Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Chicago has had a strong re-edit culture since the days when Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles were defining house music culture in the mid 1980s. Rahaan, who has been one of the more storied members of the global re-edit scene for the last two decades, is undisputedly the Windy City's current scalpel-edit king - as his ongoing series of reworks on Hot Biscuit Recordings emphatically proves. Here he adds two more fine revisions to his bulging discography. A-side 'For Dancing & Singing' sees the veteran DJ/producer apply his Midas touch to a vintage 60s funk jam, making most of the sampler-ready breaks and groove, while flip side 'The Galaxy' - our pick of the pair - is a soaring and spacey 70s disco workout piled high with percussion, jaunty piano motifs and suitably intergalactic synth sounds.

Review: Rahaan, one of Chicago's finest exports, delivers another stellar collection of dancefloor-focused edits. This four track EP traverses a spectrum of sounds, from disco to house, showcasing Rahaan's signature blend of infectious grooves and soulful energy. 'Project Funk' sets the tone with its undeniable funk flavour, its driving bassline and infectious horns guaranteed to get bodies moving. 'Shangri La' takes a more ethereal approach, its dreamy melodies and hypnotic rhythms transporting listeners to a blissful paradise. On the flip, 'Tribe Dance' injects a tribal-infused energy, its pulsating rhythms and percussive elements creating a primal atmosphere. 'Deeper' closes out the EP with a deep house excursion, its hypnotic groove and soulful chords inviting listeners to lose themselves in the music. With its impeccable selection and expertly crafted edits, this release is a must-have for any discerning DJ or lover of quality dance music.

Review: On the debut EP 'We Are The Ones/Fire/Forever', Chicago DJ and all-out living legend Rahaan collaborates with an equally talented group of musicians: Marcus J. Austin on lead vocals, Nancy Clayton on backing vocals, Carnell C. Newbill (also known as Spike Rebel) on keyboards and backing vocals, Todd Swope on guitar, and Lou Terry on bass. Together, the outfit known as The Ones create an extended three-track EP of transcendent proportions, drawing on the avaricious world-passion for music and life heard in the joyous chasms between psychedelia, Afrobeat and disco. Bridging these precipices by way of a vast, suspensory dancefloor held together by firmly mixable kick drums serving as rivets, Rahaan produces and mixes a viscerally eye-popping set of devotionals here. From the impassioned beatitudes and thanksgivings of 'We Are The Ones', to the desirous chic-funk drum circle envisaged on 'Fire' and the eternal gospel-rock-tinged disco-soul ablution 'Forever' (a special favourite of ours), this is a holy chrism in record form.