Back catalogue: Soul

Review: Many of the finest independent disco 45s that Athens of the North has reissued were licensed by crate digger David Haffner, so it's fitting that AOTN boss Euan Fryer has given him a compilation of his own. "Disco With A Feeling" contains some of those picks, alongside other obscure favourites from Haffner's sizable record collection. It's absolute fire from start to finish, with the little known private press and small-run cuts tending towards the more soulful and jazz-funk influenced end of the disco spectrum. Basically, it's a must-have for anyone who gravitates towards the rare end of the disco spectrum.

Review: The Late Night Tales series is an absolute bastion of late-night parties back at yours after a heavy club session, or maybe even on a Sunday morning to welcome you to a day of being hungover. Everyone who is everyone had made their entry over the years and used the chance to show off a different side to their sound and that is just what cosmic disco funkster Jamiroquai did when he stopped up. Now his fine choices get pressed up to four sides of vinyl for this fine reissue.

Review: Many of the finest independent disco 45s that Athens of the North has reissued were licensed by crate digger David Haffner, so it's fitting that AOTN boss Euan Fryer has given him a compilation of his own. "Disco With A Feeling" contains some of those picks, alongside other obscure favourites from Haffner's sizable record collection. It's absolute fire from start to finish, with the little known private press and small-run cuts tending towards the more soulful and jazz-funk influenced end of the disco spectrum. Basically, it's a must-have for anyone who gravitates towards the rare end of the disco spectrum.

Review: In the late 1970s and early 80s, disco swept through dancefloors across the world, with musicians, producers and labels in all four corners of the world recording and releasing their own local variations on the New York-pioneered sound. This fine compilation digs into the Japanese interpretation of the sound, offering up a selection of gems pulled from the vaults of the Nippon Columbia imprint. As you'd expect, there are some genuinely soaring and delightfully over-the-top cuts on show (see Godiego's 'The Odyssey Begins - Monkey Magic' and the disco-funk mania of Ikue Sakakibara's bilingual 'This Is Hot'), alongside such forgotten or lesser-celebrated gems as Yumi Moreta's rubbery bass-propelled 'Krishna', the strings-and-synth-drenched brilliance of Pink Parachute's 'Disco Great' and the ridiculously grandiose 'Hazumi De Daitte (A Woman Inside a Man's Body)' by Hatsumi Shibata.

Review: Having previously offered up two vinyl compilations focusing on his book Life & Death on the New York Dancefloor 1980-83, dance music documentarian Tim Lawrence has decided to travel back in time to the decade covered in his previous book, Love Will Save The Day. This second part (of two) gathers together some of the greatest American dance music of the 1970s, deftly showcasing what some might call the disco continuum. It covers a lot of ground, moving from the sparkling orchestrated soul of Willie Hutch and the intergalactic jazz-funk of Charles Earland, to the punk-funk hedonism of Miroslave Vituous and the boogie-era brilliance of Edgar Winter, via a string of surging underground disco treats.

Review: First released way back in 1997, The Mood Mosaic compilations found good traction not merely for their compiling of many lesser-known dark/Italo disco artists into singular compilations, but also for their use of implicitly sexual imagery on their front covers - a business-minded pairing, to say the least. This reissue harks back to the comp's enduring legacy, with lackadaisical classics including Marta Acuna's 'Dance, Dance, Dance', Touchdown's 'Ease Your Mind' and Black Devil's 'Follow Me' all appearing in quick succession.

Review: The latest addition to the Mood Mosaic series is a soulful, groove-filled treasure, perfect for late-night listening. Pressed on lush green vinyl and complete with a poster, this collection delivers some long-awaited, funky vibes that build on the style of previous volumes while offering fresh, extended edits that amplify the funkiest elements of each track. Highlights include Leon Haywood's sultry 'Want A Do Something Freaky To You' and Flowers' 'For Real (extra long version),' which keeps the groove going with infectious energy. Starvue's 'Body Fusion' and Hipnotic's 'Are You Lonely' add smooth, seductive rhythms, while Herbie Hancock's 'Stars In Your Eyes' brings a touch of jazz-infused soul. The new edits, like 'Closer Closer (edit)' by Celi Bee & The Buzzy Bunch and 'Feel The Heat (edit)' by Kathy Baker, offer fresh takes that enhance the late-night vibe. With tracks that flow seamlessly from one to the next, this set is a stellar mix of classic funk and soul with a contemporary twist.

Review: On their latest must-check compilation, Wewantsounds has brought together a bunch of rare early disco and disco-funk gems originally released by Bod Shad's Mainstream Records - an imprint better-known for its jazz and jazz-funk output - during the mid 1970s. Most of the material on show was originally released on now hard-to-find 7" singles, allowing Wewantsounds to present both vocal and instrumental takes of a handful of killer cuts. Highlights include the Clavinet sporting, low-down disco brilliance of The Grand Jury's 'Music Is Fun To Me', the soaring, disco-soul brilliance of 'We've Got Together (Brotherly Love)' by Chocolate Syrup, the classically orchestrated disco surge of Crystal Image's 'Gonna Have a Good Time', and the slow motion swell of The Electric Ladies' 'Nothing Between Us'.