DISCOTECAS Vinyl & CDs

Review: The shadowy DIscotecas collective has served up some of the most on-point re-edits of recent times, with their self-released EPs regularly dipping into the worlds of electrofunk, boogie, disco and Balearica. The fifth 12" in the series delivers another quartet of killer cuts, each liberally sprinkled with a dash of delay and reverb for added dancefloor satisfaction. They begin with a hard-wired, deliciously squelchy workout blessed with the vocal refrain from a boogie-era synth jam ('Jellied Eels') before bouncing their way through the classic, lightly dubbed-out electrofunk flex of 'Love Action'. 'Early Riser' is a fine peak-time disco workout rich in mazy synth solos, glistening guitar licks and swelling orchestration, while 'Shoulda Known' is a colourful, Tiger & Woods style house jam constructed from killer loops from a vintage boogie jam and heady hand percussion.

Review: Discotecas keep it catchy with another firey missive that delves deep into disco, funk and Afro. 'Heavy Dub' opens up with loose-limbed grooves that come with horn stabs and plenty of percussion, then 'LFA' gets a little deeper. Here the drums stay low and the mood is more menacing. The groove is detailed with just as many hots and toms, with diffuse chord stabs adding some warming soul and hints of Moodymann cool. As the grover unfolds it gets ever more funky and party starting with some great spoken words finishing it in style.

Review: The freshest 12" Balearic vinyl release on the block comes courtesy of Discotecas, a label who prefer to home in on underground house and Balearic edits. The release features four tracks: 'Move', 'Like Syrup', 'Take It' and 'Always Forever', all of which are essentially lost vestiges of well-known songs. Some parts are genuine edits, sometimes they aren't and instead function as made-from-scratch imitations, but that's part of the art. Whether or not they're built on wholly original samples is superfluous - as long as the tracks pique the brain's deja-vu receptors, as they do with, their slap-basses, clavey shakers, and sultry beachside vocals, then we're good.

Review: Discotecas kicks off a new label devoted to tidy disco edits. This one opens up with the brilliantly sleazy 'Disco Steel' which is all about the rickety drums and filthy bass down low. It's one that is sure to work the club into a real peak time lather. There is a strong Blaze-style deep house vibe to 'Love to the World' with its low-slung beats and bass and snaking bassline overlaid with seductive spoken words. The vibe completely flips for 'Any Day Disco' which brings tropical vibes, Latin flair, wild percussion and a shuffling samba rhythm to close things down in colourful fashion. A fine first EP of edits.