Razor-N-Tape Vinyl & CDs

Review: Since 2012, Munich duo COEO has served up a swathe of sample heavy, disco influenced house EPs for such labels as Let's Play House, Toy Tonics, Lagaffe Tales and Razor-N-Tape Reserve. Here they pop up on Razor-N-Tape's main edit label with something different: a quartet of traditional scalpel works from their personal stash. First up is the elastic, horn heavy disco-funk of "Express Lane", which is quickly followed by the skewed Arabic boogie-funk brilliance of "Libyan Sun". Over on side B, "Don't Oho" is a breezy revision of a sun-kissed Afro-disco workout that sounds like it would be capable of causing a commotion in the club, while "Move Your Body" makes merry with a warm, rich and intoxicating early '80s boogie-soul jam of unknown origin.

Review: Razor-N-Tape's Family Affair series makes a welcome return here with a third great instalment. This series is something of an annual end-of-year tradition by now (OK, it's arriving a touch late) and this one hits as hard as any with five tracks taken from the full and standout compilation. It is two great remixes of classic RNT material that gets things underway with Ezel offering a dub of Cor.ece and Bruce Leroys sublime deep hose mix of Guinu, then JKriv's 'Better Than Her' is a fat bottomed bit of deep cut electro funk and elsewhere Kim Anh gets raw and cosmic, and Cody Currie's 'Ghost' is broken beat perfection.

Review: On their latest 12", the Razor 'N' Tape crew has looked to Berlin, rather than Brooklyn, for inspiration. As the title suggests, the man at the controls this time round is Oye Records founder Markus "Delfonic" Lindner. He hits the ground running with "The Flow", a deliciously loved-up interpretation of one of the sweetest, baggiest and dewy-eyed disco-soul tunes around. While undeniably floor-friendly, there's no attempt made to beef up the track unnecessarily, with Lindner's addition percussion tending towards the subtle and reverential. Those hankering after something a little sweatier should check the disco-funk hustle of "SPF" (which comes complete with some seriously spacey synth solos) and Lindner's excellent rearrangement of a lesser-known cover of O'Jays classic "I Love Music".

Review: Devilish edit duo Duane Harriott and Sean Marquand are Devin Dare and now they return with fresh flips to get the Razr N Tape year going. 'Dancemuzak' transforms a classic NYC disco groove into a hypnotic, driving force while 'Itsdiscotime' masterfully loops rare, mind-blowing source material into a jam for the ages. On the flip side, 'Lookin Good' delivers cheeky uptempo soul perfect for a Theo Parrish set, while '1heater4sasha' slows things down with Clavinet-driven funk. Devin Dare are surely among the best editors in the game.

Review: Razor 'N' Tape's two previous servings of Dimitri From Brooklyn edits (and, yes, they're the work of legendary DJ/producer Dimitri From Paris) were both must-haves, so hopes are naturally high for this third volume. Predictably, the disco-loving Frenchman is on fine form once more, laying down a trio of interpretations that breathe new life into classic jams. While the A-side "Kettle America" (say it phonetically) is something of a cheeky treat - impressively chopping between hard-wired guitar riffs and the original track's bustling disco groove - it's "I Knead You", an end-of-night, lights-up version of a Sylvester cut that smartly emphasizes the song's gospel origins, that really sparkles. "Without Rob", a harmonica-heavy rearrangement of a well-known favourite, completes another essential package.

Review: Amy Douglas is the latest addition to the Razor-N-Tape talent ranks and serves up a mighty fine rough 'n' tumble New York disco double A-side 7" to open her account. The opener is 'Freak At Night' with stiff synth stabs and strident drums that get the party pumping while the belting vocal brings the soulful hook. Absolute dynamite. Things are a little more loose on the flip with 'Bit-O-Honey' having more jangling drums and guitar riffs underpinned by a funky bass riff. The vocal is more florid and expressive making this a different but equally impactful sound.

Review: Antal has already been dropping the worldly beats on this EP which is a fine stamp of approval for Israeli DJ and collector Elado. This marks his debut on the label having won plenty of fans for his offering on Eddie C's cult Red Motorbike. The music take its cues from all over the planet - Africa, India and the Middle East - and brims with disco joy, funk richness and plenty of earthly soul. 'Big Baba' is a classy party starter with good time feels, 'Gulab Jamun' is a foreign language acid laced love song and 'Blame' is synth heavy disco funk.

Review: Al most ten years in the making, Tom Noble's debut album is that most rare of beasts: a decidedly dusty and loose-limbed revivalist disco album that genuinely sounds like a long-lost 'private press' set from the turn of the 1980s. Noble is a renowned crate-digger, DJ and disco-boogie specialist, so it's no surprised to find that the songs and instrumentals on show, which also offer nods to jazz-funk and dancefloor soul, is exceptionally well observed and painstakingly crafted via the contributions of many guest musicians and vocalists. For proof of the set's majesty, get your ears around the celebratory and synth-speckled 'Times Are Changin', deep disco treat 'Holding On', head-nodding soul slow jam 'Diamond Eyes' and warm, heady closing cut 'Moving Away'.

Review: The Patchouli Brothers are Jedi-level Canadian diggers who now make their debut on the always excellent Razor-N-Tape label. They offer up four edits from the world of disco starting with the driving and striding 'Disco 4 A Non-Nuclear Future' with its expansive vocal and big string energy. 'Emotional Dancing' is a clean and serene disco groove with florid female vocals and a super funky bassline which leads into the classic sounds of 'Dance, Disco Dance', a feel good and heart swelling sound then things slow down into big hand claps and vibing trumpet motifs on 'Zane & Len.'

Review: Since he last appeared on Razor 'N' Tape six years ago via a digital-only debut single, Dino Soccio has built up quite a catalogue of re-edits, not to mention a reputation as one of the scene's more interesting editors. It's for this reason that we're not surprised that his return to Aaron Dae and J Kriv's rework imprint is so good. It sees him offer up a quartet of killer cut-jobs that bounce between sumptuous, string-laden, French language Afro-disco (the superb "Fred's Groove"), sparkling up-tempo disco-boogie brilliance (the awesome "Star Beaming"), languid deep disco warmth (the dubby, spaced-out goodness of "Laid Back") and ultra-sweet, reggae-influenced Afro-boogie heat (sublime closing cut "Forgot").