Disco legend Sylvester comes to Dark Entries with Private Recordings: August 1970, an intimate collection of vintage jazz, blues, and gospel. While Sylvester is best known for his chart-topping collaborations with producer Patrick Cowley, such as “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” this release reveals his passion for the sounds of the 30s and 40s. In 1970 a 22-year-old Sylvester had moved to San Francisco and found himself involved with the Cockettes, the infamous psychedelic performance art troupe. Among this milieu was Peter Mintun, a pianist and record collector living in a commune devoted to retro culture. According to Mintun, “We were like hippies who lived in the twenties. We lived in a house that didn’t have anything modern in it. Nothing in it was made after World War II.” Mintun and Sylvester bonded over their love of Black singers of yore and were allotted a slot during Cockettes performances reviving the music of the Prohibition Era. One afternoon, Sylvester and Mintun recorded a number of their shared favorites using a high-end microphone a friend had acquired. Private Recordings features 9 songs from this session, including standards like “Stormy Weather,” “Happy Days Are Here Again,” and “God Bless the Child.” Sylvester’s unmistakable falsetto brings depth and a dash of camp to these familiar tunes. The recordings are casual and intimate, even capturing banter between Sylvester and Mintun; their brief rendition of “When My Dreamboat Comes Home” has the duo working out a melody in real time. In addition to their sonic explorations of decades past, Sylvester and Mintun also staged photographic shoots in vintage couture. Private Recordings comes with a 16-page booklet on firm cardstock featuring images from these never-before-seen shoots as well as liner notes from Mintun detailing his friendship with Sylvester and their experiences recording. All this is housed in a metallic silver sleeve designed by Eloise Leigh featuring a 1920’s Art Deco aesthetic. The record will be released on September 6th which would have been Sylvester’s 76th birthday, and all proceeds from Private Recordings will go to the two charities that Sylvester left his royalties after his death: Project Open Hand and PRC (formerly AIDS Emergency Fund). This essential release documents the earliest known recordings from one of disco’s greatest talents. More

Sylvester has too many hits to count, but 'Over And Over' has to be up there. Originally released in 1977, the timeless slice of uptempo disco funk was a mighty meeting of minds - any track penned by Ashford & Simpson is set for iconic status, and with Sylvester up front it's even more of a sure thing. Quite simply eternal. Of course, Sylvester's most famous collaborator was Patrick Cowley, whose magic touch is all over the wriggling, brooding synth boogie of 'I Need Somebody To Love Tonight', presented here as a compact 7" edit for a short sharp blast of perfection More

Repress!
Officially licensed, expertly executed and respectful re-edit of one of Sylvester’s most loved disco anthems, ‘You Make Me Feel Mighty Real’, from the maestro Michael Gray. Set to storm festivals, clubs, radiowaves, you name it – it’s a summer soundtrack if there ever was one! More

Craft Recordings and Soulwax are pleased to celebrate Pride by producing a fresh and joyful remix of Sylvester's 1978 disco classic, 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’."You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) - Soulwax For Despacio Remix” is available across digital platforms from June 25th, while a 12-inch release with a vinyl exclusive instrumental version on the B-side is available to pre-order now. It was made to play on the Despacio sound system, a 50,000 watt, state-of- the-art, vinyl only sound system which Soulwax created with James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem, DFA Records) & powered by McIntosh & Jordan Acoustics.“Unlike other remixes where we usually replace most of the elements and make something radically different based around the vocal, we made this remix using only the parts we found on the original multitrack that we were so kindly given by the Sylvester estate. Even though we have played this song a million times, we discovered a few elements that we had never heard before, like a crazy Patrick Cowley synth solo and somewhere hidden before the start of the multitrack, the ending of what sounds like a gospel version of 'Mighty Real’. It was a huge privilege to be asked to remix this seminal track and we hope that Sylvester will dance to it, wherever he is” Soulwax More

REISSUE! More

REISSUE! More

Superpitcher and Idjut Boys remix Radio Slave’s ‘Wake Up’. Radio Slave’s spoken word slow-burner ‘Wake Up’ dropped on Rekids March ‘23, winning support from the likes of Roman Fluegel, Louise Chen and Red Axes and continuing a run of singles that explores the house and disco roots of the iconic British UK/Producer. Now, he invites Kompakt a?liate and Hippie Dance co-founder Superpitcher alongside UK duo Idjut Boys to reimagine ‘Wake Up’ on a fresh 12”. The original ‘Wake Up’ saw Matt Edwards, aka Radio Slave, utilise low-slung grooves and an iconic speech-like vocal. Superpitcher remixes the track ?rst, turning it into an acid-infused trip with its vocal samples echoing through cavernous, dubbed-out soundscapes. On the ?ip, we see Idjut Boys turn up the ?ange in their hypnotic version while maintaining the original’s bassline and stripping back the vocal to eerie whispers. More

Oceanvs Orientalis teases his highly anticipated album 'Portrait of the Obscure’ on Crosstown Rebels with the third and penultimate single ‘Neurality’, remixed by 8Bit and Cecile head honcho Nick Curly. Istanbul-based Safak Oz Kutle, aka Oceanvs Orientalis, is a producer and live act who blends the rich sonic cultures of Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian and Arabic music to curate his take on electronic music. The first two singles from his forthcoming album on Damian Lazarus’ legendary Crosstown Rebels have showcased his diverse sound at its fullest, and now the third offering and final single ahead of the LPs release confirms him once again to be a standout talent as he unveils the captivating sonics of ‘Neurality’.

An absorbing and stirring production, ‘Neutrality’ brings a darkly involving groove that is multi-layered and hypnotic, with several shimmering vocals, jangling percussive lines and ethereal pads all locking you in for an enthralling ride. A remixer who needs little introduction, Nick Curly is as integral to the tech house genre as anyone in the scene, heading up key labels such as 8Bit and Cecile while helping to define the genre as we know it today. His interpretation is deep and warm, with slinky drums carefully deployed amongst vocal whispers that bring human soul. An excellent final preview into what’s still to come, ‘Neurality’ delivers another exceptional production, leading perfectly into the release of the full-length project this April. More

It’s almost hard to believe that a record with anthem status like Pete Heller’s ‘Big Love’ was created out of a happy accident, but that is exactly how it happened. Left to his own devices as his studio partner Terry Farley went to watch a Chelsea game, Pete Heller was playing around with his Akai sampler when he produced what is arguably one of the most recognisable pieces of dance music of the 1990’s. Earlier this summer Urbana Records boss and Spanish powerhouse David Penn took to remixing this enduring classic. Winning over dancefloors in Ibiza and beyond with his signature rolling bassline and infectious groove, the record soaring to both Beatport and Traxsource #1. Now Defected present a special 12” package that features David’s remix, joined on the A-Side by The Dronez Remix, where house masters Erick Morillo, Harry Romero and Jose Nunez lend their classic house capabilities to the track. On the B-Side is Pete Heller’s original, sounding as incredible as ever over twenty years after its original release, once again proving the timelessness of ‘Big Love’. More

Andrés's is back on his own La Vida imprint. As expected Dez comes correct with his warm, sample-heavy version of Detroit house music. "Believin'" nuances Dez's killer hip-hop house sound with bold vocal sampling and deep Brazilian influences. Well worth the wait! More