(08.10.06) Once more, this reviewer has had the privilege and pleasure to review the latest outing from the Venetian den of contemporary italo disco that is Diskokaine. The Austrian imprint, which has been sonically pickled in spaghetti dance classics, has emerged from the shadows to release another installment through those nice distributors in Holland: Clone. From the label’s debut release, Lick the Alphabet, by the team of CBS mixbot marfloW and electro diva Princess Superstar, better known as The Diskokaines, the label established itself as a center for the neo disco sound. The amazingly well constructed second release, I’ll Be By Your Side by the team of Sally Shapiro and Johan Agebjorn, is an italo masterpiece, blowing many a disco dancer away with its flawless 80s Milan sound and addictive lyrics. The label is back again, now handing out its third release to the unsuspecting electro populace of sweaty dancefloors. Once more The
Diskokaines are the main players, but this time they have come prepared with some serious back up in the form of Danny Wolfers (a.k.a. Legowelt). But will the Venetian imprint be able to maintain the quality that it has already released or has marfloW and his label already peaked?
The Rock-a-Boogie 12″ shifts from the solid italo foundation that Diskokaine had produced its first two releases on. Rock-a-Boogie introduces something new to the mix, a serious Chicago contingency; a sound that Mr. Wolfers is no stranger to. The Rock-a-Boogie original mix opens with a slamming laser show of sharp synth lines layered over with a head bobbing bass and a get up and go church bell sample. As Princess Superstar’s vocals work their way throw the waves of analog sound, Legowelt illustrates his influence with deep and dirty knob tweaking that would get any electro boogier’s feet moving. The track is very much dancefloor orientated, its gritty Chicago machine feel is guaranteed to pack any disco hall in the land.
Side B finds the “Autorepeat mix” of “Rock-a-Boogie.” The remix has a similar feel to the original, a fiendish synthline and bass not to mention churchbells are once more at the heart of the mix. Princess Superstar’s vocals are cut up, stammered up and looped to create an addictive, if not
dizzying, lyrical rhythm. A great spin on the original. The three track EP ends with the “In Flagranti mix;” this final mix begins as the slowest of the three, taking time to build up. The track breaks out with Princess Superstar’s vocals whilst a mean synth is once more introduced. The “In Flagranti mix,” like all the “Rock-a-Boogie” versions, is a very playful and dancefloor driven track; this mix even has some smatters of the children’s classic Old MacDonald but Rock-a-Boogied up. The “In Flagranti mix” is not as full on as its predecessors, but is a great number to finish up the EP on.
The Rock-a-Boogie EP marks an interesting transgression for the Diskokaine label. MarfloW’s imprint founded itself with two well compiled
italo 12s, but the Rock-a-Boogie is not an italo disco record as such. The Rock-a-Boogie EP is a much more Chicago influenced outing, but, like Lick the Alphabet and I’ll Be By Your Side, it is the Chicago sound reproduced extremely well. With this, it is great to see the label getting artists like Legowelt involved; such collaboration not only helps the label to grow, but extends its credibility. Each Diskokaine release is moving the label ahead in the ranks of great electro music. With marfloW captaining the label, and artists like Princess Superstar and Legowelt already involved on the fledgling Venetian imprint, things look extremely good for the future of this already well respected label.
Rock-A-Boogie is out now on Diskokaine. Buy it at Clone.
