Favorite France Vinyl & CDs

Review: Favourite France drop some absolute truth with this killer reissue of Beckie Bell's 1980 classic "Music Madness", from the album 'In Need Of...'. This is he funkiest disco you can possibly ask for, a chirpy, upbeat tune that calls for the good times. It's the sort of track that can be slapped on in just about any set, anywhere, and Bell's vocals are as infectious as the tight groove that pushes the track forwards. There are a couple of remixes, though, which bring out the best of the original and make it even more playable than before. The first one is a more beat-heavy reinterpretation from Voilaaa, while Tom Noble injects the perfect level of houseness into the equation thanks to a slamming 4/4 and some extra percussion. Perfect, and very much recommended if you've somehow slept on the original.

Review: Favorite Records take us direct to the source: a disco gem of holy grail proportions, Sunshine is Byron's only album, OG copies go for over L500 and it's chock-a-block with dancefloor gold. From the in-your-face physicality of "Galaxy" or the planet-kicking line dance feels of "Space Cowboy" by way of the ultimate 80s sleaze synth boogie of "Heart To Heart Sensation", this was Byron in his prime with so much promise and latent funk, and led to one of disco's ultimate bombs "Dance To The Music". Essential.

Review: Favourite Records' new reissues series come with a new concept; each classic track comes with an exclusive bit of artwork on each side of the 12" sleeve. This time, they compile two speedy funk tracks from Crystal and J.E.K.Y.S.; 'Funky Biguine' is an homage to the French ballroom style of the same name, from which it draws influence, while 'Looking For You' is a devotional dream from J.E.K.Y.S., a French band singing in English. Slick, quick, and affecting stuff.

Review: Charles Maurice shows off his digging skills once again with a collection of tunes that does exactly what it says on the tin. He delves into the album oriented rock archives of countries as far and wide as France, the United Kingdom and Venezuela to come up eight rare and hidden gems. The series started back in 2015 and still makes for essential listening now with gems like 'Don't Take It Away' by Westside - a love song about a new relationship, recorded in Minnesota and mastered on Sunset Bld. Sugar Cane's 'What You Do To Me' is another loved up gem with real romance in the chords.

Review: It would be fair to say that Twylyte '81 aren't exactly one of the better-known soul-jazz acts of the boogie era. In fact, the Frank Jones, Jnr-helmed act released just one album, "The First Coming", in 1981. It's near impossible to find original copies, so France's Favorite Recordings has done the decent thing and offered up this fully licensed reissue. It's a terrific album all told, with the trio offering up a killer mixture of soulful jazz tracks, effervescent jazz-funk numbers, disco-tinged dancefloor cuts and the kind of heart-achingly good slow jams that tend to get overlooked by DJs when they acquire albums of this sort.