Review: 'Dreamtime Trance' is a cult gem for those who like to dig deep, and Alston Koch is exactly that person. She is a Sri Lankan-born Australian musician and the mastermind behind the Kookaburra Connection project, a collaboration with Aboriginal musicians, and this track blends indigenous themes with a unique, game-changing beat and infectious groove. It's a pure dancefloor revelation and this reissue includes a new extended version with a longer intro buildup that adds depth to the track. On the B-side, the heartfelt ballad 'Midnight Lady' offers a contrasting mood that is perfect for after-hours relaxation with PiNa Coladas. Remastered and re-issued with the original artwork, this EP is a must.
Review: 'Anything Goes Vol. 7' the latest vinyl release EP from Rollover Edit Service, a subsidiary of Anything Goes, is back. Delve into the Italian music scene of the 70s and early 80s with four meticulously edited gems; all four versions here are billed as originals, credited to contemporary producers' hands (Black Pomade, Pablot, etc.) yet are heavily built around each respective sample. Our highlight is the hard-won, twangy B4, 'Prima O Poi Ti Prendero'.
Review: Washington DC group Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers have got a real belting Latin tune on their hands here with 'Berro e Sombaro'. It's a tune that has been sampled many times over the years though you will be hard-pushed to find an original version anywhere. It was originally the last tune on Chuck's Bustin Loose album from 1979 and soon became a go-to funk track with a big impact that also saw it make a mark on the 80s rare groove scene. On the flipside here is an exclusive 7" edit of 'Never Gonna Give You Up', which was composed by Gamble & Huff composed and has never been on 45 rpm before.
Sono Come Sono (Whodamanny instrumental remix) (4:29)
Sono Come Sono (Whodamanny remix) (4:00)
Sono Come Sono (Whodamanny extended instrumental remix) (6:26)
Review: Internationally acclaimed Italian singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Chiara Civello unveils a new single, 'Sono Come Sono', blending a mixture of Neapolitan funk and club-infused rawness into four mixes. With the title roughly translating to 'it is what it is', the tune is a true, happy reflection on all things being immutable, and struggle being ultimately futile. Party on!
Review: Cuts From The Vaults is the latest in a long line of "mystery" edit labels, with some of the material on show originally appearing on various obscure, now hard-to-find white labels at various points over the last two decades. The A-side features two tweaks of 'Shot' (AKA Eric Clapton's reggae-rock cover of Bob Marley's 'I Shot The Sheriff') - a slightly dubbed-out, reworked and extended full vocal version, and the arguably superior, groove-based 'Special Dub'. Over on the flip, 'Bossarocker' sees the Doors' 'Break On Through' get the rework treatment. The 'Bossa edit' is a bossanova beat-powered rework of a live recording, while the 'Break On edit' is a punchy, subtly breakbeat-driven revision of a bluesy studio recording. Superior edits of rock classics: don't sleep!
Chez Madame La Baronne (Idjut Boys Fazz Junk version)
Review: Earlier this year, French disco and jazz-funk combo Chatobaron joined forces with fellow Parisian Dimitri From Paris for the rather good 'I Like (The Music That You Play)'. While that was a wholehearted disco workout, this speedy sequel sees the band (and their high-profile collaborator) explore their West Coast jazz-funk influences via an inspired workout full to bursting with killer instrumental solos, dusty grooves, memorable motifs and a genuinely killer, cowbell-sporting percussion brerak. This time round, there are no Dimitri From Paris remixes; instead, dubbed-out disco favourites the Idjut Boys are on hand to smother the track in tape echo and dub delay. The result is a typically spaced-out, low-slung affair that naturally makes the most of the band's killer bassline and layered percussion sounds.
Review: Mysterious edits pushers Discotecas worship a mysterious figure known as 'Gwen', the artist supposedly responsible for making these EPs. Their second instalment here comes in the form of a laid-back, electro-balearic affair replete with several layers of bass guitar, lolling synth and acoustic-mimicking percs. A remix of Sade's 'Paradise' leads the charge, centring her harmonious vocals at the core of the mix, while two further unknown re-edits cement the overall nine minute disco vibe.
Review: DJ Cat comes through on Scruniversal here as the young label continues to go from strength to strength early in its existence. This time he serves up some re-edits and reworks of old and rare records from Scru's friends' collections. Up first is 'Roots & Culture' which is a languid funk workout with Prince style vocals bring some libidinous vibes up top while sci-fi synths and raw claps and perc all flesh out the groove. 'Possibelle' then cuts loose on a much more laid back and steamy summer vibe with the sort of chords that have you laying back in the park and staring up at a cloudless sky.
Review: In a move towards soulful French electro-funk from the duo that brought us 'Caipirnha', comes the latest new single from DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson. The two producers here bring together a vast cast of musicians playing everything from Moog to claviers, culminating in a texturally rich afro-soul single that urges us to "hold our horses" ('Pas Si Vite') in these troubling times.
Review: Andy Meecham's forthcoming ninth album as the Emperor Machine, Island Boogie, is a genuine treat - a wonderfully colourful and effects-laden trip into what the former Bizarre Inc and Chicken Lips man calls 'electronic cosmic disco-boogie'. To get us all in the Mood, Leng have served up this EP of dubs and remixes. In the latter category you'll find a superb, piano solo-laden proto-house rework of 'Devoilez-Vous' by fellow Stafford act T Kutt, and a typically warm, languid Balearic disco interpretation of 'Island Boogie' by Leng co-founder Mudd. Meecham delivers two wonderfully skeletal, wayward and trippy instrumental dubs, lightly transforming 'Devoilez-Vous' and 'La Cassette' in turn. In a word: essential.
Review: Oh we do so love a mysterious white label. Everything You're About To Hear Is True appears to be a disco edit label with plenty of Balearic chops, which leads in with a supremely slinky rub down of Lynsey De Paul's 1981 disco funk masterpiece 'Strange Changes'. Things pitch down without holding back on blue-eyed funk for 'Jesus Train', originally by Swedish songwriter Per-Erik Hallin. On the flip there's no less than three hits, from the boogie funk perfection of 'Get It' to the jazz funk ascendance of 'Surge' and the swooning disco of 'Wilson'. Rock solid songs given a respectful touch up for the discerning DJ.
Review: 'Everything You're About to Hear Is True' is a home for the now well-documented breed of 'unknown artist' seeking an outlet to release their disco edits and this second instalment by yet another mysterious figure hears a blitzing blend of electronic and acoustic parts, marrying tropes such as sports-game chants, reverb-drenched balearic boogie and funk across four tracks.
Review: The Artless Cuckoo label has done a fine job of showcasing the work of lesser-known German outfit Ghia his year by releasing an album of rediscovered 1980s recordings as well as a special 7". Now Thank You has put together this 12" package with three different versions of 'Don't Leave Me Alone.' The original dropped in 1987 and was an instant euro-pop classic. An OG copy on wax is tough to find these days so often fetches three figures. Soon as you hear the tune though you know why - it's effortlessly catchy with mounting tension and super creative vocals.
Review: Longtime fans of Vive La Musique's impressive ability to both catalog old and release new music will find much to love in this one. Here they home in on South African composer and bass player Sipho Gumede's 'Something to Say', a stunning six-tracker flaunting the musician's distinctive blend of Afro-boogie with an 80s-style montage feel. Warm, inviting and dreamy, tracks like 'Bayabizana' and 'Something To Say' are sexual and freeing dirges, as suitable for long-haul flights and penthouse cocktails as they are for shouting about new love from the rooftops.
Special Occasion - "Flyin' To Santa Barbara" (6:37)
Review: Over the years, France's Favorite Recordings has been very good at sniffing out lesser-known European gems from the disco and boogie era, mostly for superb and must-check compilations. Recently, they decided to make some of these licensed obscurities available on a series of 12" singles, where a louder, club-heavy cut is preferable to DJs. The latest sees them offer-up two lesser-known Belgian gems produced in the mid 1980s by future new beat don Tony Baron. Jonathan Jr's 'Hanging On To You' is warm, shuffling and synth heavy, with the artist's soulful and jazzy lead vocal sitting alongside squelchy synth-bass, Nile Rodgers style guitars and post-electro beats. Special Occasion's 'Flying To Santa Barbara', meanwhile, sits somewhere between 80s soul, AOR synth-pop and sax-sporting B-movie soundtrack goodness.
Review: Australian DJ and producer Dave Mathmos serves up an obscure edits entree, sampling/reworking a whopping seven disco cuts from the late 1970s and early 1980s, but adding just enough modern flair to essentially make them his own. A well-rounded, sticky quality is heard on this septagonal crock of heaters, with the downtempo slink-funk of 'Late At Night' and the equally sumptuous, string-backed plod of 'Wonderful Feeling' remaining our highlights.
Fall In Love In Outer Space (Turbotito rework) (5:21)
Fall In Love In Outer Space (Blank & Jones Ride A Sunbeam rework) (5:00)
Fall In Love In Outer Space (Chuggin edits rework) (4:25)
Fall In Love In Outer Space (Those Guys From Athens rework) (4:32)
Fall In Love In Outer Space (Vibes4YourSoul rework) (4:37)
Fall In Love In Outer Space (HOLDTight rework) (5:19)
Review: Prime Time Band's 'Fall In Love In Outer Space' is one of the undoubted highlights of the latest Too Slow To Disco compilation - a quirky, 1985 curiosity that blends AOR, soft rock and spacey, synth-laden disco. Here the track is dragged into the 21st century by a sextet of remixers, most of whom treat the original with due reverence. Turbitto kicks things off by adding layers of tactile electronics and echoing effects to the obscure outfit's sumptuous, soft-touch vocals and instrumentation, before Blank & Jones re-imagine it as a dreamy Balearic disco chugger. The Chuggin' Edits tweak is tactile, groovy and super-slow, while Those Guys From Athens beef up the beats and add a touch of low-slung dub disco haziness. Meanwhile, 'Vibes4YourSoul' drop a warming, Rhodes-heavy interpretation and HOLDTight deliver slo-mo disco-funk vibes aplenty.
Review: A near-mythical release from the Italian composer/bassist/karate don Pino Presti, Shitan was a one-off project in 1977. Slow, pensive, full of tension and loaded with detailed cinematic elements, it still sounds forward-thinking today. No surprises that the original 12"s regularly go for hundreds. Madly the long version never made it to the original 12" so this is the first time the full five minute version has been available. As if a repress wasn't enough reason to jump on this!
Review: Geordie one-man production line Smoove's Multitrack Reworks series consistently delivers the goods, with the popular funk, soul, breaks and disco DJ/producer dropping fine, Reflex style revisions of both classic cuts and lesser-celebrated gems. He begins volume ten by reworking Steely Dan's 'Peg', a cut beloved of hip-hop DJs thanks to its killer drum-break and use in De La Soul's 'Eye Know'. His version makes great use of the multi-track stems, teasing out the break and slowly building the instrumental elements before unleashing the vocals. It's a genuinely great rework, as you'd expect. Over on the flip, he gives 'Baby Be Mine', with its' crispy drums, glistening disco guitars and squelchy synth-bass, a similar treatment, before successfully chopping up a heavy, percussion-laden deep AOR soul number ('This Time').
Review: South African funk outfit Stimela, named after the Zulu word for locomotive, formed out of the ashes of bandleader Ray Phri's previous band, The Cannibals, and soon became an institution in their homeland. Five albums deep in 1986, they also released the astounding Rewind EP, which now gets faithfully reissued by Mr Bongo for a fresh audience. Every track on here is a winner, from the epic, proggy groove of 'I Love You' to the low slung, synth-rich funky angles of 'Shaka Doo Ba'. You won't regret copping this slab of wax, trust us.
Review: Ralph White's early ventures into disco are finally gathered in one place with the first official anthology of his 1978 recordings at Sydney's Albert Studios. Better known at the time as a session player and producer in the city's studio scene, White was tapped by M7 to craft four disco pieces aimed at an emerging dance market. Over just two days in the studio and a small group of local players - including a young Tommy Emmanuel - he recorded four standout cuts, together which remain some of the most refined Oceanian disco ever put to tape. Though the original 12"s saw limited success domestically, M7's distribution push into markets like Canada, India and Argentina helped cultivate a quiet cult following. Now remastered and housed in a deluxe spot-UV sleeve with inserts featuring new liner notes and White's biography, this reissue shines overdue light on a forgotten chapter in Australian dance music.
Review: According to the mildly amusing back story that accompanies this debut release from the Wrekin' Havoc crew, the crew of crate diggers turned re-editors behind the series make their wares in a cave in deepest wales, armed with just a computer and a pile of Balearic-minded wax. Whatever the real story, there's plenty to savour on their first outing. Opener 'Oh La Lover' is a tasteful tweak of an obscure, slap bass-sporting, mid-tempo French disco number from the early '80s, while 'Love Shock' breathes new life into an electrofunk era slab of Gallic rap/synth-pop fusion. On the reverse, the cave dwellers first play around with a boogie-era, drum machine-propelled cosmic disco number ('We're Truckin'), before delivering a saucer-eyed delight in the shape of the luscious 'Catch Me If You Can'.
Review: On their debut album, 2016's the Tony Allen Experiments, Naples twosome Nu Guinea re-invented tracks by the legendary Afro-beat drummer as synth-heavy chunks of deep jazz-funk and nu-Balearica. For this follow-up - their first full length entirely made up of their own compositions - the duo serves up a set of jazz-funk, disco and boogie cuts rich in both their trademark colourful analogue synthesizer sounds and live instrumentation. It's a formula that guarantees a string of memorable highlights, from the sun-kissed peak-time brilliance of "Disco Sole" and rubbery, funk-fuelled "Je Vulesse" (a killer vocal number), to the wobbly downtempo trip of "A Voce E Napule" and Mizell Brothers fizz of closer "Parev Ajare", the album's most synthesizer-heavy cut.
Review: Pellegrino & Zodyaco's skillfully intertwine Neapolitan disco, funk, jazz and world music while channelling a spirit of creative escape of this new album, which is inspired by Henri Laborit's 'Eloge de la fuite'. It explores conscious escapism as a return to authenticity and seeks a "common language" through sound by merging Mediterranean melodies with global rhythms, vintage instruments and ethnic percussion that all bridge past and present. Four years after his last outing, Morphe, Pellegrino is still in top form here with a soulful, genre-blurring portrait of modern Naples that reflects the fact that, in the city, musical traditions meet modern experimentation.
Gretchen - "Ela Tem Raca, Charme, Talento E Gostosura" (4:03)
Coisa Quente - "Edmundo (In The Mood)" (3:35)
Ze Carlos - "Venha" (remix) (6:00)
Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti - "Suspira" (5:40)
Os Carbonos - "Passaro Selvagem" (3:38)
San Rodrigues - "Fofa" (3:01)
Marcos Valle - "Parabens (Danca Do Daniel)" (8:34)
Lafayette - "Sol De Verao" (3:57)
Roberto Cesar - "Fevereiro (O Bamba)" (3:57)
Arlete - "Quero Ser Sua Mulher" (3:19)
Waldirene - "Queima Como Fogo" (3:28)
Luiza Maura - "Deixa Girar" (3:09)
Jorge Ben - "Rio Babilonia" (4:51)
Carlos Bivar - "Elo" (2:49)
Review: In full gatefold LP form comes the latest Brazilian boogie compilation by Horse Meat Disco, selected selectors of the best rarities in the disco genre. Curated mostly by founding member Luke Howard and with added consultations from crewmates James Hillard, Severino Panzetta and Jim Stanton, a lifetime of frolicking among samba troupes, carnival processions and yearly Rio visitations went into the choices you hear here, consummating one man's intuitive taste for a sound whose appeal stretches far wider than its nation of origin. Mr Bongo invited Howard to their Brighton HQ for an extended on-site selection, proving its off-the-cuff expertise: early electronica experiments from Ze Carlos blend voluminously with Jorge Ben pennings and mouth-watering Luiza Maura 7" cullings, proving a hand-picking that is at once eclectic and unifying.
Marco Attali - "J'ai Pris Une Claque" (unreleased) (3:24)
Serge Delisle - "Germaine" (remix) (6:28)
Wai Kop - "Lola" (3:51)
Chris O'Hara - "Sur Les Coussins De La Discotheque" (5:27)
Acayouman - "Funk Around" (6:21)
Djeneba - "Better Day" (Hard Soul mix) (5:28)
David Simon - "Transistor" (instrumental) (5:14)
Marco Attali - "La Releve Du Matin" (instrumental) (4:27)
Shen Et Les Shendys - "Je Ne Suis Que Musique" (3:50)
Eric Chotteau - "Affirmatif-Negatif" (4:20)
Cyrill - "Night Ghetto" (2:57)
Aries - "Braziliana" (3:54)
Review: As he has done three times before, Gallic crate digger Charles Maurice has dipped into his vast record collection and offered up a killer selection of French disco-boogie sounds. The 13 assembled tracks are mostly obscure and uniformly superb, making picking individual highlights an infuriatingly tricky task. Our favourites change daily, but we're currently enjoying the tropical disco brilliance of Dwight Druick's cover of "Georgy Peorgy (Disco Version)", the synth-sporting electrofunk cheeriness of Serge Delisle's "Germaine (Remix)", the thrusting P-funk hustle of Acayouman's "Funk Around" and the near Balearic warmth of "Braziliana" by Aries. As the old expression (sort of) goes, Maurice has once again delivered all killer and no filler.
Review: By now, we should all know what to expect from the popular Too Slow To Disco series, namely glassy-eyed, pitched-down disco, boogie, yacht rock, blue-eyed soul and AOR with a distinctive soft-focus flex. Naturally, there's plenty to savour on the series fourth edition, much of it either obscure or previously overlooked. Our picks of a predictably strong collection include the horn-totin', much-sampled Pleasure classic 'Nothin' To It', the lusciously loved-up cosmic soul of Prime Time Band's 'Fall in Love in Outer Space', the eyes-closed, Rhodes-sporting AOR soul of 'Stay The Night' by the Farragher Brothers, the slow release swell of Alan Price's 'Groovy Times' and the sun-splashed jauntiness of Max Leake's 'Tell Me The Reasons'.
Prime Time Band - "Fall In Love In Outer Space" (2:55)
Kenny Nolan - "You're So Beautiful Tonight" (4:50)
Peter Skellern - "Now That I Need You" (4:09)
Marc Jordan - "Generalities" (4:21)
Severin Browne - "Stay" (2:27)
The Faragher Brothers - "Stay The Night" (3:46)
Alan Price - "Groovy Times" (5:54)
James Felix - "Open Up" (4:19)
Hirth Martinez - "Altogether Alone" (3:55)
Max Leake - "Tell Me The Reasons Why" (4:41)
Stephen Encinas - "Music In Me" (3:54)
Eric Andersen - "Can't Get You Out Of My Life" (2:55)
Jimmie Spheeris - "Beautiful News" (2:43)
Jeanine Otis & Heikki Sarmanto - "Magic Song" (4:32)
Pleasure - "Nothin' To It" (4:06)
Review: Since launching eight years ago, Too Slow To Disco has now become the go-to compilation series for all those interested in AOR disco, glossy West Coast blue-eyed soul, yacht rock and slow-motion disco. This belated fourth instalment - volume three landed in stores five years ago - is every bit as alluring as its predecessors, with an even more obscurity-heavy track listing. Highlights are naturally plentiful, with our picks including the eyes-closed wonder of James Felix's deliciously loved-up 'Open Up', the low-slung shuffle of 'Music In Me' by Stephen Enchilidas, the synth-splashed Balearic rock haziness of Jimmie Spheeris's 'Beautiful News', and the quietly funky brilliance of Severin Browne's 'Stay'
Eesti TV & Raadio Estraadiorkester - "Meie Aeg" (instrumental) (4:04)
Marju Kuut & Apelsin - "Maskeraad" (3:01)
Laine - "Nuud On Mul Muusika" (3:32)
Raivo Parind & Eufoonia - "Hei, Paike!" (3:55)
Jaan Kumani Instrumentaalansambel - "Mind Veel Ei Ole" (instrumental short version) (3:21)
Collage & Apelsin - "Memme Vaev" (5:32)
Magnetic Band - "Liiklus" (2:42)
Ulle Ernits & Admiral - "Ma Tahan Olla Siin" (2:31)
Eesti TV & Raadio Estraadiorkester - "Malestus" (short version) (4:47)
Teravik - "Hoia Ennast Koos" (4:12)
Els Himma - "Veerev Paev" (3:14)
Pirita - "On See Hea" (instrumental) (4:30)
Review: There could have been no better way to escape the Soviet than through the music of the Groove of ESSR compilation series which now returns with a second volume. This time Funk Embassy serves up 11 cuts from between 1973 and 1984 and they are a mix of dance floor-ready sounds and more pensive material for somewhere else. Most of these tunes are getting their first-ever release here and the 12" comes with a 30-page booklet featuring some great background as well as thoughts from some of the artists. The likes of likes Gilles Peterson and DJ Tahira played tunes from the first one which tells you how good this series is.
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