New releases last eight weeks: All genres

Review: Francesco Strippoli (Armonica) returns to Bordello A Parigi, following up his first two wonderfully refreshing and true-to-form Italodance EPs for a third, 'Future Echoes'. Indeed, reinterpretations of classic sounds can function as messages from the future as well as versions of the past. With cuts like 'Floating On High', a bulbous, buzzing, repetitious enjoyment is heard overflowing from a single stylistic source, every element bursting forth from its root. Offbeat bass licks double up as forward-driving donks on the likes of 'Retrospectiva' and 'Music And Lights', while the slick, coruscating synth twangs on the title track make do with 16th note repetitions that evoke the ecstatic feeling of urban mobility, each step matching the feeling of climbing higher and higher.

Review: Los Angeles-based ASHRR are back with a new cut which comes from their forthcoming Sunshine Low album which they have re-interpreted as their ASHRR Soundsystem alter ego, while System Olympia also steps up with a remix on this fine new package from 20/20 Vision. In the hands of the latter, 'What's Been Turning You' is a remix with plenty of hi-fidelity cosmic details over mid-tempo deep nu-disco drums. The version from ASHRR is a chugging and Italo-tinged classic with loose-limbed and jumbled drum funk and plenty of bright, shiny arps. A great collection then.

Review: Funkyjaws Music is back with more music to make your jaw go funky, this time in the form of a second volume of its Let's Dance series. It features a quartet of esteemed tune makers starting with Frank Booker's 'Yes No Maybe' which is a horn laced and loose-limbed delight, while go-slow master Eddie C brings his classy touch to the funky licks of 'Love Dancing Theme.' There are plenty of cosmic synth waves to Black Truffle's 'Dancing Through The Night' while the LTJ Xperience close down with a super laid back and summery vibe on 'Sunny Groove.'

Review: 'Primitive World' is perhaps not one of Patrick Cowley's more celebrated tracks, though it is a genuinely slept-on gem. First featured on the late synth disco pioneer's 1982 album 'Mind World', the track is a three-minute blast of ultra-percussive Afro-disco largely free of Cowley's famous synth sounds. HiFi Sean has done a good job of reinventing the track on this fine suite of remixes, first offering up a 'remix' that adds energy and intensity via the addition of twisted TB-303 acid lines, starry synth melodies and tuneful electronic motifs. He also contributes a fine chant-free 'dub', a DJ mix-friendly 'bonus beats' tool, and a handy effects-laden acapella. Throw in an on-point edit and you've got an excellent package.

Review: Disco Segreta unveils a mesmerising tale from late 1970s Italian disco that spotlights Sicilian maestro Franco D'Accardi. Leading ASA (Artisti Siciliani Associati), Franco blended genres including disco, folk and rock when, in 1979, he collaborated with American model Adrienne Edwards, releasing 'Mystic Night' and 'Disco Dancing' on a limited 45 RPM record. 'Mystic Night' electrifies with its fusion of drums, congas, and Adrienne's vocals creating a seductive disco masterpiece. Disco Segreta revitalizes these gems, including the B-side's vibrant rendition of Stanley Turrentine's 'Disco Dancing,' preserving their allure for contemporary audiences. These reissues celebrate the twilight of Italy's golden disco era in impeccable remastered form.

Review: The Just What The World Needs label is back with its 15th EP from the eponymous production outfit behind the imprint and it carries right on from where the last one left off. 'Track 1' is a fiery and Latin-tinged Afro gem with funky rhythms and big horns that bring sunny and open-air party vibes. 'Track 2' has a hint of MPB to it with more low-slung funk grooves and steamy vocals while 'Track 3' then flips the script again with a more cosmic vibe and plenty of mad Rhodes chords. Last but not least is 'Track 4' with some lo-fi and light night melon twisting disco sounds.

Review: Josh Ludlow shows that he knows a thing or two about crafting superb arps and lush prog house records with this new outing on Nocturne Music. 'Mindways' is a brilliantly colourful opener with neon lines and bubbling sequences over fleshy drums. 'Touch' channels a bit of Metro Area style nu-disco production with its cowbells, textured bassline and late-night allure, and 'A Little Love' then gets more deep cut and steamy with some sensuous vocals and vast, pillowy kicks. Last of all is the more textural and raw tech-disco stepper 'Diska Tek!' to complete the package.

Review: The star-studded Sai Galaxy project returns, bringing together West African legends Steve Monite and Rob with multi-instrumentalist Simon Durrington, guitar maestro Alfred Bannerman, and Egypt 80 trumpet player Bade, for a second EP of vital Afro-disco and soul. Following up 2020's 'Get It As You Move' EP, the likes of 'Sometimes It Rains', the homonymous 'Okere', the truth-to-power 'Rich Man, Poor Man', and the live and swinging coda 'Hold Me Tonight' paint a multifaceted picture of a trio, equally as concerned with groove delivery as they are with narrative storytelling. Most emblematic of Sai Galaxy's approach is their inspiration by analog production techniques of similar Afro-soul albums from the 1970s and 80s, adding a modern touch informed by Simon Durrington's Digital Afrika project.

Review: Daniel Klein aka SIRS impressed us recently with his fine work on Robert Johnson and is now back on his own Sirsounds Records label with a seriously seductive collection of tunes. His The East Is Near EP brings melodies from that faraway land to Balearic beats. The Berlin based talent kicks off with the winky and intricate rhythms of 'Zappelnder Hindu' before 'Treibsand' layers up what sounds like a didgeridoo with loose-limbed drums. The marvelous 'Ocean Dreams' brings upbeat sounds and smart arrangements that are run through with exotic melodies and last of all is a blissed-out instrumental mix of 'Zappelnder Hindu.'

Review: Berlin-based Saturns Drive is a project by New Zealand-born DJ and producer Elfy, and is one that takes its cues from a world of early sci-fi, exotica and library music, as well as coming on thick with cosmic disco synthesizers, Italo grooves and lush arps. His latest outing 'Next Stop Nebula' also brings in slide guitars and retro digital synth sounds over the top of rhythms that owe a debt to the 90s. It's a fresh and new sound that makes for expansive, immersive listening and transports you to an imagery, sun-kissed world where gentle grooves like 'Next Stop Nebula' and 'Bride Of Frankenstein' await for a nice laid-back party.