AURRA Vinyl & CDs

Review: Releasing five albums over five years on labels such as Salsoul, Dream and 10, Ohio-based Slave-offshoot Aurra recorded this in 1984 but it never saw the light of day. Until now... Oozing MOR soul and funk, polished with distinctive 80s production techniques, Family Groove have done these lost tapes justice. Highlights include the Estefanesque slap-bass jam "Perfect Date", the electro-influenced late night star-gazer "Turn The Lights Down Low" and the soulful vocal harmonies and subtle soft rockisms of "Maybe I'm Wasting My Time." Satisfaction guaranteed!

Review: 30 song deluxe 2xCD with the best of Aurra's four Salsoul albums, cantered around leader Steve Washington and singers Starleana Young & Curtis Jones, Aurra was an outgrowth of the New Jersey-based funk band Slave.

Review: Barely a fortnight has passed since Salsoul offered up a double-pack of Dr Packer reworks of classic tracks, but the Australian producer is already onto his next batch of vintage disco and boogie remixes. He begins by subtly beefing up Loleatta Holloway's orchestrated disco classic "Hit & Run", wisely emphasizing a relaxed but bouncy disco-house groove and dubbed-out vocal section, before going dub disco crazy on a suitably spacey, low-slung take on Aurra's boogie-era jam "Such A Feeling". Record two sees him charging towards peak-time floors via fine multi-track edit of Salsoul Orchestra's "Take Some Time Out", before delivering a fine, light touch revision of the Jammers' superb, synth-heavy electrofunk classic "Be Mine Tonight".

Review: Unlike most disco re-edit EPs, Salsoul's latest instalment of 'Reflex Revisions' are "proper" remixes, making full use of original master stems and session tapes sourced from the parent artists themselves. With all four tracks handled by French producer and remixer The Reflex, we know we're in good hands here - he's been at it since 2012. Reflex Revisions don't just add a janky kick beneath a beatgridded 16-bar loop, but rather, they move and sway with the tracks' original feels. Our case in point: 'A Little Love' completely reimagines the drum section found on Aurra's 1983 original, making the whole sonic experience much clearer and brighter. As much can be said for Metropolis' downtempo 'I Love New York', on which Reflex here makes the song grander, wider. Compared to most re-editors, this is an impressive feat occurring in a different ballpark.