More funky disco rereleases here and I really make no apology for it…disco is making a comeback in the Hifi Pig household and we’re loving it. And so this time we have the expanded edition of the classic Patrick Adams Presents PHREEK. I think the opportunity to rediscover some of these classics from the 70s is most welcome and BBR (the label that are releasing a lot of these albums) should be applauded for making some real classics available to a new and younger (in some cases) audience.

Patrick Adams is a bit of a legend and the New Yorker contributed to no less than 32 gold and platinum releases, mainly on Salsoul and Prelude but also on the Atlantic label too. He’s worked with a veritable who’s who of disco including Sister Sledge, Loleatta Holloway and Jocelyn Brown…plus a whole load more. Listening to PHREEK you can certainly hear that the music has had a huge influence on modern day dance music, particularly the early 90s house scene.

Weekend opens proceedings and I’m sure you’ll recognise a good few samples in there that have been lifted and used elsewhere. It’s an absolute barnstormer of a disco classic and it’s the percussion elements on this (and other tunes on the record) that REALLY do it for me.

The album has been remastered and repackaged with some really good liner notes…and a couple of remixes tagged on the end and the record really stands up as being relevant to today. Of course it’s hedonistic D.I.S.C.O all the way and at its very best – crisp hats, relentless basslines, horns, synths…you get the funky picture i’m sure.

The word classic is bandies around all the time when talking about music from another era and sometimes it’s not really warranted but with PHREEK you’ve got a record that thoroughly deserves the label! There’s not one filler (other than dance floor fillers) on the record but stand out moments are the aforementioned Weekend, Much Too Much, and I’m A Freak (RU12).

An absolutely fantastic record that every disco phreek should have in their collection.