Athens Of The North Vinilo y CD

Review: The relentless Athens Of The North is having a busy month even by its own high standards. February alone has at least three new 45rpms dropping and this might be the best: Homegrown Syndrome were a band that ended up in LA but giggled all round Memphis. Some members had played with an earlier band but they all came good on these previously unleashed tunes that have been found in the attic of Jerry Jones. 'Got The Love' is a chunky funky stepper with swirling synths and disco energy. 'Party Vibes' then takes off once more on hip swig claps, big arching chords and strident drums.

Review: Once again Athens of the North boss Euan Fryer has dug deep for inspiration. Even within disco and boogie collector circles, few know the self-released early '80 singles of sometime Sister Sledge backing bandmember Doug Payne. As Fryer has proved on this compilation style EP, Payne's boogie-era jams were genuinely brilliant. The killer cut is 'She's On The Money', a P-funk style wriggler - think squelchy, undulating synth-bass, soulful vocals, sparkling synth lines and bustling machine drums - that's available in a variety of versions. Our pick of the bunch is the previously unreleased extended mix, which stretches out to almost 15 minutes and includes some superb, DJ-friendly stripped-back sections. Also worth a listen is the slap-bass-propelled boogie-funk of 'Holiday', which was originally Payne's debut solo single way back in 1983.

Review: Athens Of The North will always be one of our favourite labels no matter what they're serving up. The Edinburgh-based deep diggers this time look to Race 'N Rhythm, which was once upon a time a 12-member jazz group based in Oakland. Jazz-master Rudolph Peters managed the multi-racial band and though they were admired on the vocal live circuit they only ever released one single before later doing an album. 'Space Saver' was recorded in California in 1982 and is a sultry and romantic soul sound with leads and coy rhythms. 'Candybar Superstar' on the backside is a pure fire dancefloor heater with high-energy claps, horns and vocals.

Review: It was way back in 1977 when disco collective Seaquence made their debut on Aidqueen Records, a tiny, independent label based in their home city of San Diego, California. That debut, a delightful but extremely hard to find "45", has long been in demand amongst deep disco collectors, hence this timely reissue on Athens of the North. The real killer is A-side 'Disco Thing', a tight-but-freewheeling chunk of disco-funk piled high with alternate male/female vocals, loose-limbed drum-breaks, punchy horns, swooping strings and squelchy synth sounds. Original B-side 'Your Love' is a deeper and far sweeter affair - a traditional flipside slow jam that's as tear-jerking as it is effortlessly soulful.