Past Due Vinyl & CDs

Review: The Ray Contreras Band, fixtures of the 80s New York dance scene, first released 'You Make It Harder' as a 7" under the name Contreras / Sokolov / Milgrom. A rare, twilight boogie-funk track specially cherished among nostalgists, the record again avails itself this time in the form of a 12" single, expanded over four formerly unreleased songs. A supremely satisfying, deep-plombing mix takes the cake on the A1 as Elliot Sokolov's impassioned vocals recount the experience of romantic frustration through sharp, between-the-lines intakes of breath. 'Wishful Thinking', 'If You Want My Love', 'I Can Feel Your Heartbeat', and 'Miami Girl' follow as the criminally unreleased demos, all of which are as hit-worthy as the A, we kid you not. New York electro-funk at its finest, whiffing with tasteful cheese.