Back in stock: Disco/Nu-Disco

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: 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: Disco mixer Mike Muarro has been delivering tasteful, multi-track remixes of disco and soul classics for the last couple of years, and earlier in 2021 delivered a digital-only set of revisions of classic cuts from the Philadelphia International catalogue. This must-check 12" contains two of the most potent reworks from that set. On the A-side you'll find his epic, beautifully executed revision of MFSB's brilliant 'Love is the Message', which features rearranged elements and Tom Moulton style builds, drop outs and instrument solos. He takes a similar approach on the flip, wringing maximum energy and release from the O'Jays 'Message In Our Music' without adding any unnecessary instrumentation. If you're a fan of the Rephlex and Moplen's multi-track revisions, you'll love both remixes.

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: Established by the late DJ Ajax, Australian label Sweat It Out is back with a new release this week by label staple Tino Piontek aka Purple Disco Machine. Originally releasing under the aliases Stereofreak and Stereofunk, Piontek debuted on the Sydney-based label with his acclaimed Soulmatic LP back in 2017. The Dresden-based producer serves up some typically neon-lit night moves on the scorching disco inferno of 'Dopamine' that's sure to set the dancefloor alight on the A side. Over on the flip, Piontek streamlines the groove into a more functional and bass-driven affair for DJ use on the handy club dub.

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.