Compilations have always been a huge source of new music for me. In high school I started obsessively collecting the Sire Records "Just Say..." compilations which led to collegiate collection of the Volume comps. I'm hopscotching through history now, but eventually label and magazine-style comps gave way to artist and deejay curated compilations like Back to Mine and Late Night Tales.
Over the holidays I picked up my favorite cosmic disco connoisseur DJ Harvey's "Mercury Rising: Volumen Tres" on vinyl and dislodged a new favorite track, the slinky disco-fried bossa-funk of "You Know Why (Disco Version)" by Pino Presti featuring Roxy Robinson. Harvey's compilation was released in 2021, but the single was originally released in 2018 as part of a release of unreleased extended disco tracks from Presti's 1977 archives.
As a deejay and record collector, nothing is as exciting as when a gem as pure as this one that's been all but forgotten is unearthed. When I was listening to Harvey's record for the first time and this track came on, it was like sticking my finger in the socket, my body started twitching and soon I was dancing across the floor imagining hearing this in smoky sweaty discotheque with Harvey at the helm.
I couldn't dig up much on Roxy Robinson (aside from some incredible album covers) but she nails the sultry disco diva vibe.
"You know why, I'm so high, whenever your love holds me near. Let me stay, all the way, there's no one else who can compare."
