unknown label Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Here comes an all new and unknown edits labels with some playful disco house jams packed with characterful samples from Chaka Kenn. 'Dawn Breaker' opens up with freewheeling melodies and loose drum breaks that makes for a nice sunny vibe run through with jazzy Rhodes action. 'High Steaks' takes on a heavier house vibe with layers of lo-fi synth and some muffled vocals for company. Last of all is some playful swing that fuses house and hip hop over Hall & Oates bump and grind groove and filtered vocals. Useful tools for sure.

Review: Opolopo is a machine when it comes to serving up superb disco, funk and soul sounds. He's done so for two decades on plenty of top labels from Toolroom to Version Galore to Gamm. This time out he finds himself on a self-released tip with X Machine which is a mash-up of James Brown. The original vocals cut through funky basslines and lots of big percussions as the loose drums rumbled on next to warming organ chords. The instrumental is a more direct to dancefloor jam.

Review: We've got some of that naughty and irresistible white label madness here from new and mysterious label and production outfit Outtaface. It comes with a label that references the energetic cartoon stylings of the late Keith Haring and a bassline that will melt your face. The 'Vocal' track mixes up disco, skank, rave, The Prodigy references and outer space designs into a truly unusual blend that will bring colour and craziness to the floor. The flip side dub slows it down, fleshes out the low and and allows the cosmic synth work more room to shine. A handy 12" for sure.

Review: .Ron Basejam has always cooked up a wealth of characterful cuts across the house and disco spectrum. This unknown label is now home to a load more starting with the lovely soft focus chords and gospel tinged vocal bursts of deep house meditation 'We Need Change'. A house dub ups the energy a little with more cosmic sprinkles raining down over percussive grooves. 'BFG' then ups the disco quotient with elastic bass and leggy drums, a nice organic vibe and carefree chords. 'Blue' shuts down with some feel good soul and funk house fusion work.

Review: T Jacques and Velvet Velour apparently made the opener on this new EP some time ago and thought it was lost. It has recently been rediscovered and we couldn't be happier: 'Hot Hands' is spaced out industrial cosmic tech with synth lines carving neat parabolas and crispy drums bringing the funk. Both artists then go it alone for one cut each: T Jacques's 'Deep Blue' is buffed up deep house with an electronic edge and whimsical synth motifs, then Velvet Velour's 'What U Like' has a playful and restless groove daubed with neon colours and sensuous vocal whispers.