Back catalogue:

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Some 20 years ago, Japanese producer donned the K.F alias (the initials of his given name, Kiyotaka Fukagawa) and delivered the astonishingly good 'Shining of Life', a sun-soaked Balearic house treat shot through with Japanese nu-jazz musicality, gospel-influenced vocals and expansive, life-affirming piano solos. This EP offers up previously unheard 'Shining of Light Flutemental' takes. Calm's own 'unreleased mix' retains some of the key elements of the 2004 original while adding morning-fresh flute solos and starry sounds seemingly inspired by Detroit techno. The 'Lambros Jahmans Sunset Mix' is a dreamy and immersive interpretation underpinned by an Afro-house style beat, while the 'Space Ritual Dub' is an almost entirely beat-free soundscape. On 'Undub (Space Ritual Dub)', the same producer wraps echoing flute and piano motifs around a tactile, hand percussion-driven rhythm track.

Review: Jalapeno jive maestro Soupasoul had another standout year, in 2024 and only heightened his reputation for crafting exceptional edits that bring new life into funk standards and hidden gems. With a sharp focus on the groove-rich breaks, he is back once again with another instalment that will ignite dance floors everywhere. This time his scorching rework of 'Give It Up' spotlights dynamic horn interplay and soulful jazzy choruses and 'Rock Steady' celebrates Aretha's powerful vocals paired with a killer breakbeat. These finely tuned edits honour the originals while adding fresh energy.

Review: What would it take to universalise disco so that every brain sandwiched between two ears could hear and take to the sound like glue? Eddie C and Keita Sano continue a protracted research study in the pursuit of an answer, bringing three new dream-heaters to contrast to their original two in the series' debut, 'Disko Universal' and 'Joy Joy Joy'. Here, 'Not This Time' stands out among a trifecta of well-doused house rousers, steeped in the attenuated, bubblier deep end of a soulful disco-garage-house tradition.

Review: Given that both producers are underground titans, traversing the blurred lines between disco, acid, deep house and wide-eyed dreaminess, you'd expect this two-track collaboration between Eddie C and Keita Sano to be pretty darn good. It is, of course, with the pair carving their own mind-mangling, breathlessly energetic niche on 'Disco Universal' - a certified throb-job in which trippy noises, exotic instrument samples and pulse-racing electronic motifs rise above a thumping beat and Italo-disco style sequenced bassline. It slows down midway through, 'French Kiss' style, before the duo brilliantly bring it back to a peak-time tempo. They explore sub-heavy, garage-influenced deep house and breakbeat pastures on the dreamy, weighty, impactful and acid-fired 'Joy Joy Joy', once more showcasing the diversity of their musical influences.

Review: Now under new ownership (international dance music powerhouse Armada Music, fact fans), long-serving New York house imprint King Street Sounds is doing a good job in showcasing gems from its vast archives. This second label sampler contains four more genuine must-have cuts. First up, there's a chance to admire the deep, soulful house wonder that is Dennis Ferrer's 2008 hook-up with honeyed vocalist K.T. Brooks, 'How Do I Let Go'. It's followed by Masters at Work's deliciously loose, disco-influenced deep house revision of 'Give It Up' by Lil' Louis' Rain project (first released in 2000), Mood II Swing's DIY Soundsystem favourite 'Sunlight In My Eyes' (easily one of the greatest deep house jams of all time) and Lil' Louis's swinging garage-house rub of Kimra Lovelace's 'Misery'.

Review: All aboard the velvet sound ships! 'Right By The Moon' is one of Giorgio Dolce's iconic Italo disco gems. It came in 1984 right at the height of that sound's popularity on Many Records and is now back and better than ever. That is because this reissue has come straight from the original tapes and features the original and club mixes lighting up the A-side. Flip to the B-side for a double treat: the never-before-heard original demo and a dazzling remix sprinkled with Eddy Mi Ami's signature magic. A regular favourite in Radio Stad Den Haag's Top 100, this I.D. Limited Records reissue is pure crack for Italo addicts.

Review: Planet Trip Records calls Millos Kasier one of their favourite DJs on earth so they are buzzing to have him next up. He is a Brazilian talent who brings plenty of the energy and style of his homeland to this EP. 'Te Quero Perto' has woody, knocking beats and an old-school Chicago bassline setting the tone before glistering and retro-future keys arrive to bring light and hope. A Latin vocal and Italo chords then take things to the next level and make this a real summer sizzler. A Paco Cabana is more percussive and Lipelis & Orion Agassi offer two different versions that rework it for the club.

Review: Karolina BNV is not to be messed with, putting it lightly. The Berlin-based producer has garnered a loyal following among fans of EBM, New Beat, industrial, electro-goth and robot sex droid fetish production scenes. The latter we just made up but hopefully you get what we're getting at. Descriptions aside, she follows her 'Lessons On Good Behaviour' release with four more tracks born from a terrifying future we're probably already living in, we just don't really know it yet. From the apocalyptic sludge and punch of 'Unforgivable Decisions', to the electro rave squelch and staccato percussion of 'Context Abuse', the two tracks roll out relentless grit and grime. Then you have '1988' and 'Germany Calling', with their retro futurism, acid house totems held high in the air for all to see that there is still some resistance to the robots.

Review: The latest missive from modern funk maestros The Sleeperz Records is a red seven-inch double header that pairs Canadian neo-boogie queen Maya Killtron (a label regular) with two similarly minded producers. She joins forces with Andrew Napoleon on A-side 'Body Fly', a glossy slab of mid-80s synth-funk/synth-pop fusion rich in squelchy P-funk bass, bright lead lines and colourful chords. Estonia-based Latvian Artis Boris sits in the producer's chair on side two, underpinning a typically expressive and soulful Killtron vocal with sinewy strings, modern boogie grooves and nods aplenty to early 1980s disco. Naturally, the sound is nostalgic, but both cuts sound undeniably fresh.

Review: Evelyn 'Champagne' King's 1982 boogie jam 'Love Comes Down' is one of the most familiar and much-loved club anthems of the era. Ezel and DJ Spen are clearly fans, because they've decided not to remix or re-edit it, but 're-produce' it, adding her iconic vocals to their own fresh backing tracks. As the EP-leading full vocal 'Reproduction' vocal shows, they've done a terrific good job too, re-creating many of the original 1982 elements while re-framing the track as a piano, horns and guitar-rich slab of soulful disco-house joy. As well as an instrumental of that version, we also get vocal and instrumental 'R&B' takes. These are closer in tone and feel to King's 1982 original while feeling as fat, warm and groovy as you'd expect from a 21st century Ezel and Spen production. In a word: classy!

Review: For its ninth release, Gamine knocks it out of the park again with Konerytmi's new five-track EP. This release is a heartfelt tribute to the 80s, but it offers more than just nostalgia-it's an interpretation of the era's distinct musical style. The tunes capture the iconic timbres, drum sounds, melodies and harmonies of the 80s so take you back to that time on a wave of killer electro rhythms that are both vibrant and fresh but driving and club ready. If you're longing for the 80s but don't have a time machine, this 12" is the perfect way to relive the music of that decade.

Review: Following the success of the 2022 dancefloor hit Tron, Koto returns with two exciting new tracks on I Venti d'Azzurro Records. The A-side is 'Sputnik' and it stays true to Koto's iconic 1980s synth-driven, space-adventure sound, while the B-side introduces Overdrive, a fresh electro track primed for the dancefloor. The release comes with some exclusive DJ versions alongside the original cuts to provide even more ammo for jobbing selectors. The Ep is also complemented by signature Koto-style artwork that helps capture the authentic essence of Italo's golden era while delivering a modern twist.

Review: In case you've failed to notice, 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of Bronkski Beat's breakthrough hit, 'Smalltown Boy'. That has provided Bring Ring an excuse to reissue his superb 2018 cut, 'Big Town Boy, Small City Dreams' - complete with artwork that knowingly nods to the Bronski Beat record. His original mix, a female vocal-led affair in which moody analogue electronics, glistening guitar motifs and memorable synth sounds rise above a throbbing Hi-NRG bassline and Bronksi beats (sorry), appears in extended and edited forms, alongside a fresh rework from long-serving neo-Italo producer Bangkok Impact. His version is simply sublime, adding layers of expressive excess and trippy effects while subtly beefing up the groove and weaving elements of the vocal in and out of the mix. It sounds like an anthem in the making.