Reissues continue to shine a fresh spotlight of records that were overlooked when they first surfaced or were just not about in sufficient amounts. In 2020, we are back with another collection of outstanding singles, lovingly re-issued and repressed, saving us from those Discogs sharks or listening to these records only on YouTube. The number of quality reissue singles seems not to be abating across all genres, despite the pandemic - this list features everything from the mysterious Basquiat-related hip hop track to Italian reggae-pop (Loredana Berte)! As with the other charts, this year we have decided not to number & rank the albums, although the ones we have enjoyed more are listed first.
We've tried to choose those singles that have been introduced to most of us for the first time thanks to this reissue or a much-needed repress shining a light on an undervalued gem. We didn't mean to make Roman Flugel both our favourite reissue single and reissue album (as Primitive Painter), but 'Acid Test' really is the jewel in the crown of Roman's back catalogue - probably one of the best uses of the Roland 303 out there! It sits alongside several other late 80s / 90s reissues in the chart such as Corporation of One 'Real Life', a mash-up of Simple Minds & Queen from 1989 and Bobby Konders, Mental Cube (a Future Sound of London alias) and The Grid, although this one was helped by a stunning yet simply executed Paul Woolford remix.
Outside of the house & techno genres, there has been a slew of excellent South African early kwaito & disco gems, thanks to the work of the Rush Hour crew, our highlight being Chicco's 'Shigomase'. For soul, Sonya Spence's 'Let Love Flow On' is the crowd favourite but you can't beat the Backatcha label for the best-repressed gems with The Bees 'I Love You' being a recent classic that needed to be shared by all. And allow us a little self-indulgence as this year we re-released our very first Phonica white, the classic house of Iori's 'Galaxy' now with Lord of The Isles on the mix. We look forward to more forgotten gems in 2021 when hopefully we can listen to them with many other people!
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