Disco Recommendations May 2016

Review: For its 4th release, Malka Tuti is welcoming J.A.K.A.M. to its ever-expanding family. Born in Tokyo Japan, J.A.K.A.M. has been been one of the leading figures developing the music scene in Japan from the early 90s as a DJ, producer and a band member. His wide variety of musical influences ranges from house, hip hop, drum&bass, techno, reggae, jazz, rock and world music. With combining these different styles of inspirations and tradition, he creates the most unique time and space on the dance floor, a kind of fusion of early tribal house (recording live instruments in the studio), world music with a pinch of shamanic spiritual vibes. On his ep for Malka Tuti he delivers 2 Original epic tunes, followed by a smokey dub version by Versatile Records boss Gilb'r and a total dance-floor smashing remix by Aussie prodigy - Dreems.

Review: Danny Krivit's fine re-edit of Gary's Gang classic "Let's Lovedance Tonight" first surfaced on Nervous Records back in 2007, and has been something of an in-demand item with disco DJs ever since. This, then, is a more than welcome reissue. The genius of Krivit's scalpel job is that it merely emphasizes the sections of the original that dancefloors want to hear; specifically, the acoustic guitar and organ-heavy groove, killer drum breaks and winding saxophone lines. It's simple but devilishly effective. For those seeking the full vocal experience, the original 1979 12" version is included on the flip.

Review: After a pretty good success with Tonbe's digital releases on his imprint Disco Fruit,now it's time for vinyls. Label will be dedicated to release quality disco, nu disco, house and funk music. First release is a selection of Tonbe's best tunes so far on his digital label. 4 tracks for bright future. Watch out, disco bombs are coming!

Review: Secret Squirrel is up to number nine already? You better believe it! The disco re-edit surgeon this time takes the razor to the Lenny Williams classic from 1974 "You Got Me Runnin'" which also happened to be a Paradise Garage anthem apparently; re-edited by the man himself Larry Levan back in the day, but we're preaching to the choir here aren't we? In the regards to the sweet track on flip, we don't kiss and tell, but for those that know: the hook on this Italo funky alternative is the stuff of legend.

Review: The Revenge man Graeme Clarke dons his OTherlover guise for cheekier edit adventures on Disco Deviance. "Sweet Caress" is a thumping, snaking, twisting jam that builds with dynamic orchestration that has all the dramatic hallmarks of Whitfield and Strong. "Live & Let Live", meanwhile takes Charles Earland's "Coming To You Live" and adds a funkier cosmic sheen by way of synth overlays, filters, crowd noises and cheeky reverse flexes. Otherlovely, more like!

Review: The anonymous Skylevel operation has been stealthily slipping out eminently playable edits since 2010, the height of the disco edit era! It's a mark of the quality of their 12"s that Skylevel remains an ongoing concern whilst other edit operations have fallen by the way side. Number eight in the series sees the hugely skilled Nebraska step up with a real pearler of a lead edit, "All Night Rumble," a afro-disco loopathon that you can easily forsee finding a permanent home in the record box of Dan Snaith. On the flip, it's all Skylevel with "Don't Abuse It" a slinky little disco groover that lifts the vocal from Little Milton's "Let Me Down Easy," whilst "Dreaming" heads straight for the stars for a sublime slice of late night disco action.

Review: This promising Israeli talent delivers two slow burning tracks oozing with eastern influence and informed by the modern sounds of dance. Part of the 84% Creativity crew, Naduve presents his second release with Cocktail d'Amore in the form of a two track EP which revels in it's dark and seductive energy. "No Good News" builds over it's 7-minute run layering mystic vocal synths and coupling them with splashing hats and tight shakers to give just enough beat driven energy to keep a crowd to attention. The flying guitars and staccato synths of "A Trip In Tel Aviv" slither over half beat percussive structures to give this track a sinister feel ideal for late, late, late nights. Wunderkind Man Power drops a tab on "A Trip..." giving it a fresh take perfect for psychedelically inclined moments.

Review: Cosmic Pint Glass, a Norwich imprint with the best label name ever, now tap Slovenian duo Ichisan & Nakova for some truly adorable nu disco goodness on the "Princesa EP. The title track's electronic piano solo above a funky bass and a cheesy yet infectious arpeggio totally rules! But it's the Ruf Dug remix which really gets a groove on, with the addition of those 80's FM synth xylophone presets: nice touch. The Jonathan Krisp remix of "MRK" is a smooth and emotive groove with some razor sharp synths and bleepy bass. Nice one!

Review: Two spotlessly reputable imprints collide for some barbed disco fun as The Revenge provides three blistering new originals: "Conkers" rolls with an arpeggio so slippery and physical it could make Moroder blush, "Do The Right Thing" teases and tickles with a dreamy deep house feel thanks to its Julien Jabre-style keys (and its happy-slap jack-attack filtered disco remix from Nachtbraker) Finally we hit "New Attitude", a progressive cosmic chugger that sits somewhere between Faze Action and Guy J. Three very different and far-ranging cuts from The Revenge on this one. Hear him Roar...

Review: Given the quality of their output to date, its little surprise to find that Africaine 808's debut album, Basar, is rather special. Built around their now famous polyrhythmic, Afro and Latin-influenced drum machine programming, it begins with a touch of snaking jazz, and climaxes with a dense, uplifting Afro-gospel workout. In between, you'll find 21st century bruk, delicious downtempo torch songs, Juke-influenced Cajun blues, and hard-to-define - but thoroughly engaging - wig-outs. This limited edition vinyl version is also bundled with a bonus 10" containing remixes of the previously unheard "Tummy Tummy" by Highlife types Auntie Flo and Esa; the latter's cosmic, synth-heavy version, featuring a range of additional vocalists and musicians, is particularly potent.

Review: If you've ever wanted some straight-up italo disco but then wondered where to find it, where to start, who to ask, then Dark Entries have sorted you right out. As usual, the label come through strong, and this time they reissue an italo disco classic by Brand Image (T.Scarfone and M.Scarabelli) originally released in 19983, and representing the genre with flying colours. "Are You Loving?" contains the 1980's in every sense of the word: quirky, melancholic vocals riding over a grainy drum machine beat, and accompanied by massive synth stabs and an inimitable sort of groove - simply lovely. There's an instrumental on the flip just in case you love the sounds but are slightly scared by the power of the vocals...

Review: The Satin Jackets duo of Tim Bernhardt and Den Ishu are long term Eskimo fixtures and after a succession of singles they come through with Panorama Pacifico, their debut album on the Belgian label. Mr Satin Jackets is the fictional protagonist of their songs (depicted here on the cover of their debut album as a Money For Nothing-style computer graphic). The '80s influences continue way beyond the sleeve as the music is pure white linen suit, palm tree and breezy ocean territory. There are 12 smooth FM synth gems on here including hit singles "You Make Me Feel Good", "Shine On You" and "We Can Talk". If a neon-tinged pop-house update of vintage synthpop is your thing, then this is most definitely your album!

Review: The latest release from Ivan Smagghe and Leon Oakey's Les Disques De La Mort label introduces Save!, a new production partnership from Marc Nguyen Tan and Craig Louis Higgins Jr whose respective work you may be familiar with. The former is the brains behind Colder, the French act who delivered some fine albums for Trevor Jackson's Output back in the day and have returned with new material of late. Higgins Jr is better known as Mutado Pintado, the booming voice on many a Paranoid London track. Together, Tan and Pintado make some fine mind-melting rhythmic noise as Save! Along with the warped original version of "The Light", this 12" features a killer remix from Marc Pinol that brings to mind the Lil Louis classic "Blackout". Smuggles contributes a closing edit on the flip whilst the preceding Judy Vs SAVE! Version also comes from Pinol.

Review: Archivist, historian and dedicated crate digger Maurice continues his exploration of global AOR, a genre whose spotlight is usually hogged by successful US and UK acts. Focusing on the era's peak between 75-83 this second edition finds him striking gold in Australia (Renee Geyer Band's jazz-tickled "Two Sides"), Yugoslavia (Boban Petrovic's disco-licked "Prepad") Hawaii (Greg Yoder's Balearic Cat Stevens strummer "Things Were So Easy") and his native France (Carol Ray Band's yacht-primed boogie "Quelques Mots Gentils) Crisp production, stylistic melting pots and soft of the soul; AOR really was a global language.

Review: In and around the Greater London area, Radioactive Man is a bit of a legend, really. He was there when Fabric started their infamous mix series - he himself at the helm for the collection's eighth instalment - and he's been mixing and producing dastardly dance cuts since the 1990's. Last time we hard from him was last year on the Reinhardt imprint, but his return comes courtesy of two-track 7" on the newly found Tuppence. "Go Ahead London" is more post-punk than anything else, but the sort that you'd find on a dusty b-side dub of a Cabaret Voltaire EP, and we love every bit of it. The flip sees "Hector's Blues" default the energy of the A-side and morph it down into a woozy stumble of a groove that sits on between dub and electronica - yes, a right bloody mess, but we adore it. TIP!

Review: Hawaiian legend Al Nobriga played a vital role in the island's club and chart scene throughout the '70s and early '80s before chasing his dreams to Nashville (and consequently shattering them). Long before the brutal crush of industry reality, he recorded several albums including They're Playing My Music in 1977 of which these two tracks come from: "My Last Disco Song" lives up to its title with it sturdy dancefloor hook and polished sense of funk while "Break Away" shows Al's softer side as we sail on yacht across positively Balearic shores.