Back catalogue: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: If you're looking for a bumper collection of chart bothering and ever-popular 80s disco then look no further than this. Blanco Y Negro has assembled no fewer than three whole CDs worth of the stuff and managed to include every sub-genre imaginable. Pop disco, hi-nrg, Italo disco, 80s house, nu-disco and plenty in between are all covered with aplomb. There are stone-cold classics like The Human League's 'Don't You Want Me', Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel's 'White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)' and The Human League's 'Don't You Want Me' as well as a few equally fun but slightly less ubiquitous jams.

Review: In 2009, longtime collaborators Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper made their production partnership official via the Director's Cut project. This epic retrospective gathers together the best tracks and remixes the duo completed prior to Knuckles' death in 2014. Disc one offers up original productions, including ear-catching re-makes of some of Knuckles' most famous early works (we're particularly fond of the versions of "The Whistle Song", "Your Love" and "I'll Take U There"). On the second disc you'll find the best of their remix work, with standouts including a sublime take on Candi Staton's "Hallelujah Anyway" and a storming, previously unreleased version of Lou Rawls' "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine". As a bonus, the third disc mixes the best of the lot together in one suitably gorgeous, non-stop journey.

Review: It's been a long time coming, but finally Defected's producer and remixer-focused House Masters series has turned its attention to the undisputed Godfather of House himself, the late, great Frankie Knuckles. This first part (of two) fittingly opens with the track that originally set out his melodious, warm, colourful and loved-up trademark sound, the Jamie Principle collaboration 'Your Love', before flitting between genuine anthems (legendary remixes of Loose Ends' 'Hangin' On a String' and 'Blind' by Hercules and Love Affair, the sleazy, acid house-era 'Baby Wants To Ride', the exceptional 'Hallucinogenic Mix' of Chaka Khan's 'Ain't Nobody') and arguably more overlooked gems (the garage-house wonders that are his remixes of Adeva and Sounds of Blackness).

Review: Defected's House Masters series tribute to Frankie Knuckles is being released as two double LPs, but it could have easily been four or five, such is the quality of the tracks and remixes that the 'Godfather of House' produced during his lifetime. Naturally this second and final part is full to bursting with colourful, tactile and wonderfully saucer-eyed classics - many familiar, some slightly less so - which deserve a place in your collection. Picking highlights is naturally tough, but for proof of Knuckles' unassailable musical majesty and dancefloor magic it's hard to beat the Sound Factory mix of 'The Whistle Song', the low-tempo house bliss of his remix of Inner City's 'Whatcha Do With My Lovin', the Satoshi Tomiie/Robert Owens hook-up 'Tears' and his incredible revision of Electribe 101's 'Talking With Myself'.

Review: Orpheu The Wizard is a Dutch DJ and co-founder of the infamous but sadly now defunct Red Light Radio. Coming through for the fifth edition of the Sound Of Love International series - which showcases the eclectic musical tastes of the DJs who play at the Love International festival in Croatia - this fresh selectors' comp hears Orpheu crate-fiddle through cosmic disco, Balearic pop, synthwave and ambient, by the likes of Khidja, Benedek, Donato Dozzy and Gaussian Curve.

Review: Fierce, fabulous and more than a little fancy, Box Of Sin takes an exhaustive look at 80s gay nightlife as the driver for the evolution of dance music. Spread over five CDs, we're taken on a sweat-slicked thrill ride through hi-nrg, disco, proto house and synth-pop taking in seminal classics and deep cuts alike. There are plenty of perennial favourites contained within, from The Pointer Sisters' 'Jump (For My Love)' and Soft Cell's 'Memorabilia' through to S'Express' massive chart dance banger 'Theme From S'Express', and you can be sure the compilers have taken care to source the real deal 12" mixes that bring out the best in a track. With plenty of lesser known surprises and a frankly head-spinning amount of knockout tracks, this is an essential document of the outsized impact queer club culture had on electronic music in the 80s and early 90s.

Review: The seventh and final installment of this vinyl series hones in on tracks that are sure to keep the dancefloor packed. Pressed on striking transparent blue and green vinyl, this 2LP set is a pulsating collection of club classics that defined the era's nightlife, bridging disco, funk, house, electro, pop and hip-hop into an irresistible sonic melting pot. Side-A starts off with winner and Inner City's euphoric house staple 'Good Life', setting the pace for an album steeped in dancefloor euphoria. Kym Mazelle and Robert Howard's soulful 'Wait' and Coldcut's 'People Hold On' with Lisa Stansfield show the decade's seamless blend of house and pop, while 'Pump Up The Volume' by M/A/R/R/S redefined sampling's role in dance music. S'Express's 'Theme from S-Express' and Bomb The Bass's 'Beat Dis' bring explosive energy, while Technotronic and Rob 'n' Raz keep the tempo high with their club anthems. Late-'80s remix culture shines as Chaka Khan's 'I'm Every Woman' get a modernised update while PWL's glossy, synth-driven touch on 'Sandra' shines brightly. 80s dance legends Bananarama and Samantha Fox are also have vital appearances to the collection. LP2 dives into hip-hop-infused dance with Soul II Soul's 'Back To Life', Ten City's deep-house masterpiece 'That's The Way Love Is' and Neneh Cherry's genre-defying 'Buffalo Stance'. The finale is pure club gold: 'The Only Way Is Up' by Yazz, the thunderous 'Blue Monday '88', and 'Fools Gold' by The Stone Roses. Closing with 808 State's 'Pacific State' and The Beloved's 'Sun Rising', Floorfillers is a flawless time capsule of dance music's late-80s evolution. This double pack is steeped in history while being an excellent range of styles that made the 80s so remarkable.

Review: If you ever need to demonstrate the queer foundations of dance music, just reach for this authoritative compilation - case closed. Demon Music Group have gathered together a mighty 24 tracks of seminal hi-nrg, synth-pop, proto house, Eurobeat and more besides to paint a picture of the vibrant culture which set the tone for house and techno to come. There are some monster hits in this four-vinyl set including Whitney Houston's 'Love Will Save The Day', Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Relax' and Dead or Alive's 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)', all presented in their finest extended mix forms. There's also more than enough deep cuts to satisfy the more seasoned diggers out there and the artwork is on point, making this a fitting tribute to the 80s gay nightlife which incubated a new kind of dance music.