Pop & Rock News

Phenomenal Handclap Band is back on Toy Tonics with remixes by Superpitcher & Ray Mang! The New York indie disco crew delivers their third song to the Berlin dancefloor label. Their last 2 Toy Tonics singles, Judge Not and Jail, have already made big waves with heavy rotations in the sets of people like DJ Harvey, Artwork, Gilles Peterson, Keinemusik and many others. Now they are back with another surefire smash: „Remain Silent“
The Phenomenal Handclap Band from New York has been known for a couple of funk-driven releases before, but also for supporting or collaborating with such giants as Bryan Ferry, Marcos Valle and Nile Rodgers & Chic .
The band, based around multi instrumentalist and producer Daniel Collás, is releasing this new single in advance of their new album on Toy Tonics in 2020. This is just a warm up!

Approved by Quality Control.

Produced and arranged by Marvin Augustus this early outing from The Plainwrap Band lay dusty on a reel that somehow had become in the hands of Producer Stu Gardner.

The reels were transferred and we liked what we heard.

We took the time to find Marvin who had forgot about the reel he cut in 1976 around 5 years prior to their first release "The Ghetto Bird". And to its whereabouts.

For this early recording some of the best West Coast musicians were drafted in for "Baby don't leave me here"/"How does it feel".

Follow up the (now out of print) 'Attack of the boogie vol 1' with another collection of hard to find boogie gems. Sub-titled 'This love will last', its a team up between Chicago's Boogie Monster Crew and Star Creature. Compiled by Tim Zawada and Kool Hersh - officially licensed and sourced direct from the artists. Slight DJ Friendly touch ups, remastered for modern sound systems.

GIOVANNI DAMICO has found a fitting home at Chicago-based STAR CREATURE. His modern take on dance floor disco blurs the lines between classic boogie funk, Afro boogie & Italo disco. His 4th release takes us on a long journey across 3 more of Earth’s continents. There are tracks for every style here.

The summer sun is high in the sky. A cocktail in hand. The soundtrack? Chiara. Steeped in Latin rhythms, produced with the golden touch of Francesco de Bellis (Francisco), this two-tracker is set to a serious groove. Beats chatter and mingle in the evening heat of “Rec”. Bass smoothness and brassy blasts are sweetened by Chiara’s vocals before dramatic strings flash like lightning, igniting this already energy-packed encounter. “Studio Line” continues that theatrical touch. Bold keys, echoing the cinematic grandeur of Italy, are supported by dynamic drum patterns as a vocal sample circles. Styles spin and spiral, the track twirling between genre tags refusing to be pigeonholed. Elements of East and West glide and pirouette hand in hand across this stunning 7”, Chiara offering the perfect soundtrack to dance from dusk to dawn.

The Second Release Of Wataj Recordings Introduces For The First Time Mr. Tony Pianola. A Trip Inside His Conscious And Unconscious Mind During A Night In Which Dreams, Euphoria, Lost Loves And Desires Mixed All Together Give Life To luce Artificiale'. The Result Is A Pure italo-synth' Style Influenced By The Attraction For The Experimental Slow Disco Sensuality.

Mothball Record in association with Bordello A Parigi is proud to present one of the strangest and most mysterious recordings from the whole Italo-Disco era. Sitting somewhere between goth, italo and new wave, “Space Melody” is a dedication to ancient Egypt and outer space.
The original EP was almost totally lost to the sands of time, until recently the original mastertape was unearthed by the artist and later painstakingly transferred by Rude 66.

The record is completed by new instrumental versions from the Danish Italo king Flemming Dalum and the Spanish italo duo Futuro.

"Sweepin 'Off" is one of the most intriguing record of the entire Roman production of 1983. Moving away from the classic repetitive and pounding strand "Italo-Disco" and thanks to the vaguely pop-new and wave atmospheres made by Stefano Galante (BlackWay & Helene, aka BWH & Asso).

Chomp! Chomp! is a new label by Brooklyn based DJ/producers Timo Lee and Mark Chittom. Together they are long-standing members of the dance music community, both in Hawaii at DJ Harvey's Thirtyninehotel and in Brooklyn at Good Room. The label's focus is eclectic dance music created by underground dance producers, aimed at DJ’s and casual fans alike. The first EP - Chomp! Chomp! presents the debut of Golden Mammals - a collaboration between Eric from America and Chittom. Eric is a multi-instrumentalist and electronic producer with a unique style that pulls from a variety of genres. He is also an active drummer for TV Baby (with members of A.R.E. Weapons), as well as several other bands in New York and past projects in Hawaii. The EP has three original tracks and a remix. "An Hour a Day with You” blends acid house and techno with an obscure leftfield vocal by Chittom. The remix is a dubby techno slow-burner that will work in a variety of settings. On the other side, with two tracks by Eric from America, "At the Met Gala" & "For the Crowd” are two groovy techno-ish tracks with Eric’s unique touches - both are dancefloor and living room friendly. The EP is mixed by Justin Van Der Volgen and Kenji Shimoda, mastered by Rick Essig of REM Sound. Artwork by Dusty Gibbons.

Support by DJ Harvey, JKriv, Juan MacLean, Each Other (Justin Strauss & Max Pask), Facets and more. This record is dedicated to our beloved friend Mychal McCurdy. Mike was always our biggest supporter and we miss him dearly.

Although best known in the global music world for his four years (1984-1988) as the music director and bandleader for Whitney Houston, John's tenure in the soul music field began when he was a member (with his brother Edmund 'Butch' Simmons) of The Reflections, a New York City-based quartet who toured from 1972-1975 as the backing group for the legendary Melba Moore. In 1975, The Reflections had a Top 10 R&B hit with Three Steps From True Love.'
In 1978, John began touring with Stephanie Mills, at the same time collaborating with Phillip Ballou, a member of another New York-based vocal group, Revelation and UK soul music journalist David Nathan (who he met when Nathan did an interview with The Reflections for Britain's Blues & Soul' magazine in 1975). The trio wrote a number of songs for Ballou's demo as a solo artist and while nothing transpired in that regard, John recorded his own version of one of the tunes, Ain't Nothing Like The Love' for a small independent Michigan label, Sabrina Records in 1981. John had worked with Cissy Houston at New Hope Baptist Church in New Jersey where she was the minister of music was asked by her to do some initial promotional dates with her daughter Whitney after Arista Records released her first single in 1984, he continued doing world tours with Houston until he passed away at the age of 45 in March 1989.
The Ballou sessions (held mostly in Montclair, New Jersey) expanded into recording dates for both Nathan and Simmons. None of the original recordings were released commercially - until now. In the wake of the interest among rare groove collectors in John's version of Ain't Nothing Like The Love,' Nathan - himself a recording artist since 2003 - has uncovered the tapes of all the material he, Phllip and John recorded in 1978 and 1979.
Gaining its first-ever release now on Nefer Records via Super Disco Edits is the coupling of John's solo composition, the upbeat gospel-infused Safe' and the midtempo, I Wanna Be Closer,' another one of the songs also recorded (and thus far unissued by both Ballou and Nathan).

Band looks for brighter days as Sunstreet' - was the headline from a 1980 Delaware newspaper archive that finally helped Rain&Shine connect the dots and between Minnesota band 'Haze' and Sunstreet. Lovin was recorded while the band (a subset of original Haze members, including the tight horns section and lead singer Sonny Knight, RIP) were signed to Bear Records in Delaware. Their contract required them to shelve their already recorded (and incredible) 2nd album Haze album. 40 years later, officially licensed, re-mastered and cut @ 45RPM Rain&Shine give Sunstreet's 'Lovin' another lease of life. 'Lovin' was included on Paul Phillips' 'Under The Influence' compilation on Z records, alongside being a favourite of Waxist.

The latest vinyl slice from FBNM sees us head to the depths of central Africa via Paris to track down a feast of rare seventies afro funky jams from Cameroonian master musician EKO. We've brought FBNM favourite Riccio along for the journey too, who has provided us with a fantastic Rerub coaxing out some modern dancefloor sensibilities and production sparkle.

Eko Roosevelt Louis has had a music career spanning over forty years, born the grandson of a Kribi tribal chief, his musical persuasion beginning humbly with his village's local church before his formal education at the Senegal conservatoire and Paris' École Normale de Musique. EKO made a number of jazz funk and disco records in the mid seventies during a stint recording and touring in and around France before returning to Cameroon to take over his grandfather's tribal chieftaincy, a role he still holds today! Alongside this position of office EKO has continued to work with music, performing, teaching and even leading Cameroon's national orchestra!

The tracks we have selected for reissue are all taken from EKO's third album, Funky Disco Music which was recorded in Paris and released on his own Dragon Phenix imprint. Sung in a combination of English and EKO's native tongue we've lined up a real excursion in feel good afro-jazz, funk and soul made purely for dancing feet and boogying butts!

All tracks have been officially licensed and lovingly remastered for this special release by Andreas (Lupo) Lubich (CALYX Berlin), packaged alongside Riccio's sympathetic work in the cutting room on 12" vinyl with a special interview with Eko Roosevelt Louis himself!

Modern britfunk extraordinaire OURRA teams up with Indie duo THE GRAVITY DRIVE to present the "SUPERNATURAL EP". OURRA continues his hot streak for STAR CREATURE laying down the production & instrumentals while GD deepens the mood with their calming/chill/future/ retro vocal stylings.

Fine is back with some summer tunes for your soul

Another fine slab of that Disco goodness from the mighty Kojak stable. Toronto party machines & re-edit maestros The Patchouli Brothers step up to the plate this time with 2 monstrous sides of peak-time Disco heat.
'BDSM / Gert A Chance' will not leave your bag, these cuts are primed, ready and able to lift the roof off of your discotheque, road-tested by the bros and deemed suitable the gods at Kojak Giant Sounds & Disco Promotions. Say no more. Essential wax for the discerning mirror ball fiend right here. Limited, as always. Do it!

Indispensable 1981 cosmic funk business from Tommy McGee, remastered and reissued on black 12” with replica artwork that has been calling out for an official reissue due to it’s eye watering £250+ price tag.

White 7” disco shot funked up by Vito Lalinga on Legofunk
Records. 100% pure groove!!

As head of Italian (centric) Slow Motion label (and international artist sister imprint, Wrong Era), and through his own productions and remixes, Franz Scala has been pioneering the retro-futuristic aesthetic of club culture weaving together elements of proto-house, wave and Italo for the nuovo contemporary dancefloor long before it’s current vogue. Now alongside Bordello A Parigi, and supported by Sameheads, Slow Motion presents Scala’s Mondo Della Notte.

This is part 2 of the album, which is also available as 2LP bundle.

Mushrooming into Red Laser Corp's continuing & stringent program of providing the best modern Manctalo (TM) and related flavours, Luca Dell'Orso follows up his taster session on Red Laser EP9 (RL28) with a fully realised solo EP.

Based in Holland and obviously taking in the might of European dance influences that surround him, 'A New Paradigm' spawns a new natural genome, between Italo disco, Belgium new beat and our own, homegrown synth jizz that we've championed from the start. In short, rickety old drum boxes jostle with that favoured analogue machinery that powers all the big bombs from our infamous discotheque!

Hammered to death off Pharaoh Brunson's battered stix, the tracks here were snowballing on dancefloors so much before lockdown, the .wav was actually starting to see some binary wear and tear, so we chivvied along the pressing plants to get it on wax pronto; and despite much of our beloved industry suffering setbacks and turmoil at the moment, we've managed to beam it down to your decks just in the nick of time. Get in!

A wild obsession with big gated drums, jagged arps and darkly vocodered vox characterizes the EP; with moods veering from all-out, popper-huffing nihilism into star-gazing wanderlust with spontaneous combustions of nearby neutron stars thrown in for good measure.
Four tracks that epitomise our label's musical agenda: rugged and rumbly, charged and electric. Kinetic and mad functional, nocturnal body music with a head full of nitrates and a coital throb down under.
It should find perfect habitat at any late nite dance n drug den once we're allowed to get up close, sweaty and start reaching for the red lasers again...

Sometimes, what seems “to be” ... isn’t. And what “was” actually wasn’t. What’s "in" is sometimes out. And what was thought to be "north" is sometimes south.Similarly, up until now, there just wasn’t enough ... of TOO MUCH.
That’s how its been, ever since dynamic-duo TOO MUCH — Rich Morel & Ian Svenonius – let the world listen in on their once-in-a-millenia electro-beat gobstopper “PATENT LEATHER” (MERGE RECORDS); the monster hit which defined dance floors since its release in 2019.
“PATENT LEATHER” a bewitching blend of lechery and love, was tattooed on the brain of every loitering lothario in every night-club, roadhouse, and streetlight latrine in both the free and not-so-free worlds.It was so incessant; it shook houses down, burned parliament, and crashed the stock market. Dancers everywhere pleaded for more.
TOO MUCH have finally relented and deigned to give the heaving, begging, prostrate mass a new mess of motor-robot rhythm rockers. Yes, that's correct. TOO MUCH have a full length record and they call it ... “CLUB EMOTION.”
CLUB EMOTION is nine songs of pure ecstacy perfectly suited for the club, the car or the closet.Its a pure joy to listen to in one’s bedroom or at the beach. On a stroll, at a drive-thru, or while careening through the astral-plane, looking for a ro- mantic rendezvous.

* First ever beats, breaks and rare grooves compilation
from ex Yugoslavia
* Eastern European diggers delight
* Remastered straight from the vaults of Jugoton
* Raw funk, psych, prog rock, orchestral disco, big band jazz
funk and more...
* Start of a new series on Everland Music, dedicated to
extraordinary 60ies and 70ies artists from ex-Yugoslavia
* Exclusively distributed by Everland Music
* Limited edition of 500 dbl.LPs in stunning gatefold sleeve
Yugoslavia - six republics, four decades, one dictator and a single record label that ruled them all: Jugoton (Zagreb, Croatia). Jugoton
was by far the country's largest label with the strongest and most diverse output that stretched from Balkan roots to contemporary
trends and the sound of tomorrow . The early days of Yugoslavia featured strong censorship but by the end of the 60's the Communist
party views softened up by a large degree. Westernized music already had a solid presence and first James Brown influenced
compositions were released. Yugo funk, a term coined by DJ’s and crate diggers from the Balkans, encompasses a wide variety of
performers and genres: from the 60's merseybeat rock bands, prog rock groovers and big band jazz orchestras to the late 70's
sophisticated 4x4 funk and essentially everything in between. Jugoton Funk Vol.1, a first of its kind, celebrates the pioneer years of
funk infused music released by Jugoton. While in pursuit of these treasures all over the Balkan region and beyond, the compilation’s
selectors, Dr. Smeđi Šećer & Višeslav Laboš, both active as DJ's and crate diggers from the sole beginnings of the ex-Yu craze, wanted
to capture the authentic and idiosyncratic funk sound of Jugoton and Yugoslavia. So here it is, comb your moustache, light up a fat
one, turn up the amplifier and headbang away to these amazing tunes remastered from original master tapes dug out of the Jugoton
vaults (now Croatia Records). - Compiled by Dr. Smeđi Šećer & Višeslav Laboš.

Fine fulfills DJs and dancers needs alike with some driving Disco House floaters for the weekend.

Modern britfunk extraordinaire OURRA teams up with Indie duo THE GRAVITY DRIVE to present the "SUPERNATURAL EP". OURRA continues his hot streak for STAR CREATURE laying down the production & instrumentals while GD deepens the mood with their calming/chill/future/ retro vocal stylings.

Dutch High Fashion Music unleashes another crown-jewel. ‘Maestro’ Celso Valli (known from his productions with o.a. Matia Bazar, Andrea Bocelli, Jovanotti, Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti) produced ‘Hava Nagilah’ back in 1979, as part of the classic Azoto “Musicmakers” album- and Norwegian Prins Thomas gave it an epic 10 minutes rework – second to none!

‘Mix and Fairbanks’ re-edited “Anytime Or Place” and the 1980 smash summerhit “San Salvador” into really up-to-date versions ready for the summer! Artwork by former Memory Records sleeve designer Emilio Tremolada, making this one a must have.

House music is a global love thang. Viennese label secret crunch releases its fourth EP and his 2nd various artists sampler, which unites producers from all over the world.
On Side A Vienna based Sam Irl opens with a jazz infused bouncy groove. "Come back" shines with its exciting musical diversity and suspense. Tijuana born Soul Of Hex alias Sebastian Vorhaus delivers a subtle rave vibe that grows into an uplifting groove.
On the b side Moff & Tarkin impresses with a subtle steady builder based on a funky baseline, fueled with floaty space sounds. Italian Clang 83 finishes in style with a deeper than deep banger.

The fourth release on LA's Pleasure of Love 'Pleasure of Edits' series features west coast talent Air Zaïre on editorial duties.

The desert drive opener 'Midnight Sun' finds a hypnotic groove with woodwind leads and acoustic guitar on a cosmic journey through daytime disco.

The A2, 'Canguelo Perro,' struts through a Paraguayan groove with a sweet saturated guitar hook that sticks with you in the best possible way.

The B side features an off kilter synth bass and pad heavy 80s Japanese flip in 'Shojo Showdown' with crunchy effects and chugging arps leading the way.

Closing out the record is 'South of Sunset,' a euphoric looping strings party starter, an instant classic at the Hollywood weekly party.

Dusty archives, the backrooms of record stores, private reel to reel stashes, master tapes - these are the environs of the Dynamic Range experience. Dynamic Range is a label focused on unearthing deep Soul, Funk and Disco jams that continue to resonate with todays dancers and DJ's. Time spent scouring the bowels of the majors and independents has unsurprisingly resulted in numerous gems being added to the DR wants list. High quality, fully licensed reissues are the order of the day, always taken from the correct master source and re-presented to hungry record heads the world over. To repeat, this is a fully legit operation - Avoid the sharks at all costs!

Javaroo are perhaps not the most well known of Soul / Funk acts, but this UK outfit dropped on full length LP in 1980 that yielded the monstrous 'Breakin In' that has become a hugely sought after 12" single that is a bonafide killer in the AOR / Modern style. It's no surprise then, that this bullet was penned by none other than Heatwave's head honcho, the late, great Rod Temperton. A true visionary and legendary figure in the music industry, Temperton's skills wouls touch the careers of luminaries such as Michael Jackson, George Benson, Quincy Jones & many more. Not bad for a lad from Cleethorpes! 'Breakin In' is one of those records that sends the dance wild, it has had collectors and DJ's clamouring for a copy for many years with the deepest selectors guarding the secret! This is a fully legit repress, complete with Capitol Records OG 12" artwork, featuring the hot as long version 'Breakin In' backed with 'Change It Up' and 'Bring Out The Women' as per the 1980 promo 12" release. Incredible, essential and funky - get some Javaroo into your life!

All music selected by the Dynamic Range team / Licensed and reissued by Above Board distribution in conjunction with Universal Music.
Remastered with love by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK. Artwork edit by Atelier Superplus. 2018.

KDMS, the duo made up of London singer/songwriter Kathy Diamond and Silesian producer Max Skiba, return with a brilliant sophomore album of club anthems and torch songs, synthetic beats and live instruments. "The New Old Normal", out 9th December, follows their debut album "Kinky Dramas & Magic Stories" on Gomma.

On "The New Old Normal" Max Skiba (who follows last year's massive "Shanghouse" on Prins Thomas' Internasjonal imprint) presents his most mature and developed tunes, whist UK artist Kathy Diamond's vocals (known for her work with Maurice Fulton on Permanent Vacation records) reference the late 70s disco icon, adding charm and emotion throughout. Despite the album's overall pop sensibility, this is a set of eleven intricate tracks, touching upon multiple genres and quite often blending them all together: from breezy yacht rock, Paisley Park funk, Hall & Oates' blue-eyed soul to Kompakt-style house music. It's T-Rex glam and disco glitter, complemented with a techno cover of Kate Bush' "Babooshka".

On "The New Old Normal", Max and Kathy are accompanied by several high-profile guests, including the unmistakable Kurt Maloo of Double. Cover art comes courtesy of Filip Pagowski, the international graphic designer known for his work with Comme De Garcons and most recently for his artwork for Drake. Combining hypnotic rhythms with addictive pop melodies that carry clever lyrics - "The New Old Normal" is a rare achievement in today's formulaic world of club-inspired pop music.

JKriv - Aguaxire

Nachdem Fuzati Vom Französischen Klub Des Loosers Und Das Pariser Label Modulor Les Tres Jazz Club Mit Obskuren Japanischen Jazz Reissues Ins Leben Gerufen Hatten, Folgt Nun Mit Le Tres Groove Club Ein Neues Label Für Grooveorientierte Reissues. Auch Auf Der Zweiten Lp Honorieren Sie Jack Giordanos Arbeit, Der Sich Mit "boucles Rhytmiques" Unter Dem Pseudonym Jose Pharos Dem Disco Sound Mit Einem Melancholischen Lo-fi-touch Widmet.