With the latest episode of *Across 135th Street*, host and selector Chairman Jefferson Mao (of [Egotrip](http://bit.ly/1ylvaPT "Egotrip") fame) offers up a plethora of freshly released and re-released material that one could variously categorize as modern in some respect: modern soul – that late 70s bridge between soul, funk and disco – is represented by the likes of the Tom Noble-mixed mystery outfit Mystic Pleasure, *Numero Group* discovery the Universal Togetherness Band and Morris’ ode to anti frigidity *Can We Melt the Ice* (addendum: “with hot love”). Modern funk/disco/house figures in the mix with tracks by *Social Lovers*, Plaza, Silk Rhodes and Tito Wun & Lorenzo Merluzzo. And excellent modern day reworks of classic island club tunes by John Gibbs and Steel an’ Skin and the afro disco obscurity known simply (and accurately) as Heavy Disco Dance find us in tasteful editainment mode via the respective handiwork of *Lord Echo*, *DJ Muro* and one Roger Thornhill.
