DJs: Most Charted - Disco - Most Charted February 2016

Review: Like many producers, Martin Hayes has built his career on the twin pursuits of original, sample-heavy house production and floor-friendly re-edits. This 12" sees him reaching for the scalpel once more, delivering a quartet of killer cut-jobs for Brooklyn's mighty Razor 'N' Tape. He begins with the rubbery bass, punchy horns and sweaty disco percussion of "Get On Down", before offering a perfect balance between low-slung strut and epic, string-laden brilliance on the even better "Make Me Dance". Flip for the percussion-heavy disco-funk workout "Tight Spot", and the atmospheric funk breaks, glistening guitars and spacey delays of EP closer "Ol' Funky Music".

Review: The Waffles label arrived last September with a much loved 12" that spanned the discotheque spectrum and had plenty of people salivating, no doubt thanks to some prolonged plays at Jim Murphy and the Dewaele's Despasico. The Soulwax brothers being Belgian has led many to speculate if Waffles is their work, cos you know the country is famous for them... A second helping of Waffles is here and boy is it tasty. Up top, the sleazy "Macao" stomps out on a mid-tempo bump, whilst "Spanish Fly" glides along happily with an absolutely killer bassline. The resident disco digger at Juno is off today, so we're not so sure about the source material here, but Waffles have struck gold once more.

Review: "Serge born in Russia came to the USA in the late 80s, got heavily in hiphop and digging in the crates for breaks and loops as well as production under dj supreme one moniker. He worked with such industry's heavyweights as Masta Ace, Edo G, Guru and many more. Serge is an avid vinyl collector of soul, funk, jazz, disco, boogie. Loads of good music is to come from Serge Gamesbourg."

Review: In recent years, former broken beat and nu-jazz producer Volcov has become better known as a crate digger, record collector and re-editor. BBE has harnessed these skills for From The Archive, a compilation of - in the DJ/producer's own words - "music that I've discovered that I thought would be interesting to share". It's a typically deep, soulful and varied affair, beginning with the horizontal jazz-funk bliss of Are & Be before variously touching on jazzy, soft-focus U.S house (a superb Chez Damier rework of The Urban Cru), obscure boogie (TGB), crossover disco-funk (Hot Quisine), and floor-friendly broken beat (Shokazulu, Bembe Segue). Happily, the collection also contains a trio of previously unheard re-edits from the man himself.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Faze Action return with a brand new 12", teaming up with Zimbabwean born Zeke Manyika to create "Mangwana". Sung in Zeke's native Shona, and taking influences from Mory Kante, South African Kwaito to early house, Faze Action manage to create a record that harks back yet still has a modern and contemporary feel and is set to be the soundtrack to countless festivals and outdoor parties this summer.

The title track is followed by the stunning "Chiiko", featuring Zeke's vocals enriched by Rob's 'cello's with African rhythms floating you away to another tropical world. A Vision of Panorama turns up the dial with a stunning mix on the flip side. A new bass line adds to some quality keyboard work. Finally the brothers deliver are more stripped out dub "Paradise '89 Mix" tailored for the peak time.

Review: First Choice's era-defining disco funk anthem "Love Thang" gets dusted off by Salsoul. Timeless struts, silky bass flurries, huge orchestration and gutsy vocals; this still sounds spotless today. Complete with an acapella and instrumental, the real boon here is Kon's edit. If anyone is going to edit such a classic appropriately it's this guy; with a more mix-friendly, break and vocal focused intro, dynamic stripdowns and build ups and a big drum-focused pay-off, Kon reminds us how artful editing can be in the right hands... Again.

Review: Frank Booker returns for his second outing on the evergreen Disco Deviance label offering up another pair of glorious disco reinventions seen through a raver's eye. "World Of Make Believe" is a fancy, down the line disco churner with plenty of strings, a hard punch, and a fabulous but of vocal riding over those kick drums; "Sequence Of Movement", instead, is all funky and down on the floor, boasting a sublimely phased out guitar serving as one mighty, groovy, delicious bassline. Yes please Frank.

Review: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The House Of Disco, come in and make yourselves comfortable. What began life as a blog and party has now become fully established as a record label, as THOD arrive at release number 14 with Dutch pair Daniel Leseman and Hans Peeman at the helm under their FOUK name. The Gruff EP comes after two well received FOUK Eps last year and fits snugly into The House Of Disco aesthetic, brandishing a trio of disco house pumpers that all retain that loose and live feel to them. Push us for a favourite and we'd probably plump for the filtered pump of the curiously named "Freebooter". Complementing these are remixes from Ron Basejam and Snacks of the title track, with the rasping groove of the latter a delight.

Review: Yet another top release from the Soundway imprint, with the international disco and funk focus shifted to Guyana for the label's first 12 inch in over two years! Here they present two outstanding South American disco cuts from Eddie Hooper, more commonly known for his Soca output but on brilliantly soulful form here. "Pass It On" comes filled with warmth via the primitive synths and undulating Rhodes riffs that characterise the melody, whilst crisp insistent percussion and Hooper's distinctive vocals provide the life affirming drive. The flipside counterpart "Tomorrow's Sun" has end of night written all over it with a heavy reliance on organ dramatics, sparkling harp melodies and the hugging groove a perfect backdrop to Hooper's soothing tone.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: After SHAKE 001 flew off shelves back in September, Mahogani's Dan Shake returns with his second edits release. Already firmly supported by the likes of Daphni, Soul Clap and Gilles Peterson, expect more groove-laden gems from one of the UK's fastest rising talents.

Review: Vinyl only, limited numbers: Masterworks launch a brand new 10" series, and they're doing it in style as rising French disco doyen Closed Paradise lays down two powerful sample-based grooves. "Your Love I'm Gonna Take" slaps with a sleazy bassline, rushing sound FX and textures and teasing snippets of the original source vocal. "The Vision" takes a loopier twist with a pristine guitar line that opens out with every 16 to reveal more and more. Soulful, timeless and stupendously funky. Grab it while you can.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: Marcel Vogel has decided to celebrate the first five years of his edit-heavy Lumberjacks In Hell imprint in the only way he knows how: by putting together a sumptuous double-pack stuffed with fresh new material. In keeping with the way the label has developed in recent times, the eight tracks blend the boundaries between original productions, illicit remixes and straight re-edits. There's a celebratory, life-affirming feel throughout, from the rubbery bass, D-Train synths and rolling house grooves of Giovanni Damico's "The Break Down", to the bluesy deep house brilliance of Borrowed Identity's "Queens Bridge". Highlights are plentiful elsewhere, too, from the hustlin' electrofunk-meets-disco of Vogel's own "Come On", to the killer synth solos and fuzzy bits of Tim Jules' thrilling "Slap Beat".

Review: It's guessing time once again as Mark E returns with a fifth edition of his E Versions series packing two long form productions that have been expertly tweaked and EQed for perfect dancefloor deployment. So far in the series, the Midlands edit master has dropped the occasional version that's easy to ID (the magnificent take on Madonna that was "Magazine") but for the most part E Versions has left the ID crew scratching their heads and the rest of us dancing. Both "Horn Jam" and "Sanctified" maintain this strong tradition with the B-side a particularly satisfying soul-drenched house stomper. Just wait for the vocal to come sliding in!

Review: Long-time compadres with previous form for crossing wires, Moscoman and Red Axes pair up for their first solely collaborative EP and it's a hoot: "Dikembe Mantu" uses shimmering steel drums as the lead melodic device before building up the disco-minded groove that chugs down the major scale with dubby allure while hand drums and chime lilt gently for texture in the background. "Rage In The Cage" takes us about 10 hours later into the night on a lolloping loopy analogue excursion that opens out into some deliciously positive chords. According to ESP it was recorded as a live jam... Oh to be a fly on the wall during that session. Beautiful.

Review: Big clappy hands, bigger vocals, even bigger groove; "New York's Moving" has been one of Danny Krivit's keystone selections since it was released in 1981 and it's not hard to see why... The guitar line glides from left to right, keeping the bold elements all in check: the lavish keys, the rolling percussion and the soul-churning vocals. Complete with full instrumental, there's heaps of fun to be had with this classic.

Review: Aside from releasing his own tunes and edits on Million Dollar Disco, Al Kent also dabbles in the fine art of compiling for the BBE crew, and this time he's been picked to pull together cuts for the label's fourth outing of the Disco Love series. As you'd expect, this is choc-a-bloc with odd, hard-to-find B-sides from the late 70's through to the early 80's, and his own edits are the perfect thing for the DJ who own the originals, but who wishes them to be that lil' bit straighter and kick driven. The opener itself, an edit of Clear's larger-than-life "Equal Love Opportunity" is a bit special...what a tune, and look out for the rest; all killers here. Tip for the disco heads, for real!

Review: After five years of breathing new life into forgotten Eastern European music, The Very Polish Cut-Outs is taking its' final bow. Pleasingly, this fifth and final installment of the label's vinyl sampler series is packed to the rafters with high-grade material. MIod kicks things off with "Kiedy Bylem Malym Chlopcem", a rolling, dancefloor-friendly rework of a killer blues-rock/AOR disco killer from Polish bluesman Tadeusz. Fast-rising Moscovite Beard In Dust steals the show with a killer interpretation of Polish B-boy fave "Biala Sowa, Biala Dama, Bialy Kruk", before Daniel Drumz heads into warmer waters with the sun-kissed loveliness of "Na Kolana Pastuszkowie". Another superb EP is completed by two tactile touch-ups of obscure, evocative gems that sound like long lost Balearic classics.

Review: As with previous Wall of Fame releases, Night Shift is an all-star affair, with a quartet of producers each delivering a track that blurs the boundaries between re-edits, remixes and original production. Trujillo kicks things off with the gentle nu-disco breeze of "Midnight Plane", where soft-focus disco beats and eyes-closed pianos are joined by an undulating electronic bassline and reheated chords. The Silver Rider dives into filter-heavy disco-house territory on the bumpin' "Crown Royal", while Ooft recruits Highlife/Huntleys & Palmers man Esa Williams for the deep disco meets deep house warmth of EP highlight "Don't Go Near Water". Finally, P-Sol necks a fist-load of happy pills and reclines with a pile of lazy, sun-kissed jazz-funk records on the sleepy "Set Me Free".

Review: Fresh off a 12" appearance on Dirt Crew alongside Harry Wolfman, Manchester-based DJ and producer Loz Goddard is back on a solo flex with the Drunken Monk EP for the Reserve sublabel from NYC edit crew Razor N Tape. Four tracks deep, this 12" has that slinky, glossy feel to it that sounds just right on Razor N Tape, with the Love Unlimited Orchestra does disco house shuffle of "Lovin'" the pick of the A-side cuts. Flip over and "Moovish" sees young Loz veer off into heavily filtered house territory, throwing in what sounds like some nifty RAMP sampling while he's at it. The appropriately-titled "Something Special" rounds out the 12" in fine style with a bit of a French Touch.

Review: John Morales - one half of the beyond-legendary production team M+M - finally delivers the new Club Motown series that began in 2014. The last 12" focused on divas but here we're celebrating two of the funkiest names in funk soul; Rick James and The Temptations. From the epic 11 minute reprise of "Standing On The Top" to the equally extensive shake up of "Brick House" via the brand new arrangement of "Big Time", it's another collection that only Morales could concoct. The stomping percussion-heavy into on the vocal dub of "Big Time" is impossible to sniff at too...

Review: Tokyo's Edit & Dub Recordings seem to put a lot of thought into their releases. Their first two 12" singles boasted unreleased scalpel works from Tee Scott and Larry Levan respectively. Their latest missive is titled NYC 1980 Special Disco Version, and contains a pair of subtle period reworks of popular club smashers of the time. The A-side boasts a superb revision of MFSB's Philadelphia International classic "Mysteries Of The World", which wisely concentrates on the loose-but-tight groove and the original's deep, life-affirming synth lines. On the flip, Francine McGee's wild "Delirium" gets the scalpel treatment, with the un-credited editor making merry with the original's intense electronic piano solos, clipped guitars and stretched-out synthesizer lines.

Review: City Of Dreams' boogie, soul and funk reissues rarely disappoint. Predictably, this is another killer. Gina's "Hooked On Love" remains something of a delicious oddity: a cover of the Leroy Burgess-boasting Aleem classic of the same name, sung by mysterious vocalist Gina, and produced by the Aleem brothers themselves. While their original version was a surging, piano-heavy stomper blessed with Burgess's trademark vocals, the Gina cover re-casts it as a breezy, synthesizer-heavy boogie/ pop hybrid in the manner of very early Madonna recordings. It's a fine record, and comes accompanied with not only the superb original instrumental, but also a previously unheard "Basement Tape" version rescued from the archives.

Review: "Understood by few; mysterious or secret." is the dictionary definition of arcane. The term is also the name for the new label venture from Edg4r, a key member of the boogie and disco loving Miami Players Club crew. The debut 12" comes from Diamond Jackson, aka Superior Elevation boss man Tom Noble and Edg4r in producer and executive producer role respectively, and features a trio of fuzzed out, disco-boogie-house crossovers. If you've been a fan of Noble's work to date, you will definitely be seduced by these three cuts which all feel redolent of a byegone era but benefit from contemporary production methods - the bassline on "Maybe So" is particularly heavy! A fine start for the Arcane crew!