Back in stock: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: Beatconductor's Dub Spectrum EP takes listeners on a journey through Jamaica with seven tracks of dubbed-out pop covers. The EP features creative mash-ups such as The Wailers providing instrumental backing for Adele, Dua Lipa, Christina Aguilera, and Duran Duran, offering a fresh perspective on familiar tunes. Additionally, Amy Winehouse and The Pretenders unite to form a ska supergroup, showcasing Beatconductor's innovative approach to blending genres. Beatconductor's skillful reinterpretations breathe new life into classic tracks, infusing them with reggae and ska influences while maintaining their original essence.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


REPRESS ALERT!: Best Italy turn their impeccable reissue powers towards a surefire burner from 1984 given the stamp of approval by the likes of David Mancuso, Larry Levan and Ron Hardy back in the day. "Come Back Lover" was actually mixed down by another legendary DJ - Tony Humphries - and it shows. Even the original mix plays out with an extended, floor-focused flow that captures the creative energy at work at this epochal time for DJ culture. As ever with Best reissues, there's a plethora of alternative and dub mixes to suit any spinner's specific requirements, with the groove front and centre every time.

Review: Leading Italian disco outlet IRMA is back with more irresistible and dazzling goodness, this time courtesy of Funky Destination with some pretty standout remixes. 'Take It Down' opens up as a new version by LTJ Xperience that has percolating funk lines and slow, sensuous grooves. 'Mr Bong' (Louie Beat Re-work) is a more percussive number with brilliant drumming and sunny melodies and 'Take It Down' offers a sensuous soul sound and some psyched-out guitar riffs. Last of all is the most streamy and busy of the lot with unresolved drum loops, disco percussion and rousing pads that will fill the floor.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Italian singer Elena Ferretti also worked under the monikers Sophie and Helen. She was massively popular on the Italo and Eurobeat scene back at the start of the 80s and was produced by Giacomo Maiolini, Sergio Dall'Ora and Giancarlo Pasquini. She has got plenty of cult tunes to her name (or names) and 'I Love You' is one of them to now get reissued by ZYX. It has a classic synth bassline that sprays across the track like the Donna Summer classic 'I Feel Love', with analogue drum sounds below and magnificent melodies up top. Flemming Dalum remixes with big, bright, shimming retro-future synth chords and Victor Ark brings a more cold and stomping feel.

Review: Hey Cabrera! brings the heat with Italo Void, a vibrant fusion of electro disco, Italo, and house that embodies the essence of summer. Clean drum patterns lay the foundation, complemented by captivating melodies that shimmer throughout the track. Lauer's remix adds an analogue touch with piano keys, infusing a sense of late-night romance. On the flip side, 'Forelskelse' transports listeners to Scandinavia, blending disco and house elements to create an uplifting atmosphere filled with emotive energy. David Bay's remix of 'Forelskelse' offers a measured yet addictive rendition, allowing the instruments to shine while retaining the essence of the original. Together, these tracks comprise a mesmerising soundtrack for the approaching summer season, promising nights filled with dancefloor joy and unexplored passions.

Review: Reece Johnson brings the party across this limited new and hand-stamped 12" on the fledgling Disco Disco label. 'San Sal' is a lovely rough and ready party with nice loose, raw drums and freewheeling synth lines full of big energy. 'HTT' follows the same path and keeps the vibes pumping then 'Dance To My Beat' brings in some mad funky slap bass and plenty of tambourines and shakers to make the floor get down in even more unhindered fashion. 'Wanna Be Loved' closes down with a more stripped-back and deep sound for late-night seduction.

Review: The Too Slow To Disco compilation series and subsequent label is one of the best to emerge in recent years if you ask us. The latest in its cultured Edits series finds a brace of new hot takes from Dave Mathmos. First, he offers a Contemporary Soul remix of 'Your Love' and it is the sort of heart-warning sound that brings impossible fee good energy to a park. On the flip he offers an interpretation of 'You Abandoned Me' that has a fleshy and gurgling bassline topped with aching soul vocal hooks and lush, late-night piano chords. Gorgeous stuff.

Review: You can't beat a good edits label and that's what we seem to have here off the evidence of the first release from NIN Edits out of Italy. Ninja Edits 1 opens with the fused charms of what sounds like sleek, proto-techno synths from Kraftwerk and disco percussion on 'Dance & Music'. 'Get Up & Down' is a deeper cut with some smoky and soulful pads and nice loose percussion that throws it back to the New York disco scene, and the most buttery and seductive of the lot comes last. 'Moon & Night' has a woozy groove and lush strings scoring high next to plenty of rich instrumental funk.

Review: Plenty of dark disco's finest practitioners come together on this new 12" on Iptamenos Discos, with Psycho Weazel serving up the original tune. They are two producers from Switzerland who mix up indie-dance, cold wave, breakbeat and EBM. Here they offer 'Mains D'Argile' featuring Curses which has sweeping, widescreen synths bring a retro feel to a stiff, kinetic beat. The wonderful Marvin & Guy offer an extended mix for extra long club fun and then it is Local Suicide who guests on 'Matra Murena' which brings a perfect mix of light and dark to stark grooves, and Rafael Cerato remixes to close out the package.

Review: Gospel, FM funk and house collide on the latest offering by The Whole Truth aka. Tom Giles. Following up last year's 'E Da Boss' on Star Creature, 'Believe' is an impassioned plea to the would-be testifier, enjoining them to give over and into their inherent faith, which, if only it weren't for their psychic occlusion of a certain inner harmony, is bound to be fleshed out soon; aside from this sampled command on the vox, the track is effortlessly glitzy and modally shifts between bass harmonies. The inverse club mix is far sparser and dubbier at first, though slowly reveals its inner truth by way of a more stripped-back, mod-wheeled and trigger-padded experimentation.