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.
Mark Brickman & Yam Who? - "Shined On Me" (feat Venessa Jackson) (7:30)
Wayfaring Strangers - "Get Your House In Order" (6:12)
Platinum City - "Holy Spirit" (7:35)
Yam Who? & Brian Lucas - "Yah Mo B There" (6:16)
Review: House music's roots are in the church and this new a celebratory various artist collection pays homage to that. The grooves are laced with soulful vocals, churchy chords and big strings that make for grand architecture and grander feelings of joy. Mark Brickman & Yam Who? open with a vocal gem that cannot help but bring a smile, while Wayfaring Strangers pump it up a little more with some funky disco house before Platinum City get you locked in a nice loose, long legged groove that is resplendent with lush keys and big vocal turns. 'Yah Mo B There' has an irresistible 80s vibe and big sing along choruses that will get hairs standing on end.
Review: The world of dark disco tech is vast and so covers plenty of niches and nuances with artists all over the world adding their voice to the conversation. Spanish label Waste Editions offers up four more to the mix here with another well-assembled VA. Dark Vektor's 'Amb La Mirada Ens Menjarem' begins with some synth sounds that evoke a horror scene over snappy drums and sleazy guitar riffs. Synth Alien's 'Replica Cosmica' gets a little more loose but still comes with evocative vocal samples and a characterful world of synth sounds, some that fart, some that gurgle, some that amuse. Imiafan's 'Stupaj (Keen K RMX)' is another prying, loopy sound brought to life with myriad effects, textures and vocal snippets and Wardum shuts down with 'Wrambling' which has grinding bass and scuttling effects topped with occult vocals.
Review: Kommuna marks its tenth year of activity with this new dancefloor-focused record from various artists whose music "reflects the glimmer of hope that music provides during these dystopian times." Fabricio's 'Collateral Effect' opens with a strident nu-disco sound and retro-future chords that get you moving. Charleze's 'Rage Power' is another chunky disco stomper with some nice cosmic melody and Wooka's 'Tirty Dalk' hits harder with mechanical beats and churning bass. Mooglee's 'Things I Love' brings a more dreamy synth sound but still club-ready beats.
3kelves & We Are Neurotic - "Laguna Reservoir Funk" (4:00)
Naux - "Foxxy Cleopatra" (6:18)
Partner Music - "People Should Romance" (5:15)
Review: Moiss Music is dropping two slabs of heat this month - their sixth and seventh EPs overall. Both are various artists' collections with plenty of 'floor-facing disco fun. Mathew Ferness opens this one with 'Paradisio' which has plenty of inspiration taken from late afternoon dances somewhere like Ibiza. 3kelves & We Are Neurotic get you working your feet with the busy percussive grooves and squelchy synth funk of 'Laguna Reservoir Funk' while Naux brings lots of loopy fun and throwback vocal goodness to his steamy 'Foxxy Cleopatra.' Partner Music rounds out the EP with the most energetic and busy of the lot - the restless melodies of 'People Should Romance.'
Review: Lol Hammond is a former member of Spiral Tribe and early live techno act The Drum Club who now makes music on his own as Wah Wah Planet. Back in 1990 is when he penned this fantastic five track Balearic house EP alongside Russell Crone and with female vocal contributions from Lucy Sian. It very much lay out an early blueprint for UK street soul and the opener on the A-side 'Jewel' explores a romantic theme with hooky pop lyrics. Things get more left of centre on the 'Love FXU' with three trips into a smoother sound world perfect for sun kissed island dancing and with influences ranging from early breakbeat and trip hop to elements of dancehall music.
Review: A top value for money opportunity here, as Moiss Music deliver the latest in their sweet and sticky Jam series of various artist 12" line ups, bringing you no less than six bubbling, vivacious disco triumphs from six artists. Khemir's 'Disco Bandit' kicks off proceedings, a production that sounds like it was made by a band of around 45 musicians, a proper cavalcade of strings, brass, brazen disco thump and beautifully bold vocals. Wurzelholz's 'Prince' goes for a bit more economy but with a slinky funk bassline like that - not to mention the occasional exclamation from the purple overlord himself - it's equally devastating in dancefloor terms. Among the other highlights, 'Golden' by I Gemin has the feel of a lost Daft Punk flip tune and Cosmocomics' 'Glamorous Garcon', boasting 70s-style synth bubbles that are as cute as they are retro. Tasty as ever.
Review: Afroterraneo Music founder Kiko Navarro steps up for his label next release, but not before enlisting the help of friends and fellow Balearic and house dons DJ Pippi and Willie Graff. Their classy Tempistica Mistica EP offers up a pair of richly percussive and Afro-Latin tinged house cuts that are primed and ready for deployment on the most cultured dance floors. 'N'Fumbei' is a warming shuffler that echoes the work of Fred P, 'Esanah' is more heavy and percussive with its weighty kicks making a lasting mark. 'N'Fumbeats' closes down with a fat, bouncy rhythm brought to life with loose and organic perc.
Review: The classic 1982 funk anthem 'Don't Fight The Feeling' by American r&b and funk band One Way gets a fine 12" pressing here, which means it can be played nice and loud. Singer Al Hudson leads the way with his buttery vocal, while a stepping and broken rhythm with lovely dry claps and w sloppy synth squeal make for a pretty unique sound given when this was first recorded. On the flip side, Windjammer's 'I Thought It Was You' offers a more mellow, melodic contrast full of the band's signature blend of r&b and jazz with cooing, heart-melting vocals and a nice stepping rhythm that lovers of UK street soul will surely be drawn to.
Review: dO iT nOw Recordings makes its debut in the world of vinyl with a various artists' sampler that shows just what they are all about. First up is Pigsie's wonderful 'Silk' which sets a fine tone with lush jazz-inspired keys, dreamy pads and intricate drum work that make it well suited to those late-night sessions. Wearing Shoes then offers 'Finding Your Words' with buttery Rhodes licks and looped vocals over fat bass, and the B-side begins with Michael Oberling and his deep jazz grooves, trumpet solos and swinging drums. Massive R closes with the lovely, jazzy house of 'This Feeling' complete with snappy drums and a catchy piano hook.
The James L'Estraunge Orchestra - "Broken Spells" (8:08)
Nico Lahs - "Happenstance" (5:58)
Review: Local Talk has quietly but assuredly become a vital voice in there underground. It has done so over the last 13 years and now makes that occasion by doing what it does best - serving up timeless club sounds that mix under many different subgenres. This is another feel-good offering from four of the label's talents or as the label puts it, "producers that we love and respect." There is funky bass and soulful vibes from the Soul Renegades opener, Wipe The Needle's 'Light Years Away' is a more serene cosmic journey and The James L'Estraunge Orchestra offer a broken beat and jazzed-up dancer in 'Broken Spells.' Nico Lahs brings some cuddly depths to his slow-mo house jam 'Happenstance.'
Motor City Madness (Underground Resistance remix) (6:30)
Motor City Madness (SHE Spells Doom remix) (4:16)
Review: Wajeed maybe doesn't get the credit or attention of many of his Detroit peers, but he surely deserves it. His take on his hometown's house sound pairs gorgeous synths with steely drum work and new one 'Motor City Madness' backs that up. It's got the nice raw drums, the elastic bass and is smothered with synth goodness while incidental sax and trumpet pads bring the romance. A People Mover remix goes heavy on the jazz vibes with a broken beat workout, Underground Resistance take it deep and SHE Spells Doom jacks up those drums into something close to a UK funky take on Detroit house.
Review: Following the recent dip into the Theo Parrish archives that was The Twin Cities, Phil Weeks' Robsoul imprint looks to another one of Detroit's adopted sons in the form of Rick Wade. Like that recent Parrish reissue, Weeks re-releases another three tracks from Wade's bulging discography. The upbeat disco loops of "Players Theme" was originally released on French label Funky Chocolate in 2002 and still sound fresher than anything being plied by the Soundcloud dwellers today, while "Can't You See" from 2003 provides a more soulful take on house music. On the flip, the tracky funk and cascading string melodies of "I Feel Good" originally graced Wade's own Harmonie Park imprint in 1998, but sound no less vital today. Essential.
Review: Rick Wade has been serving up quality deep house for so long (since the late 1990s in fact) that each new release he delivers comes with an obligatory "must check" tag. Predictably, his latest missive - his first, we think, for German imprint Eat More House - is packed to the rafters with high-grade cuts. Check first locked-in, head-nodding deep house roller 'Bmore Banger', where minor key chords and trippy electronic noises ride hypnotic beats and a filthy acid bassline, before turning your attention to the hazy, eyes-closed dancefloor deepness of 'NY'. Over on the flip, 'Deep Sweet Dreams' is a heady fusion of metronomic TB-303 bass, snappy drums, suspenseful synth-strings and drowsy chords, while title track 'Too Deep' lives up to its title via shuffling deep house beats, hazy field recordings, ambient style chords and twinkling lead lines.
Review: A striking debut EP from Tokyo artist Iori Wakasa; 'Botanica' is a psychedelic house EP unto its own, summoning the environmental/ambisonic ritualisms of his locale, but repackaging them into a thoroughly danceable deep tech aesthetic. It's a fusion sound which is quite rare in other contexts. Wakasa, also a DJ (and now label head) based in Japan, has more recently expanded his repertoire to performances in Indonesia, Vietnam, and South Korea, and we'd wager it's this wealth of experience that has informed on the impeccable sonic synergies of 'The Pure Land' and 'Lunar Down'.
Review: Niklas Wandt is a Berlin-based man of many talents including drumming, singing, playing synth and percussion and DJing, as well as crafting delicious techno depths such as those on this latest EP from the fledgling Viscera Transmissions. Initially, 'Mehr Phett' veers towards hi-tek soul a la early Detroit with its surging pads and sleek percussion. 'Feuerwerk Der Rhythmen' is another quick and kinetic cut but one with great meaning in the musical synths. 'Subcutaneous Dance' then gets more wild and free with layers of synth pulses, scintillating drum programming and a driving bass line that will lead to dancefloor lift-off. Eden Burns remixes the opener into a tropical, dubby, elastic house workout with an off-balance bassline.
Review: Released in celebration of Expansion's recent re-serving of two of Leon's early 80s albums - Rockin' You Eternally and Leon Ware - here's a delightful 45 that reminds us of his finest solo moments. "Why I Came To California" is a sun-kissed soul boogie groove with big horns and even bigger chorus. "Rockin' You Eternally" (which is, let's face it, one of the smoothest song titles to ever come from the 80s) showcases Leon's softer side. A ballad steeped in sentiment, play this loud enough and everyone in a five mile radius will stop and get smoochy.
Review: For our money, XL Middleton is one of the best producers in the game right now. His ability to craft timeless funk and electro sounds that make you want to move your ass is second to none. Here he does just that with his remix of Hannah Warm's 'Just In Time.' It's defined by his usual sense of LA cool with squelchy synth bass, stepping street soul beats from the 80s and in this case a Japanese vocal that soars through a cloudless sky on a sunny day. Flip over this tidy 7" for the original version which is a pure city pop delight.
Review: Jazz fusion supergroup Wasafiri dropped a lush double album in the form of Klearlight and it now receives a house remix makeover from some top-tier producers. Grammy-winning Chris Penny aka CPen layers in plenty of clean digital melodies and dusty tech drums to his version, while UK jazz maestro Greg Foat excels with some cosmic broken beat bliss. Dolfin Records' Ben Hixon brings a signature deep and also offers a more loopy and rough house cut that reminds of early Armand Van Helden with its loops melodies and deep, dirty bass.
Donna Washington - "You Can't Hide From The Boogie" (4:04)
Linda Clifford - "Build A Fire" (5:29)
Review: Donna Washington is a US soul singer from LA who had a number of big hit including her duet with The Dramatics' LJ Reynolds, 'I'm Into You' 'You Can't Hide From The Boogie' is a disco gem that featured on the Boogie Times Presents The Great Collectors Vol. 8 compilation back in 2008 but now get its own pressing on a standalone 7". It's leggy, glossy and a real lung buster with funky drums and big horns. Linda Clifford's 'Build A Fire' is another track from the 1980s boogie and disco era that still bangs but has a more deep, stripped-back and seductive sound.
Donna Washingtons - "You Can't Hide From The Boogie" (4:06)
Linda Clifford - "Build A Fire" (5:31)
Review: Donna Washington, a legendary soul singer from LA, is known for hits like her duet with The Dramatics' LJ Reynolds, 'I'm Into You.' However, just as good is 'You Can't Hide From The Boogie' is a disco classic that got revived amongst heads after it featured on Boogie Times Presents The Great Collectors Vol. 8 in 2008. Now, it's getting its own standalone 7" pressing and is a high-energy, funky gem complete with powerful horns and driving drums, all perfect for the dancefloor. On the flip side, Linda Clifford's 'Build A Fire' delivers a more seductive, deep boogie sound, showcasing the enduring allure of 1980s disco and boogie music.
Review: Six years ago, Vince Watson released a digital-only compilation marking two decades since his first release, in the process providing updated re-makes and remixes of some of his best-loved cuts. The versions on this 12" appeared on that set but have not been released on vinyl before. His re-wire of 1999 cut 'Mystical Rhythm' is little less than sonically gorgeous, subtly updating Watson's classic, Detroit influenced sci-fi techno sound to include all manner of spacey chords, warming organ sounds and jazzy, life-affirming synth solos. His version of 2000's 'Moments in Time' is even deeper and more intergalactic in tone, delivering heart-aching Motor City style machine soul by the boat-load. In a word: stunning.
Review: Chicago outfit Wavelength tap into the funk traditions of bands like Parliament here with a seductive and rather sleazy new EP for Soulistic 360. The whole thing has been arranged by Windy City soul innovator Rahaan and comes on white marbled vinyl 12". Opener 'Can You Handle This Funk' is slow, steamy, sensuous with its languid kicks, live, raw drums and drawled vocals all luring you into the groove. The remix is a subtle teak of the original and on the flip is 'Kemetic Dance Party' which brings more Afro style drums and some bold sax lines to get things going in a more energetic way.
Review: The newly formed Silum Records' is back with a superb second release that features Zurich collective Wavetest. They have previously released on the likes of Phantom Island and Drumpoet but this might be their best work. It is music inspired by the alpine landscape of the collective's native Liechtenstein but it also has one eye on the dance floor. These are bright, shiny disco-house cuts with happy arps, lush cosmic chords and accessible grooves that simply make you feel good. 'Gritsch' in particular is awash with warm chords and singing leads that will work in a wide variety of settings.
Review: Chiwax are back this week with a more than welcome reissue of Wax Fruit's one-and-only release Whispers from 1994. This was one of many aliases sussed by Toronto-based producer Ron Allen, who some of you may know for his seminal work as one half of Psyance (with Hayden Andre Brown) who released on Plus 8, as well as his work under the names Aztech, The Apache Project and The R.A.S.E. The late night mood music of the title track is a true zeitgeist from the period in which it was released, while the looped-up disco sampling deep house of 'Just A Party' or 'Mindgames' over on the flip were equally as trendsetting as anything fellow Torontonians like Nick Holder or DJ Sneak were making at the time.
Hoochie Coo Strut (Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland remix) (5:25)
Hoochie Coo Strut (3:34)
Review: UK based production team Weekend Sun is made up of Phil Smith and Chris Tarn. Here their loose and inviting 'Hoochie Coo Strut' tune gets presented on a limited edition 12" with a pair of killer mixes. The original is all deep cut, slow motion disco grooves, spangly guitar riffs and big horns. It is a cacophony of sound that gets dialled right back by Al Kent. His take is a low slung groover with jazzy chords given plenty fo room to breath and neat little riffs filing in the spaces beyond. Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland remix is a big one for full floors.
Review: Surely even he has lost count of how many tunes he has sung on now, yet still Robert Owens remains the most in-demand vocalist in the game. His smoky tones feature on Nat Wendall's 'Easy' and they come with a brighter tone than usual next to the nice piano chords which are draped over upright beats. As well as an instrumental, Kaidi Tatham remixes with his brilliant broken beat style and sunny synth disposition, and he also adds his own spin to the instrumental. A timeless package.
Review: Glaswegian label Beluga Records might not be known to many house heads but it should be: it remained low key but that's not because it lacked quality in what it put out. Lorne Walton was the founder and put plenty of its key tunes in the mid-90s under the Western Alliance Palais. It is to 1996's Atalanta EP that Rezpektiva now looks for this super reissue of some truly timeless sounds that must have been away ahead of their time. These are stripped-back house and tech fusion with depth, price, and compelling synth work that still sounds like the future.
Review: Amidst recent praise from a variety of individuals including Ben UFO, Legowelt and the Juno review team, the Peoples Potential Unlimited label keep up the brilliant work with yet another killer disco boogie oddity from the early 80s. This Westwood / Cash twelve is the first of two twelve's from the Washington imprint to switch the focus to the career of Detroit producer Danaan Potts who can count on studying alongside a young Juan Atkins as well as spending close to 100 hours a week studio time alongside George Clinton as influences. Here he adopts the anonymous Westwood tag to add some bizarre P Funk to the delightful Orlando Cash jams "Psycho For Your Love" and "Work Those Joints". Additional PPU tweaks of both make this one of the labels best twelve's to date!
Review: During the late '90s and early 2000s, Whirlpool Productions - a Cologne-based outfit whose members included exiled Californian Eric D Clark and future Kompakt regular Justus Kohncke - delivered a string of killer 12" singles that blurred the boundaries between micro-house, deep house, disco and Italo. Their greatest dancefloor hit was undoubtedly 1996's 'From Disco To Disco', a freewheeling affair that featured improvised vocals and electric piano motifs over a throbbing, Italo-disco style bassline and sturdy house beats. This timely reissue pairs a remastered version of the band's original mix with a later Tiefschwarz remix that's more druggy, undeniably heavier and laden with additional pots-and-pans percussion. It's a fine rework that compliments the untouchable original mix.
Review: Ben White - not the same Ben White that plays as a defender for Arsenal - was just 25 when he was brought by Eddy Bongo Brown of the Funk Brothers to the Motor City to play with Marvin Gaye. It was five years after that when he lay down this single - his only one, although it is said there are some lost tapes featuring a full album on them out there somewhere. We hope it is found as this is excellent - 'I Would Have To Be A Fool' is a super smooth soul with nice funky rhythms and a hint of disco energy. 'Just Give Love A Try' is a more slow and lavish groove with choral backing and fancy piano.
Review: Who can resist a lovely one-sided, blue-marbled 12" that is mad limited? Well it depends on the tune, of course, and the good news is this one from Wicked Disco on the newly minted eponymous label is superb. 'Too Late Is What You Are' is an action-packed fusion of Afro soul, organic percussion, disco grooves and wet finger clicks topped off with a soul-drenched vocal and some big horns. The arrangement is fulsome but never over-loaded which means this one has it all, basically, and will bring great times to any dancefloor.
Review: Chip Wickham's cosmic spiritual jazz album Blue to Red gets some key remixes here on the Spanish label Lovemonk. 'Blue To Red Photay' (remix) is a bustling, club ready tune with a majestic flute lead and pumping drums. The no drums mix is a perfectly swirling ambient piece that is richly layered and joyous. Then comes 'The Cosmos Chip' (dub) which suspends you amongst the stars, lush flutes and deep bass notes while your mind wanders free. Last of all, 'Blue To Red Medlar' (remix) is another warm and succulent house groove with jazz stylings and airy harps all brings lightness and hope.
Review: There's plenty to set the pulse racing within this new set of remixes of tracks from Seb Wildblood's superb album "Sketches Of Transition", which dropped on All My Thoughts earlier in the year. Our pick of the bunch is the superb Suzanne Kraft remix of "Amelia", which wraps glistening '80s guitar sounds and fretless bass notes around a chugging, arpeggio-driven groove, though many may gravitate towards the tight but undeniably groovy and melodious Jenifa Mayanja deep house version of "Small Talk". Elsewhere, Ciel re-imagines "Bahn" as an intoxicating chunk of bleep-laden broken electronica/Balearic fusion, while object blue impressively chops up "Sketches" into a sludgy, mind-altering style.
Review: Bristol-based Will You (AKA Oleeva label founder Will Spence) is finally ready to make his vinyl bow, with fast-rising Berlin imprint Stolar the lucky label handling the imprint. He begins in predictably confident mood with 'Sante', a deeply swirling, psychedelic and immersive slab of hypno-house wrapped in waves of TB-303 acid insanity, before treating us to the unsettling off-kilter tech-house wonkiness of 'Is It 2 Late?' Over on the reverse side, both cuts are given the remix treatment. Lb Honne re-frames 'Is It 2 Late?' as a smoother and more intergalactic-sounding chunk of deep tech-house, while Orion turns 'Sante' into a field recordings and effects-laden ambient techno shuffler.
Review: Chicago originator Boo Williams has a sound that finds a perfect sweet spot between physical drums and emotive synths. He has long been turning out his sparking Windy City sounds and the quality levels never dip. This new 12" from FRL revisits his 'Midnight Express EP' which is one of his best. The title cut kicks off with punchy drums and loopy chord vamps that are topped with cosmic sustained chords and have a futuristic feel. 'Planet Earth' is an even more raw and hefty house thumper with some warped bass and twisted synth modulations and 'Blast Off' shuts down with some slamming kicks and sci-fi melodies that once again make for a perfect mix for head and heel.
Review: Destination 78/79: Expansion take us deep into the illustrious back cat of revered boogaloo fusionist Willie Bobo for two of his many fiery delights. Side A is his feel-heavy cult instrumental take on Ronnie Laws' disco classic "Always There" while Side B throws us into the heart of his 1979 album Bobo with gutsy raw soul power (and just a few cheeky funk slap bass twangs for good measure) Two stone cold classics together for the first time on 45.
Doug Willis - "The Mighty Douglas" (Doug Godbizniss mix) (6:39)
Roland Wrightangle - "In Your Blood" (feat Darcus - Ron Basejam mix) (7:19)
Jakatta - "American Dream" (Atjazz remix) (7:20)
The Pockets - "Work It Out" (Dave Lee rework) (6:45)
Review: Dave Lee's Z Records continues to fly the flag for disco-tinged house, or house-tinged disco, from new school artists and old-school mainstays. One thing you can be sure of with music n this label is that it will be big, crowd-pleasing tackle that never forgets its roots. There is real religious rapture in the thrilling Doug Godbizniss mix of 'The Mighty Douglas' which gets the EP underway in fine style. After that is a sumptuous, string-laced house classic from Ron Basejam, a lush mix of the wonderfully ethereal 'American Dram' from lounge-y house don Atjazz and classy, hip-swinging vocal house bomb from Dave Lee himself.
Review: Philly native Josh Wink is still as relevant as ever, partially because he didn't just spend the decades after his breakout hit 'Higher State of Consciousness' trying to recreate the same thing. He has landed on several well-regarded labels, though mostly on his own 30-year-old Ovum, and here heads to House of eFunk for a new EP that taps into his nostalgic feelings of house from years gone by. The cuts are all lo-fi and rough-edged, with deep beats and grainy pads all bring timeless gores that come with rich synths and chords for extra special dancefloor appeal.
Review: We find ourselves writing this a lot but this really is a top-tier Italo disco record that is as rare as an honest politician and way out on its own atop many people's want list. Wish Key was founded by Manlio Cangelli and their debut in 1983, 'Orient Express' quickly gained popularity and led to further releases like 'Easy Way' in 1984 and 'Life.' It's a track drowning in echo and reverb and 80s drum sounds with a nice-paced bassline and camp vocals. It comes in various versions here as well as with the signature Flemming Dalum for more club-friendly vibes
Review: As head of the Diskokaine imprint, Wolfram Eckert has graced the public with the delightful sounds of Sally Shapiro as well as maintaining a wonderfully infuriating website - you need to check this out! In a production career that has seen the Swede trade under a surfeit of aliases for labels such as Creme, Gomma and IDJ Gigolos, Eckert has focused on the Wolfram name to deliver a stellar album forthcoming on Permanent Vacation. Entitled Marflow, the album features a stellar cast of guests including Legowelt, Shapiro, House of House, disco legend Paul Parker and mid nineties one hit wonder Haddaway. Permanent Vacation indulge in some appetite whetting here with another collaborative effort between Wolfram and Andy and Kim Ann of Hercules and Love Affair, notable for some fine remixes from fellow Swedish icons Tiedye and Axel Boman, with the former's balearic rock cover version most ingenious.
Review: Elektra repress with original artwork of Womack & Womack's 'Baby I'm Scared Of You'.
with Dee Dee Bridgewater's 'Sweet Rain (In A One Night Love Affair)' on the b-side.
Review: Stevie Wonder has many classics in his incomparable oeuvre and many of them have been remixed with varying degrees of success. 'Paradise' is one from the mid-70s on his Songs in the Key of Life album and here it gets a house rework. It's got some brilliantly dusty Motor City house vibes to it with busy synth arps riding up and down the scale next to more smeared, serene chords. The flispside Kneedeep dub is more percussive with chopped-up vocals, disco-fried beats and a little more vibrancy to it for some playful party times.
Review: There seems to be a richness of cultured new edits dripping at the start of this New Year. This 12" is proof of that and it finds the great Motown legend Stevie Wonder have his impeccable sounds just subtly tweaked to give them a little extra heft on modern sound systems. 'Do I Do' (House remix) kicks off here with nice disco loops and funky drum patterns that come alive with some steamy sax energies. The timeless 'Superstitious' then gets beefed up with some echo on the majestic synths and more weight in the drums. It's fun and funky perfection.
Review: Who doesn't love a cheeky edit? And they are always cheeky, aren't they? Here we have one of Motown's most legendary artists getting reworked for modern dancefloors. Importantly, the tweaks to these two cuts are nice and subtle, which means the charm and musicianship of the originals remain. First, we get the feel-good melodies and carefree vocal sounds of 'Another Star' with some weighty drums added in, then 'Too High' becomes a deep and dusty house gem with various synth lines mingling with the beats while the vocal adds that signature Wonder soul.
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