It's A Disco Thing - Top 10 (with playlist)
Some of my favourite disco and soulful house tracks of the year.
I was absolutely bursting for new places to play disco and soulful house before Paul Lyons asked me if I’d be up for starting another night with him. We already had our ‘Bump N Hustle’ original funk and disco nights at Paradise Gardens which was full to capacity every time and a lot of fun, so I didn’t have to be asked twice. Now ‘Bump N Hustle’ is moving across town to The Corp in Canton (first one on November 16th) but ‘It’s A Disco Thing’ will continue on City Road for the foreseeable future. The next one is this Saturday from the slightly later time of 9pm! Entry is always free and as well as Paul and myself we have one of our all time favourite DJs, Clare James.
I love all kinds of house but there’s a special place in my heart for the uplifting sounds we play at ‘It’s A Disco Thing’. I’ve compiled a Top 10 of tunes from this year, all ones that you might have heard me play at the night or at various festivals this year. There is a Spotify playlist with them all at the bottom.
Nubiyan Twist feat. Nile Rogers - Lights Out (The Reflex Revision)
Nubiyan Twist are a great band. We’ve had them at Big Love and I booked them a number of times for Boomtown. Still I was pleasantly surprised when they dropped a fantastic mellow disco track with the great Nile Rogers at the start of this year. I love the original but this remix from one of the kings of disco edits makes it a little more dance floor friendly.
AC Soul Symphony - Soul Underground
This is just the kind of disco groove that Dave Lee shines with, and as with his other releases under this moniker it could easily have been plucked straight out of the 70s. In fact I honestly have no clue how much of this is live instrumentation, if any. This is a proper homage to both the music and the clubs that laid the foundation for modern dance music culture, as the tour guide of this imaginary train ride takes us on a trip through various legendary venues around the world, from Paradise Garage to the Hacienda.
Fleur De Mur - Love Will Change Ya Mind (DJ Spen & Michele Chiavarini Remix)
The industry standard of not crediting female vocalists on dance tunes is thankfully starting to be eroded (slowly). So I’m always happy when I see those same vocalists take centre stage. Maybe I should have chosen the Australian singer’s ‘Welcome To Paradise’ collaboration with Alexander Som, given the name of the venue we hold our nights at. However I really can’t get enough of this gorgeous disco track on the Barcelona based Jackies label. The classy remix from cross continental pals DJ Spen and Michele Chiavarini is the icing on the cake.
Warren Clarke and Kathy Brown - Over You (Sophie Lloyd Rework)
A lady who claimed her seat at the table long ago, Kathy Brown has been making house bangers since the early 90s. Earlier this year Glitterbox released a glorious retrospective called ‘Legacy’. As well as featuring the original of this Warren Clarke track which was first released on their parent label Defected back in 2001, the compilation also has this stunning remix from a producer who is no stranger to both labels. Her version makes a great track even crisper and punchier, so it hits you right in the feels.
Ish D - That’s How He Works
This LA based producer hit me up on Instagram earlier in the year and sent me this over. I’m a huge fan of the original ‘Stand On The Word’ track (read a great article about the history of that track here) and this remix packs a little more energy to play out. I buy a lot of gospel house and It’s A Disco Thing is the perfect spot to play it out. If you dig this it’s worth checking out the rest of Ish D’s album ‘Where’s Your Faith’. I’m not actually religious in any way, but I’m always down for my soul to be uplifted by any means necessary. You really can’t beat this music for that.
Michael Gray & Kimberly Brown & The Sultra Gospel Singers - Fly Away
Keeping the gospel vibe somewhat, the Stevie Wonder classic ‘As’ is certainly no stranger to house remixes but this is a worthy version from Michael Gray on his Sultra Records label. He’s even drafted in his own Gospel Choir led by former Sounds Of Blackness member Kimberly Brown.
Seamus Haji & Mike Dunn - Disco Dreams (Hatiras Remix)
The head honcho of Big Love (the label not the festival, no relation) Seamus Haji brings in Spacedisco’s Hatiras to revamp this 2021 collaboration with Chicago house legend Mike Dunn. It really does give the track a little extra lift.
Paul Lyons - Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Up
I couldn’t leave out my partner in crime for ‘It’s A Disco Thing’ and ‘Bump N Hustle’. Why would I either when he’s been releasing some excellent house tunes this year. For those who don’t know Paul is one of the pioneers of house music here in Cardiff (as well as hip hop and rare groove before that) and he has one of the most impressive histories of anyone I know, although don’t expect him to shout about it. This soulful tech tune was released on Musicated, a label run by Eric Martin from Technotronic and Black Sonix, aka Justin Stride. Another local hero who produces some beautiful deep house tunes.
Aluna & Paul Woolford - Heatstroke
This sounds like a classic 80s boogie or freestyle track, remixed into a 90s house tune and then given a big old weighty revamp to absolutely smash through modern speakers. Definitely in keeping with the more uplifting end of both artist’s back catalogues. It came out at the start of the summer and I played it at every opportunity.
Prospa - If You Want My Loving
I could say exactly the same thing about this track actually. It’s my favourite track yet from this pair. It’s got so much groove but you can also tell why it was released on CircoLoco Records. It’s a big tune and I bet this went down a treat in Ibiza this year.
I always buy ten times the amount of tunes I need for each night I play, so I can’t promise you’ll actually hear any of these on Saturday, but you get the general idea of what you might hear there. I might try and slip one or two in. Feel free to request one beforehand.