DJS: MOST CHARTED - DISCO - MOST CHARTED MARCH 2014

Review: The Africa Shakedown label coined one of last year's surprise hits with it's debut release, and the label's second release is likely to prove just as popular. Noema features once more and the Salon Zur Wilden Renate resident has collared contributions from Eddie C, Axel Boman and the Soft Rocks crew. Eddie C is first up with the irresistibly groovy "O Ye" which wouldn't look out of place on a Red Motorbike 45 dinker, whilst Noema conjures up the spirit of Bill Laswell on the dubby, scratchy production "The Shake". Studio Barnhus co-founder Boman is probably the biggest draw here and his rerub of the uncredited "Bayaya" should be familiar to anyone that's caught a DJ set from the fun loving Swede. Soft Rocks bring it home with the heavily delayed jammer "Disco Machine". Strong moves all round here sir.

Review: Boom! The good ship Golf Channel returns with the first of two essential offerings and a label debut for the killer Africaine 808. The Berlin-based duo Dirk Leyers and Nomad comprise Africaine 808 and those with a regular vinyl habit will know them from last year's DJ Muscle series from WT Records. As their name suggests, the usage of the 808 is key to the Africaine 808 sound, and their output thus far can be comparable with the music of Comeme albeit with a focus on some of Leyer and Nomad's personal favourite African and island funk tracks. The pair debut on Golf Channel with a two-track 12? that features some excellent graf style sleeve art done by Nomad. DO NOT SLEEP

Review: ** REPRESS ** Pleasure Unit is the new label from the excellent Keyboard Masher and it gets off to a fine start here with a selection of reworks from Norwegian producer Telephones that's been issued in conjunction with the Berlin crew Untz Untz. By no means the most prolific of producers, Bergen-based Henning Severud has nonetheless graced the likes of Full Pupp, Sex Tags UFO and most recently The Very Polish Cut-Outs under the Telephones guise so you expect quality. And that's what you get as Severud reworks tracks from Skatebard, Love Nation and Dove Station in his own inimitable style. The lead take on Skatebard's "Confirmation Bias" is a particularly wonderful thing to behold, utilising a whole eight minutes to take flight into what the label quite aptly describe as a long lost Larry Levan remix of Manuel Gottsching's epic "E2 E4". K I L L E R.

Review: ** REPRESS ALERT ** Emotional Especial return with a release from Romanian duo Khidja that comes packing some excellent remixes from senor Fairplay and Juju & Jordash! Brought to the attention of EE thanks to Hardway Brother Sean Johnston, who returned from a Bucharest DJ gig singing the praises of two young DJs, Khidja's productions are as impressive as their selections on the evidence here. "Mustafa" is more immediate with shuffle percussion, swirling sirens and acid bubbles leading to a perfect horn break. In the hands of Mr Fairplay, the track takes on anthemic qualities; the stabbing bass and build have allegedly seen howls of appreciation when it's dropped at A Love From Outer Space. "Abdul" finds Khidja in a more calming mood reminiscent of Art of Noise, though the kick and bass ensure there is plenty of rhythmic emphasis, whilst the Juju & Jordash remix edges towards a Balearic digidub vibe.

Review: The mysterious nut-gathering disco fiends at Secret Squirrel continue their razor-sharp edit work with two more incredibly funky slices of nu-disco. Side A is a spirited fusion of wah wahs, filters and a tight vocal loop from Ike Strong's "Boogie Land" while Side B is a slower, acid-tickled jam that takes Blair's "Nightlife" and brings it kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Both are stunning and are guaranteed to sell out like the previous SS editions.

Review: If you've spent some time in the night spots of Amsterdam, you will probably have shaken a leg to the selecting skills of respected crate digger Mr Mendel, who holds down diverse residencies at parties like I Love Vinyl, Wicked Jazz Sounds and Doka. Those of you without ready access to Amsterdam nightlife can find solace in the latest slab from Basic Fingers, which allows Mr Mendel to show off his edit skills on tweaks of classics from Gil Scott-Heron and Fela Kuti. First up is a tweak of the live version of "The Bottle" which is always a pleasure to hear, whilst the B Side houses a riotous take on "Roforofo Fight".

Review: Sweden-based disco fiend Parkway Rhythm unleashes yet another crisp synth heavy slice of contemporary disco for Mark Seven's Parkway label. The original struts with a big piano riff that's right up there with Alison Limerick's "Where Love Lives". Peppered with an array of boogie subtleties and bubbly disco noises, it's an instant floor pleaser that will appeal to fans of Paul Simpson's classic productions. For a slightly deeper experience jump on the T Kut dub. Shimmering with dubby flickers and flourishes, if you were a fan of Chicken Lips joints back in the day, you'll be all over this.

Review: Mondo Disco and U-Ka on one sexy 10"? Disco partnerships don't carry much more clout than this. Mondo's take on "Do It" is less of an edit and more of a complete deconstruction and rebuild; taking the catchy vocal refrain and building a head-bending contemporary groove around it, this will seduce any floor in its path. Meanwhile on the B we find U-Ka on glistening form as "Disco" unravels into a shiny, bright-tight guitar-heavy jam complete with big brash synth boogie charm. Both are absolutely stunning.

Review: Supply Records returns with a seventh release which finds Will Martin make his label debut and build on the budding production partnership with John Barera, which commenced with a standout contribution to a various artists 12" on Dolly last year. Much like "Reality" from that aforementioned release on Steffi's label, the four tracks here commence on a disco flecked tip with "Awake" which is filled with driving soulful strings and cracking drums. Classic Rhodes punctuate "Say It Now" whilst the flip shows a different side to the pairing with "Unknown Factor" heading into stab heavy techno territory, whilst title track "Yen" displays Martin and Barera's mastery of haunting atmospheres. Supply meets demand once again!

Review: The Noodleman presents the debut on his own label, and it's special in every direction. Highly limited and hand stamped, synth vibes abound as we're sedated by big atmospheric pads, a sweet slo-mo beat, synth-tom fills and a Moroder style arpeggio bass. With subtle filters applied to the keys, it's a moment of true sonic luxury. Remix-wise Eddie C gets his early 90s jack on with heavier drums and a more driving groove. Truly timeless.

Review: When released on the THISISNOTANEXIT label in 2008 to little fanfair, the Brain Machine by Brain Machine was 2 unknown producers delivering a unique take on the electronic, experimental climbs of the Krautrock sound. Now known to be Rome based Guido Zen and London's Jon Tye - aka one half of the Seahawks - the album soon spread through word of mouth and was backed with live dates from Scotland to Scandinavia. Handing the album to a selection of producers they admired resulted in remixes from Dusseldorf's Unit 4 and Musiccargo, London's Spectral Empire - aka George Thompson (Black Merlin) and Kyle Martin (Land of Light) - and from the USA, Jonas Reinhardt and both Steve Moore and A.E Paterra of space rock pioneers, Zombi. With the demise of TINAE in 2010, the remixes never saw the light of day. The Lost Machine EP collects 4 of those remixes on to one 12", while the rest will be available as digital only. A collection of percussive interpretations take the album's electronic kraut expanses towards a darker club sound that wouldn't go amiss on the more experimental offerings from LIES or Creme Organisation. All-in-all a welcome archival excavation from Emotional Response.

Review: Serge born in Russia came to the USA in the late 80s, got heavily in hiphop and digging in the crates for breaks and loops as well as production under dj supreme one moniker. He worked with such industry's heavyweights as Masta Ace, Edo G, Guru and many more. Serge is an avid vinyl collector of soul, funk, jazz, disco, boogie. Loads of good music is to come from Serge Gamesbourg.

Review: The ever-spotless edit bastions Magic Wand continue their great work with another quad of stunning Balearically-minded versions. Each one of them will stir a soul at forty paces with notable highlights coming from Coyote's stunning sun-kissed take on Toto's classic "Rosanna" and the track "Be Balearic" which takes the J Dilla and Common record "It's Your World" and twists the focus on to Common's dad's Gil Scott Heron-style spoken word soliloquy. Beautiful.

Review: Australian boogie don Inkswel aligns with the Burek label and a veritable feast of collaborators and remixers - big release! The A Side is dedicated to Inkswel and his capacity to shine alongside other, leading with the Dave Aju featuring title track which is all tape drenched midtempo boogie blessed by the San Francisco producer's distinct vocal and the odd killer horn sample. Melbournite Cazeaux Olso lends his mellow delivery to the heavy analogue fonk of "Mind Yours" whilst Inskwel muse Charli James teams up with Isaac Aesili to add some classic soul to the snapping digital arrangement of "Saturated". Face down Golf Channel's DJ Nature flexes his editing skills on a remix of the title track whilst both Iron Curtis and IG Culture rework "Mind Yours" with the latter's killer take a vintage example of LDN bruk beat.

Review: Forgotten Corner's first release which arrived last May, showcased the chugging, slo-mo styles of Nick Mackrory and Phil Banks, whose "Jaipur Palace" combined Indian melodies with an EBM-inspired throb. The label's second outing, the Star Wars-referencing Tatooine Moons, comes from again from Mackrory and Banks with the assistance of Khidja, and could almost be a more sedate take on Timothy J Fairplay's World Unknown belter "Cleopatra Loves The Acid", with a considerably more Balearic feel. Cassini Division's remix is even more sandblasted, taking things into even more arid and psychedelically-charged territory.

Review: After a brief hiatus we are pleased to announce Mangled returns in 2014 with a new distribution deal through Juno. First up is some Ray Mang versions of a song from Italian singer Mari (Marina Conti). Mari's album 'Gentle Beauty' produced together with singer songwriter Mozez (of Zero 7 fame) was released back in 2012 on Numen Records. Ray Mang took a shine to the second single 'Free' taking the Vocals and piano from the original and re-crafting it into a stellar piece of modern euphoric disco. Presented here on heavyweight 180g 12" vinyl in three versions for your listening pleasure with digital to follow. From its first play during Ray's debut appearance at London party institution Low Life back in 2012 this track has been causing goose bumps. Support comes from Bill Brewster, Daniel Wang, Horse Meat Disco, The Idjut Boys, Phil Mison, Una Bombers, Paul Murphy, Luke Solomon, Pete Herbert, Test Pressing and many more.

Review: Japanese edit king Beaten Space Probe lets loose on Glenview once again with three more botty-slapping edits. As those who've been following this funk fiend will know, each one is delivered with such production prowess, they feel like real remixes than mere edits. Highlights here are the soppy-wet electro boggie fusion of "Love Is For Love" and the well-executed Bee Gees loop on "Love". Can you feel the love?

Review: Canadian party crew Friendly Monster launch with this trio of left-sided disco business. Osmose's "Lonely Sound Slowly Dying" will score the most instant applause thanks to its Labi Saffire/Eminem sample. Dig deeper, however, and you'll find equal amounts of satisfaction from the far-away twangs and lolloping drums of "Rawdog" and the subverted disco strings, walloping bass gallops and Nile Rodgers style guitar shimmers on "Mandingo In Space". A very friendly release indeed... Grab it while you can!

Review: Those cheeky scamps at Golf Channel come through with a surprise here with A Walk In The Dark, the debut album from a mysterious group of individuals known only as The Central Executives. Concerted internet searching as to the exact identity of The Central Executives has proved fruitless, as have attempts to coerce the label for information. However given how extensive Phil South's figurative rolodex is, not to mention the sheer breadth of talent that's appeared on Golf Channel over the years, we are willing to wager there is some high profile disco talent behind The Central Executives. Certainly A Walk In The Dark is filled with loose limbed punk funk and supple house that's quite aptly described by the label as "Sound Signature style machine jams, bare bones vocal led improvisations, discordant Arthur Russell moments & the distorted reflections of roots House that run to the very core of the big apple."

Review: Editor's Kutz is back with a killer four-tracker, this time focusing on chillin' disco vibes. Sea viewing with relaxing and nostalgic mood is the basic theme. Starting things off with the Italian funk & afrodisco stallion d.j Roberto Lodola, who's recruited by the label for remixing his own "Marimba Do Mar" track since 1986. "Feeling Of The Sun" is full of original percussion by George Aghedo and a crispy rolling beat, stunning synths, rhodes and wonderful, carefree vocals by Antonia Coda. Next we have Alien Disco Sugar, hailing from Samos, the beautiful and sun-drenched Greek Island. "Sea Delights" is a mid-tempo chillin' rework on a track that we all love by William Pitt. Extra keyboards and bass chords make this rework so live and vivid, as Alien Disco Sugar enjoys his cruising on the Aegean Sea. Flip it for another tip by VinylAddicted, who's so keen on unearthing forgotten gems and reworking them with tenderness. This Balearic rework on a rare track since late 70s hosts some extra percussion by Roberto Lodola, while nice lyrics and a slo-mo beatline, accompanied by the sax and the female vocals will definitely take you by surprise. Leaving the Mediterranean to go north, where Disco Tech, based in Stockholm, closes this EP with an indulging Cool Breeze coming from the Baltic Sea. A careful and elegant retouch on the maxi version of Jeremy Spencer Band's homonymous track. Nothing better than a little bit of Fleetwood Mac to accomplish this 3rd "Editor's Kutz" mission!