Back catalogue: Funky/Club House

Review: JKriv & Co. at Razor N Tape serve up possibly their biggest release yet, if this one is anything to go by. The first edition in the label's brand spanking new Family Affair series features the pairing of legends Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca on 'Days Of A Better Paradise' kicking off the A side, before Saucy Lady's late night boogie-down biz on 'Passport To My Love'. Flip over and you're treated to a seriously lo-slung cosmic disco dub on Misiu's 'Love Me Do' and finally Clive From Accounts tells it straight up on the acid jazz joint 'It's Not That I Don't Care'.

Review: Rebirth is thrilled to announce the release of three bonus parts of the 'Ciao Italia. Generazioni Underground' album in 2023, available on limited edition vinyl. 'Ciao Italia' Bonus Quattro, Cinque and Sei continue to connect two generations - the trailblazers of the early 90s and those continuing the legacy today, with a futuristic perspective and renewed energy. Bonus Sei includes classic tracks from legends like Doni & Leo Young, Pastaboys, G.P.M., Steve Mantovani, Dan-E-Mc, Daniele Mad, along with unreleased material from newer Italian artists such as Hiver and Feel Fly.

Review: Steve Silk Hurley is one of the original voices of house music dating back to there first wave that came out of Chicago. The multi-time Grammy winner here joins up with Leeds DJ and vocalist Sara Garvey who has a rich discography that includes singing on some of Nightmares on Wax's best material. Their collab kicks off the all-new Hard Times label and is a pure and unadulterated bit of timeless house music with steamy vocals, neat piano work and nice raw drums. It comes here as a peak time cut, deeper version, silky smooth garage-tinged vibe from Eddie Leader and darker offering from Terry Farley & Kevin Swain Angel. An essential package for sure.

Review: Fool's Paradise is the exciting new label from Toolroom Records' Mark Knight. Coming straight from the heart, it's a natural progression from his hugely acclaimed 2021 album release, 'Untold Business', which saw Mark go back to his roots, paying homage to the more funky, soulful, and vocal house from the 1990s from where he came. With a focus on real instrumentation and production, coupled with great songwriting, this new Toolroom sublabel will be a platform for high quality house music designed to stand the test of time. Launching the new label with a mighty bang and delivering the first in our exciting new vinyl sampler series is head honcho Mark Knight, who joins forces with his Australian Toolroom labelmate, Sgt Slick, and British Soul sensation, Beverley Knight, on a dynamite cover of Prince's 1979 classic, 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. Respectfully transporting the song onto today's dancefloors, Mark & Sgt Slick deliver a classy uplifting soulful house production, loaded with funky guitars, warm pads and sublime key performances. Adding the icing on the cake and putting her own stamp on things, Beverley belts out one of her signature spine-tingling vocals, garnished with lush harmonies and BV's that would indeed make The Purple One proud. Completing the vinyl package is dance music stalwart, Opolopo, and British soul icon, Jaki Graham, whom together bring the dancefloor heat with their new single, 'Fire'. Powered by a potent soulful house groove from Opolopo, loaded with warm piano hooks, emotive synth melodies and a sublime popping bass hook, 'Fire' see's Jaki flaunt her electrifying vocal talents with a show-stopping performance on this irresistibly catchy song.

Review: Toolroom is one of the biggest house labels in the age these days. Mark Knight's outlet is a go-to for the big room lovers and pool party crews of the world and it's easy to see why when you tune into his latest label sampler. It brings together the old and the new school with the piano laced, steely house pumper 'Make You Happy' from Mark Knight, Todd Terry and James Hurr kicking off. Eddie Thoneick's 'Take It Back' gets more down and dirty with a sleazy bassline, Pete Griffiths brings belting vocal house energy to 'Get Together' and Muzzaik and Stadiumx combine for the flashy and raved-up 'Echoes.'

Review: Anita Baker, quiet storm legend and balladmaker, gets two of her most heartwarming classics remixed by Krewcial, with Texan vocalist Sheelah Monae filling in for Baker's original vox. 'Sweet Love' hears a lounge and club mix respectively, both versions heavy on the most broken housey, piano-centric moods. 'Whatever It Takes', meanwhile, gets a club mix and an intriguing version of the original acoustic, rapidly homing in on disco strings and deep-hit bass licks.

Review: There is an immediately loveable vibe to the carefree and breezy house music that the Italian label Groove Culture deals in. This is the 15th such offering - a third volume of its Jam series - and again the good times flow from the off. 'Devoted' is a four-way collab between Micky More, Andy Tee, Reverendos Of Soul and Anduze that layers up the soulful drums and disco percussion with buttery smooth soul vocals. Serge Funk's 'Can't Get Enough' is all swirling strings and sunny trumpet motifs over funk house beats and then Micky More & Andy Tee appear to remix 'All I Want' into another future Body & Soul classic. The duo's own 'Philly Sensation" is a disco-tinged, string-heavy house dream to close.

Review: In a break from their usual program, Circoloco look to Chicago and the rising star that is NEZ. Previously spotted last year on Three Six Zero alongside Felix Da Housecat, now NEZ throws down three varied cuts that show he's one to keep tabs on. First up comes 'You Wanna?', a pumped up peak time house cut with our man upfront inciting the dancefloor to come alive. 'Let's Get It' drops down into trap mode with Schoolboy Q jumping on the mic, and then the B side turns the heat up with the mighty Moodymann and Gangsta Boo chipping in to create a party monster in 'Freaks'. Skip this one at your peril.

Review: Rebirth invites us to go back, way back, to the Italian underground techno scene of the 90s with this new selection of alternate versions, unheard gems and certified classics. Oneiric & Vortex open up with a tune that brings to mind the warmth of Motor City techno on 'Oasi' before GNMR layer up supersized hi hats and seriously weighty beatdown drums, Populous offers the loopy melodic delight of 'Barragan' and G-Connection heads into the cosmos with the dreamy ambient of 'Free Your Spirit', a perfect mood build if ever we heard one. Two further gorgeously blissed-out post-rave comedown sounds close out this gem of an EP.

Review: Stand by for a big reissue of a classic 1990 single from a couple of bona fide legends here: Junior Sanchez and Dajae combined to beautiful effect on 'Be With U' for the Club Sweat label and now offer a new 2.0 take. It's got the sort of huge diva vocal that you just don't get so often the days with simple but effective house production bolstering the good time feels. The original is included and next to version 2.0 sounds of its time, but then Yolanda Be Cool goes for the main room with more twisted synth work and sweaty, tech tinged drums. The final Dance System remix is pure fun.

Review: If there's anything most people deeply desire - whether they admit it or not - it's the desire to be noticed; to be validated; to belong. In 1988, singer Sandra Tola CasaNas aka. Sandee snared that very same ecstatic feeling, not least by a crush, in song form. 'Notice Me' is a real New York freestyle house mover, expertly mixed by a crack team of chartcrafting inner-workers (Carol Cooper, Robert Clivilles, David Cole, Herbie Jr.) to produce an effortless blend of spitty snare, repetitious FM bass and a blissed-out echoic vocal, most noticeable on the infamous 'Notice The House' mix. Something innate to this track has resulted in a continuous clamour to re-press it over the years, perhaps due to its historic use as an instrument for the proliferation of bleep techno and breakbeat - again, refer to the prototypical-of-bleep A-side.

Review: Rush Hour has been one of Europe's independent musical powerhouses for decades now. Now only does it have Amsterdam's best record shop, but it throws the best parties and puts put the fresh new records from several different genres. next to that of course they also know how to dig deep and unearth vital reissues, which is what they do here with a triple headed Japanese house affair. Katsuya Sano keeps it OG Chicago with his 'I Need Luv', then Junichi Soma offers the analogue depths of 'Ubnormal Life' and Shuji Wada shuts down with more brilliantly atmospheric sounds on 'Endless Load.'

Review: JKriv the gang are back with another bunch of surefire disco jams on New York City's Razor N Tape. Kriveloff teams up again with British DJ Dicky Trisco (aka Barry Reeves) as Sentimental Animals for the late night boogie-down vibe of 'Love Vibration' featuring Nicki B's sultry vocals, with Yuksek taking over next to bring the track into deep funky house territory. Over on the flip, things get seriously slo-mo (and low-slung!) on the disco deviance of 'Loose Rules'.

Review: Here's something to get excited about - an unearthed, previously unreleased recording from Philadelphia International group Silk (best known for their soul smash 'I Can't Stop (Turning on You)', with modern club interpretations supplied by housed-up re-edit maestro Late Nite Tuff Guy. The band's original mix, which opens side B, is a gloriously joyful and breezy affair all told, with the group singing in perfect harmony atop a cheery backing track rich in piano riffs, glistening guitars, and a killer groove. Late Nite Tuff Guy delivers two tweaks: an A-side 'Disco Dub' that brilliantly reframes the track as a non-stop nu-disco party anthem that cannily combines the band's original vocals and instrumentation with a far chunkier, weightier, house club-friendly beat, and a suitably similar 'Short Edit' for those who want to get to the point a bit quicker.

Review: This split artist dance record combines two timeless house anthems, offering a captivating fusion of funky and club house vibes. On side A, Soulsearcher's Feelin' Love' captivates with its high-energy Detroit house sound, while the Soulsearcher club mix exudes a disco-infused charm. Side-B features Urban Blues Project's 'Your Heaven (I Can Feel It)' in two distinct versions. The Micky More & Andy Tee remix evokes classic 90s house with its soaring vocals and infectious groove, while the original version delivers a powerful alternative experience. This record is a nostalgic journey for house music enthusiasts, seamlessly blending soulful melodies and energetic rhythms to create an unforgettable listening experience.

Review: The genius of the Star B project lies in the club-ready fusion of Stefano Miele AKA Riva Starr's inherent party-starting intent and the restless energy of Mark Broom's techno roots. The project's first outing, 2020's 'Gotta Have You', was an excitable disco-house-meets-techno affair, and this belated sequel is similarly formed. Full to bursting with scintillating stabs crafted from disco samples, thumping beats, sampled party atmos, hazy spoken word snippets and restless walking bass, 'Love Will Remain' sounds like a retro-futurist peak-time anthem in the making. They flip the script on 'I've Got Joy', peppering a sweat-soaked, bottom-heavy groove with effects-laden female vocal samples and nagging organ stabs.

Review: A classic brought forward to the modern era, 'Joy' by Staxx was released back in 1993 and swept the British house scene, quickly rising in charts and topping the Billboard dance chart. Carol Leeming's vocals were one of the big talking points at the time, and the praise applies still almost 30 years later. This new remix 12" brings 'Joy' from the house clubs to the disco, with an incredible cut by the one and only Dr Packer as well as a progressive extended remix by Mark Dedross. On the tail end the original 12" mix - because nothing beats those original 90s club bangers.

Review: The Second Summer of Love in 1988 saw house music change British youth culture forever - and Duane Pelt aka Sterling Void's "It's Alright" was an anthem from the period that truly encapsulated this magical time. Originally released on Chicago's DJ International in 1987, its life-affirming vocal performance by Paris Brightledge is still pognant to this day, backed by Void's powerfully evocative arrangement. To celebrate the 30 years since, Toolroom is proud to present a monumental remix package, alongside the fully remastered original. Baltimore legend DJ Spen & Reelsoul rework the track into a sublime expression in late night deepness and Manchester veteran Kevin Gorman dons the Adesse Versions alias again for a dusty and soulful rendition.

Review: On their latest must-check reissue, Groovin' Recordings take us back to 1998 and a killer chunk of what would then have been called 'US garage' produced by Deep Swing duo Eric Wikman and James Donaldson under their alternative Sunkids alias. The fact that it was 'executive produced' by Tony Humphries should tell you what to expect: gospel-influenced soulful full to bursting with bumpin' beats, rubbery bass guitar, righteous beats and powerful, life-affirming lead vocals courtesy of Chance. The flip side 'Reworked' version is a more stomping, high-energy affair informed by the popularity of filter-heavy funky house and disco-house. It's good, but it's the hands-in-the-air A-side that's the real killer.

Review: What more needs to be said about this timeless disco hit? A staple of DJ sets by everyone from Derrick May and Laurent Garnier to James Murphy, this Harvey Fuqua and Patrick Cowley production from 1979 is a truly timeless classic whose spirit still lives to this day on modern dancefloors. Here we are treated to a rework by Britain's undisputed king of funky house Michael Gray (Full Intention) on his Sultra label. With full respect to the original, Gray's rework injects some dancefloor dynamics for the modern sound system. You even get a bonus instrumental "Dub Mix" on the flip!

Review: Until he quit the music industry in the mid-1990s, Shep Pettibone was the most in-demand remixer on the planet - a position he'd held since the late 1970s. This four-disc compilation does a great job of showcasing some of his greatest remixes, all of which are presented in full-length form. There's naturally plenty of versions of big pop singles of the '80s - see the epic 'Mastermix' of Pet Shop Boys' 'West End Girls', as well as rubs of Duran Duran, New Order, Whitney Houston and Belinda Carlisle - as well as a sprint through his celebrated disco and boogie reworks (see disc four). In addition, you'll find versions of some lesser-celebrated gems from the freestyle-era, including heavyweight revisions of Sinammon, Alisha, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam and The Flirts.