#54 Top Releases in Nu Disco / Disco

When Leng Records founders Paul Mudd Murphy and Simon Purnell marked the imprints 10th birthday, they did so via a celebratory compilation that mixed classic catalogue cuts, remixes and exclusives. Five years on, and with the labels 15th birthday upon us, theyve decided to look to the future via a compilation made up entirely of fresh productions from Lengs roster of current and new artists. Presented on limited-edition gatefold double vinyl with a bonus 10 single, the collection offers an updated showcase of Lengs much-loved trademark sound, a distinctive fusion of mid-tempo sleazy-disco, Balearica and chugging house interspersed with elements of electronic psychedelia and synth-powered space disco. Fittingly for a compilation that wholeheartedly looks to the future, youll find first contributions from a handful of label newcomers. Fast-rising duo Flying Mojito Bros give their spin on Smoke Signals by label debutants Joe Harvey-Whyte and Bobby Lee, turning in a heady and inspired revision that sits somewhere between dusk-ready cosmic disco and flash-fried desert blues. Theres also an appearance from Swedish producer Bo Wosticz with the dreamy and ultra-deep nu-jazz of Bs As. Naturally, youll also find plenty of heat from those who have already proved their mettle through prior releases on Leng. Danish duo Liminal, who made their debut earlier this year with the much-played Keep Coming Back To Me, open proceedings with the tactile, slow-disco flex of Tzatziki Bay where sweet synth melodies and a heady electric piano riff ride a warming groove. Roberto Intrallazzi and Dario Piana from Italys original Afro-cosmic movement return with Plutos, a typically deep dubbed-out cosmic chugger. Then theres Rose Robinson AKA Tigerbalm, whose Mexicana featuring singer Joi NJuno is presented across the package in two different forms. Pete Herbert, who contributed to some of the earliest Leng releases, drops a driving dub disco take on the main compilation, while Robinsons original mix – a more organic, percussive and horn-heavy affair blessed with plenty of hallucinatory intent – opens the bonus 10. Theres a welcome return to Leng for the brilliant Payfone, whose Dime Algo is a typically classy, analogue-rich affair in which attractive Rhodes riffs, atmospheric female vocals and pitched-down house pianos rise above shuffling drum machine beats and a slow-motion bassline. Long-serving label contributor Lex (Athens) delivers the loose-limbed nu-disco breeze of Stolen Dance, while the imprints San Francisco connection ¬– the ever-brilliant 40 Thieves collective – drop the dubbed-out Bay Area brilliance of Such A Great Trip. Then there are the contributions of the labels most storied artist, Andrew Meecham AKA Emperor Machine with Eumig, a deliciously slow, synth-rich chugger full of colourful chords, bubbly electronic melodies and jaunty electronic bass. Then, to round off the bonus 10 single, Meecham joins forces with Paul Murphy (as Mudd) on Road To Nikko, an extended, Japanese musical culture-influenced slab of pitched-down alien-funk packed to the rafters with squelchy synth sounds, effects-laden percussion, chiming melodies and rubbery bass guitar.

Liminal, Bobby Lee, Joe Harvey-Whyte, Intrallazzi & Piana, Tigerbalm, Joi N'Juno, Lex (Athens), Payfone, The Emperor Machine, 40 Thieves, Bo Wosticz, Mudd