Search results: Odyssey

Review: As the title makes clear, this three-disc, unmixed collection has one simple aim: to soundtrack kitchen discos, living room dances and long car journeys with a jam-packed selection of disco hits and disco-tinged pop favourites. It does a good job at that, even if some of the selections tend towards the lesser-known end of the commercial disco spectrum, with all three discs showcasing such disco must-haves and part-starting sing-alongs as Dan Hartman's soaring 'Relight My Fire' (famously covered by Take That in the 90s), Diana Ross's 'I'm Coming Out', Chaka Khan's inspired 'Young Hearts Run Free', Grace Jones' punk-funk Roxy Music cover 'Love Is The Drug', McFadden & Whitehead's epic 'Ain't No Stopping Us Now' and Cheryl Lynn's peerless 'Got To Be Real'.

Review: Having delivered a string of loosely themed collections of extended mixes and 12" versions from the 1980s, the long-running NOW compilation strand has launched a new series focusing on music released in specific years across the decade. 1980, the inaugural collection, is relatively light on pop, 'alternative' and new wave extended mixes (though OMD, Spandau Ballet, Sparks and UB40 all appear), but big on soaring disco hits, crossover club classics and chart-bothering dance numbers from the dawn of the decade of Thatcher and Reagan. That means outings for the likes of Tom Browne's 'Funkin' For Jamaica', Teena Marie's exceptional 'Behind The Groove', Grace Jones' low-slung cover of Roxy Music's 'Love is the Drug', Tom Moulton's peerless version of Loleatta Holloway's 'Love Sensation', an Odyssey's addictive 'Use It Up & Wear It Out'.

Review: Senh knows a thing or two about laying down advanced techno sound designs and he did just that with his November 2022 album Shape The Future on the one and only Planet Rhythm. Now it's picked apart for a new EP featuring four of its most fearsome cuts. There is expert minimal tech funk to kick off with on 'Shaba Funk' then moody dub on 'Odyssey' stripped back deep techno serenity on 'Vision.' Last of all is 'All Right', a thumping and emotionally intense house sound that will have you dripping.

Review: Back in February, Detroit Sound Odyssey put out the first part of the Better Together EP and it found Mexico-born but Detroit-based Isaac Prieto hook up with several different artists including Javonntte and Moppy. Here he goes it alone for part two and blows up with an all new electro that is part electro-funk, part ghetto, part cosmic wig out. 'Go For It' (feat Loren) is punchy drum-led tacker with a brilliantly knackered bassline and pinging 909s. 'Hesitant Hand' (feat Ali Orlandi) is quick and supple techno with razor sharp hi-hats and synth details that have a mind of their own. 'Rasta Pasta' (with Moppy) slows things down to a deep beatdown then it's off to the stars with thumping house curveball 'Interstate 90 Highway' (with Javonntte). What an EP.

Review: Hot'N'Spicy's self-titled series of flame hot disco and funk gems returns with a sizzling sixth instalment here and it has some big names on board. Delfonic opens up with the low slung and seductive loopy disco-house fun of 'Everything Is Love' while HOLDTight up the funk and energy with more loose and percussive grooves on 'Disco Power.' Franck Roger brings his classy French house styling to a deep and slinky number in 'Pinguino Blumo' and DJ Steef shuts down with some big camp disco flourishes and dubbed-out vocal echoes on 'Warp Odyssey.'

Review: Yussef Days is a masterful drummer who has invigorated contemporary jazz and broken beat scenes with several different and equally brilliant projects. The Yussef Dayes Experience Live At Joshua Tree Presented By Soulection is the latest and finds him anchoring music that is inspired by the world's most well-known nature reserve. It is a spiritually uplifting selection with the likes of Elijah Fox on keys and synth and features five tracks that will transport you to the blissful location in an instant.

Review: In the John Williams & Hans Zimmer Odyssey, the Orchestre Curieux embarks on a sonic journey through the iconic film scores of two legendary composers. John Williams, known for his sweeping orchestral arrangements in classics like Star Wars and Jurassic Park, contrasts with Hans Zimmer's modern, dynamic and more minimal soundscapes from films like Inception and Gladiator. This orchestral fusion bridges generations of cinema lovers and seamlessly blends Williams' timeless melodies with Zimmer's contemporary flair. The performance promises a cinematic experience, transporting audiences through the rich tapestry of emotions evoked by these masterpieces, all interpreted through the Orchestre Curieux's unique artistic lens.

Review: Austin Peralta's 2011 album Endless Planets has never before been available on vinyl and now gets pressed up as a special Deluxe Edition by Brainfeeder. Peralta really crafted something special here when the label made its first moves into the world of jazz. He is a prodigious piano-playing talent who uses that as a vehicle for his inquisitive futurism while never forgetting the heritage of original jazz. In this special version, four previously unreleased tracks are unveiled. Among them is a live rendition of 'DMT Song' from FlyLo's 2012 album 'Until the Quiet Comes,' which Austin collaborated on. Wonderful stuff.

Review: NOW Music is on with a big project here that sees the long-running label present a new series of vinyl compilations, NOW That's What I Call 80s Dancefloor. Each one is set to include what they deem to be "an essential collection of tracks" that they hope offer fair representation of a number of key musical movements and genres from across the 80s. The first volume presented the best in HI-NRG and POP and this one, a double album, focusses on Soul & Disco. All the names you'd expect are here from Prince to Daryl Hall & John Oates, Loose Ends to Rufus & Chaka Khan, so it is a useful one indeed.

Review: There is no end to the amount of music that NOW has served up over its many years in the music business. From its thrice-yearly pop comps to its vast decades-long snapshots, it has always offered up the freshest pop hits in fulsome fashion. This latest collection, NOW That's What I Call 80s Dancefloor: Disco & Electro, is a double vinyl album on purple and pink wax that brings together the best disco and electro of the 80s. All the names you'd expect feature from Malcolm McLaren & The World's Famous Supreme Team to Shannon with Freeze, Chaka Khan and more also adding weight.

Review: Whether or not the legendary NOW series is as old as time itself is uncertain, but what is for sure is that the compilations it puts together have always been great collections of the music of the moment. This one harks all the way back to 1978, a golden era for glam rock, pop on TV and artful suns that gave way to more sentimental fare in the following decade. This triple vinyl pack comes on pink wax and has a checklist of all the acts you would imagine covering disco, punk, pop, alt-rock and soul. There isn't a dud on it so it's a great one to have for any occasion.

Review: Marcus Belgrave's Gemini II album has never been reissued before with the original artwork, but here it comes with a Japanese Obi-strip and featuring prominent musicians and legends like Wendell Harrison, Phil Ranelin, Roy Brooks and Harold McKinney. This is a diverse record with plenty of spirituality and a loud and proud sense of blackness. The standout tune 'Space Odyssey' is the best known, not least because it was later covered by pioneering Detroit techno talent Carl Craig. Next to that tense cosmic workout are two parts of 'Gun Finger' which are both horn led and upbeat grooves, the seductive sounds of the title tune and free-bop jam 'Marcia's Opal'. 'Odoms Cave' is a tender and introverted closer.

Review: After making more than a good impression with his releases on the likes of Jeff Mills's Axis imprint and Oscar Mulero's Warm Up, Mike Storm now steps it up a gear with his debut full-length. The Dutch native's The Pale Blue Dot again draws on his love of conceptual sci-fi and was reportedly all written live in one take, with no recall, which is a unique approach in this day and age. that lends each track a realness and toughness that makes them stand out even more as the pummelling drums drive on towards some unknown cosmic future and the synths are so tightly interwoven that they melt your mind as you try and keep up.