Sacred Rhythm US レコード& CD

Review: American dance music legend, spiritual explorer and soul encyclopaedia Joe Claussel also of course runs the Sacred Rhythm label, where he serves up an endless amount of vinyl gold. This Special Edits series does exactly what says on the tin and the seventh installment is another one that takes you to a steamy Brooklyn dance floor sometime in the past. Fusion jazz and soulful disco styles define each of these tunes, neither of which are very well known, but both of which will bang, particularly the funky bass and icy hi-hats of 'Get Down' that are combined perfectly with Philly style strings and golden chords.

Review: Every time that we get a drop of some new Joaquin Joe Claussel material our ears are automatically attracted in that very same direction. In fact, we've been known to get into trouble for playing his material extensively on our Juno HQ system, because we just hate to see it leave. However, this new material is probably not what you're expecting; rather than a new house EP, Mr Claussel has prepared a nerd's guide to sound testing, described by himself as: "DJ tool for testing, measurement, and calibration of mediocre reproducing stereo sound systems". The elements inside the box are flex-discos, not vinyl, and they are a series of sound, spoken word lyrics, and general FX tricks to either test your system out on, or simply sample and twist-up however you please. It's a collectors piece, and something refreshingly different to support the development of good music in clubs. We love you Joe...

Review: We should all be thankful that one of house music's true greats, the legendary Joe Claussell, continues to grace us with his personal treasure trove of edits. As someone who has lived and breathed seminal dance music through countless decades, his knowledge and sensitivity for the sound and culture is second to none. Having dropped a second compilation of his Unofficial Edits & Overdubs, he's now offering up the companion 7" which features two inspired treatments to get you popping, dipping and spinning. First up is the Afrobeat-tinted funk of "Double Fault" by Danny Tone, and then comes a classic dub out of Ecstasy, Passion & Pain's "Touch & Go".

Review: Claussell returns with another spiritual belter. Taking Herbie Mann's 1975 original and adding gentle layers of fusion melodies and atmospheres, Joe takes a soul boogie gem and polishes into a timeless dancefloor diamond. Comes complete with the perfectly preserved original cover of Barrabas's 1974 hit on the B. Watch out for those iconic heavily-sampled Latin stabs on the chorus... And be prepared for your full attention to be hijacked!

Review: More from Joaquin "Joe" Claussell's ongoing "special" overdubs and edits series, in which he offers up tastily tooled-up and subtly reworked gems from his personal stash of reworks. On side A you'll find his fine version of The Singing Fools' "Love Is A Beautiful Thing", a mid-tempo turn-of-the-80s Canadian disco jam that chugs, rises and falls all in the right place. Over on side B he delivers a stomping, house-style fusion of two killer cuts from the El Coco catalogue: "Afrodesia" and "Coco Kane". Claussell has some fun dubbing out key passages - the familiar string section in particular - over a sweaty beat. As far as we can tell there's no vocal, but that's no bad thing.