OPOLOPO 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Z Records DJ-focused Attack The Dancefloor series reaches its tenth installment via an EP packed full of previously unheard secret weapons. There's naturally plenty to get excited about, from the piano-driven goodtime house grooves of Crackazat's floor-filling "What You're Feeling", to the boogie and jazz-funk inspired space-house of Opolopo's brilliant "Put Your Cap On". Sandwiched in between you'll find two Joey Negro disco workouts: his own extended 'Boogie Dub Extravaganza' version of the Sunburst Band style "Must Be The Music", and a nu-disco-meets-Italo-disco reinvention of "Stomp Your Feet" from Crazy P's Chris Todd under the now familiar Hot Toddy alias.

Review: Soul meets speed garage on this new V/A EP from Z Records, blurring the lines between the genres in just the way we like it. The opening track - Grant Nelson's mix of 'Starlight' by Dave & Omar - is a euphoric, piano-laced uplifter which both sonically and lyrically urges us to reach for the sky. That's followed by the DJ Fudge production 'Everything' by Chocolate Fudge Band, featuring lots of live instrumentation and a Curtis Mayfield style vocal, while over on the flip, 'Looking For You' proves to be a deep and bouncy cut filled with soulful Motown vocal chops and an organ workout worthy of any Sunday service, over a beautifully wonky house framework.

Review: Fool's Paradise is the exciting new label from Toolroom Records' Mark Knight. Coming straight from the heart, it's a natural progression from his hugely acclaimed 2021 album release, 'Untold Business', which saw Mark go back to his roots, paying homage to the more funky, soulful, and vocal house from the 1990s from where he came. With a focus on real instrumentation and production, coupled with great songwriting, this new Toolroom sublabel will be a platform for high quality house music designed to stand the test of time. Launching the new label with a mighty bang and delivering the first in our exciting new vinyl sampler series is head honcho Mark Knight, who joins forces with his Australian Toolroom labelmate, Sgt Slick, and British Soul sensation, Beverley Knight, on a dynamite cover of Prince's 1979 classic, 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. Respectfully transporting the song onto today's dancefloors, Mark & Sgt Slick deliver a classy uplifting soulful house production, loaded with funky guitars, warm pads and sublime key performances. Adding the icing on the cake and putting her own stamp on things, Beverley belts out one of her signature spine-tingling vocals, garnished with lush harmonies and BV's that would indeed make The Purple One proud. Completing the vinyl package is dance music stalwart, Opolopo, and British soul icon, Jaki Graham, whom together bring the dancefloor heat with their new single, 'Fire'. Powered by a potent soulful house groove from Opolopo, loaded with warm piano hooks, emotive synth melodies and a sublime popping bass hook, 'Fire' see's Jaki flaunt her electrifying vocal talents with a show-stopping performance on this irresistibly catchy song.

Review: Opolopo is a machine when it comes to serving up superb disco, funk and soul sounds. He's done so for two decades on plenty of top labels from Toolroom to Version Galore to Gamm. This time out he finds himself on a self-released tip with X Machine which is a mash-up of James Brown. The original vocals cut through funky basslines and lots of big percussions as the loose drums rumbled on next to warming organ chords. The instrumental is a more direct to dancefloor jam.

Review: The second release from the newly emerging If It Ain't Jazz label comes from Swedish producer Opolopo. For this one he takes two classics from the jazz-disco world and adds his own distinctive spins. The results soar into the stratosphere on golden chords and humid pads, funky drums and gliding grooves. Both are timeless reworks that will do plenty of damage on a wide range of dance floors. This marks another noteworthy release for this small but well formed label.

Review: Opolopo and Alafia have hooked up here to work together on a new musical journey that takes the form of these two richly layered percussive monsters. 'Axxanxxan' and 'Axxiove' which arrive on this 12" from Canopy are as addictive as it gets - they fuse Afro rhythms and disco dazzle with synth innovation to create a pair of dance bombs with real tribal energy. The A-side is detailed with metallic bass, choppy guitars and swirling synths that add up to a nice tropical sotmg, while the flip has more prominent drums and hypnotic rhythms that have a subtle cosmos twist. Two gems from Canopy, then.

Review: The latest missive on GAMM is something of a biggie. It features two superb reworks of classic cuts by Pharoah Sanders and Roy Ayers courtesy of Opolopo, a house producer whose cuts always have plenty of synth-fired funk and lashings of soul. He brilliantly transforms Sanders' "You've Got To Have Freedom" into a rubbery, Latin-tinged house number, underpinning the original jazz cut - complete with righteous vocals and killer trumpet solos - with an ace new bassline and beefed-up beats. He takes a different approach on his revision of Roy Ayers' "We Live In Brooklyn Baby", re-casting it as a rolling and chunky house number full of suspenseful string parts, twinkling pianos and Ayers' titular vocal.

Review: Time to Attack the Dancefloor once more as we supply some heavy Disco & House weaponry. Featuring the brand new remix of Opolopo's storming 'Stroke my Disco' by dutch funkateers Fouk who double down on the Piano and Clav workouts for the peak time. Exclusive new material from Wipe The Needle who's 'Skyscrapers' track is a modern Jazz-Funk masterpiece, heavy on the flute and soulful bass. On the flip Dave Lee takes it back to '97 with his rework of Backroom Productions 'Classic Vibe' which sees him flex his house-ier muscles, re-arranging the classic elements and adding extra keys to this much loved underground tune. Finishing off the EP is Dave's remix of nu-soul diva Raquel Rodriguez, where he crafts Raquel's dynamic vocal delivery over chunky Disco drumming & soulful synths before letting loose into Roy Ayers-esque vibes finale!

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight split to the top of the outer sleeve, but otherwise in excellent condition***


French jazz-funk experimentalist Jean-Luc Ponty was already a quarter of a century into his career when he recorded 'In The Fast Lane', a genuinely brilliant synth-heavy workout that added trademark violin refrains to a staccato drum machine rhythm and bold, bubbly waves of synthesizer. The record became something of an anthem in the techno clubs of Detroit on its 1989 release, while also inspiring jazz-dancers at Gilles Peterson's legendary Dingwalls sessions. Here the track gets a deserved re-release as a 12" single, with extensive sleeve notes courtesy of the man himself. This time round, there's also an inspired cover version from Opolopo, who re-creates Ponty's famous synthesizer riffs, jams out colourful new solos and adds them all to a non-stop house beat that's as infectious as they come. Simply superb.

Review: French jazz-funk experimentalist Jean-Luc Ponty was already a quarter of a century into his career when he recorded 'In The Fast Lane', a genuinely brilliant synth-heavy workout that added trademark violin refrains to a staccato drum machine rhythm and bold, bubbly waves of synthesizer. The record became something of an anthem in the techno clubs of Detroit on its 1989 release, while also inspiring jazz-dancers at Gilles Peterson's legendary Dingwalls sessions. Here the track gets a deserved re-release as a 12" single, with extensive sleeve notes courtesy of the man himself. This time round, there's also an inspired cover version from Opolopo, who re-creates Ponty's famous synthesizer riffs, jams out colourful new solos and adds them all to a non-stop house beat that's as infectious as they come. Simply superb.

Review: Reel People Music does a fine line in old school house, disco, funk and soul. It's reissued remixes of Robin S classics, put out albums by the label heads Reel People and now offers up a tasty vinyl sampler. Reel People themselves kick-off as remixed by Art of Tones and with the lush neo-soul vocals of Angie Stone on the mid-tempo disco-house-funk roller 'Don't Stop The Music.' Opolopo brings another soul-drenched deep disco sound with a great Angela Johnson vocal and Stro Elliot's Roller Rink rework is a nice lazy beat for cosy backroom dances. DJ Spinna does his signature soulful thing on the gloriously groovy 'Tonight We Ride'.

Review: Fine purveyors of deepest house Finale have scooped up another handful of choice producers to flaunt their talents. Miles Sagnia commences the fun and games with the seductive tones of "Alleys Of My Mind", expertly working a vocal turn alongside plenty of gently bubbling acid vibe and cool-tempered pads. Carlos Nilmmns is much dubbier in his outlook, and no worse off for it. It's Pezzner that's bring a little grit to the mellow proceedings as he turns to a punchy bassline and prominent drums that should get the attention of many a wiggling ass on the dancefloor. Opolopo rounds things off with a strange and psychedelic cut that drizzles even measures of acid, dub techno and deep house onto the tracks and lets the joyous mess roll out of its own accord.