VELVET SEASON & THE HEARTS OF GOLD レコード& CD

Review: Earlier in the year Gerry Rooney and Joel Martin donned the Velvet Season & The Hearts of Gold guise for the first time since 2018 for a typically off-kilter disco edit outing on Resista. Here they flex their scalpel skills once more, offering up revisions of two undeniably deep, sought-after cuts from the margins of the Italian disco spectrum. On side A they take their scalpel to Aldo Tomborelli's 1983 soundtrack number "Voices", a bubbly chunk of obscure horror movie Italo-disco rich in undulating, arpeggio style bass, weirdo vocals and trippy, saucer-eyed electronics. Over on the flip they travel further back in time to 1974 and Stefano Torossi's jostling jazz-funk gem "Having Fun", expertly extending it by flitting between the jammed-out, groove-based sections and the composer's swelling orchestration.

Review: Some two years after their last outing on Love Circle, Gerry Rooney and Joel Martin bring their quirky - and, let's face it, on-point - Velvet Season & The Hearts of Gold project back to Resista for more dusty-fingered re-edit adventures. On the A-side they take their scalpels to a groovy slab of string-laden disco-soul rich in twinkling electric piano solos, hazy vocals ("move in all directions, come on follow me"), sharp strings and tactile grooves. Flipside "Love Jelly" is arguably even better, with the experienced twosome having their wicked way with a bustling chunk of trumpet and Hammond organ-laden jazz-funk. The track's drum breaks and yearning chords are particularly alluring, making it a toe-tapping, hip-wiggling treat.

Review: Over the past five years Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold have laid down all manner of sizzling disco edit grooves that veer into spaced out, cosmic territory, but on this new joint for Blue Velvet they aim for the jugular with an abundance of cheeky licks from familiar sources. "Angel Dust" is set to get all manner of parties going wild with its classic hooks, while "Turn Me On" takes a smoother approach into romantic climes with equally recognisable sounds repurposed for the modern dancefloor. The samples may be easy to spot, but that just makes this record's appeal even more universal.

Review: More Special Versions from the combined talents of Quiet Village man Joel Martin and Black Cock Records co-founder Gerry Rooney. This time round, they're in full on party-starting mode, chopping, looping and rearranging an intoxicating chunk of funk-fuelled, Afro-disco sleaze on the fantastic "Monsieur Mayonnaise". Over on the flip, their source material is a little more musically expansive. "Midnight Mounting" (chuckle) is a slightly looser and more sumptuous disco number, with impassioned male vocals rising above sweeping strings, bold backing vocals and another killer groove. Naturally, we have no idea of the origin of source material, but these are certainly special cuts.

Review: Hot on the heels of their sleazy, basement-friendly Witch Doctor Love 12", Joel Martin and Gerry Rooney deliver anothe hot slab of twisted edits. Opener "El Dorado" is a curious affair, taking loops from a long-forgotten, disco-era Spanish dance record and turning it into a rolling, late night chugger. Arguably even better is "Limitless & Free", which cuts up and rearranges a suitably obscure chunk of stoner funk-rock. Wisely, they emphasize the low-slung groove, rising strings and swirling synthesizers, occasionally utilizing select sections of the original's sleazy, come-to-bed vocal.

Review: Joel Martin and Gerry Rooney first surfaced as Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold back in 2012 with the first of three salacious 12"s for Lucky Hole Records that really got the refined disco lovers hot under the collar. Following a smattering of remix commissions and a wonderful debut for Resista, Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold rear back into view with Witch Doctor Love, a two track 12" of late night voodoo dancefloor material issued by Love Circle. The title track is a chunk of tough and moody house music, all sleazy whispered vocals and trippy electronics; the results are nothing less than intoxicating. Complementing this, "Fish Powder Dance" sees the pair's disco influences come to the fore on a superb fusion of classic strings, vocal harmonies, and joyous basslines over a bumping early '90s house groove.

Review: Gerry Rooney & Joel Martin's Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold project lands on Dan Snaith's Resista label with two superb dancefloor tweaks. Echoing the spirit of David Mancuso, Rooney and Martin have been spreading their message of Universal peace & Love to the World through the medium of magical music as Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold since 2012. If you picked up on their rather racy Lucky Hole 12"s, you will be all over this record which features two long 'Special Version' disco monsters in the form of "Long Black" and "Love Generation" with the latter moog-heavy cut our favourite.

Review: Love Circle returns for a second release, digging deep into the misty past of golden era disco and finding rare gold for the reissue market to rejoice at. This time it's the work of Barry Blue and two projects he produced in the early 80s, lovingly re-edited for maximum dancefloor pleasure by Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold (aka gerry Rooney and Joel Martin). First up is surefire party starter "Breakin In" by Javaroo, and on the flip it's low down seduction workout "Love The Way You Love Me" by Marti Cane getting a fresh airing for all vintage-minded dancers and DJs.