your Sleep.' In their hands, it becomes a club-ready sound with a vocal you may recognise as it featured in the Mad Max episode of Stranger Things. Add in some DFA-inspired punk funk vibes and with all the instruments reapplied while new layers of bass and synth are added and you have one fantastic new version. Balearic don Fernando steps up for two remixes, first stripping things back to a deep house sound and then bringing some dub disco vibes to the fore.
Different Kind Of Life (Massimiliano Pagliara remix) (8:09)
Different Kind Of Life (Massimiliano Pagliara dub) (6:23)
Different Kind Of Life (ASHRR Soundsystem version) (6:34)
Review: The LA-based ASHRR outfit is back with more of their superbly warm and soul-infused sounds here with 'Different Kind of Life'. Their own ASHRR Soundsystem version of the original is a gloriously upbeat and funky bit of space disco with lavish synth lines and chugging drums that lock you in. Berlin electronic mainstay Massimiliano Pagliara, who has landed on the likes of Ostgut Ton, Cocktail d'Amore and more, then brings his own two remixes. The first has some nice indie vocals and dazzling chord work, while the second is a deep dub that pairs things back. All three of these are swaggering and uplifting disco cuts with a difference.
Review: Alex Attias is the man behind the El Mustang Project and here he teases his upcoming album with a couple of new tunes on Visions Inc. As always, they find him fusing the organic with the synthetic to make for deep and silky house tunes that straddle genres and ages. 'Love Me Better' opens with a gorgeous vocal and rickety drums that ooze charm. 'Dream Drumz' gets a little more raw and edgy with pixelated melodic spirals and 'Life' gets old school. Cowbells ping about the mix as distorted bass and frazzled pads add texture to this subtle throwback jam.
Review: Audio Soul Project returns with fresh vinyl here in the form of their Simurgh EP, which is named after a mythical Persian bird. Across the tunes you'll find a fusion of dub, d&B, house and even r&b to make for an alluring sonic trip. Opener 'Deliver Me' brings the warmth and soul with balmy chords over raw, woody drums with a big diva vocal up top. Things are paired back for 'Azizam Dub' which has a subsonic bass line bump and synth stabs bringing the energy. 'Internal Vybrations' is d&b powered by monstrous bass with hi-hats, shakers and maracas detailing the rhythm, and last of all 'Celebration Dub' brings a funky and summery house vibe perfect for outdoor dancing. This is as varied an EP as you'll hear this season.
Review: The Stamp label is up to its 18th outing here and once again it is an irresistible coming together of club-ready grooves with well-chosen and well-worked samples. First up the essence of one of George Benson's most iconic cuts gets reworked into a smooth house beat with the guitar kicks, vocal inflections, claps and melodies all getting you up on your toes on 'Night' (dub). 'New York To Rio' then brings some dusty deep house grooves and impassioned vocals for a more upbeat kinda party. Hand-stamped white label business this, so do not hang about.
Review: Nu Groove's ongoing edits series turns its attention to one of the legendary NYC's most iconic early release, Bas Noir's 1988 garage-house classic 'My Love Is Magic' - a piano-powered vocal number fronted by two female singers from New Jersey and produced by the Burrell Brothers. Their original club mix is featured (A2), alongside a trio of fresh re-edits. Bushwacka kicks things off with a deeper, more sonically detailed and marginally punchier rework that makes much of the Burrell brothers' percussion and piano stabs, before Mark Broom takes over on side two. His 'dub retouch' fittingly sounds like a piano solo-sporting NYC house dub of the late 1980s - no bad thing in our book - while his more revolutionary 'A12 mix' re-casts the track as a harder, heavier peak-time loop jam.
Ricochet (Dr Packer & Michael Gray dubstrumental) (5:00)
Review: During the early-to-mid 1980s, the BB&Q band dropped a slew of killer electrofunk jams, most of which combined infectious synth basslines, group vocals and colourful lead lines with beats variously inspired by boogie, 80s soul and freestyle. Alongside 'Dreamer', which was mixed by the legendary Shep Pettibone, 'Ricochet' was one of their biggest dancefloor hits. High Fashion has decided to give it a 21st century disco makeover, pairing one of their in-house remixers, Michael Gray, with Glitterbox favourite Dr Packer. Their 12"-leading full vocal naturally bumps up the beats to suit house dancefloors and adds a few authentic-sounding synth lines, but otherwise makes the most of the BB&Q band's original music and vocals. The flip-side 'Dubstramental' is very good, too, paying tribute to the various effects and production tricks used in 1980s dancefloor dubs while also utilising 21st century beats.
Review: B2 Recordings keeps it classy with another new deep house offering from label head Bengoa. It comes hot on the heels of his last outing here in December but this time all three tracks are straight-up solo cuts with no featured guests. 'Hustler's Convention' is an emotionally intense humid, steamy cut even though the grooves are warm and hypnotic. 'Apollo' has more raw percussion and scratchy drum textures overlaid with trippy vocals and last of all is 'Fanatic,' which pairs leggy bass and drums with more swirling vocal samples and interesting broken beat patterns. Another fine outing from Bengoa then.
Review: B2 Recordings rolls out more of its quality-assured deep house here with Label head Bengoa stepping up next for a new three-tracker that comes with featured guests Kristina Berger and Brothers' Vibe. 'Idyot' kicks off with deep and pulsing synths and clacking hits that bring an early Chicago vibe next to the libidinous and erotic vocals which really tease. 'Meet Me Halfway' sinks into a super silky groove that is deep as you like and driven by stylish drum hits under a muttered vocal. 'Come On Now' then sinks into a more acid-laced atmosphere with sustained chords keeping you on edge next to loose and jumbled percussion. It's a stylistically diverse EP, this one.
Review: B2 Recordings is a label run by Greek talent Bengoa as a platform to offer up his own diverse sounds. Here he serves up a new single featuring Pan that is sublime, seductive and deep. The vocals you will recognise from a classic pop hit but here they get all resung in an even more libidinous fashion. The drums roll, and the percussion is loose, and bright but soft chord stabs heighten the mood. Flip it over for an instrumental version of 'Thelxis' that is all about the late-night grooves. Two stylish sounds for romantic moments.
Review: Sundries' Disco Goodies series, which rounds up the best of the label's digital releases and presents them on multi-artist EPs, reaches its fourth instalment. It hits home hard from the start, where Berobreo's 'Soul Driven Dynamics' provides an attractive mix of 1970s orchestral soul samples and rubbery deep house beats. Experienced re-editor Oldchap brings the goods with a lightly tooled-up and beefed-up rework of an orchestra-sporting disco gem ('Coloridos'), before X Gets The Crest delivers a percussive, hot-stepping and filter-smothered re-wire of a much-loved Cymande classic ('Still Come Home'). Over on side B, Alexny's heavy disco-funk re-edit ('People Says') is joined by a hazy and horn-heavy revision courtesy of Sould Out ('City Gal') and the pitched-up disco loop-funk of 'Since You Came' by Workerz.
Review: The Moiss Music label seems to like to drop their EPs two at a time. They did it in February and they're doing it again in May. This eighth outing collects four more lively disco cuts, each with their own subtle influences. Berobreo's 'White Rabbit' for instance has funky undertones with loopy guitar riffs and nice breaks. The Magic Track's 'Jamming With Mom' meanwhile is more sensuous and deep, with late-night synth work and seductive vocals. Oldchap's 'I Want To Show You' has an expressive soul vocal with more low-slung grooves and Alexny's 'Not Bad' then gets quick, clipped and loopy for its lip-pouting disco thrills.
Review: Beyonce's last album was widely heralded as a triumph by all. It found her diving into house music and working with scene stalwarts like Luke Solomon and Honey Dijon. It won a Grammy for its efforts. Now, even though plenty of the originals were ready to work a club dancefloor, we get treated to some remixes. They all focus on the standout single 'Break My Soul' and we get funky and soulful stuff from Terry Hunter, broken beat from Will I Am, house thumps from Honey Dijon, and filter-heavy stuff from The Queens. Add in the Nita Aviance club mix and the original version and you have a useful package indeed.
Review: 'My House' was a parting gift from Queen Bey herself following her record-setting 'Renaissance' album cycle, the first in a trilogy she continued with 2024s 'Cowboy Carter'. Landing multiple awards and ten top spots on various 'Best of 2022' lists, the track is a big, brassy, chant-led track featuring the same hallmarks that peppered her 'Homecoming' history-making Coachella performance. Serving as promotion and as the credits sequence, for her theatrical concert film 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce'. The track is anthemic and uplifting, a combination of braggadocious flexing and preaching the power of love and healing - it's an infectious hit. On the B-side of this release is an extended intro edit of Beyonce's legendary chart-topping hit 'Single Ladies', celebrating its 16th birthday this year.
Review: Nicholas Bicycle aka Nick Bike hops on some fine rhythms once more here for the Chosen Spokes label. As always he deals only in pure gold and this time he reworks a classic 80s gem into two different versions. Already well road-tested by the likes of DJ Marky in Brazil to great results, this 7" is pure bait for summer sessions. 'Ain't Shocka' is the first version with chattery claps and plenty of the original vocals and melodies left in place over funk drums. 'Shocka King' gives it a much brighter make over with melodies shipped in from another 80s disco gem by Evelyn "Champagne" King to make it even more irresistible.
Review: Regular collaborators Biesmans and Johannes Albert tend to release at least one record a year together. 2024's 'Give Me Luv', is one of their most accessible and entertaining to date. It has already become a feature of club sets thanks to a digital release earlier in the year and has finally landed on wax. In its original form (side A), the track offers a delicious blend of snappy Chicago house percussion, undulating analogue bass, glassy-eyed chords and colourful nu-disco synths - all topped off with a superb part spoken, part sung vocal from the undisputed "voice of house" Robert Owens. Over on the flip they charge headlong into techno territory on the harder, darker, faster and undeniably bigger 'Detroit Mix'.
Dancing & Grooving (feat Alfreda Gerald - Dave Lee edit) (7:35)
Ain't Nothing Going On (feat Anduze - Micky More & Andy Tee remix) (6:09)
Friday Night (feat MO - Micky More & Andy Tee remix) (7:48)
Lately (feat Karmina Dai - Emmaculate remix) (5:46)
Review: Legendary Italian producer Gianni Bini makes his debut on Groove Culture with 'The House Of Glass' LP, a vibrant disco-house record that takes listeners back to the genre's roots. With over a thousand production credits under various aliases like Bini & Martini and Fathers Of Sound, Gianni has long been a defining force in disco-house. Now, he delivers a fresh project packed with live instrumentationidrums, bass, guitars, stringsiand infectious vocals that evoke the energy of classic discotheques. Side-1 opens with 'Dancing & Grooving' featuring Alfreda Gerald in a high-energy disco anthem. The Dave Lee edit shines with vibrant horns and an unstoppable groove. 'Ain't Nothing Going On', featuring Anduze and remixed by Micky More & Andy Tee, brings lush strings and an irresistible guitar riff, perfect for an all-night dance session. On Side-2, 'Friday Night', with MO's epic vocals and smooth delivery, is another Micky More & Andy Tee remix that exudes timeless disco elegance. 'Lately', featuring Karmina Dai and remixed by Emmaculate, wraps up the album with a soulful disco blend that feels tailor-made for late-night revelry. With The House Of Glass, Gianni Bini proves once again why he's a master of the genre, blending timeless grooves with modern flair.
Don't You Want My Love (vocal extended mix) (7:39)
Don't You Want My Love (dub mix) (7:31)
Don't You Want My Love (The Coney Island Rhythm Band remix) (6:45)
Don't You Want My Love (Jerk Boy remix) (7:18)
Review: Tinted Records offer up the latest new single by LA-based funky pop house producer Birdee. A resident of the likes of Groove Culture and Body Heat among many other hot label names, Birdee delivers big newness on this stratospheric uplifter, replete with surrounded fingerclick claps and a serious vocal line. Three new mixes also feature, with a new dub mix on the A2, as well as a nighttime caban-bound flip by The Coney Island Rhythm Band on the B-side, as well as a closing piano weapon version by Jerk Boy.
Mood II Swing - "Closer" (feat Carole Sylvan - King Street Moody club mix) (6:17)
Ananda Project - "Cascades Of Colour" (feat Gaelle - Wamdue Black extended mix) (6:46)
Review: Earlier this year, legendary NY house label King Street Sounds was acquired by Armada Music. The Dutch imprint plans to reissue many of the well-known - and lesser-celebrated - gems from the King Street vaults in the months and years ahead. To kick things off, they've delivered this vinyl sampler featuring some of the stable's most admired cuts of all time. So, we get Dennis Ferrer's iconic remix of Blaze and Barbara Tucker's gospel-powered soulful house anthem, 'Most Precious Love', the 'King Street Mix' of Jovonn's legendary deep, bumpin' tribute to New Jersey's Club Zanzibar, 'Back To Zanzibar', Mood II Swing's hot and heavy 'moody club mix' of their own Carole Sylvan collaboration 'Closer' and the all-time deep house classic that is the Wamdue Black extended rework of 'Cascades of Colour' by Ananda Project. Simply essential!
Bob Sinclar - "I Feel For You" (Star B extended remix) (5:03)
Groove Armada - "Superstylin'" (Riva Starr edit) (6:18)
Review: The idea behind the Snatch Classics series, which is finally making its vinyl debut following a few tester releases digitally, is deliciously simple. It sees label founder Riva Starr and friends deliver fresh interpretations of classic cuts. On side A you'll find a fresh take on Bob Sinclar's "French touch" filter disco anthem 'I Feel For You' by Star B - AKA Starr and UK techno stalwart Mark Broom. Their version is chunky, energetic, loopy and bass-heavy, re-framing the cut as a tech-funk workout with added string-laden disco chops. Over on the reverse, Starr re-edits and pimps up Groove Armada's 'Superstylin', making it even more sub-heavy, dubbed-out and boisterous (albeit in a rather classy way, we think). Tasty tweaks of classic cuts: what's not to like?
Review: Nervous will forever be etched in the heart of house music lovers. And even after all these years the legendary New York labels continues to serve up the gems. This time out they call upon the one and only Kenny Dope, one half of Masters At Work and a legendary DJ and producer. He adds his famously characteristic warmth and soul to Kenny Bobien and Wheeler Del Torro's 'The Sun Will Shine Again.' It is a gloriously sunny tune with lively, skipping and South Hemisphere tinged beats, a great vocal and plenty of percussive action. The instrumental strips it back to more direct beat work. Both sides bang.
Review: It's a sizzling seven up for Moiss Music here as they draw together four different artists to offer up one cut each for this new various artists collection. Boogietraxx goes heavy on the filter vibes on 'S N T' which is French touch disco-house of the highest order. Kellit's 'Pryscoks Sockin Socks' is all about sultry sax lines and loose-limbed disco house beats while C Da Afro gets heads up with the streaming sunshine synths of 'Don't Be Quiet.' Groovemasta shut down with the funky Afro-disco stylings of 'Gonna Make U Rock.'
Lunedi Cinema (Leo Mas & Fabrice Drive In mix) (6:16)
Lunedi Cinema (Minibar bonus track) (1:15)
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.
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