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

PALAVAS / DÉESSE D’ÉTÉ / RAVANELLI DISCO CLUB

To begin my June selections, I’ll kick off with the candy-coloured sunshine of Palavas, the South of France duo named after what was, in its hey-day, the grandest beach resort on the Med. Sitting somewhere between Montpellier and Marseille, the Azzur Records founders have created an intoxicating blend of nostalgia and Balearic futurism that will dazzle discerning dancefloors.  Déesse D’été poetically translates to “Summer Goddess”, and on this ten-track album Palavas pay homage to the `80s, mixing disco and funk with a contemporary twist. From the infectious beats of We Are Strong Enough to the soulful ballad, One Night is Not Enough, or the new waved You Can’t Get Away, you are guaranteed to feel the warmth of the sun on your face as it lifts your summer spirits.

SIGGATUNEZ / LIVE CUTS / GOOEY TRAXX

The now Berlin-based Siggatunez, has been spinning hip hop since the 1990s. Working the circuit, and playing at the famous Cafe Koz, held at Frankfurt’s Goethe University. In 2020 he launched his Gooey Editz Series, from which his current electrifying live set was born. This, the debut release on his brand new label, Gooey Traxx, consists of raw and unpolished extracts that really capture those performances’ power. All four tracks are fantastic club cuts with firing percussion, great rhythms, sound use of samples, and some killer bass-lines to boot. It’s quite `90s in parts, but that’s a good thing! Getting’ Love will hype any crowd, and the hooky Rhodes sample of Trust Me is just so addictive.

GLORIA ANN TAYLOR / BE WORTHY (FLYING MOJITO BROS REFRITO) / UBIQUITY

Gloria Ann Taylor was a cult sensation in the early ‘70s, laying the groundwork for so much of the modern soul that we know today. Her music, a combination of soulful beats, exotic percussion, and fuzzy psychedelic guitars, across a range of tempos, became part of what was known as rare grove. It’s hard to believe that her records were not successful at the time, and that it was only much later when Ubiquity Records reissued her classic, Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing in 2015 that she really came to light. Fast forward to the present day and 2023, and her Be Worthy gets reimagined by the Flying Mojito Bros. These dusty desert cowboys add their understated but masterful touch to this already ridiculously good cut, turning it into a euphoric, gospel-piano-house beauty. These cowboys really know how to party!

LORENZO MORRESI /  ISLA / ROLLOVER MILANO

Lorenzo Morresi returns to Rollover Milano’s glamorous roster with an incredible  E.P., entitled Isla. Morresi is well known for his diverse sonic palette, and on his constant quest for new sounds here he blends otherworldly vibes, jazz-funk, and blazing electronica. Inspired by legendary Chilean auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain, Morresi transforms those dreamlike dystopian visions into music for dark dancefloors and occult club zones, in search of the psychedelic and transcendence. The ALFOS faithful will fall in love with this four tracker, I’m sure, as it’s made to be played in smoke-filled rooms with heads-down crowds who like nothing more than to be locked into a hazy hypnotic groove. Ritualistic, and tribal themes emerge via a traditional Morroccan instrument called a Louta, and these mix with the more modern sound of a Roland TB-303. The Outro uses quotes from Jodorowsky, but gives them to a robot to recite. Again, I’m certain that Mr. Weatherall would have been a big fan.

SILK / SOMETHIN’ ‘BOUT THE WAY (LATE NITE TUFF GUY DISCO DUB) / A’S + BEES

A’s+Bees drops its next release, and this time the label gets hold of a previously unreleased recording from the ‘70s band, Silk. Signed to Philadelphia International, Silk, were a 7-piece outfit, formerly know as Anglo Saxon Brown, and I Can’t Stop (Turning You On) was their biggest hit. The new, unarchived, track, Somethin’ ‘Bout the Way, is incredible. With an infectious rhythm, joyous vocals and quality musicality, it will make your heart sing. It’s really astonishing that it never saw a release back in the day. Late Nite Tuff Guy does his stuff on the A-side. adding loops, and lashings of his current “King Of The Edit” clout. Pumping up the standout original. As with all of their releases, 50% of the single’s profits will be donated to the British Beekeepers Association.