Drop Out Orchestra

not on the launchpad but in the equally transcendent sweat filled club scene of New York in the late 70s. Taking their cues from original Disco pioneers such as MFSB as much as DFA, Drop Out Orchestra launched themselves onto the scene in 2008 with a seemingly endless supply of bootlegs, re-edits and covers that glittered like a frost covered mirror ball. Taking tracks by everyone from TLC and Daft Punk to Rick Astley and The S*x Pistols they transformed them into the kind of luxurious, gloriously sophisticated, and indeed soulful disco, that would have made Chic proud. With their irresistibly taut and funky bass lines, satin sheet strings and never too much cowbell, The Drop Out Orchestra found themselves in demand as official remixes for both club scene peers such as Black Strobe and Flight Facilities and industry legends like Paul Weller. Meanwhile not content with just making other people’s music 100% more disco, original tracks, including collaborations with Ronika and LCD Soundsytem’s Nancy Whang, on labels like Eskimo Recordings and Gomma cementing their position as ones to watch. Meanwhile whilst most their peers were transitioning to laptops and USB sticks, Drop Out Orchestra continue to bring live elements back into the dance music, not just in the studio but in the clubs too. Blurring the divide between live and DJ performances by incorporating live bass and electronics, a Drop Out Orchestra set is about as close to a guaranteed party starter as you’ll get in this business and seen them hand picked to play alongside everyone from Fatboy Slim to Gilles Peterson. This time around Chris Rea, Stardust and Bizarre Inc got reconstructed. The latter was a real success on the streaming services. The 2021 release schedule is massive with lots of original music set to be released on labels like Toucan Sounds, Love Harder, Tropical and Slightly Transformed.