Back catalogue: Disco/Re-Edits

Review: Super Spicy's Super Spicy Recipe series is back with a sixth mouthwatering offering and once again it's a super hot outing of party-ready house and disco sounds. First up is the irresistibly colourful disco charm of Birdee with the freewheeling 'Underground' and its groove-infused piano. Label boss Monsieur Van Pratt then adds his own spin to a rare groove classic with a lung-busting soul vocal and Pato Watson is in edit mode as he tweaks 'Ella Fue' to perfection. Italian don Paul Older brings some funky jazz fusion sounds to his steamy 'Turkish Lights, C. Da Afro keeps it a party with his 'Nothing But The Funk' and Mexican Juan Soto slips into a more deep and loved-up funk-house vibe on 'All Is Full Of Love'.

Review: Funk, soul and house music courses through the veins of Jamie 3:26 and he always manages to convey that into his irresistible grooves. The best of them come on his own label 326 which is where he arrives now with this new 12" Dancefloor Damage Vol 1. It's a tight affair with just one cut on each side of the wax, starting with 'Maqnifique' which is a steamy, intense disco house stomper with wiry lines and unrelenting grooves. On the flip is a very different vibe - a sunny, flute-led led and jazzy soulful house number with heart-melting chords.

Review: Nuremberg's Jayl Funk is a true torch-bearer for the art of funked up breaks to start a party anywhere and everywhere. He's back on Danish label Breakbeat Paradise with another sure-shot 7" of feel-good vocal grooves that should appeal to a huge spectrum of cats ready to get down, not least the A-side joint 'Shake & Boogie' with its infectiously sunny demeanour. 'Not Today' is a more disco-styled affair with snappy Philly string stabs and a slippery groove you could just sink your teeth into. Just watch out for that epic piano breakdown, it might just raise the roof off the joint.

Review: Death On Wax has already slipped out a handful of sharply informed edit and remix 12"s which fly the flag for the early 80s dance culture, when seedy, nocturnal bands were colliding with the flamboyant grooves of disco and synth pop. On this latest record, Jaz goes low and slow on the new wave goth tones of 'Cleopatra' before Frantz leans in on the Eurodisco freakiness of 'Hyde & Go Sleaze'. DJ Rocca & N2B pile on the pressure with the camp delights of 'Abuse' and Facets completes the set with the boxy beats of 'Never Passing'. Essential cuts for any discerning death disco.

Review: Deep house on a 7" is a rather rather thing but this 45rpm certainly is worth your while. It is the first we have heard from Jazztronik, all producer and keysman Ryota Nozaki, since his Universal Language album last year. He has been at this now for 24 years and brings all that know how to these two jams. 'Evoke' is a lively broken beat workout with squelchy bass and improvised jazz keys that are restless and energizing with rich leads. 'Beat Hopper' (The 3rd Session) appears on the flip with more innovative keys and party-pumping broken beats. A tasteful duo for sure.

Review: As we roll further into the New Year we're still enjoying the arrival of plenty of new labels. Now Is Not The Time is one of them from the US that takes a bow here with its first EP, Lost In The Message. It's a three-way collab between the legendary Rahaan plus DJ Reg and Jerome O. What they do is chip up classic samples and killer grooves form the worlds of funk, soul, house and disco with 'Lost In The Message' kicking off in freewheeling fashion. 'Get Up Out Tha Water' has oems nice big horn energy and plenty of whistles and 'The M8 Track' is a deeper house sound with a belting diva vocal.

Review: Reece Johnson brings the party across this limited new and hand-stamped 12" on the fledgling Disco Disco label. 'San Sal' is a lovely rough and ready party with nice loose, raw drums and freewheeling synth lines full of big energy. 'HTT' follows the same path and keeps the vibes pumping then 'Dance To My Beat' brings in some mad funky slap bass and plenty of tambourines and shakers to make the floor get down in even more unhindered fashion. 'Wanna Be Loved' closes down with a more stripped-back and deep sound for late-night seduction.

Review: The Alloy Cuts label is back with another sweet 45rpm that collides some of the greats of hip-hop past into two new fusion and mash-up jams designed to do plenty of damage to dancefloors. First up is Jurasoc 5 vs Booty Haul with 'Divided Conformelution' which has some sick low ends and booming kicks overlaid with funky guitar riffs and hard bars. Booty Haul's 'Conformstumental' then appears on the flip side as the original sample source for the a1. It's more physical with the bars stripped away and still has plenty of raw funk.

Review: Just What The World Needs returns to their own self-titled label with a 14th outing of fiery disco heat. This is potent music that melds together jazz, funk and soul with a lashing of synth goodness. The opener is a real driver with emotive gospel vocals and mad jazz keys. Second is a slower jam with a more dreamy feel then the flip side comes on strong with jazz say leading the way beneath vaping chords and funky, smooth drums. Last of all is a supercharged leftfield bomb with explosive cosmic synths and the sort of energy that stands out in any set.

Review: If you have had your ear to the Balearic underground over the summer you might well have heard some high-profile selectors dropping cuts off this latest missive from US label Just What The World Needs. It is another sublime three-tracker that kicks off with the string-laced and upbeat disco delights of the A1. Second up is a much more slow and sensuous sound that sinks you in deep to a beach lounger as the sun fades into the sea and the sky turns flame red and orange. Things pick up again with the third and final cut - a percussive jumble of organic hits and drums overlaid with a heart-melting vocal sample and deft melodic details that drift by like wispy clouds.

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: 'Hollywood Swingin' is one of the most recognised Kool & The Gang songs in their amazing catalogue, having soundtracked movies, been sampled in hip-hop as well as used in commercials. So how would someone remix it and make it fresh once again? Easy. In 2005 they added Jamiroquai's unmistakable voice, made a disco and house version of it too, the 'Disco Dust' mix adding new sounds while not losing and ounce of the original's energy. 'The After Party' mix offers a more house version of the classic.

Review: Philadelphia International Records continues to dip into its bulging archives and offer up double-packs containing some of the finest 1970s remixes from remix pioneer Tom Moulton. As you'd expect, there's plenty to get the juices flowing and the heart pounding on this third volume in the series. Record one opens up with Moulton's epic version of the O'Jays' "This Time Baby", a swirling Philly Soul classic that later became a favourite of sample-loving disco-house producers and disco re-editors, and continues with his sugary but floor-friendly version of the Futures' "Party Time Man". Over on record two, Moulton's inspired extension of Jean Carn's seductive "Love Don't Come Easy" is followed by his must-have version of the Jones Girls' "Nights Over Egypt".

Review: Say She She is the psychedelic soul group from Brooklyn that's exploded onto the scene since their debut in 2019. Receiving critical acclaim for their two albums to date, and the pleasure of touring Europe and North America, the Nile Rodgers-inspired female trio even got a video message of approval from the legend himself. Authentic and organic are two words that fit the classically trained troupe to a tea and, in the great soul tradition, covers are a necessity. Jim Spencer's 1979 attempt at foraying into disco 'Wrap Myself Up in Your Love' wasn't received amazingly at the time, but thanks to the adoration of archive label The Numero Group, the song has seen a resurgence in covers and fans. The original vocal is zany and expressive against some jangly funk guitars, whilst Say She She's rendition hones in on the sultry aspect of the track. Guitars are muted down to transform the song into a lovemaking slow jam, wind passages are introduced and the vocal is subtly powerful and sexy. This 7" contains both Spencer's original track and the interpretation by the trio, pressed on white vinyl.

Review: Arther Baker's Dance Masters series continues, as the spotlight turns to another remix legend: one of the originators of the form, John Luongo. Regarded as one of the most influential DJs and mixers of his day, Luongo's many credits include remixes of Jackie Moore's 'This Time Baby', 'Vertigo / Relight My Fire' by Dan Hartman and Patti Labelle's 'Music Is My Way Of Life'. Luongo also went on to establish a production career in his own right, and his legacy is more than cemented here on this retrospective comp from Demon. This box set compiles his most striking tracks in a sixc LP compilation, as well as: a 16-page booklet; an in-depth essay from Alexis Petridis; a foreword by Arthur Baker and a rare photo album from Luongo's personal collection.

Review: Lebaron James - read that one carefully - goes big on this accomplished and wide ranging new album on J & M Music Co. It is couched in classic American house and disco sounds and asked with superb samples that lend it a real authenticity and timeless musical quality. 'Please Don't Give Me Up' will soon win over any floor with its upbeat drums and bright melodies, while 'Tequila Sunrise' reaches for the stars with its cosmic keys and live sounding basslines. Interludes add extra derail to the listening experience but it's the club ready tracks that really standout, none more so that the loopy filter house of 'This Love.'