Juno Recommends Disco January 2019

Review: In a rare exception from their usual hyper-obscure archive finds, Best Record have opted this time to give a proper reissue to a diggers favourite which enjoyed a second turn in the spotlight via a Dimitri From Paris compilation on BBE. Radiance and Andrea Stone's "You're My Number 1" is everything a boogie jam should be, from the liquid funk of the bassline to the snap of the drums - we defy anyone to stay off the floor when this pearl drops. It's no surprise to know it was mixed by the legendary M&M Productions team, featuring disco mix champion John Morales. The original is ace, but the extended dub mix on the flip is the one that will have the heads freaking out.

Review: Few disco and boogie DJs can boast record collections deeper than the one owned by Superior Elevation chief Tom Noble. It's this access to obscure, little-known gems that makes his regular re-edit releases so darn checkable. You'll find plenty dusty, rare revisions on the Brooklyn-based digger's latest EP for Razor 'N' Tape. Exhibit A: the low-slung, dub disco-goes-Latino flex of "They Came To New York", which exhibits a similar sonic space to early '80s heroes Konk. Also impressive is the high octane, jazz guitar-powered Afro-disco brilliance of "Disco Massamba", and "Parang-A-Teng", a chant-along tropical disco workout rich in heavy bass, delay-laden piano stabs and woozy female vocals. We haven't a Scooby what records he's been playing around with, but the resultant reworks are ace.

Review: Last year was a massive one for Serbian label Disco Fruit, with a plethora of essential 12"s dropping amidst a productive digital schedule too. Mexican producer Hotmood was certainly part of the label's success, and he kicks things off in 2019 for them in fine style with this sizzling EP of good time vibes, leading in with the sultry, chugging funk of "Afro Vibrations". "Shiny Stockings" is a more insistent, looped up affair for peak time moments, while "Tropical" lives up to its name with an exotic lilt in its source material that will transport you to whichever sunkissed idyll your heart desires. The ironically titled "I Was Never Fan Of Sampling" rounds the record out with another blast of cannily sliced and diced disco funk goodness to satisfy every kind of dancer.

Review: Block Sistem is yet another curious entity from the labyrinthe archives of Italo disco. Originally released in 1983 on Rabbit Records, this gorgeous, richly produced slice of synthesizer acrobatics was a certifiable hit back in the day. As such, it's been fetching monstrous prices on the second hand market, but once again diggers can rejoice thanks to Best Record, who have done the right thing and dusted this rare gem down for a shimmering new 2019 release. In true Best style they've kept the sanctity of the original record intact, with a vocal mix on the A side and the instrumental on the B side, but this time around there's some utterly fresh artwork adorning the release. Not one to miss!

Review: The inaugural and highly sought after Secret Squirrel release came our way exactly a year ago... Could this be an annual thing? That would be a shame, as these edits really are very special. On the A-side we have what appears to be a high-NRG/newbeat reversion of Eddy Grant's "Nobody's Got Time" while the B-side is a much more subtle sample-based bassline chugger that loops and wriggles with filtered charm. Proper wholesome disco, these won't be secret for very long... Get on it!

Review: During the "rare groove" boom in London during the 1980s, Linda Williams' 1979 album track "Elevate Our Minds" became something of an anthem. Curiously, it was never released as a single at the time, making this surprise 7" edition something of a bonus for those still searching for the track. It remains a fine song, with Williams' brilliant vocals rising above bossa-influenced beats, warm bass, luscious boogie orchestration and gentle Latin style horn lines. The flipside features "City Living", the title track from the very same 1979 LP that "Elevate Our Minds" was taken. It's far funkier and more elastic in feel, with horn arrangements and a chunky groove reminiscent of some Teena Marie tracks from the same period.

Review: Most Excellent Unltd continues to delve into the reel-to-reel edit archives of Mr K, AKA legendary New York DJ Danny Krivit. This 12" contains two more heavyweight bombs. First up in "Love The Life You Live", a hustling chunk of Blaxploitation era disco-funk from Kool & The Gang that Krivit brilliantly builds into a frenzy of sweaty drunk breaks, relentless horn lines and fuzzy bass guitar. Over on the flip, the native New Yorker takes his scalpel to a little known cover version of Beatles' favourite "Drive My Car", stripping out the vocals to leave heaps of percussion, a killer bassline, rousing horns and hard-wired funk guitars that sound like they've had a few tabs of acid. The resultant edit is a seriously heavy dub-disco treat that bears almost no resemblance to the "Rubber Soul" classic (or the Gary Toms Empire's version that he edited up, for that matter).

Review: The mysterious nut-gathering disco fiends at Secret Squirrel continue their razor-sharp edit work with two more incredibly funky slices of nu-disco. Side A is a spirited fusion of wah wahs, filters and a tight vocal loop from Ike Strong's "Boogie Land" while Side B is a slower, acid-tickled jam that takes Blair's "Nightlife" and brings it kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Both are stunning and are guaranteed to sell out like the previous SS editions.

Review: By now we should all know what to expect from the Tropical Disco Records collective: namely respectable floor-friendly re-edits underpinned by chunky house drums. Moodena handles the A-side, first tidying up and beefing up a disco-funk jam rich in life-affirming piano solos ("What Da Funk"), before reaching for the filter sweeps on the trumpet, trombone and saxophone-laden Brazilian disco flex of "The Horns". Over on side B, Sammy Deuce dons his hot pants for a cheery romp through string-laden disco-house territory ("Smack My Strings Up") before Sartorial rounds things off with his filter disco house edit on the infectious rolling, peak-time friendly romp that is "Little Love".

Review: The first installment in Holdtight's "Hot and Spicy" re-edits series simply flew off the shelves, and we're expecting this speedy follow-up to sell strongly, too. Certainly, there's much to admire throughout, from the dewy-eyed, life-affirming sweetness of subtle danceflooor soul re-rub "I Got Troubles", to the intergalactic slap-bass, "Miami Vice" chords, bustling drum machine beats and wayward synths of sleazy EP closer "Song For Lea". In between, you'll find the loopy, head-nodding blue-eyed soul chug of "Is There Any Love?" and the camp, tongue-in-cheek, sax-laden disco sleaze of "Oh Oui, Plus Fort".

Review: These delightfully glassy-eyed and - crucially - on point re-edits come courtesy of newcomer Balearic Skip AKA former pro skateboarder Alex Olson (and, yes, skateboard pioneer Steve Olson is his dad). "Love Freddy" is a wonderfully chugging, mind-altering instrumental re-edit of largely forgotten old Freddie Mercury jam "Love Kills" (previously officially remixed by the Glimmers, fact fans), while "Mighty" sees the skate hero apply the midas touch to what sounds like a pitched-down, late 1980s house remix of Sylvester's most famous, high energy disco hit. As for "Etta", it's a crunchy, slo-mo funk-rock revision of a lesser known later cut by a jazz and blues legend.

Review: On his fourth exploration of the world of global "Adult Oriented Rock", French crate-digger Charles Maurice focuses on the period between 1977 and '86. That means a greater emphasis on synthesizers, dusty drum machines and the kind of sparkling melodies that would once have drifted from daytime radio at an alarming rate. There's much to enjoy throughout, from the dewy-eyed synth-soul of Arlana's "When You Call My Name" and the breezy boogie of Omega Sunrise's "Too Hip", to the sparse Balearic bliss of Isabelle Mayereau's "Orange Bleue", the flute-laden easy listening hum of Fernando Toussaint, the sax-happy '80s sleaze of Special Occasion's brilliant "Flyin' To Santa Barbara" and the jaunty Latino jazz-funk of "Mellow Out" by Pacific Dreams.

Review: Fresh from the success of their first split 12" on Diggin' Deeper, Michael The Lion and Jay Airiness return to the imprint with more hot-to-trot, dancefloor-ready re-edits. It's the former who handles side A with the bouncy, percussion-laden disco-funk romp that is "Direction NYC" (all razor-sharp Chic style guitars riffs, booming slap bass and dense drums) before putting his stamp on a hazy, horn-heavy disco stepper that should be familiar to a few dusty-fingered diggers. Airiness, on the other hand, starts his side with the trading horn solos, fluttering flutes, jazz-funk tropes and busy slap-bass of "Jazzy Mind", before reaching for the stars via the celebratory disco release of "Disco Dance".

Review: Marking 40 years since the release of Edwin Birdsong's self-titled and fourth studio album, this Philly reissue couldn't have landed at a more poignant time as the LA funkateer sadly passed away on week of release. "Cola Bottle Baby" is known to absolutely everyone thanks to Daft Punk and that refreshing fizzy groove sounds even better, freer, looser, cooler in its natural state. The lesser spotted "Freaky Deaky Sities" kicks like a loose limbed mule, too. Perhaps a riposte to Roy Ayers "Freaky Deaky" hit the year before, or just another fine trope LA's funk continuum, once again it's the cult fusioneer at his most vibrant. Rest in peace.

Review: Something a little different from G.A.M.M here, as Parisian DJ Afshin joins forces with the mysterious Kiss My Black Jazz to offer up two incendiary edits. The real surprise killer is A-side "Trouble In My Way", which subtly turns a blues-era recording of a traditional slave sing-along into a handclap-heavy chunk of infectious gospel-house brilliance. It takes a little time to build up, but when the heavier beats drop midway through you'll have dancers eating out of the palm of your hand. Flipside "The Riot" sees them make merry with a Hammond-heavy chunk of 1960s jazz-funk, extending and reworking the cut to make it suitably sweaty, heavy and life affirming.

Review: Burgeoning Italian imprint Samosa quite literally kick off a new year with purpose as they launch this exciting new V/A EP series "Funk Purpose". Onside are a motley collective of allied editors who dig deep, far and wide for these four party essentials. Lego Edit instantly gets fruity with his Faze O style hazy organs and loose guitar loop, C Da Afro gets super freaky on the chugged out early 80s funk fire "The Disco Freak" while Will Hofbauer goes in express mode with a full sleazy and slinked out strutter. Finally Shit Hot Soundsystem stirs up a fantastic controversial finale. Princely.

Review: Second time around for The Revenge's brilliant re-edit of Hot Chocolate's "Heaven's In The Backseat of My Cadillac", which has become something of an in-demand item in the decade that has passed since its initial release on Jiscomusic. It remains one of the finest reworks of the modern era: a mid-tempo, sing-along stomper that's guaranteed to rock the party every time it's wheeled out. On the B-side you'll find something even more rare: the Scottish producer's never-before-properly-released (and much sought-after) take on Gwen McRae's "Keep The Fire Burning". This naturally retains all of the key ingredients of the classic original version, adding a rolling house beat and some suitably saucer-eyed chords to make an already loved-up cut even more seductive.

Review: Original Montreal selector Ouimet follows up his inaugural edit volume release last summer with three more classically crafted edits. Full floor focus, uptempo and deeply dug, they tick every box you'd expect from one of the original disco pioneering DJs. "Come Party" is a call to action, full horns and feels running throughout. "Where's Eugene" asks all the important questions over a rampant slap bass freak out while "Rob Can't Stop" brings us to an exultant climax with rolling drums and more slap bass that's so rude it should come with a health warning. Don't say yes, say oui!

Review: Second time around for Rene Zogo d'Ewondo's 1980 debut single "Africa", a Clavinet and guitar heavy chunk of Afro-disco/Afro-funk fusion that has become an in demand item in recent years. This time round, the little-known artist's superb original version - all sweet vocals, dancing horns, crunchy riffs and rubbery bass - is not accompanied by a bonus cut, but rather a tasty new trio of reworks. Although some will gravitate towards TVfrom86's tooled-up, filter-happy edit, it's the flipside revisions from Dan Shake and Folamour that hit home hardest. Shake's self-explanatory "Disco Dub" is a booming, hard-wired romp through layered African percussion and non-stop dub disco bass, while "Folamour" adds a little low-end swing whilst emphasizing the sweetness and disco grandiosity of d'Ewondo's original instrumentation.

Review: Climb on board the Belpaese express for another scalpel-wielding excursion into the eccentric world of cosmic disco and long-forgotten Italian club cuts. It's a journey every bit as riveting as their previous 12-inch trips. On the A-side you can settle in and let the extended Latin piano solos, Balearic boogie grooves, sweaty percussion breaks and early '80s jazz-funk synths of "Vai Di Samba" carry you towards your destination. A trip to the B-side buffet car is encouraged, too, where both "Fonde E Confonde" and the jammed-out, off-kilter Brazilian style electrofunk madness of "Electrosamba" are far more appetizing than your average on-board snack. The latter track, which also contains some insanely heavy passages of layered samba beats, is probably the EP's most potent cut.

Review: Also known as Art Of Tones, Ludovic Llorca's "The Garden" album landed on Must Have Jazz in 2017 and remains a sleeper hit of effervescent modern electronic soul. Now Lazy Days have stepped up to shine a light on the record, and in particular the track "Wonder Why", with this tidy remix package. On the A side Crazy P's Hot Toddy brings a deliciously synth-soaked brand of cosmic funk to the track, keeping the groove simmering and weaving illustrious strings over the top. On the flip, Lazy Days boss Fred Everything delivers two "Space edits" of the track that keep the chunky funk of the original rolling along, with the instrumental version reaching to particularly dizzying heights.

Review: Derry groove enthusiasts Queen & Disco don't release as much as you'd like them to. But when they do, it's always worth a spin. Here we find them in full edit mode with two great selections; first up the big bassline licks on the strong strut factor of King Tutt's "You've Got Me Hung Up". Famously one of the rarest disco records on the planet (having changed hands for over 1000 quid in the past), the Q&D boys pay full respect with their upbeat take. Flip to the B and say hello to "No Goodbyes", a big old loopy disco jam that thrusts Curtis' famous falsettos slap bang in the centre of the dance. You won't want to say goodbye to this 12". Don't leave it so long next time Queen & Disco!