Disco | Boogie 207 Items

Further adventures in psychedelic disco cumbia from one-man-band C.A.M.P.O.S. on the much-awaited second studio album

C.A.M.P.O.S. is a one-man tropical electronic psych band consisting of multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer Joshua Douglas Camp. Though C.A.M.P.O.S. stands for Cumbias And More Psychedelic Original Sounds, there are no limits to Camp’s musical creativity, with the project taking cues from everything from Americana and pop rock to Cuban son and German electronica. This is no surprise as Camp has been involved with many diverse groups over the years, including Latin-flavored outfits Chicha Libre, Locobeach and Los Crema Paraíso, but also his country band Westwork, the Eastern-European klezmer quintet Litvakus and literary rockers One Ring Zero.

Since releasing his debut double LP as C.A.M.P.O.S., Miracles & Criminals, on Peace & Rhythm in 2016, Camp has developed his repertoire into a live show that has garnered a devoted following, and which has also seen the live band he assembled evolving into its own distinct entity, Locobeach.

When the pandemic forced Camp into exile he used the time to once more focus on C.A.M.P.O.S. and his one-man-band skills. This initially resulted in two albums, Shake Up The World: Live In The Studio Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, both performed live and recorded in one take at his home studio (and both digitally released by Peace & Rhythm, in 2020 and 2021 respectively).

In addition, he continued to work on the long-awaited follow-up studio album to Miracles & Criminals, which had begun years prior and progressed in the fleeting moments when his other projects allowed. With time to once more concentrate on C.A.M.P.O.S., the album soon began to take shape, eventually coalescing into The Eighth Door. Though catalyzed by isolation, it is far from a solo effort, with Camp enlisting collaborators including pianist and arranger Marlysse Simmons (Bio Ritmo, Miramar), who had initially told Peace & Rhythm about Camp’s unreleased backlog of tropical tracks from back in the Chicha Libre days (which became Miracles & Criminals), to other Chicha Libre band mates Neil Ochoa and Karina Colis, as well as Gabo Tomasini (Yotoco), who was a founding member of Bio Ritmo and played in C.A.M.P.O.S.’s first live appearance in 2016.

As with all C.A.M.P.O.S. releases, The Eighth Door takes you on a cosmic trip to a multi-dimensional landscape of the mind where the body also knows the pleasures of dance and sensuality, but this time there is more focus, with fewer songs and a fuller sound. Yes there is a dark side to planet C.A.M.P.O.S., to which the album sometimes ventures, but ultimately the record is a voyage of self-discovery, making connections between sounds and sentiments that, on paper, appear unlikely companions. Yet, once bound together by the intimate circuitry of Joshua Camp’s creativity and serious songwriting skills, all elements gel in a gravity-defying way. Exotic-sounding electronic keyboards, jangly, fuzzy guitars and percolating percussion loops seamlessly carry the listener through two sides of galaxy-spanning mini epics, sometimes with vocals, sometimes instrumental, and often infused with the shuffling beat of Colombia’s cumbia rhythm with a few disco, rock or salsa accents thrown in for good measure.

Camp juxtaposes the raw and the smooth, destructive and redemptive, sweet and ominous, digital and analog, organic and synthetic, intimate and expansive, all of which combine into an apt metaphor for where we find ourselves today. On The Eighth Door C.A.M.P.O.S. pulls the great unknown to a realm just within our grasp.

Album cover art by Selina Josephs and photo of Joshua Camp by Julian Parker Burns. Released in conjunction with Calle de Campos, Hyperopia Records (Canada) and Sounds and Colours (uk). Digital album has five bonus tracks, which also come with download card for vinyl purchase.

Following the release of Barbie Bertisch’s debut album Prelude in June 2022, Love Injection is thrilled to announce Prelude Remixes via Love Injection Records, which features six artists new to the label, kicking off with a two-track 12” single followed by a full digital release. Love Injection is the label and fanzine Bertisch runs with her partner, Paul Raffaele. The duo are romantic about remixes as an artform and always intended to have reinterpretations be the next phase after Prelude. Often reduced to ways to extend a hype cycle, or disjointed add-ons, Love injection’s remixes exist in dialogue with the artist’s songs.

The 12 inch single will inaugurate the project, with Montreal’s Gene Tellem on the A side, and Panorama Bar residents Lakuti and Tama Sumo on the flipside. On the “GT Remix”, Bertisch gushes that “[Gene is] very good at creating and sculpting atmospherics in her productions. She really grabbed the song and took it to a different place.” Tellem's version of “After The Storm” is faster, elastic and pulsing with an almost primordial intensity.

Creative and life partners Lakuti and Tama Sumo take on “Fertile Garden (Emerge)”. Lakuti, originally from South Africa, got her start DJing in the Johannesburg house scene of the ‘90s. She is now based in Berlin and often DJs with Tama Sumo, who grew up in Bavaria and moved to Berlin in 199x and has been a staple in the scene there since. The duo, both residents of Berlin's Panorama Bar, turn “Fertile Garden” into an ecstatic, unrelenting beat-down, best fit for peak time.

Side A: Remixed by Gene Tellem, Mixe by Fran Cathcart, Mastered by Walter Coelho Side B: Mixed by Tama Sumo & Lakuti, Pre-mastered by Gal Aner, Mastered by Walter Coelho Songs taken from the LP, "Prelude" Barbie Bertisch (ascap)

LBD sounds are back with a new 12" from their Lbdissues series. This time they have a track taken from a sought after 7" single by Eva Hurychova & Jan Neckar from former Czechoslovakia, originally released in 1984, professionally remastered and with additional reinterpretations & edits. "To Chce Mit Svuj System" is a sleazy electro disco number with its unmistakable 80s sound, instantly memorable without being too in your face. Optimo's JD Twitch comes on board with his extended edit, that stays close to original but has upgraded it for current dancefloors. And last but not least, a newly formed duo of Oliver Torr and LBD Sounds label owner Olin, now working under Torr & Rich moniker, are here with their debut work - a pitched down 80s disco reinterpretation of "To Chce Mit Svuj System".

Limited to 100 handnumbered copies. Better be fast!

FFO: Arthur Russell, Stealing Sheep, Neu!, Agar Agar, Galaxians. Holodrum are a new disco-infused synth-pop group, who feature members of Hookworms, Yard Act, Cowtown, Virginia Wing, Drahla and more. Maybe Holodrum were destined to start at this point. This might be the first time they've all officially worked together, but between Emily Garner (vocals), Matthew Benn (synth/bass / production), Jonathan Nash (drums), Jonathan Wilkinson (guitar), Sam Shjipstone (guitar/vocals), Christopher Duffin (sax/synth) & Steve Nuttall (percussion) they've shared bands, mixed each other's records, promoted live shows and made music videos together in and around Leeds. As Holodrum, this is the 7 piece's debut album, but the interlocking grooves and hot headiness of their repeato-rock-via-CBGBs dopamine hits have in one way or other been fermenting for years. "When it comes to doing music most bands fall between two extremes of doing it for some goal or as an end to itself" says Shjipstone. "I think Holodrum is about the joy and complexity of living, and I just hope to god everyone gets to have a good time doing it." Ultimately the core of the group comes from Shjipstone and his former Hookworms bandmates Benn, Nash and Wilkinson. After their abrupt dissolution in late 2018, the four of them spent 6 months apart; Benn still had Xam Duo, his ongoing project with Virginia Wing and some-time James Holden & The Animal Spirits live member Duffin, Nash remains vocalist and guitarist of long-running DIY rockers Cowtown and helms his solo project Game_Program; and Shjipstone plays guitar with Yard Act. However, the 4 of them missed the sixth sense synergy they'd built-up playing together over a decade and soon enough demos were being swapped and new ideas were discussed. The vision of a large live electronic ensemble formed quickly. Friends were added: Duffin and Nuttall who was keen to resurrect the double percussion interplay that he and Nash had been exploring as part of motorik trio Nope joined first. Then animator and V...

2013 numbered Cyan Vinyl Edition.

Red splattered seems unplayed. Tiny wear. Limited edition.

Artwork by the one and only Chrisse Kunst! Black vinyl.

Red and grey vinyl! Artwork by the one and only Chrisse Kunst!

‘The great South African tenorist Mike Makhamalele was a graduate of the key early-seventies group The Drive (alongside Bheki Mseleku and Kaya Mahlangu); and a mainstay of the scene centred on the Pelican nightclub in Soweto. From 1975, he began to record under his own name, developing a sophisticated fusion sound in a musical lane which few of his contemporaries were travelling.

Always attuned to other global fashions in Black dance and pop music, under numerous studio aliases he cut 45rpm covers of Fela’s Shakara and the Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight; and in 1979 he entered the Gallo studios with producer Peter Ceronio to respond to the ascendant sound of disco. Named after a township dance craze, Kabuzela was the result: four extended tracks of bouncing, upful disco jazz. Perfectly calibrated for dancing, heavy on the bass and drums, the album is set off by a gleaming centre piece, Disco Freaks — a joyous paean to the weekend and true lost gem of global disco, perfect for the most discerning dancefloors.’

Here we are at the dawn of a new compilation series and we’re kicking things off with an absolute gem that features a selection of hard-to-find records (some impossible to find) and some that have been hiding in plain sight all along. They all share common qualities, being that they are beautiful, soul quenched songs that sing of love, peace and unity.

‘With Love: Volume 1’ has been compiled by Miche and presents a curated selection of rare Brazilian, gospel, modern soul and jazz-fusion fire. We have Brazilian rarities by Alcione and Quientaessencia, UFO gospel by Keith Chism & Light, the jazz-funk/AOR sounds of City Lites taken from a Radio Station album, and the anthemic feel-good emotional soul of Belita Woods to name but a few.

Tracking down artists and musicians from the past is an art form. Like a seagull swooping for treats, sometimes the prizes are easily found, and at other times, it’s the result of very late nights trolling through Facebook profiles, message boards, hitting dead ends and following red herrings, and yet still the search goes on. This compilation is a true labour of love with all the artists tracked down and licensed by Miche. It has long been an ambition of the London based musical connoisseur to compile an album, and like anything that requires craft, care, and knowledge - it takes time. There are many twists and turns in the hunt for those records that make your jaw drop.

In 2018, when just 24, Miche became a music programmer for London’s illustrious Spiritland group of venues. From this musical sanctuary, he was able to listen, learn and meet some of the best selectors from around the world. It was a musical education, and he was particularly drawn to the deep sessions by DJs such as Mark Taylor, George Arthur, Kev Beadle, Patrick Forge, Dr. Bob Jones, and Colin Curtis to name a few. He also used this time to begin running his re-issue label Discs of Fun and Love with co-owner and friend Frederika.

Sometimes the cynical knock compilations, there is certain snobbery amongst some about the original pressing, but music shouldn't just be about lucky collectors giving over large sums of money to record dealers. It's also about a bridge to the past, a celebration of the legacy of somebody’s art, and a second chance for initially overlooked work to shine. As with all the best compilations, it has been compiled with love…

‘And The Beat Goes On’ remains unpublished for 33 years until when Devil Dee decides to bring it to light by exploiting his own talent and that of the jazz-blues singer Joan Faulkner, former supporting voice of Boney M and Milli Vanilli, also known by her stage name ‘Dee-Vah’. Yes, Devil Dee is Davide Mancori - a cinematograph, son of filmmakers, with a flattering career as a club-dj from 80s-90s onwards - who lovingly produced the track which differs considerably from most of the vinyls released by Best Record. ‘And The Beat Goes On’, written in Germany in 1989 by Leonie Gane and Ryan Paris, detaches itself from most European and American productions, but winking at the "boogie" made in USA thanks to the soulful contribution of Joan Faulkner ‘The Voice’, at that time defined by the music producer Frank Farian "The best black voice in Europe!".

Nobody is worried doing a ‘step back’ laying the crucial foundations again for an evolutionary thrust of the disco-music - identical to projects that emerged in the 2nd half of the 70s - because at the same time, still for certain themes, this is a ‘step forward’ for the ’Italic vein’ movement which at the end of the 80s was been considered obsolete, defunct. In fact, the track is also referring to the latest Italo-Disco which entirely covered the scene of the 1980s with furious activity.If the meeting between Devil Dee and the famous interpreter of ’Dolce Vita’ creates the alchemy, the explosive mix is completed with the precious work of Marco Magrini, the last of the brood, but already important DJ-remixer. His extended and re-edited version is sublime, certainly more exciting to listen to than to describe it. The arrangement by Pierluigi Cerin and the executive work of Claudio Casalini close the magic circle

Five friends and a great singer from Indiana to fill the dance floors all over Europe, while the images of the provocative and surreal video-clip capture the audience by splitting in two. There are those who do not want to see certain issues publicized and those who appreciate their cheekiness, such as Best Record which by publishing the vinyl celebrates the 40 years of activity, with the aim of making ‘And The Beat Goes On’ one of the most covered and danceable songs of the year.