Joey Negro takes the helm for another XXL edition of "Attack The Dancefloor", this time inviting Opolopo for a remix guest spot. There’s already a big buzz on thebeefy, super classy disco house tune on the A1, featuring the wonderful voice of Angela Johnson. "Do You Love Me" is a radical rework of an old Rod Temperton song with a big chorus hook, newly written verses and other extra vocal parts. Add into the mix live strings, brass and the authentic disco sound you've come to expect from ZR releases. Next up, Hungarian remix whiz Opolopo takes the controls for Sylvester’s huge disco number ‘I Need You’ – relaying the keys with those trademark buzzing synths that have become a calling card for his killer reworks. An emphatic update to this classic with a heavy dose of Opolopo magic.
Luca Morrone was raised in Naples on a mix of disco, soul music and R&B and later the sound of "Victor Simonelli" and "Masters At Work” which led him to become a resident dj at the club Metropolis in his native Italy. With his girlfriend Pia they established the "Neapolitan Soul" group, playing a mix of disco, funk soulful and afro house music.
Los Angeles based Raquel Rodriguez fuses the subcultures of LA style in her music which she has been releasing on her own label over the last few years. Her recent ‘The 310, Part Two’ mini CD features the uptempo boogie style cut ‘We Go Together’ with live drums, bass, guitar and strings. The song caught the ears of JN who wanted to add his own take on the original and this is the result. 

The ever-popular "Under The Influence" series continues in earnest. Following on from Red Greg, Paul Phillips, James Glass, Nick The Record, Sean P and Faze Action (phew!), it’s now the turn of one of the scenes most prolific but yet unknown collectors, Winston.

Outside of the established record collectors Winston is pretty much unknown but those that know of him will tell you that despite his low profile he has one of the best record collections around.

Sean P remembers his first trip to Winston’s house in the sleeve notes: 'When I visited his house for the first time, I felt like a beginner - my expectations were far exceeded by the neat rows and piles of 12"s and L.Ps everywhere; and I had brought along a foolscap notebook which after eight hours or so, expanded my wants list considerably. I thumbed through hundreds of weird and mysterious independent and major label releases. Winston played whatever I was interested in hearing, occasionally spinning random 7"s ("Space Funk" by Manzel, for example) and various LP cuts of his choice. I had perused around half of the collection by the time I left, but I'll never forget that kid-in-a-toyshop feeling, along with the realisation of Winston's buddha-like status as a master of this arcane pastime.'

Sean continues: 'Winston is still doing the 'rounds weekly; and since the Hammersmith Black Music Record events of the mid-'80s, he's missed few record fairs, if any - trading with dealers & fellow collectors and parting with cash when necessary. Surprisingly, he has no truck with the internet – somewhat curious to the rest of us who now can't imagine life without it. And as a man with no online presence, knowledge of Winston's existence is restricted to the real world. Some justification, perhaps, for giving this fervent ambassador of all things boogie an opportunity to share some of his favourites beyond those in the know.

So for Volume Seven of the Under The Influence series Winston has included tracks taking in soul, funk, disco & boogie with many of the tracks costing hundreds if you were able to find the originals.'

As always with ZR compilations a lot of time and effort has been spent on creating these masters from the original vinyl, cleaning them up, removing all the clicks and pops resulting in the cleanest sounding copy possible.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Preaching to the converted I know but the incredible series continues! Volume Seven and losing no steam along the way; if boogie, disco and soul are your bio-fuel, then this should have you up and running in no time at all. Impeccable selection of hits, all legit and licensed - if you were to attempt to seek these tracks out individually it'd take thousands of pounds and hours! Winston does the leg work...

Four exclusive disco remixes from the edit king Joey Negro as part of his Remixed With Love series.

This ep. see's the master reworking classics from Lonnie Liston Smith, Gwen McCrae and Wardell Piper. The Special Release also contains a new version of the Gwen McCrae special dub to the one on the Record Store Day release.

Remixed With Love Volume 3 is the latest edition of what has become the industry-leading disco remix series. No one knows this era of music better than Dave Lee, who under his Joey Negro alias once again turns his impeccable hand to some of the best-loved records ever committed to wax.

“I can clearly remember in the 80s having fantasies about being a remixer and dreaming of tweaking my favourite songs and re-releasing them. I really never thought it would happen. The days when I receive the parts for some of these classic recordings are literally a dream come true.” – Dave Lee

Remixed With Love Volume 3 has been a real labour of love, and a release several years in the making. With original parts for some of these classics hard to find, and with major labels rightly protective of songs created by legendary artists, it is a testament to both the perseverance of Lee and the esteem in which he is held as a remixer that the project was ever completed. Luckily for us though, here we are: Remixed With Love Volume 3 is done, dusted and ready to deliver a healthy dose of joy to us all.

As with previous volumes, Lee has put his own inimitable spin on more than a dozen seminal records, with The Fatback Band, Patti LaBelle, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Odyssey and many more vying for attention across a stunning three part gatefold double vinyl, double CD and digital release.

As you’d expect from an artist of Lee’s calibre, he’s taken the task extremely seriously. “Some songs I’ve wanted to get access to the multi for ages turn out to be far less straight forward than I imagined. You know it’s a great track, but unlocking the key to doing a worthwhile new version doesn’t always come easy. To make more of a feature of one element sometimes means there has to be less of something else. There are many decisions to be made, lived with, revised, maybe reversed until finally your gut tells you it’s about right.”

There are very few producers with either the confident or ability to take on records of this heritage, but Dave Lee has once again proved that when it comes to sensitive re-workings of disco staples, he’s in a league of his own.

Released back in 2016, Remixed With Love Volume 2 included exclusive reworks of classic soul and disco records all from the original master tapes, with the collection going on to be Traxsource’s best-selling of 2016, reaching top 30 on iTunes album chart, and also being named DJ Mag’s compilation of the year.

All the remixes here are 100% new and exclusive to the compilation, making Remixed With Love Volume 3 an essential purchase for any serious disco devotee. 

"Remixed With Love Volume 3" is the latest edition of what has become the industry-leading disco remix series. No one knows this era of music better than Dave Lee, who under his Joey Negro alias once again turns his impeccable hand to some of the best-loved records ever committed to wax.

'I can clearly remember in the 80s having fantasies about being a remixer and dreaming of tweaking my favourite songs and re-releasing them. I really never thought it would happen. The days when I receive the parts for some of these classic recordings are literally a dream come true.' – Dave Lee.

"Remixed With Love Volume 3" has been a real labour of love, and a release several years in the making. With original parts for some of these classics hard to find, and with major labels rightly protective of songs created by legendary artists, it is a testament to both the perseverance of Lee and the esteem in which he is held as a remixer that the project was ever completed. Luckily for us though, here we are: "Remixed With Love Volume 3" is done, dusted and ready to deliver a healthy dose of joy to us all.

As with previous volumes, Lee has put his own inimitable spin on more than a dozen seminal records, with The Fatback Band, Patti LaBelle, Evelyn 'Champagne' King, Odyssey and many more vying for attention across a stunning three part gatefold double vinyl, double CD and digital release.

Released back in 2016, 'Remixed With Love Volume 2' included exclusive reworks of classic soul and disco records all from the original master tapes, with the collection going on to be Traxsource’s best-selling of 2016, reaching top 30 on iTunes album chart, and also being named DJ Mag’s compilation of the year. It also fetches more than a pretty penny on the 2nd hand market.

All the remixes here are 100% new and exclusive to the compilation, making "Remixed With Love Volume 3" an essential purchase for any serious disco devotee. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Joey Negro continues the long running disco lineage of The Remixer. Taking the crown in the modern age. We salute you Dave!

"Remixed With Love Volume 3" is the latest edition of what has become the industry-leading disco remix series. No one knows this era of music better than Dave Lee, who under his Joey Negro alias once again turns his impeccable hand to some of the best-loved records ever committed to wax.

'I can clearly remember in the 80s having fantasies about being a remixer and dreaming of tweaking my favourite songs and re-releasing them. I really never thought it would happen. The days when I receive the parts for some of these classic recordings are literally a dream come true.' – Dave Lee.

"Remixed With Love Volume 3" has been a real labour of love, and a release several years in the making. With original parts for some of these classics hard to find, and with major labels rightly protective of songs created by legendary artists, it is a testament to both the perseverance of Lee and the esteem in which he is held as a remixer that the project was ever completed. Luckily for us though, here we are: "Remixed With Love Volume 3" is done, dusted and ready to deliver a healthy dose of joy to us all.

As with previous volumes, Lee has put his own inimitable spin on more than a dozen seminal records, with The Fatback Band, Patti LaBelle, Evelyn 'Champagne' King, Odyssey and many more vying for attention across a stunning three part gatefold double vinyl, double CD and digital release.

Released back in 2016, 'Remixed With Love Volume 2' included exclusive reworks of classic soul and disco records all from the original master tapes, with the collection going on to be Traxsource’s best-selling of 2016, reaching top 30 on iTunes album chart, and also being named DJ Mag’s compilation of the year. It also fetches more than a pretty penny on the 2nd hand market.

All the remixes here are 100% new and exclusive to the compilation, making "Remixed With Love Volume 3" an essential purchase for any serious disco devotee. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Joey Negro continues the long running disco lineage of The Remixer. Taking the crown in the modern age. We salute you Dave!

Follow up to the amazing "Backstreet Brit Funk". Volume 2 has been eight years in the making and continues to showcase the best of the genre from the late 70s to early 80s, compiled once again by Joey Negro. Perhaps one of the UK’s most under-appreciated genres and emerging in the late 70’s; it takes influences from jazz, funk, reggae and pop and by the early 80s it had spread all over the UK. Chart-topping mainstream bands like Wham!, Spandau Ballet and Haircut 100 tapped into the style and sound to help launch their careers, whilst Linx, Level 42, Light of The World, The Cool Notes and Hi Tension were all Brit Funk acts who troubled the UK top 40 with their own singles.

Brit Funk was essentially the UK’s answer to underground disco & boogie , with musicians at first imitating and eventually developing the sounds they heard on the US imports that made it across the pond. And like disco, the Brit Funk scene was significant in reducing racial boundaries in the clubs and raising the profile of black and white musicians who worked together. Back in 2010 Joey Negro complied the first volume of Back Street Brit Funk: a collection of obscure and forgotten gems of the scene that found favour across the board. The fact that it’s taken eight years for Volume 2 to see the light of day is a testament to the both the obscurity of the records included, and the logistical challenges involved in digitizing what started life as vinyl-only releases, with only a handful of 12”s remaining in some cases.
'I hadn’t planned a Volume 2 of BSBF when putting together the first, but after a while, I started to wonder if there was potential for a follow-up. Over the past 8 years I’ve kept my ears peeled for interesting UK productions that for some reason hadn’t come to my attention before.' Joey Negro.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: We've had 'nuff resurgences in disco, Italo and boogie thus far, but no-one's really popped the lid off the whole Brit Funk cannon. Save for that wonderful "In The Red" comp on Chuwanaga (and Volume 1 of this series of course) the scene has gone relatively 'Un-comp'ed'... until now! Maestro Joey Negro can always be relied upon to present to us the first sift off the crop. Here showing us the dizzying delights of this very British operation... High energy, high musicianship - high vibe! I used to roller-skate to this shit!! ;)

Founded way back in 91, Z Records have since amassed a lauded and plentiful collection of singles, albums and compilations. Run by Dave Lee aka Joey Negro, the label has enjoyed success through his unique ability to foster the principles of underground dance music whilst also remaining mindful of commercial appeal.

Through various compilations, Mr Lee has consistently delved deep into the heart of a specific genre or era and selecting a lesser-known series of tracks that give a real insight into the spirit and energy that made that point in time special. Whether it's been gogo, Brit-funk, boogie, Italo house or straight up disco, he has mined deep into his extensive bank of influences and also enlisted the help of some of his most clued-up comrades in offering some unforgettable collections of classics. Next up - he pulls together a collection of his favourite moments across a definitive decade for house and garage: the 90’s. Inclusive of material from Kerri Chandler, Robert Owens and MAW as well as remixes from Mood II Swing and Ron Trent - the compilation is packed with sultry vocal lines and the sort of slick, irresistible grooves that defined the era. Sticking with the ethos of his series, Joey Negro has dug out an olio of music that may have until now ‘slipped under the garage doors’ meaning a lot of the material on this compilation is being digitised for the very first time. In searching deeper and wider than the average compilation, the package provides a thorough insight into why this was such a fertile period for production and gives a nod to the sort of drum patterns, sampling techniques and vocal lines that have inspired the likes of Bicep, Brawther and Huxley amongst many more.

Z Records tap Nick The Record for their fourth volume of the 'Under The Influence' series. Packed to the brim with disco, boogie, electro-funk and tropical gems, it's another essential offering from Z.

"My whole life has revolved around records. I was buying hip hop and house in the 80s as it was released and I got heavily into tracing the steps back through breaks and sample sources that were used in hip hop records. I also joined the dots between disco and modern club and house music and spread my music explorations from rare groove to rare disco. There were very few people interested in this vein of music history at the time and even fewer as obsessed as me so when the reemergence of disco exploded I was well ahead of the curve, not only in collecting but historical knowledge. The best thing about record collecting is it never ends and after 35 years of buying, after 25 years of selling and playing records there is still old stuff to discover and new releases to endeavour to keep up with. So as something of an expert in all things disco I get quite a few offers to release compilations but as a record obsessive my natural hoarding mentality makes me cautious to give up the goods. I feel this 'Under The Influence' series offers the chance to put together a more personal comp, which reflects the many different flavours of my taste and my collection and gives you a feel of my DJ style at the same time." - Nick The Record