Juno Recommends Disco June 2019

Review: Since 2012, Munich duo COEO has served up a swathe of sample heavy, disco influenced house EPs for such labels as Let's Play House, Toy Tonics, Lagaffe Tales and Razor-N-Tape Reserve. Here they pop up on Razor-N-Tape's main edit label with something different: a quartet of traditional scalpel works from their personal stash. First up is the elastic, horn heavy disco-funk of "Express Lane", which is quickly followed by the skewed Arabic boogie-funk brilliance of "Libyan Sun". Over on side B, "Don't Oho" is a breezy revision of a sun-kissed Afro-disco workout that sounds like it would be capable of causing a commotion in the club, while "Move Your Body" makes merry with a warm, rich and intoxicating early '80s boogie-soul jam of unknown origin.

Review: On wax by dope demand! This Razor-N-Tape 2013 release has been a cult classic for many years but never seen the light of the 12"... until now, thanks to the constant pestering of the Discogs community. All three tracks from the original release are here but it's "Where You Belong" that most are after due to its beautiful spacious beats, sweeping strings and awesome Dionne Warwick vocal texture. The whole release is charmed, though; "Here's To You Mr. Robinson" gets a little smokey on our souls while "Makes Me Feel" should get us all very blissed out. Do not sleep on this one, it won't hang around.

Review: Emotional Rescue heads to the Caribbean and the effervescent boogie funk of Glen Ricks. The Jamaican groover originally released the much sought-after "I've Been Waiting For You" in 1983, and it's been hard to track down ever since. Whether in its full vocal form or the beautifully dubbed out instrumental version, this is a seriously sunny slice of good time party music that stands up to any boogie classic you care to mention. LA's DJ Duckcomb steps up for a Discomix of the original that draws on the vocal and instrumental takes to sustain that balmy vibe for even longer - the selector's dream!

Review: The inexorable rise of Purple Disco Machine continues, as his wholehearted tribute to machine disco originators Hot Streak, Patrick Cowley and Giorgio Moroder - the throbbing, anthem-like "Body Funk" - is given a deserved single release. The producer's own "Extended Mix" is quickly followed on side A by a punchy Claptone remix that places the original's sampled vocals over a suitably massive backing track high on piano stabs and big room house grooves. Over on side B, the mighty Carl Cox re-imagines the cut as a cowbell-driven chunk of techno/electrofunk fusion, while Dom Dolla douses it in mind-bending electronics, thrusting analogue bass and glitchy, hard-wired house beats.

Review: With only a few months between releases, Tropical Disco have gone from zero to disco heroes in just over 18 months. And it's not hard to hear why; proper digging, chunky cuts and full dancefloor focus as the label founders Sartorial (Alex Sartori) and Moodena (Tim Burnett) invite two new label crewmates to the party deck; Phazed Groove and C Da Afro. Each sailor bringing a different vibe from pure, uncut boogie to thumping Chi-town jazz-licked house, it's yet another perfect voyage. Balmy army!

Review: Some people shake their hips. Others shake their money makers. This anonymous longstanding editor crew shake their furry tales. And as we hit number 20 in their series of sassy party versions, we're reminded there's a lot to shake to. "Track One" shakes with a slight carnival theme thanks to its punchy horns before dropping into swooning funk guitars. "Track Two" shakes with much more disco deviance thanks to its stomping thumping Hi-NRG kicks, gutsy vocal loop and lolloping slap bass. It pops. But ssshhhhh.... some squirrels are best kept secret.

Review: Best Records do it again, dusting down a searing slice of robo-funk from the early 80s that will pop your lock every which way. B Funk was a one-off project from Mario Boncaldo and Tony Carrasco, best known for their incredible work as Klein & MBO. They released the "Magic Spell" album in 1983, and it was loaded with richly produced Italo disco and proto house sounds - there's a good reason the original release has been fetching such crazy prices on the second hand market. Now Best have cherry picked two of the finest cuts from the album, sought out the extended disco versions from Carrasco's vaults, and given them a glorious new pressing.

Review: Having made its bow on digital download last autumn, JKriv and Adeline's brilliant "Vertigo" finally makes it to wax. The original Club Mix sounds like a long lost cut from Brooklyn disco revivalists Escort, a band that both JKriv and Adeline were members of. It's absolutely brilliant all told - think strong choruses, Nile Rodgers guitars, jangly pianos and walking bass - as is JKriv's throbbing, delay-laden Dub. In between you'll find a dusty disco-house revision from Yuksek and a storming interpretation from Z Records chief Joey Negro, who wraps Adeline's vocal and JKriv's bassline in colourful new boogie synths and some classic disco-funk horns. There's no doubt about it, this will be one of the biggest disco records of 2019.

Review: Best known to the world at large for their disco evergreen "Lady Marmalade," the powerhouse trio of Sarah Dash, Nona Hendryx and Patti LaBelle are revered in the deeper dance underground for a couple of epic soulful rock workouts that have been known to provoke life-changing moments on the dance floor. With New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint producing and leading an all-star band with the Meters at its core, "What Can You Do For Me" and "Messin' With My Mind" crackle with energy and rise to thunderous crescendos that rival a gospel revival. Mr. K's edits acknowledge these songs' long history in NYC DJ culture, dating from the Gallery and the Loft in the mid-'70s and running unbroken to today, with masterful extensions that push the inherent energy even further without ever becoming repetitive or obvious. Most Excellent Unlimited is proud to present these sure shots on loud and carefully mastered 7-inch pressings, an essential addition to any gig box or collection.

Review: Bottoms up! The Silver Rider and the Funk District saddle up for a two-way trip on the latest Whiskey Disco joint. Texan transdimensional traveller Silver Rider steps up for the A with a main course and a punchy side plate. "Woman" is a big War-style disco funk piece with precision spoken vocals and horns while "Hustle Up" is a stripped back wriggling bassline DJ tool guaranteed to disarm. Flip for the B to a trip into the heart of Mexico as the Funk District fires heated shots: "Imaki Ra Reo" is straight up Latin disco while "The Root Of Evil" takes us on an African International adventure for a stunning afrobeat finale.

Review: In the previous reissues we talked so much about this fantastic piece and "Marie", a very cinematic and supportive song, that now it is appropriate to dwell on the re-visited version of Danilo Braca that extends beautifully on the AA side of this new remastered reprint. Danilo who lives in the big apple often frequents Ibiza, perhaps also for this he has been able to exalt the most rhythmic elements of "Shadows from Nowhere", putting the beautiful falsetto beats to excessive movements, just like the waves that wash themselves on the sandy beaches of the White Island. His teacher Mario Gentili from Layer Bows added a beautiful arrangement for the strings and his Italian-New York collaborator Alvise Marino spread some fragments of guitar powder on top. That's it. 9 minutes of pure bliss, but also of catchy rhythm!

Review: Perth legend Dr Packer is back with more boogie-down edit action from the disco inferno on "Waves Of Funk". It's definitely summer in the city on the super fly "Cozmic Funk" with its catchy vocals, captivating string arrangement and Stevie Wonder style bassline followed by the familiar groove and stomp of "Funk Of The Future". On the flip, we're loving "Skin Title Funk", which gets deep, down and dirty with a sleazy guitar solo leading this neon-lit arrangement directly into the stratosphere. Hot off remixes for Glitterbox, Defected and Midnight Riot - Dr. Packer has definitely got your prescription ready with this one!

Review: Martin Brodin's MB Disco imprint continues to deliver the good stuff, this time featuring two utterly essential Psychemagik mixes of Alico vs Cagri's "Les Mondes Engloutis". These mixes actually first surfaced on a digital-only release back in 2013, but now they've been buffed up for a full vinyl pressing, and rightly so. A side "Main Mix" is a full bodied, emotional banger with a lead drop to get crowds waving arms and singing along wholeheartedly. Our pick is the "5am Mix" on the flip though, where the synths take on a more shimmering nocturnal tone without losing that bright and bold character that will land this 12" in all manner of record bags this summer.

Review: It's may seem that deviant disco champs par excellence Bahnsteig 23 are already toasting to their 50th release, but in truth their catalogue started at 23 so don't be fooled. Instead, just feast on another salvo of seedy body music from Ziggy, which leads in with the synth-soaked pump and thrust of "Trance Gigolo" before switching to the sassy 80s funk of "Yo Let Her". Things are just as cool and deadly on the flip as the slap bass electro meanderings of "Amfobia" brew up a post-punk disco delight with a schlocky horror twist, and "Freaky Leaches" leaves things on an ominous note via a swampy trip through the mangroves with only a steady ticking rhythm section for company.

Review: She may be best known as a TV and radio presenter, but Nigerian star Julie Coker also enjoyed a short but successful music career. She released two albums of note - highlife-focused 1976 debut "Ere Yon (Sweet Songs)" and 1981's more disco-centric "Tomorrow" - both of which now fetch eye-watering sums online. This fine retrospective showcases cuts from both of those sets, with the many highlights including the spacey, delay-laden highlife cheeriness of "Re Hese", the Clavinet-sporting disco-funk-goes-pop bounce of "It's All For You", the low-slung but rising, gospel influenced brilliance of "Gossiper Scandal Monger" and the heavily percussive, off-kilter goodness of album closer "Iyo-Re". You might also notice the intro of 'Ere Yon', which was recently sampled to great effect in Anderson .Paak's "Saviers Road"!

Review: Operating out of Saint Petersburg, Kito Jempere has been bringing a broad church of influences to bear on his vintage grooves for labels including Pleasure Unit, Bordello A Parigi, Bahnsteig 23 and many more. Now he's the latest to lend his touch to Duca Bianco's series of 7" edits, following strong entries from Cherrystones and Tom Bolas. A side cut, "FKA Lany," is a slow and bombastic jam with a boogie-tastic lead and oodles of swooning female vocals, while the flip tackles a Thomas Leer classic with lashings of Oriental mysticism. Both tracks should suit eclectic spinners with a taste for 80s production.

Review: Dark Entries' series of leftfield Italo-disco reissues continues with a double-header from prolific Italo disco session vocalist Helen (AKA Elena Ferretti), whose early excursions on obscure Italian labels Out Records and Discomagic have previously been the sole preserve of dusty-fingered crate-diggers. This EP brings together two of her finest EPs; 1983's scarce "Witch" - an exercise in bubbling, synth-pop inclined Italo-disco - and 1985's arguably better-known "Zanzibar". It's arguably the sparse, cowbell-laden "Afro Mix" - think Cosmic Club era Daniele Baldelli - of this track that steals the show, though all four tracks are shot through with that European strangeness that often marks out the best early Italo cuts.

Review: The third multi-artist EP from Hot Digits' occasional vinyl series, Wax Digits, is packed to the rafters with dancefloor-focused re-edits and reworks. Labor Of Love leads the way with "Move That Thang", a fine chunk of warm and bass heavy deep house/disco fusion, before Osmose steals the show with the loopy mid-tempo disco-funk bump of "Let Harry Rock". Over on Side B, The Silver Rider impresses via the swirling disco-house hypnotism of 'Groove On Down", before experienced re-editor P-Sol pairs locked-in grooves with sun-kissed disco instrumentation and heady vocal snippets on "Sturdy Disco".