Tags: Soul Disco

Review: The Four Flies crew has been hard at work assembling this comprehensive collection of soul, AOR and Italo disco from between the very specific years of 1977 and 1986. Across four fantastic sides of wax it shows how Italian artists took those sounds and added their own perspective to them during that era. Accompanying text says "In Italy, a soulful and sophisticated approach to pop music was embraced ... by an entire generation of writers, arrangers and musicians" and that is sure highlighted here in lush grooves, escapist melodies and feel good tunes that are effortless and timeless.

Review: Discom continues to unearth genuine gems from the former Yugoslavia. The dusty-fingered reissue imprint's latest pick comes from 1983. It's the sole, self-titled album from Boom Selekija, a relatively short-lived eight-piece made up of funk and soul musicians from other Belgrade bands, who disbanded shortly after the LP was released. Musically, the album pairs vibrant and authentic disco-boogie instrumentation - with some Eastern European flourishes - with impassioned Serbian-language vocals. It's a quietly impressive set all told, with our picks including the spacey and loved-up stomper 'Studentski Stan', the rubbery bass guitar, rock-style guitar solos and intergalactic synth textures of 'Vladina Gitara', the subtly jazz-funk-infused, slap bass-propelled 'Juljaz Me', and the almost beat-free jazz-funk sleaze of 'Frizerka Naja'.