Review: Jazz-trained musicians Lauren Rinder and W. Michael Lewis were not only amongst the most prolific producers of the disco era, but also - thanks to a love of synthesiser sounds - genuine pioneers. This double-disc retrospective focuses on one of their numerous projects, studio band El Coco, showcasing cuts from their first four albums (Brazil and Mondo Disco from 1975; 1976's Let's Get It Together; and 1977 set Cocomotion). Starting off breezy and summery with all manner of South American influences (see 'Disco Carnival' and 'Masquerade'), the collection bounces between heady disco ('Disco Mondo', 'Let's Get It Together', 'I'm Mad As Hell'), quirky, synth-heavy covers (a cheeky but genius cover of 'Yakety Yak', AKA the Benny Hill theme tune), low-slung disco-funk ('Heartbeat'), eccentric horror-disco ('The Count of Monte Disco') and gritty Blaxploitation workouts ('Put On Your Jeans').
… Read more