Juno Recommends Disco: January 2023

Review: Over the years, multi-track re-edit king the Reflex has successfully tampered with many million-selling artists - Madonna, Queen, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder included - so it's little surprise to see him turn his attention to two gems from the late, great George Michael. On the A-side there's another chance to cop the French scalpel fiend's 2018 re-build of Wham's 'Everything She Wants', which he created using the parts to the album version of the mid-80s electrofunk classic. Arguably even better is his flipside rub of 'Freedom '90', a near nine-minute re-wire that slowly builds in waves, before finally unleashing the track's infectious piano riffs and the hands-aloft chorus. Throw in some dubbed-out sections towards the end and you have a genuinely fabulous revision.

Review: Get ready for a rush-inducing dose of proper soulful vocal house from the mighty Dames Brown. On this record for Defected, Detroit's foremost trio of Athena Johnson, Lisa Cunningham and Teresa Marbury linked up with the mighty Amp Fiddler and Andres for a rip through house music as real as it gets. The original 12" mix of 'What Would You Do?' is hard to beat for raw, heavy-hitting groove and production, but there are some choice remixes included here for those who have different needs, whether it's the bouncy jazz funk of Two Soul Fusion's version or the smoother sound of Folamour creating a sleek disco house variation for the peak time crowd.

Review: Mysterious edits pushers Discotecas worship a mysterious figure known as 'Gwen', the artist supposedly responsible for making these EPs. Their second instalment here comes in the form of a laid-back, electro-balearic affair replete with several layers of bass guitar, lolling synth and acoustic-mimicking percs. A remix of Sade's 'Paradise' leads the charge, centring her harmonious vocals at the core of the mix, while two further unknown re-edits cement the overall nine minute disco vibe.

Review: DJ Fryer's Athens of the North imprint has provided soul and disco DJs with some killer 7" reissues since launching earlier this year. Here, he uncovers another obscure but oh-so-good gem. There's little information available about Bileo, aside from the fact that they released just two singles between 1979 and '83. "You Can Win" was there debut. It's a deliciously loose and celebratory chunk of disco-soul featuring spellbinding horns and a cheery, wholeheartedly positive vocal. It's the sort of disco-soul gem that makes us want to hug complete strangers before running into the sea fully clothed. The more low-slung disco-funk flipside, "Let's Go", is almost as good. Recommended.

Review: Since making his debut at the tail end of the noughties, DJ/producer Loftsoul (real name Masahiko Uchikawa) has served up some scintillating material. While his original productions mostly gravitate towards the soulful end of the deep house spectrum, he's not averse to delivering the odd downtempo gem too. Here he launches a new series of white label, hush-hush reworks via a desirable seven-inch single. On side A he delivers a dusty, beatdown-style rework of Marlena Shaw classic 'Ghetto Woman', adding her distinctive vocals to a head-nodding mid-tempo house beat smothered in reverb-laden electric piano riffs and solos. Over on the flip he tastefully tools up and beefs up disco-funk classic 'Bump & Hustle', adding to the original drums with his own crispy and crunchy drum machine beats,

Review: Mukatsuku's next lovingly assembled offering is a 12" that has a logo laser etching on the b-side. On the A-side is a raw slice of fantastic Afro-funk by Francis The Great. It originally appeared on his 1977 Ravissante Baby album and was reissued in 2015 but now comes on nice heavy wax. It is served up as an instrumental re-edit and is powered by heavy bass from Vicky Edimo and majestic lead guitar from Toto Guillaume who work up a seven-minute-plus trip with expressive horns. The groove never quits and keeps on pulling you in as the arrangement evolves and a steamy mood builds. Superb.

Review: Glasgow's Ewan Kelly aka Al Kent returns to Swedish label G.A.M.M. for another nice bunch of disco goodies. On the first side, you've got the lo-slung psychedelia of 'Stranger Danger' which makes for a proper dancefloor heater right at the peak of the evening, followed over on the flip by the mellowed blues of 'Galaxy 21' that's perfect musical accompaniment for a Balearic sunset, and the delay drenched dub antics of 'Sugar Trip' closes it out.

Review: Balearic is perfected to near-Platonic form on this new split single from Joan Bibiloni, the Mallorcan artist and guitarist behind many such full-length masterpieces as 'Joana Lluna' and 'Una Vida Llarga I Tranquila'. Gouranga Music's re-licensing of Bibiloni's music here sees two new remixes by esteemed reworker Ray Mang; 'The Boogie' adds sheeny mega-production to Bibiloni's original, with tense chordwork and watery delays backing up a maddeningly restless instrumental. The ambient standout here, though, is the B, 'Val, Vuw Ya', on which Mang refuses to differentiate between pad, kazoo, tambourine and guitar, it's that washed out. A fascinating new release, straddling two disparate zones in Balearic music.

Review: If you go to the sort of quality dances where you might hear old sound disco then there is a good chance you will have lost your shit to this one at some point the past. It is a disco gospel 12" curated and edited by Chicago pair Sadar Bahar and Marc Davis. First, they up the energy levels on the joyous Fountain Of Life Joy Choir Under The Direction Of Kevin Yancy tune 'I'm So Happy' which is high speed, high spirit and life-affirming goodness. Then they tweak Rev Charles H Nicks Presents The Baptist Assembly Of Free Spirit Mass Choir's 'Optical Illusion' with swirling big band energy and magnificent organ chords.

Review: Coco & Ben were a partnership between Benjamin Robinson of Ben And The Squeeze Tight Band and an uncredited singer (presumably the Coco of the title), who came together for one perfect and extremely rare single from 1979. Now Athens Of The North have dusted down these two smooth as silk soulful disco jams and given them a fresh pressing. 'Good Feelin' is a mellow, soul-feeding cut for Sunday afternoon reveries and toe-tapping country drives alike. 'See The World' is a more sultry affair for those who like their grooves to dig in a little deeper.

Review: Reel People Music does a fine line in old school house, disco, funk and soul. It's reissued remixes of Robin S classics, put out albums by the label heads Reel People and now offers up a tasty vinyl sampler. Reel People themselves kick-off as remixed by Art of Tones and with the lush neo-soul vocals of Angie Stone on the mid-tempo disco-house-funk roller 'Don't Stop The Music.' Opolopo brings another soul-drenched deep disco sound with a great Angela Johnson vocal and Stro Elliot's Roller Rink rework is a nice lazy beat for cosy backroom dances. DJ Spinna does his signature soulful thing on the gloriously groovy 'Tonight We Ride'.

Review: Some high-grade re-edit action here, as dusty-fingered Chicagoan crate diggers Sadar Bahar and Marc Davis join forces with pal (and credited mixer) Rahaan on two fine tweaks of suitably obscure tracks. A-side 'Disco' is a groovy, funky, horn-heavy affair; a sumptuously string-laden, orchestrated blend of righteous gospel-soul, Philadelphia International style proto-disco and grooves reminiscent of those frequently employed on Steely Dan's most up-beat moments. 'Beat Down' meanwhile is a jaunty, percussive and sun-soaked slab of dancefloor-ready Latin jazz that speeds up as it goes along. The jazz dancers will love it!

Review: London's Tropical Disco Records returns this week with Vol 26 in their esteemed label series. Andy Bach serves up the acidified late night dancefloor heater 'Needin' You'on the first side followed by Kikko Esse's sweltering Latin-infused number 'Reloaded' featuring one killer horns section. On the second side, Sam Pills gets seriously lo-slung on the smooth balearica of 'New Day' and finally the label chief goes poolside on the sexy, funky broken beat/nu-jazz of 'Booty Call'.

Review: From the dedicated Neopolitan archivists Periodica comes a holy grail reissue of a deep cover, highly coveted release from 1983. The groove on Tonino Balsamo's 'Sta Guagliona Mo Dda' is an absolute neck-snapper, with the toughest drum machine beat carrying slinky b-lines and slick synth lines alike while Balsamo flows in a semi-rap style over the top. It's a monster given a fresh master to cut it with any modern jam you care to throw its way in the mix, and the instrumental is on hand for those who want to zero in on that throbbing arpeggio. Also watch out for the dirty beatdown 'Voglia E Mare', which lays the synths on even thicker.

Review: Hot off the heels of Official UK no.1 and soundtrack to the first summer after lockdown Afraid To Feel, skyrocketing duo LF SYSTEM satisfy fans' cravings for a powerful disco anthem with follow-up single Hungry (For Love). Clearly LF Sytem anticipate it'll be a summer of love.

Review: The first drop on the new Disco Mind Records is a top collection of well-designed and perfectly executed re-edits by two Italian disco stallions, Paul Older and Bplan. Each of these men is respected for previous works on the likes of Toy Tonics and Tropical disco and here they delve into their collections and come out with four fiery and authentic new cuts. 'Ma Quale Amore' is a peak time bomb, there is groove and funk to spare on 'Travolgente' and much more to win over all sorts of disco lovers. A great start to what is sure to be a fine label.

Review: Two more disco classics taken to new heights by Edit & Dub. It's no secret that the Japanese have a particular fondness for pre-2000 funk, jazz and disco but the geniuses behind the label have been tirelessly reviving disco B-sides and giving them a shimmering new coat of paint. This time around? Earth, Wind & Fire's 'Can't Hide Love' is transformed into an extended disco groove and Dee Dee Bridgewater's 'Bad For Me' is oozing with finesse - it's a real dancefloor magnet. Pressed on a beautiful anti-freeze green disc this is a disco collectors dream.

Review: After impressing with a rock-solid EP of beefed-up disco re-edits on the freshly minted Say Namm series, BDK returns with a similarly minded (and equally as impressive) sequel. The rising star sets his stall out via the gently jacking drum machine beats, funky disco bass and fiendishly tweaked sampled loops of 'Just Can't Be Without You', before sticking a peak-time house rocket up a gospel-seeped disco gem on the righteous and life-affirming 'All I Want'. Bumpin', boogie-sampling disco-house bustle is the order of the day on the bass-heavy, sweat-soaked celebration that is 'Oh What A Life', while 'Disco Sauce' is a string-drenched, filter-sporting, French Touch style dancefloor treat.

Review: Shall Not Fade and SB Jamz producer Kassian sure does like to let his music ruminate for a while before he follows it up with any more. This is his third outing on his own self titled label and it comes well over 12 months after the last. Once again though we're treated to three superb jams. 'Get Down' is a heavy analogue house jam with skewed synths and sleazy vocals perfect for a grotty warehouse. 'Timewarp' is even more raw and naughty with its acid prickles and ghetto drums then 'Ultimate Warlord' closes out with stomping peak time energy.

Review: Rising duo LF System is a Scottish production duo consisting of Conor Larkman and Sean Finnigan. They provided the definitive funky house summer anthem last year called 'Afraid To Feel' which samples the 1979 song from American funk group Silk, 'I Can't Stop' (Turning You On). This version is a much appreciated extended mix with a DJ friendly intro. Over on the flip, they pay credit to the original with the MM edit of this absolutely sensual number, that still holds its own to this day some 43 years on.

Review: If you had to make a list of the top 10 Paradise Garage classics, Taana Gardner's pitched-down, Larry Levan-mixed "Heartbeat" would come somewhere near the top of the list. Here the slow disco classic gets the re-edit treatment courtesy of Japanese DJ/producer Diguma (aka MURO ) on a tidy 7" single. First up on side A is the "Club Edit", a multi-track revision (we think) that cannily layers Gardner's vocals and the key synth parts over the original version's killer groove. The flipside "Party Edit" strips back the vocal to just a few key phrases, focusing instead on showcasing various instrument solos buried in Levan's epic original mix.Very limited and likely Juno is one of the few stores outside of Japan to stock this 45

Review: Nine years after volume one landed in stores, Italian twosome G&D return with a fifth instalment in their occasional edit series. This time they've got company, too. Fellow Italian producer LTJ contributes a brilliant EP-opening edit - the languid, disco-meets-jazz-funk shuffle of 'The Rain Machine', where elastic bass and electric piano solos catch the ear - while Star Creature signees First Touch provide a smoother, chunkier and more synth-heavy rework of the very same track on side B. G&D fill in the gaps, first tweaking a sweaty disco-funk jam ('Ziddy'), before reworking a surging, techno-tempo disco stomper (the wonderfully camp 'Gusto').

Review: Crayons is the seventh studio album by Donna Summer. First released in 2008 for an audience who were then largely over disco yet still hungry for Summer's 'queen' image, the album suitably adopted a clean and pristine noughties pop glitz, apt for the demands of the day. With standouts such as 'Stamp Your Feet', many of the tracks abandoned disco entirely for a more freestyle or electronic dance emotion. A euphoric comeback, which now hears and sees a vinyl reissue.

Review: On his first outing of 2022, Daniel Klein AKA SIRS has delivered another rock-solid volume in the 'Sirs Cuts' series, which since 2020 has provided an outlet for his floor-focused re-edits. There's naturally plenty to get the blood pumping and the juices flowing, starting with the hybrid Italo-disco/AOR disco chug of 'Maybe No', where eyes-closed, poodle perm-sporting vocals, fuzzy guitar licks and surging strings rise above a sequenced bassline, rubbery bass guitar and locked-in beats. He next tweaks a chunk of glassy-eyed, cosmic rock-era German synth-pop before tastefully reworking a vaguely Balearic gem of early '80s blue-eyed soul. Finally, Klein fiddles around with some more AOR disco, complete with play-it-with-feeling guitar solos ('Tennis').

Review: The intriguingly named Humus Per Tutti label has made us wait well over two years for a seance EP after the tantalising first volume of this self-titled series. It comes from a section of artists who are all editing some worldly source material. First off is a Jean Kefta edit that locks you in a guitar loop while intoxicating vocals up top bring the charm. The Babach Flangerman mix of the A1 is another loopy disco cut with a Middle Eastern flavour and the comes Jean Kefta & Max Houmous's snake charming and psychedelic disco groover 'Muharaqa'.
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Review: Japan's consistently excellent Edit & Dub label is back with mrs of that sure fire dance floor heat. This latest missive opens with a brace of brilliance from Gino Dentie & The Family. 'Movin On' is as smooth as disco funk gets, with bubbling t0ms and syrupy synths over a slick rhythm section. 'Express' gets a little bit deeper. A meandering flute leads the way up top with flat footed kicks making you move. The flip has high speed cosmic disco funk in the form of 'Voodoo Man' and then more loose limbed sunshine on 'I'm Gonna Dance,' a heartwarming cut for sure.

Review: Athens Of The North can usually be found honing their expert craft of unearthing nigh impossible to find disco, and reissuing it in the utmost quality. However, the work of East Coast Love Affair (Euan Fryer and Nick Moore) is deceiving, as it adopts the image of one of said reissues while actually being fully contemporary music. 'Get Down' tops up a slew of master-quality releases for the label, expropriating a vocal line from obscure Minneapolis 'lo-fi' band Quiet Storm and putting it back into an entirely new, drunk-and-high instrumental context (think lasers, whistles, funk basses, an overall hazy sound). 'Can You Deal', on the flip, lends Quiet Storm a similar treatment, albeit for a cleverly hi-lo-fi disco house treatment.

Review: A 12" featuring four different artists from the relatively new label from DJ and producer Anton Bogomolov aka Scruscru (SlothBoogie Jamz/Omena), although it has to be said its individuality and freshness are increasingly upping its profile as each new released drops. Russian duo Street Choice open up this time round, getting the swears in in a matter of seconds (and throughout) but lifting us into orbit with 'Still On Is MF Record', a gloriously sweat soaked collision of house, disco and US garage. Evidently feeling a bit more mellow, Scruscru himself offers up a Flute mix of 'Long & Sleepless Nights', evoking jazzier French house scenesters like Etienne de Crecy or St Germain. On the flip, Juravlove's 'Boys & Girls' ups the tempo again and the mood with it, a cure acid line sneaking in behind more organic instrumentation. The more reflective Nephews' 'Polo Blanco' brings things to a warm, more snuggly close, ultimately leaving us with an Ep that has heaps of variety and quality in equal measures.

Review: Serge Funk lies on the intersection of ironic future funk and straight-up clean disco edits, having made a recent name for himself as a wonderkid for disco- and funky-house versions. A re-editor for the diggers as opposed to the bait heads, 'You & I' and 'Yeah Yeah' are utter bangers devoid of much relation to their originals (indeed, there's no way of telling what the samples are without a record buyers' knowledge), in large part thanks to their working into beat-centric structures that drown out the vocals in favour of kick slappage and gut-punchage. Rhythm over theme; keeping things vibey, felt.

Review: Westend brings more of that glorious disco goodness that they have been so well known and loved for over such a long period of time. This one is a split that kicks off with Jake's 'You Are the Star.' It's propelled by neat and tidy bass guitar riffs with more decorative melodies and riffs up top. The drums have an irresistible sense of slide to them and the vocal is of course the icing on the cake. Chuck Davis Orchestra steps up in the flip with more lush and classy disco complete with effervescent string stabs and more funky bass. 'Spirit Of Sunshine' manages to bottle up just that and douse you in it from start to finish.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: The fifth volume of their magnificent Super Spicy Recipe series finds the label's crew in full party effect, with the six tracks here crossing the borders from peak time dropping to essential warm up/down gear. First up, Vagabundo Club Social takes 'Beso Loco' featuring Tomjake Sax and turns up the controls to maximum fun, the Colombians throwing in tons of groove and Afro -influenced percussion, before Monsieur Van Pratt and Guatemalan singer Teff Brolo. This all-original track is leaded by the powerful soulful vocals, accompanied by a groove-infused piano which keeps the beats nicely anchored, followed by the ever dependable Reece Johnson who closes off this side. Flip it over for Bernardo Mota & Boogietraxx and the euphoric 'Keep On Doing Your Thing' before Sartorial takes proceedings into slightly jazzier territory on B2 and B3.

Review: The ever-reliable Legofunk label has scored another big one here with four more dance floor-ready bits of disco-rooted fire. Openers XXXV Edits kick off with the cosmic vibes and expansive melodies of 'Space Bass Rooster' before Lego Edit layers up some old-school soul and funk on 'P-Man.' On the flip is the elastic bass funk of Soulbrigada's 'Hum Bello' with is flabby rhythms and great vocals then closing down is a Wandervogel's 'Mirage,' a Rhodes-laced house groove that is jazzy, lo-fi, soulful and brilliantly warm. The sort of thing Moodymann would play to a mad reaction.A

Review: The genius of the Star B project lies in the club-ready fusion of Stefano Miele AKA Riva Starr's inherent party-starting intent and the restless energy of Mark Broom's techno roots. The project's first outing, 2020's 'Gotta Have You', was an excitable disco-house-meets-techno affair, and this belated sequel is similarly formed. Full to bursting with scintillating stabs crafted from disco samples, thumping beats, sampled party atmos, hazy spoken word snippets and restless walking bass, 'Love Will Remain' sounds like a retro-futurist peak-time anthem in the making. They flip the script on 'I've Got Joy', peppering a sweat-soaked, bottom-heavy groove with effects-laden female vocal samples and nagging organ stabs.

Review: B+'s B-Beat Classic is originally from 1983. It is an early hip-hop and electronic fusion with some great talk-box vocals and a loose-limbed mix of percussion and drums. It moves slowly and purposefully, with scratches over the top and unhinged funk soon permeating your body. Leftover tape was used to create the effects and original copies have a note that the tune was dedicated to a first generation Boston disco DJ named Jim Stuard whose career was cut short by the Everard Baths fire in New York City in 1977.

Review: The Wagram label continues to impress us with its well researched collections that have focussed on a wide range of different niche genres and periods. The latest is Disco Music Gems From Vinyl Diggers with ten tunes here that are all gold-standard jams. These are tunes that mix up funk, soul and disco from the 70s and 80s and have been lovingly sought out for your listening pleasure. You may or may not know the tunes in question as they tend towards the lesser-known end of the spectrum and that in part is what makes them so good to hear.

Review: Considered "the absolute Don of Italo piano house", Don Carlos is up next on esteemed NYC label Razor N Tape with an EP of rare vintage house from the archives - 30 years old in fact. For the uninitiated, Don (Carlo Troya) and S-Tone (Stefano Tirone) released two records on Italian imprint Calypso in the early '90s under the alias Montego Bay. Features the emotive, late-night garage of 'Music All Night' (Deep In Milano mix) followed by the low-slung dancefloor heater 'Keep Dancing The Boogie' on the A-side. The flip offers the life-affirming vocal cuts 'Waited So Long' and 'Gotta Keep Dancing' respectively which perfectly capture the zeitgeist of house music's golden era in the early '90s.

Review: Stockholm exports Elfenberg find themselves on Bordello here with four cuts of mind-expanding and life-enriching synth goodness. The skilled duo kick off with the high-speed arps and tight kicks of the retro-future smoother 'Forever Alone' then slow things down to a more Balearic and breezy vibe on 'Conga Coronation' with its finger clicks and lush pads. There is soft acid magic at the heart of 'Sphere Of Missing Out' while 'Cosmic Tribune' lulls you into a nice widescreen cosmic world of tumbling chord sequences and warped bass.

Review: A decade has now passed since the birth of Harry 'Munir' Septiandry's Midnight Runners project, a studio outfit turned live band whose sound mines South-East Asian funk, soul and disco for inspiration. The Indonesian outfit's latest release, 'Nusantra Tropic Disco Volume 1', is arguably one of its' strongest yet. Rich in vintage 1970s synth sounds, tropical colour and live grooves that variously draw on disco, jazz-funk and library music, it feels fresh and exciting despite its nostalgic inspirations and authentic period instrumentation. Highlights include, but are no way limited to, vibrant and percussive disco opener 'Kaliuga', the spacey and warming 'Ratna and Galih' and soaring, future peak-time Indonesian disco anthem 'Kasih Bersemi'.

Review: A fantastic Disco cut courtesy of Jellyfish for BUD records, the third in their JE series hot off the success of 'JE series 2'. The Italian vibe-master Stefano Sisinni (aka Jellyfish) has worked their specific brand of jazz-infused disco down to a craft, 'Bebe23' from the A-Side makes me able to feel the heat from next summer already - the instrumental sounds how sunbathing on a beautiful day feels. 'JE Series 3' is very much a day-night situation, with the B-side serving as the dancefloor filler after a long day of lounging around in the heat. The percussion is top-tier, creating a carnival feeling that will have you booking that summer holiday to Brazil on the first listen. Another banger entry in an ever-growing CV for Sisinni and BUD.

Review: Portland, Oregan musician Yung Bae has put out seven albums and toured all across North American and Asia. His sold-out Bae series is now brought back on wax as Diggers Factory and the Future Funk artist combine to fans delight. Spare a moment to enjoy the 80s Miami Vice energy of the cover and then dive into the disco sounds continued within. Guests such as YUNG ALOHA, Swindail, Luca Lush and Flamingosis all feature and make for something filled with emotion as well as dance floor energy.