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SF's 40 Thieves are on a roll with a string of good new disco releases, from their dope remix of Gary Davis to their cover of Peech Boys (both on Rong) and now this sweet 3 tracker on Permanent Vacation. "Don't Turn...
expand review Me Off(1)" immediately caught my ear with it's sophisticated disco boogie groove and sexy vocals courtesy of Ms. Qzen. This one is apparently a cover of Hot Chocolate and I'd have to say they definitely do this one justice! Next up is the hilariously titled "Theme From Nutrider(2)" which takes a tangent toward the more quirky side of things. Deep and mesmerizing are the vibes here, with ample lasers and wonky synths to get you all spaced-out of place.
"Huffbochente(3)" takes up the entire A-side at 45 for all you smooth new disco heads that like to take your time (and do it right). -snackmaster
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New 12" joint for the dancefloors from Ajello. It's not that often that we get Deep Freeze releases, but their unique blend of genres is always welcome. "Over The Sky(1)" mixes up disco, minimal, and electro sound kits to make an infectious...
expand review instrumental groove. The minimal synth chords keep the beat pulsing as the leads tops it off with new wave chords similar to Wordy Rappinghood. The Reverso 68 Remix(2) adds a driving Italo bassline for an epic version, while "Space Love(3)" & "Ripley's Party(4)" brings out their love for 80's new wave flavors. Fans of DC Recordings, Emperor Machine, Nick Chacona, & Landshark will dig for sure. I just wish there was a song called "Puddin' Pop!" on this and the pic sleeve would be of The Cos' doin' his mug face. -C'mish
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Allez Allez and Aeroplane on the same record? Yeah, that's double the heat for the summertime drinking. You can use the Aeroplane remix of "Allez Allez(1)" to warm things up on the smooth tip, with a long (8:12) buttery new disco track,...
expand review and when the party has reached its peak drop "She's Stirring Up (An Optimo(Espacio)Drum Attack Mix)(2)." It's a huge room punky funk track that just keeps building up the hypeness until the mondo drum break at the end. Complete with funky horns, fast guitars and manic percussive elements. So good. -C'mish
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Alright, since this is Babytalk's second official release off his own Stickydisc label, this is the last time I'll mention that this dude was DFA's in-house mixing engineer. I know all the reviews mention it (and his MySpace), but if it were...
expand review me, I'd rather be treated as my own entity, not the guy who's the engineer of those famous new disco dudes. I mean, it's already evident in his sound, and he has Hercules & Love Affair on the remix, so it practically IS a new DFA record, but still, let's not beat a dead horse. With that said, this new release features Babytalk's follow up to "Keep On Move," the new disco instrumental jam "Change(1)." Check the elastic keys on the remix and hypnotizing disco bass on the original. It's the perfect vibe for drinking and dancing without overdriving your stamina (like French electro or Bmore can do). You can go all night to jams like this. Also the Hercules & Love Affair Remix(2) supes it up with harder percussive elements and melodic synthlines. Should get doubles if you really wanna wreck with Babytalk's cosmic dub remix(3) of himself. Always love that trick. -C'mish
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Beatconductor has been on quite a roll lately, covering every spectrum from funk and disco to Latin sounds. You can now add Caribbean rhythms to his roster. This new 12" off his Spicy label has a super-long edit of "Caribbean Path(1)," which...
expand review is the ultimate relaxer track, sure to have you fiending for some fancy cocktails, friendly locals and good food. The Caribbean chants will uplift your soul (Paul Simon would approve) and the steel drum melody will take you away. Flip the side for the Balearic disco sounds of "I Wouldn't Wanna Be Like You(2)." You'd think it would be spraying haterade from the title, but take a listen, it's quite the opposite. It's sooo relaxing. He ends it with a funk edit, "The Scatsong(3)," sure to have those springtime good vibes. I used to not be so into it, but a lot of the songs I play out now have a lot of scat singing. There's no words to slip up on, drunk people love it! Another good batch for the fans. Do I smell an LP on the way? -C'mish
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The Beatconductor flexes his versatile re-edit skills here giving you three new tracks on Spicy. The pressings are loud and clean, really doing justice to the quality of these edits. The first track "Jibaro(1)" re-works Elkin & Nelson's smooth Latin groove, turning...
expand review it into a super extended version with breaks and movements. The mood is simply undeniable. Flip it over for an almost housey re-vamp of Dance Reaction's classic "Disco Train" called "Dancing Trains(2)." He gives it the useful rework, keeping the integrity of the original with the perfect modern touch. For good measure, he ends it with some flavorful heavy dub in "Out Of Bondage(3)." -C'mish
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Very cool single featuring Frankie Knuckles' 1987 cover of "Only The Strong Survive(1)" on the A-side, and a useful re-edit of Billy Paul's original(2) on the flip. Frankie's version takes on almost a Larry Levan-ish feel, landing between the original's disco-funkiness and...
expand review more housey territory thanks to the combo of sharp, gated drums and soulful vocals from Ricky Dillard. For non dance heads, proceed directly to the original by the amazing Billy Paul - great vocals, soaring horns and strings, and it's funky as all get-out. Yes, the center is filled with cheese, but it tastes good don't it? Also includes an instrumental of the Frankie Knuckles version. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Really can't go wrong with stuff from Prins Thomas and Steve Kotey's Full Pupp label. When it comes to this new disco italo shit, the dudes always come through with the quality. For FP12, Blackbelt Anderen delivers a deep burning melter entitled...
expand review "Sirup(1)." The track takes its sweet time to develop - with carefully placed synths and percussion that slowly churn and brood into a hypnotizing cosmo- balearic stew. For the flip, Prins Thomas takes it up a notch with his usual "diskomiks" style - upping the BPMs and adding enough spice for proper dancefloor movement while still keeping the pacing and elements that make the original so damn good. Another winner from them Norwegian boys. -snackmaster
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Not to be confused with the disco-funk band Blackjoy, Black Joy is a Lab rookie on the recently established Project Recordings. These guys represent a crispy approach to music, fusing together rock, funk and reggae. If you're feeling groups like Plant Life...
expand review and Sa-Ra, you'll probably like "Headphone Drone(1)." For more reggae flavor, turn to the Blundetto remix(2). The nostalgic vibes created by the imagery remind me of an indy movie soundtrack, one where poetry is present everywhere. To further the feeling, read the lyrics on the back: "Magnetic winds blow, memories flow, pupils glow." I'll have my latte with a little hazelnut, please. Also, on the back of the sleeve is a code that you can redeem for a free digital download at the Project Recordings website. Nice feature for all my iPodders. -C'mish
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It's Mohawk's Champ Dance Remix! You know the infamous break used by everyone from Main Source, Redman, to Too Short and MC Hammer and so on. Well, now it's the Bladerunners turn and they take it to uber-dancefloor status. They...
expand review give three remixes, two short versions and a long side edit called which is worth the entire album. The "Champ - Club Mix(1)" is a hype modern dance mix that starts with a DJ friendly intro with a sample from Daft Punk's "Da Funk" and chops up the sweet sounds of Champ until its FUBAR. The added bass keeps the hype levels up, while the breakdowns build up and drop to drive the crowd. For those just interested in the meat of the song, the "Champ - Alt Mix(2)" is and edit with the main part and the "Champ-A-Pella" is the same with a more instrumental breaks feel. You can pretty much stick to the main mix, but it's nice to know that they're there so you wreck shop with doubles. I can smell this on summer mixtapes already. -C'mish
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The Bladerunners are one of the best things going right now. Their edits are made with working DJs in mind and they're totally effective. Side A features dance edits and starts with Stardust's "Music Sounds Better With You" aka one the greatest...
expand review dance songs ever made. The Bladerunners do an admirable chop job(1) here, freaking out the original sounds. Showing some deep-ass music nerdery, they've resurrected P.I.L.'s "This Is Not A Love Song" as a Daft Punk-style dance track. The flip features hip-hop remixes of "Move Bitch(3), Throw Some D's(4)," and "Money In The Bank(5)." 7 tracks total. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Brennan Green's Chinatown label is back with its second stellar (and limited) release. First up is Brennan Green and Daniel Wang's title track, "Escape From Chinatown(1)," a slow burning Italo jam with beautiful Eastern influenced sounds. As all of Brennan's releases, this...
expand review one just keeps building and building into aural orgasm territory. Dope. On the flip is Brennan's edit of Studio's "East Side(2)," a beautiful ten minute long disco flavored gem. -Alison Tara
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New wave edits from Burglar Tom. He had me at the New Order-inspired label. Definitely feeling this alternative direction in the edits world a la Gay Marvine's Secret Mixes & Fixes series. First check the Brian Eno edit "Brian Never Met...
expand review John(1)" with its cool Peter Hook-ish basslines. That sets up the riskier fare of "Is Your Mind Clear(2)" a mash-up of No-Wavers Konk and techno godfather Adam X. "Ken-El(3)" is a badass edit of Autechre if you can believe that, while "Sector 25(4)" is an edit from an epynonomous band. Fresh sounds. -the mgmnt
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One of the most in-demand re-edits around, Carl Craig splices up the Talking Head's "Once In A Lifetime" exposing it as the spacey loop affair it actually is (while adding no new elements or effects). That song has got some mystical powers....
expand review I was always amazed when Spinna would drop this track in the middle of a hip-hop set (circa late nineties). The crowd would be like "wha," but he always knew it was dope. Flip features a re-edit of the intense electro cut "There's A Woman" by Gino Soccio. -the mgmnt
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