DON CARLOS Vinyl & CDs

Review: The legendary Fatman is back with another must-have 10" release featuring Don Carlos's iconic vocal roots classic from 1980. The A-side includes the full 12" disco mix, highlighted by Robbie Shakespeare's unforgettable bassline which adds to the fresh, deep groove of this perfectly aged track. On the flip side, you'll find Delroy Wilson's infectious 'Live Good' alongside its dub version. The OG is a heavyweight cut with plenty of FX, echo and lo-fi sounds all making it an unforgettable jam. Essentially this is an absolute no-brainer for reggae and roots music lovers.

Review: Groove Culture taps into an effortlessly timeless house sound with this new remix 12". It sees the in house production team step up on the B-side to remix Micky More & Andy Tee, Don Carlos, Taka Boom's 'The Music Of Your Mind' and the result is a super smooth, soulful roller with passionate vocals and disco sprinkled percussion. Ahead of that, Centric House's 'Alright Alright" (Micky More & Andy Tee remix) is a piano-laced and joyous house bumper with elastic bass and hands in the air energy.

Review: Considered "the absolute Don of Italo piano house", Don Carlos is up next on esteemed NYC label Razor N Tape with an EP of rare vintage house from the archives - 30 years old in fact. For the uninitiated, Don (Carlo Troya) and S-Tone (Stefano Tirone) released two records on Italian imprint Calypso in the early '90s under the alias Montego Bay. Features the emotive, late-night garage of 'Music All Night' (Deep In Milano mix) followed by the low-slung dancefloor heater 'Keep Dancing The Boogie' on the A-side. The flip offers the life-affirming vocal cuts 'Waited So Long' and 'Gotta Keep Dancing' respectively which perfectly capture the zeitgeist of house music's golden era in the early '90s.

Review: Whereas the first volume of Italian house pioneer Don Carlos's retrospective of Italian house, Echoes of Italy, largely stuck to the picturesque but chunky and organ-rich "Italo-house" template, this second volume expressly focuses on "paradise house" - what Young Marco and Christiaan MacDonald dubbed "dream house" on their superb Welcome To Paradise series. As you'd expect given his association with the sound, Carlos's selections are notably different (and arguably less well known) than theirs, even if some of the same artists feature. It's cultured, tactile and loved-up dancefloor dreaminess all the way, with highlights including the slow-build wonder of Onrico's saucer-eyed 'Echo Gimini', the low-slung groove of Alex Neri's 'The Wizard (Hot Funky Version)', the piano-laden, breakbeat-driven shuffle of Moto Grosso's 'Titanic', and Carlos's own gorgeous, organ-heavy 'Boy'.

Review: Italo house has enjoyed quite a resurgence in the last few years, with plenty of new releases popping up that sound convincingly authentic in their production and aesthetic. It's always nice to savour the real deal, though, and it doesn't get much more real than the one and only Don Carlos when it comes to direct-from-the-source dreamy 90s peninsula house. Here, the Don compiles a comprehensive selection of classics from the genre. With shimmering pads, soulful vocals and synth-flute leads aplenty, this bygone LP is steeped in both nostalgia and not-so-subtle reminders that not too many of the more recent pretenders have added a great deal to the form. Highlights permeate the comp, from Montego Bay's 'Everything' to Kwanzaa Posse's 'Wicked Funk'. The unabashed positivity of Golem's 'Music Sensations' makes for a welcome addition, as does the driving synth energy of Eagle Parade's 'I Believe'. In truth, the LP doesn't put a foot wrong, transporting listeners to the balmy hedonism of golden-age Rimini. Though it's never good to generalise, the old adage 'Italians do it better' certainly seems apt here.