VA - A Journey through Jeremy Underground's Collection [Bandcamp 15-tracks Edition] (2016)

After launching with a killer reissue of a private press gem from Morrison Kincannon, Spacetalk presents its’ first compilation: a superb selection of soul, disco and boogie obscurities curated by noted Parisian crate-digger and DJ Jeremy Underground.

Beauty has its’ origins in a chance encounter between Jeremy and Spacetalk co-founder and Psychemagik Danny McLewin at Bestival on the Isle of Wight in the UK. Having completed his regular festival set – keeping the dancefloor moving with his more familiar house and U.S garage sound – Jeremy was treating the crowd at Maceo’s, the renowned backstage bar usually found at Glastonbury, to a tasty selection of soul, disco and boogie obscurities. Danny was getting crazy on the tunes and at some point went over to Jeremy to tell him how much he was loving it, they started talking which went on for hours and that's where the idea of Spacetalk's first compilation came from.

Jeremy Underground is well regarded within the record collecting community, and counts a number of high-profile “diggers” amongst his friends. He famously played alongside Red Greg at Floating Points’ first You’re A Melody party at Plastic People back in 2013, the four-hour recording of which is still available on the Eglo website.

The Parisian is also no stranger to putting together high quality compilations, having previously mined his house collection for two volumes of My Love Is Underground on Favorite Recordings. Beauty, though, is the first collection to showcase the depth and variety of his record collection. Stuffed full of rare, hard-to-find and little-known gems, it confirms the Frenchman’s status as one of Europe’s most open-minded record collectors.

Amongst its’ 15 tracks you’ll find the Creative Arts Ensemble’s spiritual soul-jazz gem “Unity”, the samba sunshine of Leila Pinheiro, the folksy, Latin-tinged breeziness of Ron Rinadli’s “Mexican Summer”, and the dewy-eyed, late night soul of Nu-Cleus’s ridiculously hard-to-find “Needing A Woman”.

The beating heart of the compilation, though, is a selection of heady, heart-warming cuts that blur the boundaries between Philly soul, disco, jazz-funk and boogie. These include the sparkling, synth-laden 1981 boogie of “Do Your Own Dance” by Shades Of Love (whose members included future ‘80s soul/disco star Meli’sa Morgan), the jazz-funk inspired library grooves of Christer Norden’s “Lay Back”, and the smooth, post-boogie soul of Richardi Mac’s superb “Told You So”. Oh, and “Let Love Flow” by Jamaican singer Sonya Spence, a deliciously sweet and loved-up disco-soul shuffler infused with the distinctive swing of the Caribbean.

These are just some of the highlights; repeat listens will uncover new favourites, hidden gems, and impossible-to-find cuts from the crates of one of Europe’s most celebrated DJs.