New releases this week: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: This tastemade, disco edited chef's special comes courtesy of AFIN, guest cook in the Frank Music kitchen. Over three sharply, perspicuously produced disco recuts, we're pelleted by a no less wet hosedown in hard disco, with 'Disko Inferno' introducing the proceedings with peak-time heat, before 'The Beloved' grooves yonder with feel-good charm, and 'Body Rock' ex-ergises our bodies with an irresistible vocal touch. Birbs And Planties help pave downlow slabs of golden bass, locking the rhythm down. This vinyl-only release won't last long, so grab a copy, and get boinging in time for spring...

Review: Groove Culture enlist Italy's Da Lukas for a stinging string-disco propeller, 'Doin' Me Wrong', backed up on the B by 'Good Man'. Massive pressure-house feels coincide with the trilling afterglow of disco, as rock-bottom breakdowns prefigure high-as-a-kite apexes, word-painting the A track's lyrical focus on manic depressive push-pull relationships ("you tell me don't do this, you tell me don't do that"). The B-side track is weightier by comparison, deploying waterier wahs and an echo of Motown in its otherwise relentless garagey swing.

Review: Wow! Of all the melancholic modern disco we've come across this year, this has to be the best so far, though we're surprised its popularity hasn't metastasised in size since its original Rysque Records release back in 2013. Ben Johnson and Tim Tucker make up Love Cryme, and their works combine a localist Sacramento slapper sound and a hissing, reel-to-reel feel. Compared to their Star Creature debut which brought measured but still potent titrations of purple sizzurping G-funk, 'Get It On' goes for a more minimally classic disco-soul cruise, with a sloppily gated snare and two-tone tearjerker preluding a neurotic but decadent vocal line from Tucker, as libidinous synths swell out uncontrollably from below.

Review: Antoni Maiovvi flaunts an aerated, sunspotty sound on 'Knights of New Haven', blending Ned West Coast influences and US machine music. 'Later Not Lately' pulses with light kicks and ruffling hi-hats, echoing Chicago house and flavoursome tech trance; Legowelt (Danny Wolfers) reimagines it with serrated snares and a gritty TB-303 bassline. 'Slack Blabbath' weaves staggered synths and sharp percussion, and closer 'The Madness In The Method' swirls static-laced drums around eerire bass, balancing Maiovvi's horror-disco roots with bold house rhythms. This EP is a dark, driving, and grand fusion of electronic styles, veering increasingly crushy and redux-happy. Legowelt's snare is especially oomphy, and the closer's synths especially brooding.

Review: This four-tracker from newcomer Nackley has been described by Bordello a Parigi, the label releasing it, as a "bold debut declaration from a rising talent". It's certainly a strong first offering, with opener 'Return of the Gecko' delivering a sparkling, life-affirming blend of thrusting, throbbing Italo-disco bass, drum machine beats, excitable acid motifs and picturesque melodies. Nackley dusts down his TB-303 once more on the all-action, mind-mangling throb of 'Sublime Desolation' - a track that manages to sound both brooding and over-excited - before reaching for breakbeats, memorable piano riffs and spacey electronics on 'Been a Long Time'. To draw down the curtain on a rock-solid EP, Athara and Child Of lend a hand on cheery revivalist Italo-disco/synth-pop jam 'Heartbreaker'.

Review: Italo-disco enthusiasts, strap in for something special, as cult Italian label Disco Segreta celebrates its tenth anniversary with a touched-up, honest-to-time reissue of Cecilia Rizzoli's 'Cosi Non Va'. A priceless Italo disco classic long prized as a collectors' white whale, this unique number 1985 came as an ultra-limited edition of just 500 copies on Scarabes Sound and Discokkio. With hypnotic Juno synths, punchy Linndrum beats, and Cecilia's emotionally charged vocals - providing a glimpse into the Italian singer-songwriter's couth early days - offers melancholic Italo satiation. Remastered from the original analog master and featuring a fresh edit by Claudio Burgos (Mr. Fantasy), this one's a jackpot.

Review: Tooflie's latest offering dives into the allure of French pop's vocal sensuality that weaves intricate production with global influences. The opener, 'CS VG,' anchors the release with its half-step beat that flows through grainy tonal shifts and rhythms, twisting familiar elements into something new and magnetic. Its dreamy, almost spectral feel is offset by sharper, more defined edges, creating an engaging dynamic that keeps the energy fluid yet charged. As the record progresses, 'BLORN' introduces a more laid-back groove, combining minimalist funk with a sense of melancholic soul, perfect for late-night listening. The flipside continues to surprise, with 'KRLE' and 'JUWRK' fusing breakbeat elements with soft digital textures, offering a distinct and refined energy. Tooflie expertly blends the experimental with the accessible, crafting a release that's both bold and sophisticated, ready to ignite the most discerning dancefloors.

Review: Turin's Bunkereeno Kollektiv and ITALIA90 have come together to launch their own new label Anna Records and it debuts with a split EP from Tools 4 Seduction and Lachina. The Argentinian former goes first with the Italo-infused sound of 'Like on VHS' full of dreamy chords and retro-future drums. 'Choruscan' is brighter and happier with cheery chords and a wonky baseline brings the vibes. On the B-side, Lachina who hails from Turin flips the vibe with more strident disco-techno sounds and direct cosmic energy on 'Out Of The Past'. His 'Metallic Rain' then brings flashy synth arps and a speedy intergalactic groove.

Review: UV & Nenor link up once more and return to Fossils with three new edits that take the form of spaced-out deep cosmic chuggers. These are all classy tunes with an analogue edge, great deference to the classic synth sounds of days gone by but all with nice modern touches. 'Space Love' is a widescreen odyssey with sultry female vocals and a sweet theremin sound. On the flip, 'Shwag' has hazy pads and slowed down, rugged, sleazy drums and bass and then last of all comes 'GoGo Stomp' with another bubbly bottom end, squelchy bassline and weird but wonderful vocal sounds. A brilliantly high-grade addition to your record back.

Review: Pantechnicons of Philadelphia soul, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes reached their musical peak with Teddy Pendergrass between 1972 and 1975. Their 1975 album Wake Up Everybody hears Pendergrass' last vocal contribution to a band before he went solo; the record is filled with thought-provocations and gnomic lyrics, and became famous more by way of its covers than its originals. Returning the favour, 'Wake Up Everybody' was later covered by John Legend & The Roots, while 'Don't Leave Me This Way' became a disco classic thanks to the vamping vocal verves of Thelma Houston. This 750-copy 50th anniversary repress now comes with a special bonus: a rare 11-minute remix of 'Don't Leave Me This Way' by remixing pioneer Tom Moulton.

Review: Pacifico is the debut album from Italian-born, LA-based multi-instrumentalist Francesco Perini under the Pearz guise. It tracks a five-year sonic journey through Florence, London and Los Angeles and takes in all the sounds of those places so blends disco, electro, nu-jazz and Japanese City Pop into a rich, genre-spanning sound. True to its name (Pacifico means "peaceful" in Italian) the album captures the reflective calm of travel's end and has collaborations with artists like Kuntessa, VANBASTEN, Natalie Findlay, Jules Apollinaire and others bringing their own depth to the project. The result is a multicultural tapestry of sound that is full of warmth, groove and introspection.

Review: A worthy reissue that helps celebrate 40 years since it original hit the airwaves, Cats Without Claws finds Donna Summer at a crossroads. Having ruled the disco era, by 1984 she was adapting to a pop world that wasn't quite sure where she fitted in. Reunited with producer Michael Omartian, the album aims for the sleek, adult-contemporary sound that had revitalised her on 'She Works Hard For the Money' and the result is a spirited and fascinating listen that shines brighter in hindsight. Tracks like 'There Goes My Baby' and 'Supernatural Love' pulse with polished energy, while ballads like 'Forgive Me' (which earned Summer a Grammy) reveal her gospel roots with searing sincerity. Some of the production choices lean heavily into 80s gloss, mirroring the drama that made her disco-era work so riveting. Summer's voice remains a powerhouse, navigating pop, soul and inspirational styles with effortless charisma - making this an overlooked gem, for sure.

Review: Synthwave, or "outrun" as it is sometimes popularly known, is one of the defining micro-aesthetics of the 21st Century. Cornered then abrogated by filmmakers like Michael Mann and Nicolas Winding Refn, the style was expanded upon in the music imaginary sometime in the early 2010s (though seeds were sown much earlier). This Wagram compilation charts the earliest stirrings in the sound, from the circuit-breaking Moog experiments of Giorgio Moroder through to the nightridden vrooms of Kavinsky, and the fuzz-static analog snows set to sample-funked beats of VHS Dreams.