Zen Freeman Curates Nu Disco / Disco: 26 Stops Through the Groove Galaxy
When Zen Freeman takes the editorial reins of a compilation, the result is no ordinary Beatport playlist — it's a manifesto. Zen Freeman Curates Nu Disco / Disco maps 26 tracks across classic disco, contemporary nu disco and the hottest corners of deep house, forming a coherent arc that balances history with dancefloor urgency.
The chart opens with Freeman's own «Goodbye Blue Sky (Extended Mix)», a 124 BPM, D Major piece that sets the tone immediately: luminous, organic, built on the unmistakable swing of modern nu disco. The next bold move arrives quickly — Gaudi and Daniele Baldelli's «The Bright Side Of The Moog» at a spacious 108 BPM, a cosmo-disco exercise that reminds us why Baldelli remains an absolute touchstone for the genre.
The Freeman–Fred Falke partnership is the compilation's red thread. «Watch the Sun», «Love Like Water», «When I Love You», «1980's» and «Sunrise» — all co-signed by both producers and anchored on Big Top Amsterdam — function as a mini-album within the chart, with pristine analogue synthesis and vocal contributions from Owl Eyes to Toro Y Moi.
Defining Moments
- «Little L» (Dave Lee Extended Disco Reblend) – Jamiroquai: Eight minutes of classic reinterpretation. Dave Lee stretches Jamiroquai's funk to its purest dancefloor essence.
- «Supernature MMXXV» (Purple Disco Machine Remix) – Cerrone: Purple Disco Machine seizes Cerrone's iconic synth hook and drives it to 124 BPM with Christine and the Queens on the horizon. Urgent and timeless in equal measure.
- «You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)» (Soulwax for Despacio Remix) – Sylvester: The monumental near-11-minute finale. Soulwax deconstructs and rebuilds Sylvester with an architectural patience only permitted on Despacio soundsystems worldwide.
- «Climbing» (Solomun Club Edit) – Caribou: Eight minutes and 27 seconds of tension and release. Solomun sharpens Caribou's original into a surgical dancefloor weapon at 128 BPM.
The compilation also celebrates label diversity: from Rush Hour and Toy Tonics to Because Music, CircoLoco Records, Delusions of Grandeur and NO ART. «The Compass Point» by François K, Dimitri From Paris and DJ Rocca on Rush Hour carries genuine historical weight — three global dance legends sharing a groove at 115 BPM. The closing «Prisma» by Cosmo and Raven at 100 BPM is an editorially astute gesture: dropping the pulse to let the music breathe before silence falls.
Ultimately, Zen Freeman Curates Nu Disco / Disco stands as one of the most complete genre compilations released on Beatport in 2025. Technical mastery, historical perspective and DJ sensibility — the three variables that define great curation, and Freeman delivers all three with authority.
