V/A – After Dark 4 3xLP ("Mystery" purple vinyl)

ITALIANS DO IT BETTER 2025

15 years after Italians Do It Better set the tone for fantasy disco with its first compilation, Johnny Jewel pulls the crew back in for After Dark Volume 4, a two-hour, 27-track immersion in the label's glittery underworld. Just two years after their last instalment, this one leans into cover versions with sly takes on Jennifer Lopez's 'Waiting For Tonight', Don Henley's 'Boys Of Summer' and REM's 'Losing My Religion', each refracted through Jewel's neon prism. Fantasy starlet Sally Shapiro contributes both a Tommy '86 rework of 'Moonlight Dance' and the Italo-glossed 'Purple Coloured Sky', while Desire glides through the Moroder-inspired 'Silver Machine'. Elsewhere, Farah reimagines REM with deadpan poise, and Wolfram sets the mood on 'Sad Ibiza Song'.