BBE have some pretty serious disco material coming out in 2010, so it's a real pleasure to be involved. Disco Love is Al Kent's first official comp/mix, released in early 2010. It's been very well received. Surprisingly well received. Plans for part two are already underway, but following up that artwork is gonna be difficult!

Here's the sleeve notes from part one...

I've been surrounded by records for as long as I can remember. My dad saw to that; he wasn't one of those cool dads that most DJs seem to have though; the ones that collected obscure jazz records, or had a few boxes of northern soul rarities in the living room cabinet; he was more eclectic than that. Or to put it another way, he had terrible taste in music. I think he shopped for records the way he shopped for clothes or shoes: by looking at the price. If it was in the bargain bin in Woolies, it was probably good enough for him. But that meant that he'd buy some for me too - as long as the price was right. I had quite a deep collection by the time I was six, everything from Peter and The Wolf and Camberwick Green to 101 Dalmations and The Runaway Train & Other Children's Favourites.

Once I was old enough to go out unsupervised, it was generally to a record shop, where for a good few years I'm sure I shared my dad's awful taste in music. Until I accidentally discovered Motown. That was the start of the slippery slope for me. Motown led to Ric Tic, led to Golden World, led to Thelma, and in later years led to the simple choice between a decent meal and a record sometimes (the record usually won).

My tastes haven't changed much over the years; I still like those Recorded-on-a-shoestring-budget-in-one-take-backstreet-crackhouse numbers. I like the big, polished, orchestral disco stuff too, but can't help being drawn to something a little more gritty. So this is what I've chosen for this collection. Although CD1 is mixed, it doesn't really represent a DJ set I'd play, more a mixtape I'd do for a friend. And it's not all disco in the strictest sense of the word - some of the songs don't even have percussion, never mind strings - and most, believe it or not, didn't come out on 12". But it was all recorded in the mid-1970s, and was made to encourage people to dance. Which makes it disco to me mate.

I never describe myself as a "collector" - collectors have to complete things, and I don't want to own every record Peter Brown ever mixed, or every record Herb Powers mastered. Though I will admit to once owning a complete set of Golden World 45s. I just like music, and am happy buying what I can afford, when I can afford it, and selling what I can't afford when I can't afford it. This collection isn't full of rarer than rare unissued cuts from master tapes found under a studio engineer's bed. That's not the point. It's quite simply records I've been enjoying recently. Hopefully most of them won't show up on a Google search though, which seems to be some people's yardstick when it comes to rarity.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do....

01. BLACK ROCK
NEW YORK CITY BUMP

Once, when I was quite young, I'd scoff at a record you could pick up for a fiver. Then I started hearing records like this and saved a fortune. This is a great way to open any mix, setting the tone nicely.

02. SMILESTREET PEOPLE
LYPSO DISCO

I've developed quite a penchant for this type of music recently. Is it disco? Is it calypso? Let's just call it lypso disco. I'm not sure if I've found a club yet where I could play this record, so it's probably best listened to out the back in a hammock rather than on a dancefloor.

03. SWEET DADDY FLOYD
I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF
RE-EDIT

I bought this for the irresistible drums (and hi hat), not realising the B Boys were way ahead of me there. I dismissed the vocals, but after a few listens they grew on me. I love them now. Give it three listens and you will too.

04. TOMORROW'S PEOPLE
LET'S GET WITH THE BEAT
RE-EDIT

From a fairly rare and fairly desirable indi album out of Chicago, made up mostly of songs I don't particularly like, this song stands out as one that I do.

05. PATRICIA WHITE
SWEET DISCO
RE-EDIT

A proper love it or hate it record. I can fully understand why many people would be in the hate it camp, but what's not to love about a record that sounds like it was recorded during a primary school music lesson?

06. CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC
LOVE YOUR FAMILY
RE-EDIT

The first (and only) song on this album to be from a 12" single. This is it folks, this is the disco one.

07. BOB WILLIAMS
I'M ALRIGHT
RE-EDIT

I don't know why Bob didn't feel like dancing. Cos I kind of do when I listen to his record. Or at the very least tapping my foot. Listen to those drums. It's disco lypso time again.

08. THE MIDAS TOUCH
NITE LIFE (LET'S GET IT ON)
(PT. I & II)
RE-EDIT

I originally bought this because I liked the little synth part and thought it might possibly one day make a decent edit if I ever got round to doing one. Then I did one. And played it out. And it got a big cheer. So I guess it's quite good.

09. QUINN HARRIS
I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU

So this is probably the most un-disco song on here, and the reason the album tagline contains the word "soul". But it's such a beauty, I had to stick it on.

10. JNB
I'LL BE THE ONE

Actually, what I said above could probably just be copied and pasted in here.

11. WILLIAMÊ V. GEEÊ
ROCKIN' ON DOWN
RE-EDIT

This is actually the B side to a pretty un-inspiring ballad type of thing. I think that was a bit of a mistake on William's part. He'd probably have sold a few more copies if he'd made this one the A side. Remember that in future William.

12. THIRD WORLD CONNECTION
HOT SEAT
RE-EDIT

This is what you call disco-funk. I could probably just end this paragraph now. I've said all I need to say about this song. Disco. Funk.

13. ROSS CARNEGIE & Co.
F. Minor Disco
RE-EDIT

Sometimes when you've had a record a while, you can forget how good it is. You'll look at it and think "nah, not Ross Carnegie". But then sometimes you'll play it anyway, and remember why you actually bought the thing in the first place. I edited it too, because both sides are well good.

14. NEW GHETTO EXPRESS
STANDING ON THE VERGE OF GETTING IT ON
RE-EDIT

"Standing on the Verge of Getting It On" shows tremendous growth in songwriting as the suggestion to get Funky also explicitly includes a connection with social change and an awakening of the mind". That's what someone said about the Funkadelic original to this. I just think it's a good track and quite funky and disco-y really.