Black Devil Disco Club

A victim of the always detrimental year-end release, Black Devil Disco Club’s 28 After unjustly fell by the wayside and was completely overlooked in 2006. Not only was the album a glinting Italo disco masterpiece, it was also knee-deep in mystery. Many people wondered what in tarnation the record was and who exactly was responsible for it. Turns out it was the long-awaited follow-up to the ultra-rare 1978 disco classic "Disco Club” by Black Devil (aka Bernard Fevre and Jackie Giordano). It’s all very questionable but apparently, the duo re-emerged as "Joachim Sherylee” and "Junior Claristidge” for 28 After, thanks to the interest of Luke Vibert and Richard D. James, whose Rephlex label reissued the long-lost Disco Club album three years ago. To make a long story short, the duo have returned with their "dub” remix of 28 After’s entirety, as well as an additional six remixes by some doting producers. In Dub isn’t quite what the name suggests, as BDDC have merely rounded the edges off their songs, adding some layers and fundamental slack to the immediate kick of the originals. But it’s a revitalising concept that works ably as a flattering companion. The remaining remixes take more chances but there’s nothing too far-out. Prins Thomas launches "On Just Foot” into outer space for a softer rendition but it’s no more drastic than the original. You get the sense Fevre and Giordano weren’t open to anything too radical, as even the most challenging (and enjoyable) of these — Quiet Village’s "I Regret the Flower Power” — is simply some spacey dub step. Nonetheless, In Dub feels indispensable alongside its predecessor in establishing these forgotten producers as main players in today’s disco-obsessed world.