Guitarist/Vocalist Michael McGloiry released a pair of overlooked dollar bin disco jams in 1979 and 1980 respectively. I transcribed Michael's bio directly from the 12" label of his second release Won't You Let Me Be The One on Airwave Records: Michael McGloiry is one of the busiest men on the music scene. He has been session guitarist for Switch, Leon Haywood, Jermaine Jackson, Ramsey Lewis and dozens of other acts. He has toured as lead guitarist for Lenny Williams and DJ Rogers. He has produced several records for [...]
Kim Tolliver is a storied and much loved and respected icon of the Northern Soul scene, and as such, Party Lights, the hard hitting electro boogie B side of her last ever 12" single is regarded by soul purists as an anomaly to be ignored and forgotten, tarnishing was is a highly regarded soul back catalogue. This a favorite quote taken from a Kim Tolliver fan site: "Her final disc, in contrast, was a rather weak recut of "Let Them Talk". It was coupled with the dreadful uptempo "Party Lights", without doubt the worst [...]
This is one of my favorite roller rink ready italo boogie jamz. In fact, it reminds me that I need to get some fresh bladez and shadez for the roller disco at Mezzanine at the end of the month. Digital Emotion was a Dutch italo group and this record came out on Break Records in 1983. This track is also called Get Up Action. Digital Emotion - Get Up, Do You Wanna Funk
I managed to drag myself out of bed this morning and ride my bike over to the other side of golden gate park for the KUSF record swap benefit. The sun was out and I had a little bread to spend, so I thought I would head over and scope it out, its all for a good cause and helps keep KUSF on the air, which in turn helps me mentally as when your stuck in the city with only an FM radio for entertainment there is only really whatever the nerd uni students are playing on KUSF or if [...]
I have wanted to edit Give Me The Night by George Benson for a long time. It is such a killer soulful tune from 1980. I went through the trouble of getting the 12" which is as rare as hens teeth and a45rpm Europe only release. The vinyl looks fine but I can't get a decent rip of it. This edit I found by Rascale does everything I wanted to do (except I want to remove the bridge too). So here it is along with a taste of the genre's roots. Harlem Underground was George Benson's [...]
APB were an early eighties post punk band from rural Scotland, from near the town of Ellon, so we are talking castles, lochs, monsters etc. Rural. A far cry from the New York club scene where APB's first independent, Aberdeen produced singles became sought after staples, unbeknown to the band until their eventual visit to the US east coast in 83/84 where they recorded an EP. If you think their sound holds similarities to the media darling acts of circa '03, then no coincidence, they were really the unheralded fathers of modern 'indie dance' 'punk funk' (urgh, christ, [...]
This is one of my favorite italo pop tunes. It came out on Hole Records in 1983 and was produced by Den Harrow producers Turatti and Chieregato. The group also had another minor hit Miss You . True to the genre, the song has incomprehensible lyrics because the author just knew 15 words in English and used them all. Anyone care to try to figure them out for us? Styloo - Pretty Face [...]
It's been a long couple of weeks, I am much too burnt out to formulate a cohesive thought but duty calls and a much overdue tribute to my favorite boogie-funk reissue label is in order. People's Potential Unlimited is the brainchild of Washington DC based record digger Andrew Morgan. Andrew is a top authority on the boogie-funk sound, his specialty is tracking down the original artists behind the very obscure releases he sources out. Every release on this label just slays, check out some of the label highlights posted below. In order to not piss off any of the artists [...]
I tried long and hard (about 15 minutes) to find a good disco track for you to listen to while you celebrate 4/20 but I quickly came to the conclusion that the genres of rock, rap, and reggae will probably have you better covered. Listen to Cypress Hill tonight and listen to this track tomorrow. You don't want to see Beat Electricians on the pot, they can't handle it. I don't know much about this cut; I don't even know how to pronounce the artist. I do know that is came out on Partytime records in 1983, it was written [...]
It's Los Angeles, the year is 1984 and the city is hosting the olympic games, but outside of the many media spot lights constantly being shone upon LA county, residents and key members of the west coast electro movement, Andre Manuel (The Unknown DJ) and Louis (Three D) King, are forming Technohop records. Launch pad for artists such as Ice T, and a label that would blur the lines between old school west coast hip hop, early techno and house. It all resulted in me having lots of cool tracks and lots of stock photos of people in awesome looking [...]
I am not quite sure why the members of Young & Co. released a couple of 12"s under the Joy alias , but that seemed the fashion for the loose coalition of artists that formed the groups Aurra, Slave, Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame and the aforementioned Company formed in 1979 by the Young brothers. This 1982 release on the bands own Eastern Records is one of my all time favorite boogie joints, period. It certainly didn't hurt that the powerhouse Young & Co. team featured one of the heaviest bass players [...]
This 1979 disco tune by the female power trio Stargard came out on Warner Brothers in 1979. The track was co-produced by Verdine White of Earth Wind & Fire. I have always loved the stomp and the yacht cruising feel of this cut but have never liked the guitar solo. So here is an edit without that nonsense. I plan on editing the vocal version in the future. Stargard - Wear It Out - Instrumental (LeBaron Edit)
Lyrically disco funk wasn't all about 'good times' and escapist hedonism. In practice it was I would assume, these tracks were for the dancefloor, but those acts that were born out of the urban funk and r'n'b scenes carried over some of the subject matter in their song writing that was pertinent to the young people in inner city dancing to and making this music at the time. Here are two upbeat, disco funk dancers that convey the struggle of making it day to day in the turn of the eighties. [...]
This is a great 1983 track that came out on Mango records in 1983. It has a proto garage sound with a dark synth bass and cosmic synth sounds. It also has a really long janky keyboard solo up front that I love. Sorry my copy(s) are so jacked, I tried my best to remove the pops. Affinity - Don't Go Away (Runaway Dub)
So Black Shag already plugged the upcoming House Arrest event in his excellent Z Factor post on Monday. I will let you read the listing below if you want more details about San Francisco's first epic house music party of 1989. It seems we only post tracks from modern artists maybe once a year at BE but in my opinion this duo is very well deserved. Azari & III's fresh update on the early Chicago House and Detroit Techno sounds has struck a large chord with [...]
There is a mainstream revival of the classic 909 driven Chicago house sound at the moment, which most of you probably are more aware of than me, but some of the popular stuff that has crossed over recently doesn't sound so much inspired by mid to late eighties Chicago house so much as is mid to late eighties Chicago house in higher fidelity, and thats fine by me. As such we are hosting Azari & III this Friday at the Mezzanine in San Francisco, and I will be spinning alongside Jeno, [...]
Beat Electric is all about these Italo versions of yacht rock classics. Here we have our favorite rendition of a Chicago classic with a sultry sexy treatment that almost makes the listener want to commit suicide. Next is probably the first mash up ever. What happens when you mix Michael Jackson with Steely Dan? Tough question, but we are sure you will clown fools when you play it in the club tonight. Shirley Ross - If You Leave Me Now Slingshot - Do It Again
I had initially conceptualized this post as a means to reveal that both Black Shag and myself must be Ray Caviano's illegitimate children due to our shared reputations as scoundrel's. Now of course we draw the line long before ripping anyone off least of all Jimmy Ross. Leaving Jimmy stranded and broke in New York City only to be deported seems just a little extreme. Oddly enough the many negative comments about Caviano accrued on the last Beat Electric RFC post have now mysteriously disappeared leaving his [...]
We have put up some early eighties offerings from New Orleans disco funk outfit Chocolate Milk before, but I flipped over their 12" 'Who's Getting It Now' this afternoon and was reminded of how funky the instrumental is. A great long running hi hat driven intro for the DJ's amongst us. I heard these guys reformed and played some shows around Louisiana a couple of years back, I wonder if they ever make it out of their home state. As an added weekend bonus here are some 1980 cosmic disco sound [...]
I just want to skate. Vaughan Mason & Crew - Roller Skate Vaughan Mason & Butch Dayo - Rollalong Songs
Beat Electric
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
