Tags: Disco Funk

Review: The Saint Wax Edit Service is back with more offerings for us to bow before. This latest eclectic disco sermon comes from Pleasure Voyage and kicks off with the topical Afro disco heat of 'Jongkoloni'. 'Arzaa' has a similarly international feel with Arabic-sounding vocals over a nice striped back but simple synth-heavy groove and 'Xibi' then sinks into a lovely deep house groove with 90s influences and more worldly vocals. Last of all is 'Tudod' which has nice tight bassline twangs under pirouetting chords and vocals. A fine EP.

Review: South African funk outfit Stimela, named after the Zulu word for locomotive, formed out of the ashes of bandleader Ray Phri's previous band, The Cannibals, and soon became an institution in their homeland. Five albums deep in 1986, they also released the astounding Rewind EP, which now gets faithfully reissued by Mr Bongo for a fresh audience. Every track on here is a winner, from the epic, proggy groove of 'I Love You' to the low slung, synth-rich funky angles of 'Shaka Doo Ba'. You won't regret copping this slab of wax, trust us.

Review: For the last decade, John Gomez and Nick The Record's freewheeling Tangent parties have proved popular in London, offering dancers the chance to shake their stuff to a wide selection of superb (and normally insanely rare) records over a high quality soundsystem. The pair's first Tangent compilation, which arrives via Mr Bongo, naturally offers a superb reflection of their approach and is packed with must-have cuts. For proof, check the proto-house era dubbed-out boogie of King B's 'Love Is Crazy', the sun-splashed Brazilian gorgeousness of 'Laberinto' by PERIKAS, the spaced-out headiness of Hidrogenese's 'La Carta Era Muy Larga (Dub)', the heavy batacuda business of 'Nira Gongo' by Conjuto Baluartes' and the dub disco-flecked, deep house brilliance of LTA's 'What Comes To Ya'.

Review: This third volume of instrumentals continues the faultless Isle of Jura label's deep dive into dub versions and beyond. Side one takes in references from UK street soul and reggae and features two late-'80s tracks by Howard Hill with machine-led rhythms, rudeboy reggae skank and soulful pads. Protek's 'I Love to Dance With You' is a proto-house gem featured in a Jura Soundsystem mix and here it gets a loving re-edit by The Nightlark. Side B includes an instrumental-driven track with spacey FX from The Cool Notes' and Ilija Rudman's 'Dub 4 Love' which is a knowing nod to acid house's golden era.

Review: To celebrate ten years of one of London's most loved underground club nights, Tangent, Mr Bongo are thrilled to launch this new compilation series. Crafted by its two residents, John Gomez and Nick the Record, it aims to transmit a taste of Tangent's spirit: a party rooted in inclusivity and open-mindedness, whose name captures the spontaneous switches in musical direction that are a defining element of their nights. For the compilation, the pair have cherry-picked a selection of their prized, rare and dancefloor-ready tracks from around the globe, that have soundtracked the past decade of parties. Spanning live-recorded disco, Brazilian boogie and weighty lovers' rock, this selection of rare sonic meats is a prized procuring, the consistent quality of which you likely won't be able to track down in many other contexts.

Review: Razor-N-Tape's Family Affair series makes a welcome return here with a third great instalment. This series is something of an annual end-of-year tradition by now (OK, it's arriving a touch late) and this one hits as hard as any with five tracks taken from the full and standout compilation. It is two great remixes of classic RNT material that gets things underway with Ezel offering a dub of Cor.ece and Bruce Leroys sublime deep hose mix of Guinu, then JKriv's 'Better Than Her' is a fat bottomed bit of deep cut electro funk and elsewhere Kim Anh gets raw and cosmic, and Cody Currie's 'Ghost' is broken beat perfection.

Review: While Toy Tonics' first Italomania compilation, released back in 2010, featured fresh reworks of classic Italian disco tracks, this belated sequel celebrates a new generation if Italian disco and nu-disco artists. This - as they have made clear - is not synth-heavy Italo-disco revivalism, but disco revivalism and disco-house fusion made by Italians. It's a great collection all told, with highlights including the hybrid disco-boogie brilliance of Tommiboy's 'La Sfinge (featuring D Disco Band)', the synth disco-meets-jazz-funk flex of Severino and Giocomo Mora's 'Maledetto', the coloruful nu-disco excellence of Munk & Kapote's 'La Musica (Hot DJ version)', the orchestrated disco cheeriness of 'SessoSpaghetti (extended mix)' by Finniani & Angeleri - an authentically eccentric excursion - and the synth-heavy squelch of 'Tropica' by Giovanni Damico.

Review: Few electronic music producers can claim to have made quite as big an impact as Arthur Baker. During the 1980s the New Yorker was involved in creating (or mixing) a string of ground-breaking electro, freestyle and proto-house records, before becoming one of the most in-demand remixers on the planet. This vast box set, which includes six weighty slabs of vinyl and an informative insert, celebrates his legacy, offering up a mixture of pioneering productions (Afrika Bambaata and Soulsonic Force's 'Planet Rock', 'Walking On Sunshine' by Rockers Revenge, 'Confusion' by New Order), dancefloor anthems (Freez's 'I.O.U', his enormous rework of Fleetwood Mac's 'Big Love') and a string of essential but lesser-celebrated revisions - all presented in full-length, DJ-friendly form. In a word: essential.

Review: This meticulously curated five CD collection captures the dazzling spectrum of dance music that thrived on queer club floors between 1980 and 1989. With 53 tracks spanning multiple dance genres, the set celebrates an era of bold experimentation and unbridled creativity. Eartha Kitt's magnetic 'Where Is My Man' and Donna Summer's electrifying 'Love Is in Control' set the tone for a journey through anthems and underground gems alike. Tracks like Sylvester's euphoric 'I Need You' and Gwen Guthrie's 'Peanut Butter' evoke the soulful exuberance that defined the dancefloor, while Divine's 'Native Love' and Bobby O"'s 'I'm So Hot for You' bring unabashed camp and energy. On the Europop side, Desireless' dreamy 'Voyage Voyage' and Modern Talking's sleek 'Brother Louie' deliver shimmering melodies, while New Order's 'Sub-Culture' and Siouxsie and the Banshees' 'Peek-A-Boo' infuse a post-punk edge. House and acid influences shine in Electribe 101's hypnotic 'Talking with Myself' and Wee Papa Girl Rappers' 'Heat It Up'. Grace Jones' avant-garde 'Love on Top of Love' and Malcolm McLaren's 'Deep in Vogue' epitomise boundary-pushing brilliance. This collection is a vivid celebration of a transformative decade, reflecting the resilience and creativity of a community that danced through joy, pain, and boundless innovation.

Review: Those on London's crate-digging underground should be well aware of Tangent, an eclectic, anything-goes party created by esteemed record collectors John Gomez and Nick The Record. With a little help from Mr Bongo, they've curated this compilation featuring some of their favourite selections from the party - the vast majority of which are either obscure, rare or overlooked. It's a predictably impressive selection all told, with the pair bouncing between digital reggae-infused global grooves (Srirajah Soundsystem), mid-80s French jazz-funk-synth-pop fusion (an exclusive edit of Leo Basel), quirky riffs of the Pointer Sisters (Marc Thornhill's 'Automatic'-inspired 'No Way To Control It'), zouk, proto-house-era Balearic brilliance (Androo), squelchy AOR synth-disco (Hidrogenesse), heavy Latin percussion workouts (Conjuto Balurantes), dub (Lee Jackson Band) and much more besides.

Review: This vibrant 4-LP collection is a love letter to the music that defined queer dancefloors from 1980 to 1989. It offers an eclectic mix of diva, high energy, Europop, house, alternative and pop classics that celebrate the diversity and innovation of an era when clubs were crucibles of creativity. The tracklist is a masterclass in curation, balancing iconic anthems with deeper cuts. Highlights include Eartha Kitt's sultry 'Where Is My Man', Sylvester's electrifying 'I Need You' and Jean Carne's soulful 'Was That All It Was'. Divine's campy 'Native Love' rubs shoulders with Ryan Paris' shimmering 'Dolce Vita' and Laura Branigan's enduring 'Self Control'. On the experimental edge, New Order's 'Sub-Culture' and Visage's 'The Anvil' bring post-punk energy, while Grace Jones' 'Love On Top Of Love' epitomises avant-garde sophistication. Production giants like Trevor Horn, Larry Levan and Stock, Aitken & Waterman leave their unmistakable mark, ensuring the music pulsates with the era's pioneering spirit. The collection also reflects the bittersweet reality of the time, a period of immense joy and boundless creativity shadowed by the AIDS crisis. This set is more than nostalgiaifull of artistry and the enduring influence of queer club culture during one of its most transformative decades.

Review: Francesco Fisotti is the leader of the new Italian disco-funk band Le Dune and this makes their debut release. 'Sugar' features a fusion of electronic drums, synths and groovy bass with a retro feel but fresh modern production flair next to vibrant guitars. When you pair all that with catchy, pop-driven vocals you have a timeless disco vibe that will unique all manner of dancers. Alongside the original version, the Extended Mix emphasises the groove, the Instrumental Version' leans into a percussive, tribal sound while the 'La Notte Mix' co-produced by Issam Dahmani delivers a late 80s proto-house feel.