‘Hush’ by LIZ

I’m really digging the chutzpah behind Mad Decent’s eminently crushable new r&b princess LIZ. She coasts on the falsetto softness of early-aughts Aaliyah and Ashanti (those “yeah-e-yeahs” should be familiar to anyone who remembers the 2002 slowjam “Down 4 U”), but her style is is baggy letterman jackets, loose sports jerseys and beanie caps. She looks more comfortable throwing jagged shapes with her hands than writhing or booty poppin’. She sings about playing on our team and liking it rough. She’s not playing to any notions of hyper-sexuality, even though the song is itself unbearably sexy. The video is actually kind of goofy most of the time, and opens with her doodling hearts on a photo of JC Chasez in homage to the era of bubblegum pop that continues to define her music. She seems, in essence, approachable. And that’s probably the last thing you’d expect from someone who sounds so far out of our league.

‘Urban Sex’ by Lifelike & Tommi Bravo

The cross-channel collaboration between Parisian House DJ Lifelike and London newcomer Tommi Bravo sounds about as antsy as a child hopped up on 18 bowls of high-fructose cereal. So this loud, VHS-sourced assemblage of pre-MTV dance videos (I see you, Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo), presented with all the oversaturated splendour of a Saturday morning cartoon, feels all the more appropriate. Good job, Meat Cassette.

‘When A Fire Starts To Burn’ by Disclosure

Glad I won’t be the only one Holy Ghostin’ this weekend.

‘I Didn’t Believe feat. Elizabeth Rose (Extended Version)’ by Flight Facilities

Alongside the irrepressibly cool LA duo Classixx, Sydney’s Flight Facilities have pretty much refined the appropriational balance inherent to all nu-disco: the very word implies revision, reconstitution, or amendment, and both acts seem to have opted for a satisfyingly even-handed approach to old and new sensibilities.

“All You’re Waiting For” and now “I Didn’t Believe” both forgo rhythmic and tuneful complication for precise pop comfort, and they mirror each other’s penchant for female-led hooks that stay simple and memorable. The new video for this Elizabeth Rose co-production also cops vibes and dance cues from vintage Soul Train clips, while the jangly guitar work is certainly riding the crest of a wave that Nile Rodgers’ reintroduction to the charts all but cemented. Especially in “I Didn’t Believe“‘s case, it’s simply old technique dressed up in modern frequencies. Rose on the other hand, singing with the wonderstruck wistfulness of her youth, breathlessly embodies the possibilities.

‘It’s Too Late (Anoraak Remix)’ by Wild Belle

Wild Belle’s Natalie Bergman is possessed of a naturally jazzy parlour croon, so the tart reggae of “It’s Too Late“‘s original incarnation did neither her nor the song any favours. Anoraak fares much better with the raw material, tailoring Bergman’s voice around a more loose-fitting lounge disco insouciance, which in the process sheds a cooler light on her persona of a scorned lover at the end of her tether. Her mind’s already made up, she’s not coming back. She’s moving on and, from the sound of it this time around, she’s not even going to worry about it.

‘IsBjorn (Claes Rosen Remix)’ by Nordstorm ft. Ella Sky

Balearic disco is like a cuddle pile for your ears how can you not love it.

‘Melt (Zimmer Remix)’ by Kamp!

Congratulations Zimmer for already setting the bar so high for tropical disco in 2013. There is not one blemish to be found in this dusk-hued jewel of a jam, which was supposedly composed on an actual beach somewhere in Mexico this past Summer (Tulum, to be exact, but do NOT google images of that place unless you want to involuntarily throw yourself out the nearest window). It’s the aura of ’90s house music, refracted mirage-like over an indie-disco dancefloor, and the image you’re seeing is the place you’d rather be right now, dancing.

‘Just Brick Good To Me’ by Future Feelings

I’m not sure if the self-ascribed genre tag “Brickhouse” is going to take off, but I love its structural integrity! Its mortar: equal parts S.O.S. Band and The Commodores.

‘Love A Little More (Ride The Universe Remix)’ by Moon & Walker

The first Saturday Night Dance Party of the year!

‘Split’ by Tesla Boy

I suppose hunting for a good piece of retro-styled electropop is a lot like hunting for a good vintage car: You listen out for the satisfying purr of the engine; make sure that the chassis is of a high wax and polish; hope that it’s not on the awkward or embarrassing side of ‘old’; hope that it has enough horsepower to get you through the journey, or at the very least to 88mph. Thankfully Russian trio Tesla Boy satisfy all the criteria.

‘Promises (Plastic Plates Remix)’ by The Presets

Infectious dance emotivity that can proudly stand side-by-side with the Holy Ghosts and Cut Copys of my indie disco pantheon (the vocals especially bear a passing resemblance to Holy Ghost’s own Michael McDonald collaborations, which is no bad thing).