Tags: African Disco

Review: Last year, Marcel Vogel dusted down his Em Vee edit alias for the first time in three years, serving up a tasty four-pack of reworks for OYE's ongoing Edits series. It clearly inspired him to make more reworks, because now he's popped up on Razor-N-Tape with another fine selection of scalpel revisions. He begins by reworking a tongue-in-cheek chunk of disco silliness rich in spacey Moog lines and wonky vocals ("You Move Me"), before tweaking and rearranging a superb chunk of Latin-tinged tropical disco ("Spreading Energy"). "Don't Be Sabi Say" is a high-tempo chunk of Afrobeat/Afro-disco fusion full of ear-catching Nigerian vocals and bustling electric piano riffs, while "I Wish I Knew The Words" is a cheeky revision of an obscure Japanese synth-boogie number.

Review: Sai Galaxy is a collective that draws inspiration and influence from 70s and 80s Nigerian artists such as Nkono Teles, Jake Sollo and Mike Umoh. Australian multi-instrumentalist Simon Durrington leads the way with Olugbade Okunade - former trumpet player from Seun Kuti's Egypt 80 - as well and guests Gabriel Otu, Ray Ledon and Vanessa Baker also playing on these sessions. There is everything from West African funk to a touch of psychedelia, with dance floor ready tunes like 'Get It In The Sun' irresistible to all who hear it.

Review: 2022 has been a hugely successful year for Razor N Tape founder JKriv, whose various singles, remixes and re-edits have all hit the mark. His final release of 2022 sees him serve up four more hot-to-trot edits for the long-running Moton label. On opener 'Repent', the Escort bass player serves up a fine rearrangement of a spacey synth-sporting disco-funk obscurity, while 'Lingala Nacionale' is a fast paced, turn-of-the-80s Afro-disco number with strong vocals, beats and jangly guitars. Over on side B, JKriv first gives his interpretation of a squelchy Caribbean boogie gem from Tappa Zukie ('Love Dream'), before dipping the tempo a touch on a suitably summery rework of a sun-baked Brazilian disco-boogie gem.

Review: The seventh volume of Cosmic Discotheque continues its exploration of 1970s disco with aplomb. This series is all about uncovering rare and overlooked gems from the era and in particular, this edition spans Afro-disco, funk, space disco and Middle Eastern-inspired dance music. The label does a fine job of bringing forgotten singles back to life here and saves you the (albeit pleasurably) effort of digging through flea markets for hidden treasures. With classic disco elements all featuring like drum breaks, soaring violins and vintage synths this collection delivers an authentic sound perfect for any party and full of the thrill of discovery.