TONBE — Small Edits 3 (7")

Tonbe – Small Edits 3 is the third release in the Small Edits 7-inch vinyl series, issued as catalogue number SMALL03 and scheduled for release on 15 October 2026. The record features two disco edits by Serbian DJ and producer Tonbe, “Hot Ivy” and “Letters From The Past”, bringing together classic disco sensibilities, funk-driven rhythm and contemporary DJ-edit culture on a compact 7-inch format. Small Edits 3 follows The Groomer’s Small Edits 1 and Rahaan’s Small Edits 2, continuing the label’s focused approach to short-format vinyl releases for DJs and collectors. The Small Edits series is built around a simple but increasingly important idea in contemporary vinyl culture: carefully selected edits designed to give DJs direct access to reworked disco and funk material in a compact physical format. The first release, SMALL01, introduced the series with two edits by The Groomer, while SMALL02 brought Chicago edit specialist Rahaan to the label for “Destiny” and “Reverie”. With SMALL03, the series turns to Tonbe, a Serbian producer whose catalogue has been deeply connected with disco, funk, house, nu-disco and re-edit culture for more than two decades. Tonbe, also known as Loshmi, is based in Smederevo, Serbia, and has been active as a DJ and producer since 2002. His Bandcamp catalogue identifies disco, funk, house, nu-disco and re-edits as central elements of his work, while he is also the owner of Disco Fruit and Fruity Flavor. His production history includes releases and edits across labels such as Editorial, King Street Sounds, Midnight Riot, Disco Dat, Our Records, Manuscript and City Soul. This makes Tonbe particularly well suited to the Small Edits concept: editing is not an occasional side project in his catalogue but a substantial part of his musical identity. The A-side, “Hot Ivy”, is a particularly appropriate choice for this series because the track has already demonstrated its value within disco and nu-disco DJ culture. Tonbe originally released “Hot Ivy” through Editorial in 2013. Traxsource lists the track at 114 BPM and classifies it as Nu Disco / Indie Dance, while historical DJ charts show it being selected by Dicky Trisco and included in other disco-oriented DJ programming. The track also appeared in a 2014 radio mix from Outcross Records, placing “Hot Ivy” firmly within the disco-edit and nu-disco circuit of the period. On Small Edits 3, “Hot Ivy” is presented as an edit rather than simply another digital version of the original production. That distinction is central to the appeal of the 7-inch. Tonbe’s work consistently focuses on reshaping disco and funk material for contemporary selectors, extending useful grooves and emphasizing the sections that translate most effectively to a dancefloor. The relatively relaxed 114 BPM associated with the original “Hot Ivy” gives the track a natural place in warm-up, sunset, Balearic and slower disco-house selections, while the physical 7-inch format makes it especially practical for quick additions to a DJ set. The B-side, “Letters From The Past”, connects Small Edits 3 with another part of Tonbe’s earlier catalogue. The track appeared in DJ charts alongside “Boss Of Funk” on Editorial during 2013, demonstrating that it was already circulating among house and disco selectors during the same period in which Tonbe’s nu-disco output was gaining attention. An Eddie Matos Juno chart from September 2013 lists “Tonbe – Letters From The Past” on Editorial, placing it alongside contemporary house, disco and funk-oriented selections. The inclusion of “Letters From The Past” gives the B-side a useful archival dimension. Small Edits 3 is not simply a vehicle for two new titles created specifically for 2026; it also revisits material from Tonbe’s earlier period and brings it into a contemporary physical-edit context. This approach fits naturally with the broader culture of disco edits, where the value of a record often comes from how effectively an experienced DJ or editor identifies, reshapes and preserves the most useful musical passages from an older production. That relationship between past and present is one of the strongest qualities of Small Edits 3. Tonbe has maintained a remarkably consistent interest in disco, funk and house throughout his career. His Bandcamp catalogue contains dedicated re-edit collections such as Remixes Reworks Edits Vol. 4 and Vol. 7, alongside more recent releases tagged with disco, funk, nu-disco, boogie and re-edits. The new Small Edits release therefore sits within a clearly established body of work rather than representing a stylistic departure. The format is equally important. Small Edits 3 is a 7-inch vinyl record rather than a conventional 12-inch edit EP. The first two Small Edits releases established this format as the series identity: SMALL01 featured two tracks by The Groomer, while SMALL02 featured two tracks by Rahaan. The third volume follows exactly the same structure with two Tonbe edits, creating a consistent physical series for collectors while allowing each edition to spotlight a different figure from the international edit community. For DJs, the compact format does not reduce the usefulness of the release. Seven-inch records have always occupied a distinctive position in disco, funk, soul and edit culture because they encourage selectors to work with concise, immediately recognizable sections rather than relying exclusively on extended club arrangements. “Hot Ivy” brings the slower, nu-disco side of Tonbe’s catalogue to the A-side, while “Letters From The Past” provides a second selection drawn from the producer’s early-2010s disco-house period. Together they offer two different entry points into Tonbe’s edit language. For collectors, SMALL03 is the third chapter of a clearly defined physical series. The progression from The Groomer on SMALL01 to Rahaan on SMALL02 and Tonbe on SMALL03 creates a strong connection between different generations and geographical scenes within disco-edit culture. The Groomer’s debut was described by Juno as a pair of deep-digging reworks balancing crate-digging knowledge with dancefloor funk, while Rahaan’s second volume continued the series with the work of a Chicago edit specialist. Tonbe’s appearance extends that international perspective to Serbia and to one of the most prolific contemporary European disco-edit producers. There is also an important distinction between Tonbe’s original releases and the Small Edits presentation. “Hot Ivy” has a documented history as a 2013 Editorial release, while the Small Edits version places the track within a new 7-inch-focused series dedicated specifically to edits. The same principle applies to “Letters From The Past”, which was already documented in Tonbe’s earlier Editorial catalogue. The new record therefore functions as a curated physical return to material that belongs to the producer’s established disco and house vocabulary rather than being positioned as a completely new artist statement. Small Edits 3 also demonstrates why the disco edit remains relevant to contemporary DJ culture. The basic technique has always been about making older musical ideas more functional for a dancefloor: extending a groove, improving the arrangement for mixing, isolating the most effective instrumental passages or simply giving a familiar piece of music a new rhythmic emphasis. Tonbe has built much of his career around exactly this approach, moving freely between disco, funk, house, nu-disco, boogie and re-edits. His extensive edit catalogue makes the pairing of his music with a dedicated seven-inch series particularly logical. Tonbe – Small Edits 3 is therefore both a contemporary vinyl release and a compact retrospective of the producer’s long-running relationship with disco edits. “Hot Ivy” brings back a track with a documented history in the 2010s nu-disco scene, while “Letters From The Past” revisits another title from the same period. Released as SMALL03 on Small Edits, the two-track 7-inch continues a series that has already connected The Groomer, Rahaan and now Tonbe through a shared commitment to disco, house, funk and DJ-focused reworking. For selectors looking for disco edits, nu-disco, funk-inflected house and concise 7-inch vinyl tools, Small Edits 3 offers a direct connection between Tonbe’s established catalogue and a new generation of physical edit releases. Its two-track structure, compact format and focus on reworked disco material make SMALL03 an especially relevant record for DJs who value groove, familiarity and the practical advantages of a well-made edit. As the third instalment of the Small Edits series, it also establishes Tonbe’s place alongside The Groomer and Rahaan in a growing collection of carefully selected small-format dancefloor records.