Imagine you knew somebody who was one of the world's heaviest disco and soul collectors. A guy who got props from people like Dimitri from Paris, Kenny Dope, Joey Negro and Danny Krivit. Then imagine this guy made you a couple CDs of his dopest and rarest grooves, records so scarce that they have yet to circulate on the internet, records that trade in Shibuya back rooms for hundreds of dollars and a kilo of flesh. Just as a favor, your homeboy selected only his most pristine pieces of vinyl, and painstakingly transferred them to digital with an audiophile's ear. That, in essence, is what you have here, in this distillation of the collector's fave Disco Strut series. These songs are not for everybody, though the grooves are as catchy as the best R&B chart hits. Many will not understand the appeal of electronic Italian boogie like Asso's "Don't Stop" or Selection's "Got To Be Real." Many people will prefer things they've heard before, or cringe at an exquisitely funked up version of "Summertime." But for the connoisseur or the curious, this collection, a labor of love without a doubt, represents damn near the pinnacle of soulful disco delights. From Hipnotic's "Are You Lonely" a record that recently sold in England for the bargain price of $450, to the virtually unknown Bay area disco-reggae of Onyx, to the maddeningly difficult 12-inch versions of minor chart hits"I Love You More" and "Sound of Music(" these 2 CDs feature a clean skim of disco cream. Some may prefer MacDonald's, but if you've grown weary of the greasy kids stuff, let Disco Strut's master chef give you the gourmet treatment. Liner notes by some guy from Wax Poetics.

• music label: Disco Strut 2005

reviewed by monk