Juno Recommends Disco: April 2023

Review: The superb Make Up series hits release number three and in doing so heads back to the trio that started it all. The combination of Chicago house originator Chez Damier, Adeen label head Camille and Italian talent Nico Lahs is a dream team indeed and they serve up some crucial edits that cover a wide sonic range. There are standout cuts on the first 12" such as 'Dance to Freedom' and 'African Bump' while jazzy grooves define 'Sunny' and 'Changes' is all about getting that dance floor vibing. This is another in-the-know musical voyage from this crew that more that deserves a spot on your shelves.

Review: A momentous reissue of Funk Masters' 1981 disco/jazz funk hit. Out of print for over 40 years, 'Love Money' was a staple of the New York underground scene, spun everywhere across the city from Larry Levan's Paradise Garage to David Mancuso's Loft. With a low swung, funk-geared groove, 'Love Money', is a truly timeless track, encapsulating the sheer energy of disco, funk, and proto-house across eras. On the B-side, Bo Kool's '(Money) No Love' is a track steeped in historical significance - it's one of the earliest examples of UK rap. With nods to the reggae and dub culture at the root of the UK's club scene, it's no surprise to learn the track was produced by Jamaican reggae DJ and producer, Tony Williams. We're delighted to hear this lauded record make a triumphant return to record bags and dancefloors.

Review: Discolidays kicks off its third release with this spicy little joint from The Reflex, the remixer par excellence who is given two juicy tracks to get busy with. On the A-side it's Bruise's 2022 track 'When Pianos Attack' which is being tweaked and pumped for maximum impact, while on the flip Lou Hayter gets the executive treatment via some seriously sophisticated disco house flexing from an expert in the field. With dub and full-fat versions to sink your teeth into, there's plenty of potency in this record to keep your party primed.

Review: Soul meets speed garage on this new V/A EP from Z Records, blurring the lines between the genres in just the way we like it. The opening track - Grant Nelson's mix of 'Starlight' by Dave & Omar - is a euphoric, piano-laced uplifter which both sonically and lyrically urges us to reach for the sky. That's followed by the DJ Fudge production 'Everything' by Chocolate Fudge Band, featuring lots of live instrumentation and a Curtis Mayfield style vocal, while over on the flip, 'Looking For You' proves to be a deep and bouncy cut filled with soulful Motown vocal chops and an organ workout worthy of any Sunday service, over a beautifully wonky house framework.

Review: Super steamy and loved up stuff here from the next Razor-N-Tape 12" as Midnight Magic comes through with the heat. First up is actually a remix of the original 'I Found Love' by Perel which is a gloriously emotive, diva powered disco-house anthem to get hands in the air and dopamine rushing. The original is a little more reserve and cool but still heavy on the good time feels. Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca tweak that only slightly on their more cosmic Erodiscotique remix then Sophie Lloyd remixes with plenty of glossy synth work.

Review: French producer and DJ Young Pulse has really gone places since his first release on GAMM, and is now well on his way to being an established name on the worldwide disco and house scene. Here on his eighth volume of Paris Edits, you get a full taste of the uplifting quality boogie and disco that he's all about. On side A, you've got a proper lo-slung dancefloor heater with a killer horns section and life-affirming vocals. Over on the flip, for your enjoyment there's a classic Ingram style number featuring a nice gospel theme.

Review: The Life Classics label is back with more gems to light up your day (or night.) This is a fine fifth volume of edits from Sanctuary that tweak some timeless disco sounds for modern dance floors. There is a glorious sense of soul to 'Feelings' with its boogie-fied drums and soaring vocal harmonies perfectly ready to melt your heart. 'Get Away' is a harder edged cut with raw claps and lively rhythms all topped off with impassioned vocals. 'Running' is high on 80s vibes with its male vocal and glossy synths all irresistible to anyone with a beating heart and 'So Busy' closes down with a deeper, more sentimental feel.

Review: Duca Bianco has always had a loveable erratic approach to putting out edits. They have come at irregular intervals from a gamut of unknown artists. That leftfield tradition continues here with so-called "goth-percussion merchants" Black Bones who travel far and wide across four hard-to-define cuts. There is a real sonic scuzz to the first one 'T-2017' which is macho disco for a strobe-lit back room. 'Coming On Strong' meanwhile is techno-disco for the main room with crashing drum textures and machine-gun synths that echo the great 'I Feel Love.' Totally flipping the vibe, the B-1 cut 'BEEF' is spangled late-night disco with rugged guitar riffs and funky bass hidden amongst oodles of reverb. Closer 'Keep Dancin' is AOR pop with big strums, crooning vocals, and intense walls of sound all destined to make an impact on dance floors that like it different.

Review: First released by SAM Records way back in 1981, Vicky D's 'This Beat Is Mine' remains one of the strongest examples of the synth-laden, post-disco sound variously known as boogie and electrofunk. The track has been reissued and remixed plenty of times over the years, though this is the first time that the master (at work) Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez has delivered his interpretation. As you'd expect, his 'A-sideRemix' is very tastefully done, with Gonzalez wrapping the best of the original instrumentation (guitar licks, bass, synths aplenty) and Vicky D's iconic vocal around a loosely swung, funk-flecked, mid-tempo house beat. The flip-side 'Dub' is arguably even better, with Gonzalez choosing to push the original's super-funky bassline and echo-laden guitar and synth snippets to the fore.

Review: Moar is back with more red-hot DJ weaponry from the worlds of funk and disco. 'L' is first up and is tighter than a tight thing with its funky breaks and explosive vocals over golden chords and withering cosmic melodies. Things get much more seductive on the flip as 'LL' sinks into a deeper, late night and more romantic funky vibe with steamy trumpets and emotive backing vocals. This fresh new 7" comes with a homemade custom cover and is limited to just 100 copies so do not sleep because it's high-grade tackle.

Review: Longtime fans of Vive La Musique's impressive ability to both catalog old and release new music will find much to love in this one. Here they home in on South African composer and bass player Sipho Gumede's 'Something to Say', a stunning six-tracker flaunting the musician's distinctive blend of Afro-boogie with an 80s-style montage feel. Warm, inviting and dreamy, tracks like 'Bayabizana' and 'Something To Say' are sexual and freeing dirges, as suitable for long-haul flights and penthouse cocktails as they are for shouting about new love from the rooftops.

Review: Self-proclaimed purveyors of 'music for the fringe class' Talking Drums have been responsible for some terrifically cosmic, percussive and oddball re-edits over the years, something that makes their self-released EP series a genuine must-check. Volume six boasts three more eccentric but essential treats, with the Manchester-based crew successfully breathing new life into some pleasingly obscure gems. A-side 'Air Ecosse' sounds like a quirky, mid-80s European workout - all cascading, chiming synth sounds, reverb-laden percussion solos, whispered female vocal snippets, staccato machine drums and seriously squelchy bass. Over on side B, 'Too Yacht To Handle' is - as the title hints - a tidy revision of a groovy, loose-limbed yacht-rock funker, while 'Aorwaves' is a slow-motion AOR disco gem.

Review: Delfonic & Kapote makes a welcome return to their Illegal Jazz series. This is a seventh instalment and it's another bobby dazzler with four cuts all reworked for the dancefloor. Opening the party is 'Groove Head Rejam' with a low slung swagger, noodling guitar riffs and lovely glossy hi hats. 'Power Journey Rejam' is a deep one with chords to warm your heart and instrumental disco riffs to get you going before 'Imparable Rejam' brings a more steamy percussive vibe that is loose limbed and seductive. 'I Like Music Rejam' is a big party starter with horn stabs, lively vocals and wooden hits.

Review: Razor-N-tape label co-head JKriv has been busy in the studio with his scalpel. He has created these four tasteful edits for the Pleasure Of Love label and brings all his disco, house, funk and New Knowledge to the label. 'Got A Thing' is a glorious disco cut with an irresistible vocal before 'Don't Take Your Love Away' sinks into a more seductive boogie and soul groove. 'GD' is a nice choppy, classy and classic house cut then 'Feel It' gets a little more dark and menacing for those late night hours with raw percussion and lithe melodies daring about the rugged rhythms.

Review: Freestyle Records are dropping some super top-notch reissues this month, and the originals are mega rare and expensive so boogie and Brit funk fans couldn't be happier. This one by Private Funk-Shun was originally released in 1986 and for this 7" has been officially licensed, remastered and pressed in limited numbers. 'All That I Wanted Was You' has twanging bass riffs and electronic drums that really slap under singing leads and a super vocal. 'Fantasy' is a little more loved-up by no less sure to get you on your toes. Two lovely tunes whether or not you knew them first time round.

Review: Parisian jazz-funk, disco and boogie band Chatobaron - an outfit helmed by multi-instrumentalist Frank Chatona - have previously worked in the studio with house and nu-disco mainstay Art of Tones, so it's no surprise to see them recruiting the mighty Dimitri From Paris to mix their latest single. His A-side 'Club Vocal' mix is a genuinely riotous and celebratory affair, with strong group vocals (singing about how much they love 'your' music) and heady horns rising a jolly and joyous, piano-sporting disco-funk groove rich in low-slung bass and Cerrone style percussion. It comes accompanied not by one of Dimitri's deconstructed dubs, but rather an equally excitable 'Club Instrumental' mix that boasts all the goodness of his A-side mix minus the vocals.

Review: Andrew 'Emperor Machine' Meecham and French vocalist Severine Moultin enjoyed working on their first collaborative single, 2021's 'Dance Par Amour', so last year reunited in the studio to record a follow-up. 'Your Own Style' follows a similar sonic template, with Mouletin singing in accented English atop a typically analogue-heavy Meecham backing track laden with bubbly bass, delay-laden electric piano motifs, layered percussion and the producer's trademark synth squiggles (a feature of his work since the days he was working with Dean Meredith as Chicken Lips). The song is presented in three variations: the stretched-out and pleasingly loose 'Alternative Mix'; the sparse, effects-laden and mid-80s influenced 'Dub Vocal'; and the warmer, subtly funkier 'Fun Dub'.

Review: This second collection of edits from Italy's matter-of-fact Edits Collection label offers another quarter of superbly feel-good disco sounds. 'Slow Luv' has lush strings and plenty of Philly vibes, while 'Stranger Beat' layers up the jumbled percussion, sliding hi-hats and funky bass. Flip it over for 'Xpress Yourself' which is sure to weave its way into your soul with its hip-shaking groove and more funky bass frets than you know what to do with. 'Xpress Yourbeats' is a more raw and drum focused sound for amping up those energy levels on the floor.

Review: Anita Baker, quiet storm legend and balladmaker, gets two of her most heartwarming classics remixed by Krewcial, with Texan vocalist Sheelah Monae filling in for Baker's original vox. 'Sweet Love' hears a lounge and club mix respectively, both versions heavy on the most broken housey, piano-centric moods. 'Whatever It Takes', meanwhile, gets a club mix and an intriguing version of the original acoustic, rapidly homing in on disco strings and deep-hit bass licks.

Review: Greece's DJ Snatch & Blacksoul joined forces to create Those Guys From Athens based on their mutual love of music, with their smooth disco sound soon reaching the attention of Too Slow To Disco chief DJ Supermarkt. Expect dancefloor fillers and soulful sounds from around the globe on the label's tenth edition of its edit series. Starting off seriously slo-mo on the deep funk of 'Burnin' Up' (feat Pauli Carman), then getting down to the lo-slung dancefloor heater 'She', before feeling the late night boogie-down vibes of 'So Nice' or Human' over on the flip.

Review: Dark Entries are masters of Italo reissues and they have a number of them dropping at the moment. This one is of Garland's 'Heartbeat' which comes original from 1986. It is a true dancefloor gem that bares all the hallmarks of the era that still remain so loved today. Claudio Corradini produced it with Massimo Filippi and Art Deco singer and songwriter Claudio Valenti used this project for his more club ready sounds. 'Heartbeat' (song version) is a mid tempo tune with sleek staccato bass and a sing-along-worthy chorus that echoes Bronski Beat. The Dance Version is extended for DJs. A postcard with lyrics and liner notes is also included.

Review: Nkono Teles was one of the standouts of the Doing It In Lagos compilation by Soundway, which proved a best seller. He is someone who worked on, arranged and or produced music for more than 100 other artists in Nigeria across the 80s, including playing keys with Tony Allen's band. Now he gets the spotlight firmly on himself with a retrospective mini-comp fun of his unique boogie and funky rhythms, cutting edge drum machine sounds and mix of synths and guitars. It's a collection fans of the likes of William Onyeabor and Steve Monite will love.

Review: Well done to Dark Entries who have managed to pull another crucial Italo jam out of the bag here. This one is Alex Molo's 'Look At Me' which was released in 1986 on Rainbow Records. Claudio Corradini produced it and Mauro Spagnolo and Steven Stefani are on vocals on a tune that has everything you need from a classic Italo jam of the late-era. The basslines are powerful, the chords are massive and the hits are doused in reverb. A Dance Mix is perfect for dancefloors and the Radio Mix is detailed with extra synth work. An original of this will cost a pretty penny so scoop this one up while you can.

Review: A strong, strong showing from Duca Bianco after a period of relative dormancy, teaming up with Manchester's Talking Drums for a musical culture clash with maximum impact. The four tracks see a wide palate of influences being mixed up, from the cheeky Afrobeat shuffle of 'Monkey Key' to the 80s electropop of 'Voice Of Omicron' and the Nico-esque vocal delivery on Balearic groover 'Dolce Julia'. This is an EP with lots of surprises, tons of originality and musical confidence brimming over its edges.

Review: Who doesn't love a massive Italo disco classic? This one features none other than big-screen celebrity Patrizia Pellegrino and is a hugely sought-after tune by deep diggers who know it all. This version has been remastered and comes with an extended edit to bring even more unknown pleasures to the dancefloor. 'Il Mondo Da Una Nuvola' has it all from the glossy arps to the diva vocal and the lovely retro-future 80s drum sounds that make us go all weak at the knees.