8

6.3

UK release date 06.06.2007

If you don’t already own Dimitri’s ‘A Night At the PlayboyMansion’ and ‘Disco Forever’ compilations, you may not appreciate the role he’s played in reviving and revitalising a genre, which has since become immensely popular.

With ‘Cocktail Disco’, the French disco don returns with a selection of more obscure tracks from the late 70’s. Honing in on a sub-genre popularised by Manhattan Transfer, Love Unlimited Orchestra and August Darnell (aka Kid Creole) and commonly known as Sleaze because it was played at after-hours joints where dancers used to get their grind on, this is the camper, loungier side of the disco spectrum, with breezy vocals and a carefree tropical vibe. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, especially if you like your disco harder and more funky, but for fans of Dr. Buzzard’s Original Dancing Band and the like, you should seek this out. The Ritchie Family’s ‘Frenesi’ is an epic disco fantasy while Jonelle Allen’s ‘Baby, I Just Wanna Love You’ sounds like a Philadelphia International two-step classic. You’ll certainly know Astrud Giberto’s ‘Girl From Ipanema’ but listen out for the Charlie’s Roots take on the Jackson’s ‘Let Me Show You the Way’.

Groovy, baby...
Words Jez Smadja