Groovin Italy

Review: Deep house, gospel house, garage house, you name it, Roy Davis Jr can do it. And what's more, the house mainstay has been doing it for decades. This reissue on Groovin Italy was originally put out in 1995 on Downtown 161and still bangs. It epitomises the musical house of the time, with plenty of subtle samples making each groove come alive. 'Party Here!' (The Chicago Night Life mix) is a heady roller with dreamy keys which then becomes a smooth downtempo jam on the Da After Set dub. 'Let Me Show U Tha Scene' is all rough-hewn drums and diva soul samples with a loose beat, and 'Under Tha Sun' brims with piano warmth. Timeless stuff.

Review: Legendary Italian drummer Tullio De Piscopo recorded the seminal soundtrack Concerto Per Un Film: L' Arma in 1978. Two of the devilishly delightful disco tracks from it now make their way onto this tidy 7" from Groovin, who are following up their much loved rare groove Italo 7" series in style. 'Black Star' is all about the knotted funk bass, with the patter of toms up top and mysterious leads taking you into the unknown. On the flip, 'Temptation'
has another exotic lead synth that takes you into a colourful world of psyched out disco sound.

Review: Luckily for us and you lot reading this - perhaps not so much for the owners of the original copies - Peven Everett has decided to embark on a bit of a reissue marathon, with plenty of his biggest hits resurfacing on our charts after lengthy hiatuses. The king of 'soulful' house has never sounded so good, and it's thanks to Italy's Groovin label that we're graced with two version of 2007's Feelin You In And Out. In case you don't know this monster of a song, just try to imagine an underground version of R Kelly backed by the sort of dubbed-out house made by peeps like Mood II Swing, and you're somewhere close to it. You also get two versions of the hit, one deep version and another more fast-paced take. Magic.

Review: Even Everett is one of house music's most vital singing voices and has got an arsenal of tunes in his catalogue. This time out he lands on Groovin with 'Burning Hot' which has been a big hit in the clubs since 2010. It's one of his biggest tunes and a bonafide house classic with noodling funk bass, soul train grooves and his own soaring vocals the icing on the cake. Flip this one over and you will find an unreleased demo taken from the original song recording. It's more jazzy and, for our money, that bit better for it.

Review: In 1977, Libyan musician Ahmed Fakroun flew to Milan to record some new material. The results were showcased on a pair of 7" singles, the most sought-after of which is being given the reissue treatment by Italy's Groovin label. The real winner here is "Nisyan", an Arabic interpretation of blue-eyed soul that fixes a baggy, sun-kissed sensibility, ear-catching Moog solos and a killer groove. "La Ya-Hob" is, if anything, even baggier and dreamier, with Fakroun delivering touchy-feely vocals over exotic, Middle Eastern synthesizer lines and a rolling, soft touch jazz-funk groove. Both cuts are equally breezy and jaunty, lingering in the memory for hours after each rotation.

Review: Serious Philly boogie business: In 1979 the Aleem brothers teamed up with serial hit maker Leroy Burgess for this outstanding bass slapping floor burner. Listen closely and you'll hear a young Luther Vandross on backing vocals as the twins bounce off each other with their signature high ranges. Meanwhile on the B we have a previously unreleased edit from one of the most vital, direction shaping remixers of the time; John Morales. Expect nothing but 8 minutes of pure disco bliss. We're hooked on this!

Review: Milan-based label Groovin welcomes Felipe Gordon with a tribute to classic Chicago house, created through the lens prodigious producer from a new generation. Known for his releases on Slowdancing, Razor N Tape and Shall Not Fade, he brings the jazzy vibes once again on the Bringing The Old School Back EP, which does exactly what is says on the tin. It features the emotive late night mood music of the title track (ft. Toro Moratto) that starts things off on a low slung vibe, followed by the ultra deep basement stomp of 'It's All About The Feeling'. Over on the flip, there is a collaboration with British producer Aroop Dee whose vocal delivery compliments the smoky jazz bar loops of 'These New Times' just perfectly.

Review: Veteran of the Italian scene Ivan Iaccobucci's career has played out over three decades and he's unstoppable to this day. The Bologna native now resides in Berlin and known within the German capital's fabled minimal house scene, but back in the early '90s he released some fairly seminal house records like this one under the KGB alias. 1991's Detroit 909 EP on Naples' esteemed UMM still packs a punch to this day. The title track is a true zeitgeist of the era with its emotive Stateside influence in the vein of early Ron Trent, while tracks like 'Scream (Wake Up)' with its tripped-out acid shuffle and the classic Italo house euphoria of 'Bondage' (Mysterious remix) on the flip will have you absolutely ecstatic.

Review: Italy's Groovin Recordings - based out of Milan's Vinylbrokers record shop, and dedicated to repressing some of the best and often hard-to-find disco and soul bits - have pounced at the chance to reissue and rework this gem as a 4-tracker. Taken from NYC disco band Kleeer's debut album, 'Tonight's The Night' is a classic diggers' disco divertissement. Now, it gets a thorough makeover. Along with the original version rounding this 12" off, Groovin have provided an extended version on the A-side. Two remixes come courtesy of the inimitable Dave Lee (fka. Joey Negro), who shines extra light on this tirelessly bright classic's rolling strings, divine choruses, wrist-slinging funk guitars and banging kettle drums. The 'Seeekret' mix is a standout: dubbing out the track to call attention to its laid-back moments.

Review: The irrepressible Kraak & Smaak get naked on this new single with the help of IVAR & Berenice Van Leer. The title tune is a nice slow and loose warm up number with depth and heart to spare. Fouk reworks it into something more for the club - a warm and authentic bit of real house music complete with classy piano chords, a great vocal and interesting drum sounds. 'In Plain Sight' (feat IVAR) is another lush and lazy, disco tinged go slow house tune with a remix from Rodney Hunter that ups the tempo and head to the dance floor.

Review: Marina Bellini is credited with just the one release all the way back in 1978. But boy what an EP it is. It's reissued here, firstly with 'Satan In Love', which drips with sensuousness thanks to her airy vocal and the squelchy bass. The loose drum rotations also leave lots fo space for you to fall into and as she soundtracks moments of personal pleasure you can't help but be taken along for the ride. On the reverse is the less intimate and more expansive disco-funk groover 'Far L'amore Io Da Sola'. It's handy, but not as much so as that irresistible a-side.

Review: Chicago don Alton Miller never misses. His brand of deep house is high on musicality and rich in emotion. He roams from label to label but always serves up the goods and now is on the Italian imprint Groovin with an EP that hits three different but equally sweet spots. 'Grand Illusions' is made for balmy nights dancing in the open air as the stars begin to shine above. 'Sunset Central' is a bubbly and effervescing track laced with congas and hands drums to give it real rump-wiggling character and 'Where My Fathers Danced' is an off-balance stomper for more physical sets.

Review: The Nightcrawlers' tune 'Push The Feeling On' is one of US garages most iconic. It was a hit on dance floors and in the charts all over the western world and was also what lay the foundations for MK's whole career. The dub version he served up became a signature sound for the producer throughout the 90s and beyond. That original 95 mix is included here and has the yearning vocals pacing about the mix, the snappy hits and warm, fat drums rolling down low. A Revisited version tweaks things only slightly and the Dub of Doom version is the most chunky and paired back of the lot with a slightly dark sense of menace pervading the whole affair.

Review: There are few post-punk anthems quite as dancefloor-ready as Shriekback's 1982 single 'My Spine (Is The Bassline)', a formidably funky number full of bongo-laced, disco-influenced drums, low-slung bass and stylish lead vocals. Here it gets a deserved reissue on marbled vinyl, with the intoxicating title track being joined by a trio of tracks from the same period. There's 'Tiny Birds', a deeper and woozier concoction that boasts hazy chords and squally guitar solos, spaced-out dancefloor dub number 'Feelers' and Prince-goes-post-punk disco number 'Accretions', which first featured on the band's first mini-album, Tench.

Review: Chicago's Glenn Underground is pretty much unmatched, even in his hometown. The Windy City hero manages to program kicking but deep house beats that hit a perfect sweet spot. But more important is what he does up top - proper musical chords, sun-worshiping synths and golden melodies that are stuffed with soul and jazz. Add in a smartly deployed party-starting vocal or a cite flute lead like on 'Trancing (Get On Down)' and you have perfect house music. This reissue Ep also features more punchy works like 'Detroitism', summery jam 'SJU' and majestic keys on 'Mello Blo.' Glenn is truly the Roy Ayres of house music.

Review: It's a great week for Glenn Underground fans, with The Windy City legend having two of his classic EPs getting the reissue treatment courtesy of Milanese imprint Groovin', First was 1997's C.V.O. Elements and now Moog Vibrations, originally released in 2010 on Superb Entertainment Records. Uplifting, near spiritual late night vibes on the title track, with those hypnotic marimbas underpinned by syncopated latin rhythms and euphoric chords. On the flip, we have the raw and moody late night mystery of 'Urban Flight To Atiner' taking you on a journey of the basement party through the strobe lights and smoke machine, led by its 303 acid and that epic guitar riff.