Backatcha Vinyl & CDs

Review: Robert Chandler's Experience My Love is a soulful gem that's been resurrected from obscurity. Originally released in 1986 on a rare white label by DJ Smokey Joe, the track quickly became a coveted collector's item, with only a handful of copies ever circulating. Produced by Steve Slavin, the single boasts a smooth, infectious groove and top-tier production that encapsulates the essence of 1980s soul. Featured on Side-1, Chandler's rich, emotive vocals, delivering a love song that resonates with warmth and sincerity. On Side-2 is the instrumental version, allowing the lush arrangement to shine on its own. This limited 7" reissue is a long-overdue revival of a track that never got the wide release it deserved. Rare groove and Soul fans should be excited about this one!

Review: This latest is a reissue of a Congress Productions EP featuring their seminal 'Neptune'. The much-sampled early 80s jazz-funk classic comes in original form next to two unreleased cuts. The first is a rare boogie cut 'Live It Up' that has been extended for more dancefloor heft having first been dropped under the D'aile' alias as a B-side. Then comes 'Kevin's Funk' which is named in reference to Incognito trumpet player Kevin Robinson, who played as part of a Congress-associated line-up for this session.

Review: Backatcha is on a superb run of releases right now with top tunes from Leonie and Learoy Green dropping around the same time as this stepping street soul gem from En to End. This is primo boogie from the late 80s now landing on 45rpm for the very first time. It's been taken from the tape archives of London singer-producer Tony Shand and kicks off with the vocal version of 'Nothing's Happening'. His rather deadpan vocal has an aloof kind of allure next to the squelchy bass and glowing keys. The instrumental strips it away to allow the retro production to shine.

Review: En-To-End's 'Money Talks' is an old school street soul classic from the late 80s. It's been reissued before by Backatcha Records but is an ever-green anthem so is also welcome back. This version comes with a yellow label on limited 12". And so to the tunes - 'Money Talks' is a low-slung groove with spoke-sung vocals and lush chord work. Also included is the brilliant drum work of 'I Still Love You' with its r&b vocals and irresistible groove. Instrumentals of each feature on the flip but the vocal versions really are the ones.

Review: 'Money Talks' by En to End is a street and soul disco classic from the end of the 80s. It's a real favourite here at Juno HQ and so whenever it reappears we're glad to see it. Right now Backatcha Records has got two versions available with a yellow label edition and this straight black label edition with slightly different versions. The tunes stand up, however, they are presented - two delightful slices of dance floor action with oodles of romantic vibes. 'Money Talks' (Sean P Special mix) is doused in vocal harmonies and glowing keys and on the back is the deeper, more sentimental 'Are You Gonna Be' with instrumentals of both on the flip side.

Review: Backatcha continues to delve into the back catalogue of British 80s soul outfit Intrigue, a combo born in the Britfunk and boogie era whose independently released records have long been sought-after by disco diggers and record collectors alike. Having already reissued the band's best-known tune, 1982's 'I Like It', they've now turned their attention to a more overlooked gem: 1986 single 'One Touch'. Glossy, colourful and effortlessly soulful, it's a fine chunk of polished, club-ready 80s street soul with nods to electrofunk. Flipside 'Touch Down', a more extended affair, is an alternative, largely instrumental dub mix that adds layers of effects to key elements while stretching out the synth-heavy groove.

Review: First released way back in 1982 but exceedingly hard to find ever since, Intrigue's 'I Like It' is a classic slab of Brit-funk era UK boogie whose lyrics playfully muse on craving cash when you have very little ("I really want your love but I'd rather have the money and I like it"). This Backactcha Records reissue features both versions from the original 12" - the EP-leading full vocal mix and the longer, more club-focused flip-side instrumental - as well as what appears to be a previously unreleased remix. This builds up brilliantly via drums and short rap sections before introducing the killer basslibe, pianos, synths and lead vocals. It's a fantastic and arguably more club-ready take on a much-loved but previously impossible-to-find Brit-boogie classic.

Review: One for the ages. UK label Backatcha does an impressive curatorial job on this reissue of Popsicle's timeless disco-funk instrumental mini-classic, 'Little Rocker', which was first released in 1983 and has gone down in time as an 'extremely scarce' one. Of course, most economists will tell you that scarcity is what lends this kind of thing its credo; indeed, while the original issue of this record barely surfaces on online marketplaces, Backatcha's efforts do just as well to propagate the furtive enjoyment of this gem, putting out a similarly limited quantity on 12" and yet injecting just enough wax into circulation to keep its snappy, impactful intromissions going strong.

Review: Isabel Roberts' mid-80s single 'Love Situation' featuring Robert Chandler, is revitalized on this limited 12" release, part of Backatcha's 'Hot Vinyl' reissue series. These UK electric-boogie-synth-funk tracks are essential for any dancefloor. 'Love Situation' is a smooth, soulful jam with a catchy melody, perfectly complemented by Chandler's vocals. The instrumental version on the same side allows the groove to take center stage, making it ideal for those crucial dancefloor moments where the music needs to shine on its own. On Side-2. 'Just Fall in Love,' continues the vibe with a romantic, yet danceable track that's just as versatile. The inclusion of its own instrumental version ensures this 12" is a complete package, offering both vocal charm and instrumental grooves. 80s fans of the groove will surely find some enjoyment with these on their turntable.

Review: The Backatcha label has been busy turning out the jams recently and this 82nd EP is another one that will get you up on your feet in no time. Style X was at the helm of the original tune here but now two edit and remix masters get their hands on it and head into all new realms. First up is Sean P with The Second Line Jazz Funk Excursion remix which is all overdubbed horns and hurried disco rhythms, cosmic synths and loose percussion that make you move. Then it is the Ge-ology Truth To The Light remix that brings driving, deep and dubbed out disco goodness with majestic horns.

Review: Those who frequented Manchester clubs in the early 90s - particularly those where local hero Hewan Clarke plied his trade - will have danced to 'Got To Make Sure', one of a handful of killer street soul records made by Lancastrian vocalist Hughie Crawford as U-Bert. It is considered by some knowledgeable collectors as one of the greatest street soul records of all time. It's certainly been hard to find - hence this much-needed reissue from Backatcha Records. Happily, all three essential versions of the track are present. The original A-side 'Pablo Mix', a smooth, seductive and effortlessly soulful affair rich in loved-up dreaminess and fluttering synth sounds, comes backed by its original B-side, the jauntier and more dubbed out 'Minister Mix', and the more up-tempo, dancefloor ready 'Remix' (originally remixed under the alternative U-Bert & Co alias). Simply essential.

Review: Backatcha Recordings re-release Jennifer Viban's 'Miracles', which first surfaced on the 1986 V/A record, 'Soul Of Haringey'. The latter was also outputted by the Advance Level Enterprise label, and has also been reissued separately. Viban's contribution to the latter record was arguably the highlight of it, with its sensitive, summer soprano and sanguine yet soft production hearing the track dangle from the record-branch, as though it were a ripened sonic fruit. Viban, evidently a passionate and talented singer about whom otherwise little is known, treats 'Miracles' as an opportunity to sing of the miraculous, epiphanic feeling of love: one that goes against the grain of possibility, or at least possibility as we might have at first imagined it. We're tempted to say, though it's not absolutely true, that the approach to disco-funk heard on the record could only have come from its particular time and place, its plucking slap-basses and gated electronic snares sounding authentically lo-fi and London-bound, despite the evident debt to US export music. On the B-side, too, and perhaps even more excitingly, comes the formerly unreleased 'How Can I Get To Know You', a just-as-sweet funk-lectro cut from the 'Soul Of Haringey' sessions, and which provides just as much audible succour.