Disco Recommendations October 2015

Review: Since donning the Payfone guise, former Kitty Bronx and Leon Lace man Phil Passera has yet to put a foot wrong. Both 2013 debut "International Smark" and last year's "Paradise" - the latter for Phil South's Golf Channel imprint - were both superb exercises in re-imagining New York boogie for the house generation. He's at it again here, with "Quarantine" offering the perfect blend of jaunty electrofunk synths, early New York garage dubbiness, effortlessly soulful vocals, rubbery disco bass and a dash of Giorgio Moroder. Flipside "Padre Pray For Us" is an altogether deeper, woozier proposition, with blazed drums, hazy Rhodes keys and fluid synths being joined by a killer trumpet solo - the kind that makes you want to close your eyes and just drift away.

Review: Not a lot is known on the mystery baker behind these two scrumptious funk cakes besides the fact that Despacio have been spinning both sides... And the fact they're both delicious. "Uganda" is a percussion heavy slam-jamboree that switches into a juicy bass-driven disco groove midway. "Uriah", meanwhile, is a chugging, star-gazing Moroder homage that adds more layers and textures with every bar. Tasty.

Review: Japanese editor Mori Ra returns with four more perplexing, wonderfully obscure edits on Macadam Mambo; "Acid Indonesia" is an overwhelming experience laced with toxic percussion, gritty bass and buried harmonies. "Canoe Tamburi Sacri" retains the heavy percussive focus while flipping the mood switch for something much slower and meditative. "Sleeping Industry" is the most cosmic number on the release with an array of synths vying for our attention over a wind chime rhythms while "Tsuru-Kame Hinadisco" brings us back into reality with harmonic chimes, steel drums and more dubby overlays than a Kingston cutting house. Satisfyingly strange.

Review: Time to chow down on another low-down funk and disco feast at Bristol's Boogie Cafe. Label co-founder JTT lights the fire with a subversive James Brown edit. All raw and loopy, it's a fine twist on a well known classic. Flip for two cuts from Horses-affiliate Laura Ingalls as she puts the EQ back into equine with two deeper dug edits. George Duke's "Party Down" gets a pumping, thumping, filtered disco twist while Roy Ayers gets an equally sweaty edit. Tasty.

Review: Amsterdam-based DJ/producer Olivier Boogie has been creating high-class disco and boogie re-edits for years, though it's only in the last 12 months that he's really had a chance to showcase his wares to a wider audience. Here, he delivers his second 12" for Whiskey Disco, following tasty outings on Phat Elephant and Hot Digits. As usual, his reworks get just the right balance between house style loopiness and the more reverential re-works of countryman Mr Mendel. That loopy feel is particularly evident on the sweet disco-soul shuffle of "I Know You Care", while the brilliant "Come Inside" gives a storming, upbeat disco number a colossal boot up the backside. Flip for the snaking sax lines, warm grooves and vibraphone solos of "How High", and the horn-totin', extra-percussive disco-funk deepness of "Watch Your Step".

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Chapter Edits is the brainchild of Scott Gray AKA Chapter (artist and DJ) and Corbi (producer, DJ and A&R at Fina Records) with the aim being to bring art and music together by releasing disco-funk re-edits in limited edition Chapter art sleeves. Based in Ibiza, they will be collaborating with guest DJs and producers from with each new release as well as hosting their own parties under the name 'Melon Bomb' at various venues across the island.

Review: Excellent debut EP from Paradisica with warm night Balearic dance vibes across all 4 tracks. A side, beautiful romantic dance grooves for the sunset hour. The flip 'Amore' brings a sexy and upbeat late 80s house vibe with a driving Pete Herbert mix to keep the party going strong.

Review: Hot on the heels of Greg Wilson's ace-graced "Volume 8" comes another A&R session from consummate south coast editor Fingerman. First up is a glossy, disco-minded twist on Steely Dan's "Peg". As famed from the classic De La Soul sample, Fingerman has extended the whole original to remind us how great the source material was in the first place. Flip for "Found Love". Another expert extension, this time he's taken a Fatback Band classic and given it the 2015 it's always needed. Powerful.

Review: Very Polish Cut-Outs boss Zambon recently announced that the in-demand series would soon come to an end. Before then, though, there are a few more 12" singles due, starting with this fourth sampler. Karol Aleksander handles side A, opening with the slightly housed-up rolling disco of "Witajcie W Moim Swieciel" (think cut-glass strings, bouncy grooves, spacey synthesizers and heavy filters). "Ja"is a keys-laden, progressive disco-house roller, while Radar & Unitrax join forces on the strobe-lit, surprisingly exotic disco smasher "Diamentowa Kula". Another superb volume is rounded off by regular contributor Selvy, whose "Plec Minut Lez" is a Ptaki style Balearic-meets-AOR disco gem.

Review: D-Pulse trippy album "Consequenced" now got first portion of remixes from band's favorite producers. Ron Basejam of Crazy P delivers a straight-forward disco gem, while Harvey Sutherland goes minimal and atmospheric in his unexpectedly laid back remix. RJ being a one half of Durerstruben sends the original "Waltz on the run" back in 2000's on a summer cruise and D-Pulse's homie Sportloto pours some fuel into the Russian cosmic-disco scene rocket.

Review: Yam Who?'s Midnight Riot is back with another volume of funky, party starting edits, so come and get your fix. Aashton's "Pride" samples the diva vocals of you know who on this smooth and soulful number. Peza's "Black Gold" is pure classic disco, reminiscent of Salsoul, possibly? Fabiolous Barker's "The Paradise" has that retro and Balearic vibe that fans of labels like Love On The Rocks and Efficient Space will certainly dig. "The Jam" by Rayko is a re-edit of you guessed it: Technotronic's "Pump Up The Jam".

Review: Since their first releases back in 2013, Japan's Snaker imprint has already showcased the talents of Cos/Mes and File Record's Chari Chari, among others, so 2015 is set to be an important year for the fledgling label. They return to action with an LP from the amazing Lisbon selector Tiago - their first album and the artist's second full-length work - who has previously appeared on DFA, most notably. The ambiguously named Sneaker006 is a diverse and playful album that's full of different influences and styles; from the pseudo disco of "Run Run Run", to the lo-fi, psych-driven house madness on "Truckin", and the beatless away of "You&Me Forever", it's a truly sublime piece of music from a relative newcomer to the album format. Check "High Flyers" for a moment of pure downtempo delight - tip!

Review: A year or so after dropping their Sweet Freaks full length - their 13th in total - acid jazz veterans The Brand New Heavies has decided to get a couple of tracks remixed. And who better to provide the reworks than Croatian producer Ilija Rudman, whose analogue-heavy blends of sparse dub disco and synthesizer grooves have made such an impression in recent years. He's more than up to the task, of course, offering the perfect blend between the hazy original material and his now familiar trademark style. Choose between the stripped down, bass-heavy grooves and sprightly disco-funk guitars of his "Sweet Freeek" [sic] rub, and a more chugging version of "Get On". This version, replete with Italo-style arpeggios, rolling beats and sweet guitar flashes, is arguably the pick of the two mixes.

Review: Rotten City is a new label based in Madrid, overseen by partners in crime Alvaro Cabana Juliana Leyva, and born to maximize synergies between different music scenes, breaking barriers to get to a common factor: quality music without pigeonholing. Nein Records man Tronik Youth handles the debut release from Rotten City, backed with remixes from the esteemed Red Axes and Richard Sen. Guided by the force of synths, "Malice Of Absence" is an intense voyage to the depth of strobes and flash... For their remix, Red Axes steers the listener towards a Balearic sunset governed by the melodies of Art of Noise, the horizontal flights of Vangelis and the spiritual calmness of Mr. Fingers. Richard Sen rises the speed gently and resolves the equation that the German cosmic exposition has deposited under a mirror ball of The Loft in a space with a life of its own.

Review: If you want to make a certain type of DJ go weak at the knees, just point them in the direction of this 12", which features new takes on classic Idjut Boys material from Norwegian disco royalty Prins Thomas and Bjorn Torske. The former kicks things off, delivering one of his strongest reworks for some time - an epic combination of strutting, UK funky-influenced disco percussion, swirling electronics, dub effects and woozy vocals. It's Torske, though, who steals the show, re-casting Dan and Conrad's Kenny Hawkes' tribute - "One For Kenny" - as a sublime chunk of rolling samba-jazz. While Thomas's mix is good, Torske's effort is borderline mind-blowing.

Review: Canada's foremost re-edit imprint continues to churn out the hits, largely by delivering dub disco and Balearic-tinged interpretations of long forgotten or little-known cuts. Common Edit regulars Dane and Khotin join forces on the A-side, delivering a sweet chunk of boogie-era synthesizer reggae ("Imho"), before heading futher towards peaktime territory with the low-slung, late night AOR disco of "System". Eddie C digs delves into his seemingly bottomless crates of obscurities for inspiration on "I Want More", a gorgeous chunk of piano-laden Balearic disco sweetness. Finally, Dane lights up something medicinal, closes his eyes and delivers the smacked-out, guitar-laden ambient chug of "One For Dane". It's an absolute beauty, if truth be told.

Review: Special Edition's first release was arguably one of the strongest re-edit EPs of recent times, with Italian newcomer Kiu D delivering a trio of killer dancefloor reworks. It's a tough act to follow, but old pals Dicky Trisco and Peza are more than up to the job on this delayed follow-up. "Clean Up The Line" makes great use of crunchy, guitar-laden loops from Sweet's "Funk It Up", combining these with bouncy house drums and occasional bursts of electronic effects to create a strutting dancefloor banger. Flip for "Take A Trip", which fuses bits from a deep disco classic with brand new, nu-disco flavoured synths and some gentle - if sharp - acid lines.

Review: The surprise reappearance of the American Standard re-edit series in May, following a three-year hiatus, was a pleasing development. The series has delivered plenty of killer, off-kilter reworks in the past, and this latest EP - featuring scalpel works from Daniel T and Juan Nunez's J.E.N project (last heard in 2004) - features three more essential cuts. Daniel T's "Goes To West Africa", in particular, is a dancefloor bomb, with the Cosmic Kids man delivering a superb, house-friendly rearrangement of a Moog-laden Afro-disco gem. "Works Out", a groovy, blue-eyed soul gem, is almost as good. Nunez, meanwhile, impresses with the chugging, Italo-meets-rock madness of "Energetic Extension".

Review: Boogie Butt get busy with the perennial Opolopo as he adds his magic touch to two already great disco joints; first up are the futuristic shades wearing Drop Out Orchestra whose 2013 burner "Be Free With Your Love" gets a slight swing and velvet synth touch. Flip for Al Velilla's "Fearless" wherein Opolopo gets his swing on and flips the groove into a juicy p-funk jitterbug. Smooth.

Review: Three years after its' last outing, Les Edits Du Golem is back. This time round, they've turned to regular contributor Alexis Le-Tan, who offers up three slices of cosmic, off-kilter dancefloor lunacy under his occasional Alexis Le-Fan pseudonym. As the Full Moon Edits title suggests, these are howlin' cuts turned into left-of-centre dancefloor gold. He starts with the dense, World music-inspired disco oddness of "Standing On The Edge", which peppers an African-influenced drum groove with fuzzy guitars, Blondie-ish vocals and wild synthesizers. There's a more Balearic feel to the synthesized marimbas, baked chords and mid-'80s drum machine percussion of "Up & Down" (a version of an old Blancmange tune, we think), while stand-out "Love To Hate" is a trippy, exotic and hypnotic chunk of new wave-turned-proto house.