Cosmocities is a label you can always have a lookout for-prime quality output is the red line here. Previous releases on the imprint from sunny Dijon/France got people like Josh Milan, Inkswel, Atjazz or Osunlade or Kai Alce´ involved-you know the score.
Erik Rico from the US returns to the label with a very special trio of funk-drippin covers of groove rarities plus remixes courtesy of a very special array of talents including Gerd, DJ Nature and Aroop Roy.
Boogie to the bone, this new EP oozes pure low-slung sensuality and honeyed coastal vibrations. Kicking things off with a pumped-up revisit of Star Lighters ‘Disco Funk’, Rico amps up the slap bass’ levels of infectiousness and percussive punch to straight out incendiary levels. Franklyn’s 1987 burner ‘Future Love’ gets a massive facelift as Rico turns the original’s soulful croon into a sheer explosive slice of FX-drenched electroid boogie and P-funk’y hedonism, both ebulliently funky and romantically fun. Another gem from about the same era (it was released in 1986), P.J. City ’Straight Forward’ becomes a brass-heavy churner, stacked to the rafters with exuberant trumpets, suave vox hoodoo and a proper electrifying groove. On the remix side, house and jazz funk expert Aroop Roy teleports ‘Disco Funk’ into jacking house territory, injecting the original with a heavy-duty, bass-heavy pulse and dreamy, nostalgic pads, which shall make it a perfect DJ companion for the summer season ahead. In the hands of NYC vibist DJ Nature, ‘Future Love’ proves a deadly slo-burner, lushly adorned with heavy-lidded synth melodies and playful bass conduction. Primed for sluggish after momentums and laid-back meet ups on the dance floor.
Last but far from least, Gerd tops that gleeful boogie orgy with a pair of hi-NRG remixes bound for optimal peak time traction. Boasting a killer groove and instant-classic chorus, his eargasmic two-part house mix summons the finest of early Chicago rhythms and welds it onto a further muscular chassis, whereas the classic remix serves up a funkier menu of easy-going riffs and feelgood harmonics, flush with brassy melodic shine and late 70s disco va-va-voom.
DISCO/HOUSE
https://cosmocitiesrecords.bandcamp.com/music
4.5 out of 5
Reviewed by MANNIX
