dc reworks

There is no doubt that David Charles L'Heureux aka DC La Rue had an enormous impact on the Disco world, as well as subsequent dance related genre's. He's been sampled many times and even had an edit or two (most notably so far is Greg Wilson's excellent re-fiddle of 'Cathedrals' on Disco Deviance). More recently a new label, set up to honor the man and his influence, Pyramid Disco has begun a series of reworks. In fact their first release came out on Friday with a pair of cracking edits from Pete Herbert and the unstoppable groove machine that is The Revenge. If you like the idea, it will please you further to know that commissions have been dispatched to Popular Peoples Front, BC, Greg Wilson, Ashley Beedle, Situation and Richard Sen amongst others for more goodies. So another label to keep an eye on for sure, check their Myspace for further future DC action and check out the PH edit of Let Them Dance below... primo club gear...

ball game

Sylvia's 1973 album 'Pillow Talk' is deadly, we know this! It's a slow soul wet dream, packed with incredible hooks, lush instrumentation and Sylvia's breathy brilliance. But do you know the follow up album, simply titled 'Sylvia'? It's not hard to find, nor very expensive, but kind of less well known and it shouldn't be. 'Sylvia' is full of gems, I been itching to post her version of Marvin Gaye's 'You Sure Love To Ball'... ooof!

Sylvia - You Sure Love To Ball

JAZ - I Played Sports

An inevitable outcome of an industry driven by new releases, is that some things will get overlooked (certainly here at a.n.o.e. where the boss is prone to hyper forgetfulness). Even in the game of re-looking at the past, some things fall to the back of the pile quicker than they should. So with well over half the year having melted into history, it occurred to me that amongst 09's album highlights (so far), I have failed to mention at least one of my favourites; the diggers treasury that is 'I Played Sports' by JAZ, a classic collection of edits if ever there was one.

I never know how long most of you have been coming here, but it's true that if u are a long time reader of these pages then you'll know I'm a major JAZ fan. Awhile back I was lucky enough to get a little chat time with this intriguing man (check here) and of course he has contributed two outstanding mixes to a.n.o.e. (Press Play #8 & 'Leather Get Going' - both are still available for download), he's put out a number of wonderful 12"s and of course the album 'I Played Sports' on Claremont 56's imprint Sixty Five (two of the finest labels of the last 3 odd years), he is also one of those clever clog's over at Dream Chimney.

So did u buy the album? What say you? If you haven't yet, consider this... As far as collections of finely re-worked gems from the past by a single artist (is it an album? is it a compilation?) you will, this year, have to at least have acquired Loud E's 'Loud E Fied', Phantom Slashers 'Key To The Tripod' & Afrobutt's 'Wunderbutt' (although it's not strictly all edits??). 'I Played Sports' is unquestionably the fourth release in this possible power quartet (?). I don't mean to suggest it's fourth in line though, they each have their own quirky visions and qualities. JAZ favours a particular range of sound which i find hard to describe accurately; you'll know he dabbles in the spacey Disco Rock end of things, unearthing tracks which are instantly familiar and simultaneously obscure and then very carefully enhances their not always obvious grooves. It's a wonderful collection which, perhaps oddly, hangs together very well as an album, rather than a collection of tracks or edits; it comes down to his very specific field of musical interests. Todd Terje paid 'Give Some Love' a lil' lip service recently on DJHistory, stating this track alone was reason enough to buy it (it's also available on a sampler 12"). For me personally, there are 14 reasons to buy this album... check 'Shake Your Wonder Maker' below for one of my favourites...

philondendron & discovery

I used to think I knew a lot about music, all kinds too, but the older I get and the more I dig around the more I realize how little I really do know. Through this here blog I've met quiet a few people, often producers, who's knowledge is so extensive it boggles the last remaining braincells I have. But it's all good, one cant know everything and unlearning is as much a part of going forward as anything else is. a.n.o.e. is, if you haven't guessed yet, a journal of discovery, you go where I go (if you care to). I have, of course, put up tracks that have meant everything they could to me, but there are many, if not more I have discovered on the way. Well OK then, talk about taking a slightly tedious route to introducing the track below as one I only discovered yesterday.

I had seen the compilation 'Disco Deutschland Disco: Funk & Philly Anthems From Germany 1975-1980' before, it was released back in 2007 on Marina Records. It intrigued me, but somehow I forgot about it. The CD, which i now have, is an excellent example of doing right by the music; it has extensive notes and nice reproductions of the original record covers for all the tracks it features. Much more than that it contains a number of wonderful German takes on that lush, strings heavy, sweet melodic Philly sound. I find Veronika Fischer & Bands 'Philodendron' to be for the most part quiet brilliant; I could probably do without the cocktail Disco bits, but then perhaps the really deep parts wouldn't sound so deep. Check it! (now if somebody could get me a recording of the b side)

Veronika Fischer & Band - Philodendron

sad ghost alert!

hmmm, look what just popped up on that fabulous label American Standard (check the player) on the flip of their new release. The Mr Chinn edit is a killer rework of 'Get Yourself Together' and the Sad Ghost you should know fairly well by now... support this release! Not long now till it's in stores! woohoo!

Cuebism alert!

I wanted also to give you all a heads up to go and check out this release on Junior 4, for not only are the two Matador edits rather lovely, but it also contains Cuebism's edit 'Disco 2000'. The only other place you might have heard that stellar party starter would be here at a.n.o.e. where it first featured in Lynn's (aka Cuebism) incredible press play mix which is still available for upload on the sidebar (a life altering mix if ever there was one). JR4 Label boss Matthew Moore, recently got in touch to let me know that he'd hunted down Cuebism after he heard the mix, in order to procure the track. It's pure class and is now thankfully available on vinyl.. go get it! oh and yes yes more downloads coming up (cheeky buggers!)

sargeant lovebody has it under control

It's an edits heavy week again, although this one is only for listening purposes, but listen ye must (or should). The story behind Sargeant Lovebody is very real, he has done things most of us would exchange small body parts to have had a part in. Head over to his Myspace page and read the story for yourself, it's well impressive, amazing even. And then there are the tracks, full on Disco cut ups designed for starting a riot; modern, high octane and good good fun. 'Skippys down the well' & 'Cliff's Gone Crazy' will both be available on JunoDownload on friday (yes tomorrow) and with more heavyweights on the way, Lovebody's strategy is clear, total control!

love dont come easy

If you were ever or are a fan of Dublex Inc then you might know that co founders Flo Pflüger & Felix Brucklacher relaunched their killer 7" Grande Buffo label back in 2005 with releases from D.I., Ray City Bowler, and Sneaky Fox (all worth a look in). D.I. aka Dublex Inc have morphed once again into the Disco cut up lovin' Space Ranger and have a release out on Plimsoll as well as a digital only rework of MJ's 'Thriller'. The 12" on Plimsoll is great, especially for their excellent re-working of New Jersey Connection's "Love Don't Come Easy", you get to check it out below. The release also comes with a lovely edit of D-Train's "Keep On" dub mix, a track which, in it's original form, never leaves my box, Space Ranger fiddle the switches on it and have come up with a tasty and handy dj tool. No doubt Space Ranger know how to update a gem for current club floors, but they also clearly do so with nimble and experienced jazz hands, it's clubby but still very much Disco. Thanks Flo for the hook up... Keep an eye on their Myspace for new tracks and a forthcoming release on Lovemonk.

New Jersey Connection - Love Don't Come Easy (Space Ranger Edit)

delhi disco?

It's a very rough and simple edit, it's supreme Bollywood slo mo disco, the original is quiet beautiful and it's here to download for awhile....

Saraswati Love Deluxe - Coming Closer

Sorcerer - Neon Leon

The excellent Tirk send me a copy of the new album 'Neon Leon' from Sorcerer, which was released a week or so back, please go check out all the tracks somewhere (here at Juno maybe?); it's lovely! If you liked the Coyote album, then you should love this, it has a much wider scope (for a Balearic or Nu Disco or whatever type album) as it touches on mellow Boogie sounds, deep deep house, strange Pop and quirky cut up Disco lite, Sorcerer also have an understated penchant for 'Avalon' era Roxy Music. 'Neon Leon' is expertly produced and superbly arranged, I mean it; this album has a sheen on it made for easy space travel. Of course i love a bit of 'the roughness', but then one doesn't look to this end of the spectrum for dirt, even when Sorcerer venture into darker territory, it's never tangled or messy.

Remove all those labels we all made up in recent times and try to take it out of context (yes impossible i know... but), 'Neon Leon' fits perfectly into a long line of spacey Fusion Pop which, vocals aside, might include the 'Steve Mcqueen' album from Prefab Sprout or Blue Nile's immense first two albums, even Sylvian's 'Gone To Earth' double. The other main point one could make about the sound of Sorcerer is that they're from California, it's deep in their veins and shines through their music; it's a sort of sun-bleached decay, an expansive cruisin' abstraction. Check out 'Ride The Serpent' below and grab a copy if you're into this sort of thing. rated!

presage

After a quiet week around here, I once again have a whole bunch of things to pass on to you; another new killer Press Play mix, a few reviews, a new exclusive Balearic mix series from Pavel Plastikk (which is sooo fine) and a few dug up dusty grooves of quality...

Zeljko Kerleta's Cosmic Sounds uncovered and brought into circulation once more (certainly to a wider audience than ever before) any number of exquisite lost European Jazz, Funk, Psyche and Fusion tracks over the 5 or 6 years the label ran. One of the labels standout releases, the compilation 'Wizard: Rare Jazz/Fusion Gems from Czechoslovakian Vaults Volume 2' features the very excellent Jazz Q, an outfit who released quiet a few albums with various line ups and name alterations during the 70's and early 80's. Zeljko's excellent compilation features two tracks from early Jazz Q; 'Wizard' and 'Presage', both are excellent, the later is an incredible Folk, Psyche, Jazz, Rock journey with heavy shades of Santana and a memorable monster groove. Check it!

Jazz Q - Presage