Super selections and wonderful words by our favourite four-to-the-floor expert, The Insider.

CASBAH 73 / DOING OUR OWN THING / LOVEMONK

Oli Stewart is Casbah 73. Born in New York, but based in Madrid, this revered vinyl collector, digger, and dealer spent the `90s trawling across the north and south of America leaving no warehouse unturned in his quest for the rare and the elusive. His knack for bringing to light unknown treasures, meant that his reputation was well-known amongst DJs and producers around the globe. Back in 2019 Casbah 73 released the double AA sided To Be Free / Doing Our Own Thing on Lovemonk. Picked up by Dimitri From Paris, Folamour, Rahaan and The Blessed Madonna, the 12” sold out super fast. Dimitri now works his disco magic on Doing Our Own Thing for a fresh 45. Oli also drums up two new versions of To Be Free for a digital bonus. 8/10

QUADRAKEY / FLOWERS 4 YOU / TOOMAN RECORDS

Husband and wife duo Quadrakey are the talented folks behind Berlin-based Tooman Records. Having DJed together since 2007, they launched the label in 2015. Flowers 4 You is their 12th release. The title track is funk-fuelled, guitar house. Two Reasons is a confident strut. Overnight goes more heads down and deeper, locking the dancers in a groove, while the rousing and emotional closer Moreless would make the perfect piece with which to end an epic night. 7/10

LAROYE / LET IT GO / LOCAL TALK

There’s some heavyweight business on this killer full length from Laroye entitled Let It Go, out now on Sweden’s finest house imprint Local Talk. French multi-instrumentalist / DJ / producer Thomas Arroyo prior to this long-awaited album, previously dropped stuff in all the rights places, including the Atjazz Record Company and Freerange. From his studio on the English South coast of England, here he skillfully offers up everything from the vocal boogie of Beauty In Motion, and the rare groove flavoured People Out There, to the deep house of the title track. All of the pieces feature some fine live instrumentation. Pick of the pack for me – with its naughty Minnie Ripperton sample – is the deep and deadly Potion For Love.   8/10

CLUB SODA / BASSIO E BATTERIA / FLEXI CUTS

Flexi is an independent record store located in Lugo, founded by Simone Guerra, and sitting halfway between Bologna and Rimini. The shop’s associated label, Flexi Cuts, was born a little later, and its next offering comes via the Italian trio, Club Soda. Lead track Basso e Batteria features Sarah Loreni on vocals and is a bit of a rewind to the early 2000s. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was recorded in a Chicago basement, as the dirty grooves, thumping bass, and enveloping pads create a very atmospheric Chi-town vibe! Cristalli Liquidi‘s remix hits hard, with its bouncing rhythms, freeform b-line, and catchy vocal effects. Hill’s Dub Mix is a trip – you could be lost in a warehouse at 6AM as its dreamy pads pull you in. Gin Tonic will goes down well at sunset – combining congas, DX7, and funky bass, while MPC chop ups seal the deal on this Balearic house beauty. 9/10

PATCHOULI BROTHERS EDITS / RAZOR-N-TAPE

The Patchouli Brothers make their debut on Razor-N-Tape with a quartet of exceptionally tasty edits. Now disco edits, in the main, may well have been overdone, but The Patchoulis always deliver quality, by always treating the original with maximum sensitivity and care. The four pieces here kind of map your perfect night out, from warm-up floor-filler, bringing people together in early excitement, to an explosive peak-time banger. They follow that with a groovy gospel chugger, and then finish with a super slow roller, a finale full of end-of-the-night euphoria. All the tracks on the E.P. are winners but if I had to choose a fave, then it would be the super funky Emotional Dancing, which I heard played at least 4 times at parties over the last weekend!!! Jump on this record.  10/10