Label: Eskimo Recordings
Country: Belgium
Release Date: 2010.09.27

For the past couple of years, Aeroplane have been the best kind of music geek secret. A pop-disco production duo from Belgium, Aeroplane have released a sporadic but endlessly enjoyable stream of singles, remixes, and collaborations since 2007. It was a bit heartbreaking when Vito De Luca and Stephen Fasano announced their breakup this summer; they cited artistic differences (De Luca will carry on as Aeroplane). We Can’t Fly will make you believe those artistic differences were real. A schizophrenic and ultimately confused record, We Can’t Fly abandons Aeroplane’s airtight constructions for loose, haughty tracks that are as unclassifiable as they are messy.

We Can’t Fly has the feel of a record that’s to be everything to everybody– hit receptacle, compendium of past works, exploration– and as such ends up being nothing. There are splinters of excellence: the title track weaves an unexpectedly skankin’ guitar part into gospel chants, big-rock piano bridges, and miles of keyboards. It’s the antithesis of so many disco-as-savior anthems; you will nod and chant to our collective failure. “Good Riddance” and “Without Lies”– a strange country amble and a sassy pop gem, respectively– suggest the range and diversity of Ze Records (a clear influence), though “Good Riddance” mostly serves to remind that those Mutant Disco comps had some real clunkers.

The misses miss big, and perplexingly. “I Don’t Feel” splits the difference between Guitar World riffing and Patti LaBelle to disastrous effect. “The Point of No Return” auditions for Top Gun montages past and future; “Fish in the Sky” for Bowie’s mid-90s blind spot. This from a band who had shown commendable restraint– no wailing divas or 22-minute Kraut-funk jams; just tight, languorous bodyrock. It’s not that these songs are gregarious, silly, and overstuffed– we suspected Aeroplane had that in them– it’s that they are charmlessly so. “I Don’t Feel” will fit most people’s definitions of Bad Music, but more troubling is the existence of a giant, wailing barnburner that acts dressy and prim. Aeroplane aren’t big personalities or great wits, so when they jostle and play it always feels like the joke’s on us.

Aeroplane seem to know a bit about artifice– the serrated hook of “Without Lies” imagines a boring world without artists– but We Can’t Fly doesn’t see them inhabiting unexpected personas or adopting new voices. It feels like fucking around, like a definitively non-definitive remnant of a partnership. We Can’t Fly’s stylistic knuckleballs lack just about everything we’d grown to love about Aeroplane: namely luxurious grooves and effortless cool.
(by pitchfork)

Label: Nacional Records
Country: Venezuela
Release Date: 2009.06.09

You gotta give it to them; Los Amigos Invisibles have earned themselves a spot as a major transcendental band that goes beyond playing ‘Latin rhythms’, they’re Venezuela’s most predominant asset and their sixth studio album is more than a continuum to a healthy career with plenty to say and breath. For the first time they dispatch the word ‘Venezuela’ from the album title, luckily the vision has not blurred a bit, but they are making precise alterations that step them out of comfort zone. I’ve always found their music very muscular, perhaps because I feel my muscles intensified while dancing to it, but also because their gozadera functions around sensuality, and although their first albums had an exceptional pedestrian sound to them, Superpop Venezuela was a turning point as it curved their exercise into an actual ‘erotic dream.’

Commercial reinforces moments of arousal and anticipation, and in a way this is their most romantic hour yet, but their scrumptious cynicism is bound to stay for everyone’s pleasure. On a recent podcast on Panamerika the guys from Jovenes y Sexys totally nailed it with their description of the band: “the most emblematic band from Venezuela and the one that best represents the idiosyncrasy of the lazy, vulgar and macho Venezuelan persona.” I think these positive adjectives would be hard to understand by other cultures, it really takes a Latin mindset (from a Latino or someone fully aware of our culture) to process the acid humor and commentary Los Amigos bring into their music and most importantly, as a behavioral impulse. I mean, just go to the album’s booklet, find the ‘thank you list’ and after listing their love partners they give the last shout out to “Manuela”, who keeps them company during extensive touring, if you get it (or not) than you probably get my point.

“Fuerza” is a fantastic introduction, they give themselves some pretty legit words to tell the world what their made up; “strength, power, durability …, versatility, potency, comfort, elegance, vanguard” among others, anything to get you ready for the incredible leading single. “Mentiras” is the denial anthem for those filthy naughty cheating guys; the first words of the song “esas son puras mentiras” place the listener right on the spot. Its narrative is so instant and urgent as if it was made for a sitcom, I mean this song would be great as a leading song for a telenovela, there’s not too many made for guys and those around would hardly strengthen the image of a Don Juan. The disc immediately follows with the single’s counterpoint, “Vivire Para Ti” is one of the sweetest songs to have flourished from them. It promises fidelity and to make love a reason to live, the response comes from Natalia Lafourcade’s gifted vocals that embrace the gentleman’s proposition as they get inspired and make love.

The band continues to expose its tropical rhythms to an audience that wouldn’t listen to salsa or merengue, but these guys keep contemporary tropical rolling into new horizons. Some of the standout tropical pieces include the smothering “Loco Por Tu Amor”, the half merengue half metallic “Merengue Killa”, and a trip to Brazil in “Es La Verdad.” But the juiciest song here has to be “Oyeme Nena”, it steps away from any spice of funk or house to reveal itself as a beautiful salsa; actually, the best salsa moment I’ve had since Marc Anthony’s tremendously impressive soundtrack for El Cantante. “Plastic Women” is bound to have some attention; a woman’s road to perfection in the hands of plastic surgery. And, don’t skip the interludes, they’re probably are the year’s best, in particular “Desnudos” and “Romantico Palman Izum” which you’ll be playing over and over as the album itself. By the end of the album you’ll be nodding your head in agreement with the album’s confident and proper intro. (by carlos reyes)

Label: Atlantic Records
Country: United Kingdom
Release Date: 2009.06.08

The weight of expectation sits heavily on the shoulders of Victoria Hesketh, but a synthesised shrug makes light of the hyperbole as the 25-year-old unassumingly blends Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk’s minimalist charm, to produce gently pulsing gems like No Brakes. Running through Hands like Blackpool in a stick of rock are Mathematics and Symmetry. The former thunders along to a cavernous drum and keyboard motif with undeniable numerical logic, and the opening sequence of the latter recalls the frosty glacial splendour of early Human League. As if by magic, enter Mr Phil Oakey, as though the past 28 years never happened. Like much else here, it could easily have gone cheesy, but the duet soars in minor triumph. Little Boots has the tunes to make this more than a nostalgia trip, throwing down challenges on the dance floor and thrashing out pop hooks by the dozen. (by scotsman)

Label: KHY Suomen Musiikki
Country: Finland
Release Date: 2007.03.14

Helsinki-based band The Millioners quietly released their first album in March of 2007 on KHY Suomen Musiikki Oy Records. Two years later, their single Body in Use is still being played in heavy rotation in clubs worldwide (a formidable accomplishment in the fast-paced world of electronic music). Though at first glance, the tacky album title “Most Sexiest Music” and kitsch sleeve art will certainly raise a few reluctant eyebrows, you’ll surely conclude that no other title would be appropriate after hearing the album. The Millioners are purveyors of uber-sexy disco infused with 80s nostalgia, playful wit and bouncing melodies. Royksopp meets Daft Punk. They will not be denied! (by good soul)

THE MILLIONERS – Up to You EP (2005)
MP3-Download: «Up to You»
MP3-Download: «Up to You (Ercola Remix)»
MP3-Download: «I Will Stay»

Label: Atlantic Records
Country: United Kingdom
Release Date: 2009.01.05

There’s a lot of interest in Little Boots, a.k.a. Victoria Hesketh, at the moment, as she has been announced as the most promising new artist in the BBC’s “Sound of 2009″ list. Coincidentally, in the same week this was announced, her track “Stuck On Repeat” was given away free as iTunes’ Single of the Week. A smart move, which has led many people (me too) to buy the full three track EP – a taster for an album which will undoubtedly be rushed to the top of her record company’s priority list.
All three tracks are musically clever and interesting, thanks to the electronic elements of her music – the Tenori-on (a strange yet wonderful Japanese “soundscaping” synth instrument) being especially of interest. Though this makes the music feel modern and experimental, at the same time there is also a definite nostalgia there for the pop rather than dance focussed synth of the 90s. Take the electronic side away and you get something fairly reminiscent of Saint Etienne mixed with Dubstar, whacked around the head by Bat For Lashes. (by andromeda descendent)

Label: Death From Above
Country: United States
Release Date: 2008.03.10

Effectively the solo project of New York based DJ and producer Andy Butler, with the help of some interesting friends, Hercules and Love Affair is , unlikely though it sounds, the point where classic disco meets classical myth–the title apparently refers to the legendary hero’s fondness for his own sex. Although co-produced by LCD Soundsystem’s Tim Goldsworthy, Hercules and Love Affair is a flightier, more hedonistic proposition, filled with echoes of long gone clubs and ghosts of the pre-AIDS glory days of New York’s gay scene. Yet it celebrates rather than mourns the past as a series of guest vocalists leave their mark, Antony Hegarty the most familiar. The terrific, irresistible single “Blind”, reportedly some four years in gestation, stands out but the wistfully positive “Raise Me Up” isn’t far behind, Hegarty’s inimitably sad tones incongruously juxtaposed with a gleeful arrangement. Though even his voice has a hard battle with the lift from Frankie Knuckles’s classic “Your Love” which underpins the opener “Time Will”. The spaced out jazz of “This Is My Love”, sung by Butler himself, the dizzily ecstatic house of “You Belong”, the purest of flashbacks, and Kim Ann’s vocal turn on the elegant “Athene” are other highlights on a remarkably assured and entertaining first effort. This year won’t see a better example of danceable melancholy than Hercules and Love Affair. (by amazon)

Label: Gozadera
Country: Venezuela
Release Date: 2006.09.05

Formed in 1991, Los Amigos Invisibles was the first and currently the best Venezuelan dance band to be formed. The band’s fifth album release “Super Pop Venezuela” showcases the group’s distinct style, merging dance, electronica, and Latin music. The band routinely performs to sold out crowds in New York (where they currently reside), Los Angeles, Miami, and elsewhere. They were at both Coachella and Lollapalooza last year. A true melting pot of styles, they never disappoint nor depart from their mission “to keep the crowd dancing.” Unlike their house, trance, and rave counterparts, Los Amigos Invisibles does not rely entirely on a heavy beat, but rather on an amalgamation of flavors, all while maintaining that distinctive Latin flair. (by josh spear)

Label: 2020 Vision
Country: United Kingdom
Release Date: 2008.10.13

2020 Vision present new signing Crazy P (formerly Crazy Penis) with their fourth album ‘Stop Space Return’. A masterpiece of modern disco music that captures the energy of one of the world’s finest live dance music acts. Stop Space Return captures the sound of a band at their peak and effortlessly blends their influences of classic NYC House, 70’s funk & disco, soul instrumentation, pop melodies, electronica and sun kissed beats to delicious effect. Their pedigree as recording artists is already clearly documented by three superb previous albums – their first two classics A Nice Hot Bath With and The Wicked Is Music on Paper Recordings and their last album Night on Earth on Shiva, which sold over 20,000 copies & made them bonafide stars in Australia and the UK . Crazy P are part of a unique group of bands such as Groove Armada, Roisin Murphy, Basement Jaxx and Hot Chip, who can properly take electronic music onto the stage and more importantly rock crowds of over 20,000 people. (by chaos)