Back in stock: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: ***B-STOCK: Missing original outer sleeve but otherwise in perfect working condition***


Mikal Asher, a scion of Jamaica's Morgan family dynasty, reunites with Chocolate Star Records here and does so with a collaboration with disco legend Gary Davis. Asher, akin to his brother Denroy Morgan, upholds the family's legacy of righteousness through music. Known as the Binghiman, he crafts captivating tunes with profound lyrics and has recorded in Ghana's Hustle Hard Studios and collaborated with industry pioneers in Kingston and Brooklyn, setting new standards in musical excellence along the way. Here, 'Wicked Ah Fi' transforms into a modern dub stepper, while 'Black Woman' offers a soulful, laid-back dedication to Davis' wife, Sonjia. This 7" also comes with innovative remixes from California-based DJ and producer Knoe1.

Review: Croatian producer Funky Destination is back with an irresistible funk bomb here in the form of this new 45rpm on Sound Exhibitions out of Italy. It comes on limited edition red vinyl and opens up with 'I Wanna Love Ya' which is one of his signature grooves completes with snappy hits and jangling guitar lines. It's a loopy affair that bursts to life with the arrival of some big trumpets and has a throwback turn of the millennium feel. 70s Lonely Hustler' is the flipside jam and is a more organic and loose rhythm peppered with Latin energy, bird calls, tambourines and much more.

Review: Second time round for Masarima's 'Freak Like U', a sparkling 2020 tribute to post-Italo-disco proto-house, co-produced by Whodamanny and Mystic Jungle. This time round, the track has been reimagined by two stellar talents: West Coast electro stalwart Egyptian Lover and Sheffield-based bleep, hardcore and acid revivalist Luca Lozano. The former handles side A, delivering warming, dreamy, tactile and glassy-eyed electro takes (vocal and instrumental) that reinforce the track's mid 1980s inspiration. Lozano, meanwhile, opts for another kind of nostalgia altogether, first combining house tempo breaks with echo-laden elements of the original (and a couple of hazy new synth stabs) on the 'Breakbeat Guy remix', before layering up the beats on a rather lovely 'Tribal Workout Dub' featuring percussionist Karlos Moran.

Review: Daje Funk Records invites us to their funky dance floor once again with a fourth volume of the Slam Dunk series. It's a various artist affair with the sort of sun kissed sounds we all want to hear as the days get longer and the rays beat down. Souldynamic opens up with 'Tales From QJ' with its florid strings and soul-train beats. Musta's 'Soup' has a fatter low end and wobbles along with dub swagger then Les Inferno build the heat with 'Hot Burn', a tropical and percussive shuffler before the purposeful funk of Groovemasta's closer bring loose limbed percussion and epic riffs to a disco house groove.

Review: Samosa Records is back with a summer edition titled Afrikano Vol. 1, featuring four tracks from various artists. On the A-side, Vagabundo Club Social kick things off with the life-affirming boogie vibes of 'Mr. Mista', while by C. Da Afro & De Gama are equally uplifting on 'Sweet Dance' that's all about the beat and horn breakdowns.Over on the flip, Atchoum & Grincheux appear with the spiritual life music of 'Demokousse' remixed by Les Inferno who underpins the track with infectious breakbeats and finally Lego Edit provides goes poolside and sunset on the low slung 'Afromaniaco'.