Toy Tonics Vinyl & CDs

Review: Unwaveringly reliable house stable Top Tonics keep the good stuff coming this October as COEO steps up with an extra vibes four tracker. This is pure and unreserved house joy, music to party to without a care in the world. It's the bouncing drums and happy trumpets that make it so, with energetic piano stabs and driving bass all working to make you forget your woes. The music is nothing particularly new, but it is pulled off with such a sense of style and class that it's impossible to ignore. Whether all out and sweat inducing or ever so slightly deeper, we cannot get enough of these cuts.

Review: Munich twosome COEO have long been a reliable source of hybrid nu-disco and house productions, with their releases on Toy Tonics being particularly good. Music For Friends, their first release of 2021, is another rock-solid collection of ear-catching cuts. The most incendiary, peak-time ready number is undoubtedly 'Voyager (Piano Mix)', a brilliantly rush-inducing slab of piano house revivalism with added nu-disco synths, though EP opener '25 Hundred Friends', a tough-as-teak blend of chunky deep house, fluid piano solos and warming jazz-funk instrumentation, pushes it close. Elsewhere, 'Slipstream' is a borderline Balearic chunk of dreamy and melodious deep house, while 'Midnight Visions' is colourful, emotive and musically intricate.

Review: Having graced the likes of Razor N Tape, Classic and Shall Not Fade, in recent years Cody Currie has bedded himself in deep on Toy Tonics - just check the London-based producer's Lucas LP from last year if you need further proof. The label have taken a peep back at that album to serve up this feel-good remix package with some serious talent on re-fix duties. First up Dan Shake serves up a tough-bumpin' version of Cash before Sam Ruffillo and Kapote have fun amping up the funky elements of the track. On the flip, the mighty Kaidi Thatham lays down a typically soul-charged version of 'Money' before Jamie 3:26 takes the track deeper, riding on a sweet Moog bassline that will pull in the stiffest of crowds until everyone's feeling good and loose.

Review: Toy Tonic always deliver interesting, functional, emotional house music and here comes another such serving from the so-far so-excellent Cody Currie. The opener is as deep and jazzy as they come, with rich chords and twinkling pads all floating way above a nice warm bassline. 'LS Anthem' plays with broken beats and warped chords that are woozy and rich as a spoken word sample brings a sense of cool. 'When The Time Is Right' then keeps up the magical Rhodes work and a soulful, shuffling groove before 'M9' picks up the pace a little without loosing any of the heart and version of 'Moves' closes in steamy fashion.

Review: Fimiani's 'Disco Music', a standout track from the Toy Tonics catalogue, receives a series of dancefloor-ready remixes. This infectious tune, already championed by DJs like Palms Trax and Louie Vega, is reimagined by four talented producers, each adding their unique flavour to the mix. Young Pulse, the Parisian house maestro, delivers a vibrant and energetic rework, while Tel Aviv's edit king, Elado, injects a dose of playful energy. Berlin's Delfonic transforms the track into a soulful dancefloor anthem, showcasing his knack for crafting infectious grooves. Paul Older, fresh off his acclaimed debut EP on Toy Tonics, closes out the release with a remix that blends classic house elements with a contemporary edge. With its diverse range of interpretations and undeniable dancefloor appeal, this release is a must-have for any disco enthusiast.

Review: Ever a treasure trove of house goodness, Toy Tonics Music is back with Para Mytho Disco, the second album by label founder and creative director Mathias Modica who is also known as Kapote. His work as Munk on Gomma Records might be his best-known stuff at the moment but this album goes a long way to redressing that with its fresh take on disco house, experimental electro, jazz fusion and Afro-American grooves. All of that is distilled through a futuristic mix of keys, bass, synths and percussion inspired by 1970s jazz and 1980s synthwave. As such this record reflects Kapote's vision of bringing diverse musical styles together to create a positive, inclusive vibe and is own that yields more rich detail with each listen.

Review: While Toy Tonics' first Italomania compilation, released back in 2010, featured fresh reworks of classic Italian disco tracks, this belated sequel celebrates a new generation if Italian disco and nu-disco artists. This - as they have made clear - is not synth-heavy Italo-disco revivalism, but disco revivalism and disco-house fusion made by Italians. It's a great collection all told, with highlights including the hybrid disco-boogie brilliance of Tommiboy's 'La Sfinge (featuring D Disco Band)', the synth disco-meets-jazz-funk flex of Severino and Giocomo Mora's 'Maledetto', the coloruful nu-disco excellence of Munk & Kapote's 'La Musica (Hot DJ version)', the orchestrated disco cheeriness of 'SessoSpaghetti (extended mix)' by Finniani & Angeleri - an authentically eccentric excursion - and the synth-heavy squelch of 'Tropica' by Giovanni Damico.

Review: Who is Magou? That's anyone's guess, however it is said to be a mysterious side project by an otherwise respected Italian producer and DJ. They return to Berlin's Toy Tonics for a full and proper double 12' release, a debut album in-fact, taking in disparate elements. We really enjoyed the low-slung modern disco on offer ('Eco' / 'Borges'), as well the neon-lit Italo numbers ('Pas Jolie' / 'Sample Dream') and were even impressed a by that bit of electro-boogie ('Heather's Body') - all blended in a classy and understated manner throughout.

Review: Since making his name late last decade with a string of re-edit releases, Italian DJ/producer Paul Older (real name Paolo Vecchiato) has been edging towards original production. This EP on the mighty Toy Tonics imprint is his most ambitious and - we think - impressive set of 'originals' to date. For proof, check excitable opener 'Guapita', where relentless synth-horn refrains dance atop a loopy disco-house beat, the horn-heavy, Blaxpolitation funk-sampling sweatiness of 'Keep On', and the house-meets-sleazy disco sensuality of 'I Like It, I Want It (Extended Mix)'. Arguably best of all, though, is the hybrid nu-disco/proto-house/disco-house headiness of closing cut 'Loop Story'.

Review: Toy Tonics has established itself as one of house music's most interesting modern labels. It deals in all the myriad niche styles with equal elan, and always manage to call upon producers with something original to add to the conversation. The musical take on house is exemplified again on this second volume off their Mushroom House series from Kaputt. There are bright, glistening melodic cuts from Harry Wolfmann, tribal grooves from Kiwi, deep basement tackle featuring Italian designer Mathew Burlon and typically balmy and elegant grooves from the always on form DJ Sprinkles. The whimsical charm and lightness of touch displayed by Art Alfie on 'Dance To The Conga' is also to behold.

Review: Gomma played a vital role in the popularisation of the indie-dance explosion that happened some 20 years ago now. Best known for being spearheaded by US indie outfit LDC Sound system, it combined dance, disco, wave, post-punk and more into a party-ready sound that found favour with both ravers and guitar heads. This second collection from the German label highlights the best of music they put out back then with names like In Flagranti, label co-founder Munk, Nancy Whang & Bonar Bradberry and many more all present and correct.