After a weeklong sojourn to the Big Apple, we decided that we need something to keep the holiday memories burning bright and to ease ourselves back into the groove of things, sigh. So to cheer ourselves up, here’s a classic NYC groove from former Weather Report member Miroslav Vitous.

Released in 1976, ‘New York City’ was one of the first 12” on Warner Bros and is taken from Vitous’ album Magical Shepherd.

Featuring the ubiquitous Herbie Hancock on keyboards, this is a dazzling disco-jazz track. Delightfully capturing 70s New York, its funk-fuelled percussion and trippy female vocals cutting in and out (advising you to take the A train no less) elevates the track above the usual jazz-funk fare of the time.

This collector’s choice was also a firm club favourite amongst the likes of David Mancuso and Nicky Siano and original 12” copies go for a pretty dime.

I’m off to get the A train. In my mind. Sigh.

Miroslav Vitous – New York City

‘Flying Machine (The Chase)’ is considered by many to be War’s finest moment. Taken from the soundtrack to Youngblood, a film about an L.A. street kid starring Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, it has since been proven to be the LA’s street band’s most diverse recording to date.

Released in 1978, War’s first soundtrack is reminiscent of Isaac Hayes’ score to the 1974 Blaxploitation classic Truck Turner (check out the sumptuous ‘The Pursuit of the Pimpmobile’), thus making it an essential 70’s funk “chase” scene theme, if you know what I mean. Ahem.

The fast and quirky breaks are skillfully intertwined with Charles Miller’s sublime flute flashes, resulting in an urgent and energetic funk explosion. Due to the up-tempo nature of the song, it quickly became a cult favourite amongst legendary disco DJs such as David Mancuso and Nicky Siano. Still sounding ‘right-on’, this fantastic track  has lost none of it’s appeal and marks the moment when War bolstered their credentials as serious but eclectic purveyors of funk and soul.

War – Flying Machine (The Chase)

MFSB or ‘Mother, Father, Sister, Brother’ (not the REAL meaning, the real meaning is waaaay ruder and this is a family website) were employed as the house band of legendary producers Gamble & Huff.  After working on some minor hits and recording under pseudonyms, the group forged their succes when they start working with the Philadelpia Interntional stable (this included artists such as the O Jays and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes).

Their first hit was the 1974 ’TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia)’, the theme from the funky television show Soul Train. ‘TSOP’ encapsulated the Philly sound and laid some of the foundations of disco but the song that was twice as influential is today’s SOTD. ‘Love is the Message’ was first picked up on by the legends of disco – DJ’s such as Mancuso, Siano and Levan amongst many others. Taken from the 1973 album of the same name, the track embodies the spirit and overall message of disco. With it’s feel good and sumptuous strings and (if I’m being honest) slightly cheesy sax riff, this is a simply happy song. And what’s wrong with that? LOVE IS THE MESSAGE PEOPLE!!!!!

Oh, and became of MFSB you ask? Well, the group disbanded after a fight with Gambel & Huff and the majority of the band re-grouped to become the mighty Salsoul Orchestra and the rest joined The Vince Montana Orchestra, John Davis and The Monster Orchestra and the Ritchie Family. Wow. That’s disco royalty, that is.