New releases last eight weeks: Disco/Re-Edits

Review: Archeo Recordings bring us some more Balearic Italian treasure here with some gold initially recorded in Bologna almost two decades ago. It's a collaboration between friends Bottin and Lucio Dalla that has never before been on vinyl. 'Lunedi Cinema' was an ident that played before Monday night movies on of one of the main Italian TV channels for many years. This electronic version includes the Martedi Mix from 2008, a Minibar Bonus Track and also a mix by pioneering Italian dream house dons Leo Mas & Fabrice with a Bottin dub sealing the deal. It's a superb package of real Italo music history.

Review: The blistering, one-of-a-kind West Coast disco-funk record 'U Need Me' by LA Propinquity surfaces as part of a new body of historic productions initially intended for compilation on a full-length LP. For reasons undisclosed, this never happened; instead, Italian sonic exhumers Cannonball Records have been afforded the privilege of reissuing these tracks across a series of 7"s themselves. Hardly and criminially under-recognised in their day, the L.A. Propinquity were nonetheless composed of the angelic city's finest, with drummer James Gadson forming a prominent part. A blast from the 1970s, 'U Need Me' is a beaming slice of unrequited longing, set to delicious funk tones that are as maximized as they are unstrained.

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: Chicago outfit Wavelength tap into the funk traditions of bands like Parliament here with a seductive and rather sleazy new EP for Soulistic 360. The whole thing has been arranged by Windy City soul innovator Rahaan and comes on white marbled vinyl 12". Opener 'Can You Handle This Funk' is slow, steamy, sensuous with its languid kicks, live, raw drums and drawled vocals all luring you into the groove. The remix is a subtle teak of the original and on the flip is 'Kemetic Dance Party' which brings more Afro style drums and some bold sax lines to get things going in a more energetic way.

Review: The summer is almost here which means this is exactly the sort of record we want to be reaching for. It's a lush and tropical work of idealised disco grooves, deepest house, Balearic, smooth jazz and Mediterranean cool that cries out to be played loud while you sip on cocktails and dream of being somewhere utterly blissful and classy. Dreamy textures define each cut with nice fresh rhythms, glistening chords and lush melodies all sprinkled with delightful percussive detail. Big up to A Vision Of Panorama for serving up a beautiful album that is sure to soundtrack the warmest months of the year for many.

Review: When Danilo 'MCDE' Plessow and Bobby van Putten established their Space Grapes label last year, it was their stated intention to present 'the best in contemporary live dance music'. What they meant, we suspect, was releases like this debut album from van Putten's Another Taste combo - a four-piece whose colourful and sonically authentic sound rooted in boogie, 80s electrofunk and obscure, private press disco. The results are undeniably impressive, sounding something like a long-lost album from 1983 - complete with kaleidoscopic synths, soulful vocals and killer basslines - of the kind that dusty-fingered crate diggers consider a 'holy grail'. Highlights include the Plessow co-produced boogie brilliance of 'Anything You Want' and the funky bassline driven mid-tempo disco-soul of 'Time Is On My Side'.

Review: Italian dance producer Gianni Bini debuts on Groove Culture with the House Of Glass LP, topping up his impressive discography with a solo studio effort, and bolstering the already massive stock of production credits attached to his bulging, insatiable name. Though his various monikers over the years have indeed propelled him in a many-a-direction, Bini's latest here centres on epic disco, and rewinds the tape to an earlier sound first explored in his formative days as a producer; retroactively, we hear a livelier, more contemporary take on the stabbing strings, bristling bass and bubblegum beats - all live-recorded - that first put him on the map.

Review: E. Live returns to Star Creature HQ with his third full-length release, 'Soft Approach,' and it's a jazz-funk-infused and boogie-powered blast-off. Following the success of 2020's Boogie For Life and Cloud Vibes from 2022, this new long player marks a triumphant evolution in his solo journey. With a nu-school disco flair and jazzier undertones, E. Live expertly balances accessibility and sophistication to make for a well-crafted trip overall. Drawing inspiration from musical luminaries like Roy Ayers and Patrice Rushen, these tunes promise to captivate fans of danceable rhythms and refined musicality alike. This release solidifies E. Live's reputation as a trailblazer in the contemporary Boogie scene and confirms he is destined for seismic waves in 2024.

Review: F.I.D.E.L (Further Individual Delusions) is the avatar project of Paris-based composer, producer and A&R, R. DIlouya; UK funk and soul and Northern soul legend John Turrell; and French hip-hop, soul and jazz force majeure Sly Johnson. Hailing from North Paris and Northern England, F.I.D.E.L release their latest project Out Of Sight to the great post-disco, boogie and new wave pop that shaped the world's collective unconscious at the twilight of the Thatcher / Cold War Era. F.I.D.E.L takes this as a jumping off point and channels its sound through the care and the musical craft of the past to a yet more modern soundscape using Prophet Synthesizers, Clavinets and Drum Machines to create a fast, nervous, funky, ironic and intoxicating satire of post-COVID Western society. While most of the musical heavy lifting is done by Dilouya himself, Turrell lays down socially anchored lyrics, rooted firmly in the gritty, no-nonsense world of a working-class man. Recorded over two week-long studio sessions in Paris, Out Of Sight showcases Dilouya's timeless songwriting and bold production style, setting ground for Turrell's classic vocal performances and Sly Johnson's revered musicianship.

Review: The arrival of Il Quadro di Troisi could not have been more ironic. Anything but new faces on the music scene, the Italian electronic partnership of Eva Geist and Donato Dozzy debuted as the reality of living in a pandemic really began to hit home - November 2020. A month that usually calls for their brand of dark, Ital-disco-cold-synth stuff was void of the situations you'd want to hear it in. No parties, no clubs, no concerts - not even an opportunity to stick it on when getting ready to do something. Nevertheless, we've more than made up for it now, and having grown incredibly close betwixt that waking nightmare and today's chaos, the arrival of a new LP is an enticing prospect. As the notes explain, "everything changes, all things evolve, nothing stays the same... La Commedia marks the band's embrace of a more traditional song form, shaped by a very personal and distinctive musical style. The distinguishing elements of Il Quadro di Troisi's music meld into a unique mix that is both seductive and eerie, elegant and earthy, contemporary and timeless."

Review: Deep house producer Shuya Okino shows his class once more on another tasteful outing, this time via the Extra Freedom/Village Again labels out of Japan. For this one he revisits his 2011 album Destiny which was made with help from the Japanese funk, boogie and jazz-funk outfit Root Soul and replays and remakes the tunes. The originals become more disco-leaning and horn lead jams here with Okino's warm, rubbery basslines, P-funk synths, loose live beats and cute keys. The result is an album that sounds like Earth, Wind & Fire making modern soul and it will improve your life no end.

Review: Italy's finest sound-purveyors Slow Motion proffer a fantastic new release from CEO Fabrizio Mammarella in collaboration with Rodion, collaboratively recorded at the Marche Synth Museum (Museo Del Synth Marchigiano). A fully functional recording space, the museum houses several private collections of Italian electronic musical instruments, gathered over the many years since their creation; whether the artists actually got to use any of these classic machines remains to be uttered, but we can't deny that they were inspired. Both artists do thorough justice to their Marche region roots here, laying down eight slices of industrial dungeon-electro, mind-melting acid rollouts and spoken-n'-spelled ritual dances.

Review: Chicago funk band Royal Flush release sonly one full length on their local Texas label Lucky and that was Hot Spot. They did so in 1980 before later reissuing it via GEC and although it isn't one of the most well known albums amongst funk heads, we think that is rather a crime because it is a top notch if not underrated album. It is couched in the traditions of the genre but with nods to styles like P-Funk. If you can find an OG copy you will have to shell out plenty of money and although this same label put out a CD version in 1994, it has not been reissued on vinyl before.

Review: Four new originals from French Berlin-based singer and JD Stella Zekri, whose low-range, buzzing vocals are lent happily to a selection of cloudy electronic Latin beats. Produced and co-written by Ed Longo, it draws heavily on the post-zouk and disco styles endemic to the 80s French underground; our choice bit is the offbeat boogizm heard on the sonic ponderance: 'Pourquoi (Why)'.

Review: The second full-length from Parisian dance producer Diogo Strausz, whose grasp on the nascent wave of samba-infused house, funk and Afrobeat flaunts a conspicuous expertise. Drawing on the titular idea of 'samba from outer space' - where dance music is a wordless, universal language that quantizes people's experience and flushes them of their iniquities - Strausz's point is that dance music pre-dates electronica and that, looked at it in a certain way, all dance music is simply cosmic samba. Whether or not you agree, this is an effortlessly enchanting full-length, feal to every samba hallmark from syncopated clave to two-tone piano riffs, albeit also backed up by robotic samples and FM ows.

Review: Continuing Four Flies' dedication to delving into lesser-explored periods of Italian music, Africamore: The Afro-Funk Side of Italy (1973-1978) takes us on a captivating carpet-ride into the intersection of Afro-funk and the Italian soundscape prevalent in the six years between 1973 and 1978 - a time when disco was still in its nascence, and the nightclub market was rapidly expanding. Bottling the critical moment at which DJs such as Dave Mancuso discovered Manu Dibango's 'Soul Makossa' - with classics such like Jean Paul & Angelique's 'Africa Sound' and Nat King Cole's 'Calypso Blues' following as floor-bound hits - all these productions pushed the boundaries of dance music at a time when disco had not yet taken over.

Review: The latest niche disco compilation to froth forth from Germany's Seismographic label is a self-described 'mysterious record', intending to both hide and show something at the same time. Indeed, we know the feeling, since when it comes to dubious emotions such as ennui and bittersweetness - both common to pop and disco - it takes a skilled artistic, productive and curative effort to pin down both emotions (unskilled hands would liken the art to catching eels in a barrel). Made up entirely of two records that were 'most probably' released in the mid-1970s on Turkish Roma, Disco Dances From Turkey does exactly what it says on the verso. Psychedelic motifs, hard-hitting drums, Arabesk percussion, and hip-hop friendly breaks all collide to produce a careful combo in nine takes, delving into the heart of Romano-Turkish pop music from the 70s.

Review: French label Wagram is a go-to when it comes to quality compilations that take a broad look at certain sounds and scenes, and this one is an on-going series that focuses on house sounds with an Afro undertone. The grooves are lively and often come with plenty of percussion. The drums hit hard but with funk, the vocals are Afro-centric and plenty of irresistible hits come thick and fast from the jazzy tribal swagger of 'Imbalaye' to the big steel drum party sounds of 'Viet Dao' (Klement Bonelli & Yann DL remix). Another great collection of colourful Afro house sounds.