Back catalogue: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: Cosmic master and eclectic DJ trendsetter Daniele Baldelli is back with more Cosmic Voodoo in the form of this new series of releases alongside Mattia Dalara. 'Saturn Express' gets underway with a typically diverse set of influences from psych rock guitar to disco drums and cosmic exploration. 'Countless Sigga' is a playful sound with 80s synth seances looked over drums with a hint of Afro charm and fat disco basslines. Last of all is the wonderful 'Silverado Trail' with its hypotonic lead, crunchy and chuggy ALFOS style drums and percolating arps which shine as bright as the sun.

Review: Big Love's popular compilation-style A Touch Of Love series returns for a sixth instalment, with boss man Seamus Haji once again showcasing a quartet of tried-and-tested treats. Fittingly, he kicks things off with 'Serious', a kind of hbrid heavy garage-house/disco house affair featuring organ solos aplenty and vocals from Chicago legend Mike Dunn, before Moon Boots joins the dots between sweet 80s soul and nu-disco on the synth-powered vocal number 'In My Life'. Heavy, French Touch-inspired disco-house vibes are provided by DJ Fudge ('Escapade'), before Dutch rising star Danou P - with a little help from pal Jamie 3:26 on vocals - delivers the organ rich deep house/garage-house fusion of 'Fly'.

Review: Antoni Maiovvi flaunts an aerated, sunspotty sound on 'Knights of New Haven', blending Ned West Coast influences and US machine music. 'Later Not Lately' pulses with light kicks and ruffling hi-hats, echoing Chicago house and flavoursome tech trance; Legowelt (Danny Wolfers) reimagines it with serrated snares and a gritty TB-303 bassline. 'Slack Blabbath' weaves staggered synths and sharp percussion, and closer 'The Madness In The Method' swirls static-laced drums around eerire bass, balancing Maiovvi's horror-disco roots with bold house rhythms. This EP is a dark, driving, and grand fusion of electronic styles, veering increasingly crushy and redux-happy. Legowelt's snare is especially oomphy, and the closer's synths especially brooding.

Review: Mar De Novo is a mainstay of the Vinyl Only label which is now almost up to release number 20. As always these are magnificent beats that blend great invention with a healthy respect for disco days gone by and they are all made in what must be a studio jam-packed with analogue gear from all across the ages. 'Instant Humidity' has plenty of characterful synth details that are freaky and playful, 'Call Me' pairs stepping disco beats with super sweet vocals and 'Paraggi' is a blissed-out seaside gem. 'Progression' heady back to the club with strobe-lit disco arps, 'Get A Way' pairs plunging basslines with cosmic keys and another great vocal and 'Quiet Down' rounds out with another horizontal downbeat disco gem.

Review: Cruise Music builds on their series of highly desiarable 12"s with the first in their "Best Of" series, releasing some hugely in demand and/or previously digital tracks on limited transparent yellow vinyl. On the A-side are two of their biggest and best-selling joints in the form of 'Superlovin' and 'Givin My Love', which are two loved-up and funky disco jams for good times. On the reverse are 'Energy' and 'Strawberry' which bring big, loveable samples to big, loveable beats and cannot fail to ignite any party. Cruise control.

Review: Disco Donuts strike back with a back-to-back pose in the vein of pivotal disco-funk remixing from local edits master Mister Mushi. Once an out-letter of releases on his own Mushi 45 imprint, through which we heard many another reissue by the likes of Afro Breed and The Ethiopian Brothers, this second of two new migrations over to the Disco Donuts label proves a versatile sound and approach to his craft. The A-sider here features a mechanically reproducible instrumental version of Chic's 'Good Times' mashed up with Ronnie Hudson's 'West Coast Poplock', providing equal doses of freshness and reconnaissance.

Review: How many people are too many people to be in one band? The answer is certainly not ten for ten piece Melbourne funk crew Mondo Freaks, who now offer up their debut EP. This lot originally started as a concept band playing late 70s and early 80s funk classics and they have since backed luminaries like Leroy Burgess and Evelyn "Champagne" King. The band is led by session bassist Luke Hodgson and drummer Graeme Pogson and has five talented vocalists who all shine: tracks like 'Find A Way' with Jade McRae's uplifting vocals and the Harvey Sutherland remix of 'Bells Are Ringing' are particular delights. Overall though, all of these fresh funk flavours combine live instrumentation and great songwriting to create a sound that goes well beyond homage.

Review: Bringing melodies, percussions and textures of the sort which we never thought bringable to techno, Saudi-Irish artist Moving Still wows with his latest EP for Bordello A Parigi. This is an artist whose Pangaean taste spans a wide range, born of both musicality and maturation between nations. The distinctive hum of bedouin traditional music intermixed with notes of Irish reel and abound notably on 'Close To The Shams', where melo-maniacal motifs of each are blurred. 'Bang Of Luban' brings breaksy 4x4s and acids to longing synth reeds that bear a quick glissando, and the titular 'Zaman' of course steals the show with its happy, homegrown metallic percs, against which a cheeky mizmar melody makes do against solar blankets of emotion.

Review: New York's incomparable edit king, and a hugely prolific one at that, Danny Krivit aka Mr K returns with some elongated reworks of a couple of Stevie Wonder's most timeless tunes. First up is his version of 'Master Blaster' which was originally the sound of Stevie paying tribute to Bob Marley. In his hands, it has a big intro and drums ready to rock. Flip it over and you will find 'I Was Made To Love Her' which has big r&b overtones and the sort of breakdowns that really build a vibe in the club. Adding in lashings of signature soul and you have two more steamy and effective tributes from the one and only Mr K.

Review: The one and only Mr. K presents a two-sided treat here starting with Janice McClain's underrated 1983 disco track and featuring a smooth, laid-back groove that blends steppers vibes with mid-tempo Philly soul. Written by McClain's uncle Milt Tennant and Thom Page, it captures a classic sound that is further enhanced by McClain's heartfelt vocals. This edit trims the rare 12" version for a 7" debut with pristine sound and the B-side flips to a fresh take on 'Brazil', which was a 1975 hit by the Ritchie Family. Mr. K's edit extends the vamp section, offering a full, uninterrupted four minutes of irresistible disco joy.

Review: Mr. K has an amazing knack for knowing what will fill a dancefloor, and it's hard to imagine this pair of tunes causing anything less than a roadblock. On the A-side, he pays tribute to beloved NYC DJ and editor Gail "Sky" King by recreating her extended edit of the Frankie Beverly and Maze sureshot 'Before I Let Go'. The edit arrived a decade after the original surfaced on the best-selling 1981 Live In New Orleans LP, although the track was not actually a concert recording but a new studio track made to fill out the final "D-side" of the release. Alas, the gorgeously danceable funk/soul hybrid was pressed at low quality, the harsh sonic nature meaning it never got the support it truly deserved. It comes here backed by 'Hollywood's Message' from legendary hip-hop pioneer DJ Hollywood, a self-released single from the man who was one of the first to grab the microphone at a jam and rhyme over records. As a backing track for his rhymes, Hollywood took a shortcut and used the renowned 'Love Is The Message' edit created by Mr. K that repeatedly runs the groovy clavinet break from MFSB's tune. Here, Mr. K tightens up the instrumental chant version for its first 7" release, adding a touch of Millie Jackson's 'Now That I Got Your Attention Again' as an intro. Two slices of absolute gold.

Review: Jay Murphy - Franco-American musician, producer and singer based in Paris - and South African singer songwrite Natalie Nova join forces to give a fresh spin to a classic, reinterpreting a well-loved track with their own unique flair. The original mix oozes with jazz-funk vibes, where Murphy's smooth keyboard work and Nova's soulful vocals combine effortlessly, adding new depth and energy to the timeless track. The groove is rich and inviting, pulling you into its rhythmic charm while still honouring the essence of the original. On the remix, Young Pulse brings his signature style, turning the track into a soulful, funky journey with added layers of warmth and groove. His touch injects an extra dose of funk, transforming it into an irresistible dancefloor-ready tune.

Review: Primetime Paris producer Jay Murphy first teamed up with Natalie Nova in 2022 to release 'Boogie Oogie', a rejig of the classic A Taste Of Honey song. Emphasising postmodernity, we hear a timeless club classic liquefied for a fluid psychic economy: Murphy, a Franco-American musician based in Paris, produces, sings and key-plays over this funky opus, attesting his involvement in the funk scene since as far back as the early 1990s. But now Rob Hardt and Young Pulse bring their own versions, spanning slapping, chime-trilling propulsions, and a wildout inductive monologue from an anonymous contributing vocalist: "if you think you're too cool to boogie, boy have I got news for you... I wanna see you shake your derriere..."

Review: Initially established by disco polymath Patrick Adams as a "low budget" studio band, Musique briefly burned brightly, releasing two albums and a handful of genuine dancefloor anthems. Their story started in 1978 with this double-header - produced by Adams and mixed by a youthful Francois Kevorkian - on Salsoul Records. This reissue has naturally been fully remastered for club play and is presented on rather fetching translucent fluorescent green vinyl. A-side 'In The Bush', an infectious and high-octane slab of restless disco-funk full of clipped guitar licks, propulsive bass, punchy horns and hybrid whispered/sung lead vocals, is the more celebrated and much-played of the two tracks, though the heavily orchestrated and Salsoul Orchestra style 'Keep On Jumpin' is also excellent.

Review: The Mysterious MYOKEN crew is back with their fourth release in the popular series and as always, they're bringing their signature style to the table. This time, they've taken two massive pop and dance anthems and reworked them into atmospheric, proggy-tinged versions that'll have you locked in from the first beat. On the A-side, 'Erase' sets the tone with its spacious, groove-heavy energy, and the 'Erase Dub' brings out the deep, layered textures, making it perfect for late-night dancefloors. On the flip, 'Why' pushes the vibe further with its driving bass and captivating rhythm, before the 'Why Dub' takes things into a more experimental realm, adding even more dubby space and hypnotic elements.

Review: Following on from two previous EPs here in 2019 and 2022, Peter Matson now serves up a wonderful full-length on the storied Bastard Jazz. Hotel PM is a psychedelic exploration of disco and modern electronica from the Brooklyn-based musician and co-leader of Underground System. His signature attention to detail, songwriting and world-class musicianship all shine through next to collaborations with the likes of Pahua, Kendra Morris, Toribio, Phenomenal Handclap Band, Sly5thAve and members of The Rapture, Ibibio Sound Machine and Poolside. Between them, they delve into themes of time, memory and disenchantment with modern technology with a mix of lush strings, tight brass and analogue synth basslines. It's a journey of dance floor delight and more introspective moments with plenty of catchy hooks and retro-future charms.

Review: Pantechnicons of Philadelphia soul, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes reached their musical peak with Teddy Pendergrass between 1972 and 1975. Their 1975 album Wake Up Everybody hears Pendergrass' last vocal contribution to a band before he went solo; the record is filled with thought-provocations and gnomic lyrics, and became famous more by way of its covers than its originals. Returning the favour, 'Wake Up Everybody' was later covered by John Legend & The Roots, while 'Don't Leave Me This Way' became a disco classic thanks to the vamping vocal verves of Thelma Houston. This 750-copy 50th anniversary repress now comes with a special bonus: a rare 11-minute remix of 'Don't Leave Me This Way' by remixing pioneer Tom Moulton.

Review: Label affiliates Mytron and Zongamin make a combined return to the ever-on-point Canadian stable Multi Kulti, delivering an extended selection of typically off-kilter, genre-bending sonic mastery. In what appears to be a match made in the leftfield heavens, the duo join forces to explore dance-ish music's outer reaches, blending tribal motifs with 8-bit sampling and all manner of wonkiness. From the blissful bells of Conjunction With Reality to the bass-heavy throb of GHX, there is unsurprisingly plenty to savour here. Opening cut '08932168' blends enchanting lead melodies with rolling polyrhythms and dubbed-out effects before the equatorial percussion of 'Calliope Omniglot' makes way for the wiggy atmospherics of the collection's title track. Highly recommended.