Compilation Recommendations March 2011

Review: Joey Negro's "Soul Of Disco" series has always been a great source of forgotten disco gems for those who like their dance music rich, stringy and soulful. This third two-disc selection from the Z Records boss is no different. For disco diggers, there's plenty to enjoy, be it the rich, horn-drenched instrumental grooves of Board Of Directors' "Hanging Tough", the raw, clavinet groove of Loi's "Body Contact" or the wobbly synth bass and perfect percussion of Phenomenal's "One Two Three". With a smattering of bonus re-edits from Joey Negro himself for those who like their grooves a bit more DJ-friendly, "The Soul Of Disco 3" is nigh on essential.

Review: Hyped Boston duo Soul Clap pitch up on Art Department man Jonny White's No.19 music label with their first official mix CD (a DJ Kicks set in collaboration with peers Wolf + Lamb is also due soon). It's a typically rich and atmospheric collection, coolly flickering between all manner of heart-warming sounds and styles over the course of 70 spellbinding minutes. While the duo's default position is a shuffling four-four pulse (and the house records included here are superb), they somehow find space to throw in squidgy electro, dubbed-out punk-funk, bittersweet electro pop, swirling Balearic beats, touchy-feely disco and even a spot of ghostly ambience. As experiments go, this one's pretty successful.

Review: Former Bad Company man dBridge has always been one of the most forward-thinking D&B producers around, as his recent ambient/IDM effort for the Automotive label neatly proved. Even so, few expected him to curate a compilation quite so eclectic, atmospheric and otherworldly as this. Although firmly rooted in drum and bass and dubstep, Mosaic Volume One delights in confounding and confusing. It's not so much a D&B compilation as a collection of IDM, next-level electronica and wonky futurist beats. It even steps into slo-mo four-four territory on occasions (dBridge's own "Decayed", which will be of interest to fans of Om Unit and Arp 101) something previously frowned upon by many within the junglist community.


Of course, such an eclectic approach would mean nothing if the material were sub standard. Thankfully, Mosaic Volume One is good... very good. In fact, it could be argued that it's the most revolutionary set of tracks to emerge from the D&B scene for a decade. As you'd expect from dBridge, the overriding feel throughout is one of tech-tinged paranoia. Yet there's much more to Moasaic Volume One than mere sci-fi obsessed darkness. Musically, there are moments of intense, shimmering beauty (see Stray's ambient era Aphex-ish "Pushed", Synkro's blissful "Open Arms" and Dan Habarnam's "Nu Este Roz"). Invariably, it is these moments that stand out.


A glimpse at the tracklist would suggest a raft of 'standard' big name contributions included to pull in punters - Commix, Skream, Instra:mental, Loxy & Rasound and Indigo are all involved - but this couldn't be further from the truth. The vast majority of these producers deliberately stray outside their comfort zone, largely with breathtaking results. Engaging, engrossing and enjoyable in equal measure, Mosaic Volume One should be essential listening for anyone with a passion for electronic music. This way lies the future.

Review: In the wrong hands, this collection of contemporary reworks of classic Chicago house productions could have been a distasteful mess. Thankfully, in the hands of DJ History and a vast array of talented producers Trax Re-Edited strikes the right balance between respecting the original source material and satisfying the needs of contemporary dancefloors. Highlights come thick and fast across the two discs. Hotel Motel's strung-out version of Frankie Knuckles' "It's A Cold Cold World" is a late night delight, while JD Twitch turns Mr. Lee's rather silly "Pump Up Chicago" into a thumping peaktime jacker. Look out, too, for impeccable acid rinse-outs from Andy Blake, Leftside Wobble - whose version of "Face It" by Master C&J is a tracky bomb - Disco Bloodbath, Neville Watson, Kink and Chris Duckenfield.

Review: After servicing the heads with a series of ultra-limited 12" singles over the last seven years, Soul Mekanik's Creative Use imprint finally makes it to CD. For those who missed out on the vinyl pressings, this should be an essential purchase. For starters, their sneaky re-edits usually of obscure, vaguely Balearic gems are amongst the best in the business. Amongst other leftfield disco hits, The Collection features a trio of superb end-of-night reworks from Mark Seven ("Sermon", "Heaven" and "Higher"), an 11-minute slo-mo epic from Mark E ("Sun Shadow"), a brilliantly butchered re-cut of Kid Creole ("Bounty Girls") and a wonky disco-acid wig-out ("Instantaneous Acid").

Review: Surprisingly, this is Detroit house veteran Rick Wilhite's debut album. When you consider his length of service and gargantuan reputation in deep house circles his first releases slipped out in the early 1990s, after all it's unsurprising that the release of Analog Aquarium is considered something of an event. And rightly so; you'll struggle to find quite as good a collection of high grade Motor City house. Shuffling between loose, lazy Beatdown excursions (check the brilliant Theo Parrish/Osunlade collaboration "Blame It On The Boogie") and upbeat, drum-heavy deep house floor fillers ("Deep Horizon") via jazzy analogue dubscapes ("Muzic Gonna Save The World"), it's a predictably formidable set.

Review: Future Disco continue to creep further into the conscious heart of the discerning music lover as it moves onto its fourth episode in the award-winning defining series with 'Neon Nights'. Already receiving praise from the press, this edition will come in the special 2 x Cd format only providing extra value to the customer, receiving a specially mixed CD plus unmixed disc that will be a target for the DJ market.

In a time where the compilation market is saturated and stale, Future Disco has achieved a cult following across the worlds of music and fashion over its three years of releases. Awarded iTunes album of the year 2009, they have crafted a winning formula exploring the boundaries of contemporary house and disco music achieved through each creative mix.

The fourth edition 'Neon nights' is more mystifying and seductive than its older siblings, giving heavy nods to the inspirational eras of the 80's and early nineties as well as the glamour of New York, handpicking a handful of current East coast stars including Escort, Jacques Renault, Storm Queen and Holy Ghost.

Some old hands join new faces for 'Neon Nights', with leading figures Hot Chip, The Revenge and 2020Soundsystem laid alongside exclusive tracks from Mario Basanov and Bonar Bradberry, both tipped for big things in 2011. Future Disco was one of the first to give recognition to global success stories such as Tensnake and Aeroplane and continues to discover new talents and trends through each episode.
Standout tracks appear from Storm Queen 'Look Right Through', an exclusive to Future Disco from Morgan Geist of Metro Area and the glamorous Midnight Magic 'Beam Me up (Jacques Renault remix)', whose peak disco sound has found love from everyone from Erol Alkan to Optimo and Faze Action.

Reinventing the meaning of a disco anthem, 'She's Bad' from Bad Rabbits with the remix from (one half of Wolf + Lamb) Gadi Mizrahi's and Soul Clap. DoKaine feat Kathy Diamond's Balearic inspired 'Love Saves The Day' brings the closing moments to life with a fusion of its original and the sublime Soul Clap remix, a great conclusion to this seamless mix of musical fruits.

Carefully re-edited and mixed by Sean Brosnan, each episode comes into creation through the skilled cutting, splicing, extension and arrangement of some of the finest hand-picked records from the past, present and future, resulting in a completely unique mix. Pursuing more of an uptempo house vibe in this edition, Future Disco still taps firmly at the heart of disco and its fusion with contemporary underground dancefloor music.

Each CD comes with a unique booklet with tracks notes from New York based producer and DJ Jacques Renault plus photography from Darrell Berry of London club land. The CD is packaged in the usual high quality Future Disco slipcase so the product matches the music.
The unmixed disc provides another dimension to an already strong package. Not only does the listener enjoy the possibility to enjoy ten tracks in their full length glory but the disc is ideal for CD DJs. The final retail price of this disc in with ten WAV quality tracks still make the entire purchase cheaper than the equivalent in downloads.
This is another strong, if not the strongest Future Disco release to date from a growing global brand and series that always delivers in listener satisfaction.

PRESS: Worldwide press and online campaign covering all major territories. Features already confirmed in Mixmag and ID magazine, reviews and news to appear in IDJ, DJ Mag, Tillate, Ra and more. Plus broadsheet review and features expected.
RADIO: Radio campaign will be targeting regional and national stations with spot plays, interviews and guest mixes.
LIVE: As well as ongoing Future Disco international residencies a branded release tour will take place across the UK and worldwide in February, March and April to coincide with the release date. UK locations confirmed include Liverpool, Southampton, London (Ministry of Sound) and more. All event partners globally will be communicating with their databases worldwide.
MARKETING: Internet banner advertising on Resident Advisor / Full page press advertising in Mixmag and DJ magazine / Future disco radio show tagging with a reach of 120k worldwide / Mailer to Future Disco database of over 25k / E-flyers will be sent to databases including DataTransmission and I House U / promo YouTube video pre release with expected views of 50k
OTHER ACTIVITY: A major social networking campaign on Facebook will drive awareness as well as communication on Twitter, MySpace and others.

Review: For the fifth instalment in their Back To Back series, Mobilee hand the reins over to label stalwart Marcin Czubala. It's a wise choice. Czubala's take on techno is distinctively sensual, fusing distinct melodic elements and a high degree of musicality with wonderfully bumpin' basslines and superbly layered percussion. It's for this reason that the second disc, featuring some of his best tracks, really stands out. While the first disc a personal selection of Mobilee favourites from the likes of Sebo K, Vincenzeo, Miss Kittin and Daniel Stefanik boasts some real belters (not least ID's wonderful "Erotica"), there's little to rival the deliciously sexy bump-and-grind of Czubala's own next-level productions.

Review: Fabric has finally asked Derrick Carter to put together a volume of their long-running mix series. As if responding to previous snubs, he lays down a killer selection in his own inimitable, all-action style. While the track list is impeccable - a fist-pumping mixture of boompty beats, jazzy sax licks and bowel-bothering basslines from the likes of Justin Long, Cajmere, DJ Sneak and Iz & Diz - perhaps the most impressive thing about the mix is its spontaneous, off-the-cuff feel. While many commercially released mixes can feel sterile and overproduced, the live, one-take approach Carter utilizes here makes Fabric 59 a genuinely exciting and entertaining listen.

Review: For the latest installment of their long running Defected In The House series, the label look to the sunny climes of Brazil for inspiration. While Sandy Rivera offers a solid take on the main room Defected sound on disc one, it's the second disc from Brazilian scene veteran DJ Meme that really hits the spot. Far more positive, sunny and soulful than Rivera's slightly dry disc, it's a breezy delight far more in keeping with the compilation's Brazilian theme. Over the course of 70 smile-inducing minutes, Meme expertly mixes up disco-flecked, Latin-tinged cuts from the likes of Sergio Flores, Grant Nelson, Joey Negro, Copyright and Fish Go Deep, many remixed in his own inimitable style.

Review: On its ultra-limited release in 2009, the first volume of Modern Urban Jazz's The Modernists compilation series won plaudits for its experimental, leftfield take on drum and bass. Fast forward to 2011, and The Modernists 2 provides more of the same - a sparkling selection of left-of-centre D&B and dubstep grooves shot through with jazz, IDM and ambient influences. Oh, and a super-limited pressing of just 100 CDs worldwide. Highlights include the next-level jazz-step of Diamond Eye's "Temple Dub", some melodic goodness from Ultracode and Nuage & Gerwin, and an old fashioned club roller from Felix K.