Following the critical acclaim of the Computer Incarnations for World Peace (SK140CD/LP) compilation, JAZZANOVA’s Sonar Kollektiv and GERD JANSON of Running Back Records team up once again to the greater joy of all the Disco music lovers. Whereas the first opus of Computer Incarnations for World Peace (SK140CD/LP) focussed on the early 80s with a selection of forgotten gems from the new wave era, the second episode shows the recent evolution of Disco music, with 13 tracks from artists and producers who proudly reasserted their love for this kind of music and injected some new blood in the veins of a genre that deserted the dance floors in the 90s. This sudden eviction from the clubs is partly due to the overexposure of Disco music in the late 70s and early 80s and to the use of the same music technology – computers, samplers, analogue synthesizers, bass modules, and drum machines – for other purposes and other styles of music such as Chicago House, Jackbeat and Detroit techno, more en vogue in the late 80s and the 90s.
But Disco music is a mythic genre that could not be left over for too long! And like a phoenix, it has reborn from its ashes in the late 90s thanks to audacious DJs that were not afraid to incorporate older disco tracks in their house sets and thanks to a new breed of Disco music producers, who poured various influences like Funk, House, Boogie and Brazilian music in their works. The movement known today as Nu-disco was born and Disco made its triumphal return in our ears and on the dancefloors.
JAZZANOVA and GERD JANSON belong to those daring artists, who select music without blinkers, merge genres and rock the dancefloors everywhere they play. JAZZANOVA have built up a solid reputation as successful compilers. From their more club orientated …mixing (SK033CD/LP) to the Brazilian compilation Paz e Futebol (SK089CD/LP) and Focus Jazz (SK108CD/LP), which concentrates on east European jazz and the Secret Love series which deals with folk and electronica (SK042CD/LP, SK066CD/LP, SK123CD/LP and SK160CD/folkwaves) the eclectic range of music covered by JAZZANOVA compilations has earned them worldwide respect. On his side Running Back records label honcho GERD JANSON made himself a name as a DJ serving the hottest house and disco cuts at Frankfurt’s Robert Johnson for the past few years and as a prolific music journalist writing for German Mags like Groove and Spex amongst others. They teamed up for the first one and now GERD is responsible for Computer Incarnations for World Peace II (SK185CD/elektrish). He stands up for his name once again with an eclectic collection of rare, treasured disco pearls that deserve a broader audience and a handful of unreleased tracks that you’ll never find anywhere else.
This wonderful excursion starts off with 3 previously unreleased tracks. ALEX STORRER aka LEXX comes on board with an instrumental version of Mahogany. The Swiss DJ and producer, whose unconditional love of Balearic and Disco music is only matched by his passion for Hip-hop, has had releases on pioneer labels such as Bear Funk, Mindless Boogie and Permanent Vacation. He delivers here a stunning cosmic piece made of lovely keyboard melodies, guitars riffs and tight drum parts over dreamy pads and female choirs and with a very nice cosmic edge to it. The second track called Reinbågan from Nordic disco darlings TODD TERJE and PRINS THOMAS, who released music and remixes for labels such as Rong Music, Eskimo Recordings, Bear Funk, Clone, Rekids, Compost, Feedelity, Clone and Mule Musiq amongst many others, is one of GERD JANSON’s personal faves. This tune originally released as B-side of TERJE’s 12“ Eurodans on Soul Jazz is a superb dub-disco cover of CLOUD ONE’s Don’t Let My Rainbow Pass Me By. It is also a very sought-after cut, as only 60 copies of it have been pressed! The third track is an unreleased slow motion corker with beautiful layers of pads and ever-rolling arpeggios called GRN Aventurine from French dynamic duo CHÂTEAU FLIGHT aka DJ GILB’R and I:CUBE of Versatile records fame. The 2 last pieces will be available on Sonar Kollektiv as a 12“ sampler with 4 tracks taken from the compilation.
The cruise goes on peacefully with Keep On of British band CRAZY PENIS featuring the lovely of vocalist DANIELLE MOORE and reworked by neo-disco pioneers DANIEL WANG and BRENNAN GREEN. The fine little label Sentrall hailing from L.A. is represented twice on the compilation with a heavenly cut called Blazer of PROJECT SANDRO taking you higher with wonderful steel-drum parts and ethereal layers of synth and with the funky MAURICE FULTON remix of ROLLMOTTLE’s Take A Break. Since these 2 tracks are hard to find in Europe, they will appear on the 12“ sampler as well.
Also very keen on the Disco sound made in UK, GERD JANSON selected Lullaby for Robert by EWAN PEARSON’s buddy AL USHER released in 2004 on Out Of The Loop Records, the groovy boogie disco number Oddysey by London’s WOOLFY, Fighter by Birmingham’s wonderboy MARK E, which is a deep Balearic affair exclusively released on this compilation, and the electronic Soca-disco cut To and Fro from longtime IDJUT BOYS friend and Noid records cohort RAY MANG a.k.a RAJ GUPTA.
To complete this retro futuristic disco journey, GERD JANSON opted for Tyrant of NAT RABB aka SAN SERAC originally released on TREVOR JACKSON’s Output Recordings in 2006. This nice slice of disco-pop comes as a special version exclusively released for Computer Incarnations for World Peace II. And with the dreamy and Balearic delight Shulme of PAUL MURPHY aka MUDD of Rong records fame and Walking in The Rain of FRONTERA, aka PETE HERBERT and PHIL MISON, who released a handful of records on Eskimo Recordings under the moniker REVERSO 68, this incredible travel ends up as sweetly as it started.
