Back in stock: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: Archeo Recordings bring us some more Balearic Italian treasure here with some gold initially recorded in Bologna almost two decades ago. It's a collaboration between friends Bottin and Lucio Dalla that has never before been on vinyl. 'Lunedi Cinema' was an ident that played before Monday night movies on of one of the main Italian TV channels for many years. This electronic version includes the Martedi Mix from 2008, a Minibar Bonus Track and also a mix by pioneering Italian dream house dons Leo Mas & Fabrice with a Bottin dub sealing the deal. It's a superb package of real Italo music history.

Review: Despite her 'Working Men's Club" roots, British variety entertainer Marti Caine actually made some surprisingly good records during her lifetime. 1981 album "Point of View" is arguably the best of the lot. Caine's soft-touch (and emotional vocals) take centre stage, though it's the rather left-of-centre musical mixture below - think rock-infused cosmic disco ("Love The Way You Love Me"), trippy dub disco ("Snowbird City"), shirts-off disco ("Can I Speak To The World Please") and a string of cuts that could arguably be described as Balearic - that makes the album an essential listen.

Review: Fabrizio Fattori has been a deep cover hero in Italian dance music since the mid 80s, and while he may have shifted his attention to tribal house music in the 90s, this collection zeroes in on his earlier afro disco funk work, which drips with Balearic groove appeal. Collecting sought after records and other archival gems, this lengthy EP is a joyous, synthy excursion through sunny climes, from the MIDI brass and plastic slap bass of "Leg Pulling" to the intricate percussion and live sax of "Bara-Hum-Ba." This is a quintessential Best reissue - beautifully packaged, and putting super rare music back in the hands of the fans.

Review: Croatian producer Funky Destination is back with an irresistible funk bomb here in the form of this new 45rpm on Sound Exhibitions out of Italy. It comes on limited edition red vinyl and opens up with 'I Wanna Love Ya' which is one of his signature grooves completes with snappy hits and jangling guitar lines. It's a loopy affair that bursts to life with the arrival of some big trumpets and has a throwback turn of the millennium feel. 70s Lonely Hustler' is the flipside jam and is a more organic and loose rhythm peppered with Latin energy, bird calls, tambourines and much more.

Review: Daje Funk Records is back with four new tracks on the Slam Dunk Vol. 2 EP. It features contributions from Jisco Dazz who serves up the low slung and rubbery groove of 'Change', BPlan continues on with more slo-mo kind tackle on the ultra deep 'Hey Boy', while the ever reliable G. Markus gets down to the disco inferno of 'Pocket Rocket'. For something a bit more streamlined to the dancefloor, Frank Virgilio also makes an appearance and he contributes the evocative deep house of 'What's In My Mind'.

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: 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: Victor Simonelli's house music legacy is assured - he more than made his mark on the genre back in the 90s with plenty of iconic cuts and legendary DJ sets and now that is all being highlighted by this ongoing multi-part series from Unknwn. The comprehensive collection looks at the early years here with some of his top mixes including those that have not previously been released. There is an in-depth almost hour-long audio and written interview between BTG founder Alex Rose and Victor to go with this release that is well worth finding.

Review: Daje Funk Records invites us to their funky dance floor once again with a fourth volume of the Slam Dunk series. It's a various artist affair with the sort of sun kissed sounds we all want to hear as the days get longer and the rays beat down. Souldynamic opens up with 'Tales From QJ' with its florid strings and soul-train beats. Musta's 'Soup' has a fatter low end and wobbles along with dub swagger then Les Inferno build the heat with 'Hot Burn', a tropical and percussive shuffler before the purposeful funk of Groovemasta's closer bring loose limbed percussion and epic riffs to a disco house groove.

Review: Samosa Records is back with a summer edition titled Afrikano Vol. 1, featuring four tracks from various artists. On the A-side, Vagabundo Club Social kick things off with the life-affirming boogie vibes of 'Mr. Mista', while by C. Da Afro & De Gama are equally uplifting on 'Sweet Dance' that's all about the beat and horn breakdowns.Over on the flip, Atchoum & Grincheux appear with the spiritual life music of 'Demokousse' remixed by Les Inferno who underpins the track with infectious breakbeats and finally Lego Edit provides goes poolside and sunset on the low slung 'Afromaniaco'.

Review: The result of three years of digging through tapes of "strange music" in the Radio Mogadishu archives and restless research to find the musicians involved, Analog Africa's latest compilation shines a light on Somalia's previously undocumented dance music scene. It features tracks recorded between 1972 and '91 by a variety of unknown artists, with the assembled music touching on disco, psych-funk, Moog-laden club-focused instrumentals and heavyweight, Bob Marley-inspired reggae rhythms. It's a hugely vibrant and entertaining set of off-kilter and unusual Somalian translations of American and Caribbean music styles, with the bumper accompanying booklet offering up a wealth of little-known information.

Review: French label Wagram is a go-to when it comes to quality compilations that take a broad look at certain sounds and scenes, and this one is an on-going series that focuses on house sounds with an Afro undertone. The grooves are lively and often come with plenty of percussion. The drums hit hard but with funk, the vocals are Afro-centric and plenty of irresistible hits come thick and fast from the jazzy tribal swagger of 'Imbalaye' to the big steel drum party sounds of 'Viet Dao' (Klement Bonelli & Yann DL remix). Another great collection of colourful Afro house sounds.

Review: In 1977, Gaye Mody Camara, a young Soninke raised in Mali's Kayes region, settled in France to found his own empire modelled psychically after the great Soninko empire. Initially selling wax, kola nuts and other goods in his Parisian outlets, he rapidly started distributing cassette tapes and eventually producing a multitude of recordings for his own label, Camara Production. Crossing paths and collaborating over the next four decades with legendary artists, griots and industry moguls like Boncana Maiga and Jean-Philippe Rykiel, Camara became one of the great independent music producers of his generation, and a pillar of the Parisian Soninke diaspora. Released in close collaboration with Camara and with the assistance of Daouda N'diaye, one of A.P.S' (Association pour la Promotion de la langue et de la culture Soninke) historical members, this selection of songs and accompanying notes aim to shed a light on an intricate culture and its modern music, unjustifiably unknown outside of West Africa and the various diasporas around the world.