The Voice of "Q" was a one-off project from the relatively obscure disco production team of Michael Forte and Bruce Weeden . Released in 1982 on the burgeoning Philly World International label, the track had a strong influence on the leftfield disco/ electro genre. With its ultra funky bassline and vocoder bits laid over a haunting synth melody, it made for something pretty original sounding. From what I have gathered, this cut appealed to the new wave fashionistas and B-Boys alike. Good luck finding the 12 inch, and [...]
Dance music covers of prior classic dance music are rare when compared to other genres I feel. Rock and jazz albums are rife with versions of classics and standards from their respective genres, but modern dance music artists are more inclined to pay homage to a tune by remixing it rather than completely reinterpreting the piece from scratch. One exception to this though is Italian musician Lucio Battisti's 'Il Veliero', the haunting melody of which has been covered by at least one artist from each subsequent generation of dance music producer. Here I [...]
Komiko's Feel Alright has become a minor bone of contention in the Beat Electric camp, of which much like any family we have many. It is another instance of one B.E DJ lifting a long term favorite jam from another (namely myself) and then flagrently playing it out during one of our joint sets before I have even had the chance to open my bag and get a drink from the bar. Is it just me or isn't that considered bad DJ etiquette? Well, its not as if the track is rare by any means, its almost a [...]
Lakeside originally hailed from Dayton, Ohio and were considered one of the best live disco/funk acts of the era. The 9 piece band formed as The Young Underground in 1969 and while living in Chicago were for a time signed to Curtom Records. The band changed their name to Lakeside and relocated to LA in the late 70's and signed to The Sound of Los Angeles Records. They scored their biggest hit in 1981 with the ubiquitous "Fantastic Voyage". Sometimes they even went to the trouble of playing their live shows in a pirate ship: [...]
The very recent passing of West End Records founder and Paradise Garage backer Mel Cheren causes me slightly less to reflect upon Mel's legacy and more so upon genius DJ/Producer Larry Levan's . Larry was the resident DJ at Mel's infamous nightclub and handled a good amount of the 12" mixes for the West End label. In the 80's Larry went on to work the mixing boards for a plethora of artists on a wide range of Disco labels including Salsoul and his own Garage [...]
The very recent passing of West End Records founder and Paradise Garage backer Mel Cheren causes me slightly less to reflect upon Mel's legacy and more so upon genius DJ/Producer Larry Levan's . Larry was the resident DJ at Mel's infamous nightclub and handled a good amount of the 12" mixes for the West End label. In the 80's Larry went on to work the mixing boards for a plethora of artists on a wide range of Disco labels including Salsoul and his [...]
This is a live mix done with nervous hands, and it got off to a rough start. It is packed with gold though, so I hope you enjoy it. mp3: Every Sunday Mix Track list: 1) Crazy Gang - Every Sunday (Extended Edit) 2) Scotch - Penguin's Invasion 3) Nancy Martin - Can't Believe 4) Sharon Redd - Beat The Street 5) Chromatics - Dark Day 6) Styloo - Pretty Face 7) Mr. Fagio - Take A Chance (Extended 12" Version) 8) Kano - Ikeya-Seki 9) Billy [...]
..well Peek's Rhumba My Sensations probably isn't the last published recording from the first wave of 'disco' in the classical sense but none the less it is the youngest record I own that carries all the defining hallmarks of the disco genre as it is interpreted in the mainstream, as apposed to the rebranded spinoffs of italo, house etc. In fact I would be interested if anyone could prove me wrong, show me a record produced and published later than 1984 that I can only define as 'disco' rather than italo, electro, boogie, house etc etc and I [...]
Today is a first in a series where we highlight some of the weird stuff we have some across for $1 or less. Today I will highlight the self titled LP by The Jimmy Castor Bunch. This is a record I grabbed recently from the local thrift store for $1. I actually had a lot of great finds that day, probably from the same person. This band has a really interesting sound. Jimmy Castor's vocal style is not too unlike that of William Shatner. But in all, these are some groovy tunes. [...]
Sharon Redd, a formal Shaffer Beer girl, was an amazing singer. Thanks to some incredible production work and a mixes by the seminal Francois Kevorkian, her tunes are still moving dance floors all over the world. Beat The Street as a perfect blend of percussive guitar with a simple, yet iconic synth line. The vocals are a preview of what would later become Hi NRG and vocal house music. This track was featured on fantastic mixed releases by Chicken Lips and Chromeo. mp3: Sharon Redd - Beat The Street
Voyage were a french disco band that formed circa 1976 and scored only one US hit single in 1979 with the track "Souvenirs". The band released its third LP in 1980 featuring the single "I Don't Want to Fall in Love Again". The B side?? was a little song entitled "I Love you Dancer". The track is a sexy fusion of disco and new wavey pop with jazzy guitar chords thrown in for good measure. There isn't really much more I can say about this one except that it is a serious heavy hitter. Let the pricey as hell ebay [...]
Jean-Marc Cerrone is the true embodiment of disco. With his sleazy steaze he brought immense talent to the genre and sold millions of records. He is a French music producer that got his start playing drums in rock bands, and then as an orchestra leader for Club Med. He started putting out records under his own name in 1976 and hasn't stopped since. His first album, Love In C Minor helped craft the sound of disco. The title track at 14:57 long paints Cerrone as the French Barry White. Supernature [...]
San Francisco, we are throwing an all night heavy Disco Party this Friday November 30th. Mezzanine is flying in 16 piece Brooklyn, NY disco ensemble Escort to perform 2 sets over the course of this epic evening. Beat Electric's own BT Magnum and Black Shag will also be performing sets as well as five more of San Francisco's finest Disco DJ's. Escort [...]
The Earons landed on our Earth in 1983 and brought an interesting sound to discos and the streets. Their sound is self described as "astro funk" that was inspired by the cosmic mythology of Sun Ra with a bit of Anthony Braxton 's mathematica. The band members names are all numbers (which add up to 1.7). Their first track, 1983's Video Baby , is yet another song about the emerging world of video games and video entertainment. Their track Land Of Hunger is a reggae influenced pop-disco track that has a lot [...]
Although the Beatelectric DJ's are a tight and friendly bunch for the most part, occasional fisticuffs and BT pounding on my head with his Motorola Q besides, despite this there are a handful of records that we covet dearly and refrain when at all possible sharing the identity of during sets for fear that our DJ friends will be sat on gemm or making calls when the get home to track a copy down. Childish I know, but sometimes you just want to be sure that a track isn't going to be played by anyone else that night, is [...]
Vaughan Mason is well known to many for giving us 1979's seminal roller-disco anthem "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll". What alot of people do not know is that Vaughan went on to become a proto-house pioneer in the mid to late 80's with his group Raze . In the time between those two periods Vaughan put out the sex-ed up, bouncy "Jammin' Big Guitar" single in 1981 and a fantastic EP with vocalist/ multi instrumentalist Butch Dayo called "Feel My Love" on Salsoul in 1983. "Feel My Love" has become quite sought after over the years and I am [...]
Hott City was one of the amazing bands that were released on Butterfly Records. This is a slow burner of a disco track that pounds you with a big beat that doesn't stop. This is what I would want to hear in 1979 at 4am after all the lame cheesy people have left the floor. It is an absolutely perfect track in its original state, but I wanted to extend its mellow groove and slow it down a bit from its 134 bpm tempo. mp3: Hott City - Feelin' Love (LeBaron ReEdit)
Ronnie Jones is a DJ and recording artist who released several tracks throughout the late 70 and up to the late 80's. He spent a lot of his time touring Europe and Canada. In the 80's he worked with German producer Jurgen S. Korduletsch. Video Games is a very playful track that has a killer mix of choppy vocal, funky electric piano bass and disco guitar with just about every crazy synth sound you can imagine. This track sounds like something that Daft Punk would turn into a robotic dance floor banger. [...]
Indeep were your not so basic one hit wonder group that completely broke musical ground with their 1982 hit "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life". Thanks to mastermind songwriter/producer Michael Cleveland aka Cold Jam, their sound was a very unique and original blend of New Wave, Post Disco and Proto Hip Hop. Indeep released two full length LP's and a grip of singles before the project folded in 1985 most likely due to the fact they simply [...]
The thrift store is always a good place to find rare gems, but it is an even better place to find something unlistenable. You can get a feel and actually make crates of records that were likely donated from a single source. You will get your Chrystal Gale and Ronnie Millsap fans, and then our hip-hoppers who tried to be scratch DJs in the early 90's. Once I see that promo 12" from T.K. Disco, ZYX, or Butterfly records I hope I will find a treasure trove of records that one gay unkle decided to finally donate. What [...]
Beat Electric
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
