Paraphrasing the Soul Sonic Force and sorting through today`s releases for tunes that could have graced Alfredo Fiorito & Leo Mas’ Amnesia dance-floor.

A ton of terrific singles have been released just as summer starts. It’s gonna take me at least a couple of gos to catch up with them…

Dot Allison / Unchanged (GLOK Remix)

Andy Bell, in his GLOK guise, gets to grips with Dot Allison’s Unchanged, mixing grungy, glitchy electronics with Dot’s fragile folk. Sometimes spinning the lady, psychedelically, backwards. The big slo-mo beat banging and crashing (is that Led Zep’s John Bonham on drums?) like a clumsy giant getting down. A groovy Goliath dodging dynamite dubwise detonations. 

Cantoma / Shelter (Chris Coco Sundown Mix)

Chris Coco reshapes Shelter, Cantoma’s sunset smash from last summer. Extending the song, still caressed by the angelic vocal ache of Quinn Luke Lamont, teasing with the beat for 3 and half minutes before finally bringing it in. Concocting, conducting a cool concerto for strings, congas, and muted brass. Following a brief breakdown there’s some brilliant piano, adding to the piece’s easy, sing, sway, along swing. 

Coyote / After All These Years

The first single to be lifted from Coyote’s new mini-LP, I Hear A New World, titled After All These Years, samples HBO’s True Detective. Setting the troubled soul of Rust Cohle to a looped kinda countrified strum. Serving up some existentialism to go with your sunset chocolate milk and brandy. 

Gratts / Rhythms, Tales & Instrumentation

The lead track on Gratts’ latest outstanding offering is a lush, laidback late night dance-floor blues. Live bass and bongos drive Pretty Lights, which is a super nice slice of soulful house. The lyrics lamenting “one that got away”, with Brandon Markell Holmes’ great gospel-infused delivery, and the gently bumping groove, recalling past wonders, such as Theo Parrish’s timeless collaboration with Billy Love (Thank you, Atsushi). 

Roberto Lodola / Oriental Love Affair & Musik (Cosmic Mix)

Afro / Cosmic scene veteran / legend, Roberto Lodola, has a couple of new singles. The first, Oriental Love Affair, spins around a sort of Spanish melody and shaken percussion, while plucked zither strings give the track its title. There’s some proper piano playing going on, resulting in a vibe like an `80s dance remix of something like Philippe Saisse`s God Son Paris. The second, Musik, is a marvelous piece of pace-y Giorgio Morroder-like electronic disco. Bouncing away on a camp, hi-energy bass arpeggio. 

Lova / Storie d’Amore

Having previously released a number of E.P.s on NuNorthern Soul, Lova has now hooked up with Chris Coco’s DSSPR. Of the 3 fresh originals, it’s the moving Madre Padre that’s the standout for me. Dedicated to Lova’s late father, and his mother who cared for his father throughout a lengthy illness, it combines a punchy rhythm track with cinematic orchestration. Beats banging and crashing, in an off-kilter mid-tempo disco shuffle, while synths flare, to create this sort of scratching effect. Keys and strings constantly climbing. Full of emotion.  

Al Mackenzie / Hold Your Own

On Hold Your Own Al Mackenzie marries teeny tiny cowbell to a large, chunky, chugging beat. The track’s jacking bass bellowing beneath a sustained, searing synth line, serrated disco strings, and a little acid. There’s a touch of the Dubnobasswithmyheadman era Underworld / Lemon Interrupts about the tune, which is totally spirit-lifting, without resorting to breakdowns or solos. It is, in fact, a bit of a loving, lysergic leap back to the progressive house of the early 1990s. Something that Al knows all about, since he championed the sound, presiding over the decks at hedonistic London haunts, such as Mark Wigan and Sean McLusky’s infamous Love Ranch. Hunky Custard is a short sharp shock of racing electro. Bionic 808 and eerie synthesized B-movie Sci-Fi vibes. 

Lipp Nyemann & Oja Hendryks / Upslope Daytime

Following on from her Practical Navigator E.P., Oja Hendryks now teams up with Jansen Jardin newcomer, Lipp Nyemann for the single, Upslope Daytime. I’m not sure who’s playing what but the instrumentation – bass, guitar and juicy James Mason-esque keys – all sounds live. This lends the track a kind of post-punk, jazz-funk feel. Think artists like London’s Weekend / Working Week, and Manchester’s Kalima, given a 21st Century polish.  

Sadeedo / Asafeer Portixol

Ibiza-based DJ / producer Sadeedo uses a Brazilian bite, Jorge Ben, I think, for the basis for a track that’s a fine flashback to mid-90s trip hop. Looping this, he then adds a loping bass-line and beat reminiscent of Tranquility Bass’ classic They Came In Peace, and a haunting horn melody. Cowbell clonks, and the snare snaps sharply in a DJ Shadow-esque fashion. Another point of musical reference is Khromozomes’ Forever – an old Andrew Weatherall favourite. 

Slowly / I Get High

Tokyo’s Flower Records have pressed 2 new 45s. There’s Onegram’s latin Passion, but my personal pick is Slowly’s I Get High. This is Masato Komatsu’s second collaboration with Swedish singer, and Acid Jazz alumni, Jasmine Kara, after 2021’s cover of DeBarge’s I Like It. Here, with his now trademark, lovers rock-informed sound, of vintage synths and drum machines – a terrific TR-808 driven boom, bap, snap, crackle, and pop – the pair tackle Freda Payne’s `70s soul smash. Jasmine’s vocals are infectious, irresistible. Soaring on the high notes.