The Swedish stallion comes correct once again with another clutch of mash-ups. This time turning his hand to the poppier end of the spectrum, as Tailor Swift, Peggy Gou and many more are given the Beatconductor treatment.

Pre-orders advised!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: He's been keeping bar DJs on trend and Karen's at bay for over a decade now, Beatconductor can mashitup like no one else! This one's gonna be a big one, the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card; as it features the monolith that is Taylor Swift.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. Fallin'
2. Sugar And Spajs

Side 2
1. Tell Me U Luv Me
2. Peggy Swift

LA-based trio ASHRR return with another sunkissed dose of cosmic new wave and indie electronica laced with psychedelic hues in the form of ‘Sway’. This time they’re joined by internationally renowned DJ and ESP Institute imprint manager ‘Lovefingers’ on remix duties, who supplies three genre-bending experimental dance gems perfect for summer terraces, pool-side parties or the dance floors of Pikes Ibiza. Lovefingers’ ESP Institute has dropped releases that have found their way into the bags of dance-floor heavy-hitters from Harvey to Weatherall and Moodymann to the legendary David Mancuso. His take on ASHRR original showcases dubbed-out oddities and psychedelic left turns in signature style. In addition to the Lovefingers remixes, ASHRR returns with their very own ‘ASHRR Soundsystem Version’ offering up a tripped-out feel-good cut for the dance floor.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: ASHRR continue to make their mark with another 12" single graced by a stellar remix talent. "Sway" is a dubby-disco delight with coastal leanings, which Lovefingers manages to accentuate even further across his three varied versions. Top drawer stuff for boats and beaches.

TRACK LISTING

Sway (Lovefingers Rimini Remix)
Sway (ASHRR Soundsystem Version)
Sway (Lovefingers Lechuza Dub)
Sway (Lovefingers Skeleton Dub)

woooahh there playboy, let's slowww things down a little - get a bit lOoSe..

La Rama is one of those labels we go nuts for here at Picc HQ. Understated Canadian dance music made with love, sentiment and shunning and notable trends for something authentic, rock solid, and made to last. The equivalent of a good pair of shoes...

Bunzinelli drops the second essential release on the label here with four tracks which stradle cosmic, EBM and fresh-as-you-like night club trickery in one succinct package. Excited? You should be.

Immediately causing one Jason Boardman to purchase a copy upon hearing about 3 bars, "Call In Blue" is the club weapon you've always wished you had. Built around a beat n bass structure as impenertrable as an army bunker, these narcotic vocal chops are layered overhead in an effort to channel pure shamanic energy into the dance. Serious, if you're not wiggling to this after 30 seconds I doubt there's any circulation to your hips. Breathtaking, incredible, and coming in at under 110BPM to boot!

"Godspeed" follows, a EBM-infused chugger charged with electrostatic and creeping forward with a tectonic force. "Nova" mixes said energy with a baggy flavour, keeping Andrew Weatherall and Baldelli fans equally engaged with with a mid-session roller that'll have the floor in a coital throb.

Finally, Bunzinelli lets loose with a 130BPM techno rocket from inside the bunker. Machine gun snares and more of that highly charged electrical energy coursing through its stems. Sure to blast away all but the most ardent rave goblin come the witching hours of the morning....

Bunzinelli has been personally involved in serving sonic treats to the world via his label and mix series Chambre Noire. He was also part of the team behind Cosmic Tones which in 2019 released "Montreal Pleiades" featuring his first musical outing alongside local major players Priori, Dust-e-1, URA, Temple's M. Salaciak & R. Weng (the wizard behind the first DJ Medallion release on La Rama Records).

Trust me, if your job is to make a mass of people move in unison, you need this tool in your arsenal!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Unparalleled club tool that due to its restrained tempo should find favour across a variety of tribes. That A1 track man, "Call In Blue" - literally unmissable if you play in nightclubs.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Call In Blue
A2. Godspeed
B1. Nova
B2. Yellow Feeling

Selector Series are back with more holy grail goodness, this time in the form of early 80’s boogie from Detroit.

Gene Dunlap was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He began his music career at age four when his father taught him to play the drums, honing his craft at Detroit Mumford High School. He went onto perform with Roy Ayers before releasing two solo albums in 1981, It’s Just The Way I Feel & Party In Me.

Party In Me, the title track from the LP backed with Take My Love was only released as a 12” promo in 1981. Now rare & in demand, if a copy can be found on the second hand market it will set buyers back more than £100.

Remastered using the original tapes and reissued for the first time since it’s release 43 years ago, fans can finally own a slice of classic boogie from the master drummer.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Party In Me
B1. Take My Love

Whisper it quietly, but Andrew Meecham’s ninth album as The Emperor Machine, Island Boogie, may well be the long-serving producer’s strongest set to date. Of course, all his albums ripple with vintage synth sounds, colourful lead lines, dub-flecked electronic disco grooves and lashings of cosmic intent, but this one just feels a little more special.

Island Boogie is certainly special. Meecham’s “most personal” full-length to date, it was inspired by his experiences at the Rotation Garden Party – a beloved micro-festival promoted by a group of friends (including sometime Bizarre Inc and Chicken Lips partner Dean Meredith), renowned for the quality of its custom-built Klipschorn soundsystem. “The album’s title sums up the vibe that you get from Rotation,” he explains. “It may be held in a landlocked venue but it gives a wonderful sense of isolation – it is an audiophile paradise.”

Meecham road-tested rough versions of the album’s eight tracks at Rotation 2023, with the feedback and dancefloor reaction guiding the sound and arrangement of the final mixes. Fittingly, Meecham will return to the event to showcase the album at Rotation 2024 this July. Given the inspiration he’s drawn from previous editions of the festival, that will be a very special occasion.

Musically, Island Boogie offers the most fully functioning and expertly constructed expression of The Emperor Machine sound yet, a style Meecham describes as “electronic cosmic disco-boogie”. It’s a sound that takes cues from early ‘80s NYC punk-funk and dub disco, vintage electro, proto-house and left-of-centre synth-boogie, but one that’s instantly recognisable to those who have followed Meecham’s career over the last three decades.

Island Boogie also sees Meecham continue his blossoming working relationship with Severine Mouletin, whose stylish and distinctive vocals previously graced his popular ‘Dance Por Amor’ and ‘Your Own Style’ singles. Here Mouletin features on four tracks: the acid-flecked retro-futurist wave-boogie of ‘La Cassette’ (featuring additional percussion by Rupert Brown); the infectious, bleep-sporting headiness of recent single ‘Devoilez-Vous’; and the squelchy analogue synth-funk of ‘Wanna Pop With You’ and ‘Vas-y-Le Chat’.

Meecham also finds space for a cover of Fox’s 1976 pop-rock classic ‘S-s-s-single Bed’, one of the Stafford-based artist’s all-time favourites. His version, featuring headline-grabbing lead vocals by Michelle Bee and guitar from Dave Atherton, re-imagines the track as a subtly Chic-influenced slab of infectious electro-pop rich in kaleidoscopic synth sounds, sing-along choruses and shuffling drums.

The instrumental foundations of the classic Emperor Machine sound come to the fore on the album’s three other cuts. There’s the jazz-funk-flecked warmth of the LP-opening title track; the sparse squelches, bleeps, TB-303 style bass and brightly coloured electronics of ‘Walk The Dog’; and the exotic, slow-motion cosmic electronica of ‘Cha Murrah Etem’, a warm but poignant affair dedicated to his late father. Heady and intoxicating, with hints of Balearica and digital reggae, it offers a fittingly beautiful and tactile conclusion to Meecham’s most expressive and accessible album yet. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The Emperor Machine (Andrew Meecham) is known for creating a beautifully Balearic fusion of funk, synth-pop and Scandi disco, so it's no massive surprise that that's part of what's on offer here. That's doing it a disservice though, because 'Island Boogie' is exactly the sort of rhythmic, synth-forward disco that turns a man into a disco appreciator. Believe me, I was that guy. Brilliant, propulsive beachtime groovers.

TRACK LISTING

1. Island Boogie
2. La Cassette Feat. Séverine Mouletin
3. Dévoilez-Vous Feat. Séverine Mouletin
4. Walk The Dog
5. S-S-S Single Bed Feat. Michelle Bee
6. Wanna Pop With You Feat. Séverine Mouletin
7. Vas-y Le Chat Feat. Séverine Mouletin
8. Cha Murrah Etem
9. S-S-S Single Bed Feat. Michelle Bee (Radio Edit) 

The Fossils label has been unearthing more musical treasure for its fifth outing, and this one takes you directly to the Middle East for some twisted disco-funk with red hot grooves courtesy of Fava Luva & Dr. Professor. The source of the tunes is obscure and unknown but the pair bring plenty of their own goodness with additional layers of live instrumentation really bring them to life. 'Lahatz' is steamy and full of sensuous vocal magic and cosmic synth work that will get the floor into action, while 'Kerem' is even more topical and exotic with its rich array of strong melodies and downtempo beats making for a woozy and wonderful trip.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Hot n smouldering, psychedelic disco-funk romps from the Middle East that'll get any barn dance bucking.

TRACK LISTING

Lahatz
Kerem

GAMM heads down under with prolific producer Inkswel aka Inxxxwel (on this project) for a tasty 7" crammed with deep hip hop, funk, soul and overall jazziness.

You'll hear reminiscence of Dilla and 90's R&B on the opening track 'Chill' and a kinda 90's Jersey house / R&B track (pitched down) on the B Side track, 'Hanna-Mi-Dia' (feat vocals from Blu & Ta'Raach). There's a smooth and sexy, head nodding bump to both productions that's truly tasty!

If you're an adventurous hop-hop or soul head...this should tickle your ears :)

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Inkswell plugs into some vintage rap shit which I'm ashamed to say I'm not sure I'm familiar with. Both sides are super strong, with a kinda funky, Nas-esque jam on side A; and a more smooth rollin' West Coast flavoured joint on side B. Answers on a postcard pur-lease!

TRACK LISTING

A. Chill 
B. Hanna-Ma-Dia

1983 post-punk / reggae masterpiece from Khartomb becomes the eighth release on Jason Boardman's indispensable BiD label! Khartomb's masterpiece "Swahili Lullaby / Teekon Warriors" was influenced by contemporaries of the time The Slits & The Raincoatsand and was originally released on 7" on 23rd June 1983. A Balearic secret weapon now available for aficionados everywhere with local lads Synkro & Talking Drums bolstering the release outstanding reworks to boot.

Despite initial interest following their Peel Session & support from Melody Maker and Zig Zag the band were unable to capitalise & "Swahili Lullaby / Teekon Warrior" remains their only vinyl release until now.
40 years later, the tracks have been exclusively licensed by BiD alongside the previously unreleased Pat Nevin favourite "Daisy High". 

"Swahili Lullaby" is an under the radar post punk jam with killer drums, dubby bassline and spidery guitar, topped off by a haunting melancholic vocal.

"Teekon Warriors" is a deep ode to the fallen, dope drums, angular guitar, tribal drums and a sweet vocal.

"Daisy High" was dubbed by John Peel as 'Subversive MOR' who are we to disagree? A haunting, flute peppered slow jam with a bossa feel & a sick guitar lick.

Synkro's Balearic Dub of "Swahili Lullaby" takes the original version and sends it to a transcendental spiritual realm, creating a future classic for sunrises and sunsets for the next millennium. The Talking Drums Redub of the same track tweeks, extends & amps up the dub pressure to maximum psychedelic levels.

Support from JD Twitch and Essential Space. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: JB lifts the lid on a truly inspired slice of John Peel championed, post-punk-reggae from London. The story is as delightful as the music - and credit to Before I Die for sourcing something that's both a true curio and highly listenable. If the "Spiky Dread" compilation were to issue a second volume - this would have to be on it!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Swahili Lullaby
A2. Teekon Warriors
A3. Daisy High
B1. Swahili Lullaby (Synkro's Balearic Dub Mix)
B2. Swahili Lullaby (Talking Drums Redub)

Alex Andrikopolous AKA Lex (Athens) released his brilliant debut album Waving in 2022 on Leng and he now returns with an EP combining fine remixes of tracks from Waving alongside two new previously unheard cuts.

The remixes are undeniably special. Fittingly, the EP begins with the first of these, a sensationally sun-soaked revision of one of Andrikopolous’s most Balearic moments – previous single ‘Punta Allen’ – by former Nuphonic fusionists and FAR label founders Faze Action. The Lee brothers’ take is one of those sunset-friendly workouts that wraps glistening guitar licks, steel pan style motifs, Lex’s gorgeous lead lines, hazy electric piano solos and life-affirming keyboard riffs around rolling nu-disco beats and a new rubbery bassline courtesy of Robin Lee himself. It has the feel of a pool-side anthem in the making.

Just as potent is the typically quirky and hard-to-pigeonhole revision of ‘Prezend’ by Manchester maverick Ruf Dug. Here he offers up a genuinely revolutionary rework, re-imaging the track as a sparse-but-colourful fusion of vintage acid house bass, saucer-eyed piano riffs, dubbed-out synth sounds, jacking lo-fi drum machine beats and squelchy TB-303 tweaks. While fresh and undeniably contemporary, the remix has an alluringly nostalgic, retro-futurist vibe.

Clustered around these two top-notch revisions is a pair of previously unreleased Lex originals. He joins forces with regular collaborator Locke once more on ‘Libre De Amor’, an infectious chunk of, low-slung dub disco marked out by weighty bass, jammed-out electric piano motifs, spacey pads, intergalactic effects and mazy synth solos. Dotted with additional percussion hits and echoing female vocal snippets, it’s one of the pair’s most potent dancefloor workouts of recent times.

To round off a rock-solid EP, the Athens-based veteran blurs the boundaries between stripped-back, late-80s house nostalgia and nu-disco. ‘Super Awake’ boasts cowbell-sporting Chicago house beats and acid house inspired bass, on to which he’s layered all manner of colourful synth sounds, jangly piano stabs and spacey electronics. Throw in some typically immersive chords and progressively more psychedelic TB-303 motifs, and you have a genuinely triumphant conclusion to a formidably floor-focused EP.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Punta Allen (Faze Action Remix)
A2. Libre De Amor (w/Locke)
B1. Prezend (Ruf Dug Remix)
B2. Super Awake

Who doesn't love a good edit, some nice Balearic, and especially some mystical Balearic edits? Well, that's just what we have here from Matsoaka who taps into several worldly flavours on this new six tracker courtesy of Magic Wand. 'Parlband Utmed Kusten' starts slow and steady, wet and dubby. 'Jah Banana' is a supremely horizontal and sun-kissed beach groove and 'Alligator' cuts loose on glistening melodies and playful chord vamps. Gentle breakbeats power the seductive 'Shish Balearic' and 'Asian Dance Groove' closes out with loose, percussive rhythms and funky guitar rifts. A truly global sonic trip.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Magic Wand have always risen well above the rest of the edit wheat and chaff, employing skilled splicers and exclusive source material. Matsoaka maintains their high watermark across five previously rarely heard nuggets from around the world. All infectious in their own way and possessing boat loads of beach party fun.

TRACK LISTING

Parlband Utmed Kusten
Jah Banana
Alligator
Shish Balearic
Asian Dance Groove

Personality Edits is back with a third thrilling offering and this time out it is Nordic warrior MorkyMork and Tottenham's Tony Tobiason who deliver the goods. 'All Engines Go' kicks off and is a wildly percussive, textural groove with toms, crashing snares, raw hi-hats and plenty of FX all budding the energy before a mad saw tooth basslines spray about the mix to raise the roof. On the flip is 'Bleep Bleep', which is another wild sound with uptempo breaks and bleeps sounding like nothing else out there. Drop these and the crowd cannot fail to lose their heads.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Frenetic and percussive, wonky disco jams that should appeal massively to fans of The Idjut Boys.

TRACK LISTING

All Engines Go (MorkyMork Edit)
Bleep Bleep (Tony Tobiason Edit)

For its next outing, the Friends & Relations label has curated a mini best-of EP that serves up a quartet of tunes that have been unavailable on wax until now. Side A opens with 'Senza Parole,' featuring a weird and wonderful vocal sound and some loose hand claps under Italo-infused disco-funk drums. 'Let Me Be The One' is a nice tripped out and slow motion 90s downtempo jam and 'Funkbraska' is an homage to French Touch with filtered synth loops fizzing with sugar goodness over a characterful bassline, and last of all is 'Love + Hate', another low slung house groove that oozes cool and has a fantastic bassline propping it up.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Deep house don Nebraska throws some dice at the edits game, offering up some intriguing excursions in electro-disco, downbeat and late 90s filter house.

TRACK LISTING

Senza Parole
Let Me Be The One
Funkbraska
Love + Hate

Toy Tonics presents the first EP by Paul Older. Italian hero of vinyl diggers and maestro of rare edits. Paul is known for doing some of the sickest versions of rare jazz funk and Italian disco around. Played by every important DJ of the scene.

4 mad tracks based on recording of real musicians and bands from the Sonoton catalogue that he reworked legally and created vibrant versions for the dancefloor. This is amazing organic dance music. Live bass, drums, guitars and keyboards... played in a Afro-American vibe turned into modern house and indie dance that will put every dancefloor on fire.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Toy Tonics keep up to their consistently high standards, introducing the work of Italian Paul Older. It's that stylish mix of disco and house that the label do so well, executed in full force by this new addition to their roster. Impeccable.

TRACK LISTING

A1) Guapita
A2) Keep On
B1) I Like It, I Wanna It (Extended Version)
B2) Loop Story

This is the highly demanded second edition of System Olympia's first release "Dusk & Dreamland" EP.
Originally pressed by a small Italian label in an unknown number of copies, this EP was the first appearance of System Olympia's very own blend of funk, melancholy and female sensuality that defined a whole new department in the Italo / nu disco scene.
Features two new original tracks never pressed on vinyl before, "Girl On Girl" and "Signal Your Love", and a new edition of the cover art illustrated by Pip Carter. Essential record for your home collection, club nights, late night car rides and bedroom entertainment.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A sleek, sultry collection of dusky disco ballads and shimmering synth swells, some of it so impeccably produced that it grabs you right by the brain, and doesn't let go, while some of it sounds like it's been recorded onto a VHS and then pressed back on vinyl, in Italy, in the 1970's. All of it is brilliant. 11/10

TRACK LISTING

A1. Call Girl
A2. Lamb
A3. Close To My Nebula
A4. Girl On Girl
B1. Night Rise
B2. 8
B3. Yoon
B4. Signal Your Love

Long serving Star Creature vet Temu offers up sone extended versions and new additions to his fledging Tugboat volume. Electro-funk / boogie / modern funk versions of some well known hits (the clues in the titles!) - all given that squelchy, wavy, box bedroom jam vibe from the man like T. 

Limited import copies. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Loose Joints, Kraftwek, The Jones Girls, Kano and more are given a stylish and tasteful, boogie-based renovation by Star Creature stalwart Temu.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1.Love Dancing
2.Robots
3.Ready Or Not

Side 2
1. Rule The World
2. Funk Over Egypt
3. Can't Hold Back

Two jazz-funk heavyweights get the chop on this Semi-Secret 12 inch hailing from the north of England. 'Int milk brilliaaaannnt!?

Ultra Heat Treated for maximum punch.

Can you guess what it is yit?! 

Limited copies, cop now or cry later. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Brilliant new diversion from this well seasoned Manchester-based surgeon. No more clues will be given at the moment!

TRACK LISTING

A. No Love Lost
B. F.M

They're back! And they've brought some local Aussie legends to join em on a cosmic-outback-bush-boogie doof party; with four epic, dub-olicious, psych rock, Afro disco jams. There's two rambunctious percussive funk heaters from label regular, JB Edits, whilst Space Jockeys hit the high octane hi-nrg throttle, and Barney In The Tunnel melts our minds with the slo-mo cosmic-balearic wriggler, "New South Whales" - sure to be a winner fans of Harvey, Kelvin Andrews and Moonboots. Magic. 

Support in from JD Twitch (Optimo), Charles Webster and Lex, Rob Da Bank, Horse Meat Disco and many more.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Ever the modern stable of creativity. The Sosilly cartel boost their modest discography with, in my opinion, their hottest record yet. Already big in Warrington and beyond!

TRACK LISTING

01 Space Jockeys - Time Captains Kingdom Dub
02 Barney In The Tunnel - New South Whales
03 Jb Edits - Snakeskin B Boys
04 Jb Edits - Super Mamas Jam