Miss You Germany Schallplatten & CDs

Review: On their latest must-check release, the team behind reissue specialists Thank You have raided the back catalogue of obscure Los Angeles singer/songwriter Carmen Clayton. It brings together tracks recorded and released between 1984 and 86, all of which were produced by serial disco/boogie producer-arranger Kevin McCord. On the A-side we get the 12" and 7" versions of 'Throw Down', a hybrid freestyle/electrofunk number laden with energetic synth-bass, clipped guitar licks, bubbly electronic melodies and strong lead vocals courtesy of Clayton. Over on side B it's all about 'Time To Move', an even more excitable, peak-time ready slab of LA electrofunk-meets-Miami freestyle action that's presented in both extended and instrumental mix forms. An essential reissue all told.

Review: 'Photochrome' is a track that is shrouded in mystery. It has a rather elusive original release date, likely sometime between the late 1970s and early 1980s, and came on Italy's Idea which was a well-regarded label despite its small catalogue. Now reissued in full, the single exudes an organic aesthetic infused with early electronic elements that were emerging during that era. A brisk, pulsating groove is intertwined with what resembles an early 303 bassline and ethereal vocal. Dry drum recordings evoke a raw, DIY ambience next to the experimental effects that swirl and drift. A new two-part bonus beats remix is also included.

Review: Susana Estrada was not primarily known for her music more so than she was for her various solicitous dramas and stunts, performed in 1970s-80s Spain, during the transition out of the Franco regime. Attracting much attention for her lewdness, Estrada worked as an actress in cafe-theatre cabaret and film, in which time she devised what would become known as "the most daring show in Madrid" mere months after the sexually repressive Francisco Franco's death. Then came a sexology advice column and, finally, a debut vinyl album, following an initial 1980 cassette release full of similar versions. Love & Liberty is a pioneering example of erotic disco, at times straight derivative of several of the best in disco and at others blazing ahead with a seductively original charm and finesse, in partnership with producer Josep Llobell Oliver.

Review: If you like sensuous and slow motion grooves with hints of dub, reggae and disco all packaged up in super bawdy soul then look no further - this new 12" features a pair of singles that were first put out on 7" by Risco Connection's Otis Gayle. Up first is the glorious 'Sexy Eyes' which was a worldwide charting success and Dr Hook now brings new reggae vibes to his cover version, then on the flip is Domenic Troiano's 'We All Need Love', again with a mix of dubby disco and reggae stylings that have been draw out into extended format to make for a more lasting impact on the dancefloor.

Review: Sound Metaphors offshoot Miss You has been particularly astute at licensing and reissuing long-forgotten European disco gems. They've found another unknown classic here in the shape of two gorgeously string-laden 1977 disco covers of Andalucian folk songs by singing sisters Las Dablas, both of which originally appeared on the same Spanish seven-inch. 'Zorongo' is authentic-sounding, faintly threatening disco rich in heady Clavinet motifs, soaring orchestration, low-slung 'walking bass' and sprightly piano stabs, while 'Solo Y Sin Problemas' is a slightly funkier and sweeter slab of mid-tempo disco. Best of all, though, is the new 'No End Extension' - a breathlessly brilliant, dub disco-flecked revision that teases out the instrumental sections before finally dropping the sibling duo's lead vocals.

Review: Curiously, 'The Winning Streak' has nothing to do with Miami Vice the TV series - in fact, the artist was an alias of library music legend Alan Hawkshaw and the track was a piece he composed in the early 1980s that ended up being used as the theme for a long-forgotten UK drama about 'family business intrigue'. The track, presented on this Miss You reissue in extended and original forms, is however a far-sighted treat - a combination of Harold Flatermeyer style synthsesiser excellence, delay-laden drums, Martin Rushent-esque percussion, trippy melodic motifs and just the right amount of sonic intrigue. A slept-on delight for sure. To round off an excellent EP, we also get original bonus cut 'Roadrunner', a synth-heavy instrumental which was used as incidental music in the TV series.

Review: Miss You's latest release is a reissue of an arguably under-celebrated lovers rock gem from 1989. Copies of the original 12" have been changing hands for rather a lot online of late, hence this new edition. The original version which opens the EP is everything you'd want from a lovers rock cut: warm, dreamy, soulful and synth-heavy with plenty of bass, nice horns and a superbly emotional lead vocal from the obscure Louisa Miller. The "Dance Mix" is effectively a dub, with Miller's sweet vocal rising above a stripped-back, toughened-up drum track with plenty of delays and trippy synthesizer motifs, while the "Sax Version" is a saxophone-sporting, mostly instrumental that veers a little closer to "Pages From Ceefax" territory (kids: ask your parents). In summary: superb!

Review: Billed an "absolute collector's item" by multiple outlets, the Japanese dub master Pecker's breakout EP 'Rasta Instantane Avec L'effroyable Pecqre' hears a welcome reissue via the German imprint Miss You. We miss Pecqre no longer, as he - real name Hashida Masahito - is back to flaunt the best of his percussion and production skills in the dubbing tradition. The EP known in English as 'Instant Rasta with the Terrible Pecker' was originally released in 1980 as one of the earliest known meetings of Japan and Jamaica; it allegedly parodied elements of the Japanese Otaku consumer culture and redirected it to a sophisticated transpacific world musical palette, with Pecker himself shining as the central rhythmaster. On this release, which studs big names like a beadwork of garnets on a belt, Masahito here teamed up with Minako Yoshida, Vitamin Dread, Augustus Pablo and none other than Sly & Robbie, producing three tracks of pioneering "Japanaican" sound.

Review: One online reviewer described Shakeena's sole album, 1987's 'Dance Music', as a 'lover's rock jewel'. We tend to agree. Now available again on wax for the first time since the 80s (when it was pressed and released by a tiny label and sunk without trace), the album offers an enticing mix of echo-laden drum machine beats, dub-wise reggae basslines, cheery 'FM' synth-sounds, soulful vocals and nods towards freestyle, boogie and '80s soul. Highlights are plentiful throughout, with our picks of a very strong bunch including the club-ready title track, the glossy 'Your Love' (where Shakeena raps as well as sings), the classical lovers rock of 'Reggae Music' and the sweet and tender 'We Are The Mothers of the World'.

Review: Sound Metaphors' collaboration with Constantino Paolini once again means the Italian classics vaults are thrown wide open as two more Italian dancefloor classics get revisited. This time Spray Orchestra's 'Transilvania' is a fine instrumental version of Patrizia Pellegrino's 'Il Mondo Da Una Nuovola'. After that comes a perfectly slowed-down acid remix of it by DJ Asshole. The flip has Max Manuel's 'Energy,' an abstract instrumental version of Patrizia Pellegrino's 'Automaticamore'. These are all hugely revered tunes in digger circles so grab this fine 12" while you can and impress anyone prepared to listen.

Review: Miss You keeps on serving up the reissued aces with a new and beautifully produced German disco sizzler that has, rather unusually, an environmental edge (on those who speak German will be able to fact check that one.) Originally released in 1979 on a Contemporary Christian Music Label by the name of Lord, the original has become a real rarity that will cost you a pretty penny, even in LP format. Now remastered and served up next to a fine extended edit, it's primed and ready to take outdoor sets to the next level with its big swirling strings, motorik kicks and of course that feminine vocal.

Review: Originally put out in 1981, Merlyn Brooks' 'You'll Never Need Somebody' got a superb lovers' rock cover from Janice Walker that oozes with romance and groove. It always soon sells out and now gets reissued again by Miss You with several different versions. The original 1981 mix opens up with its lush harmonies and gentle grooves and then comes a 45 mix and original, with Androo stepping up for three dub versions on the flip. One is synth-heavy, one is all about the percussion and one he bills an Essential mix.