NG Italy Vinyl & CDs

Review: On their debut album, 2016's the Tony Allen Experiments, Naples twosome Nu Guinea re-invented tracks by the legendary Afro-beat drummer as synth-heavy chunks of deep jazz-funk and nu-Balearica. For this follow-up - their first full length entirely made up of their own compositions - the duo serves up a set of jazz-funk, disco and boogie cuts rich in both their trademark colourful analogue synthesizer sounds and live instrumentation. It's a formula that guarantees a string of memorable highlights, from the sun-kissed peak-time brilliance of "Disco Sole" and rubbery, funk-fuelled "Je Vulesse" (a killer vocal number), to the wobbly downtempo trip of "A Voce E Napule" and Mizell Brothers fizz of closer "Parev Ajare", the album's most synthesizer-heavy cut.

Review: Two years ago New Guinea joined forces with Early Sounds Recordings to offer up a killer compilation of rare 1970s and early 80s disco, jazz-funk and electrofunk recordings from Napoli, the Italian city they call home. Such was the success of the set that they've decided to offer up this equally impressive sequel. Amongst the mostly ultra-obscure, little-known cuts you'll find a wealth of highlights, from the high-octane disco stomp of Tonica & Dominante's "Babilonia", the spacey boogie business that is Ara Macao's super-sweet "Reflection", the languid AOR-funk of Maria Kelly's "Dimme" and the low-slung jazz-funk brilliance of Tony Iglio's "Luci Di New York".