New releases last four weeks: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: In the midst of disco's golden era, The Ritchie Family released their vibrant second album, 'Arabian Nights' a captivating fusion of disco and Broadway showmanship. The track, 'The Best Disco in Town', exudes an infectious energy, featuring elements of funk and disco that ignite the dance floor. Another standout track, 'Baby I'm on Fire', embodies the excess and drama of the disco scene. Its sultry lyrics and pulsating beats evoke a theatrical ambiance. The album's mesmerising anthem, 'Istanbul' combines disco rhythms with dramatic crescendos, creating an unforgettable musical experience. With its diverse range of tracks, from energetic to sensual, Arabian Nights captures the spirit of the disco era.

Review: Four Flies continue their mission to plunge Italy's funk-historical depths. The pinnacle of their search so far for the sure-to-exist pearly gems on the sands thereunder is the new Africamore compilation, which homes in like a heat-seeking torpedo on the particular Afro- ends of the funk sound prevalent in the nation, in the crucial years between 1973 and 1978. This period was notable for its facilitating fertile ground for the emerging discotheque market in Italy at the time. From psychedelic-tinged tunes like Jean Paul & Angelique's 'Africa Sound' to Afrobeat-esque club banger 'Kumbayero' by Albert Verrecchia; from groundbreaking Afro-cosmics like Chrisma's 'Amore to mind-blowing floor-fillers like Beryl Cunningham's 'Why O', this is a multivalent compilation, among the best out there to document the burblings of that crosswise stew of disco, funk, electro and world musics.