CASBAH 73 Vinyl & CDs

Review: Back in November 2018, Oli Stewart AKA Casbah 73 delivered his most wholehearted tribute to the disco era yet, the brilliant "Love Saves The Day". On "To Be Free", he continues in a similar vein, doffing a cap to the pioneers of the Philly Soul sound via cut-glass strings, crunchy Clavinet lines, tasty electric piano solos, walking bass and a lead vocal from Angela (Angie) Gooden that stirs memories of disco divas of old. Stewart and his cohort of musicians go a little wild on the mostly instrumental disco-funk flipside, an exercise in dueling solos, lusty Latin horns, flanged guitars and heavy percussion that will get you hot under the collar for nine, all-action minutes. Brilliant stuff from start to finish from the experienced producer: don't sleep on this one.

Review: Monsieur Dimitri from Paris works his magic on Casbah 73's organic disco grooves with a remix treatment that surpasses all expectations. Casbah's original track may sound like a band-recorded take with added production sheen, but it's actually a deceptively well-made track recorded by a talented solo artist. Dimitri brings added wompy disco-house heat to the track in two parts, with the first part focusing on the more bangerific elements of the original, and the B (part two) stripping things back to focus on the more minimal, solo dubby parts.

Review: Legend of the Madrid scene Casbah 73 is back with a new one for Kraak & Smaak's Boogie Angst here, featuring four new sweltering tracks. The message of environmental politics on 'Let's Invade The Amazon' sung by Hawaii by-way-of Texas' Tonya Wilcox is backed by a low slung disco arrangement, followed by the late night boogie-down instrumental 'Pale Splash Of Blue'. Over on the flip, remixes come from some right legends of the scene; Yoruba Soul takes the track deeper as expected, while Razor N Tape main man JKriv goes for a tropical vibe.