Pieces of a Dream – Mt. Airy Groove (instrumental)
Considered by many to be a classic B-boy anthem, this sublime slice of laidback rare-groove funk from Philadelphia’s Pieces of A Dream was released in 1982 and was taken from the album We Are One. A trippy excursion into disco, boogie and electro, ‘Mt Airy Groove’ has been sampled [...]
Funk Deluxe – This Time (original 12 inch mix)
Released in 1984, Funk Deluxe self-titled record was one of the last long players album released on the legendary Salsoul imprint. Brainchild of former Brass Construction and Skyy musician Randy Muller, Funk Deluxe’s “This Time” is a timeless excursion into slick 80s boogie and funk. Carrying shades of Sharon Redd’s [...]
Franco Micalizzi – Running Away From Jerzy
Best known for his scores to cult Euro crime classics such as “Roma a mano armata” (Rome Armed to the Teeth), “Napoli violenta” (Violent Naples) and the hilariously camp rip-off of The Exorcist, “Chi Sei?” (Beyond the Door)*, Franco Micalizzi is one of the finest yet slightly overlooked Italian composers [...]
Phreek Plus One – Sottocosto
Described by their label as being one of the finest purveyors of “bunga bunga funk”, Italy’s disco luminaries Phreek Plus One are back with a new album due for release next week. Hurrah! Phreek Party features tracks off their classic Compost Black Label EPs, including “Bikini”, “Astro Boogie”, “The Model” [...]
Curtis Mayfield – Tell Me Tell Me (How Ya Like To Be Loved)
Sorry for the lack of post action this month, my neck has been a right pain in the ne-…oh. Alongside the ice packs and chiropractor appointments, the sweet sounds of Curtis Mayfield’s forgotten disco track Tell Me, Tell Me have been aiding my recovery rather nicely. This rather rare track [...]
Mike Theodore – Moon Trek
Taken from his 1977 album Cosmic Wind, Mike Theodore is one of the unsung soul and funk music heroes of the seventies and eighties. Working with the prolific Dennis Coffey on the classic Westbound hit, CJ & Co’s Devil’s Gun and many more, the duo’s working relationship is one of [...]
Single of the Day: Shango – Shango Message (edit/instrumental)
Shango was one of many solo guises of the legendary Afrika Bambaataa, a lo-fi and early electro cult classic, ‘Shango Message’ was released in 1983 and was produced by Bill Laswell. A Celluloid Records staple, it combines Bambaataa’s wizardry with some fresh breaks ‘n’ beats resulting in a sparse yet [...]
Rene & Angela – Secret Rendezvous
Released on Champion records in 1985, this is a super-duper slice of funk fuelled soul from Rene and Angela. A popular underground hit, ‘Secret Rendezvous’ is a swirling and gorgeous track, which kinda glamorises infidelity. Oo-err. A favourite of DJ Spinna (who included the track on his fantastic Strange Games [...]
Single of the Day: Forrrce – Keep On Dancin’ (Phase II)
Mixed by the one and only Francois Kevorkian, Forrrce’s ‘Keep On Dancin’ (Phase II)’ was released in 1980 on Mel Cheren’s ubiquitous West End Records. A personal favourite of Mel’s, it’s a sure-fire party track where liquid funk meets reverb-filed disco with added cowbells and sound effects thrown in for [...]
The Simonsound – Baker’s Dozen
Since I took a leap into the unknown yesterday with some “new” music, I thought I would carry it on today with an out of this world track from The Simonsound. Having produced one of my favourite albums of the year so far with their debut Reverse Engineering, sound scientists [...]