Juno Recommends Disco: June 2022

Review: The inimitable Mr K lands once more on the Most Excellent Unltd label with more of his a-grade edits. He kicks off with a signature disc-funk sounds that could be from any ear in the last forty years. The bass licks really get you up on your toes as the dangling chords and leggy drums heighten the groove. A steamy female vocal then flips you out. On the backside is 'World Famous' which is a cut up groove with some great scratching, old school electro-boogie in the cords and a nice lush lead piano line that brings the joy.

Review: Highly sought-after 1984 classic from Jeff Floyd reissued by Papaya Detroit.

Review: Philadelphia International Records was of course a goldmine for irresistible soul sounds. One of the main men responsible for that was the legend Lou Rawls. This lovely new 12" brings together a couple of his signature sounds with subtle remix work by Mike Maurro. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine' and 'See You When I Git There' have been taken from the original master tapes and given some modern dance floor touches to make them essential all over again. The a-side in particular has superb drums and aching vocals that stay with you a long time.

Review: Lady Blackbird's recent album Black Acid Soul was many things - a modern soul-jazz masterpiece for starters - but dancefloor-ready was not one of them. Because of this, the Los Angeles-based artist has decided to inaugurate a series of 'remix dubplates' featuring fresh revisions of cuts from the album. Number one in the series features two rubs from Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy under the Cosmodelica alias: a brilliant full-vocal remix in which spacey synth stabs, Clavinet sounds and clipped disco guitars rise above a sturdy dub disco groove, and a flipside dub that removes most of Lady Blackbird's fine vocal and emphasizes the trippy elements in Murphy's brilliant re-prodution (particularly the synthesizer sounds).

Review: Finnish nine-piece Kuja Orchestra original version of the Afro centric Kuja's disco on Jazz Aggresion label came in under 3 minutes so this unreleased extended version on A side allows the instrumentation to shine through showing off some seriously good funk infused solos and horn arrangements.
Rudy's Midnight Machine & Nik Weston's Mukatsuku more club orientated mix makes more use of the uplifting strings for a dramatic intro ,adding a disco bassline,tight drums and lashings of brass heavy horn workouts for the packed dancefloor.Support from Colin Curtis,Admin ,Charlie Dark,Colleen Murphy, Cosmo Sofi ,Emanative ,Smoov etc

Review: Love Drop first released in the mid 2000s, but his career only started gathering pace when he appeared on G.A.M.M and Home Taping is Killing Music in 2018. Following another outing on G.A.M.M earlier in 2021 - the rather good 'We Got To Get Our Shit Together' - he's decided to bring back his own 'Love Drops' rework series. This time round, the A-side is a breathlessly bumpin' affair in which winding sax lines, party atmosphere and snippets of a heavyweight disco-funk workout combine with a thumping-but-swinging house beat. Over on the flip, he delivers a locked-in, subtly tooled-up take on an electric piano-sporting jazz-funk Bill Evans gem that sits at the jazzier end of the spectrum. Solid stuff all told.

Review: If you love the proto-house sound perfected by Boyd Jarvis, Paul Simpson and Winston Jones - amongst others - in the early-to-mid 1980s, Mark Seven's Parkway Rhythm project is definitely for you. The Sweden-based Brit has long been a student of the sound and the music he makes is so authentic in terms of drum programming, sound selection, synths and effects that you would be forgiven for thinking you were listening to an unreleased recording from the period. 'Be Yourself' is a particularly strong example, sounding like a mix of Serious Intention, Visual and Pushe. The flipside Dub is our pick of the pair, but both are genuinely brilliant.

Review: First 7' ever on Serbian label Disco Fruit comes by label boss Tonbe aka Milos Dordevic, an accomplished DJ and producer with previous releases (as Loshmi) on top labels like King Street, Editorial and Midnight Riot. Hailing from Smederevo, he is also the owner of record labels Fruity Flavor and Cherry Cola. 'Come Around' is a low-slung deep disco groove featuring soulful vocals, plus an instrumental version of the track on the B side.

Review: What differentiates Loveface's De Mixes series from its re-edit and rework rivals is a willingness to embrace synth-heavy 1980s soul and the mid-80s proto-house sound of New York City. That glossy, colourful sound once again comes to the fore on this sixth instalment in the series. After first reworking a classic, mid-80s sing-along ('That You Are'), the mysterious production crew pays tribute to loved-up, hands-in-the-air Italo-house on 'Love Fantasy'. Over on the flip, 'Pablo's Theme' is a shimmering chunk of neo-boogie/electrofunk fusion rich in rubbery synth-bass and kaleidoscopic melodies, while 'Give It To You' is another tactile and gorgeous slab of '80s soul given a subtle dancefloor makeover.

Review: AXNER are Disco Freaks' Chris Davies (Acid Jazz Records) and singer Julia Axner. Their debut 'Got The Look' is a self-empowered celebration of getting your glow on and heading to the club for a boogie. An all original production, featuring drummer Ralph Rolle (Nile Rodgers & Chic), Joel Sarakula on Rhodes, Paul Housden on bass and a super-tight Philly brass section to finish things off. Keeping things analog, AXNER called in Al 'Million Dollar Disco' Kent to give the track the extended remix reel-to-reel treatment. Stripping back the 'Feel Good' vocals, letting that beautiful Rhodes breathe and stirring the track into a dance floor focused crescendo of brass complimented harmonies that legendary Walter Gibbons would be proud of. The instrumental is trimmed down for maximum impact. Perfect percussion ammo for any groove obsessed DJ. Pressed at 45pm for added disco goodness, AXNER's debut is dance floor dynamite that's ready to explode.

Review: The people behind Japan's Edit & Dub series are understandably publicity-shy, while their periodic releases tend to appear without much fanfare or fuss. As usual, there's little info about the crew's latest single-sided missive, which has been pressed to a rather lovely slab of marbled purple vinyl. A-side 'Lovin' is a fine re-edit of an unnamed heavy disco stomper - all rubbery bass guitar, sweeping orchestration, twinkling pianos and dewy-eyed female lead vocals. Over on the flip the shadowy scalpel fiends take on Wanda's 1982 boogie classic 'I Must Be Dreamin', doing a terrific job of emphasizing the squelchy synth-bass, Evelyn 'Champagne' King style electronic squiggles (think 'I'm In Love') and razor-sharp disco guitars.

Review: Leng Records' 59th release is something a little different: a very personal collection of largely obscure and hard-to-find gems, mostly created by European pop producers in the late '70s and early '80s, from artist and record collector Paul Beckett. Firmly Balearic and sun-soaked in tone, there's plenty to set the pulse racing throughout. For proof, first check Ray & John's 'Day By Day (Instrumental), which sounds like Please-era Pet Shop Boys reclining at a pool party in Rimini, before admiring the space rock/synth-pop fusion of 'Angelo' by Angel'o. Over on the flip, Beckett offers up three more slices of glassy-eyed goodness, with the loved-up deep synth pop of Angel and the fretless bass-sporting wooziness of Eggs Time standing out.

Review: We're used to hearing Horse Meat Disco set the peak of the night alight with their fierce and fabulous route through disco, house and Italo, but what happens after the dance? On their entry for the long-standing Back To Mine series Jamies Hillard, Jim Stanton, Luke Howard and Severino Panzetta take us deep into their collections for a blissful, soulful soundtrack to that cosy moment when we want to wind down after a big night out. There's still plenty of the groove-oriented magic we've come to expect from the crew, from Krivit editing Gwen McRae to Severino himself remixing Roisin Murphy, but as you'd expect this is also a voyage of discovery full of secret weapons, spread across two slabs of wax for your own mixing pleasure.

Review: Although they've been serving up high-grade blends of disco, funk, soul and house for some time, it's only in recent years that many of Micky More and Andy Tee's most potent productions have made it to wax. The two tracks here, which first appeared digitally in the middle of the last decade, are fine examples. 'I'm Another Man' is heavy, raw and impactful, with the pair adding rolling house beats to a horn-heavy deep funk song complete with gravelly male lead vocals. Over on the flip, 'Night Cruiser' is their (successful) attempt to make (and update) a Vincent Montana style, Salsoul disco instrumental with added house chops. Keep an ear out for the Roy Ayers style vibraphone solo that drops midway through.

Review: The Super Spicy Recipe series comes with its 4th installment with a super strong compilation! A1 belongs to the always trustable Igor Gonya, who opens the record with a track that comes directly from the mid 70's, splashed with some new grooves. A2 is on charge of the amazing italian producer Musta, who delivers an astonishing jazzy track to heat the dance floor. Pisma Deer takes control on A3 with a loopy groove with heavier drums to keep the dance on! On the flip, B1 is entrusted to Disco 86 who delivers a sexy smasher track that has been tested in the dancefloor with sexy results. Finally, B2 welcomes Jet Boot Jack, with an awesome banger worth to close this amazing compilation.

Review: Faze Action return with a classic original house track "Paradise" managing to seamlessly fuse Italo house with the New York sound of the late 80's early 90's. Finely mixing a cocktail of heavenly piano house riffs with dreamy vocals and dubby bass lines, topped off with some classic breakdown moments to tease the most discerning dancefloors into hysteria.
We have also included two tracks for the first time on vinyl, the classic Rudy's Midnight Machine - "Open to Your Love" and Faze Action's - "I Wanna Dancer" (Old School House Mix) plus we have the floor filling ST House Mix of "Freak for Your Love".

Review: Inspired by the sparkling, Balearic-tinged Italo-disco sounds of fellow Mancunians Red Laser, Ruf Dug decided to rustle up his own synth-heavy, sun-kissed workout. The result is 'Manctalo Beach', an arpeggio-driven slab of summery brilliance marked out by pulsating bass, cheery lead lines, wavy chords and glistening melodic flourishes. Throw in some delay-laden percussion breakdowns and you have a pleasingly authentic chunk of kaleidoscopic retro-futurism. Turn to the flip for Ruf Dug's own 'Version' rework, a proto-house style dub full of effects-laden drum machine hits, synthesized cowbell, stripped-back grooves and mind-mangling breakdowns.

Review: Coral City return early in 2022 with an excellent release. N&W are on duty again here with three stand-out tracks. 'Rave' the A-Side is exactly what it says on the tin. It's 808 State meets Larry Heard with a touch of Inner City. Stripped down and four to floor. Classic Roland 909 drums are met with aAhook that shakesAany dancefloor, expect early support with this. 'Speed' is a killer Nu-Disco / Boogie affair with a nod to the seedy underworld of the '80s, Picture Michelle Pfeiffer throwing shapes on the dancefloor in Scarface, and you are right on the nose. Finally, 'Cherry' is an all-out Italo / Hi-NRG workout, the linndrums, the driving arpeggio bassline and overall melancholy feel, is reminiscent of Bobby Orlando.

Review: Emotional Rescue completes another set of Discomix collaborations, this time with the Idjut Boys' Dan Tyler, with the dub-disco-reggae of JA meets Brixton's Floyd Lloyd Seivright.

Born in Brown Town, 1948, his music life was formed while attending the cradle of Jamaica music, the legendary Alpha Boys School that spawned the likes of Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, Johnny Osbourne, Cedric Brooks and Rico Rodriguez. Leaving for London in 1969 to pursue music he soon established himself, recording with Vista Sounds and Trojan, where he also worked on A&R, before setting up his Tropic label, as well as signing to KPM Music that has seen his compositions appear in film / TV from Eastenders to Friends and recently, Stranger Things.

By the 80s he was working with Red Cloud (ERC102/123), mixing a fusion with soul and disco. Check Out Your Mind comes from these sessions, appearing on his sophomore album. Jazz keys and horns, funk bass and infectious guitar back Seivright's call to awaken, a rising consciousness of the times.
The righteous groove is exemplified on the super rare instrumental. Appearing on the Sexy Lady 12, it now commands serious attention. Featured together for the first time, the interplay shinning a light on Rudy Steel's guitar, before the B side is commanded again by Dan Tyler. His longform utilises the best of both versions, cutting and dubbing to abandon while maintaining total control of desk for a fitting finale.

Review: Dailysessions has been rolling out its East Village Edits series for seven superb volumes up to now. The eighth keeps up the label's fine tradition and is another red hot four tracker from DJ Monchan that packs a big punch each and every time. 'Heat Body' opens up with the sort of lung-busting vocals that no one can ignore as well as a nice funky bass riff. 'Believe' then steps it up with some sixties strings and jazz-funk breaks that heat you right though and 'Dancing Love' then glistens and glows with a deeper and more seductive sound.

Review: Chicago's Star Creature Universal Vibrations prepare to land the spacecraft this week, bringing with them a new LP by Eli Hurwitz aka E Live aka The Prince of Star Creature. Cloud Vibes features sophisticated jazz/funk/boogie beats across 13 tracks by the Oakland-based producer and Elivity Records chief. Highlights include the late night sultriness of opening cut 'You Got Me', the low-slung affair that is 'City Girl'' as well as the slo-mo vocal-led heater 'Wise Up' (feat Devaun Bantu). Near the end, there's the perfect soundtrack to a drive down the west coast with your sunroof down on 'Cadillac Breeze'.

Review: Hazmat Live is a live techno, disco and house artist based out of there Motor City and here he lands on hometown label Papaya Detroit which does just 500 limited runs of each release. The D-town ambassador does a fine job of representing his city's rich musical heritage with a pair of breezy and hip-shaking cuts. The bass is squelchy, the synths feel good and the musicality is off the chars with both tunes. These are perfect summer heaters to drop anywhere from the BBQ to the backroom to the terrace.

Review: The legendary Salsoul Records served up this Afrika System track back in the 80s and it got an Italian remake in 1986 which got hammered on dance floors. Now the High Fashion Music label has secured the master tapes and passed them to Moplen who has taken his scalpel to the multitrack and doe some fine edit work. The tunes come with big melodic basslines and lovely percussion. The vocal chants are colourful and charismatic and with the lush melodies, the whole thing adds up to a killer groove.

Review: Ed Upton's DMX Krew output as always been heavily rooted in electro, but he's not averse to turning his hand to vintage-sounding synth-funk and electropop when the mood takes him. It's that mode the Bedford-born producer is in on Party Life, his second album for long-serving Munich stable Permanent Vacation. Featuring his own spoken and sung vocals, pleasingly authentic '80s-sounding synths and bubbly basslines throughout, Party Life very much lives up to its title, delivering a swathe of catchy, ear-pleasing cuts that are more fun than, well, something extremely fun. Highlights include bubbly P-funk pop number 'Show Me', revivalist new jack swing number 'Anything' and wonderfully electrofunk jam 'Party Life', which is also presented in a deliciously delay-laden 'Dub' mix mode at the end of side two.

Review: By now, we're not sure how battered up this robot can get; French electro-balearic duo Breakbot are back with their first single of the year, hitting up regular collaborator Irfane for a four-track EP modeled around our own vices. Plodding downtempo and achy, breaky heart-strings are tugged as we take our daily dose of 'Remedy', while electric bossa nova and cinematic strings help us see 'The Light'. A subdued new EP spelling exciting things to come from the mainstays.

Review: Stefan Lindblom made his debut as Gome last year, serving up a colourful and vibrant EP on Toy Tonics rooted in the 'Munich Machine' productions of Giorgio Moroder and shirts-off Italo-disco. He flips the script a little on this equally as impressive sequel, kicking things off with the pleasingly sleazy, P-funk fuelled electrofunk workout 'Teach You', whose risque spoken word vocals are as seductive as they come. The tasty original mix comes backed with the sparser, slap-bass sporting 'Erobique Remix' and two bonus flipside cuts: the rushing, old school piano house/acid house fusion of 'Come On (Piano Mix)' and deep, TB-303 and vocoder-sporting electro number 'Electric Boulevard'