Tags: Balearic Disco

Review: NuNorthern Soul's 2021 Record Store Day offering is something of a treat. It's a fresh reissue of an impossible-to-find promo 45 first issued to promote Flamenco legend El Turronero's 1980 disco album, EL Hondo. It features two tracks that have long been regular features in the sets of many dusty-fingered Balearic selectors, especially globe-trotting cult leader DJ Harvey. On the A-side you'll find the cosmic, driving, synth-laden brilliance of 'Las Penas (La Cana) - a genuine "everything but the kitchen sink" affair topped off by El Turronero's distinctive vocals - while the more exotic 'Si Yo Volviera Al Nacer', where synths and Sitars accompany the Flamenco-disco grooves, resides on the flip.

Review: Parisian crew Discomatin have come up with some little known boogie brilliance here from Belgian producer Jay Alansky, with lyrics by Jacques Duvall and falsetto vocals from Clara Capri. It's a fine fusion of Italo disco basslines, shimmering electronics and 80s pop and r&b, with more than a hint of early house vibes also thrown in for good measure. All remastered from the original tapes, the tracks are loud and crisp and are perfect dance floor hymns. The long version is the one DJs will reach for, with its sleek lines and hypnotic leads all finished with some elastic bass.

Review: Four massive new dark disco/new beat tracks from Miserymix, hot off the plate. A collaboration born behind the Piccadilly Records counter, Miserymix is the dark disco alias of Goth Spice and Mushy P. Together, these four contemporary tittilators, from 'Sexy Cowboys' to 'Name Game', chart the lighter ends of dark disco, keeping things hi-NRGied yet light-footed. By the time we reach 'Proverbial SOB', distant sampledelic vocals seem to call out in the night, as huge transitional lasershots, double-claps, and impossible-to-play bass licks abound. Things take a steadier turn come 'E Motion', a clever track of velvety undertones, glitzing synth stabs and a steamy narration in French.

Review: The electrifying Rheinzand and is back with another superb full length that will get fans more than excited. Based in Ghent, Belgium it is a joint venture between multi-instrumentalist and producer Reinhard Vanbergen, Charlotte Caluwaerts of Tundra fame and Mo Disko who you will know from electronic pair The Glimmers. For the title track, Stephane Misseghers (from dEUS) joins them on drums and Bruno Coussee plays bass and it makes for a standout single "about drugs and good times, but also about hangovers, loneliness, and a twist of identity crisis." It is backed up by plenty of other innovative tunes.

Review: The Artless Cuckoo label has done a fine job of showcasing the work of lesser-known German outfit Ghia his year by releasing an album of rediscovered 1980s recordings as well as a special 7". Now Thank You has put together this 12" package with three different versions of 'Don't Leave Me Alone.' The original dropped in 1987 and was an instant euro-pop classic. An OG copy on wax is tough to find these days so often fetches three figures. Soon as you hear the tune though you know why - it's effortlessly catchy with mounting tension and super creative vocals.

Review: Welcome to Flankup Recordings, an island in the sun with glistening waters all around it, certainly if the first EP is anything to go off. It is the label's co-founder Il Mare Di Fronte, a new alias from Paolo Russi aka Discojuice. His lush Balearic sounds have plenty of beauty and mediterranean qualities as they explore horizontal disco, deep bogie and warm, organic downtempo sounds with retro synth craft and scattered percussive hits. It adds up some glorious sounds for glorious days.

Review: Abstrack France kicks off with Medecines, which is a first album for the Balek Band and label. It is, they say, "the product of a magma of influences, the emanation of large decade of music infused lives." It is also a deeply absorbing musical landscape with cosmic overtones, spiritual moods and elements of everything from kraut to dub to disco, funk and more. A rich array of instruments and percussion join the retro-future synth work to make each track busy and compelling, fresh and unique. It's an escapist and therapeutic listen that works both in the club, at home, in the car or on the beach.

Review: DJ collective Siffleur shoes off their skills and wide tastes here on a new EP that mixes up all manner of weird and wonderful sounds . There is Italo disco, ethno-funk, Balearic sounds and plenty of leftfield design to these cuts. They are stringy and sinewy but muscular enough to work on the dance floor as well as outdoors in the sun. The opener is a sensual cut with a hint of 80s nostalgia and tropical heat to it. Then on the flip side things get more drama and late night with a pink neon hue accompanying you on a late night walk through downtown.

Review: The distinctive vocal sound of Shirley Giha aka. Ghia is both naive and infectious. Her only album Here I Am gets a reissue via Thank You, recalling the short-lived period in the spotlight enjoyed by the musician between 1987-88. Heavyweight city pop, new jack swing and slow-jam dreamers all combine in an almost oppressively 80s sound, while Ghia's vocals glide over each track elegantly and unprocessedly.