The Reflex

Review: Armed with a hard drive full of multi-track parts to a wide array of disco, rock, boogie and pop classics, the Reflex has spent the last decade offering up unique "Revisions" that often differ greatly to their source material despite using the same basic instrumental and vocal tracks. He's at it again here, offering up sneaky revisions of two dancefloor soul classics. On the A-side he handles "Dance To The Music", frequently stripping the track back to little more than a stomping groove, delay-laden vocals and wild organ lines. On the flip he turns his attention to "Pusherman", gently beefing up the groove while showcasing the attractive sweetness of the original track's fluid horn parts and bulging bassline.

Review: Multitrack wizard The Reflex returns for his second release on Revision Records with two more killer edits. He tackles Marvin Gaye's classic "Gotta Give It Up" giving it the perfect modern revision for modern dancefloors, pretty damn brilliant if we do say so ourselves. On the B side he lends his Midas touch to Serge Gainsbourg's infamous "Sea, Sex & Sun" allegedly three years in the making, this dirty disco funk nugget includes vocals from both the English and French versions. Exclusive to vinyl and previously unreleased, get your hands on this one before you miss your chance as pressings are limited.

Review: While his source material tends towards the well known, there's no denying the quality of The Reflex's "revisions". Their genius likes in his ability to source and utilize stems and master tapes, allowing him to remix and re-edit killer disco jams in the same manner as original masters such as Tom Moulton. It means that he can craft new instrumental breakdowns, stretch out portions that were originally overlooked, and generally breathe new life into otherwise all-too-familiar anthems. The two revisions featured here are typically impressing, with the impassioned, driving, heavily rearranged Philadelphia Soul flipside ("BD LCK") just nudging out anthem like A-side "Ansun" (a brilliantly teased-out version of one of the most familiar disco records of all time).

Review: The Reflex's reworks of million-selling disco, soul and pop hits may be sneered at by snooty, self-styled "collector" DJs, but the rest of us can't get enough of them. There's a reason for that, of course: they're invariably brilliant. Here he serves up two more gems guaranteed to start the party. On the A-side you'll find his legendary revision of the sparser LP mix of Wham's "Everything She Wants". The London-based Frenchman extends and dubs out the track's delicious machine drums and synths before introducing the late, great George Michael's fantastic vocals. The results are, of course, impressive. Over on the flip, he gets busy with Eddie Kendricks' classic "A Date With The Rain", making merry with the original's killer percussion, horns and reverb-drenched vocals.

Review: When it comes to reworking million-selling singles and gargantuan hits, there's nobody better than Frenchman-in-London The Reflex. Further proof arrives via his latest sneaky two-tracker, which offers multi-track re-edits of two sing-along favourites. On side A he delivers a heavy disco revision of party classic "Copacabana" (yep, the Barry Manilow-written banger) that turns it into a breathless and sleazy workout fit for peak-time dancefloors. Over on side B he gets to work on disco-soul classic "I'll Be Around", underpinning the orchestration and repeated chorus vocal ("whenever you call me, I'll be there" etc) with house style beats for added oomph.

Review: When it comes to breathing new life into well-known classics, there are few better than Frenchman-in-London The Reflex. Further proof of this assertion can be found on RWY, the third 12" on the producer's own Revision Records imprint. The title track sees him once again take his scalpel to a track by Michael Jackson, subtly building layering up and extending "Rock With You" (a feat made possible by his ability to get hold of multi-track parts to the material he re-edits). On the flip, he successfully tampers with Lionel Richie's end-of-night classic "All Night Long". Brilliantly, he removes much of the percussion during key vocal passages, which in turn gives subsequent choruses extra dancefloor oomph. Bravo, Sir.