Back catalogue: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: Kommuna marks its tenth year of activity with this new dancefloor-focused record from various artists whose music "reflects the glimmer of hope that music provides during these dystopian times." Fabricio's 'Collateral Effect' opens with a strident nu-disco sound and retro-future chords that get you moving. Charleze's 'Rage Power' is another chunky disco stomper with some nice cosmic melody and Wooka's 'Tirty Dalk' hits harder with mechanical beats and churning bass. Mooglee's 'Things I Love' brings a more dreamy synth sound but still club-ready beats.

Review: Following the recent dip into the Theo Parrish archives that was The Twin Cities, Phil Weeks' Robsoul imprint looks to another one of Detroit's adopted sons in the form of Rick Wade. Like that recent Parrish reissue, Weeks re-releases another three tracks from Wade's bulging discography. The upbeat disco loops of "Players Theme" was originally released on French label Funky Chocolate in 2002 and still sound fresher than anything being plied by the Soundcloud dwellers today, while "Can't You See" from 2003 provides a more soulful take on house music. On the flip, the tracky funk and cascading string melodies of "I Feel Good" originally graced Wade's own Harmonie Park imprint in 1998, but sound no less vital today. Essential.

Review: Released in celebration of Expansion's recent re-serving of two of Leon's early 80s albums - Rockin' You Eternally and Leon Ware - here's a delightful 45 that reminds us of his finest solo moments. "Why I Came To California" is a sun-kissed soul boogie groove with big horns and even bigger chorus. "Rockin' You Eternally" (which is, let's face it, one of the smoothest song titles to ever come from the 80s) showcases Leon's softer side. A ballad steeped in sentiment, play this loud enough and everyone in a five mile radius will stop and get smoochy.

Review: Chicago outfit Wavelength tap into the funk traditions of bands like Parliament here with a seductive and rather sleazy new EP for Soulistic 360. The whole thing has been arranged by Windy City soul innovator Rahaan and comes on white marbled vinyl 12". Opener 'Can You Handle This Funk' is slow, steamy, sensuous with its languid kicks, live, raw drums and drawled vocals all luring you into the groove. The remix is a subtle teak of the original and on the flip is 'Kemetic Dance Party' which brings more Afro style drums and some bold sax lines to get things going in a more energetic way.

Review: UK based production team Weekend Sun is made up of Phil Smith and Chris Tarn. Here their loose and inviting 'Hoochie Coo Strut' tune gets presented on a limited edition 12" with a pair of killer mixes. The original is all deep cut, slow motion disco grooves, spangly guitar riffs and big horns. It is a cacophony of sound that gets dialled right back by Al Kent. His take is a low slung groover with jazzy chords given plenty fo room to breath and neat little riffs filing in the spaces beyond. Andy Smith Reach Up Disco Wonderland remix is a big one for full floors.

Review: As head of the Diskokaine imprint, Wolfram Eckert has graced the public with the delightful sounds of Sally Shapiro as well as maintaining a wonderfully infuriating website - you need to check this out! In a production career that has seen the Swede trade under a surfeit of aliases for labels such as Creme, Gomma and IDJ Gigolos, Eckert has focused on the Wolfram name to deliver a stellar album forthcoming on Permanent Vacation. Entitled Marflow, the album features a stellar cast of guests including Legowelt, Shapiro, House of House, disco legend Paul Parker and mid nineties one hit wonder Haddaway. Permanent Vacation indulge in some appetite whetting here with another collaborative effort between Wolfram and Andy and Kim Ann of Hercules and Love Affair, notable for some fine remixes from fellow Swedish icons Tiedye and Axel Boman, with the former's balearic rock cover version most ingenious.

Review: Stevie Wonder has many classics in his incomparable oeuvre and many of them have been remixed with varying degrees of success. 'Paradise' is one from the mid-70s on his Songs in the Key of Life album and here it gets a house rework. It's got some brilliantly dusty Motor City house vibes to it with busy synth arps riding up and down the scale next to more smeared, serene chords. The flispside Kneedeep dub is more percussive with chopped-up vocals, disco-fried beats and a little more vibrancy to it for some playful party times.

Review: Wrekin Havoc has been in no rush to get to their third EP - this one comes almost 18 months after the debut - but the music is worth the wait. It is another one from the in-house production team of the same name who describe themselves as crate diggers turned re-editors from deepest Wales. Here they set off on a Balearic-minded disco trip with the soul-drenched 'Double Deb' before 'Boon Rocks', boasting an electric boogie feel with its staying analogue lines and stiff drums. 'Kool Keith' is a low-slung and swaggering dub with classic house samples and 'Splash Gordon' shows yet another side with blissed-out electronic soul.

Review: With roots as a backing singer for Stevie Wonder, Wycoff went on to become a soul ambassador throughout the early 80s. This 1982 reissue is one of the best examples of his silky, heartfelt delivery... "Looking Up To You" is a dynamic love song where traces of big 70s production build and build throughout. "(Do You Really Love Me) Tell Me Love", meanwhile, was only ever released as a B-side. Its 80s production counter the dramatics of the A-side with cool synthetic perfection. Reissues don't get much broader in production or sweeter in sound than this.