KAPOTE レコード& CD

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: 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'.