Gamm Schallplatten & CDs

Review: After the roaring success of his last outing here, the '3 Woman EP,' Art Of Tones is back on GAMM with a 12" that brings male ovals to the fore. They are all very different in style but all highly effective. 'International Truth' opens with strident and funky disco drums and noodling guitar lines with soulful tones lighting up the beats. 'Don's Expensive Afro' is a rework of a rare Afro-disco track with more expressive vocals instructing the floor to move. Last of all is a stunning reimagining of an overlooked Stevie Wonder gem, 'Stevland's Run', which is off-balance and unusual funk madness laden with psyched-out guitar work.

Review: Black Truffle is back and serving up a delicious four-course musical meal that traverses vintage disco styles while blending in jazz-funk and Latin influences. Black Truffle has long since proven his ability to serve up fine reinterpretations of hidden 70s gems and for preserving the original essence while adding his own flair. 'Disco Meringue' kicks off this latest gem with a crisp, piano-driven Latin vibe ideal for mixing between disco, Latin and deep house. 'Drum Tartar' is a percussion-driven exploration of jazz-funk and Bossa-Nova featuring a powerful drum break. 'Consomme' then delivers a high-energy dancefloor banger with pulsing percussion, organ riffs and sax solos and finally 'Souffle' concludes with a funky big-band jazz number.

Review: The irrepressible Gamm label knows a thing or two about disco, funk and soul. Yet more irrefutable evidence for that claim comes from this tidy 12" two tracker featuring some lost remixes. 'I'm In Love Dancin' takes source sounds from Arthur Russell's classic 'Is It All Over My Face' and repurposes them with gangling percussive lives, sunny flutes and mad horns to make for something that will shake your body loose. Flip it over for the steamy, sensuous, intense disco stomps of 'Imma Phreak' complete with fame coos and cries and plenty of dance floor clout. The legendary Rahaan and DJ Emanuel are in fine form here.

Review: The long running Gamm label looks to long time disco don DJ Monchan for a special new cut that takes the dance floor on an epic adventure over more than nine minutes. 'What Is Your Love Worth?' has lush Philly strings and brims with happiness from the big horns and florid vocals. It's a groove that never quits and brings irresistible heat to the club. 'W Wheeling' has a more raw and visceral appeal - the funky drums and bass, the big keys and the expressive male and female vocals counter each other next to big Rhodes energy and lashing of boogie brilliance that brings 90s New York charm.

Review: The legendary Game label is pure bait for dancers. Whether serving up disco, hip-hop, Latin or funk it knows how to hit the perfect sweet spot that brings everyone together. DJ Monchan is next up with this tasteful two-track 12". It starts with the low-slung and dubbed-out disco-house loops of 'Love Me' which is topped with a short, simple but sensuous vocal hook. On the flip is 'U&me' which brings some li-fi crackle and funky jazz licks over rolling and warming drums. A real early evening classic, for sure.

Review: If we had to put together a list of the world's greatest dusty disco re-editors, Al Kent would come somewhere close to the top of the list. Further proof of the Glaswegian's scalpel-wielding genius can be found on this epic two-tracker for GAMM. We're particularly enjoying flipside "Erotic Queen", a 12-minute-plus revision of a near unknown disco track that boasts densely layered, sweat-soaked percussion, razor sharp strings, hammered-out Clavinet lines and, as the track speeds towards its near orgasmic conclusion, spacey synths and all manner of alternating instrument solos. Massive! A-side "Fist Of Fury" is tidy, too, with Kent working his magic on a particularly spacey, deeper disco jam that has Moog solos for days.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record slightly warped***


The Gamm label has seemingly been around forever. It is known mostly for its run of edits and hip-hop but has recently got back to its roots with more Latin and disco sounds. Love Drop is a frequent player on the label who now comes back with another sizzling two-tracker. Up first is the bright and house-tinged disco stomper 'Journey Into You' which is a great reinterpretation of the Leon Ware classic. On the other side is his take on a Roy Ayers number that is mad infectious - 'Boogie Down' has restless drum funk and big horn energy with a great vocal hook.

Review: US re-edit crew The Patchouli Brothers return to Sweden's Gamm with two more reworked dancefloor cuts from days gone by. On the A, you'll find the exuberant 'Fuqua & James' with its sweeping strings, brass fanfares and falsetto "I'm so grateful" vocal - the track being a rejig of Sylvester's 'Grateful' from 1978 that, somewhat unusually, is quite a bit slower than the original. In comparison, the B's 'Peace, Love & Understanding' mines velvet-suited mid-70s soul a la Barry White or Joe Simon for its source material, but is every bit as upbeat and danceable as the A-side.