- Joey Negro is a serious disco nerd. He's been disco-obsessed since the '70s and understands the genre's subtleties innately, having explored almost every mutation throughout the last 30 years. Even so, "Distorting Space Time" is one of his career-best tracks. Capturing the spirit of a musical golden era, it focuses on hyper-specific sub-genres—jazz-funk and disco-dub—and expertly translates their nuances, with a result that sounds like Powerline's "Double Journey" mixed with Dinosaur L's "Go Bang! #5." Considering the stellar production values of those records, both mixed by the inimitable François K, that's high praise.
The rest of the EP is solid but not exceptional. "I Recognise" features regular Dego collaborator Kaidi Tatham on keys. You can hear Tatham's contribution not just in his masterful playing, but also in the authentic boogie sounds he coaxes from the synths. "Dancing Into The Stars," featuring Horse Meat Disco and Angela Johnson, is flamboyant with hints of a Def Mix production—its poppy vocals will be loved or loathed. The Black Loops remix of "Won't Let Go," a loopy DJ tool that recalls the shuffle of Iz & Diz productions from the '90s, is the package's curveball. Disco is enjoying a spike in popularity, so it's fitting that Joey Negro, a genre veteran, is producing work as fine as "Distorting Space Time."
TracklistA1 Distorting Space Time
A2 I Recognise feat. Sacha Williamson
B1 Dancing Into The Stars feat. Horse Meat Disco & Angela Johnson
B2 Won't Let Go feat. Linda Clifford (Black Loops Remix)