Juno Recommends Disco: November 2022

Review: The mysterious House Bros originally recorded this song in Hollywood in 1979, cut it to acetate and then seemingly forgot all about it. That sole acetate was destined for obsolescence until it was discovered some 40 years later by a devoted Northern Soul DJ. Not content with just driving dance-floors wild with his discovery, he asked Al Kent to "do something" with it. And boy did he do something! By adding new drums, Rhodes piano and strings, rearranging and extending the song from 4 minute to over 9, and adding the obligatory disco break, Al's created a modern but authentic disco epic that could just as easily have been recorded and mixed in a New York studio in 1976.

Review: Spiky post-punk sorts Wet Leg have made some terrific records, but it would be safe to say that very few have been written and recorded with peak-time dancefloors in mind. Happily, the Deweale brothers are here to help, delivering two scorching Soulwax rubs of 'Two Late Now' from the Isle of Wight twosome's much-loved debut album. In typical Soulwax fashion, the resultant vocal and instrumental versions are driving, energy-packed and analogue rich, with metallic melodies, raw bleeps and fizzing synth sounds riding a thrusting, all-action sequenced bassline and sweaty, jacking electro-house beats. It's Wet Leg as you've never heard them before and has "massive peak-time anthem" written through it like a stick of rock. Tip!

Review: Dimitri From Paris has previously reworked classic Ten City cuts - most notably 'That's The Way Love Is' - so it's fitting that he's been given the chance to rework one of the legendary house outfit's most recent tunes, 2021 revivalist disco gem 'Be Free'. His extended A-side remix is terrific: a hybrid jazz-funk/disco/boogie-soul gem that builds brilliantly via layered acapella and groove-focused sections before introducing the vocals and reaching for the lasers. Over on the flip, the French veteran delivers a 'Dubstrumental' take that brilliantly showcases different aspects of the track's superb, organic instrumentation whilst keeping both eyes firmly on the dancefloor. A contemporary disco classic in waiting!

Review: The Funk District strikes back with a brand new label that will take you deep down the rabbit hole with a mix of styles and original sounds, not to mention a global reach when it comes to talent. The very first release arrives with four outstanding mizes that combines a smoky blues flavour with laid back funk for uniquely soulful and danceable results. Mixes including a hot reworking from Italy's legendary LTJ Xperience and a smooth collaboration with Argentinian key wizard Sokur. A sumptuous, subtly disco -infused house mix completes the package with a flourish of funky guitar and languid Rhodes piano.

Review: Danny Krivit aka Mr K, that veteran of the Roxy and Paradise Garage, turns his attention to the 80s for his latest Mr K edits aka brush ups for the sound systems of today. 'Pleasure Boys' by Visage epitomised the new wave crossover sound when was released in 1982, and Krivit would eschew the vocal, using two copies to concentrate on and extend the thunderous synth bass break in his sets instead. Here he recreates the trick - a bare bones riff that still sounds enormous on a club system.

For the flip, Krivit goes a little deeper with his edit of 'Emotional Disguise' by Peter Godwin again ditching the overwrought new wave vocal in favour of the atmospheric synth stylings of the instrumental, which he recalls being a big tune with hip-hop crowds at the Garage and Roxy alike.

Review: Tropical Disco racks up its 25th release and the quality just keeps on getting better. On this must have four-tracker, you've got label chief Sartorial kicking off the A-side with low slung heater 'Hootin N Tootin' followed by the sweltering Latin drum workout of Musta's 'El Matador'. Over on the flip, feel the late night mood music of Corrado Alunni's 'Funk Decision' (dub mix) and finally the mandatory boogie-down vibes come courtesy of Fun Kool on 'Low Toe'.

Review: Z Records' ongoing 'Attack The Dancefloor 'series of compilation style vinyl EPs has long been a reliable source of disco-fired excellence, and this 21st edition is another high-quality affair. We're first treated to a superb Jimpster revision of recent Mistura single 'Want Me Back', where Jemini's spoken word vocal, jazzy keys and spacey synth sounds rise above loose-limbed deep house beats and wiggly TB-303 lines, before Birdee drops a genuinely joyous, organic-sounding disco-house take on 1991 classic 'Do What You Feel' (now credited to Joey Montenegro, rather than his now retired Joey Negro alias). Elsewhere, Lee's own rework of Lakeshore Commission's Bluey collaboration 'In The Light' is a smooth, soulful, string-drenched delight and the veteran producer's 'Destination Boogie' tweak of Destiny II's 'Play To Win' is a revivalist '80s electrofunk delight.

Review: Mike Maurro is the label manager and remix king behind the legendary Brookside, who specialise in disco/soul reissues hailing from Brooklyn. His fingers in many pies, Maurro here remixes two classics from Philadelphia International Records, the O'Jays' 'I Love Music' and Harold Melvin's 'Wake Up Everbody'. Draggy, sunny and full of that downtempy, boxy re-edit magick.

Review: He may now have ditched the '16 Bit Orchestra' (as his sometime imaginary backing band was called), but Orlando Marshall AKA Buscrates is still a master of revivalist, boogie-influenced synthesiser workouts. For proof, look no further than 'Internal Dialog', a kind of deep house lover's take on the revivalist synth-funk sound of Dam Funk rich in dreamy chords, squelchy synth bass and sun-splashed lead lines. He takes this warming, picturesque, analogue-rich boogie-not-boogie sound further on flip side 'Early Morning', a sunrise-ready slab of laidback Balearic boogie that comes from a similar headspace as Sven Atterton's brilliant 2015 single 'The Cove'. In a word - beguiling!

Review: What started out as a compilation series has since grown into an equally delightful label. Too Slow To Disco is the perfect name for all this as it captures those in-between sounds that fuse mature grooves, Balearic sounds and plenty more from yacht rock to funk. It's all slinky sliders on this one with Ben Jamin's 'Over You' layering the lush wind and chords to sundown perfection. David Bay picks up the pace with a disco-house pumper 'Save On Love'. The best of the lot is the seductive and heartfelt disco-soul of Mikeandtess whose 'Hold Us' has glorious male vocals.

Review: Masterminded by Jeff Dynamite Silverman, 10th Street is an all-star studio band comprised of some of NYC's best disco, funk and soul musicians of the last two decades (including members of Antibalas, the Dap-Kings, The Expressions and El Michels Affair). The collective's self-titled debut album, which dropped earlier this year, is a genuine must-listen and offers a near perfect distillation of disco, soul and funk flavours of the 1970s. This 7" single sports two of that set's standout cuts: hazy, mid-tempo, laidback disco-funk number 'Livin' In New York City', where Blaxploitation guitar licks, spacey synths, sustained organ chords and eyes-closed female vocals catch the ear, and the weightier, more percussive and undeniably dancefloor-friendly instrumental 'Moodie's Basement'. In a word: essential!

Review: Los Angeles' producer Luxxury has long specialised in the kind of opaque, warming, stylish and melodious fare that tends towards the timeless - retro-futurist, yacht-rock-tinged fusions of disco, AOR, synth-pop, boogie and blue-eyed soul that sounds like it was tailor-made to listen to while cruising down the Pacific highway in an early '80s convertible. Alright, his latest album, sees him subtly tweak that sound further and in the process deliver his most consistently entertaining full-length excursion to date. Our picks of the plentiful standouts include the slap-bass propelled dreaminess of 'Somebody Tonight', the radio-friendly dancefloor delight that is 'Be Good 2 Me', the yacht disco goodness of 'I Need Somebody' and the kaleidoscopic, filter-sporting lux-pop of 'Alright'.

Review: This production from boogie-era soul specialist Clark Jay has long been a sought-after item amongst collectors, with original copies of the 1981 Peach Tree Records 12" changing hands for significant sums online. Even if you're unfamiliar with it - and outside of record collecting circles, most people are - we'd recommend checking the sound clips of this first ever seven-inch reissue. 'Can't Stop Dancing' is particularly sweet and summery, with Jonnie 'Vibes' Lambert singing about his love of shaking his stuff atop spacey synthesizer lines and a relaxed, laidback disco-boogie groove. That tidy groove can be enjoyed further on the flipside instrumental mix, which makes excellent use of the original's female backing vocals and the aforementioned synthesizer melodies.

Review: Talc's 'De Gui Ding' is a much-deserved follow up to the duo's 2006 hit singles 'Modern Sleepover' parts 1 and 2, which lyrically detailed a failed romance between a hapless human lover and his own computer, against a futuristic yet slow disco backdrop. A listless love song for Linux laptops, it now comes repackaged with several new reworkings, as well as the much higher-energy 'De Gui Ding', filtered french house tropes and blue-note saxfunk aplenty.

Review: The fifth installment in Manchester's Drum Chums series sees the arrival of the enigmatic Captain Attractive with a lesson in 'San Fran sleaze, hippie disco and MPC bump.' On the first side, get down to the slo-mo dancefloor heater 'It's More Fun 2 Make Love', followed by the lo-slung soul feelings of 'Memories'. Over on the flip, there's the piano-led R&B of 'Dreamer' then things get sensual on the late night mood music of 'Ghana Do It'.

Review: All hail the mighty Cerrone, one of the most important figures in the development of a European disco sound distinct from what was happening in the US. His run of LPs in the late 70s introduced a new, synth-driven sound which spawned some monumental hits, the biggest of which undoubtedly being 'Supernature'. Now the veteran disco machine is celebrating 50 years of active service in music by revisiting his former glories with new versions of much-loved favourites. Alongside these productions, Cerrone has also invited some more contemporary players to produce remixes, including Dimitri From Paris and The Reflex.

Review: Riot's popular Disco Made Me Do It Series notches up a third volume of beats here that will once again get floors vibing. Musta's 'Loving Me' is up first in the form of a Hot Toddy remix that twists and turns on groovy synths and sensuous vocals. There is a big diva feel and clean synth lines to Danny Kane's 'Sucker' that fill the heart with joy and then old-school funk comes to the fore on Jaegerossa's musical 'Street Player.' Completing the picture is the Qwestlife remix of Stan Boogie's 'Speak Out' which is another timeless cut with authentic disco loops and lovely vocal energy.

Review: Cult favourite Nick the Record is one of the deepest digging DJs out there. When he steps up with is own productions they are just as well informed and classy. This new one with Jamie Read is another case in point. 'I Appreciate' has an effortlessly timeless vibe - 80s production, 70s disco and proto-house styles all inform it, with the chords hanging in the air next to the steam voxels while the bass does its job down low. On the flip is 'I Appreciate' (Disco edit) which is more leggy and energetic in the way it builds.

Review: Soundway take a return tip into the annals of Spanish electronic music with this killer slice of synth-pop-rap from Scan Man. You might have stumbled across this joint on the Ritmo Fantasia compilation, but now it gets its own piece of vinyl to stretch out on, with the OG version backed up by its instrumental and some choice remixes. The original 808-toting version is the pick for us, but on the flip you can hear Mang and Trujillo strap the track to a simmering discoid groove, available in both extended and concise versions depending on how far you want those sweet sitar sounds to ring out.