Disco Segreta レコード& CD

Review: If you were able to track down an original copy of Dana's soul single, 1977's 'Estate', for sale, it would most likely set you back a few hundred pounds. Helpfully, the excellent Disco Segrata label has tracked down the creators and cut a deal to reissue it. The title track (side A) is a fine example of eccentric, sun-splashed Mediterranean disco of the sort that Italian producers excelled at before the more electronic and synth-pop influenced Italo-disco sound emerged some years later. It does feature some spacey synths, but also organic grooves, infectious lead vocals and some sparkling, suitably summery melodies. 'S'inghelada' takes a similar sonic approach, opting for even heavier bass, liberal use of jazzy and Spanish style guitar solos, and even bolder 'dancing by the beach in Rimini' lead lines.

Review: Since launching in 2014, Disco Segreatha has done a great job in unearthing and reissuing Italian disco gems from the late70s and early 80s. Their latest offering takes us back to 1978 and the sole solo release from Lele Patha, the exceedingly hard-to-find 'Stripiz'. Typical of Italian disco of the period, it's a quirky and pleasingly off-kilter affair, where an, organic disco groove is laden with fuzzy synth sounds, breathy male vocal snippets, swirling electronic chords, mazy organ solos and Candido style hand percussion. The release is also notable for a surprise B-side remix, courtesy of Marcello Giordani, which brilliantly re-imagines the cut as a throbbing, drum machine-driven slab of early 80s Italo-disco excellence.

Review: Yet another record in our recent deluge of Italian disco rarities, this one comes from the trusted tastemakers over at Disco Segreta. Spazio Vitale, an 8-piece band from Genoa, originally released this space-age split single to flaunt their instrumental and synth chops in the realm of disco, making heavy use of niche gear like th Eminent 210 Unique and Clavinet Hohner D6. This 7" reissue shines a light on the Genoa scene at the time, important as a bastion of experimental disco.