Cosmic Disco Machine Italy Vinyl & CDs

Review: The main selling pint of this 16-track set - aside from the quality of the music on offer - is the way that it showcases both original African funk, Afrobeat and Makossa, and American funk and soul records that drew inspiration from those sounds. So while we're treated to genuinely killer cuts from the catalogues of Manu Dibango, Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade & His African Beat and Tony Allen and the Afro Messengers, there's also space for the pioneering jazz-funk of Oneness of Juju and the Headhunters, a killer cover of 'Soul Makossa' by the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band, the Meters-ish brilliance of Nite-Liners 'Afro Strut', and the Clavinet-happy heaviness of Ice's impeccable 'Time Will Tell'. To borrow an old cliche, this compilation is, quite literally, all killer, no filler.

Review: These superb and ongoing Cosmic Disco Machine compilations have provided us with endless amounts of starry-eyed dance floor goodness. The seventh volume is another one packed with goodies from across the 70s and 80s. Logic System's 'Clash (Chinjyu Of Sun)' starts in lush fashion with plenty of shiny arps and mid-tempo drum funk. Barbara Norris's 'It's Heavy!' is indeed, with frazzled bass and thudding kick making for a fine ride while Clive Stevens & Brainchild twist melons with the warped lines and celestial vocal charms of 'Mystery Man' (remix). The bonus cut from Claudio Diva is a standout too, doused as it is in endless echo and mystic energy.