CASERTA レコード& CD

Review: Rework specialist (and sometime Kon collaborator) Joseph Caserta has a strong record of breathing new life into classic cuts, sometimes taking them in vastly different directions. Ironically, 'Playa' - his latest revision of a blue-eyed soul/AOR favourite - is not as revolutionary as some of his reworks, but it is really good, re-casting the track as a chunky, two-step soul-meets-disco fusion full of quick-fingered bass, parping horns, spacey electronic effects, simmering synth strings and warming keys. The pick of the pair is the A-side vocal version, though the flipside dub - complete with echoing vocal snippets - is almost as essential.

Review: Massachusetts-based producer (and Bridge Boots main man) Joseph Caserta has a way of taking classics and introducing them to the dancefloor in a completely different way. Instead of reintroducing classics, from now on he introduces you to new ones. The first offering is 'Most High' featuring The Reverend Just Blaze. Rev Blaze comes with an uplifting sermon in his unmistakable vocal over a bed of energising horns, flutes, vibes and strings. Over on the flip, he goes deeper into the night on the soulful and emotive second part.

Review: Caserta is a man of many talents, though his greatest strength is arguably his ability to craft killer new cuts featuring vocals from classic cuts. On this latest "45", the producer has his wicked way with the vocals from T.S Monk's 1980 cut 'Candidate For Love', first adding it to a dreamy, spacey, string-sporting mid-tempo deep-house backing track on the A-side 'Head-Nodding Mix'. It's rather good and as well made as you'd expect. The flipside 'Footwork Mix' keeps up Caserta's tradition of putting a more radical reworking on the flip. In this instance, snippets of cut-up vocal ride a filthy analogue bassline and a heavy, handclap heavy drum machine rhythm. It's basically warehouse-ready ghetto-house, Caserta style, and that's a very good thing indeed.

Review: If you are a funk and soul lover, chances are you will already have some Joseph Caserta jams in your bag. He is a 7" don who does a fine job of digging out golden oldies and reworking them for modern dance floors. He is legendary digger Kon's long time engineer and shows many of the skills that got him that job here on two different mixes of 'Curtis.' The first is a lush, soul drenched boogie version with heart-melting chords and a nice squelchy bassline. The Caserta Curious mix on the flip is all icy 808s and body-popping slow beats with smoochy feels.

Review: Joseph Caserta specialises in reworking little known soul and disco gems into brand new weapons. He does so on his own label as well Bridge Boots, with a couple lined up for the next few weeks. The first is this one, which features two version of '(M)', starting with the Baby Maker dub. It's a slinky bit of squelchy dub disco funk with lively perc and pixelated pads. Picking things up and taking them out of the bedroom and onto the dance floor is a 909 Mix with more upright drums and a fat bassline.

Review: Joseph Caserta is rather good at creating brand new, under-the-radar remixes of tracks from soul greats, frequently delivering versions that add the original vocal acapellas to new backing tracks rich in reference vintage US house and garage. Ordinarily he signposts them a little, naming them things like 'Luther', 'Teddy' and 'Martin', but this time round the samples used are a little more subtle. As a result, it's his fine backing tracks that for once take centre stage. '114 BPM' is an energy-packed affair in which impassioned preacher vocals rise above a bed of wriggly TB-303 lines, bubbly electronics and unfussy drums, while '108 BPM' is a sparse, stripped-back and deliciously bass-heavy number that sits somewhere between beatdown, deep house and acid house.

Review: Joseph Caserta's latest sneaky seven-inch is a sequel of sorts to his 2015 single 'Ricky', a deliciously hazy and groovy deep house jam that showcased breathy spoken word snippets from disco-soul lothario Rick James. This time round, the Boston-based producer and KON collaborator has decided to rework James' classic 'Give It To Me Baby' in honour of the track's 40th birthday. He presents a fabulous multi-track edit on side A, rightfully showcasing James' brilliant vocals, Latin-inspired horn lines and colourful synth sounds. He totally re-invents the track on the flip, placing snippets of James' vocals at the heart of a dark, dense, organ-rich early morning house workout.

Review: Caserta is legendary digger Kon's long time engineer, and he sure does have a wealth of tricks up his own sleeve. Here he gets to tackle his own super 7" on the Bridge Boots label and first off he serve sup a lovely take on a Stevie Wonder tune. 'Stevie?' (Caserta Sunday Saint mix) has mid-tempo grooves rolling away nicely beneath exquisite synth work and a well-treated vocal from the man himself. JoDaCe steps up on the flip for a Saturday Sinner mix that is more driving and ready for the club. The bass is rugged, the vocals more looped and freaky, the effect just as brilliant but in different ways.

Review: Bridge Boots main man Caserta has previously proved to be one of the most talented re-editors around, up there with higher profile artists such as the Reflex and Joey Negro. His latest offering, a red seven-inch single featuring new rearrangements of Diana Ross hit "I'm Coming Out", is another beauty. On the A-side he offers up a "Long Way Mix" that gives more prominence to Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards' killer backing track (partly via stripping it back to the groove at key points) while retaining most of Ross' vocals. On the flip you'll find a "Sing-A-Long Dub" that strips it back further during key instrumental passages to allow the Motown legend's vocals to shine.

Review: Joseph Caserta, or simply known as Caserta, is an Italian house producer whose funky touch has stood out as of late. After a series of disconnected EP's over the last three years, Caserta is back and this time he's on Shadeleaf, a young imprint dealing in soulful house and moody dubs. "Ricky" receives four mixes: there's the "deep mix", a chord-driven, vocal-led charger; the "jeep mix" is slow, funky and boogied-out; Kon remixes the track into an uplifting floor-filler; Thatmanmonkz reappears on the label with the final remix, a straight-ahead tool-jacker with the original's sultry vocals.

Review: Brooklyn label Razor N Tape is becoming increasingly well regarded in the edit community, returning here with their tenth release and it's an introduction for newcomer Caserta. Those who scour Soundcloud on the reg will be familiar with Boston-based Caserta who's been throwing up examples of his edit expertise on the orange and white place for the past year. Six tracks deep, the Dynamics EP shows Caserta's style incorporates thumping sample-laden hip-hop grooves, nu disco and bumping old-school house. Furthermore there's a deftness to his touch on cuts such as "Nobody Believed" and "All My Dreams" that sets Caserta apart.