disco . italo . cosmic . disco-not-disco . boogie

WEEK STARTING 15 May

Genre pick of the week Cover of Love Is / Let Me Show You by 40 Thieves.
40 Thieves have been part of the Leng family since 2011 during which time they have released many quality singles and EPs as well as their sole full-length album, 2014’s epic 'The Sky Is Yours'. Even so, double A-side ‘Love Is / Let Me Show You’ still marks their first release on Leng for almost three years.

In keeping with their signature sound, ‘Love Is’ is trippy, hallucinatory and gently mind-altering, with psychedelic guitar sounds, echoing percussion, and a heady lead vocal courtesy of crew member and Alona, all of which rides a chunky dub disco bassline and chugging mid-tempo beats.

Richard Sen, a DJ and producer known for his love of dubbed-out sonics and pulsating grooves, delivers a typically spaced-out and otherworldly rework. Rooting his revision to the dancefloor via an undulating electronic bassline that throbs away restlessly throughout, Sen stretches out the track and emphasises its more trippy elements before introducing dreamier chords and heady vocals with a brilliant interpretation.

On ‘Let Me Show You’, 40 Thieves step things up to deep house tempo while remaining firmly rooted in 21st century San Francisco nu-disco with rich, dubby bass guitar, tactile piano chords, futurist synths and knowing nods to Patrick Cowley productions of the late 1970s and early ‘80s.

The track is presented in two forms: the superb ‘Vocal Mix’, where Alona’s vocal rises above the groove and intoxicating electronics, and a genuinely radical and out-there dancefloor focused ‘Dub’. Pushing the track’s wilder and more out-there elements to the max via stripped-back arrangements and a smorgasbord of effects, 40 Thieves re-wire the cut as a heads-down psychedelic disco chugger topped off with wonderfully loved-up chords.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: I Love 40 Thieves and Richard Sen so seeing them both on the same EP for the amazing Leng got me all in a tailspin. I wasn't disappointed, with a well-timed EP for party season complete with Balearic and psychedelic disco moods with a hot, heady atmosphere recalling balmy nights dancing under tropical trees.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Love Is feat. Alona
A2 Love Is (Richard Sen Remix)
B1 Let Me Show You feat. Alona
B2 Let Me Show You (Dub)

Celestial Echo returns with a proper UK soul classic — The Cool-Notes “I Forgot How To Love You”, back on 12” and cut loud for the dancefloor.

Hailing from South London, The Cool-Notes were one of the UK’s most consistent soul outfits through the late ’70s and ’80s. While many know them for their chart successes later in the decade, this early period shows the band in a formative state - warm basslines, tight rhythm section, rich harmonies and that unmistakable Britfunk feel.

“I Forgot How To Love You” is one of those records that’s quietly done the rounds for years. A favourite of Frederika’s back in the day, it’s about time it has it’s first ever reissue.

Presented on 12” in a clean company sleeve, this edition gives the record a new lease of life.

Celestial Echo is here to put proper soul records back into circulation.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Much needed and well executed reissue of two killer tracks by The Cool Notes. In keeping with tradition, we get one dancefloor ready track on side, and a smoochy soul number for the bedroom on side B. Why fuck with the formula?

TRACK LISTING

A1. I Forgot How To Love You
B1. Why Can’t We Be Friends

Glenn Echo & Daniel Meinecke

Home Rule / Love Letter

Following their recent appearance covering Sylvester and Patrick Cowley's 'I Need Somebody to Love Tonight' on Rocksteady Disco, the enigmatic cosmic pairing of Glenn Echo & Daniel Meinecke channel deep, shimmering disco and nu-disco vibes while calling on ethereal, cosmic textures. The throbbing 'Home Rule' opens with a warm, hypnotic pulse and well-worked vocals that deliver recognisable rhymes, while 'Love Letter' slows down to a heavyweight crawl with warped and twisted pads and plenty of texture. Both tunes here highlight the duo's skill at blending dancefloor immediacy with atmospheric nuance and feel like a journey through mirrored lights and late-night reverie.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: With a truely cosmic swagger, gently laced with acid and soundsystem idents, not to mention a seriously funky flavour, Glenn Echo & Daniel Meinecke get the party in full swing with two heavy hitters.

TRACK LISTING

Home Rule
Love Letter

Inxxxwel is Inkswel's alias for his edits and remixes (like his recent MF DOOM edit on GAMM). This new, vinyl-only 7" series is dedicated to razor-sharp edits for true heads and he kicks it off with a cheeky dancehall flip of an unearthed hip-hop gem primed for peak-time shellings. On the flip, a jazzy house workout built for deep-cut selectors. Raw, soulful & built for sound systems. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Keeping our edits section alive with a slew of top-drawer mash-ups and retweaks is Australian boogie don Inkswel who's ditched the Jomax for the MPC, turning his hand to some nicely tuned hip-hop and funky disco ore on this tasty 7".

TRACK LISTING

A. Ital Is Vital
B. Riddim Is Everything

Inxxxwel

Dancefloor Meditations Vol. 2

Inkswel's edit alter ego contines with the vinyl-only 7" series, diving deep into the Prince vaults for volume 2. The A-side mashes together both the Prince and Vanity 6 versions of "Make Up", resulting in the tidy "Good Look" cut. While on side B, the Purple One's "The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker" is combined with Anderson.Paak's "Come Down" for a smooth, slow mo house party anthem entitled "Down Dorothy". Expert stuff that'll slay your Saturday night bar demographic.  

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Two Prince tunes cross the streams with Vanity 6 Anderson.Pak respectively, resulting in some fine mash-up business that'll have everyone in the NQ singing your name til Monday morning.

TRACK LISTING

A. Good Look
B. Down Dorothy

We’ve all experienced that feeling when a song instantly transports us back to the moment we first heard it and became completely hooked. For Linda & Norm, “Moments to Want You” by the Jerry Lillard Band carried the warm vibes of a Parisian summer in 2019. Fast-forward to 2025, they revisited the track with a complete twist, nudging it toward an AOR resurgence for the label’s Soft Rock for Hard Times series.

The original version by the Jerry Lillard Band was released in 1981 on a German rock sampler, created in protest against the closure of their rehearsal space in an old school building. “Moments to Want You” stands out for its haunting melody, heartfelt lyrics, and compelling arrangements. Inspired by these elements, Linda & Norm cast the song in a new light, leaning into ’80s-tinged guitar pop à la Trevor Horn, with hints of psych bedroom pop in a distinctly Californian fashion.

Joining the release are two favorite artists of theirs, further expanding the song’s potential into dancefloor territory. Sydney’s own DD Mirage delivers the smoky, dubby disco blend we’ve admired since their debut album, while seasoned producer Justin Van Der Volgen brings the B-side magic, echoing the authentic stripped-back dub approach in the vein of Pettibone and Baker. To round it out, an instrumental version, along with an extended mix courtesy of Justin, complements the release, making it a 12” worth pulling out whenever the moment calls.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Soft Rocks For Hard Times follow up that killer Brochere 12" from a few weeks back with another essential slice of Balearic-boogie and dubbed-out disco joy from an allstar cast of collaborators. Much like the last, it's hard to pick a favourite from the various flavours on offer, it's more a case of selecting the right sonic dish for the particular sitting. With so much quality content to go at, I'm confident you'll make the correct choice ;)

TRACK LISTING

Original Mix
DD Mirage Dub
Instrumental
Justin Van Der Volgen Extended Mix
Justin Van Der Volgen Extended Dub

From deep within the astral planes of all that is cosmic in the Northwest and through a fog of kaleidoscopic haze emerges the latest mind-expanding music makers to arrive on Sprechen in the form of the Todmorden based Lines Of Silence.
Living amongst a hotbed of UFO activity and home to the UK's highest ever beach they combine experimental analogue and digital electronics, motorik beats, polyrhythmic improvisation and drone rock guitar explosions to create an immersive, expansive and contemporary take on psychedelia.

Their long player on Sprechen: 'Lines In Opposition !' takes the listener on a visionary aural journey across 8 tracks of electronic, shamanic soundscapes where the sounds of Krautrock exist in harmony alongside drone-esque ambient excursions through an array of synths, guitars & sequenced patterns that draw heavily on the stylings of NEU!, Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk and the musical pickings of the more esoteric sets and radio shows by Andrew Weatherall.

A truly universal listening experience to take you into a higher state of electronic music consciousness...

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Sprechen continue to ply their luxurious sonic wares with a fine example of kraut-indebted, northwest psychedelia courtesy of Lines Of Silence. Not afraid to turn up the distortion and rattle the drumskins, it's a pleasantly rowdy and boisterous take on the genre that can often languish in monotonous, introspective revelry.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Wolf
A2. Lines In Opposition
A3. Kinetik
A4. Come With Us

B1. A Life Examined
B2. Aesthetik
B3. Transcendental Radiation
B4. A Life Examined

Mystic Jungle And The Voice Of Roxana

Can't Make You Out / Mountain River

A new release curated by Mystic Jungle, founder of Periodica Records, who - together with a small group of artists - has spent the past decade shaping a distinctive sound in his recording studio based in one of the most remote areas of Napoli.

This second release on the West Hill Music catalogue features the voice of American singer Roxana, alongside guitar contributions by Yugoslavian musician Igor Sekulović.

The A-side, "Can’t Make You Out", unfolds as a crepuscular track with a laid-back, exotic atmosphere, marked by subtle funk-rock influences. On the B-side, a stripped-down mutant-funk track built around electronic drums and a repeated vocal chorus leaves space for minimal arrangements and textured guitar lines to emerge.

Limited vinyl-only release.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Juussst in time for summer, much adored Italian stallion Mystic Jungle returns with a brand new single. With a bit of a Lette Mbula vibe on side A, and a lilting, cosmic-funk-reggae freakout on side B. Form an orderly queue!

TRACK LISTING

A1.Can't Make You Out
B1.Mountain River

Ralphi Rosario & Bob Sinclar Feat. Donna Blakely & Lego

Take Me Up

House royalty unite. Ralphi Rosario’s Chicago pedigree meets Bob Sinclar’s global dancefloor finesse on this uplifting, piano-charged vocal house weapon. A driving 4/4 groove underpins soaring chords and a powerful lead vocal from Donna Blakely, while Lego’s production keeps the low-end tight and club-focused. A great Chicago-classic where Bob Sinclar transformed it into a club weapon with energy, poise, breakdown drama and hands-in-the-air moments.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Mega disco-house biznoinks from Bob and Ralphi who hit the main room injection across three tight n tidy mixes that'll have 'em swinging from the rafters.

TRACK LISTING

1 Take Me Up (Bob Sinclar 12 Inch Mix)
2 Take Me Up (Bob Sinclar Extended Mix)
3 Take Me Up (Bob Sinclar Dub Mix)

John Silas

Water Sign

'Water Sign' is the debut EP from producer and instrumentalist John Silas: a five-track suite that moves fluidly between peak-time dance and inward reflection. Deeply aligned with the open-eared ethos of NYC’s Love Injection Records, the release channels house and jazz into an emotive personal chronicle shaped by movement, memory, and community.

At its thematic center is 'Boundaries', a dynamically arranged dance-floor meditation that begins with piano, 4/4 kick and restless hi-hats before blooming into radiant synth work reminiscent of classic disco auteur Patrick Adams. Midway, the track shifts—electric piano, whistles and percussion reframing the groove into what Silas calls “hues of vulnerability.” The result mirrors the arc of love, release and renewal.'Cyber Dreams' leans into lush escapism, buoyed by surging keys and impassioned flute from Domenica Fossati, while a remix from Detroit mainstay Patrice Scott (Sistrum Records) adds unmistakable Motor City weight. 'Foster Child' nods to Silas’ hero, the late Paul Johnson with exuberant Chicago spirit, and 'Nasty' delivers a concise workout featuring Marquinn Mason’s robust saxophone.

'Water Sign' reflects Silas’s trajectory—from a childhood steeped in Soul Train, coming of age with hip hop, to MPC craftsmanship, his Detroit musical family and present-day Brooklyn—into a deeply personal record equally suited to discerning DJs and deep listeners.


TRACK LISTING

1. Boundaries
2. Cyber Dreams (Patrice Scott Remix)
3. Nasty (feat. Marquinn Mason)
4. Cyber Dreams (feat. Domenica Fossati)
5. Foster Child

Sorry We Play Vinyl

Sorry We Play Vinyl 3

Sorry We Play Vinyl are once again not at all sorry to play vinyl and good, frankly, because what they serve up on wax is always going to be well received. 'EDIT7' kicks off this latest with a tightly worked 90s sample woven into a loopy groove that is going to get crowds into a funky lather. 'EDIT8' follows with retro-slanted raver era breakbeats and opulent synth oozing, the odd bleep and a bubbling bass thrown in for good measure. 'EDIT9' completes a varied EP with some smooth and succulent deep house with a US warmth to it. The soulful vocals are smeared through soft drums and it's a perfect late-night tool.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Stereo MC's, Grace Jones and T99 get nicely housified for horse play and terrace cantering. Sorry We Play Vinyl sticking two fingers up to the style-less digital jocks. Yes lads!

TRACK LISTING

EDIT7
EDIT8
EDIT9


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