Tags: Reggae Disco

Review: Emotional Rescue closes out another brilliant year with one final hot drop. This sorting 7" Safari by King Sporty was the artist's first ever single back in 1976. It comes after the label has served up plenty of reissues of the man known as Noel Wiliam's tackle but this one might be the best. It's from his album Deep Reggae Roots and is nice tropical excursion with steamy hits, wooden percussive sounds and funky bass over a low-slung groove and chanting vocals. This one is backed with a special disco mix by Lexx that reworks the tune for more lively moments.

Review: Following a successful run of disco deviance on top labels such as GAMM, Basic Fingers, Barefoot Beats and Tugboat, Toronto's Patchouli Brothers are up next on the sixth edition of the "Pleasure of Love" edit series. The "Beam Me Up" hosts have a proven track record with the ol' razor and tape, distilling rare and underappreciated cuts and turning them into peak time dancefloor gems. These four cuts on volume six are no exception. Our picks: the joyous and sunkissed "Made In France" (tres bien!), followed by the carnival energy of "Soca Danny" with its powerhouse brass section and the classic Stateside vibe of "Crossed Your Mind" on the flip.

Review: No one edits a classic like Mr. K, as he has proven time and time again. Now the legendary studio craftsman is back and revisiting Paradise Garage and some of the club's legendary sounds. First up is TW Funkmasters' 'Love Money,' which was conceived by UK radio reggae jock Tony Williams and fuses Dennis Brown's reggae hit 'Money In My Pocket' with early rap influences. The dub version was embraced by New York's dance scene and became iconic at the 'Garage, with many homages coming later such as Larry Levan's Man Friday remake, 'Love Honey, Love Heartache.' On the flip, Janice McClain's 1979 Philly disco classic 'Smack Dab In The Middle' shines as Larry Levan's mix is reworked by Mr. K who turns up the jazzy groove with fresh breaks.

Review: New York's incomparable edit king, and a hugely prolific one at that, Danny Krivit aka Mr K returns with some elongated reworks of a couple of Stevie Wonder's most timeless tunes. First up is his version of 'Master Blaster' which was originally the sound of Stevie paying tribute to Bob Marley. In his hands, it has a big intro and drums ready to rock. Flip it over and you will find 'I Was Made To Love Her' which has big r&b overtones and the sort of breakdowns that really build a vibe in the club. Adding in lashings of signature soul and you have two more steamy and effective tributes from the one and only Mr K.

Review: Boston's Cultures Of Soul present some edits here of underrated Belizean artist Bredda "David" Obi whose musical style known as "Kungo Muzik" mixes key flavours from his home with reggae and calypso to rock and funk to formulate a modern tropical style. Years later, DJs and record collectors found his music in basements of record stores in Los Angeles and Brooklyn - some of which are featured here. Sol Power All-Stars will get you stoned into the groove with their acid-inflected rework of "Dancin'", L.A.'s DJ Duckcomb works the original's lo-slung dub influence on "Experience" while the ever reliable Justin Van Der Volgen similarly accentuates the reggae swagger of "Sunshine". A tribute to a legend!

Review: Those on London's crate-digging underground should be well aware of Tangent, an eclectic, anything-goes party created by esteemed record collectors John Gomez and Nick The Record. With a little help from Mr Bongo, they've curated this compilation featuring some of their favourite selections from the party - the vast majority of which are either obscure, rare or overlooked. It's a predictably impressive selection all told, with the pair bouncing between digital reggae-infused global grooves (Srirajah Soundsystem), mid-80s French jazz-funk-synth-pop fusion (an exclusive edit of Leo Basel), quirky riffs of the Pointer Sisters (Marc Thornhill's 'Automatic'-inspired 'No Way To Control It'), zouk, proto-house-era Balearic brilliance (Androo), squelchy AOR synth-disco (Hidrogenesse), heavy Latin percussion workouts (Conjuto Balurantes), dub (Lee Jackson Band) and much more besides.