Legendary Leeds label Dance To The Radio are back and have announced the return of their series with a new release scheduled for the 22nd April. The Leeds label, who have released records from bands like iForward Russia! I Like Trains & Grammatics announced its return in 2016 with a new album from The Pigeon Detectives.

Dance To The Radio’s hugely influential compilations have included singles from the likes of Pulled Apart By Horses, Esben & The Witch, Three Trapped Tigers, The Sunshine Underground, Sky Larkin, Paul Thomas Saunders and Das Racist. However, for Dance To The Radio, the focus is not on the past, but the future.

For the first instalment of the newly revived format, four Yorkshire artists will be stepping up to contribute a single. Self-styled trash punk trio Dead Naked Hippies will lead the release followed by the psychedelic mad-men of Fling who recently performed at the Brudenell Social Club as part of Steve Lamacq’s 6Music takeover of the venue for Independent Venue Week before being played by the DJ on his show the very next day. Making up the second half of the compilation is the brilliant & gloomy electronic pop of singer and producer Lamia and arty odd-ball recluses The Tiny Minds from the deepest darkest corners of the Yorkshire Pennines.

Sally Bryant, the new A&R Representative for Dance To The Radio explains what the label has in store: “The return of the Dance to the Radio 4x12” compilation is a really exciting thing for new music. I can’t wait for these artists to make their own mark on the city’s brilliant music scene. We’re really looking forward to unearthing the next set of great artists in our city.”

Long serving label boss Colin Oliver echoes this sentiment “We’re really pleased to be bringing back the DTTR compilation releases in 2017. We want to help promising artists from the region, and all our releases over the past decade have been about that. Now we’re looking to help the next generation of the Yorkshire music scene and beyond, we need to shout more about the talent we have in the North!”

We’ve mentioned Tuxedo here before but discofunk of this quality is worth reiterating. Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One’s second album as Tuxedo is out now via Stones Throw Records and it resurrects the sound of Earth, Wind & Fire. This is the territory of pre- and post-hydraulic low riders: a mélange of Cali boom-bap, analog synth bass and elegant disco that resonates truth and authenticity in an era where so many are faking the funk.

Jake, whose laundry list of production credits includes Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Future, De la Soul and The Weeknd  met fellow Grammy nominee Hawthorne and the ground was set for a collaboration. The fruits of a long-standing kinship were three tracks that mysteriously showed up on Internet doorsteps in 2013. Those three songs sparked a barrage of inquiries, and the allure simmered while they recorded their self-titled debut LP.

The transfer of energy between Jake's West Coast funk slaps and Hawthorne's Midwestern harmonies is something few outside of their specific origins could pull off. Their first full length release in March 2015 was mixed by tenured disco hit maker John Morales at his home studio in New Jersey and debuted at #1 on iTunes RnB chart.

Stream Tuxedo II here

Track Listing – Fux With The Tux feat. Snoop Dog / 2nd Time Around / Take A Picture / Rotational / Shine / Scooter’s Groove / U Like It / Back In Town / Special / Livin’ 4 Your Lovin / July