Toy Tonics Vinyl & CDs

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: 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.