Toy Tonics レコード& CD

Review: Athlete Whippet's first outing on Toy Tonics, 2021's Vesta EP, offered a hugely attractive fusion of Berlin deep house nous and colourful jazz-funk/jazz-fusion instrumentation. This follow-up continues in a similarly vibrant vein, with the duo adding all manner of vocal and instrumental samples and a distinctive '80s boogie influence to their already rainbow-coloured trademark sound. Across the four tracks, the pair confidently skip between rubbery, summery house ('Noguiera'), thrilling P-funk/nu-disco fusion (the throbbing electronic bass, jumpy synth sounds, dreamy chords and tidy machine drums of 'Mesmerise'), cut-up boogie-house squelch ('I Think I See') and shuffling, breakbeat-driven deep house/synth-funk fusion ('Slow Down').

Review: COEO returns to Toy Tonics with a stellar EP that celebrates a decade of collaboration with the label. This marks their tenth release with Toy Tonics, and it's a true testament to their influence on the imprint's sound. The German duo has been pivotal in shaping Toy Tonics' house vibes, and they continue to play a significant role in the label's global events. In this new EP, COEO dives deeper into the realms of Italo and Piano House, delivering a contemporary yet timeless collection of tracks. The lead track, 'Nostalgia,' is a tribute to the countless intimate and euphoric moments shared with music lovers worldwide, characterised by infectious piano chord drops and sing-along horn and synth melodies. 'Breeze' elevates the energy, blending funky bass guitar with progressive house elements, evoking memories of carefree adventures and special moments. On Side-2, 'Meet Me at the Cascades' captivates with its hypnotic Italo house influence, unfolding dreamy synth pads and arpeggios that transport listeners to a safe, serene retreat. The EP also includes a remix of 'Nostalgia' by Stump Valley, adding a unique piano solo that beautifully closes this unforgettable release.

Review: Toy Tonic always deliver interesting, functional, emotional house music and here comes another such serving from the so-far so-excellent Cody Currie. The opener is as deep and jazzy as they come, with rich chords and twinkling pads all floating way above a nice warm bassline. 'LS Anthem' plays with broken beats and warped chords that are woozy and rich as a spoken word sample brings a sense of cool. 'When The Time Is Right' then keeps up the magical Rhodes work and a soulful, shuffling groove before 'M9' picks up the pace a little without loosing any of the heart and version of 'Moves' closes in steamy fashion.

Review: The Toy Tonics label has been one of the most consistently good house labels in the past decade plus. Those who see the label design in a record bin immediately recognize and respect the curation of the label by their owners Murk and Kapote. Electric Slide is the latest EP to get the seal of approval for mass release. Producer Kapote brings his high energy Balearic house sound to this record which also mixes in a bit of steady deepness to tracks like 'The Come On' (extended version). The title track blends a late-night disco groove to maximize the mood of the record. Do not sleep on the A-sides though as they blend in some classic Euro sound and New York 90s sounds.

Review: While Toy Tonics' first Italomania compilation, released back in 2010, featured fresh reworks of classic Italian disco tracks, this belated sequel celebrates a new generation if Italian disco and nu-disco artists. This - as they have made clear - is not synth-heavy Italo-disco revivalism, but disco revivalism and disco-house fusion made by Italians. It's a great collection all told, with highlights including the hybrid disco-boogie brilliance of Tommiboy's 'La Sfinge (featuring D Disco Band)', the synth disco-meets-jazz-funk flex of Severino and Giocomo Mora's 'Maledetto', the coloruful nu-disco excellence of Munk & Kapote's 'La Musica (Hot DJ version)', the orchestrated disco cheeriness of 'SessoSpaghetti (extended mix)' by Finniani & Angeleri - an authentically eccentric excursion - and the synth-heavy squelch of 'Tropica' by Giovanni Damico.

Review: Toy Tonics has established itself as one of house music's most interesting modern labels. It deals in all the myriad niche styles with equal elan, and always manage to call upon producers with something original to add to the conversation. The musical take on house is exemplified again on this second volume off their Mushroom House series from Kaputt. There are bright, glistening melodic cuts from Harry Wolfmann, tribal grooves from Kiwi, deep basement tackle featuring Italian designer Mathew Burlon and typically balmy and elegant grooves from the always on form DJ Sprinkles. The whimsical charm and lightness of touch displayed by Art Alfie on 'Dance To The Conga' is also to behold.

Review: Gomma played a vital role in the popularisation of the indie-dance explosion that happened some 20 years ago now. Best known for being spearheaded by US indie outfit LDC Sound system, it combined dance, disco, wave, post-punk and more into a party-ready sound that found favour with both ravers and guitar heads. This second collection from the German label highlights the best of music they put out back then with names like In Flagranti, label co-founder Munk, Nancy Whang & Bonar Bradberry and many more all present and correct.