Back catalogue: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: If Electricity is anything to go by, Eno Williams and his Ibibio Sound Machine band were particularly productive during the various pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and '21. The resultant album, the rightly acclaimed group's fourth studio set to date, is predictably inspired, with hired-in producers Hot Chip wisely choosing to subtly tweak rather than totally overhaul the band's distinctive trademark fusion of kaleidoscopic synth-funk, West African disco and boogie, '80s electro and the more electronic end of the post-punk spectrum. Highlights include the throbbing, polyrhythmic Afro-electro of 'Electricity' and the acid-sporting nu-disco brilliance of 'All That I Want', but it's the set's overall feel - described by Williams as "Moroder meets Afro-futurism" - that really delights.

Review: The arrival of Il Quadro di Troisi could not have been more ironic. Anything but new faces on the music scene, the Italian electronic partnership of Eva Geist and Donato Dozzy debuted as the reality of living in a pandemic really began to hit home - November 2020. A month that usually calls for their brand of dark, Ital-disco-cold-synth stuff was void of the situations you'd want to hear it in. No parties, no clubs, no concerts - not even an opportunity to stick it on when getting ready to do something. Nevertheless, we've more than made up for it now, and having grown incredibly close betwixt that waking nightmare and today's chaos, the arrival of a new LP is an enticing prospect. As the notes explain, "everything changes, all things evolve, nothing stays the same... La Commedia marks the band's embrace of a more traditional song form, shaped by a very personal and distinctive musical style. The distinguishing elements of Il Quadro di Troisi's music meld into a unique mix that is both seductive and eerie, elegant and earthy, contemporary and timeless."

Review: Unlike most disco re-edit EPs, Salsoul's latest instalment of 'Reflex Revisions' are "proper" remixes, making full use of original master stems and session tapes sourced from the parent artists themselves. With all four tracks handled by French producer and remixer The Reflex, we know we're in good hands here - he's been at it since 2012. Reflex Revisions don't just add a janky kick beneath a beatgridded 16-bar loop, but rather, they move and sway with the tracks' original feels. Our case in point: 'A Little Love' completely reimagines the drum section found on Aurra's 1983 original, making the whole sonic experience much clearer and brighter. As much can be said for Metropolis' downtempo 'I Love New York', on which Reflex here makes the song grander, wider. Compared to most re-editors, this is an impressive feat occurring in a different ballpark.

Review: Tim Paris and Ivan Smagghe first joined forces as It's A Fine Line way back in 2008, delivering a sneaky re-edit 12" for the lauded History Clock series. They released their first EP of original productions a year later, but have been barely heard of since. This eponymous debut album has been long-mooted and it's really rather good with the experienced production duo gleefully drawing together elements of new wave synth-pop, post-punk disco, low-slung rockabilly, spacey electro, dub disco, and leftfield boogie. The results are uniformly excellent, with Smagghe and Paris backing up their stylish, period-centric production with a string of genuinely memorable tracks.