Juno Recommends Disco October 2021

Review: Fire Island was a project from UK house vets Terry Farley and Pete Heller, which went out with a bang in 1998 by collaborating with the mighty Loletta Holloway on the absolutely massive 'Shout To The Top'. Now Hifi Sean is getting to grips with the track and giving it a very tasteful re-rub which brings a little bit of Salsoul-speckled joy and passion to the original mix while keeping Holloway's vocal right where it should be out front and soaring. Sean's 'House Mix' is a dubbier, heavyweight affair that should go down well with the tech house crowd, but there's also a super sweet 'reprise' of the main mix which would be the perfect 'moment' in the midst of a set.

Review: It has now been three years since Jungle Fire first graced the Razor N Tape Catalogue, and now the Los Angeles latin/Afro/funk/soul 12-piece are back with a five track remix EP. Colombia's Felipe Gordon takes 'Atomico' into evocative, late-night mood music territory, label co-head Jkriv lends some low slung boogie-down feels to "La Kossa", while revered turntablist Nu-Mark delivers a punchy breakbeat take on another remix of "Atomico" and over on the flip band member Patrick Bailey (guitar) gets all spaced-out and echno-laden on his Snake In Da Bronx Dub.

Review: While GAMM's hip-hop and R&B reworks are always a cut above those put out by the label's competitors, there's a strong argument to be made that the disco, soul and jazz-funk re-edits they release are even better. More evidence to back up this assertion can be found on this tidy two-track missive from label debutant Elado. On the A-side he gives his spin on a powerful, horn-and-synth-laden number from a rare Archie Dell LP, subtly making the drums heavier while retaining the original's gospel-influenced soaring soul feel. Arguably even better is 'Shake Your Body', a fine rearrangement of a little-known, Portuguese language cover version of the Michael Jackson disco classic of the same name.

Review: Glossy disco beat maker and silky synth-smith Purple Disco Machine really leans on the OG pure one, Prince, for the opening track on his Soulmatic album. It's filled with electronic funk, twisted vocoder vocals and big licks that will work on a wide range of dance floors. Elsewhere his collab with Boris Dlugosch, 'Love For Days' is a dazzling vocal house anthem thanks to the seductive sounds of singer Karen Harding and 'Devil In Me' feat Joe Killington & Duane Harden is a cover like you have never heard before. This special Record Store Day reissue is limited in numbers and sure to fly off the shelves.

Review: Kalita has a fine record of unearthing holy grail records and reissuing them to rabid fans around the world. The latest is a real corker even by their standards - an unrelated album of soul, gospel and disco songs from Al-Dos Band. It is part of the first drop for Record Store Day 2021 and immediately melts the heart. 'Don't Come Smiling Back' is a deeply emotive slow jam with an impassioned vocal and pained chords, while 'Your Presence' is a much more rapturous and uplifting bit of musical worship, 'Some Things Don't Mean A Thing' is a robust and rugged bit of strident disco with magic funk riffs, and 'Love Jones Coming Down' is a real dance floor heater.

Review: Dave Lee's Remixed With Love series returns for 2021, though this time he's keeping tight-lipped about the identity of the artists and tracks he's reworked. It doesn't take a genius to work out the source material he's mined for EP highlight 'Dub Up To The Bumper', a deliciously delay-laden, Larry Levan style 1980s NYC dub of Grace Jones favourite 'Pull Up To The Bumper'. Those who prefer the more traditional end of the 1970s disco spectrum will love 'Stomp Your Feet', a heavily orchestrated affair full of sweet female vocals, percussive breakdowns, warming horns and mazy Clavinet motifs, while closing cut 'In Your Blood' is a fine revision of a solo-laden disco-funk number rich in cut-glass strings and killer horn arrangements.

Review: A vinyl only label focused on music from deep house hero's Saison. V3 is a collection of unreleased music from the duo focusing on borrowed sounds and reinterpretations. The label focuses on deep, disco, and house influenced jams that have been supported by many of your favourite DJ's over the past year. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Review: Str4ta is a project that harks back to the glory days of the vibrant British jazz-funk scene of the early 80s. Gilles Peterson and his partner in crime Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick are behind the music and the new album is the first new music they have put out in over a decade. Quick on the draw as ever is Dave Lee, fka Joey Negro, who on this 12" on Brownswood serves up two alternative mixes of one of the singles. The fist version of 'After The Rain' is all hip swinging claps, low slung funk and brightly shining, starry-eyed melodies. The second dub version is more scripted back but still with plenty of irresistible percussion and bass.

Review: American label Mojo Electric have reissued golden oldies by the likes of Cybotron, Freestyle and Jive Rhythm Trax recently, but this could be their biggest one yet. They continue their foray into classic electronic music with this stone cold classic. Get your hands on a French Touch classic, it is of course 'Around The World', an unforgettable early anthem from Daft Punk on a cute 7" pressing. The seminal late 1997 classic is on the A-side, followed on the flip by the bombastic bounce of 'Da Funk' - another anthem by Bangalter and de Homem-Christo.

Review: The sixth helping from Duca Bianco is a big disco offering that kicks off with a first track from Casinoboy in a decade. His 'On My Mind' is a corrugated jam with knotted bass and deadpan 80s vocals then some a secret unknown weapon that layers angular, slapping drums with rave sirens and a dark disco beat. Contemporary disco legend Rune Lindbaek then comes good with a sci-fi trip and gauzy synth lines of 'Ratsastic Empress.' Last of all, Khidja rounds out on 'Chuncho', a smooth groove with far-sighted pads that get you in the zone. Pressed on nice heavy 140g wax, this is another tidy 12" from Duca Bianco.

Review: David Morales' legendary track 'Needin U' is one of those enduring anthems that just keeps living on. Hammered by all the top funky house jocks in the late '90s, it resurfaced at the turn of the millennium as 'Needin' U II' with Juliet Roberts on vocals, then in 2009 there was The Face vs. Mark Brown's version released on the latter's Cr2 label. Now, to celebrate the track's 23rd anniversary, Paris veteran Dimitri From Paris delivers his take on it, which has a deeper and low slung groove to it and features live instrumentation. Comes on a limited red vinyl pressing and picture sleeve release.

Review: Edit superstar C. Da Afro comes fresh off the back of a series of big outings on labels like Tropical Disco, Samosa Records, Masterworks Music, and many more. Once again this increasingly vital studio whizz comes correct with a series of playful disco house bombs. 'Don't Give Up The Groove' plays with filters, layers up the funky riffs and soars on a diva vocal. 'Wantin' U' is a classic house tune with authentic old school production chops and 'Holding On' is a super sweet outside party tune for the warmer months. 'The Solo Groove' sends you home on some feel good strings that melt any heart.

Review: We remain in the dark as to the identity of the shadowy artists behind the Gallery re-edit series, which is now on to its fourth release. Whoever is behind it clearly has re-editing skills and deep crates because the choice of tracks and the quality of the scalpel style rearrangements is always top-notch. For proof, check 'Hello You Yeah', a fine extension of a jazz-funk-tinged, near Balearic '80s disco oddity that includes some great solos, sun-kissed horn motifs, rubbery bass and occasional doses of joyous chorus vocals. Summer may already be over (here in the UK at least), but it sounds like a sunshine anthem in the making. Flipside 'Just Be Yourself' meanwhile is a heavier affair; a pleasingly pompous, synth-laden disco-rock excursion that's as camp as they come.

Review: The first post-lockdown release from Disco Bits is a fat one. It tackles the oft-overlooked but vital hip-house genre with two super talented MCs delivering their tight bars over some tech-ed out disco beats that come back from the future. BDK opens up with the powerful 'Rok The Disco-Tech,' which is built on a strident disco beat with plenty of cosmic synth work and chattery drum fills. On the flip is the more teeth grinding and stark 'Ritmo Italo' with its machine-gun synths and hip-swinging claps. The verses hit harder here and again help make this one a different kind of dark disco thriller.

Review: American dance music legend, spiritual explorer and soul encyclopaedia Joe Claussel also of course runs the Sacred Rhythm label, where he serves up an endless amount of vinyl gold. This Special Edits series does exactly what says on the tin and the seventh installment is another one that takes you to a steamy Brooklyn dance floor sometime in the past. Fusion jazz and soulful disco styles define each of these tunes, neither of which are very well known, but both of which will bang, particularly the funky bass and icy hi-hats of 'Get Down' that are combined perfectly with Philly style strings and golden chords.

Review: Established by the late DJ Ajax, Australian label Sweat It Out is back with a new release this week by label staple Tino Piontek aka Purple Disco Machine. Originally releasing under the aliases Stereofreak and Stereofunk, Piontek debuted on the Sydney-based label with his acclaimed Soulmatic LP back in 2017. The Dresden-based producer serves up some typically neon-lit night moves on the scorching disco inferno of 'Dopamine' that's sure to set the dancefloor alight on the A side. Over on the flip, Piontek streamlines the groove into a more functional and bass-driven affair for DJ use on the handy club dub.

Review: When it comes to scalpel style re-edits, no producer has more experience, or is more capable of crafting dancefloor gold, than Mr K. He's proved that countless times over the last four decades and continues to deliver fresh batches of must-check reworks on a regular basis. His latest two-track missive doesn't disappoint either. On the A-side he goes drum crazy, delivering an eight-minute exercise in sweaty, ultra-energetic Batacuda-disco heaviness that's little more than disco beats and layered Latin percussion. He returns to disco pastures on 'The House of the Rising Sun', a suitably warm and soulful rearrangement of a sugary, orchestrated workout that may be capable of moistening a few eyes out on the dancefloor.

Review: Baris K's Disco Hamam returns with the latest edition in its various artist EP compilation - number seven to be exact. On this one, we have another fine collection of exotic and oddball grooves; Norsk Tripping chief Rune Lindbaek appears with another clever edit, this time in the form of the hazy Middle Eastern musical themed "Hashish", Tushen Rai visits acid house via Bollywood on "Balu", Paralel Disko (Baris K) serves up the EP highlight with a low-slung cover of the George Benson classic "Gimme The Nite" and closing it out on the B side with Jonny Rock aka Afacan Sound System on the wacky Wurlitzer boogie of "Oriental".

Review: It's hard to keep up with the number of releases that Athens Of The North are putting out this month, but you really must try. This one is a gooey and loved up disco 12" from the dream team pairing of Tom Findlay from Groove Armada and James Alexander Bright. They hook up via mutual appreciation over Twitter and worked up a load of new material in the studio as Bright & Findlay. Their first offering 'Slow Dance' is perfection - lush 80s synths, slow-motion boogie beats and drum machines marbled with little guitar riffs and soulful vocals that ate you to a better place. Two further heart melters come on the flip side and we are already in love with this project.

Review: Chicago soul and funk group The Chi Lites was led by Eugene Record. The band seven up plenty of big tunes such as 'Have You Seen Her' and 'Oh Girl,' but even the lesser-known jams are gold. Here we get a reissue of 'My First Mistake' as remixed by Paul Simpson. It's a fat-bottomed, funk-fuelled disco cut that comes with nice big chords as well as the soulful lead vocal. Plenty of effects flesh out the groove to make it a standout dance floor offering. On the flip comes the more string laced instrumental.

Review: Seven months on from delivering the rather good El Ron Cuts edits EP on GAMM, sometime Daje Cuts contributor Matalo! brings his brand of party-starting goodness to Take Away for the very first time. He hits the ground running with 'bad Self', a James Brown-sampling slice of Afro-fired carnival jauntiness, before adding echoing flute snippets to an extra-percussive, boogie-era disco groove on 'Flute Bounce'. 'Ritual' is even more percussion-laden - we think it's a version of a disco-era South American dance workout -while 'Nice Day' is a soaring, energy-packed version of a much-loved underground disco staple.

Review: Gary's Gang - 'Let's Lovedance Tonight' originally came in 1979 and is the source of a well known, international dance music hit. It's a gloriously upbeat bit of disco that got an edit from the master that is Danny Krivt back in 207. He took that monster break, and cleverly extended and looped it for nearly six superb minutes, and the result is infectious as the organic perc and rumbling drums constantly make you move. Here reissued on translucent red wax, it is a surefire party starter with cosmic rays of disco brilliance shooting through it for above.

Review: Top draw house label Toy Tonics has recruited some new talent for the team. This Gome pair come from Hamburg and make happy house music with lashings of disco goodness that is inspired by the 1980 Italo and Munich disco scene. 'Fever (Of The Night)' opens up with some fantastic mic work and glistening melodies, then 'Bier & Gold (Vocoder Jam)' rocks an old school electro jam complete with vocoder vocals. There is sleaziness to spare on the dirty ghetto pumper 'Bier & Gold' then a two part 'Shrimp Cocktail' that gets you up on your toes with dazzling synths and retro-future grooves to bring in the fun times.

Review: Z Records excellent Under The Influence series, in which dedicated record collectors and dusty-fingered producers showcase some of their favourite tunes, has reached its ninth instalment. At the controls this time round is London-based Alena Arpels, a dedicated dancer and DJ whose impressive selections are amongst the deepest in the series to date (it leans heavily on never-officially-released private press cuts). Musically, it does a great job in representing Arpels' musical interests - think jazz-funk, soul, disco, funk and boogie - with the many highlights including the energy-packed excitement of 'Flashback' by Jeff Burns, the woozy, flute-laden deepness of Fire Water's luscious 'Twlight', the raucous dancefloor jazz/funk fusion of Basic Sounds of Pittsburgh ('Down Beat') and the boogie-era disco-funk heat of 'Reflex' by Reflections.

Review: Schatzi is the edit label run by parent imprint Let's Play OHOuse in Brooklyn. This eighth volume of dance floor bombs is another essential one for those looking to light up the club. There is squelchy synth-funk on the international opener with its gorgeous backing vocals and lead Portuguese verses. Things get more stripped back and funky on 'Track 2' and elsewhere there is crunchy proto-electro, glossy, jazz-laced deep house groovers and slow motion, deep cut and playful electro-funk delights.