High Fashion Netherlands Schallplatten & CDs

Review: During the early-to-mid 1980s, the BB&Q band dropped a slew of killer electrofunk jams, most of which combined infectious synth basslines, group vocals and colourful lead lines with beats variously inspired by boogie, 80s soul and freestyle. Alongside 'Dreamer', which was mixed by the legendary Shep Pettibone, 'Ricochet' was one of their biggest dancefloor hits. High Fashion has decided to give it a 21st century disco makeover, pairing one of their in-house remixers, Michael Gray, with Glitterbox favourite Dr Packer. Their 12"-leading full vocal naturally bumps up the beats to suit house dancefloors and adds a few authentic-sounding synth lines, but otherwise makes the most of the BB&Q band's original music and vocals. The flip-side 'Dubstramental' is very good, too, paying tribute to the various effects and production tricks used in 1980s dancefloor dubs while also utilising 21st century beats.

Review: High Fashion Music has dipped into the back catalogue of '80s electrofunk stars BB&Q Band before, asking long-serving Essex house producer Michael Gray to remix their much-loved scene anthem 'Dreamer'. This time round, they've asked Aussie star Dr Packer - a man famous for his popular updates of disco and boogie jams - to sprinkle some magic over 1986 single 'Main Attraction'. As you'd expect, his full vocal A-side 'remix' makes use of a lot of the band's original instrumentation - synths, synth-bass, sparkling guitar riffs etc - while adding a touch of easy-to-mix house swing. The flip-side 'Dubstramental', which cannily updates the 1980s boogie dub mix sound for 21st century dancefloors, is arguably even stronger.

Review: 'Dance With Me' is a real blast from the past. First released in 1977 via his homestead T.K. Records, 'Dance With Me' was American disco producer and performer Peter Brown's sophomore record, chronologically second only to his breakout career-definer hit, 'Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me'. Here, however, a contemporary glut of DJ and remixing experience, embodied in human form, is heard lent to the record by way of one Dr. Packer. Packer's commitment to stylish remixes makes up the bulk of his career; here he adds an extra garland to the totem, laying down two floor-ready remixes, one standard-length, one extended, of Brown's enduring classic.

Review: Sharon Brown's 'I Specialize In Love' hit the dancefloors hard when it dropped in March 1982, becoming an essential anthem of the early 80s club scene. Released on New York's Profile Records, it didn't take long for the track to catch fire. The song, which was Brown's debut, was produced by Eddie O'Loughliniwho later went on to found Next Plateau, a label that would become a key player in the world of club music. Brown, whose uncle is the legendary songwriter Phil Medley, delivered a track that dominated dance charts for weeks, holding onto the number two spot on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart for three weeks straight. 'I Specialize In Love' wasn't just a local hitiit became a global sensation, charting in the UK and making its way into the Dutch Top 15, proving its international appeal. Over time, the track has seen various reworks, with the 90s seeing Ben Liebrand putting his spin on it through his Classic Rework and a DJ Mix that kept the original's essence but brought it up to date for a new generation of clubbers. Now, with the release of the Ben Liebrand Le Disco Mixes, the track gets yet another revival. From the opening filtered kick drum to the irresistible bassline, this mix is a party-starter of the highest order, designed to set the dancefloor alight. Six and a half minutes of pure disco bliss, this mix takes the original's infectious energy and dials it up, giving today's dancers exactly what they needia no-nonsense, funk-fuelled groove that nods to its roots while keeping things fresh for modern ears. It's a masterclass in how to take a classic and reimagine it without losing the magic that made it a hit in the first place.

Review: Sharon Brown's iconic disco anthem 'I Specialize in Love' has been given a fresh lease on life by legendary remixer Ben Liebrand. The Classic Rework Version is an energetic and groovy reinterpretation that infuses the original with a funky disco flair. On Side 2, Liebrand's DJ Mix takes a more extended approach to the remix. While it retains the original's energy, it adds new elements and transitions to create a cohesive and captivating dancefloor experience. By skillfully blending the old and the new, Liebrand has breathed new life into this timeless classic, ensuring that it continues to resonate with dance music enthusiasts for years to come.

Review: Divine Sounds were a rap group formed in Brooklyn in the early 1980s. Under the names DJ Mike Music, Disco Ritchie and Shelton D, they hit the scenes in 1984 with "What People Do For Money". For this 12", Ben Liebrand offers three different remixes that infuse the rap classic into each genre. Here you have a disco, funk and electro remixes which makes this the ideal edition to have for DJs looking to slip some hip-hop into their dance sets. Something for everyone.

Review: Between 1983 and '87, Fun Fun - a studio project fronted by a trio of female vocalists - delivered some of the most commercially successful Italo-disco records around, with a trademark sound that drew much from the club-ready sound of Hi-NRG. This double-disc collection, subtitled 'The Final Edition', rounds up their greatest hits, B-sides, album tracks, alternative mixes and club versions. Fittingly, it begins with their most lauded track of all, the 'Scratch Mix' of 'Happy Station', before offering up such gems as the tactile and dreamy synth-pop perfection of 'Sing Another Song (Remix)', the soaring Hi-NRG pop perfection of 'Baila Bolero', the sing-along joy of 'Give Up Your Fight (Boxer Remix)' - which sounds like a lost Shep Pettibone club rework from 1986 - and a silly-but-fun cover of the Monkees 'I'm a Believer'.

Review: Dr Packer brings an expert touch to Mikki Farrow's 1985 boogie-funk classic 'Dance Lover', baring a remix squaring electro-modernism and disco nostalgia. The little-loved Detroit singer moved to Philly in 1968, and worked as a backing vocalist before scoring her own hit with 'Love Emergency', after romantically partnering with producer Norman Harris. And nowadays known for his bottomless knowledge, the Australian remix master Packer keeps fastidious control over his own synth lines as they're layered like buttercream over Mikki's OG voxes; no more refining needed. The beat is heavier, the basslines deeper and the energy ramped up, adding crisper percussions and a refulgent audio finish.

Review: Pawsa has a reputation for delivering perfect party-starting music, often via funky, sub-heavy takes on tech-house. Who better, then, to remix The Adventires of Stevie V's infectious 1989 anthem 'Dirty Cash' - arguably, Jungle Brothers' 'I'll House You' aside, the most famous hip-house record of all time. Pawsa's 'Extended Mix' (side A) retains the warehouse-ready vibe of the original, placing the vocals, stabs and some wiggly new acid lines atop a squelchy TB-303 bassline and pumping house beats. Over on the B-side there's another chance to savour David Morales' 'Sold Out' mix, a slower, deeper, dreamier and lightly breakbeat driven interpretation that naturally earned plenty of plays when it was first released way back in 1990.

Review: Pawsa and Adventures of Stevie V breathe new life into an iconic dance classic with an exhilarating update, a gesture of Pawsa's innovative production skills adding a fresh dimension to Adventures of Stevie V's timeless vocals. The 'Extended Mix' is a pulsating journey through house music's vibrant landscape, capturing the raw energy of the original while injecting a contemporary twist. On the flip, David Morales delivers a masterful remix, his 'Sold Out Mix' taking the track into deeper, more soulful territory. A real double-sided gem.

Review: German DJ/production team Sash! stormed into the mid-90s with a turbocharged take on trance and Eurodance, dominating charts and countless club nights. The breakthrough came with underground cut 'It's My Life', but it was 1997's 'Encore Une Fois, first indended as a high-drama, French-vocal trance extra, that launched his career, precipitating a flurry of scene-shaping hits: 'Ecuador' with Rodriguez, 'Stay' with La Trec, 'La Primavera', and 'Mysterious Times' with Tina Cousins. This 30th anniversary CD digs deep into that golden era with full-length, remastered extended versions, and includes more experimental turns like the Boy George collab 'Run', plus the colossal streaming-era revival hit 'Rock My Body' with R3hab and Inna.

Review: After they relocated to Miami, Florida, in the early 1970s, Bahamas band T Connection recorded a string of disco and disco-funk anthems for local label T.K. Amongst their most admired and played releases - the peerless and extra-percussion 'At Midnight' excepted - is 'Saturday Night', which here gets the remix treatment courtesy of popular Aussie disco/house fusionist Dr Packer. He provides two peak-time-ready rubs: a jaunty, rolling, full-vocal A-side remix that lightly straightens and tools-up the groove while retaining the horns, strings, guitar and bass from the band's superb original mix, and a flip-side 'Dubstrumental'. Almost entirely free of singing besides some whispered and yelped backing vocals, it allows the original disco instrumentation more room to breathe while rolling out the band's killer groove.