A recent issue of The Wire featured a fabulous photo of prime disco hedonism in full swing: a roller-skating spaceman, a circus-performing midget, a topless women with painted nipples, devilish grins from ear to ear. Excessive, transgressive, bafflingly alien, how does one get invited to party like this? Fortunately the music, as included on this fantastic collection of disco diva rarities, offers some glimpse into this crazed, depraved, incredibly enticing world.
Compiler Steve ‘Fella’ Kotey, responsible for the equally impressive Disco Italia Strut compilation of last year and producer of disco and house as Afrobutt, clearly knows his stuff. ‘Disco Diva Delights’, as the name implies, focuses on female vocalists, lesser-known ones, appearing on obscure deep and heavy productions. These tracks are all incredibly rich, thick walls of strings and gleaming banks of neon synths supporting shimmering flanging voices, mostly relating tales of sleazy desperation, and ecstatic release. Alongside this, much current dance music seems vapid and tame.
Everything here is great, but some are outstanding. Satin & Green’s ‘Sensational’ is just that, the tempo slowed to a sensual chug, scratchy guitar and kooky moog doodlings backing a frail, elfin vocal. Venise’s ‘The Mystery With Me’ deserves all of its six+ minutes, its upfront punk bassline, bongos and mournful trumpet recalling elements of contemporary deep house. ‘Flash-O-Disc’ by the suitably named Black Hole is the grandest thing here, monolith synths riffing on Also Sprach Zarathustra beside slap bass, electro wiggles and sweaty vocals. Hot Sauce’s ‘Conga’ explores pigeon Latin rhythms and glitzy big-band breaks, while both Top Secret and Melody Stewart’s contributions are more stripped down and stretched out, the rhythmic tools of the day, allowing DJs time for some more lines and ludes. Kotey’s enthusiastic liner notes demonstrate his commitment to the project, adding welcome details to some of these forgotten faces; we can be thankful that this is but Volume 1.
Joshua Meggitt
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