Juno Recommends Disco: March 2023

Review: Dimitri From Paris has the kind of masterful touch which makes any one of his remixes buy on sight material. But if you need to know more, on this 12" for Z Records he's taking on the Russian band Leonid & Friends and their cover of 'Street Player' by Chicago. Of course the original was an iconic joint made even more classic by 'that' Bucketheads tune, and you can hear DFP having fun nodding to that iconic bit of 90s chart-topping house in these deadly versions. If you like your disco house fierce and fiery but still delivered with finesse, this record is all you need.

Review: Z Records are kicking off 2023 in fine style with some seriously potent disco house wares, as if we would expect any less. On the A-side of this 7" we get AC Soul Symphony (Z main man Dave Lee to anyone else) having fun laying down the heat on 'The Philly Avengers' with a dramatic, wah wah toting funk explosion. On the B-side, Tiffany T'Zelle leads on vocals while Mistura handles the production for the swooning, passionate poise of 'If You Ever Need Somebody' - a future classic condensed into a radio-friendly edition for this killer 7".

Review: Rising duo LF System is a Scottish production duo consisting of Conor Larkman and Sean Finnigan. They provided the definitive funky house summer anthem last year called 'Afraid To Feel' which samples the 1979 song from American funk group Silk, 'I Can't Stop' (Turning You On). This version is a much appreciated extended mix with a DJ friendly intro. Over on the flip, they pay credit to the original with the MM edit of this absolutely sensual number, that still holds its own to this day some 43 years on.

Review: Cloud was a Brit-funk group back in the 80s whose catalogue is continuing to get plenty of attention. Their All Night Long EP was a big reissue with a remix from Ge-Ology and now we get Backatcha serving up this EP of four dazzling cuts. The well-crafted and floor-facing tunes here mix up disco, nu-disco, synth-pop and jazz funk with plenty of unique style. It's another doozy for the collection that saves you from forking out high prices for any originals you may be able to find.

Review: The joy of Loveface's 'De Mixes' series - for us, at least - is the spectacularly synth-laden sounds being re-edited and remixed. In truth, most re-edit series tend to ignore glossy '80s soul, kaleidoscopic freestyle and delay-laden proto-house, but Loveface frequently offers up reworks of tracks that fall into those categories. This seventh instalment in the series begins with a fantastically authentic, drum machine-driven re-wire of a smooth, FM synth-sporting '80s soul gem ('Smoke Chronic'), before smothering an already dubby chunk of proto-house era boogie in delay and reverb on the brilliant 'Lovedub'. Over on the flip 'Ninja Disco' is a grandiose chunk of delightfully over-the-top Hi-NRG hi-jinks, while 'Don't Get Carried Away' is a fine re-arrangement of a piano-powered slab of early NYC 'garage-house' of the sort that Larry Levan may well have championed.

Review: Anyone with a passing interest in dance music will be familiar with Metro Area's one and only self-titled album. It is now 20 years old and has never been bettered in the two decades since it was released. The US pair also released a highly regarded selection of EPs back in the day on Environ, and the label has decided to reissue them. But not before having them recut and remastered by the one and only Matt Colton. These new editions feature some versions of the tunes that have never been reissued before as well as the original, extended 12" versions of all songs. There is no reason not to pick up all four 12"s, frankly.

Review: Serge Funk lies on the intersection of ironic future funk and straight-up clean disco edits, having made a recent name for himself as a wonderkid for disco- and funky-house versions. A re-editor for the diggers as opposed to the bait heads, 'You & I' and 'Yeah Yeah' are utter bangers devoid of much relation to their originals (indeed, there's no way of telling what the samples are without a record buyers' knowledge), in large part thanks to their working into beat-centric structures that drown out the vocals in favour of kick slappage and gut-punchage. Rhythm over theme; keeping things vibey, felt.

Review: Ralph Lawson's 20/20 Vision has been a reliable home for disco funksters Crazy P over the years. Even though the label has veered more into electro sounds of late, happily it still has the space for this second volume of tunes curated by the Nottingham outfit. It shows how their sound has broadened over the years and takes in the gorgeous downtempo lushness of A Certain Ratio's 'Atmosphere Sings' next to Hot Toddy's deep and thoughtful groove 'Barry & The Mouse'. On the flip is some majestic and cosmic Italo from scene-godfather Daniele Baldelli & Marco Dionigi on 'Neono' and then Sarah Bates rounds out with some rugged bass guitar riffs and late-night tropical heat on 'All About That'.

Review: US producer Pilooski shows us exactly how disco edits are done with their latest three-tracker 'Special Disco Versions', all three of which are dedicated to the work of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The time-honoured and unmistakable hit 'Beggin', already a hit in Pilooski re-edit form back in 2007, works its subtly breakbeaty, surround-clappy magic, perfect for those hankering after a more readily-DJ-mixable version of the hit. A spinal-scratchy French verison of 'Who Loves You' appears afterwards, not to mention the original version of 'Grease' on the B2.

Review: Captain Planet is a globe trotting DJ and producer who mixes up worldly roots music with his own fresh take on hip-hop and dancehall. For this one he joined up with Zuzuka Poderosa & Raphael Futura for a brilliant Brazilian disco and funk song that harks back to the 70s and 80s with influences like Tim Maia, Sandra Da Sa & Gilberto Gil. 'Moqueca' though also has some nice dance floor weight to it as well as the richly tropical percussion, steamy horns and seductive chords. On the flip is an instrumental and the good news is this is a taster of a full album to come.

Review: Do you feel like dancing? A masterclass in floor-filling (the inevitable result of including exactly what you want your audience to do in the lyrics) Henderson & Whitfield's 'Dancin' To The Beat' is an early example of psychologically affective music from New York - ironically hailing from an era in which city-dwellers didn't need much encouragement to dance in the first place. But hey. On 45rpm vinyl for the first time, both the repetitious vocal and remix-worthy instrumental versions are on there, giving this prime cut yet another fighting chance to make itself known.

Review: Ben Jamin's first EP on vinyl comes as a forest-green slab, and documents four of the producers most joyful disco edit cuts. On the slower side, these four cut-ups repeal the tempo as the EP progresses, with track three, 'Conclusion', operating in that liminal sweet spot between disco and hip-hop. By the end, we're in full-blown yacht disco territory, as a remix known only as 'Moment Is Real' urges us to feel the sincerity of the loving situation we find ourselves in.

Review: Has there ever been a more significant nu-disco release than Metro Area's 1999 debut? It was certainly an outlier on its original release in 1999 and inspired countless others to attempt (and usually fail) to follow in their footsteps. All these years on, it still sounds fantastic - as this remastered reissue proves. Opener 'Atmospherique' effectively defined their timeless, NYC-inspired sound - think the warmth of deep house mixed with spacey synths, disco percussion and squelchy bass - while the subtly Latin-tinged 'Pina' sounds every bit as incredible in 2023 as it did at the turn of the Millennium. 'Rainy Street Feeling', which didn't make the cut on their celebrated debut album, is a real treat, too - a classy hybrid of loose-limbed deep house, sultry strings and nu-disco electronics that's worth the admission fee on its own.

Review: The enigmatic Alex From Utopia presents the latest release on Rimini-based edits series Duca Bianco. It's proper Balearic sunset bliss on 'Spanish Guitar Tune' (Pikes anthem). There's another more dancefloor ready version over on the flip, which forgoes the celestial keys on the A-side for some house pianos and a stronger rhythm department, plus the addition of a killer horn section.

Review: Omena main man and Local Talk co-founder Tooli has released a handful of fine original productions over the years, but as far as we know this is the first time he's shared any of his personal stash of club-ready re-edits. On side A of this Majestic Rituals label debut, he gets stuck into a suitably cosmic, heart-warming jazz-funk classic ('Peace and Love'), tastefully rearranging and extending it for maximum dancefloor pleasure. Over on side B, 'The Fly' is an infectious, solo-laden slab of Clavinet and Rhodes-heavy disco-funk brilliance rearranged for maximum peak-time impact, while 'One Eyed Giant' is a slap bass-sporting disco delight smothered in spacey, turn-of-the-80s synth sounds, flanged guitar licks, bustling drums, twinkling pianos and energetic Clavinet riffs.

Review: Metro Area pretty much set a gold standard for modern disco with their eponymous debut album. Now, two decades on, they remain untouchable when it comes to this sort of sound. To mark their 20th-anniversary Environ has lined with the renowned mastering engineer Matt Colton to have the duo's first four 12"s recut. Each one features the original, extended 12" versions of all songs, some of which have never been re-released. Metro Area 3 features the elastic bass and suspensory grooves of 'Caught Up', pumping arps and cosmic pads of 'Tonky Pumpz' and the shimmering jazz-funk-disco dazzle of 'Evidence'.

Review: It might be 23 years old, but Metro Area's second eponymous EP still sounds as fresh, timeless and immaculately produced as it did at the turn of the Millennium. Here the three-tracker returns in freshly remastered form. The real standout is arguably near nine-minute A-side 'The Art Of Hot', a deliciously deep, sparse and glassy-eyed affair in which echoing strings (courtesy of Kelley Polar and chums), sustained chords and electronic pots-and-pans percussion rise above an undulating synth bassline and crispy disco drums. Elsewhere, 'Machine Vibes' is a more warming and melody-rich skip through deep nu-disco pastures featuring a rather lovely flute solo, and 'Wafer' is a bass guitar-propelled skip through spacey, house-not-house awesomeness.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: The fifth volume of their magnificent Super Spicy Recipe series finds the label's crew in full party effect, with the six tracks here crossing the borders from peak time dropping to essential warm up/down gear. First up, Vagabundo Club Social takes 'Beso Loco' featuring Tomjake Sax and turns up the controls to maximum fun, the Colombians throwing in tons of groove and Afro -influenced percussion, before Monsieur Van Pratt and Guatemalan singer Teff Brolo. This all-original track is leaded by the powerful soulful vocals, accompanied by a groove-infused piano which keeps the beats nicely anchored, followed by the ever dependable Reece Johnson who closes off this side. Flip it over for Bernardo Mota & Boogietraxx and the euphoric 'Keep On Doing Your Thing' before Sartorial takes proceedings into slightly jazzier territory on B2 and B3.

Review: The Phenomenal Handclap Band combine forces with Buscabulla on this new split 7" for the new Relatin project, a New York-based initiative to reimagine Latin music for a new generation of music listeners. Touted as "sweet sixties soft pop meets funk and club culture", this three tracker comes to us with all the style of a low key Americana acetate found in a thrift store, but surreptitiously works modern sonics into the mix; 'Descripcion' is a beatless meander through mellow Latin vocals and whistles, while more energetic cuts adorn the A.

Review: Nine years after volume one landed in stores, Italian twosome G&D return with a fifth instalment in their occasional edit series. This time they've got company, too. Fellow Italian producer LTJ contributes a brilliant EP-opening edit - the languid, disco-meets-jazz-funk shuffle of 'The Rain Machine', where elastic bass and electric piano solos catch the ear - while Star Creature signees First Touch provide a smoother, chunkier and more synth-heavy rework of the very same track on side B. G&D fill in the gaps, first tweaking a sweaty disco-funk jam ('Ziddy'), before reworking a surging, techno-tempo disco stomper (the wonderfully camp 'Gusto').

Review: Moiss Music is dropping two slabs of heat this month - their sixth and seventh EPs overall. Both are various artists' collections with plenty of 'floor-facing disco fun. Mathew Ferness opens this one with 'Paradisio' which has plenty of inspiration taken from late afternoon dances somewhere like Ibiza. 3kelves & We Are Neurotic get you working your feet with the busy percussive grooves and squelchy synth funk of 'Laguna Reservoir Funk' while Naux brings lots of loopy fun and throwback vocal goodness to his steamy 'Foxxy Cleopatra.' Partner Music rounds out the EP with the most energetic and busy of the lot - the restless melodies of 'People Should Romance.'

Review: American born/Colombia-based producer Ben Woods aka Bosq, and Benin-born vocalist/guitarist Leon Ligan-Majek aka Kaleta follow up on the success of their recent collaboration with Purple Disco Machine, and build on their nearly 10 years of working together with their new Afro disco number 'Ipade'. It features Kaleta's trademark chants and exclamations in a mix of Yoruba and English, over sleek rhythms, a ripping horns section and one funky bassline. Over on the flip, get down deeper into the groove with the lo-slung swagger of 'Ariya Tide'.

Review: A creative dose of future funk here from Kraak & Smaak; 'I Don't Know Why' is a maximized, bass-heavy and neatly saturated tune for partystarting, with Mayer Hawthorne laying down just the right lyrics to set such a mood: 'people having fun at the function!', etc. On the B-side comes the X to the A's Y. Berenice Van Leer complements Hawthorne's tenor with an angelic falsetto over a crispy, wahhy, and mysterious instrumental. An overall neat slice of tropical let-your-hair-downage from the Netherlands trio.

Review: It's another family affair over at New York City's Razor N Tape label. For this edition, they have tapped the ever reliable Israeli indie-dance heroes Red Axes for a euphoric rendition of Nenor's 'Do You Remember' (feat Jenny Penkin) making for proper Balearic vibes, while the one-and-only Boo Williams delivers another ultra-deep house journey in the form of 'Besty Smith'. Over on the flip, we see the return of New Zealand-based producer Frank Booker who hands in the late night mood music of 'Time Won't Tell' followed by Peter Matson with a slinky and neon-lit rework of label chief JKriv's 'Something Else'.

Review: 2022 has been a hugely successful year for Razor N Tape founder JKriv, whose various singles, remixes and re-edits have all hit the mark. His final release of 2022 sees him serve up four more hot-to-trot edits for the long-running Moton label. On opener 'Repent', the Escort bass player serves up a fine rearrangement of a spacey synth-sporting disco-funk obscurity, while 'Lingala Nacionale' is a fast paced, turn-of-the-80s Afro-disco number with strong vocals, beats and jangly guitars. Over on side B, JKriv first gives his interpretation of a squelchy Caribbean boogie gem from Tappa Zukie ('Love Dream'), before dipping the tempo a touch on a suitably summery rework of a sun-baked Brazilian disco-boogie gem.

Review: Reportedly an alias for a former member of legendary, Factory Records-signed outfit The Duratti Column, The Cosmologist is a dub effects loving re-editor whose occasional vinyl missives are always worth checking. Volume five arrives nearly eight years after its predecessor and delivers two undeniably heavy concoctions. On A-side 'Spin', he delivers a deliciously dubbed-out, delay-laden rearrangement of a particularly percussive, NYC no-wave disco outing - all dense, pots and pans percussion, jaunty piano motifs and urgent vocals. Over on side B, 'Water' is a fine revision of an obscure, lesser-known, Kwaito-esque chugger - a kind of synth-sporting, mid-80s cover of (we think) Fela Kuti that sounds like a guaranteed dancefloor winner.

Review: GAMM presents the debut of enigmatic producer Black Truffle, with an EP of underground Euro disco / boogie, high energy disco-jazz and leftfield Euro folk-funk-jazz. On the first side, get swept away by the breezy and lo-slung funk of 'Autumn Of Love' followed by the late night boogie-down vibe of 'Integration'. Over on the flip, 'Superqueen' is your go-to dancefloor heater to play at the peak of the evening, and finally there's the sensual slo-mo vocal number 'Zore Moya Vechirnaya' which is the perfect closing track for later on.

Review: Clarity was formed by vocalist Simon Wallace, a key figure in the 80s and 90s British gospel music scene who would go on to found the group Chosen. This release was produced and arranged by seasoned reggae/jazz guitarist Alan Weekes for his Bpop label, originally seeing release in 1985 and reissued here on Freestyle. Proper late night boogie-down vibes on 'The Way U Make Me Feel' - we'd have to agree that is indeed one of the best examples of funk music from the mid 80s era - and over on the flip the life-affirming emotions continue with the smooth instrumental 'Turning Over'.

Review: Originally released in 1983 on Evergreen Records, the D.I.T. Band's split 7" 'You Bring Out The Best In Me' has been remastered and reissued for a new generation of fans - needless to say, that hardly detracts from both songs' appeal, which need no second introduction. A Prince-like funk snappiness is central to the tracks, nailing the ultra-swung mood of early '80s funk with its oohs and aoows - clearly, the aim is to make you scream, "tight!" For those who like it snappy, futuristic, and rare, this one's for you.

Review: The ever-reliable Legofunk label has scored another big one here with four more dance floor-ready bits of disco-rooted fire. Openers XXXV Edits kick off with the cosmic vibes and expansive melodies of 'Space Bass Rooster' before Lego Edit layers up some old-school soul and funk on 'P-Man.' On the flip is the elastic bass funk of Soulbrigada's 'Hum Bello' with is flabby rhythms and great vocals then closing down is a Wandervogel's 'Mirage,' a Rhodes-laced house groove that is jazzy, lo-fi, soulful and brilliantly warm. The sort of thing Moodymann would play to a mad reaction.A

Review: For those who know, First Touch are doyens of the club scene from back in the day and were regularly heard on the world's best dance floors. The German outfit brought a special kind of modern funk back from 2000 onwards and helped revive boogie across a number of great LPs and 7"s. They have remained active over the years and this new one is another fresh sound. 'Changes' is classic First Touch with nice analogue drums and rubbery synth bass lines as well as warm piano chords and horn stabs. Then there is 'Chron' which falls more into a world of seductive electro territory.