Disco | Boogie Vinyl 238 Items

Reissue of this italo disco rarity from 1983. Comes with Flemming Dalum remixes!

Massimo Morini, has been technical director and conductor of San Remo festival for over 30 years. On his conducting debut in 1995 he was only 26 years old. Before his big hall music adventure started, back in 1985 he formed his first italo disco group – J.F & Hitwave, later to be transformed into Love Kills (I want to Become). A forgotten and highly demanded among obscure 7″ italo collectors tune titled “Dance Floor Girl” is now brought back to the light of day on a 12″ vinyl. The reissue contains previously unreleased 12″ version as well remixes by Flemming Dalum, Italoconnection and Also Playable Mono.

Here we have another magical achievement of the early 70’s counterculture. Officially released in 1972 on the small imprint Westwood Recordings, the album has an intimate, predominantly acoustic flavor. Flutes, chimes and gentle organ sounds all over the place. Tales of faraway lands, sand, sea, castles, kings, queens and even Peter Pan dominates the scene, imposing a sort of ancestral feel. Rob Armstrong, the leader of the group, became a renowned luthier and you can hear the care and love of the acoustic guitar in his music. The short lived british folk trio released just this single before vanishiong. The album consists of nine acoustic folk tracks of their own material and the Bob Dylan's classic Tom Thumb Blues.

**7" vinyl in printed house-bag w/ Postcard insert**
Freestyle dig out another rarity in the form of a DIY brit-funk 7" from Highway Motion aka David Humphrey (a session drummer who played with Sparks, and with PiL on the iconic Metal Box LP & Death Disco 12"). Tinged with raw post-punk edge and 70s library music-style synth leads, this 45 is quite simply massive amounts of fun.
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David Humphrey's professional career as a drummer began aged 19 with Public Image Ltd, providing some of the drum tracks on their iconic Metal Box album and Death Disco single. Humphrey would then go on to work with Mike Oldfield and then Sparks, playing with the latter on their Number One Song in Heaven tour, Top of The Pops and recording sessions for Beat the Clock and Tryouts for the Human Race (those sessions were included and featured in Edgar Wright's recent film 'The Sparks Brothers).
In 1980, Clap Hands and Double O One Disco were recorded under the name 'Highway Motion' - intended by Humphrey as "raw experimental tracks" they were both laid down on a 4-track and subsequently released on the DIY Star Records imprint. Rough, grooving, candid and playful; these two tracks seem to somehow simultaneously meld the burgeoning brit-funk sound of the early 80s with a riotous post-punk edge, along with a good dollop of synth-led library music.
Following it's release David formed the group Reflex, recording and releasing the Funny Situation 7" in 1981 - forming the only other title in the Star Records catalogue. A more straight-up brit-funk dancer yet still pressed and sold in small quantities, Funny Situation became a sought-after record on the second hand collector's market, and finally saw reissue last September 2020 on the start-up Paint A Picture label - garnering plays from from Gilles Peterson on BBC 6 Music and Worldwide FM, StreetSounds radio and reaching No 1 in Juno records Chart. David has now started to working on new music using the name Davey H, and released his first new material in decades recently on Six Nine Records.

Originally released in 1987, « Metropolitan Jungle » by German synth-pop band Cold End is reissued by Swiss label Proxima. Cold End is the second musical project of Katrin A. Kunze, Jürgen Grah and Markus Kammann. Musically, the sound of Cold End was something special back in the time, as a successful fusion of electronic and soul. Dynamic percussions, synth textures and enchanting vocals. Includes an aerial rework by Audrey Danza. All four tracks are freshly remastered!

Limited edition of 100 copies on blue wax. Only available at HHV.

Disco Segreta sets your summer on fire with the official reissue of two killer obscure italo-disco masterpieces! Out of the catalog of the no longer active cult Savona-based label Disco In, this 7” released in 1985 in 1000 copies sung by the mysterious Laura Angel, is probably one of the most elusive, with original copies hardly ever showing up ! “Summer Time” carries all the fascinating stylistic elements of italo-disco: romantic struggle, summer-inspired ital-english lyrics sung by a catchy female voice, over minimal 80s drums and arpeggiated basslines; while “If You Want” is possibly one of the finest examples of that all-Italian peculiar mixture of darkwave, synth-pop and italo-disco. Two superb melanchol-italo tearjerkers, with a masterful use of three classic italo disco fetish synths: E-mu Drumulator, Juno 106, Korg Poly 61. As usual with us, the first ever 12” reissue of this 45 - in a limited edition on 180g. high-quality vinyl - will be lovingly remastered, respectful of the actual tracks’ 80s lo-fi vibe, and will feature the original 45 versions.

We are proud to present the first ever vinyl release of “No Message” by Art P, a still lesser known and lost masterpiece from the P.A.P. archives. Art P (initially Art Programming) was an electronic music duo consisting of Jens-Markus Wegener and Frank Grotelüschen. On “No Message”, originally released in 1985, we hear the band’s most profound work, a detailed and unique mixture in between of Electro and the synth-laden edge of New Wave.

The two artists from Bremen, the second largest city in Northern Germany after Hamburg, initially met in early 1982 due to a small add in a local newspaper when Grotelüschen was selling his Roland 101 synthesizer. Wegener became the new owner of the machine, the two kept in touch and soon became friends. When Grotelüschen was on holiday for a while he was nice enough to borrow his TR 808 drum machine as well as his Jupiter 4 synth to Wegener. During those six weeks he composed about 6 to 7 tunes that amazed his newly found partner, so that they decided to work together. Art Programming was born and from then on the two electronic music enthusiasts combined forces and released music on various projects. On their first album, the self titled “Art Programming” (1983), they worked with instruments like the Korg Mono/Poly which they mainly used for their bass sounds, a Roland Tb-303 as well as a Fricke sequencer. Later, newer synths like the Yamaha Dx-9 came into play.

We initially discovered Art P on the tape compilation “berlincassette 2-85” a couple of years ago. Their contribution, the title track from their second and last album “No Message”, blew us right away: punchy drum machines, heavy synths and cool female vocals delivering a serious, yet slightly ironic view on the meaninglessness in pop music having “no message”. A couple of months later, when we finally were lucky to get hold of an original full length tape (which is pretty hard to come by!), we couldn’t ask for more: powerful apocalyptic Synth Wave on “A Place To Fear”, thrilling vocoder Electro Funk on “Polaroid”, uptempo New Wave Synth Pop on “Sounds of the City”, dreamy and melodic Electro on “Without Jackets”, and other well produced tracks. It was an absolute necessity for us to get in touch with Art P and ask for permission to re-release their music on vinyl.

“No Message” was remastered from the absolute best original tape source and sounds incredibly well. The release is limited to 300 copies and will be pressed on blue vinyl. It contains an insert with lyrics and additional art. We think it is save to say, that this should not be missed!

Following on from the runaway success of Soundway’s Kiki Gyan 24 Hours In A Disco, another Ghanaian legend looks to have his time to shine. One of the most well-known disco and burger highlife artists of the time, Charles Amoah originally began his career as a drummer. Playing with Alex Kunadu’s band, as well as the Precious Jewels and even Nana Tuffour, he then moved to Germany in the early 80s. His first album Sweet Vibration spawned several hits which went on to be released as separate singles, namely “Scratch My Back” and “Shake Your Body To The Beat”. From the irresistible funk hooks of these singles, to the Lionel Richie-esque instrumentation of “Life’s Like Being In A Boxing Ring”, or the kraut-rock stylings of “Jungle Rock” - there is little doubt that the blend of disco, funk and highlife that was unique to the Ghanaian-German scene can be experienced in its full splendour on Sweet Vibration.

Another Boogie-Funk records repress for the 1st time. Recorded in Lagos, Nigeria in 1982. Features the great Nkono Teles on clavinet and electric piano and Jojo Kuo, drummer who played with Manu Dibango and Fela Kuti among others.

Edition Hawara’s fifth release is a raw funk gem by a little-known Austrian pop band called Magic Sound. Edition Hawara’s second 7“release features one of the more obscure Austrian bands from the 1980s. Little is known about Magic Sound. The cover suggests that their label wanted them to be Austria’s Village People, though their sound is much rawer and funkier. One thing we know for sure is that the group included Andy Töfferl, who was also a member of the famous Austrian pop ensemble EAV (Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung). And we know that they went to the studio to record a whole album after touring Sweden in 1980. Only these two songs survived, and they are worth listening to over and over again. Enjoy in fancy dress, or dressed down. With or without a moustache.

Re-issue on blue vinyl of this Sabadell Sound anthem released originally in 1987 by Blanco y Negro Music.‘Crazy’ wss the follow-up of ‘In The Night’ (re-issues on picture disc) and keeps the mood of that italo inspired movement created in Spain know as Sabadell Sound. Uptempo and happy track very italoish. Limited edition!

"Worthy re-issue of obscure Trouble in Side, which is a one-off studio project entirely written, sung and arranged by Luigi Della Ragione. "Zulu Rap" represented a surprising alternative to the typical Italo-Disco sound perceived in Naples and around in the early 80s. This little-known production has some interesting arrangements, mostly in the short version, where the drum work out raised below, reminiscent of "Love Hangover" by Diana Ross. Actually at that time the Dance Music Report, in its 'Import' column wrote that the "intro" of the 'Alcoholic Version' was reminiscent of Madonna's "Holiday". while the 'Chinese Version' was inspired by a song from the Tears For Fears. Some of this news may pique the curiosity of DJs and collectors and provide enough motivation for the current reissue which faithfully reproduces the three 1984 versions as well as the original noteworthy cover artwork. If that wasn't enough: the B side of the original record had an extra track not listed, with the hand drums on a slower and unrelated "Zulu Rap" drum beat which is around 120 BPM, while the drums of the bonus track is about 113 BPM. A little more inside info... the beautiful Maria Chiara Perugini (aka Clio) is part of the choir vocals. She was part of the Airport label for the recording of her first solo song "Eyes". A historical re-release"

Cult South Asian New Wave! Naya Beat is proud to announce its second release, Tere Liye, the highly sought after and impossible to find New Wave album by the unsung pioneers of the British Asian music scene, Pinky Ann Rihal. Remastered for vinyl by multi Grammy-nominated Frank Merritt at The Carvery and available for the first time since its limited 1985 release, the album is as fresh and relevant today as it was 37 years ago. South Asian New Wave. Four words that you will rarely see together. Pinky Ann Rihal were the brainchild of two London-based Punjabi immigrants and progressive rock musicians – Harry Rihal and Jati Sodhi – at a time in the U.K. when progressive rock musicians were almost exclusively white and Punjabi musicians were almost exclusively making Bhangra. Encouraged by their friend and disco pioneer Biddu (yes, that Biddu!), they cut ‘Tere Liye’ – a one-off Hindi-language New Wave album with producer John Hamilton and vocalists Pinky Rihal (married to Harry) and Anne Barrett (married to John). It is an album that exemplifies the cultural collaboration and musical synthesis of the time. Complementing the rich, cosmic and layered synths and drum programming of Hamilton and the distorted guitars of Rihal and Sodhi are the Hindi lyrics of vocalists Pinky and Anne. The result is an amazing one-of-a-kind South Asian New Wave album. Nothing like it has come out before or since. Stymied on its original release by bungled distribution, poor marketing and plenty of bad luck, this incredible album seemed destined to be lost to history. With Asian electronic music in the U.K. seeing a rebirth and capturing imaginations around the world,‘Tere Liye’ can finally take its rightful place as one of the pioneering albums of the Asian underground. This is Naya Beat’s second release in a series of reissues, reworks and remixes, and compilations dedicated to uncovering electronic and dance music from the overlooked ‘80s and ‘90s South Asian music scene. Their first release Naya Beat Volume 1: South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983-1992 was named by the Vinyl Factory as the Number 1 reissue of 2021

The Emotional Rescue reissue series of Noel Williams aka King Sporty working with other artists and singers on the Konduko label's roster comes to completion with the deep funk disco of The Prolifics' Boy Child.

Formed in 1970 as part of "Senator" Nolan Jones' New Orleans soul and funk label Hep' Me Records, the bands early deep southern soul saw them release a series of 7"s for Hep' Me and Avco, plus an Xmas single for EMI and the minor hit A Place Called Home, recorded at the infamous Musle Shoals studios, backed by the Rhythm Section band who, from the early 60s, turned out hit after hit, from When A Man Loves A Women to Brown Sugar.

Landing on the newly inked Drive label, set up in '72 by Henry Stone as a sub label of his burgeoning T.K Records empire, their developing move in to funk saw them featured alongside Funky Nassau, Jimmy Castor and Peter Brown. It is here the connection with Noel Williams was formed. While putting together the "Konduko Six Pack" showcase album, the band were invited to the Miami Sound Studios for sessions that brought us both title cut Boy Child and the accompanying You Got Me.

All brass and claps, Boy Child is as funky as Williams got, backing the groups soul vocals, a story of first born's energetic path in life and a mothers love. The backing from Deep Rockers band bring the swing, the trippy keys and wide bottom end has made this a secret drop for many. You Got Me on the other hand is true King Sporty, a driving 9-minute disco boogie cut, where the warm harmonies lay down this uplifting, killer dance floor stop.

To close, the flip is again given over for reinterpretation, welcoming back Felix Dickinson to expertly cut, loop and dub. A special personal song for Dickinson, his subtle extension teases the intro for DJ play, before letting things fly - "the little show-off" as the song notes. With a near 30-year DJ and production career in place, his Discomix is a fitting way to complete this cycle of reissues of this benchmark label, for now.

Dark Entries presents a reissue of Shawn Pittman’s 1989 Dreams, an obscure and highly sought-after private press gem produced and written by Art Forest. An undersung figure in the development of the late 80’s Detroit techno sound, Forest collaborated with, produced, or penned material for many of the key players in the movement, including Inner City, Suburban Knight, and the Belleville Three themselves (on Kreem’s “Triangle of Love”). This reissue gives Forest’s own productions some shine while providing a thrill for both dancers and collectors. Dreams features two songs, both written and produced by Art Forest and featuring Shawn Pittman on vocals. The A-side contains two mixes of “Dreams”, a smooth R&B/modern soul number driven by Pittman’s vocal. While the song is undeniably radio-friendly, it contains some of the hallmarks of the Detroit techno sound – sparse arrangement, lush reverb, and booming bass. On the B-side, we are treated to two different versions of the clubbier “I’m Losing Control”. The original mix leans towards boogie/freestyle, with syncopated 909 beats and sassy synth vamps, and wouldn’t sound out of place next to Forest’s work with Inner City. The Extended-Bass-ment Club Mix strips things down and dubs them out, leaving us with shards of bass synth, brooding strings, and Pittman’s vocals eerily warped to the edge of recognition; a perfect late-night warehouse anthem.

Get ready to warp drive on the Disco Segreta spaceship ! This time we pay tribute to the overlooked work of italian musician Luciano Zanetti. Still relatively unknown to most, he was born in Lecco, where he graduated in violin and piano at the local Conservatorio, but then focused on acoustic and electric guitar, spending most of his life as a musician and teacher. The only recorded evidences ever published by Zanetti are incidentally just two disco-related 45s. The one presented here, “Volo Delta”, was a synth driven space disco track released in 1976 on Zanetti’s own private label Rot, before such niche subgenre found its way into disco productions. But we discovered that “Volo Delta” was just a part of a sort of “space suite” Zanetti had been working on: a wonderfully cinematic blend of downbeat electronica, chiptune, library music and mellow synth-work recorded in 1975, sounding way ahead of its time, perfectly rendering what was the concept of “future” and “space” back in the 1970s. The EP “Space” presents for the first time the original slightly extended version of “Volo Delta”, and three *previously unreleased* tracks: “Esplorazione”, “Incontri Ravvicinati” and “Verso Base Terra”. As usual with our extreme quality standards, all tracks are taken from the actual analog multitrack masters and respectfully remastered. Strictly limited edition on 180gr. audiophile vinyl.

Sound Signature is proud to present a re-issue of the 7-inch single from Sundown titled "Spaced Outta Place". Composed by Amp Fiddler, Spaced Outta Place was originally released in 1981 on Parkside Records.

An album deemed by many to be Chicago-native Cecil Lyde’s crowning achievement, Out Break was released in 1984 with his group Home Boy and the C.O.L. - the follow-up to 1982’s self-titled debut for the group. While many of Lyde’s earlier works redeem the charms of their lo-fi production qualities, the ambition of Out Break is plain to see as the band erupts into 8 minute opener “You Turn Me Out,” and deliver an 80s electro-funk record packed with hits. This album is a wholesome, luxurious listening experience, and reflective moments like the ballad “I Don’t Want To Be A Movie Star,” broadens the dynamic range by easing the pace and building tension via passionate vocal harmonies. P-vine is thrilled to be reissuing the album as a limited edition LP with an iconic Japanese obi strip attached.

Two years after his debut album Stone Free, Chicago-native Cecil Lyde followed up with a second album of mesmeric modern soul and boogie with his group Home Boy And The Col. Released in 1982, this album possesses the same jagged and electric playfulness of the original while developing a taste for electronic production - his flirtations of a digital kind fill the air in instrumental moments like the electro floor-filler “Time to Change”. Make no mistake though, Lyde’s rich vocals are the highlight on many of the tracks here, and kick into motion the timeless hits “I’ll Make It On My Own” and “Love Was The Cost”. P-vine is thrilled to be reissuing the album for a world first limited edition LP pressing with an iconic Japanese obi strip attached.

Another gem from the extensive Flipper Music catalog, more precisely from their Flower sublabel, "Dreams For Sax" is possibly one of the most stand-out productions from their studio ensemble Gruppo Sound, this time around featuring saxophonist Paolo Russo with keyboardists Stefano Galante and Vittorio Quattrini. First released in 1987, the songs recorded for "Dreams For Sax" are a beautiful melange of easy-listening electronic and jazzy vibes, from mellow tunes such as "Dawning" and "First Class" to some killer floor-filling italo disco bangers such as "Walking On Air" and "Dance Power". A groovy Italian library banger from the 80's now available on vinyl for the first time since its original release as a limited edition of 500 copies.

As disco legends Giorgio Moroder and Cerrone were pumping out disco hits in 1979 a lesser known Bernard Estardy was releasing leftfield disco under aliases like Estrak Lancios, L.E.B. Harmony, and Universal Energy. Limited reissue with pic sleeve. Mystery colored vinyl. Preorders suggested!

We’re proud to announce the re-issue of this obscure Hi-NRG banger by Bobby Orlando! Comes with an additional DJ cut by Vanzetti & Sacco. 'You can watch them making love on video'

A re-issue of this timeless italo ballad produced by Italian percussionist Massimo Pacciani. The song was recorded in 1984 in Marzio Bennelli’s studio in Florence with an Oberheim Ob-x, Yamaha DX7, Marzio on guitar and the great vocals of Riccardo Galardini. They took inspiration from Flashdancers – Maniac (an italo cover of Michael Sembello’s ‘Maniac’) which they recorded the same day in Bennelli’s studio. Remastered from original master tapes.

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“¡Soltad a Barrabás!” (Release Barrabás!) was the third album by the famous Spanish funk-rock band. Recorded in the US and originally released in 1974, housed in a shocking gatefold cover, this time the sound was 100% funk oriented and included big hits like “Hi-Jack”, covered by Herbie Mann. After reaching worldwide success with their previous two albums and a lenghty South America tour, Fernando Arbex went even further with Barrabás: he wanted to register their third album in the US. So he managed to book MGM studios in Hollywood and the band spent a month in L.A. Fernando encouraged all the other Barrabás members to write songs for the planned album. The result was a fantastic pro-sounding recording (thanks to the work of sound engineer Humberto Gatica), where the band nearly dropped their previous Latin influences to concentrate on funk and black music. “Hi-Jack” rocketed to number one in the Billboard and Black Music charts in the US and soon after Herbie Mann released his famous jazzy cover. The album also included other ace tracks like “Tell Me The Thing” - much in the vein of Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears, “Suzie Wong”, “Lady Love”...

After releasing some unreleased material by Christopher last year (go buy this now if you dont have it), we now also present you with a reissue of a rare little boogiefunk 45 recorded at Music America Studio, Rochester, New York circa 1987. Recorded, Produced and Performed by Christopher Jay, wonky and charming is the order of the day, I rate this 45 a lot. For this 45 we decided to gift you a picture sleeve of the very cool OG artwork.

Incredibly it’s 45 years since this timeless 45 first surfaced. But it’s only now that it’s become a dazzling duet...

UK record producer and songwriter Ian Levine cut his chops in 1976 linking up with Chicago studio wizards Paul Wilson and Danny Leake and cutting stunning Northern Soul tailor made with Windy City vocalists Barbara Pennington, LJ Johnson and Evelyn Thomas.The singles caused a sensation by giving the young producer his debut hits in the UK pop charts. Enthused by this success, Ian got back together with producer and songwriter Leake (who later worked with Stevie Wonder) and arranger Wilson (he went on to link up with Jerry Butler) and the trio masterminded a truly epic gem aimed at the booming USA Disco scene - Barbara Pennington’s 24 Hours A Day.

The incredible production. opus - complete with a stunning diva lead vocal, incredible scurrying strings,and an irresistibly catchy song that sounded like it was the equivalent of Ashford & Simpson on steroids -became me a massive disco anthem when released on the United Artists label. It was loved so much on both sides of the Atlantic that Ian uses the same backing track some time later to record a male vocalversion for AVI by LJ Johnson. Compared to the all conquering Barbara Pennington gem it went under the radar of everyone except the disco cognoscenti, despite being rather good in its own right.Now after tracking down the original 24 track studio masters, the two versions have been remixed by Paul Mooney to create a unique boy-girl duet.It sounds like it should have been done in the first place, and dare we say even better than the original “solo” versions.

On 'Boogie Down' Bubbha Thomas and The Lightmen lean away from the jazzier moods that they were best known for, towards a mid-tempo boogie/funk workout featuring wide open drum breaks, analog synths, fat claps and vibey backing vocals.

The original 45, released in 1980, now goes for silly money if you can find one, so we thought it would be nice to make it available again. Dedicated to the extensive musical and educational work of Bubbha, who passed away at the end of 2020.
Remastered from original master tapes, officially licensed from Now Again.

Heavy South African cut, unearthed by Dene from LCT, All about the massive title track ''Got My Magic Working''... Phat bassline, machinegun claps dipped in acid! The origins of Amajika is a tale of two worlds colliding at the perfect moment and begin in KwaMushu Township outside Durban. Here would be where a young Tu Nokwe would set up a school to help teach other aspiring youngsters like herself in music, dance and acting. This would become known as the Amajika Youth and Children’s Art Project and would be run from the Nokwe home, a common hangout for artists at the time. Some boast 2000+ pupils going through this program while others claim it wasn’t more than a backyard dance group, but for the lucky group of kids that were members in the mid 80s it would be their chance at stardom. It was during these years that a young aspiring playwright and musician Mbongeni Ngema had come across Tu and her group of gifted youngsters at the Nokwe family home. Although he was touring extensively at the time with the plays Woza Albert and Asinamali, the latter which eventually ended up on broadway, he would spend any time off from the tour with Tu and her dance troop. After being inspired by the American group New Edition, Mbongeni envisioned Amajika as the South African answer and decided to bankroll a studio session. The session would take place in a private studio in Durban.The release of the first single would follow very shortly. The lead track, Tomati-So is a fun swinging groove over some basic programmed drums. The song is dedicated to Tu Nokwe sings of her unique style and kind heart. On his next tour Mbongeni would take the remaining masters with him to the US and had the track remixed. Although it never materialized in a release States side he did return with the remixed tape and release it in South Africa the following year. Much like Tomato So the song was an ode and would be dedicated to the man who was making all their dreams come true. Got My Magic Working sings of going overseas and being a star on Broadway and TV and the man who is making it all happen. All these true predictions are sung on top of a groovy acid bass by a clearly matured troop of artists. During these years of working with Amajika, Mbongeni became very impressed with the exceeding talent of one of the members and decided to cast her in his upcoming musical Sarafina. The other children also wanted to be a part of the Broadway show but not everyone would get a role. This would be the end of Amajika as the next years would be dedicated to creating success on the musical stage. The growing kids that formed Amajika became young adults and pursued their own careers after the fact. Tu Nokwe would leave the country to return years later as the wife of Shaka Zulu on the big screen. To this day she is still very active both on stage and screen while Mbongeni is still writing and adding to the South African Musical Theatre catalog. Fast forward 30 years from the original release to a smokey club where ESA hears Got My Magic Working played by Rush Hours Store’s own Bonnefooi. Instantly he inquires about the track from his homeland and feels it a perfect addition the repertoire of the Afro Synth band he is quietly cooking up. The band’s instrumental take ended up as the B side on a mysterious and limited white label released by Rush Hour in early 2020 but quickly sold out. Here you have compiled the two title tracks from original Amajika singles along with the instrumental version by ESA’s Afro Synth Band for The complete Amajika experience, past to present.

Record Store Day 2021 Release. Insanely catchy 1980's Disco jam from Young & Company on Brunswick. 40 years down the line it sounds as good as it did on day dot. Killer funk guitars, sensuous vocals and luscious harmonies complete with that classic Brunswick touch. Original reissue as in original Brunswick sleeves as if roller-discos never left us.

Italo disco rarity from 1985 with Flemming Dalum and Also Playable Mono remixes.

A UK boogie lost gem from 1982 / Brit Funk era, recorded by singer Tony Crockett and Ralph Lewars' band "Pastiche". All in their early to mid 20's and born in London of Caribbean descent. The group were short lived, working on material for just a few years with the "Queen of Hearts" 12-inch being their only release. The track immediately demands the listener's attention with it's jazz piano, thumping drums, heavy bass, guitar licks and laced with funky flute, synth stabs, spacey sound effects, then dropping into soulful silky vocals and slinky rap - bringing together this killer boogie groove. Now finely re-issued for the first time by Diggers Dozen, giving this incredible rare record a more deserved chance to be heard and loved!

Mondo Groove delights us with a limited edition reissue of the very rare italian electronic library music record released in 1985 by Antimo Serino and Danielle Brochard under the name The Basic Group.

Philly Groove and Brookside are back at it! This time with a remix edit of Finishing Touch - 'Second Best (Is Never Enough)'. Side A gets a Mike Maurro Remix, edited down to a DJ friendly 7'' version and the B Side contains the original single version. Pressed on limited edition blue vinyl 7'' for the collectors.

Archival reissue of a dark, moody, introspective album by the mysterious Ricky Banda, a compatriot and bandmate of Rikki Ililonga and Dr. Footswitch. A welcome addition to the Zamrock canon, and a wonderful discovery for fans of Witch and Amanaz.

Nino Lepore hails from South Italy, and is best known for his self-titled LP from 1986, as well as for his uncredited work on Dancer Record. The 'Chok Musik' 12" from Best Record Italy focuses on two productions from his sole LP, and in the titular track, sexualized funk basslines join a disco drum strut, as guitar riffs shimmer and brass and string orchestrations swirl deliriously between filmic romance and symphonic madness. And after a breakdown into percussive chaos, smooth piano solos alternate with passages of sizzling sax. As for "Bad Time," an introduction of decaying gongs leads to a broken beat groove, with strings evoking atmospheres of exotic noir and horns soloing softly over subdued funk bass motions and distant flashes of guitar. There are jazz rock breakdowns into liquid riffing and flamboyant brass, and during handclap climaxes, horns swell towards the sky.

Re-issue of this sought after ’85 italo classic with Flemming Dalum and Hysteric edits.

The instantly recognisable, Northern / Modern Soul crossover, Rare Pleasure – Let Me Down Easy, featuring the entrancing Sandy Barber on lead vocals, gets a much-welcomed official reissue on 7" for RSD. A classic in it’s own right, alongside being expertly sampled by David Morales for the house anthem ‘Needin’ U’, original’s trade hands for £100+ so an official reissue is long overdue.

Upstairs, a band from Frankfurt, Germany was active from 1977 to 1983. Though considering themselves mainly a rock group, the band incorporated elements of funk, jazz rock and disco into their music. On their rare and privately released debut album “It’s Hard To Get In The Showbiz” from 1980 they created something that could be called Germany’s definite answer to AOR, yet still with an edgy and unique krautrock flavor. The album starts with "Wontcha Try," a track where core songwriter, guitarist and lead singer Helmer Sauer is telling the story about being dismissed from his job: "They tried to tell me in a fucking gentle way, that the time had come to kick me…". Sauer serves more personal, hard-edged lyrics on the album as well. On "Happy Hooker," for example, he tells the story of a working girl in the red light milieu: "The job is as hard that you really can never imagine, she serves for the money, degradin' herself in a way - if you'd know how she's feelin' you wouldn't laugh at all". An empathetic view on the subject of prostitution rarely heard at that time. But aside from the profound lyrics and songwriting, the album has a lot to offer on the groovy side of things. With catchy bass lines, rhythm guitar, Fender Rhodes, Moog synthesizer, Clavinet and swift crisp drumming "It's Hard To Get In The Showbiz" is one of the best examples of late 70s flavored funky rock from Germany. Additional to the aforementioned "Wontcha Try" another DJ delight should be "Make Your Steps On Better Lines" which showcases a superb synth line and disco funk flavors. We also get the slick mellow latinesque AOR grooves of "Get On A Plane" as well as the now-classic "You're Just Yourself", which marks the most soulful track of the LP. As followers of our label are already well aware, "You're Just Yourself" was featured on the compilation, "Boogie On The Mainline – A Collection Of Rare Disco, Funk And Boogie From Germany 1980-1987" from 2018. The band mainly performed locally and never really had ambitions to release their music on a bigger label. Too bad that Upstairs only released this one album. Of course, the highly sought-after original pressing is almost impossible to find nowadays. Therefore, we are proud to finally make this record available again after 40 years for a reasonable, regular LP price. Only 300 copies of the carefully re-mastered repress have been produced, and included is a printed lyrics insert identical to the original. As this is already the 10th release on our label we want to thank you for your support! Stay tuned for more hidden gems unearthed by The Artless Cuckoo.

Remastered & Re-Edited & Remixed versions of the ‘Quare Groove’ classic first released on the group's own Feral Records imprint in Ireland in 1985. Originally inspired by Con O Laoghaire,s trip to Carnival in Trinidad ‘where a woman told me she would see me later at a fete when she was looking ‘Hot and Sexable’’. This is the full vocal version sung by Denise Keogh. As well as an extended club mix of the original, the set feature three other versions, all are reimagined by Morgan Buckley (Wah Wah Wino / No 'Label') using source stems from the original 1985 master lacquer and multitrack tapes courtesy of Windmill Lane Studios.

Taana Gardner's s/t NYC disco classic from 1979 is celebrating its 40th anniversary! Happy birthday! Nicely repressed, remastered and spread across 2 x 12" sides of wax we have this mammoth, benchmark record back on the streets.