MINT

Formed in Brixton in 2006, afrobeat band Yaaba Funk have released two albums with Sterns Music and performed numerous acclaimed live shows — including support slots for Seun Kuti and Ebo Taylor.Rapidly rising star Danvers (also of Kassian) takes the infectious energy of 'Oman Foa' into a triumphant new direction, with one of his broken beat rhythms at its core — recalling his big summer track 'Aye Ata' which received heavy support from the likes of Gilles Peterson and Midland. With a succinct arrangement that lets the joyous brass and powerfully harmonised vocals shine potently, it's a feel-good party music that works wonders when deployed at the right place and time.'Hwe Hwe Mu Na Yi Wompena' is Yaaba Funk's cover of the Ghanian highlife singer K. Frimpong and his Cubano Fiestas' irresistible 1977 track, which Ben Gomori strips back into two instrumental-focused versions. His 'Message Of Love Edit' is a summery, housey flip with trumpets mutated into synths and the bass pumped up with chunky distortion, while his 'Message Of Love Live Dub' zones in on the live grooves with just a little extra embellishment.Sterns Edits is an official collaboration between African music stalwarts Sterns Music and London's Ben Gomori.

Tropical Disco have made a remarkable impression on contemporary disco, earning global notoriety with infectious edits and a distinctive, far-reaching sound that’s caught the ear of heavyweight selectors including Marshall Jefferson and Soul Clap. Their output hasn’t gone unnoticed: with Volume 7 hitting number 1 in sales at Deejay and two digital releases this year reaching Traxsource number one slot, and a string of consistently successful 2018 releases continuing to receive substantial airplay, 2019 is Tropical Disco’s year.Sartorial quickly generates an inexorable momentum with ‘Key Me Up’, a propulsive cut based around a highly infectious piano riff, offset by swirling synthesizers. Moodena swiftly follows with ‘Dumplings Over Flowers’, a fluid exhibition of studio mastery that’s driven by a gnarly bass guitar part, quickly joined by classy keys and epic saxophone. Each element blended with a glittering synergy, Moodena puts forward the most organic and effortless track on the record.‘Vamos Baby’, from Mexican producer and label newcomer Sould Out, is a more than worthy addition to the Tropical Disco catalogue. An unruly bassline underpins a futuristic disco sound that arouses hedonistic sentiments, with the slick addition of classy vocal chops (“come on, baby!”) sealing the deal. Peak-time at Barbarella’s, this would absolutely boot – enough said! Label heads Moodena and Sartorial team up for ‘Come Get It’, a certified DJ tool that’s anything but simple. Whispering vocals, flashy piano and a frenzied bassline make for a cerebral mix of tender-loving filth and swish sign off to the EP.

Z Records much-loved label sampler series continues with Vol.12 of their Attack The Dancefloor 12" vinyl releases.This latest volume sees a JN remix of the classic Bobby D’Ambrosio track ‘Moment of My Life’ featuring the incredible Michelle Weeks on vocals and killer hammond solos galore. Alongside this, an expertly extended JN edit of American electro-funk duo The APX’s boogie bomb ‘Lose Yourself To The Groove’, ready set for the dancefloor.Also housed on this release, a Doug Willis raw edit of Carlos Romanos - 1 2 1 and a remake of one of Joey Negro’s most played disco cuts ‘K – Jee’. A track which holds a special place in JN’s heart – the MSFB rework nestled on the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack which happened to be the first LP Dave Lee (JN) ever bought.

Following on from their standout debut release, Viaggio return with another collection of global grooves, formulated by co-captain of Viaggio Recordings, Musta. Nestled alongside Musta’s productions, Disco Halal affiliate and man of the moment, Kincaid takes to remixing the mind bending ‘Cantana’.The A side is an invite into the inner circle of the tribe, with melodic messenger Musta leading the dance. Rome born, Sardinia based, he channels the sounds, sights and feelings of his time spent living in South America into the tribalistic ‘Cantana’. Hypnotically rhythmic, drawing on local samples and entrancing, percussive loops, Musta weaves organic, analog synths and beating kicks to form its basis. The energy conjured is animalistic, moving bodies with a purpose drawn from deep within. Enter the spiritual vocal - as infectious as they get, it’ll have dancers imitating the chants without them even knowing what they’re doing.Who better to remix this far-flung treasure than rising star, Kincaid. Taking ‘Cantana’ and twisting it into a tripped out roller, that transplants Musta’s exotic soundscapes into a distant cosmos. Surging synthesis, tectonic echoes and wobbly, otherworldly tinges pop and crackle throughout. It’s a grittier, glitchier affair with a more electronic, distorted feel, yet it’s roots still remain in that warm, earthy aesthetic with its rich, tactile tones.Take to the flip side and Musta swaps the baked earth, for the sandy tropical disco sounds of ‘Mangiamo’ - further bringing that South American flavour to the fore. Strutting guitar riffs blend with fiery bongos, whilst a punchy bass strides over the top. It’s uplifting, alluring and drenched in the kind of zesty sax lines that will bring a smile to the face of any frown it comes up against.

The boys from Munich are back on RNT with a 4-tracker of serious flavor! 'Express Lane' launches the 12” on the disco highway for a wild ride of cheeky vocals, horn stabs, and vocoded synths, then veers south for some North-African New Wave with 'Libyan Sun'.The B side kicks off with the Afro-disco monster 'Don’t Oho', already a staple in RNT sets and then finishes with the minimalist electro-soul bounce of 'Emergency Loop'. Sure-shots, the lot of 'em!

Felipe Gordon and Vagabundo Club Social (aka Jaime Tuiran) deliver 3 excitingly unique edits in their first 12” outing on RNT, sourcing the Afro-Carribean sounds of their native Colombia.From the Latin-Afrobeat flavor of 'Shakala', to the Salsa-funk swing of 'Los Bareteros', or the Cumbia-inflected romp 'El Cateter', this 12” is something quite different than the typical edit fair, and a likely new staple for any box!

Marcel Vogel aka Em Vee joins the RNT roster with a 4-pack of unsurprisingly heavy edits. The Lumberjack In Hell label boss takes us on a little trip through one of his own eclectic sets, starting with the oddball boogie of You Move Me and then moving on to the hands-in-the-air positivity of Spreading Energy. On the flip it’s the uptempo afro burner Don’t Be Sabi Say, with the 12” concluding on the whimsically catchy I Wish I Knew The Words. Tried and tested and found true!

Record store owner, DJ, producer, and digger extraordinaire Tom Noble comes to RNT with a superb edits EP of sought-after Caribbean and African sounds. The A side burns hot right out of the gate with the explosive and percussive Soca-disco pulse of They Came To New York, then settles into the laid back lilt of Zouk Pour Esa.On the flip, Disco Massamba is a wild ride of an Afro-disco burner and Parang-A-Teng brings it back to the Western hemisphere for some Latin-tinged funk from Barbados. Well worth it for the value of the original source material alone, this 12” is nothing short of dance floor destruction!