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Review: 'Don't Touch It', a cover of Maxx Traxx's rare 1982 single, showcases the distinct styles of two funk ensembles. Another Taste delivers a captivating rendition with a prominent keyboard hook, enchanting chorus, and infectious grooves. It successfully covers the original while still staying true to the original's structure. Both versions capture the essence of boogie and disco, inviting listeners to move and embrace the irresistible rhythms. Together, these covers present a captivating exploration of funk's diverse and captivating soundscape. to have both of these versions on one 7" is fantastic. Act fast as these copies will go fast.

Review: Mad About Records officially reissues super rare private press Quintessence's 1981 LP. Surprisingly for the level of talent and production / recording wit that it flaunts, Quintessence was one of many original jazz LPs to remain in private circulation and thus completely wanting of the public ear. Led by Ron Ancrum, with George Sovak, David Gaedeke, Winston Johnson and Steve Muse, the band nonetheless recorded an exceptional slice of artistic pie here, bringing Rhodesy, tritoning sundowners to the then already well-fleshed milieu of 80s jazz, an unmistakably bulbous and gaudy sound to which Quintessence do much justice; our favourite here by far is 'In My Apartment', a tssking blue-jazz suite for boughed double bass and noir piano.

Review: Detroit's Theo Parrish continues to serve up expressive and utterly unique new music, but his vast back catalogue will always remain of almost just as much interest to house heads. As such his Sound Signature label has repressed some quality gems from his discography. 'Roots Revisited' first came back towards the tail end of 1998 and finds the sonic shaman in heavy percussive mode while off-grid rhythms and his unique take on soul shining through. 'Dan Ryan' is deeply meditative, while the 'Walking Thru The Sky' (feat Ron Smith - Liberation mix) is a dusty and scuffed-up deep house exploration with Theo's trademark keys.

Review: Sound Signature kick off the new year with a pleasing reissue of some smoky soul from Theo Parrish's outlet for his most jazzy tendencies. On "Seasons Of My Life" Billy Lo croons over a muted trumpet while a surprisingly rough stomp gets hammered out of a live kit. It's a dreamy, sunkissed jam with all the loose, free-flowing elements you would expect from something with Parrish's stamp on it. Marcellus Pittman helps out on "Feedback", as a sparser, meandering groove does the nasty with some restrained keys. For that Detroit beatdown flavour away from the dancefloor, this is as good as it gets.

Review: Initially released in 2010, Minimal Wave's retrospective of obscure French '80s outfit Deux remains one of the label's most sought-after compilations. Here, it gets a deserved re-press, allowing a whole new generation of listeners to fall in love with the quirky works of the Lyon-based duo. The album's ten tracks, which were drawn from various obscure cassettes and seven-inch singles, effortlessly join the dots between moody electro, cold-wave, new wave and eccentric synth-pop, reflecting the pair's esoteric approach to wayward electronic pop. This second edition comes in a hand-numbered edition of 999 copies, with Minimal Wave's usual attention to detail present on the weighty packaging.

Review: Original live techno duo, System 7 stamp their mark on the dancefloor once again with their new single on A Wave, 'Space Bird', lifted
from their forthcoming album, 'Phoenix', which opens the label's musical account in 2008. Just starting to escape on promo, this buzzing
atmospheric instrumental sees System 7 push the envelope for a minimal sound that embraces trance in truly hypnotic dancefloor style.
'Space Bird' is the first of the two Jam El Mar collaborations on the new album, and straight out the trap is man of the moment, Dubfire's
excellent minimal trance and brooding tech house remix. Liquid Soul toughens it up with a charged, stripped-down affair that rocks the floor,
fuelled by spacey loops; and rounding off is the original version. Its chunky beats underpin the seductive musical loops building into a
full-on floorfiller that's about to start ripping up floors in Europe.
System 7 continue to defy constraints of the 'trend' side of the music scene, having appeared live at a large number of festivals this year.
Highlights include playing twice at Tokyo's Nagisa Festival, this year with Derrick May and Joaquin Joe Claussell; another mighty appearance
at the Glastonbury Festival West Dance Tent in June with A Guy Called Gerald & Trentemoller; the Main Stage at the Glade Festival with
Longrange, Digitalism & Richie Hawtin; as well as Italy's Sonica festival, Harmonia Festival in Spain and Devon's Waveform event with
Eat Static & Banco De Gaia.

Review: Theo Parrish's masterful Sound Sculptures Vol 1 on triple LP format gets a timely repressing!! In total here there are 9 of the 27 tracks from the full double CD version but these still run the gamut of Theo's inimitable talents, from rough and tumble disco edits to saccharine soul, raw beatdown and leftfield esoterica. Be sure to check the Omar S- featuring "Synthetic Flemm" and long time Juno favourite "Flotation Device". If ever there was a selection of tracks that fully showcased the incredible breadth of production talent this man has, this is it. Not to be missed!

Review: Dubtastic reinterpretation of the Isaac Hayes' classic of the same name that was itself sampled in Erykah Badu's gem 'Bag Lady'..... B/W "Electric Boogie" a toe tappin' nod to 80's dancehall destined to brighten the smokiest of rooms. Originally released back in 2010 and now repressed due to public demand...

Review: There was much talk ahead of the release of Darkstar's debut album as to whether the London based outfit could live up to the promise of their stunning breakthrough single "Aidy's Girl Is A Computer" on Hyperdub in 2009. The answer, in short, is yes. In the course of the past 12 months Aiden Whalley and James Young have morphed from a production team into a band, adding vocalist James Buttery along the way, and North, the fruits of their labour, is a fragile, delicate and beautiful record. Tracks like "Gold" and ""Dear Heartbeat"" showcase an 80s synth pop sensibility, forming the backbone of an album that is steeped in worry and melancholia. Buttery's vocal talents add an extra layer of depth to the music, particularly on the poignant, piano driven opening and closing track "In The Wings" and "When It's Gone". There is much to explore on North, which will go down as one of 2010's most affecting electronic albums.

Review: The main track here shows a slightly different facette of Omar S. Thirteen/Two/Eight, released on FXHE, has a handclapping, twitching beat with a quirky lively synth melody, classic italo disco and early 80 boogie sounds from a Detroit point of view. A vivid techno track and a darker ambient outing keep the quality high.

Review: Another great gem from Casablanca. D.C. Larue is a songwriter and instrumentalist who emerged in the mid-'70s with a series of heavily orchestrated, disco-
orientated instrumentals with vocal refrains. 'Let them dance' is one of the records you should have in your collection. b/w Dennis Parker's 'Like An Angel'.

Review: 'Les Gans' out on Musique Risquee, is the first of the two singles taken out from the stellar album 'Face a L'est' by Guillaume & the Coutu Dumonts. On the A side, you'll find the original version of 'Les Gans', a beautifully crafted moody house tune. It's melancholic but none of the less cheerful tone provides the listeners with a feeling that tomorrow might not be so dark after all. 'Les Gans', with it's afro jazz sensibility, represents the underlying theme of Guillaume & the Coutu Dumonts album Face à l’est. Organic drum patterns topped by a persistent saxophone line (played by [iks] saxophonist Sebastien Arcand Tourigny) result in a complex composition that unfolds slowly, leading the minds into profound hypnosis. On the B side, Audio Werner (Hartchef, Perlon, Hello Repeat) takes us deep into his foggy mind. Known by the public for his versatility, it's the first time he dives so deep into the dubby side of things. Setting the mood with the most massive bass ever, he then proceeds to reveal all the elements slowly over an amazing 12 minutes of pure delight. As an answer to the original melodic line, Audio Werner brings in the saxophone of Hayden Chislom, collaborator of Burnt Friedman and member of Root 70. The result is pure pleasure and Musique Risquée is now happy to share it with you

Review: "45:33" was originally recorded by James Murphy (aka LCD Soundsystem) as a continuous album-length disco symphony. It is the result of Murphy's desire to create a piece of music outside the typical commercial constraints. Don't miss this DFA release.

Review: In 2008 the Masterpiece compilation series continues with 'Masterpiece Volume 6: The Ultimate Disco Funk Collection'. Again a very special collection of 12 inch mixes of the eighties. You will find great 12 inches of Bar-Kays, Roy Ayers, Dynasty & Love Club and less known (but not less loved) long versions of Kathy Buck, Up Front and Evan Rogers. All tracks have been digitally re-mastered for all 80’s disco funk lovers.

Review: Steel pan, disco and dub from the 1970s in Steel An' Skin's 'Reggae Is Here Once Again'. Yet another lost gem from EM. Ultra-postive consciousness from Afro-Caribbean London, circa 1979. Members of the legendary 20th Century Steel Band (one of Grand Master Flash's favourites) sailing Trinidad-wise over gratifyingly intricate African ritual rhythms. Strong vocals compliment reggae, funk, disco and soul influences to form a relentless groove machine. Steel 'n' Skin, a unit composed of young nightclub musicians born in Ghana, Nigeria, St. Kitts, Trinidad and the U.K., who once performed with Ginger Johnson's Afrikan Drummers, a highlife band under the tutelage of the late Ginger Johnson and played at Johnson's Iroko Country Club in Hampstead, London. Steel 'n' Skin began performed concerts and workshops in London schools, expanding nationwide to schools, prisons, psychiatric hospitals and summer festivals, including the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival. The group combined a mix of musical forms with community outreach, non-cynical and untainted by preachiness or "social work." Good feelings from good hearts. This EM reissue consists of Steel 'n' Skin's 1979 debut 12 inch single "Reggae Is Here Once Again", featuring "Afro Punk Reggae (Dub)", a fine disco-dub workout, plus 2 tracks from their 1984 LP ACID RAIN as well as one un-issued track. Also included is documentary DVD by Steve Shaw featuring commentary from Steel 'n' Skin's founder Peter Blackman, killer live and rehearsal footage of the band, workshop scenes (check out the 1970s suits and parkas!) and devastating views of inner-city Liverpool. Steel 'n' Skin soars above the 1970s ruins.

Review: "Blackout" was created by a collaboration between Black Mustang and the magical Kerrier District (Luke Vibert), Cornwall's answer to Metro Area. Kerrier Distract provided the chunky disco beats over which the Mustang stacked layers of Moog and tripped out dub vocals. This LoEB release with scare the hell out of your ears.

Review: Another two club bangers from The Invisible Session's album repertoire, as remixed by the hugely influential UK DJs, Phil Asher and Faze Action (aka the Lee brothers). The two club re-works are in slick UK dance style. The appeasing feeling in the song "I Knew The Way" remains, although it is elegantly transported to the clubs' atmosphere courtesy of the touch given by veteran DJ/producer Phil Asher. Even though the bass drum is in 4/4 the result is always soulful, ever groovy and never predictable - as proved by Mr Asher’s care for details and sound effects, as well as the twiddled keys by non-other-than Mark De-Clive Lowe. This vinyl presents the vocal piece in fine soulful-house style on Side A, whereas on Side B is to be found the remix of an instrumental piece in the album "Heroes Of The Conquest". More driving and faster than the other 2 instrumentals of the album, "Invisible Blessing" and "Three For You", this re-work of it by respected dance-duo Faze Action is rich in bongos, sound effects and delays. In a smart way the powerful horn section of the original piece is here, led to impress and shake the tune to a possibly even higher extent, melting the Latin-jazz influence into a strongly rhythmic club tune. Tip!

Review: Carpark gives you 'Devotion' the second album from the dreamy pop duo from Baltimore, Maryland, Beach House. Includes original songs as well as cover songs
like 'Some Things Last a Long Time', by Daniel Johnston.

Review: On The Screen: an LP from the Belgian band Linear Movement originally slated for release in 1983. Linear Movement is mastermind Peter Bonne (A Split-Second, Twilight Ritual, Autumn) joined by Peter Koutstaal, and Lieve Van Steerteghem on vocals for several tracks. Some tracks appear on the exquisite Pulse Music cassette while the rest are previously unreleased. Linear Movement was featured on V/A The Lost Tapes compilation LP with their highly acclaimed The Game, described as an "unstoppable pop song". Linear Movement have been called "a more primitive, cold wave Visage", and have been compared to the Human League. Peter differentiated LM from his other projects TR and Aut by the distinct sound of the compositions: they were poppier.