Reappearing Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Having already delivered a killer compilation inspired by the music explored in his fantastically forensic examination of NYC's early '80s post-punk dance scene, "Life and Death on the New York Dancefloor", academic and author Tim Lawrence has now served up a similar essential set based on his previous tome, the detailed story of disco that is "Love Saves The Day". The two-disc set begins begins with a dash of traditional Congolese music and ends with the spacey, synth-laden boogie business of Edgar Winter's "Above & Beyond"; in between, you'll find the hard-worn funk of James Brown, the percussive dancefloor jazz of Chuck Mangione, the soaring Philly soul of Wilson Pickett, a string of inspired (and usually heavy) disco workouts, a dash of jazz-funk and even a chunk of NYC no-wave.

Review: Having previously offered up two vinyl compilations focusing on his book Life & Death on the New York Dancefloor 1980-83, dance music documentarian Tim Lawrence has decided to travel back in time to the decade covered in his previous book, Love Will Save The Day. This second part (of two) gathers together some of the greatest American dance music of the 1970s, deftly showcasing what some might call the disco continuum. It covers a lot of ground, moving from the sparkling orchestrated soul of Willie Hutch and the intergalactic jazz-funk of Charles Earland, to the punk-funk hedonism of Miroslave Vituous and the boogie-era brilliance of Edgar Winter, via a string of surging underground disco treats.

Review: Designed as an accompaniment to Tim Lawrence's brilliant 2017 book of the same name, "Life and Death on the New York Dancefloor" offers a snapshot of one of the most significant periods in the history of NYC dance music. It focuses on a four-year period between 1980 and '83, when the city's various musical scenes mixed and mutated at a dizzying rate. Lawrence's selections are spot on, with mutant disco classics by the likes of Dinosaur L and David Byrne being joined by Latino electro-funk (Johnny Dynell), early hip-hop (Rammellzee Vs K-Rob), new wave (Tuxedomoon, Alan Vega) and post-punk rock (3 Teens Kill 4).

Review: Designed as an accompaniment to Tim Lawrence's brilliant 2017 book of the same name, "Life and Death on the New York Dancefloor" offers a snapshot of one of the most significant periods in the history of NYC dance music. It focuses on a four-year period between 1980 and '83, when the city's various musical scenes mixed and mutated at a dizzying rate. Lawrence's selections are spot on, with mutant disco classics by the likes of John Robie, Edwin Birdsong and Material being joined by Latino electro-funk (Mark Kamins remixing Manchester band Quando Quango), proto-house (Larry Levan side project Peech Boys) and dub disco (August Darnell remixing James White & The Blacks).

Review: Designed as an accompaniment to Tim Lawrence's brilliant 2017 book of the same name, "Life and Death on the New York Dancefloor" offers a snapshot of one of the most significant periods in the history of NYC dance music. It focuses on a four-year period between 1980 and '83, when the city's various musical scenes mixed and mutated at a dizzying rate. Lawrence's selections are spot on, with mutant disco classics by the likes of Dinosaur L, David Byrne and Material being joined by Latino electro-funk (Johnny Dynell, Mark Kamins remixing Manchester band Quando Quango), early hip-hop (Rammellzee Vs K-Rob), new wave (Tuxedomoon, Alan Vega), post-punk rock (3 Teens Kill 4), proto-house (Larry Levan side project Peech Boys) and dub disco (August Darnell remixing James White & The Blacks).