Toy Tonics Vinyl & CDs

Review: The sixth volume in Toy Tonics occasional "Tonic Edits" series comes courtesy of label regulars COEO, a Munich-based duo who previously proved their edit credentials via a tasty 12" on Razor-N-Tape. This collection is arguably even better than its predecessor and sees them take their rusty scalpels to a quartet of Japanese disco-pop tracks from the 1980s. There's much to admire, from the sleazy electrofunk grooves, bold pianos and sparkling pianos of "Matchbox" (A2) and the slap-bass propelled boogie goodness of the Teena Marie-esque "Uber Man" (B1), to the freestyle influenced synth-pop bounce of cheery closing cut "Tibetan Dance". Arguably best of all, though, is lead cut "Japanese Woman", a bi-lingual disco song rich in rubbery bass, Chic style guitars and sparkling synthesizer flourishes.

Review: Munich twosome COEO have long been a reliable source of hybrid nu-disco and house productions, with their releases on Toy Tonics being particularly good. Music For Friends, their first release of 2021, is another rock-solid collection of ear-catching cuts. The most incendiary, peak-time ready number is undoubtedly 'Voyager (Piano Mix)', a brilliantly rush-inducing slab of piano house revivalism with added nu-disco synths, though EP opener '25 Hundred Friends', a tough-as-teak blend of chunky deep house, fluid piano solos and warming jazz-funk instrumentation, pushes it close. Elsewhere, 'Slipstream' is a borderline Balearic chunk of dreamy and melodious deep house, while 'Midnight Visions' is colourful, emotive and musically intricate.

Review: Unwaveringly reliable house stable Top Tonics keep the good stuff coming this October as COEO steps up with an extra vibes four tracker. This is pure and unreserved house joy, music to party to without a care in the world. It's the bouncing drums and happy trumpets that make it so, with energetic piano stabs and driving bass all working to make you forget your woes. The music is nothing particularly new, but it is pulled off with such a sense of style and class that it's impossible to ignore. Whether all out and sweat inducing or ever so slightly deeper, we cannot get enough of these cuts.

Review: Having graced the likes of Razor N Tape, Classic and Shall Not Fade, in recent years Cody Currie has bedded himself in deep on Toy Tonics - just check the London-based producer's Lucas LP from last year if you need further proof. The label have taken a peep back at that album to serve up this feel-good remix package with some serious talent on re-fix duties. First up Dan Shake serves up a tough-bumpin' version of Cash before Sam Ruffillo and Kapote have fun amping up the funky elements of the track. On the flip, the mighty Kaidi Thatham lays down a typically soul-charged version of 'Money' before Jamie 3:26 takes the track deeper, riding on a sweet Moog bassline that will pull in the stiffest of crowds until everyone's feeling good and loose.

Review: Toy Tonic always deliver interesting, functional, emotional house music and here comes another such serving from the so-far so-excellent Cody Currie. The opener is as deep and jazzy as they come, with rich chords and twinkling pads all floating way above a nice warm bassline. 'LS Anthem' plays with broken beats and warped chords that are woozy and rich as a spoken word sample brings a sense of cool. 'When The Time Is Right' then keeps up the magical Rhodes work and a soulful, shuffling groove before 'M9' picks up the pace a little without loosing any of the heart and version of 'Moves' closes in steamy fashion.

Review: Ever a treasure trove of house goodness, Toy Tonics Music is back with Para Mytho Disco, the second album by label founder and creative director Mathias Modica who is also known as Kapote. His work as Munk on Gomma Records might be his best-known stuff at the moment but this album goes a long way to redressing that with its fresh take on disco house, experimental electro, jazz fusion and Afro-American grooves. All of that is distilled through a futuristic mix of keys, bass, synths and percussion inspired by 1970s jazz and 1980s synthwave. As such this record reflects Kapote's vision of bringing diverse musical styles together to create a positive, inclusive vibe and is own that yields more rich detail with each listen.

Review: A clutch of 12 new tracks from contemporary Italian producers, offering a snapshot of modern disco rooted in local language and rhythm, without leaning into retro tropes. Paul Older's 'Che Disco Vuoi' and Riva Starr's 'Allora Amore' both lead with clean percussion and full-bodied basslines, the former leaning pop, the latter more loop-driven. 'Statua Greca' by Valentino Vivace and 'Tutto Matto' by Hey Cabrera! extend the formula with sharper synth programming and a vocal-led structure. Sam Ruffillo & Fimiani's 'Non Era Facile' blends house swing with lounge-adjacent instrumentation, while Kymono's 'Lasciati Andare' keeps things percussive and tight. Dov'e Liana's 'La Notte Infinita' and Mille Punti's 'Matto' take a looser approach, building around layered synth work and call-and-response vocal phrases. Bruno Belissimo's 'Donna Piu' cuts more minimal, with a stripped rhythm section and filtered pads. The final third of the set moves further into dancefloor territory: Fimiani's 'Proibito' and Alessandro Rotter's 'La Sera, La Discoteca, La Spiaggia' both favour extended intros and vocal refrains. Alberto Melloni's 'Credimi' rounds things off with a warm, restrained finish. The sequencing keeps a balance between form and variation, with the Italian-language vocals acting as the unifying element across styles.

Review: The Toy Tonics label, which emerged out of the ashes of indie-dance label Gamma, is one of our favourite for fresh house. It is always packed with emotion and invention and does the simple things damn well. This is another great example from Gee Lane. 'Monkeys' is lively and lithe, with a killer bassline and soulful vocals. 'Neon Beach' ups the energy with taught synth stabs and prickly beats and 'The Fourth' then taps into old school jack, cowbells and Chicago rawness. A Musclecars remix of 'Monkeys' gets more blissed out and the Demi Riquisimo remix is pure old-school, finger-snapping fun.

Review: Fresh from blurring the boundaries between electronic disco and quirky disco-house via EPs on Nocturne and Public Possession (the latter alongside Wolfram), Josh Ludlow brings his trademark sound to Toy Tonics for the first time. Style wise, both A-side tracks doff a cap to Italo-disco and the hard-to-pigeonhole dancefloor psychedelia of Maurice Fulton's Syclops project, with throbbing opener 'New Transition (extended 12" mix)' being followed by the heady nu-disco squelch of 'Bumper Thumper (12" club dub)'. The latter track is given a makeover by Medlar on the flip, with the Wolf Music regular re-imagining it as a bumping, sweat-soaked house jam topped off with disco guitar licks and ghostly lead lines. Also worth checking is B1 'D.G.A.F', a funky, punky house jam smothered in intergalactic synth sounds.

Review: Who is Magou? That's anyone's guess, however it is said to be a mysterious side project by an otherwise respected Italian producer and DJ. They return to Berlin's Toy Tonics for a full and proper double 12' release, a debut album in-fact, taking in disparate elements. We really enjoyed the low-slung modern disco on offer ('Eco' / 'Borges'), as well the neon-lit Italo numbers ('Pas Jolie' / 'Sample Dream') and were even impressed a by that bit of electro-boogie ('Heather's Body') - all blended in a classy and understated manner throughout.

Review: Since making his name late last decade with a string of re-edit releases, Italian DJ/producer Paul Older (real name Paolo Vecchiato) has been edging towards original production. This EP on the mighty Toy Tonics imprint is his most ambitious and - we think - impressive set of 'originals' to date. For proof, check excitable opener 'Guapita', where relentless synth-horn refrains dance atop a loopy disco-house beat, the horn-heavy, Blaxpolitation funk-sampling sweatiness of 'Keep On', and the house-meets-sleazy disco sensuality of 'I Like It, I Want It (Extended Mix)'. Arguably best of all, though, is the hybrid nu-disco/proto-house/disco-house headiness of closing cut 'Loop Story'.

Review: Last summer, Toy Tonics regulars Sam Ruffillo and Kapote joined forces on the fantastic Robot Salsa EP. Here it returns, with two of the set's most potent cuts being joined by fresh remixes. The key cut here is 'La La Tune', a rich fusion on vintage Italo-house and Latin house sounds blessed with infectious piano riffs and effects-laden organ stabs. It gets remixed twice on the flip, with A-Trak adding weightier bottom end and filters aplenty, while Mele re-imagines it as a percussion-heavy, carnival ready Latin house treat. In addition, there's also another chance to savour the salsa house warmth of 'Rico Suave'.

Review: Toy Tonics has established itself as one of house music's most interesting modern labels. It deals in all the myriad niche styles with equal elan, and always manage to call upon producers with something original to add to the conversation. The musical take on house is exemplified again on this second volume off their Mushroom House series from Kaputt. There are bright, glistening melodic cuts from Harry Wolfmann, tribal grooves from Kiwi, deep basement tackle featuring Italian designer Mathew Burlon and typically balmy and elegant grooves from the always on form DJ Sprinkles. The whimsical charm and lightness of touch displayed by Art Alfie on 'Dance To The Conga' is also to behold.

Review: Gomma played a vital role in the popularisation of the indie-dance explosion that happened some 20 years ago now. Best known for being spearheaded by US indie outfit LDC Sound system, it combined dance, disco, wave, post-punk and more into a party-ready sound that found favour with both ravers and guitar heads. This second collection from the German label highlights the best of music they put out back then with names like In Flagranti, label co-founder Munk, Nancy Whang & Bonar Bradberry and many more all present and correct.

Review: Toy Tonics is a label that has always done house music well - it doesn't follow trends, it doesn't look to reinvent the wheel, it doesn't repeat the same old tricks. What it does is serve up superb good grooves with plenty of character that are always going to get any crowd going no matter the time or place. The label now goes big with this double 12" of Gomma Dancefloor Gems Vol 1. It is, they say, a collection of "Y2K indie dance tracks" that were all originally released on the German Gomma Records label between 2001 and 2010 and were right up there with music on labels like James Murphy's DFA and Trevor Jackson's Output Records as the hottest of the day.