US

Following Chicago’s tradition in special edits and dj personal reworks to extend crucial parts and surprise the dancers, Theo Parrish has always sparkled his legendary sets with his own versions of classic and obscure disco, funk and soul cuts to maximum effect! Some of those were available to fans in mid 2000s via the Ugly Edits series, now it’s finally time for the LOVELY EDITS.Officially licensed and using the original parts from the master tapes, here we have Theo’s takes on two absolute staples: BT EXPRESS ‘Peace Pipe’ and GEORGE DUKE ‘I Want You For Myself’.

LA via Paris classically trained keyboard wizard DAVID ZYLBERMAN AKA GHOST from EGYPTIAN LOVER's spaced out synthfunk backing band follows up his sold out/out of print STAR CREATURE debut with another set of Contemporary Electronic Jazz Funk primed for peak hour dance floor action. After flipping bananas covers of LONNIE LISTON SMITH and ROY AYERS, he drops an original production that gives that same synth driven, rhythm forward dance vibe. The B Side takes us straight to deep space with an uptempo cracker of a remix of BRIAN BENNETT's ‘SOLSTICE” done in a zero-gravity flavor previously considered impossible. The promo copies have already seen major support from Chicago and NYC heavyweights.

Naya Beat continues to champion South Asian musical heritage with the aptly titled Bhangra House Xtc EP featuring music from the late great Manjeet Kondal with remixes from Mr. Scruff and new tracks from label heads Filip Nikolic and Raghav Mani aka Turbotito & Ragz. It celebrates the overlooked influence of late 80s dance and dub music on Bhangra and comes complete with over-the-top artwork, an ode to Bhangra sleeves from the era.This EP pays homage to a special and relatively untold time when Asian and Western producers collaborated to bridge musical cultures on the dance floor and when British Asian youths were finding their own space at daytime raves. It is in part a tribute to Bhangra innovator Manjeet Kondal, who passed away late last year, and part a tribute to the forgotten yet scintillating confluence of acid house and dub music with late 80s and early 90s Bhangra, now highly sought after as long out of print 12”s.Kondal, a founding member and percussionist of the legendary band Alaap, left to pursue his solo career as a vocalist. He helped broaden the Bhangra sound by incorporating elements of dub and house into Punjabi folk and traditional instrumentation. His first album, Holle Holle became a household hit, and it is from there that the originals for this package are taken.The famously deep digging and eclectic selector that is Manchester's Ninja Tune regular Mr. Scruff remixes Kondal’s proto-house banger Ishkaan De Mamle. He first became a fan of Turbotito & Ragz after their label’s superb Naya Beat Volume 1 release and doesn’t disappoint here with a sublime acid house-inspired take with the most infectious and bounciest of basslines. He also serves up an Instrumental Dub and Vocal Strip Down that twists the original into subtly different moods.Next up, Turbotito & Ragz deliver a dub tribute that works with Kondal’s vocal stems from an assortment of tracks from his album ‘Holle Holle’. It's a compelling and vibrant sound with exotic instrumentals and dubbed-out low ends, all held together by hooky Punjabi vocals. It also comes as a Lovey Dubby Dub version.With dance music now coming full circle and South Asian DJs increasingly regular faces on the mainstream festival, club, and underground circuit, this release is a fitting and timely modern tribute to the pioneers that came before.