Tags: Space Disco

Review: Asha Puthli's 'Space Talk' is one of those quintessential diggers delights, hardly a secret weapon any more but widely recognised as a magical slice of misfit cosmic disco from the genre's golden era, fronted by Puthli's ethereal vocal. Now the track gets a remix package courtesy of Naya Beat, and the versions aren't to be trifled with. First up comes the mighty Dimitri From Paris, who ladles the funk on thick, trips out the atmosphere and sends the track even further away from terra firma. Flip the record over for Dimitri's even trippier dub when you really want to juice the dance up. There's also a neat and tidy 2023 mix of the track and the original extended mix, making this an essential purchase for those craving the beauty of the OG version as well as those hungry for a classy-as-hell new twist on a dead cert classic.

Review: It's always a good day when Al Kent is back with new music. This one on Gamm, Welcome To The Dub, finds him dubbing out some lush disco sounds. The title cut is a loopy and jazz-funk-infused number with lovely hi-hats and noodling chords all radiating joy and uplifting energy. 'Dubanova' then takes a more low-slung route with a sleazy guitar riff and nice live drums embellished with smartly overdubbed vocals coated in echo. 'Happiness & Peace' is a quieter affair with echoing hits and a meandering lead that encourages your mind to do the same.

Review: Earlier this year, French disco and jazz-funk combo Chatobaron joined forces with fellow Parisian Dimitri From Paris for the rather good 'I Like (The Music That You Play)'. While that was a wholehearted disco workout, this speedy sequel sees the band (and their high-profile collaborator) explore their West Coast jazz-funk influences via an inspired workout full to bursting with killer instrumental solos, dusty grooves, memorable motifs and a genuinely killer, cowbell-sporting percussion brerak. This time round, there are no Dimitri From Paris remixes; instead, dubbed-out disco favourites the Idjut Boys are on hand to smother the track in tape echo and dub delay. The result is a typically spaced-out, low-slung affair that naturally makes the most of the band's killer bassline and layered percussion sounds.

Review: A decade has now passed since the birth of Harry 'Munir' Septiandry's Midnight Runners project, a studio outfit turned live band whose sound mines South-East Asian funk, soul and disco for inspiration. The Indonesian outfit's latest release, 'Nusantra Tropic Disco Volume 1', is arguably one of its' strongest yet. Rich in vintage 1970s synth sounds, tropical colour and live grooves that variously draw on disco, jazz-funk and library music, it feels fresh and exciting despite its nostalgic inspirations and authentic period instrumentation. Highlights include, but are no way limited to, vibrant and percussive disco opener 'Kaliuga', the spacey and warming 'Ratna and Galih' and soaring, future peak-time Indonesian disco anthem 'Kasih Bersemi'.

Review: Terry Tester hails from Copenhagen and has already impressed with some Detroit-inspired house heat on labels like Brownswood and BBE. He has also dropped a fine solo EP on Creak Inc this month but at the same time the label has enlisted two artists to remix two of his tunes on this new 12". Up first is 'Grace' (Buscrates Reflip), an early evening and boogie-fried deep house cut with hip-swinging claps and conversational leads that bring the funk. The B-side is more business-like - 'Space Million' (Ian Wallace remix) has dev, dynamic drums and heart-aching vocal hooks for late-night dancing.

Review: Patrick Adams is the creative force behind plenty of next-level disco records from the late 1970s and early '80s. One of the most remarkable of the lot, though, is Cloud One's 1976 album Atmosphere Strut. Its title track is a stone cold dancefloor classic created by Adams with help from collaborator Peter Brown and it is a real space-synth odyssey with a deep disco groove. The album is 45 this year so it gets a special anniversary reissue featuring that tune with all the rest from the spacious 'Spaced Out' to the funky astral grooves of 'Charleston Hopscotch' and more star gazing and romantic jazz-funk of 'Dust To Dust.'

Review: American r&b and jazz fusion singer, arranger, musician, composer and conductor Dexter Wansel made an indelible impression with his debut album back in 1976, Life On Mars set a new standard for fusion sounds while also serving up what is still considered a space-funk classic. More than that, though, the album which was inspired by David Bowie's Life On Mars also has the seminal 'Theme From The Planets' on it - the drum beat from which is often said to be one of the foundational beats for the hip-hop scene that emerged soon after. As such it's not a shock to know that the record has been sampled endlessly by greats like Drake, Ice Club, Lil Wayne and Kanye. Stick this one on and prepare to be wowed all over again by Wansel's masterful use of his ARP 2600 synthesizer.

Review: The second full-length from Parisian dance producer Diogo Strausz, whose grasp on the nascent wave of samba-infused house, funk and Afrobeat flaunts a conspicuous expertise. Drawing on the titular idea of 'samba from outer space' - where dance music is a wordless, universal language that quantizes people's experience and flushes them of their iniquities - Strausz's point is that dance music pre-dates electronica and that, looked at it in a certain way, all dance music is simply cosmic samba. Whether or not you agree, this is an effortlessly enchanting full-length, feal to every samba hallmark from syncopated clave to two-tone piano riffs, albeit also backed up by robotic samples and FM ows.

Review: The legend of Ron Hardy will always live on - the pioneering selector changed the way dance music was played and consumed in clubs. His own edits were the backbone of his often intensely emotional and celebratory sound and this Ray label has long been putting out the best of them. Number 53 in the series kicks off with the cosmic synths and soothing vocal harmonies of 'Atmosphere Strut' before 'Classy Dance Orchestra' gets all elegant and sophisticated in its approach to disco. Captain Dax's 'Dr Beezar' is the last cut and another direct line to the sound of Paradise Garage in the 70s.