Tags: Psychedelic Disco

Review: Given the brilliantly simple concept behind this fine compilation - contemporary Detroit producers remix Funkadelic - we're rather surprised nobody's done it before. With 17 varied re-rubs stretched across three slabs of wax, there's naturally plenty to enjoy. Highlights come thick and fast, from the deep house/P-funk fusion of Alton Miller's take on "Get Your Ass Off and Jam" and Andres' loose, hip-hop influenced revision of "Music For My Mother", to the thrusting loops and heady late night hypnotism of Anthony Shake Shakir and T-Dancer's version of "Standing on the Verge". While many of the versions stay relatively faithful to the original, the more "out-there" interpretations - see BMG's outer-space ambient dub of "Maggot Brain" and Moodymann's epic revision of "Cosmic Slop" - are also consistently impressive.

Review: A near-mythical release from the Italian composer/bassist/karate don Pino Presti, Shitan was a one-off project in 1977. Slow, pensive, full of tension and loaded with detailed cinematic elements, it still sounds forward-thinking today. No surprises that the original 12"s regularly go for hundreds. Madly the long version never made it to the original 12" so this is the first time the full five minute version has been available. As if a repress wasn't enough reason to jump on this!

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: Given the brilliantly simple concept behind this fine compilation - contemporary Detroit producers remix Funkadelic - we're rather surprised nobody's done it before. With 17 varied re-rubs stretched across two hugely entertaining CDs, there's plenty to enjoy. Highlights come thick and fast, from the deep house/P-funk fusion of Alton Miller's take on "Get Your Ass Off and Jam" and Andres' loose, hip-hop influenced revision of "Music For My Mother", to the thrusting loops and heady late night hypnotism of Anthony Shake Shakir and T-Dancer's version of "Standing on the Verge". While many of the versions stay relatively faithful to the original, the more "out-there" interpretations - see BMG's outer-space ambient dub of "Maggot Brain" and Moodymann's epic revision of "Cosmic Slop" - are also consistently impressive.

Review: Most disco diggers will be aware of the DJ Harvey adjacent Black Cock series - when it launched in the early 1990s, it was one of the first hush-hush re-edit outlets around. Mystic Slot was Harvey and Gerry Rooney, and this double-header - first released 31 years ago in 1993 - is arguably their strongest moment. A-side 'No Way Back' is a Clavinet-heavy, largely instrumental revision of the Dells' infectious track of the same name, rearranged to stretch out key passages of groove, build and breakdown. It's still a fantastic re-edit, as is flipside 'Disco Adventure', a cut-and-paste dancefloor classic that builds a low-slung, sweat-soaked dub disco delight by blending the groove from a lesser-celebrated Jimmy 'Bo' Horne cut with elements borrowed from tracks by the Winners and eccentric producers Rinder & Lewis.

Review: Magic In Threes are back with a mind-mending, strings-laden disco masterpiece, 'Liquid Star Duster'. A nimble modern disco cut whose no-more, no-less agility would fail to charm few discothes, we can vouch for this one's function on the dancefloor. Drop it in your next set and neither you nor your crowd will be displeased. Towards its latter end, 'Liquid Star Duster' even comes peppered by sprung electric finger-plucks of the most talented type, an unusual feature for a disco tune of its kind. B-sider 'Sippin' After Midnight' lowers things to a beanbag pace, posing with its hands behind its head as wah-wah exploitation funk licks and a swung peak synth line, dually lead the charge with pomp and panache.

Review: One Bjorn Wagner is the mastermind behind the cosmic disco project Magic Source, a natural follow-on after the acclaimed funk outfits Mighty Mocambos and Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band. Voyage Spectral is his second album under the alias, following Earthrising in 2016. It's a dazzling display of synth-laden grooves, inspired not least by the rare and obscure cosmic disco bits made by relatively anonymous artists for European music libraries. Minimal, princely, fast disco cuts like 'Speed Boat To Atlantis' embematize the feel of this album and Wagner's oeuvre, as they nail the chilled-out psychedelic fantasy of magic-carpetting to far-off mythical worlds.

Review: Giovanni Damico teams up once again with Star Creature for a new 45 packed with fresh boogie bangers. The A-side delivers a funky, psychedelic disco stomper that will effortlessly and quickly transport you to listeners to 1981. It has echoes of Afro sounds from Lagos and the disco energy of NYC's Lower East Side, with catchy chants and breakbeats evoking a hidden Kid Creole track. The B-side is a great take on Italo disco with dusty drum machines, percussion and vintage synths infused with Damico's own guitar and bass work. This is another great chapter in the ongoing story between artist and label.

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.

Review: Roggtrax is the latest of many alter-egoic endeavours by Matthieu Roggwiller (aka. Mattrogg) since 2020. His latest 12", 'The Docksides Boy', is a minimal, surfy disco wave-braving - an instrumental dance project homing in on the defined edges of early '80s "Anglo-Saxon disco, blended with sub-Saharan African disco, new wave and art pop of the time. Building off its own coinage - 'electropical' ambience - the sonic palette here is smooth, rhythmical and oded to the guitar, with casual disco hookers like 'Strato' and 'Finger' both in name and in content recalling the image of fingerstyling while overlooking a Mediterranean sundown.