Groovin Italy 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Way back in 1993, when his career was still in its infancy, Chicago great Roy Davis Jr donned an alternative alias, The Believers, and delivered a 12" on Strictly Rhythm: 'Who Dares To Believe In Me?' It was something of a club smash, with Ministry of Sound issuing it in the UK a year later with a swathe of new mixes. This Groovin' Records reissue boasts a trio of mixes from the original U.S 12". On the A-side you'll find the original mix, a warm, spine-tingling slab of piano-rich New York style house topped off by snaking, delay-laden saxophone lines and an inspirational spoken word vocal courtesy of Davis. Over on the reverse, Davis' own 'Just Living High Mix' - a breezier, jazzier and more colourful affair - is followed by Mind Readers' tougher, chunkier and heavier revision, which is in effect a proper dancefloor dub.

Review: Groovin Italy landed a monumental reissue for the label with C'hantal's 'The Realm'. Originally released way back in 1990 on the dance and early Brooklyn based Powertraxx records. Staying true to the original release, it offers the 'Love In D Minor' mix but does one better in tucking in the Acapella version to the A-side so the B-side 2 versions have a little more room to breathe. The added bonus has to be putting on the more rare "Wild Club mix' to the party along with the original 'Rave Mix'. All and all, a very packed reissue of some of the best versions of the track, all on one record. This might just hold the number one spot for best techno reissue so far of 2024.

Review: In his debut as a leader and composer, Tiziano Codoro's inaugural project, Impermanenze,"breaks new ground. This electronic-jazz endeavour transcends typical boundaries to offer a wide-eyed trip into plenty of new musical realms. Seamlessly blending hypnotic melodies, sophisticated improvisations, and pulsating rhythms, it pushes the limits of musical innovation as the talented musicians involved effortlessly merge acoustic jazz with captivating electronic textures to create a harmonious fusion of tradition and experimentation. Impermanenze, then, encapsulates the essence of Northern European jazz and ably embodies its introspection, artistic freedom, and sonic beauty.

Review: 'Maledetta Quella Notte' is the first EP by Il Mago del Gelato, a new band from Milan (IT) with a strong Mediterranean imprint. This first album of theirs runs through funk, afrobeat and jazz; all the divergent strands make up the project, later convergent and blending in a nigh-perfect balance. Warm, watery, jazz-futuristic and easy on the ears, it's all held together by the uniquely Milanese fusion of vocoder, percussion, 80s synths, and roots guitars.

Review: New York house royalty Ralphi Rosario has got scores of classics in his back catalogue, and now Groovin have cherry-picked a couple that are more than worthy of a scrub up and repress. The record leads with 'An Instrumental Need', an absolute benchmark of piano house perfection which will instantly take a party to a truly positive place, and that's even before the vibes solo comes twinkling into earshot. On the B-side is 1997 stomper 'Take Me Up', which plays to Rosario's strength in whipping up a frenzy with some seriously stripped back disco heat and an anthemic vocal from Donna Blakely.

Review: Scottish house music duo Silicone Soul aka Craig Morrison & Graeme Reedie's turn-of-the-millennium deep houser 'Right On!' certainly made a big splash back then, breaching the UK dance singles chart by bringing the genre an oily soulful emulsion. However, not their first release for the esteemed Soma Quality Recordings, 'Right On!' was an expert construction and a favourite for lovers of vocal house at the time. The track is a cover of Curtis Mayfield's 'Right On For The Darkness', a paean for living in the now and grabbing life by the bullhorns).

Review: For the label's latest on-point reissue, Groovin' Records has delved into the slim catalogue of short-lived Italian production duo Soft House Company. Originally released in 1990 and a dancefloor smash all over Europe, 'What U Need' is typical of loved-up Italian house of the period - all life-affirming piano stabs, tactile synth-bass, occasional synth-strings, rolling drum machine beats and cut-up vocal snippets from First Choice's much-sampled disco classic 'Let No Man Put Asunder'. Over on the reverse you'll find original B-side 'A Little Piano', a deeper and even more loved-up workout that's effectively a deep house style dub of the A-side, shorn of the vocals, featuring chunkier beats, more prominent bass, and delay-laden piano motifs aplenty.