Disco/Nu-Disco

Back In Stock !!!Whether it’s Hip Hop, it’s face pointed reverentially to the Old School, or House stealing Disco riffs by the truck load, people are increasingly intrigued by back-in-the-day. And common to both the aforementioned scenes and much more is one person, Arthur Russell, a man some regard as the best songwriter of the 20th century. In 1981 Arthur set up Sleeping Bag Records with Will Socolov. The first release was the album “24-24 Music” as Dinosaur L. If you’re wondering about the name it would appear Arthur would often use the names of extinct or near-extinct animals. On one production credit he’s “Killer Whale, whilst the logo for Sleeping Bag is a Koala bear! Will remembers how they came up with the name for their label. “We were joking about names, and James Brown was on with “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” and I was sleeping in a sleeping bag in my apartment and I kind of made a joke about that, and Arthur said that was a great idea for the name of the company!” The line up was pretty much the same as the Loose Joints sessions, (which boasted the Ingram Brothers rhythm section) and a similar stream-of-conscience approach was taken with the recording itself. Russell arranged the beats so there’d be a change every 24 bars (hence the title) and the band would have to improvise the songs over the top. He also made sure he went into the studio when there was a full moon! The album is again very experimental, and makes occasional uneasy listening but the same magic is very much in evidence. Arthur would continue to be involved in production and mixing duties for the label, but parted company with Socolov in 1985. Arthur sadly died of AIDS in 1992 leaving behind many songs, as one obituary put it, it was though he simply vanished into his music.

The latest MY RULES sees label boss, Justin Van Der Volgen apply his considerable sonic skills to The Creams. Some classic 99 Records / Ze style early 80's NYC vibes afoot here! Vinyl only.

FOMDO011 is the latest in a series of vinyl only 12" remixes and edits on Far Out. Previous producers providing their re-works to the series include Theo Parrish, Marcellus Pittman, Mark Pritchard, 4hero, Isoul8, LTJ Xperience and more.The Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra, Far Out's 20th anniversary disco project, released its double LP last year. It features the arrangements of Azymuth's late Maestro José Roberto Bertrami and the legendary Arthur Verocai alongside a host of other Brazilian musical icons. FOMDO011 is the latest in a series of vinyl only 12" remixes and edits on Far Out. Previous producers providing their re-works to the series include Theo Parrish, Marcellus Pittman, Mark Pritchard, 4hero, Isoul8, LTJ Xperience and more.Unreleased material from the Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra vaults. 'Step Into My Life' sees the elite of Brazil's jazz, funk and samba musicians come together in a scorching disco blaze. Brought to light by the deft touch of NYC disco king John Morales, who channels the joyous hedonism synonymous with the late 70's Paradise Garage and Studio 54 era to create two tight, punchy and dubbed-out floor fillers. Morales himself is a veteran of that era, alongside the pioneering likes of Larry Levan, Francois K and Tom Moulton, a key player in the development of the remix and its wider proliferation in clubs across the globe. Using a classic cut and paste technique with reel to reel tapes, Morales helped transform classics by the likes of Jocelyn Brown, Class Action and Shalamar, extending disco gems to nearly double their running time, emphasising and intensifying their emotion and drama in the process. His certified disco credentials make Morales the perfect man for the job of remixing this alternately classic and modern disco cut, marrying dance music's past and future in a thrilling blend while simultaneously bringing the supreme musicianship and beautiful arrangements of Betrami and Verocai to the fore. A future classic Brazilian disco masterpiece!

Joel Martin and Gerry Rooney first surfaced as Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold back in 2012 with the first of three salacious 12"s for Lucky Hole Records that really got the refined disco lovers hot under the collar. Following a smattering of remix commissions and a wonderful debut for Resista, Velvet Season & The Hearts Of Gold rear back into view with Witch Doctor Love, a two track 12" of late night voodoo dancefloor material issued by Love Circle. The title track is a chunk of tough and moody house music, all sleazy whispered vocals and trippy electronics; the results are nothing less than intoxicating. Complementing this, "Fish Powder Dance" sees the pair's disco influences come to the fore on a superb fusion of classic strings, vocal harmonies, and joyous basslines over a bumping early '90s house groove.

Despite delivering a smattering of original nu-disco productions over the years, producer Disco Tech is probably most famous for his sneaky but relatively faithful reworks of classic funk, soul and disco cuts.Here he returns to the re-edit field, reworking more sweet soul and funk jams. Waiting On You delivers a slick, floor-friendly take on Al Green, while Devil's Work subtly tweaks a mid tempo funk-soul gem, check the suitably slow and dewy-eyed Take Me As I Am.