F*CLR Music レコード& CD

Review: Licensed from French label Nymphony, F*CLR are proud to present Blazers Groove Sequence EP - four tracks of sublime French house. Real name Timothee Suillaud, he is a DJ/producer from Paris. Classic, Strictly Rhythm styled stateside grooves on the title track which gets a seriously discofied, funked-up and superfly remix by legend Ashley Beedle, some super sexy deep house for the late night on "Side2Side" and a lo-slung boogie-down vibe on the slo-mo antics of "Bel Air".

Review: Hip house is always bubbling away in the background and has been since the 80s. F*CLR bust it back in the headlines with this fantastically strong, old school tinged effort from famous hip house pair Bon Voyage. The opening mix is stuffed with acid, big pianos and plenty of attitude riddled vocals, while the instrumental allows those manic keys to really shine. On the flip, things get more funky with a remix laden with synth goodness and prickly percussion, as well as one instrumental that comes with big horns taking things into a more happy and emotional place.

Review: Once in a while a perfect record comes along that ticks all the boxes - authentic flavours, rich soul vibes, sweet vocals, deep drums. This Glenn Davies outing on F*CLR Music is just that. 'Special' is perfectly titled and channels the likes of Glenn Underground and Alton Miller through loose but driving grooves, genuinely emotive vocals and subtle chord work. The North Street West vocal remix is more playful and soulful as the production is stripped back somewhat, and the instrumental goes the other way, making more of the drums and chords and their lively interactions.

Review: Glenn Davis' first outing on F*CLR Music, 2018's "Body & Soul EP", was something of a slept-on gem: a four-track collection of warm, groovy and musically intricate deep house capable of warming the cockles of even the stoniest of hearts. If anything, this belated follow-up is even better. "Namida (Tears Of Happiness)" is both superb and sublime: a spacey chunk of jazz-flecked futurist deep house rich in Latin-tinged drums, Detroit style sci-fi synths and chords that are so positive and life-affirming that you might want to marry them. Ashley Beedle and Darren Morris don the Afrikanz On Marz alias to deliver two top-drawer remixes: a decidedly cosmic, intergalactic "real" disco remake (the "remix") and an even more spacey, stripped-back "Dub". The latter is almost as inspired as Davis' original, which is saying something.

Review: The latest missive on Ramrock founder Jo Wallace's F*CLR label is something of an all-star affair, with Jungle Wonz man Harry Dennis joining Terry Farley (proud gatekeeper of the "UK house started in London" myth), Wade Teo and Club Chi'il's Ian 'Snowy' Snowball in the studio. Their EP-opening 'Original Vocal Mix' brilliantly joins the dots between jazz-house, stomping disco-house and the kind of effervescent peak-time heaviness that was once a feature of Junior Boy's Own releases. Remixes come from former JBO sorts Black Science Orchestra, who first deliver a musically expansive and intricate house revision (check the snaking sax, simmering synth-strings and rubbery synth-bass) before opting for a Clavinet and funk-rock guitar solo-laden stomper that should delight disco heads everywhere. A tidy dub of their first remix completes a rock-solid package.