DJs: Most Charted - Disco - Most Charted October 2014

Review: Deep house producer Frank Booker is no stranger to the re-edit game, having previously released a couple of killer 12" singles of scalpel works on Razor 'N' Tape and KAT. Here he pitches up on Dicky Trisco's long-running Disco Deviance imprint with a couple more peaktime treats. Opener "Spiral" reworks an electric-piano and vibraphone heavy instrumental disco killer, stretching it out and emphasizing the touchy-feely elements of the original. Flipside "Get Here" is a little chunkier, utilising dubwise effects to tweak and stretch out a slamming jam defined by its' excellent walking bassline. Great edits are getting harder to come by; thankfully, these are both superb.

Review: It's been a while since Hamburg producer and selector Sebastian Doring last donned his Lovebirds moniker, three years in fact when he memorably championed the cause of the thuggish Honey Badger for the Tear Drops label. Here he resurfaces on Brooklyn edit emporium Razor-N-Tape for a triplet of funked up tweaks which should service any lagging dancefloor. You'd have to be a sheltered mind not to know the source material for "Funk So Pretty", but there's plenty of trickery and FX at play from Doring here too. The self styled "Beautiful Rework" of "Free" should be filed under mood setter whilst "Donwanchooback" is at the opposite end of the scale, primed for deployment deep into the night.

Review: If you're going to launch a label, it helps to make your first release a bit of a killer. That's certainly the case with this varied collection of floor-friendly burners that constitutes the debut of Bristol-based outfit Banoffee Pies. There's a range of edits and original material, with Amsterdam's Mr Mendel arguably stealing the show with "Freakin" - a tough chunk of booty-shakin' P-funk. That said, Ruf Dug's "Cosmic Feelings" - a heady trip into sweaty, analogue Detroit house territory with darting synths and bubbling electronics aplenty - is also incredibly impressive. Elsewhere, Martin Hayes goes deep, slow and sensual on the lovingly crafted "Broken Memory", while Philou Louzolo drops a sinewy chunk of laidback disco-house in the shape of trumpet-boasting chugger "Woman 2 Woman".

Review: Having previously restricted their output to one record per year, the Secret Squirrels posse have been very busy in 2014 with this fifth 12" their third disco transmission since #3 dropped in February. Somewhat cunningly still shrouded in mystery, the Secret Squirrels crew present another two extensions for the intended delight of disco selectors everywhere. The more scholarly DJs out there will most likely nod knowingly as both the tracks here play out, with the B Side a particular string laden gem in the disco canon, but it's how the squirrels use their scalpels that matters most when it comes to this record, some 1210s, a mixer and a willing dancefloor. Cut loud for optimum play.

Review: The development of Aussie Tornado Wallace from a promising deep house producer to a masterful maker of Balearic beats has been a joy to behold. Since first hooking up with Beats In Space and the similarly inclined ESP Institute last year, he's begun to develop a trademark sound that's warm, humid and musically rich. He's still capable of laying down chunky dancefloor rhythms, though, as the hypnotic new age house bumper "Soft Light" - the flipside of this second outing for Lovefingers' acclaimed imprint - so deftly proves. Really, though, it's when he gets more adventurous - such as on the wonderfully evocative Jonny Nash collaboration "Time of Nectar" and decidedly tropical lead cut "Circadia" - that he really comes into his own. Highly recommended.

Review: One hand-stamped 7" from Edward of C's Red Motorbike label, two totally different stories... "Farmer God" is a yarn of unfettered Balearic proportions. Languishing somewhere in the Wild West, 150 years ago, it's a lolloping composition where each nylon string weep is echoed by an equally mournful organ flurry. The chips-are-down soundtrack to any great western, it's Eddie at his most sedate and contemplative. "The Touch" brings us back to the present day by way of a sexy mid-tempo strut. All disco bubbles and overlayed pianos, this should really be a 10" just to accommodate the feel good vibes.

Review: A fourth release on the Sunshine Sound label arrives and is likely to prove as irresistible as previous trawls from the acetates of some of disco's finest acts. TS Monk will need no introduction for anyone that considers themselves a scholar of the disco movement; formed by New Yorker Thelonious Monk Jr. the group served up three sublime LPS for Mirage during a prolific early '80s run, bridging the gap between disco and funk in the process. The four cuts included here predate TS Monk's break out tracks such as "Bon Bon Vie" and "Candidate For Love" and have never been released before. Disco collectors should not sleep!

Review: Proof that edit culture is truly 24/7, Team Whiskey Disco unleash a tasty trio of disco funk cuts that will ensure a full table around the clock... "Try My Love" is the meatiest breakfast you'll ever enjoy, all loopy and full bodied. For lunch "Miracles" will be cooked up using the Jackson Sisters' secret soul recipe and garnished with modern production spices. Finally, for dinner, we'll be tucking into "Tonight". A dubbed spacious twist on the Narada Michael Walden classic, it's the perfect sustenance for a full day of dancing. Yummy.

Review: Two slick, sweet disco funk edits from Jimmy The Twin's Boogie Cafe imprint. Afro Pancake takes "Nothing To It" and embraces every shimmering slap bass wobble while Jimmy takes "Crazy Glue" and twists the whole emphasis onto the slippery synth boogie bass and purring vocals. Guaranteed to massage your dance into submission, this is limited to a pressing of only 200... Speedy attention is imperative. Don't touch that dial, don't turn away!

Review: Bay Area soul/funk duo Myron & E's 2013 debut album for Stones Throw, Broadway, was something of a surprise hit. Here, one of the LP's genuine highlights - the authentic '70s disco-soul gem "Do It Do It Disco" gets the remix treatment. The standout mix comes from PPU regular Tom Noble, who delivers a synth-heavy disco-boogie version that nudges the San Francisco duo's original further towards roller-disco territory. As with most of Noble's mixes, there's a celebratory feel that's nothing less than delicious. Elsewhere, Myron & E deliver an extended, 12-minute take on the four-minute album version - with a little help from backing band the Soul Investigators - while J-Rocc drops a delay-laden, filter-heavy re-edit that makes more of the original's brilliant disco drums. In a word: essential.

Review: Marking the final release in Daniel Wang's Best of Balihu series, the disco connoisseur compiles some unreleased cuts and newer versions of tunes from his seminal EPs.

While having never been a huge sample fiend in his time, probably the most noticeable appropriation on the EP is the accapella of "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" by Sylvester on first tune Sylver Belt. It only makes a fleeting appearance though as Mr Wang keeps things moving quickly over the course of the tune, switching things up like Coldcut did in their heyday.

More conventional is Not Feeling It, which plunges straight into an awesome late-night groove, with heavily reverbed vocals and sparse Techno stabs over some wickedly punchy kicks. East Village Hustle brings some lush and silky strings into the mix, and keeps the funk going with some equally tasteful bass.

The instrumental version of If It Feels Good has been kept in Wang's archive until now and finally gets a release here. Some other very vintage pieces show up on the EP also, Shadows for example is as rare as hens teeth, as well as Unhouse, which is a quirky yet soulful Rhodes and flute-fest.

Definitely a must-have for all fans of the Balihu series and for anyone interested in Nu-Disco period.

Review: For some oddball disco with an '80s soundtrack vibe don't overlook the strung out funk of DJ Ringardos' version to Queen Zaza's "Pense Qu'Elle Danse", a highlight from the Versatile various artist EP. Sharing that side is Jean-Marc Misere's discoco edit of Raymonde Et Les Moutards' "Y'En A Marre!" which sounds like a cross between original New York Electro (think Man Parrish) and the contemporary French pop group Yelle, while Gilbert Cohen & Vidal Benjamin get deeper and chic on their Italo-styled edit to "I Love Video" by New Paradise - something you can imagine lighting up the dance floors of Rimini. Lastly there's the funkified bass rhythms and theremin sounds of the ALT edit to "Amnesie" by Ark. Edits don't get much better than this.

Review: Only 100 pressed for the world !

Review: REPRESS ALERT!! Bastedos returns with more signature weirdo disco not disco (but disco) cut-up cuts.
This time the painstaking editing comes from A.M., Last Waltz, and Bastedos themselves.
Side A brings us Sit On This, a rolling, chugging, clapping, marimba-ing (!) disco workout in the vein of Material ,which pulls you along through a peaky peak time vocal, a sexed up guitar break, and some chopped-up chanting, all the way to its inevitable hands in the air Piano finale.
Side B first provides us first with No Smoking On The Moon and it's celestial choral stylings. Soft synths and tough bass play with each other beneath B-Movie fx and ecclesiastic organs. The sound of a space age disco cult... from the past.
Finishing off side B we have Magicke, the extended soundtrack to the opening of the gates of hell. Shuffling go-go perc, syncopated drums and fuzzed out chords play out under Satan's saxophone, before giving way to a damned (damned fuzzy that is) guitar, sounding out the call of Cthulu.

Review: Within the space of two perfectly executed 12" singles, Mark E's sneaky E Versions series - in which he returns to the world of loopy, house-friendly disco and Balearic re-edits with which he first made his name - has become a "must check". This third installment is every bit as essential as its' predecessors, offering to two deliciously glassy-eyed re-interpretations of unknown gems. Opener "The Shoe" delivers an undulating, loose-but-hypnotic chunk of head-nodding, hip-shaking disco, with rising and falling strings and horn stabs riding a tasty, bass-heavy groove. "I Don't Know What This Is" flips the script, offering up a dreamy, sensual and enorphin-heavy slice of floor-friendly Balearic bliss. Recommended.

Review: Somewhat confusingly, the two Al Dobson tracks featured on this must-have 12" are not taken from his superb Rye Lane LP, but rather a CD of possible album tracks the producer gave to Rhythm Section International last year. Both cuts are typical of his dusty, rhythm-centric sound, and are particularly sparse. This, though, just makes the remixes even more remarkable. Polish producers PTaki turn "Santiago Black" into a midtempo chunk of analogue-sounding midtempo house, complete with drifting vocal samples and a wonderfully dubby bassline. Arguably even better is Ruf Dug's eccentric version of "Kirton Street", which wobbles, pulses and darts with chiming melodies, rough sub bass and hissing, cymbal-laden percussion, while retaining the blazed feel of Dobson Jr's original.

Review: The Universal Cave crew return with a second seven inch offering of unknown sonics courtesy of Charleston selectors JAZ and Party Dad. Up top "Crash Boom" sees JAZ serve up a slab of killer vocoder led disco funk that's so hooky the crowd will be signing over the sensational slap bass without evening realising. After that level of disco deviance you'll need to cool your jets... And Party Dad has the perfect remedy; a gentle guitar strumming number that's reminiscent of Donovan at his deepest, it's an instant Balearic lullaby. Sweet dreams!

Review: A fantastic foursome from boozy beat peddlers Whiskey Disco, the "Another Love" EP features label mates old and new. Eddie C ignites proceedings with a chubby electro boogie fused jam that pops and rolls with big disco bubbles and obese synth bass. Slide down deeper to meet label newbie Scott M who's done some serious dancefloor damage with a well-known Vernon Burch track. Further on we hit the EP title track, a Chi-town-style jacker with filtered flurries and a timeless disco house message. Finally we end on a well-spaced, loopy deep disco twist on France Joli's "Gonna Get Over You" courtesy of Pontchartrain.

Review: Devin Dare (the partnership of Duane Hariott and Sean Marquand) were last spotted collaborating with Funkineven on Apron's special, yellow vinyl Record Store Day edits release. Here, they return to Stilove4music - a label they first graced back in 2012 -with another excellent selection of disco edits. The bumping, whistle-laden disco-funk slammer "Get To It" kicks things off, with the duo making great use of the original's superb, clav-heavy groove. "Bionic" is a little dubbier, feeling like a long lost Idjuts Boys re-edit - all delay-laden breakdowns and screaming disco release. Finally, "Alright" sounds like a scalpel rearrangement of an old Ramsey Lewis record; certainly, it has the same irresistible, piano-heavy jazz swing.

Review: The man like Inkswel seems to be in the midst of a production purple patch right now and we are not ones to complain, especially when he's firing off little nuggets of lopsided funk like the one that lines the A Side of this Omega Supreme 7". The puntastic "Delaide Reaction" sees Inkswel teaming up with his highly rated fellow Australian Andras Fox and features the vocal talents of the NJ Disco legend Gary Davis (those not familiar with the name need to attend Disco Night School!) This sun soaked slab of sunken boogie is complemented well by the flipside cut "Sunset on Sunset" by XL Middleton which lays on the p funk vibes heavily and snaps to a satisfying beat. As with all Omega Supreme drops, this one is pretty damn special.

Review: Zambon's The Very Polish Cut-Outs label has stumbled on a genius-like formula: delivering on-point re-edits (mostly from Polish producers) of forgotten, unknown gems from Poland's communist past. It's an approach that has consistently delivered killer material. There are four more gems to be found on this third vinyl sampler for the online series, with Old Spice's edits of "Pleniadze" - a hustling disco-reggae bomb - and the wild disco screamer "Chce Ci Powieziec" hitting home hard. Flip for the languid Balearic soft rock of "A Moze By" (re-edited by Jazking) and the curious, post-punk, new wave-era brilliance of Mental's rework of "Unicaj Zdjec". In other words, it's another essential selection.

Review: This latest installment in the popular Editors Kutz re-edit series is packing some real heat, which is arguably unsurprising given the talent involved. Whiskey Disco don Sleazy McQueen steals the show with opener "Let's Make Love Tonight", a perfectly pitched chunk of sensual, horn-toting disco that should ignite dancefloors the world over this summer. 78 Edits take on "Love Massage" - a sexy head-nodder in his loopy, toe-tapping style - is almost as good, while Vinyl Addicted & Jean-Paul Gavri's sweet, delay-laden, dub disco tweak of "Can't Play Around" (here re-titled "Let's Play Around") is similarly impressive. As if that wasn't enough to impress, there's also some top drawer shuffling Balearic disco from Lillo Carillo's (the sultry "Le Viole").

Review: Friendly Monster is a new label that's so far only released the one record, a three-track various artist 12". They've done the same for their second offering, only giving Bendy & Hristo and Free Association a side of real estate each. Combine elements of New York disco with new wave, no wave, minimal wave, whatever wave, and Bendy & Hristo's own edit to their track "Love Contest" has all the makings of a swooning floor filler. Meanwhile the B-side has more of an Arthur Russell element to it, with flashes of Queen, indie rock, rock and cosmic disco mixed in. Two tough and sensual cuts on the one record.