For me the term DISCO often is abused these days. Many DJs claim to spin Disco, but if you listen to their sets, it’s everything else but Disco. Of course the genre has evolved since its classic times, but still Disco is a sort of attitude that at least for me has to be reflected in the music as well. A guy that certainly breathes DISCO is Italian don DJ Rocca, who has worked alongside the king himself, Dimitri From Paris for many years and has had some stunning output himself over a long period of time. Now he offers a new track on 4Quarti Records, a newly formed label in style with a blistering 7 inch slice of summertime, disco tinged house, spinning 33rpm instead of the traditional 45rpm allowing for that 12-inch-like sound quality. Label co-owner Folpower is on board too as the pair offer ‘I’m Going Higher’ with the enigmatic Grace Love laying down those incredible tones for the vocals. Set out as a remixing arm for the soul and funk outlets Cannonball Records & Tesla Groove International Recordings, alongside championing new productions, 4Quarti melds the seasoned expertise of it’s founders, DJ Rocca and Folpower. Taking the best elements of their respective talents, they give an electrifying twist to some cherished productions. For QQT001 the duo turn the Cannonball original, ‘Higher’, into a bumping house bomb. ‘I’m Going Higher’ fuses those funk flexing riffs, with a steamy bass, feverish horns and blazing flute lines played live by Rocca himself. Synth stabs and a punchy set of drums, backed by snappy bongos, add an underground house feel, as Seattle’s Grace Love brings an undeniable spark to the record, capturing a feeling of pure emotion through her vocals. Bottling up the soulful dynamism of the original, reworking it with a hardier, electronic, house signature, and unleashing it on the dancefloor for those summer months – ‘I’m Going Higher’ is a tequila slammer… heavy on the tequila, heavy on the slammer, with all the elements to get any party going properly. And for those that want to let the instrumentation sing by itself, the B side houses the instrumental version, loud and proud. Summed up this is a great 7 Inch which deserves to be described as Disco.
4 out of 5
Reviewed by MANNIX
