Back catalogue: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: In 2011, Banda Achilifunk & OJO served up Gitano Real, one of the year's most essential albums. It was caned far and wide by funk lovers, in particular Craig Charles on his 6 Music show. Now, two cover versions taken from the essential album have been pressed to limited edition translucent yellow vinyl. First up, 'I Believe in Miracles' is an overwhelming take on the Jackson Sisters classic with plenty of happy Latin vibes and rumba funk rhythms. Flip it over for a more abstract version of McFadden and Whitehead's seminal 'Ain't No Stoping Us Now' which is a soulful disco number packed with sunshine.

Review: Sundries' Disco Goodies series, which rounds up the best of the label's digital releases and presents them on multi-artist EPs, reaches its fourth instalment. It hits home hard from the start, where Berobreo's 'Soul Driven Dynamics' provides an attractive mix of 1970s orchestral soul samples and rubbery deep house beats. Experienced re-editor Oldchap brings the goods with a lightly tooled-up and beefed-up rework of an orchestra-sporting disco gem ('Coloridos'), before X Gets The Crest delivers a percussive, hot-stepping and filter-smothered re-wire of a much-loved Cymande classic ('Still Come Home'). Over on side B, Alexny's heavy disco-funk re-edit ('People Says') is joined by a hazy and horn-heavy revision courtesy of Sould Out ('City Gal') and the pitched-up disco loop-funk of 'Since You Came' by Workerz.

Review: The Moiss Music label seems to like to drop their EPs two at a time. They did it in February and they're doing it again in May. This eighth outing collects four more lively disco cuts, each with their own subtle influences. Berobreo's 'White Rabbit' for instance has funky undertones with loopy guitar riffs and nice breaks. The Magic Track's 'Jamming With Mom' meanwhile is more sensuous and deep, with late-night synth work and seductive vocals. Oldchap's 'I Want To Show You' has an expressive soul vocal with more low-slung grooves and Alexny's 'Not Bad' then gets quick, clipped and loopy for its lip-pouting disco thrills.

Review: Cult Edits are specialists in pushing a certain kind of heater, working in a mode landing something between edit and original. Six producers - Mario Bianco, Tomoo Hata, Roe Deers, Radial Gaze, A Tweed and Oltrefuturo - lay down a blend of sampledelic, ecstatic, multi-tempo'd tribal moods. Channelling everything from chic Tulum rituals to the brutalism of Eastern-European underground clubs, and rounded off by doses of Italian rasta and Japanese re-imagining of Hungarian folk song, all come to the label's exquisite brand of mandala-esque vinyl.

Review: We're promised Mellow Magic and that's precisely what we get, across four tracks emerging from disparate corners of the globe but united in a common mission to provide beats that work on the more relaxed end of the dancefloor. Belgian duo Charlotte & Reinhard of Rheinzand fame kick things off with a slow motion Balearic version of a well known 80s MOR classic. Ollie Loudon's 'L.M.T.' finally makes it to vinyl after long being a secret weapon in Gratts' DJ sets, where handclaps and languid strumming meet a gentle but infectious groove. Flip it over for the more tracky affairs, as Japan's Lily Ko makes an impressive debut with 'Pure Rubber', an original mix of disco foundations and always snazzy but never showy 80s synth play. Melbourne's Biancolato finishes things off with understated deep house shuffling that adds just a touch jazzy keys and dreamy, wispy pads.

Review: Soul meets speed garage on this new V/A EP from Z Records, blurring the lines between the genres in just the way we like it. The opening track - Grant Nelson's mix of 'Starlight' by Dave & Omar - is a euphoric, piano-laced uplifter which both sonically and lyrically urges us to reach for the sky. That's followed by the DJ Fudge production 'Everything' by Chocolate Fudge Band, featuring lots of live instrumentation and a Curtis Mayfield style vocal, while over on the flip, 'Looking For You' proves to be a deep and bouncy cut filled with soulful Motown vocal chops and an organ workout worthy of any Sunday service, over a beautifully wonky house framework.

Review: Z Recordings chief Dave Lee has teamed up on this one with Omar, a prolific multi-instrumentalist who was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to music. The result is 'Starlight', a serving of emotive soul funk with a nod to legend Stevie Wonder. Over on the flip, we have the late night boogie-down vibe of Destiny II's 'I'm Here For This' featuring Aria Lyric's powerful vocal delivery, underpinned by an uplifting arrangement that has summertime vibes abound. A new project by Lee, it debuted earlier this year with the excellent 'Play 2 Win'

Review: Second time around for Harlem Hustlers' surging disco-house anthem, which first appeared in stores way back in 2005. This time round, the Italian duo have reworked it considerably, placing underground boogie legend Orlando Johnson's lead vocal front and centre while opting for some more organic-sounding instrumentation (the original was more sample-heavy). On their '2023 Rework' they channel the sound of Groove Culture label bosses Mickey More and Andy Tee, wrapping Johnson's vocal, tidy horns, flanged guitars and classic-sounding piano riffs around a warming bass guitar part and crunchy house drums. It's a very classy and far more authentically 'disco'-sounding track than their 2005 original. Their flip-side 'Get On The Floor' mix, meanwhile, has a smoother, more synth-heavy disco-house sound, less vocal and even more of the excellent horn sounds.

Review: Spain's Esuoh White label kicks on here with a sixth outing that welcomes various talents to offer up their own deep house delights. Kid Mark kicks off with 'Need U' which is a big-hearted jam with full-throttle vocals and hefty house drums. Chris Fry & Owain 124 slip into a deeper vibe with the sunny loops of 'Together' and lush guitar trills. Ezequiel G channels the raw jack of early era-Chicago house with 'Soul Enough' then George Feely shuts down with the high energy and hard hitting house sounds of 'Groovin'' complete with an effortlessly uplifting and soulful filtered vocal.

Review: Fool's Paradise is the exciting new label from Toolroom Records' Mark Knight. Coming straight from the heart, it's a natural progression from his hugely acclaimed 2021 album release, 'Untold Business', which saw Mark go back to his roots, paying homage to the more funky, soulful, and vocal house from the 1990s from where he came. With a focus on real instrumentation and production, coupled with great songwriting, this new Toolroom sublabel will be a platform for high quality house music designed to stand the test of time. Launching the new label with a mighty bang and delivering the first in our exciting new vinyl sampler series is head honcho Mark Knight, who joins forces with his Australian Toolroom labelmate, Sgt Slick, and British Soul sensation, Beverley Knight, on a dynamite cover of Prince's 1979 classic, 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. Respectfully transporting the song onto today's dancefloors, Mark & Sgt Slick deliver a classy uplifting soulful house production, loaded with funky guitars, warm pads and sublime key performances. Adding the icing on the cake and putting her own stamp on things, Beverley belts out one of her signature spine-tingling vocals, garnished with lush harmonies and BV's that would indeed make The Purple One proud. Completing the vinyl package is dance music stalwart, Opolopo, and British soul icon, Jaki Graham, whom together bring the dancefloor heat with their new single, 'Fire'. Powered by a potent soulful house groove from Opolopo, loaded with warm piano hooks, emotive synth melodies and a sublime popping bass hook, 'Fire' see's Jaki flaunt her electrifying vocal talents with a show-stopping performance on this irresistibly catchy song.

Review: Having set out their stall via a fine first collaborative release on Bordello a Parigi a couple of months back, Mytron and Ofofo pitch up on Multi-Culti. As you'd expect from a label with such a strong track record of multi-cultural musical fusion, much of the EP defies easy categorization. Sure, you'll find a chunk of Italo-influenced electro ("Non-Binary Joys on the Venus Holodeck") and a couple of slabs of madcap disco-funk fusion ("Si Jambo" and "2Tac Onana"), but also a heavyweight slab of low-slung punk-funk/post disco ("Czary Mary"). Oh, and the skewed electro-funk-meets-intergalactic synth pop insanity of "Something for Your Mind", which also boasts some notably brain-melting vocoder action. More, please!

Review: Philadelphia International Records continues to dip into its bulging archives and offer up double-packs containing some of the finest 1970s remixes from remix pioneer Tom Moulton. As you'd expect, there's plenty to get the juices flowing and the heart pounding on this third volume in the series. Record one opens up with Moulton's epic version of the O'Jays' "This Time Baby", a swirling Philly Soul classic that later became a favourite of sample-loving disco-house producers and disco re-editors, and continues with his sugary but floor-friendly version of the Futures' "Party Time Man". Over on record two, Moulton's inspired extension of Jean Carn's seductive "Love Don't Come Easy" is followed by his must-have version of the Jones Girls' "Nights Over Egypt".

Review: Mike Maurro is the label manager and remix king behind the legendary Brookside, who specialise in disco/soul reissues hailing from Brooklyn. His fingers in many pies, Maurro here remixes two classics from Philadelphia International Records, the O'Jays' 'I Love Music' and Harold Melvin's 'Wake Up Everbody'. Draggy, sunny and full of that downtempy, boxy re-edit magick.

Review: Record Shack have unearthed another rare gem from the early 80s and worked hard to give it its first officially licensed 12" release. Before now, no one has quite known the proper title of these tracks as they were on white label only, but now that is cleared up once and for all. "Bad Guy Good Guy" opens with a killer bit of early '80s jazz funk with boogie bass vibes while the infectious guitars and summery leads also colour the flipside - "Synth Good Guy " is still as glorious and full of radiant sunshine as it was back when first put out.

Review: Originally released back in 1977, 'Native New Yorker' is considered by some as one of the greatest disco productions ever. Odyssey was originally formed in 1968 by Virgin Islands born sisters Carmen, Lillian and Louise Lopez. Lillian and Louise later teamed up with Filipino producer Tony Reynolds where they explored a more pop-oriented sound as heard here. Brookside Records dug through the Sony vaults and came up with a pair of remixes by NYC 'mixmaster ' Mike Maurro. The A-side's Extended version has a long extended intro, break and extended instrumental sections. On the flip, 'Use It Up and Wear It Out' boosts the rhythm section and adds subtle changes while staying respectful to the original sound

Review: Blissful boogie reissue from Junko Ohashi, whose 7-inch promo for 'Dancin' here functioned as the promo material for the 1983 album 'Point Zero'. Sounding just as rough, farty and raw as its original LP cut, the track is a perfect example of what Japan brought to disco - blending it largely with city pop - at the time. 'In Your Lovin', as it did on the original album, brings up the B-side with a downer-tempo funk beat, and a lyrical subject dealing with a romanticized, ideal lover.

Review: Since making his name late last decade with a string of re-edit releases, Italian DJ/producer Paul Older (real name Paolo Vecchiato) has been edging towards original production. This EP on the mighty Toy Tonics imprint is his most ambitious and - we think - impressive set of 'originals' to date. For proof, check excitable opener 'Guapita', where relentless synth-horn refrains dance atop a loopy disco-house beat, the horn-heavy, Blaxpolitation funk-sampling sweatiness of 'Keep On', and the house-meets-sleazy disco sensuality of 'I Like It, I Want It (Extended Mix)'. Arguably best of all, though, is the hybrid nu-disco/proto-house/disco-house headiness of closing cut 'Loop Story'.

Review: Tropical Disco marks hitting release number 20 with a brilliant four track various artists affair that offers up plenty of the colourful and cosmic disco sounds they have become so well known and loved for. Paul Older kick off with 'Nothing,' which is a rolling and trumpet laced jam to fill the floor. 'One For Frida' gets more deep and dubby, with more big horns but a flabbier and more silky groove to sink into. On the flip, it's all majestic leads and noodling solos for the twinkling disco sounds of the late night roller 'Shiva's Chant' while 'Street Jam' closes out in smooth, string laced and seductive fashion.

Review: Opolopo is a machine when it comes to serving up superb disco, funk and soul sounds. He's done so for two decades on plenty of top labels from Toolroom to Version Galore to Gamm. This time out he finds himself on a self-released tip with X Machine which is a mash-up of James Brown. The original vocals cut through funky basslines and lots of big percussions as the loose drums rumbled on next to warming organ chords. The instrumental is a more direct to dancefloor jam.

Review: Opolopo and Alafia have hooked up here to work together on a new musical journey that takes the form of these two richly layered percussive monsters. 'Axxanxxan' and 'Axxiove' which arrive on this 12" from Canopy are as addictive as it gets - they fuse Afro rhythms and disco dazzle with synth innovation to create a pair of dance bombs with real tribal energy. The A-side is detailed with metallic bass, choppy guitars and swirling synths that add up to a nice tropical sotmg, while the flip has more prominent drums and hypnotic rhythms that have a subtle cosmos twist. Two gems from Canopy, then.

Review: Baz Bradley and A Girl Called Kate team up to make Orbs Of Light, cementing their decades-long collaborative synergy with a slice of contemporary Balearic beat. 'Billion Days' hears Kate loll through a resolute vocal line, as its production opens up an ever-expansive beach-bound vista, whether by sequenced steel pans or synths. The 10" also includes remixes by 40 Thieves and Mind Fair, who add their own twists to the original.

Review: As if their recent album Beyond The Sun wasn't quite enough new material this year, Orgone return with two more brand new jams on this 7" for Colemine. "Strike" is a firing, sweaty Union cover that's focused on nothing but an unashamed party. "New You" is a softer, more sensual boogie number that oozes soaking wet guitar licks and honey-coated vocals throughout. Powerful contemporary funk from one of the most successful and prolific troupes in existence.

Review: Berlin based organ band Otto return with a flitty two-tracker in the Italo vein, 'Wir Kommen' and 'Elixier' being the two sonic cases in point. Topping up the label's Maximal Super Sound sub-discog, the tracks are equally as riveting as they are buzzing. The first is vocoder-laden, cold, brittle and icy, yet somehow warms in equal measure through its slightly rhythmically offset leads and pads. 'Elixier', meanwhile, lolls and ironicizes away into a kind of auditory mad-hatter's pleasure garden, getting far weirder with it via carefully delayed popcorn stabs and rainmaker-esque, cascading sounds in the breakdown.

Review: Tel Aviv's Elado has put out a fine run of eight releases in just two years on the likes of GAMM, Barefoot Beats and Bonfido Disques, but for his next move, he branches out with his own reissue label. its aim is to "focus on uncovering lost gems" with the original paired with his own remixes. The first one is a 1983 private press from the Canadian pair OUI. 'Circle Of Love' is a big disco banger with flashy synth work and rugged arps, with a pair of Elado's mixes making it even more dancefloor ready. 'You Make Me High' is a more sentimental 80s pop sound.The release has recieved support from a lot of artist, such as Gerd Jansen and Hunee. A fine start to life for this new label.

Review: We've got some of that naughty and irresistible white label madness here from new and mysterious label and production outfit Outtaface. It comes with a label that references the energetic cartoon stylings of the late Keith Haring and a bassline that will melt your face. The 'Vocal' track mixes up disco, skank, rave, The Prodigy references and outer space designs into a truly unusual blend that will bring colour and craziness to the floor. The flip side dub slows it down, fleshes out the low and and allows the cosmic synth work more room to shine. A handy 12" for sure.

Review: A tasty pair of chunky, beefed and dubbed up disco delights courtesy of the Cardiology label and every bit as likely to get the heart rate pumping as the name would suggest. The Owl's 'Groove Engine' steps up to the breach on the A-side, the slightly slower of the pair but blessed with a thumping framework of four-to- the-floor sturdiness on which funky keys and an almost Afro vibe are tastfully and decoratively hung. Flip track 'I'm Gonna' by C Da Afro is constructed from more archetypically traditional old skool disco ingredients, from the Sister Sledge-esque female vocals to the shooting, strings. There's a nice amount of dub behaviour via the desk, enough to elevate it into orbit but not so much that the song elements of the track are obscured. Nice work all round.

Review: Expansion deals pretty much in good vibes only and that is what we have here with OZONE's '(Our Hearts) Will Always Shine'. It is a 7" that radiates with infectious energy and heartfelt emotion as it seamlessly blends elements of pop, electronic, and dance music. The uplifting melodies soar high, the pulsating beats power things along and the soulful vocals deliver a message of resilience and positivity. The song's anthemic chorus is destined to take listeners to a new level and ignite dance floor in equal measure and it sure does that. 'Mighty Mighty' on the flip is another feel good and upbeat funky disco workout.

Review: When love drives us wild - perhaps one too many cocoons in our stomachs have hatched as butterflies, leading to an over-excitation of winged beats - a paradoxical sense of undomesticated entrapment may follow. Whether or not our love is acted upon or returned, the fear is that the feeling will never go away, that we have been irreversibly rewilded, and that the mere mention of the person wall never fail to stir us. Kilque nailed the flooding feeling with 'I Can't Shake This Feeling' in 1982, where the motivic repetition of the chorus line "...must be love" added extra poignancy to the word "burden" to describe a song's hook. Now UK production talents U Key and Omar wax the tune extra weightily, lighting a cogno-scented candle of full-boded electro disco, eliciting strange, fatuous sensations in proximate suitors. The track boasts a full live brass and string sections, uniting Japanese and Bostonian talents; it also features Curtis Williams of Kool & The Gang on alto, while Oberheim and Moog add a modern electronic spice. Young Pulse's remix marks a sensorial broken-beat easer-upper on the B, with its foolhardy breakdowns and Rhodesy downturns.

Review: Craft Music's Good For Dance series continues with its second instalment and this one has been curated by none other than DJ Craft himself. Joining him are talented pals Schmoltz, Bogdan Ra, Romain FX, and Outra, also known as Joutro Mundo. These deep diggers are celebrated for their prowess in unearthing hidden gems and transforming them into dancefloor anthems and that's what they do here as each artist brings a unique flavour to the mix. Schmoltz's 'Luv The States' is a peak-time percussive disco jam, Bogdan Ra brings some slap-funk drums and glossy Italo synths and 'Tell Me Why' has crunchy drums and jagged synth stabs before a camp closer in 'Colosso'.

Review: CULTED return in trademark force with five wild psych-bangers from luminaries Simple Symmetry, Thomass Jackson, Orchid, Ayala, and Multi Culti boss Thomas Von Party teamed up with Oltrefuturo. A sense of weirdness exudes from these tunes, refusing the common pitfalls of twee chord progressions or underproduction hidden behind rawness; these ones are as high-qual, watery, poured-over as can be, yet also bring with them a real sense of exploration and eccentricity of mood. The utmost case in point is Thomas Van Party & Oltrefuturo's 'Kookoo', a chugging machine-elven carnival of doffed conical hats and gated cute vocals.

Review: Correcciones Calypso returns from a generous hiatus with the fourth edition of its acclaimed edit series, replete with four re-edits that veer from the subtle to the downright brazen. Thomass Jackson and INigo Vontier invite the French duo Youkounkoun to open proceedings with an insane early 80s edit full of big drums and exotic touches that's been blowing dancefloors all around the world for the past years - and definitely resides in the brazen category, despite a lot of work having gone into it. Olta Karawame make their debut on the series with a powerful, compact edit full of ballsy keyboard riffing and a military-sized kick drum that is guaranteed to have heads banging . To complete the release label bosses Thomass and INigo deliver edits of their own with their characteristic sound, giving this EP maximum a value for money factor and entertainment from start to finish.

Review: The mysterious Medieval Man is joined by Thomass Jackson, Mytron & Ofofo and Barry Sunset on this new split EP from the fledgling Culted label. Their edit series tackles plenty of interesting dark disco source material with beguiling results. The freaky future sounds of Mytron & Ofofo's 'Machinenhimmel' opens up with phased bass and spooky leads. Barry Sunset's twisted sci-fi disco stomper 'Hit The Drums' then takes off to the cosmos and Thomass Jackson twists and turns on loose, jangling percussion that is underpinned by fat bottomed bass. The brilliantly entitled 'Humble Frodo' is a weird and wonderful closer.

Review: Following 2012's fourth volume that celebrated the existential work of Tim Maia, here we find Luaka Bop exploring the legacy of William Onyeabor. A high chief and Kenyan diplomat who allegedly refuses to discuss his music, he self-released eight albums in the 70s and 80s and these are some of the many highlights. Stretching from the New York-influenced post-punk synth funk of "Good Name" to the most authentic Afro fusion of "Why Go To War", Onyeabor's range not only reflects his clear creative skill, but also the ever-developing international language of music during the fruitful period he was active. Who is William Onyeabor? Press play and find out yourselves...

Review: Reel People Music expands the fizzing dynamic between highly accomplished label associates Opolopo (AKA Peter Major) and Angela Johnson with the release of their brand new album Best of Both Worlds. The nine-track record is an impressive merging of soulful souls, building on the pair's previous 'track-by-track' collaborative approach, and calling on influences from Quincy Jones to The Isley Brothers. From the twizzling decrescendos of Buffalo, which hears the pair summon the bruk maestro Kaidi Tatham on recording and co-prod duties, to the sparkly, sparky whetstone electro-disco track 'The Ones You Love', we really do get the best of both worlds here; we get nine worlds, in fact.

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.