Long Distance Love Affair/ Various - Long Distance Love Affair (Various Artists)

Limited Edition hand numbered gatefold 2xLP celebrating the 5th year anniversary of Super Disco Edits. The release of this album signals the health of a new breed of entrepreneurs within the music business. These are not traditional record companies in the way that most people understand them but small and nimble bespoke operations which tend to reflect the passion and creativity of their owners rather than the fickle idiosyncrasies of the general public. These new operations were more likely to be run from a bedroom, generally by seasoned crate-diggers and fuelled by a desire and intensity that most people can only dream about. So welcome to Russell Paine, previously known to me as Russell The Gutter Snype and DJ Sigher. I'm sure I became aware of Russell sometime in the early 90s digging around the London Record Fairs. He was a your archetypical Hip-Hopper back then but he seemed to have a thirst for everything - Jazz, Psyche, Folk, Rock and, naturally, Soul and Funk. I watched Russell's progress through the 90s and 00s, from releasing an independent UK Rap single in 1994, to various U.S. trips, various gigs around Europe and even a spot at the legendary 100 Club. I started taking a lot more notice when Russell started turning up records I'd never seen or heard of before. Where the hell was he finding this stuff? His appreciation of Hip-Hop had led him to dig for the original source material that the records sampled from and thus became the beginning of what would eventually become a bonafide record company in 2014. Super Disco Edits has released over 40 records over the last 5 years with the remit being that they must be new to the ears and previously unreleased. From such veteran stalwarts as Willie Tee, Doris Troy, New Jersey Connection and Arnold Blair to previously unsung talents like James Reese & The Progressions, Twinn Konnection, Bell Telephunk and Mother Brainstree, Super Disco Edits has consistently striven to supply the market with hitherto unheard aural delights. This lavish double-album describes the process perfectly - a deep love of music, gritty determination, numerous months of investigation and research, endless cups of coffee, artwork, pressing, distribution and astronomical telephone bills! So welcome to 'Long Distance Love Affair', truly a labour of love.