Collection: Disco/Funk/Soul

Best Record has secured the rights to this 12" vinyl reissue of Fascination 'Out to Get You', which is dedicated to Giancarlo Meo, the esteemed producer behind Easy Going and other iconic acts. This release, curated by Claudio Casalini, pays homage to Italy's vibrant disco era and blends elements of disco, soul, and funk. The original comes as three different and equally captivating versions, including a re-edit by DJ Massimo Berardi who injects plenty of contemporary flair while preserving the essence of the original tracks. With its fusion of retro charm and modern energy, this reissue offers a nostalgic yet danceable vibe and is primed and ready to for igniting dance floors worldwide once again.

Taking a break from their usual Italian remit, Best turn their attention to an overlooked pioneer from the annals of German electronic music history. Harry Thumann was based in Munich, and primarily worked as a studio engineer, but his own recorded work was vitally important too. An early adopter of MIDI, and with a propulsive electronic disco sound that was right at the cutting edge of the times, the four "experiments" Best have gathered here represent some of the most potent dancefloor jams he created - full-fat technicolour fever dreams for the fabulous and flamboyant.

A genuine one off, largely made using the then-new Yamaha DX-7 synth, Joe Car's sole single from 1984 has long been one of the rarest Italo-disco 12" singles around. This reissue has been a long time coming, with the revitalised Best Record finally securing the rights to re-release it earlier this year. It remains a fun and surprisingly on-point release. It appears in two takes, both of which we think were laid to tape at the time. On the A-side you'll find the 'Electro Potato Mix', where chiming lead lines, Fairlight style sampled stabs and male vocals rise above a chuggig, arpeggio style bassline and machine drums. Nestled on the flip is the original vocal version, which sounds like the sort of thing Chris Lowe from Pet Shop Boys may have been dancing to during the period - there are certainly a few cuts in the duo's earlt catalogue that utilise similar sounds and grooves.

Isle Of Jura come through once more with a superbly in demand reissue of a sought after disco cut from the 1980s. 'Save Our Love' by Escape From New York is a blend of disco, new wave and funk that has a mystical atmosphere and drums perfectly of their time. The vocal is full of yearning under the shimmering synths and on the flip is an even more 80s-leaning tune, 'Slow Beat' (dance mix) has more obvious 80s leanings and the 12" closes with the Instrumental of 'Save Our Love, stripping back the vocals and giving more air to the bass.

During a record digging trip to South Africa a year or two back, Rush Hour co-founder Antal stumbled on an obscure local cover of Klein & MBO's Ron Hardy and Larry Levan favourite, "The MBO Theme". The Warrior version, which was recorded at some point in the early '80s, is a little slower and breezier than Klein and MBO's original, with even finer fretless bass flavours and the track's famous melodies re-played on some particularly spacey synthesizers. Helpfully, the Klein & MBO version is on the A-side, so you can easily compare the two: Warriors' little known cover is definitely our pick of the pair.

Roisin Murphy has finally become a genuine top-tier star - an artist capable of packing-out venues with dynamic live shows, and whose every new musical move is headline news. Hit Parade is not, as the title suggests, a solo retrospective but rather a brand-new album produced not by regular collaborator Crooked Man, but rather another masterful maverick, DJ Koze. The pair has worked together before, so Murphy is in safe hands. Musically, it's a genre-straddling, style-bending affair whose strong songs - rich in sing-along choruses, thoughtful lyrics and musical hooks aplenty - are presented in vivid colour (with plenty of sparkling organic instrumentation). Recent singles 'Cuckoo' and 'The Universe', both instant classics, offer a neat summary of the album's many qualities.