Back catalogue: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: Cult Edits are specialists in pushing a certain kind of heater, working in a mode landing something between edit and original. Six producers - Mario Bianco, Tomoo Hata, Roe Deers, Radial Gaze, A Tweed and Oltrefuturo - lay down a blend of sampledelic, ecstatic, multi-tempo'd tribal moods. Channelling everything from chic Tulum rituals to the brutalism of Eastern-European underground clubs, and rounded off by doses of Italian rasta and Japanese re-imagining of Hungarian folk song, all come to the label's exquisite brand of mandala-esque vinyl.

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: Z Recordings chief Dave Lee has teamed up on this one with Omar, a prolific multi-instrumentalist who was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to music. The result is 'Starlight', a serving of emotive soul funk with a nod to legend Stevie Wonder. Over on the flip, we have the late night boogie-down vibe of Destiny II's 'I'm Here For This' featuring Aria Lyric's powerful vocal delivery, underpinned by an uplifting arrangement that has summertime vibes abound. A new project by Lee, it debuted earlier this year with the excellent 'Play 2 Win'

Review: Second time around for Harlem Hustlers' surging disco-house anthem, which first appeared in stores way back in 2005. This time round, the Italian duo have reworked it considerably, placing underground boogie legend Orlando Johnson's lead vocal front and centre while opting for some more organic-sounding instrumentation (the original was more sample-heavy). On their '2023 Rework' they channel the sound of Groove Culture label bosses Mickey More and Andy Tee, wrapping Johnson's vocal, tidy horns, flanged guitars and classic-sounding piano riffs around a warming bass guitar part and crunchy house drums. It's a very classy and far more authentically 'disco'-sounding track than their 2005 original. Their flip-side 'Get On The Floor' mix, meanwhile, has a smoother, more synth-heavy disco-house sound, less vocal and even more of the excellent horn sounds.

Review: Fool's Paradise is the exciting new label from Toolroom Records' Mark Knight. Coming straight from the heart, it's a natural progression from his hugely acclaimed 2021 album release, 'Untold Business', which saw Mark go back to his roots, paying homage to the more funky, soulful, and vocal house from the 1990s from where he came. With a focus on real instrumentation and production, coupled with great songwriting, this new Toolroom sublabel will be a platform for high quality house music designed to stand the test of time. Launching the new label with a mighty bang and delivering the first in our exciting new vinyl sampler series is head honcho Mark Knight, who joins forces with his Australian Toolroom labelmate, Sgt Slick, and British Soul sensation, Beverley Knight, on a dynamite cover of Prince's 1979 classic, 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. Respectfully transporting the song onto today's dancefloors, Mark & Sgt Slick deliver a classy uplifting soulful house production, loaded with funky guitars, warm pads and sublime key performances. Adding the icing on the cake and putting her own stamp on things, Beverley belts out one of her signature spine-tingling vocals, garnished with lush harmonies and BV's that would indeed make The Purple One proud. Completing the vinyl package is dance music stalwart, Opolopo, and British soul icon, Jaki Graham, whom together bring the dancefloor heat with their new single, 'Fire'. Powered by a potent soulful house groove from Opolopo, loaded with warm piano hooks, emotive synth melodies and a sublime popping bass hook, 'Fire' see's Jaki flaunt her electrifying vocal talents with a show-stopping performance on this irresistibly catchy song.

Review: Originally released in 1974, "For the Love of Money" is a soul/funk song that was recorded by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays for the album Ship Ahoy. The lineup at the time comprised of Eddie Levert, William Powell and Walter Williams, It was written and composed by Anthony Jackson, Leon Huff & Kenneth Gamble, and produced on the latter's Philadelphia International Records. The original pressing was issued as a single in late 1973 with "People Keep Tellin' Me" as its B-side. The single peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, and at No. 9 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in spring 1974. "For the Love of Money" made the group Grammy Hall of Fame Inductees in 2016.

Review: Mike Maurro is the label manager and remix king behind the legendary Brookside, who specialise in disco/soul reissues hailing from Brooklyn. His fingers in many pies, Maurro here remixes two classics from Philadelphia International Records, the O'Jays' 'I Love Music' and Harold Melvin's 'Wake Up Everbody'. Draggy, sunny and full of that downtempy, boxy re-edit magick.

Review: Bobby Orlando is something of a hi-NRG master - his work with Divine is credited as a major influence on the Pet Shop Boys - who tapped up the then soon-to-be iconic duo Oh Romeo for their debut outing back in 1982. Their work on 'These Memories' made it a hit right from the off with big drums, shiny synths and arps and plenty of campuses. Late last year, Iventi d'Azzurro put together this remastered package featuring extended versions of four rare Oh Romeo tracks on the EP Living Out a Fantasy. These bangers really capture the duo's signature energy and timeless appeal and make this a record that suits both working DJs and lovers of big jams alike, all with the right amounts of nostalgia.

Review: Tropical Disco marks hitting release number 20 with a brilliant four track various artists affair that offers up plenty of the colourful and cosmic disco sounds they have become so well known and loved for. Paul Older kick off with 'Nothing,' which is a rolling and trumpet laced jam to fill the floor. 'One For Frida' gets more deep and dubby, with more big horns but a flabbier and more silky groove to sink into. On the flip, it's all majestic leads and noodling solos for the twinkling disco sounds of the late night roller 'Shiva's Chant' while 'Street Jam' closes out in smooth, string laced and seductive fashion.

Review: .An Italo disco rarity from 1985 now available again via XYZ on a colour 12' maxi single: Karl Olivas' 'Follow Me!!!'. The A-side features the rare original version in all its neon-lit glory, and as a highlight they proudly present two new and exclusive remixes by Flemming Dalum (who hands in a mesmerising slo-mo rendition) and the new dance fantasy continues on the flip with an F. Ricci version (The Ri-Mix).

Review: Opolopo is a machine when it comes to serving up superb disco, funk and soul sounds. He's done so for two decades on plenty of top labels from Toolroom to Version Galore to Gamm. This time out he finds himself on a self-released tip with X Machine which is a mash-up of James Brown. The original vocals cut through funky basslines and lots of big percussions as the loose drums rumbled on next to warming organ chords. The instrumental is a more direct to dancefloor jam.

Review: The enginmatic Orchestra Veneta follows on from last year's debut single with a duo of Balearic-laced edits, each of which is sure to be as powerfully popular as the Iglesias-themed first chapter. Rumoured to be the work of evergreen maverick DJ Harvey, the Orchestra Veneta sound is aimed squarely at discerning dancefloors, with each track breathing new life into esoteric cuts with the help of some respectful overdubs and production polish. 'Track One' reimagines the Gipsy Kings' 'Furia', adding evocative synths and a little low-end bump to the existing Latin guitars and feverish handclaps. Locomia's 'Taiyo Sol' gets the rework treatment on the flip, building into a fervour with idiosyncratic vocal chants powering over sturdy drums, exotic synths and gentle acid licks. Considering the pedigree of the alleged protagonist here, and the fact that part one changes hands for silly money on Discogs, sleeping on this would be ill-advised to say the least.

Review: This is a reissue of a rare 1978 single from Whirl (aka West Indies Records Limited) which blends George Clinton's famous Parliament funk with Caribbean flair. The Outfit was one of the Caribbean's funkiest bands and they always showcased the creative potential of "Spouge music", particularly with their explosive cover of Parliament's 'Dr. Funkenstein', which they renamed 'Dr. Spougenstien'. Despite its rarity, the track became a hit in Barbados and was often mistaken for an original song. The B-side features a punchy Cosmic disco version of the Peter Gunn theme.

Review: We've got some of that naughty and irresistible white label madness here from new and mysterious label and production outfit Outtaface. It comes with a label that references the energetic cartoon stylings of the late Keith Haring and a bassline that will melt your face. The 'Vocal' track mixes up disco, skank, rave, The Prodigy references and outer space designs into a truly unusual blend that will bring colour and craziness to the floor. The flip side dub slows it down, fleshes out the low and and allows the cosmic synth work more room to shine. A handy 12" for sure.

Review: Expansion deals pretty much in good vibes only and that is what we have here with OZONE's '(Our Hearts) Will Always Shine'. It is a 7" that radiates with infectious energy and heartfelt emotion as it seamlessly blends elements of pop, electronic, and dance music. The uplifting melodies soar high, the pulsating beats power things along and the soulful vocals deliver a message of resilience and positivity. The song's anthemic chorus is destined to take listeners to a new level and ignite dance floor in equal measure and it sure does that. 'Mighty Mighty' on the flip is another feel good and upbeat funky disco workout.

Review: When love drives us wild - perhaps one too many cocoons in our stomachs have hatched as butterflies, leading to an over-excitation of winged beats - a paradoxical sense of undomesticated entrapment may follow. Whether or not our love is acted upon or returned, the fear is that the feeling will never go away, that we have been irreversibly rewilded, and that the mere mention of the person wall never fail to stir us. Kilque nailed the flooding feeling with 'I Can't Shake This Feeling' in 1982, where the motivic repetition of the chorus line "...must be love" added extra poignancy to the word "burden" to describe a song's hook. Now UK production talents U Key and Omar wax the tune extra weightily, lighting a cogno-scented candle of full-boded electro disco, eliciting strange, fatuous sensations in proximate suitors. The track boasts a full live brass and string sections, uniting Japanese and Bostonian talents; it also features Curtis Williams of Kool & The Gang on alto, while Oberheim and Moog add a modern electronic spice. Young Pulse's remix marks a sensorial broken-beat easer-upper on the B, with its foolhardy breakdowns and Rhodesy downturns.