Together again

2008-10-03 by Kevvy K

Mike Anthony – Why Cant We Live Together

Following on from the Underdog edit, a disco cover version of the Timmy Thomas classic, the 12” of which I got on white vinyl for €1 in my recent Dam-based record buying bonanza.

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Jungle, jungle, magical dance

2008-07-04 by Kevvy K

Gepy & Gepy – African Love Song (Kotey Edit)

This has already seen a lot of blog coverage (blogerage?), but lord knows its a goodie and worth a re-up (which always sounds very sinister in a post-The Wire context) round these parts.

Steve ‘Fella’ Kotey, the Bear Funk (alas, nothing at all to do with big, hairy men) label boss gets his paws on a slightly silly, but irresistably chunk of more orchestral and less synthy Italo disco funk, with a bass line that sounds maddeninly familiar from somewhere, and liberally peppered with jungle noises and tribal drums in case anyone hadn’t caught on yet that this song was an homage to Africa, which gives Gepy and/or Gepy soul. Apparently. I wonder if anyone has done a study on whatever the African equivalent of Orientalism is on music like this.

You have two options of picking up a copy of this… on CD, you can pick it up up on the very excellent Strut compilation, Disco Italia compiled by Steve Kotey. As an occasional dabbler in the genre, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much it broadened my conception of the Italo sound. There’s a much better review on a track by track basis on the excellent Cosmic Disco blog that you can check out here. The CD comes with a full booklet containing photos, original sleeve artwork and extended notes by Bill Brewster.

The track featured here is also available on a 12” sampler that is out of stock in lots of places but you can still buy here. The 12” also features a track of Tullio De Piscopo of Balearic and DC fave Primavera (Stop Bajon).

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Seven deadly synths (4)

2008-06-09 by Kevvy K

Pete Jacques Band – Fly With The Wind

I started a new job these last weeks, so pesky work commitments have been getting in the way of the more serious business of sharing that synthy goodness with all and sundry. Still a few more of these to go yet!

I like to think of this as being proggy, italo synth action. Quite upbeat, fairly wiggy and camp as tits.. at least the slightly silly, and very loveable vocals. Jacques Fred Petrus (who according to wikipedia, was murdered in Guatemala in 1986) and Mauro Malavasi who formed the band were also the businessmen who formed Change, who we have had on here a few times, and the BB & Q Band, and are considered pioneers of the italo sound.

Jacques, inna JR stylee, seems to have given an awful lot of folks motives for his unsolved murder… From the website I link to below…

Michael Brauer, the maybe most well used engineer of Petrus’ that saw and met him both in the studio in US and Italy, gives the most explicit and hardest picture of him:

“Fred Petrus simply was the business man who took the credit for it all. He was a really bad man who screwed everyone he ever met out of money, credit and abused people like they were scrap. I saw him do things to young singers that destroyed them. He was a wolf in sheeps clothing. He was shit. If you (one) think for one moment that Petrus was anything less that an evil man, you are much mistaken and to write otherwise would be misleading.”

This is more commonly availbale on the excellent Supersound reissue 12”s.

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Les synths - c'est magnifique!

2008-06-01 by Tommy Squeaker

Magnifique – Magnifique (remix)

As synth classics go, very much in the Moroder line, but I like to think both muckier and spacier. Producer Anthony Monn gives it the big work out – tremendously multi-layered strings and pulsing b-lines spacking out every now and then in the breakdown in true prog-esque knob twiddling style. Rahaan’s a big fan and I’ve heard it in several mixes of his to great effect. This here is actually a remix courtesy of the very excellent Automan edit series, at least one or two we’ve had posted here over the last couple of years.

Herr Monn went on to produce Judy Cheeks and Amanda Lear and later knocked out a tune on Salsoul – Moon Boots by ORS (Orlando Riva Sound). In the picture here we see him focusing on doing the Germanic BeeGees thing. Check those teeth. Viva le synth!

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Interfering with the Fela

2008-04-18 by Kevvy K

Afrodisiac Sound System – Fela vs Kano

Following on from P Rice’s Fela posting earlier this week, and a thread on the newly revamped DJ History Forum discussing if we were all a bit over mash-ups, I thought that this was ripe for a posting. It’s one of the highly sought after series of afro-blends from Afrodisiac Soundsystem, taking elements of Fela Kuti’s ITT and mashing them up with Kano’s warped Italo future funk and b-boy favourite, I’m Ready. Works a treat n’ a half.

As an added Brucie bonus, remember a while back I posted a Youtube clip of a Detroit TV programme in which a number of people were taking their turns to strut their considerably funky stuff to Shari Vari? Here’s the same programme, with people cutting quite varied capers to I’m Ready.

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Chambers music

2008-03-22 by Kevvy K

Bobby Davenport – Time (Has Come Today)

Sorry, been neglectful of this here blog milarkey for a while… a quick one now to wish everyone a happy Christian appropriation of the pagan rites of spring, and I hope the wingnuts amongst you have taken heed of the official Filipino health warnings against solidarity crucifixions at this time of year.

The Chambers Brothers’ Time Has Come Today was a firm, funk-psyche favourite of mine back in my bigger-haired and psychedelically inclined past, so you can imagine my joy to discover a rip-roaring Italo cover version from Bobby Davenport. A touch of vocoder never goes amiss in this sort of cover, and the crispy beats chug along relentless without, with hat touch of bubbly bass thing that always threatens to spill over into something much more acidic.

This has also been released on Flexx Records, and you can pick up a copy here. Well worth a punt.

Alas, The Godfather of Disco has all sold out for the showing on the 29th, but you can still get tickets for the Horse Meat official after-party, with its stellar line up. Myself, the Squeaker and a few mates will all be giving it the Vauhall-hustle.

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Now THAT'S magic

2008-03-03 by Tommy Squeaker

Five Sinners – Magic

This has been on repeat for me pretty much since it was played at the Lowlife New Year’s party which I was unlikely enough to miss, being knee deep in nephew and nieces’ nappies and quality real ale deep in the welsh hills at the time – not that that wasn’t all good fun.

Magic is something of an Italo classic from back in 1982. I’ve failed to dig out much in the way of information on Five Sinners, but the tune speaks for itself. It’s got one of the most gloriously groovy basslines and the lyrics are great:

Mouth to mouth, with every variation.
Touch to touch, the usual situation... etc.

I challenge you not to swing your hips.

And while we’re at it, why not all sponsor my mate Suze, who in six weeks or less will be running the London marathon for a good cause. I for one find running for a bus a truly exhausting experience and have nothing but admiration for anyone who chooses to do it for 26 miles, so I urge you to dig deep and help her on her way. And if you haven’t got the pennies, she’ll take suggestions for good running music!

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Bari Manitalo

2008-02-04 by Kevvy K

Baricentro – Tittle Tattle

A tasty slice of Italo goodness from 1983, with catchy synth riffs and jerky funk riffs, and poptastic vocals. Apparently this was a staple on the floors of both Zanzibar and the Paradise Garage.

Its Dilated Choonz’s turn on the Brothers on the Side feature over at Innersounds and Jez has done quite the big-up.

I’m staying in Portland at the moment with a woman who is in a Double Dutch team, hence the incredible youtoob clip below. I also went to a Mardi Gras drag show on Saturday night in which people were encouraged to get up on stage and show their bits or their boobies while people threw strings of beads at them. The person with the most beads at the end of the Mardi Gras week (ie who had committed the most acts of debauchery) would be crowned King and Queen of Mardi Gras.

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Lap of Luxuria

2007-10-18 by Tommy Squeaker

Sueño Latino – Luxuria

I’ve been on an old house tip of late and have found myself drawn to Ambient House – The Compilation on Italian label DFC, which I’m pretty sure I acquired from someone else’s record collection about 15 years ago. Kevvy K posted a great Todd Terje edit of Sueño Latino’s Italo-Chicago Krautrocker sampling classic, Sueño Latino so I thought I’d bung up their other number from this collection, Luxuria. It’s a lovely little ditty and shows that they could turn it on without extensivesly sampling someone else’s tune – not that there’s owt wrong with that, all goes in the melting pot, innit. It would be nice to read more about how the 80s Italo scene fused with the imported house sound from Chicago cos the fruits sure are juicy if this outfit’s output is anything to go by. There’s also that FPI Project stuff which is fun. “Everybody, all over the world. Caffeine!”. Remember that, anyone?

Irritating but also strangely comforting to see normal service resumed with the football yesterday. At least we may see the back of Steve McClaren now.

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Cameras ready, prepare to...

2007-08-28 by Kevvy K

The Duke of Burlington – Flash 83 (dub version)

A tune that I know next to nothing about remixed in 83 by acclaimed Italo disco producer Tony Carrasco that went on to become a Balearic classic. Apparently. There’s something quite majestic about it that stirs my gizzards. It’s available on the third of the Balearica – The Sound of the White Island compilations that any self-respecting or overly anal beard would probably be somewhat sniffy about.

Subconsciously, this entire post may have been an elaborate pretext for me to say “anal beard”.

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