I was on a short weekend break in London last weekend. And when I saw the band was playing, seeing Joey Negro’s Sunburst Band live at the fantastic Jazz Café in Camden took prominence over the activities that was originally planned. I Broke away from my schedule, and jumped on the northern line. I arrived 20 minutes into the show, and worse, all tickets sold out. Coming all the way from Oslo I was determined to find away. Using a combination of conversation skills and the odd bribe, the doors finally opened and I got to enjoy 35 minutes of an enthusiastic live band in front of a pleased audience.

The Sunburst Band is a collective born out of Dave Lee aka Joey Negro’s passion for boogie, funk, disco and jazz.The band are taking the live circuit by storm playing sell out venues across the UK and Europe with a highly polished and unique live sound that is missing from much of today’s dance music. In Dave’s words; “It’s not like I’m the guy who harps on that it was so much better back in ’78, but at the same time I’m a bit of a polar resistor who goes against the flow. So many dance acts are making electro I’ve gone the other way with this project. I’ve missed the performance thing, the intensity of a band playing together.”

Indeed, house music needs to rediscover the live performance. Seeing seven talented musicians play off each other, the vocalists, the saxophone, the bass, the drums, the guitar, the keys and the electronic elements all blended together with enthusiasm and joy – It certainly was a great experience.

As always, I highly recommend you to visit the Jazz Café if you are in London.

Released: 09/11/2009

What an exquisite piece of balearic bliss! I am absolutely in love with Rocha’s debut single “Hands of love (fingers of sand), a record that was recently released on the brand new label International Feel Recordings. If you loved House of House’s “Rushing to paradise” you will adore this one.

The fingers of the artist gently sweeps through the ivory of the piano and interacts with a slow spaced out disco groove to create a monster of a tune. With that description of the soundscape, there is no surprise to see legendary disco producer and dj Harvey coming up with a remix. He dubs it down and adds a sweet layer of sweet, funky bongo percussion. There are rumors saying he actually signed on to do three releases on the label, so keep your eye out in the coming months.

Another hot producer, Reverso 68, takes the original into progressive territory, adding some electro elements, yet not leaving its disco foundation.  There are also remixes from Gatto Frittos and Mugwump.

Listen on YouTube | Juno Records | Soul Seduction |

Released: 1983

Don’t really remember how I discovered this tune, but is definitively up there with my favorite disco moments. A UK top ten hit released in 1983, it’s got the girlish charm and the sweetness of a Jackson Five gem, all put on a slow, funky discobeat.

It just goes on forever, not really distinguishing the break from the rest of the tune. Juliet Roberts is the vocalist carrying the lyrics, and you start to wonder why we didn’t hear much more from her during the last days of disco. The release I’ve got has the original, an instrumental version (but why cut out those lovely words?), and a acapella version for mixing it up.

| YouTube |

Released: 27/01/2009

This is an absolutely amazing debut release from House Of House on Harvey’s highly collectable label. There are only 600 copies of this in the world (thus the price of £15 equals well spent). Two good tracks, where “Rushing to paradise” is the track of choice. 

“Rushing to paradise” is an euphoric, playful piano house anthem on the same level as Rub & Tug’s brilliant remix of “Snake and ladder” (I still love that one). Wicked stuff! You have to wait for it though, it builds for ages before it finally releases eight minutes in. I quite like the vocals as well, expressing love gone wrong, but with tons of determination and optimism. 

“The rough half (don’t stop)” is a slow, 80s inspired balearic classic with your fair dose of guitars. Both sides of this one will stay in your box for quite a while.

The popularity of genres twists and turns, and obviously we have been back to disco and balearic for a while, perhaps as a reaction to the massive trend that was (and still is) minimal. However, this is far from lazy recycled balearic, it is a contemporary classic.

Phonica | Hypem | Juno | MySpace |

Released: 02/03/2009

One of the best disco re-edits I have hear so far. A group of bloggers from the UK and Japan have joined up and released four smoking edits – with one definitively standing out. The one is Karen Young’s classic “Deetour” produced by Walter Kahn at Queen Village Recording Studios in Philadelphia in the early 1980s. It is a classic, slightly cheesy boogie track with so much joy and excitement put in that you just can’t stop smiling and dancing.

Other tracks on the release include “Masimbabele” by The Unknown Cases – a slow 80s groover with an africanism vocal and some retro guitar riffs put in for for good measure. On the flip, “What’s that you’re doing” is a electric Prince’ish disco track that is more than playable, while “Spotlight” is a slow baleric disco delight straight out of a slow scene in Miami Vice. 

Fat City | Juno Records | Phonica |

Released: 20/01/2009

My first face to face experience with Horse Meat Disco was when I was required to buy a mustache to get in to their very neatly organized area during last years Lovebox Weekender – to see Maurice Fulton. The institution is, of course, older than that and has been going for more than five years now.

The clubnights (and now label) have dedicated itself to disco in all its forms. Every Sunday night in South London the Horse Meat Disco residents and special guests take charge of the decks and deliver the foundation for great dancefloor movement. “Attracting a wide audience of old time disco heads, club kids, bears, naturists and something new in gay clubs; a space where disco fans of a heterosexual persuasion could live out their fantasy of going to a gay disco club without feeling totally out of place”. Sounds like we’re back in legendary New York City days of disco right?

Finally the people behind the club have put together an EP of two very special edits of Horse Meat Disco classics! Both “Dusty Blue” and “Don’t go in the bushes” will get the floor dancing. Can’t really decide which one I like the most at the moment – but already looking forward to the next installment in the series!

Phonica | Rough Trade | MySpace |

Released: 09/02/2009

Originally a prolific club night deep in the south west of England, Good Groove was known for serving up a unique mash up of disco, funk and breaks. Naturally, when the guys behind started their own record label it was going to revolve around that sound – with the ambition that their releases never would leave a dj’s record box!

This EP is the eight release of the “Regrooved” series (the label’s 12th release), and it continues to deliver a good blend of funky house, disco, latin and breaks – all made for the dancefloor. 

My favorite is the Breakbeat Junkie’s “Here’s the funky beat” which is a soulful house number with those lucid and funky little piano lines, old school rhymes and good grooves. This is definitively going to be a hit with a lot of dj’s out there – including me. One the same side, the Sly Players turns the funk and tempo up with “Turn you one”, combining the breakbeat and disco elements neatly. One the flip, Calagad13 joins in with a re-work of an old disco classic, while DJP goes into latin territory. A decent package for several occasions, but prominently lead by the Breakbeat Junkie.

PS! Check out my review of “Featurecast – Take a ride” on the same label.

Fat City | MySpace | Juno |

Released: 10/11/2008

The king of the edit, Greg Wilson returns with more edits. This release includes two of Greg Wilson’s best-loved edits of recent times reactivated on one indispensable 12″.

“I was a teenage dj” is all about those old school boogie and disco breaks. It was first issued back in 2005, and has become a collectors item. Do you spot the the intro section of KC & The Sunshine Band’s 70s hit, “I’m Your Boogie Man” ?

“Gotta keep workin’ it” is a perfect mash up of Imagination’s 80s classic “Just an illusion” and Missy Elliots “Work it“. It is more than a straight mash though, with odd pieces thrown in for good mixture here and there. It was originally pressed on vinyl in 2006 via Young Dog Alien.

Fat City | Juno Records | Electro Funk Roots | MySpace

Released: 26/08/1998

You probably remember the Lighthouse Family when I mention songs like “High” and “Run”. The duo released some great soul and balearic pop back in the 1990s. Vocalist Tunde Baiyewu and keyboard player Paul Tucker are no longer active as a group, after they split in 2003, but their music is still in my heart. “Question of faith” was their fourth single from their second album “Postcards from heaven”.

This hard to find Idjut Boys remix of The Lighthouse Family is a killer. The original is a downtempo Ibiza sunset classic, but the Idjut Boys transforms it into a deep, groovy balearic house territory. It has got the beats, the groove, the vocals, that piano line and the obligatory soulful flute. I always get in a good mood when I hear it, and it has gotten great response whenever I play it out. Good re-work from Dan Tyler and Conrad McDonnell!

I have tried to find a better version online, but unfortunatly you have to settle with this one.

Released: 17/07/2008

On Germany’s brilliant Kompakt label, Closer Musik’s Matias Aguayo delivers a critique of the overcrowded and all to familiar minimal techno. Aguayo sidesteps the genre’s conventions by including a full on vocal line that targets music with “no groove, no balls” over funky guitar licks, lazy beats and a fair share of percussion.

It is all about the Dj Koze remix though. He delivers a beautiful deep house number where the vocal is laid on top of a neat new wave, dreamy filtered disco type groove you should be able to relate to – this tune as a lot going for it. I recommend you to check out more stuff from Koze if you like that warm, downtempo and minimal yet complex sounding techno. A starting point might be his 2003 remix of Heiko Voss “I think about you” that appeared on Michael Mayers “Fabric” compilation.

YouTube | Kompakt | MySpace | Beatport | Juno | LastFM | Boomkat |