Dilated Choonz: disco

Dilated Choonz: disco http://dilate.choonz.com?cat=disco A cream-of-the-crop selection of music from the Dilate and P*Soul crew Dilated Choonz is brought to you by the Dilate and P*Soul crews - an international collective of music-lovers and friends who (in one form or another) have been putting on parties since 1998. Expect to enjoy many different styles of all good music. Dilated Choonz is brought to you by the Dilate and P*Soul crews - an international collective of music-lovers and friends who (in one form or another) have been putting on parties since 1998. Expect to enjoy many different styles of all good music. en-gb Dilated Choonz dilaters@googlemail.com dilaters@googlemail.com (Dilated Choonz) Dilated Choonz http://dilate.choonz.com/audio/rssimage.jpg Dilated Choonz http://dilate.choonz.com Sun, 19 May 2013 11:48:52 +0100 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:35:00 +0000 Loudblog no Music News & Politics Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:35:00 +0000 Keeping it snappy http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1790 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1790 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1790#comments > p*soul, disco, electro, *now offline* > p*soul disco electro *now offline* Connie Case – Get Down Early 80s hens teeth disco squidge and space synths. Lovely stuff…. the orginal will set you back a fair whack. Not sure if I need to say anything more… except that the DJ History podcast is up and running and Connie Case – Get Down Early 80s hens teeth disco squidge and space synths. Lovely stuff…. the orginal will set you back a fair whack. Not sure if I need to say anything more… except that the DJ History podcast is up and running and you can, and should, check it out here – debutting with numbers 50-25 of the annual Furtive 50, a round up of 2008’s best tracks as voted on by DJ History board posters and a bunch of tasteful DJs. <p><strong>Connie Case</strong> – <i>Get Down</i></p> <p>Early 80s hens teeth disco squidge and space synths. Lovely stuff…. the orginal will set you back a fair whack.</p> <p>Not sure if I need to say anything more… except that the DJ History podcast is up and running and you can, and should, check it out <a href="http://djhistorycom.podomatic.com/entry/2009-01-28T05_06_00-08_00">here</a> – debutting with numbers 50-25 of the annual <i>Furtive 50</i>, a round up of 2008’s best tracks as voted on by DJ History board posters and a bunch of tasteful DJs.</p><p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/a1-connie_case-get_down.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:31:00 +0000 A little something... http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1780 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1780 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1780#comments > p*soul, disco, *now offline* > p*soul disco *now offline* Sylvester – I (Who Have Nothing) Does the recent sporadic and sputtering output of Dilated Choonz signal that the end is somewhat imminent? Is this the effects of the three year itch? Has blog-fatigue set in from all quarters simultaneously? Or Sylvester – I (Who Have Nothing) Does the recent sporadic and sputtering output of Dilated Choonz signal that the end is somewhat imminent? Is this the effects of the three year itch? Has blog-fatigue set in from all quarters simultaneously? Or is it just a new equilibrium of getting a tune or two out there every week or so? Who knows? This was originally a track but out by Ben E King in 1964, but was based on an Italian song that I haven’t heard called Uno dei tanti. Some folks believed that Knights in Whits Satin ripped off a big bit of the melody, and you can defintiely see (hear?) their point. So, this is the epic, pounding, cow bell-soaked 1979 disco version from Sylvester. I know he’s a bit ‘marmite’ (of the ‘love it or hate it’ rather than the ‘starfish’ variety) but I’m definitely in awe of much of his output over the years, and I think that this track might have some of his finest moments of gospel falsettos. Great extended breakdown bit towards the end too. <p><img src="http://www.musicroom.com/images/catalogue/productpage/SH67463.jpg" width="200" height="286" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Sylvester</strong> – <i>I (Who Have Nothing)</i></p> <p>Does the recent sporadic and sputtering output of Dilated Choonz signal that the end is somewhat imminent? Is this the effects of the three year itch? Has blog-fatigue set in from all quarters simultaneously? Or is it just a new equilibrium of getting a tune or two out there every week or so? Who knows?</p> <p>This was originally a track but out by <strong>Ben E King</strong> in 1964, but was based on an Italian song that I haven’t heard called <i>Uno dei tanti</i>. Some folks believed that <i>Knights in Whits Satin</i> ripped off a big bit of the melody, and you can defintiely see (hear?) their point.</p> <p>So, this is the epic, pounding, cow bell-soaked 1979 disco version from <strong>Sylvester</strong>. I know he’s a bit ‘marmite’ (of the ‘love it or hate it’ rather than the ‘starfish’ variety) but I’m definitely in awe of much of his output over the years, and I think that this track might have some of his finest moments of gospel falsettos. Great extended breakdown bit towards the end too.</p><p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Sylvester_-----_I_who_Have_Nothing__1979.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:05:00 +0000 Another Tele-Disco Tantalizer http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1767 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1767 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1767#comments > p*soul, disco, edit, *now offline* > p*soul disco edit *now offline* Tele Music – Disco Free (Faze Action Edit) Remember a while back I posted a very wonderful, air-raid siren laden disco edit bomb that was a teaser from a forthcoming Tele-Music remixed compilation? Well, there’s two bits of good news… Tele Music – Disco Free (Faze Action Edit) Remember a while back I posted a very wonderful, air-raid siren laden disco edit bomb that was a teaser from a forthcoming Tele-Music remixed compilation? Well, there’s two bits of good news… here’s another, and the compilation is now available on purchasable download here, so if you’re at all feeling the beard, and are into the edit output of artists like the Idjuts, Al Kent, the Unabombers and Ray Mang, then go support this very home-grown and big-label, side-stepping enterprise. There are rumours of forth-coming vinyl in the early part of next year. There’s some great sleeve notes for the disco-nerds out there laying out how Tele-Music were a tight-knit trio of French musicians who were heavily involved in classic lines ups from the likes of Voyage, Don Ray, Arpadys and Cerrone. The track in question is given the going-over by Faze Action, who’s In The Trees that I posted way back made for a musical milestone in the resurgence of all things discoid. <p><strong>Tele Music</strong> – <i>Disco Free (Faze Action Edit)</i></p> <p>Remember a while back <a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1758">I posted</a> a very wonderful, air-raid siren laden disco edit bomb that was a teaser from a forthcoming <a href="http://www.djhistory.com/downloads/le-disco-tele-music-remixed">Tele-Music remixed compilation</a>? Well, there’s two bits of good news… here’s another, and the compilation is now available on purchasable download <a href="http://www.djhistory.com/downloads/le-disco-tele-music-remixed">here</a>, so if you’re at all feeling the beard, and are into the edit output of artists like <strong>the Idjuts</strong>, <strong>Al Kent</strong>, <strong>the Unabombers</strong> and <strong>Ray Mang</strong>, then go support this very home-grown and big-label, side-stepping enterprise. There are rumours of forth-coming vinyl in the early part of next year. There’s some great sleeve notes for the disco-nerds out there laying out how <strong>Tele-Music</strong> were a tight-knit trio of French musicians who were heavily involved in classic lines ups from the likes of <strong>Voyage</strong>, <strong>Don Ray</strong>, <strong>Arpadys</strong> and <strong>Cerrone</strong>.</p> <p>The track in question is given the going-over by <strong>Faze Action</strong>, who’s <i>In The Trees</i> that I posted way back made for a musical milestone in the resurgence of all things discoid.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.djhistory.com/downloads/le-disco-tele-music-remixed" title="">no and get Tele-Musci Remixed</a> :: </a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Tele_Music_-_Disco_Free_Faze_Action_Edit.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:06:00 +0000 Lowlife loveliness http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1758 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1758 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1758#comments > p*soul, disco, edit, *now offline* > p*soul disco edit *now offline* Tele Music – Baby’s Band (LeoZero Edit) Christ all chaffing mighty… this dropped out of cyber-space into my e-lap literally 10 minutes ago, and it is getting whacked straight up as its very new and exciting, a wonderful, wonderful Tele Music – Baby’s Band (LeoZero Edit) Christ all chaffing mighty… this dropped out of cyber-space into my e-lap literally 10 minutes ago, and it is getting whacked straight up as its very new and exciting, a wonderful, wonderful tune, and also the aural emblem of the best night out I had in years on Saturday. So, the background… last Saturday, myself, Tommy Squeaker and a couple of other mates went to the Lowlife party in South London, and it was just a beautiful clubbing experience in the way I haven’t experienced in quite some time.. to paraphrase the ever-eloquent Squeaker, it was like all the nicest clubbers in London gathered under one roof to hear the best DJs. Three rooms, 700 people, most of whom dressed up for the theme of Gothic Romance, a caberet act, predominatly house with some scattered disco and even a touch of gothy goodness, really nice chats with random people throughout the night… and this track got played twice in two different rooms. In the back of my addled brain, I made a mental note to inquire what that track with the siren was, never seriously thinking that it would end up so soon in my sweaty mitts, but here it is, benevolently bestowed upon all and sundry by Lowlife organiser and DJ History Honcho Bill Brewster. Its the classiest of mildly housed disco edits, that builds and euphorically breaks with the help of some badass siren and the silkiest of strings. It comes as part of a wider release… “This is the first part of the project (there are two volumes in total, the other one follows in 2009). Don’t know if you know anything about Tele Music but it’s sort of the French equivalent to KPM, the famous British library label that Alan Hawkshaw and others recorded for. They were also responsible for releasing the Arpadys album and the Voyage LPs (it was the same team of musicians who did most of the disco library recordings as well as both Arpadys and Voyage: Slim Pezin, Alain Dahan, Sauveur Mallia, Marc Chantereau etc etc). Anyhow, most of the tracks we’ve taken and edited or remixed are culled from the Disco & Co series of library albums as well as the Spatial & Co and Arpadys projects, too.” You can go and check out some of the other tracks from the album here. This album will be released very soon, but in the meantime they have lots of other ace compilations for you to check out and download so have a good click round. And for all you who missed it, the next Lowlife is maddeningly months away, not until February 14th. I am already starting to lay the groundwork with my partner that quality, romantic ‘us’ time might not be on the cards this Valentines Day. <p><img src="http://www.djhistory.com/files/imagecache/thumbnail_175x175/files/album/images/Le-Disco99.jpg" width="175" height="175" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Tele Music</strong> – <i>Baby’s Band (LeoZero Edit)</i></p> <p>Christ all chaffing mighty… this dropped out of cyber-space into my e-lap literally 10 minutes ago, and it is getting whacked straight up as its very new and exciting, a wonderful, wonderful tune, and also the aural emblem of the best night out I had in years on Saturday.</p> <p>So, the background… last Saturday, myself, <strong>Tommy Squeaker</strong> and a couple of other mates went to the <a href="http://www.djhistory.com/lowlife">Lowlife</a> party in South London, and it was just a beautiful clubbing experience in the way I haven’t experienced in quite some time.. to paraphrase the ever-eloquent <strong>Squeaker</strong>, it was like all the nicest clubbers in London gathered under one roof to hear the best DJs. Three rooms, 700 people, most of whom dressed up for the theme of <strong>Gothic Romance</strong>, a caberet act, predominatly house with some scattered disco and even a touch of gothy goodness, really nice chats with random people throughout the night… and this track got played twice in two different rooms. </p> <p>In the back of my addled brain, I made a mental note to inquire what that track with the siren was, never seriously thinking that it would end up so soon in my sweaty mitts, but here it is, benevolently bestowed upon all and sundry by Lowlife organiser and DJ History Honcho <strong>Bill Brewster</strong>.</p> <p>Its the classiest of mildly housed disco edits, that builds and euphorically breaks with the help of some badass siren and the silkiest of strings. It comes as part of a wider release…</p> <p>“This is the first part of the project (there are two volumes in total, the other one follows in 2009). Don’t know if you know anything about Tele Music but it’s sort of the French equivalent to KPM, the famous British library label that Alan Hawkshaw and others recorded for. They were also responsible for releasing the Arpadys album and the Voyage LPs (it was the same team of musicians who did most of the disco library recordings as well as both Arpadys and Voyage: Slim Pezin, Alain Dahan, Sauveur Mallia, Marc Chantereau etc etc). Anyhow, most of the tracks we’ve taken and edited or remixed are culled from the Disco & Co series of library albums as well as the Spatial & Co and Arpadys projects, too.” </p> <p>You can go and check out some of the other tracks from the album <a href="http://www.djhistory.com/downloads/le-disco-tele-music-remixed">here</a>. This album will be released very soon, but in the meantime they have lots of other ace compilations for you to check out and download so have a good click round.</p> <p>And for all you who missed it, the next <strong>Lowlife</strong> is maddeningly months away, not until February 14th. I am already starting to lay the groundwork with my partner that quality, romantic ‘us’ time might not be on the cards this Valentines Day.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.djhistory.com/downloads/le-disco-tele-music-remixed" title="">Check out the rest of the Telemusic compilation</a> :: </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.djhistory.com/downloads" title="">More good stuff to download from DJ History</a> :: </a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Tele_Music_-_Babys_Band_LeoZero_Edit.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:41:00 +0100 Together again http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1740 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1740 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1740#comments > dilate, disco, italo, *now offline* > dilate disco italo *now offline* 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. 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. <p><img src="http://imagecache02.pixsy.com/10022007/84/84d845e3-b262-4e1f-b3af-1dfb145ce8c0.jpg" width="160" height="120" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Mike Anthony</strong> – <i>Why Cant We Live Together</i></p> <p>Following on from the <strong>Underdog</strong> edit, a disco cover version of the <strong>Timmy Thomas</strong> classic, the 12” of which I got on white vinyl for €1 in my recent Dam-based record buying bonanza.</p><p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Mike_Anthony_-_Why_Cant_We_Live_Together.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:53:00 +0100 Mills' pills http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1734 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1734 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1734#comments > dilate, disco, boogie, *now offline* > dilate disco boogie *now offline* Stephanie Mills – The Medicine Song Apologies for prolonged blog absences… not for lack of thigns I want to post, lack of having a crafty 10 mins to sit down and crack one out, so to speak. I was in Amsterdam on a work one last week, and Stephanie Mills – The Medicine Song Apologies for prolonged blog absences… not for lack of thigns I want to post, lack of having a crafty 10 mins to sit down and crack one out, so to speak. I was in Amsterdam on a work one last week, and stumbled across a veritable treasure trove of all manner of tasty vinyl at ludicrous prices. I ended up bringing some 60 records home with me… including 40 that I paid €1 each for, including lots of disco 12”s – was honestly the best crate digging experience of my life. I just kept stumbling upon treasure after treasure, and much of it minty fresh. So I’m going to be sharing some of them in the coming weeks. This was actually a bank-breaking €4 rather than €1, but there was no way I was going to go home without this little beauty. A great, great track from 1984 on Casablanca records, with a wonderful cross over of boogie and pop sensibilities – no wonder it topped the US dance chart at the time, and even scraped into the UK top 30. There’s a great dub version on the flip too. Disturbing fact – Stephanie was briefly romantically linked to Micheal Jackson when she was playing Dorothy in the original version of The Wiz. <p><img src="http://image.listen.com/img/356x237/4/0/9/4/584904_356x237.jpg" width="356" height="237" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Stephanie Mills</strong> – <i>The Medicine Song</i></p> <p>Apologies for prolonged blog absences… not for lack of thigns I want to post, lack of having a crafty 10 mins to sit down and crack one out, so to speak.</p> <p>I was in Amsterdam on a work one last week, and stumbled across a veritable treasure trove of all manner of tasty vinyl at ludicrous prices. I ended up bringing some 60 records home with me… including 40 that I paid €1 each for, including lots of disco 12”s – was honestly the best crate digging experience of my life. I just kept stumbling upon treasure after treasure, and much of it minty fresh. So I’m going to be sharing some of them in the coming weeks.</p> <p>This was actually a bank-breaking €4 rather than €1, but there was no way I was going to go home without this little beauty. A great, great track from 1984 on <i>Casablanca</i> records, with a wonderful cross over of boogie and pop sensibilities – no wonder it topped the US dance chart at the time, and even scraped into the UK top 30. There’s a great dub version on the flip too.</p> <p>Disturbing fact – <strong>Stephanie</strong> was briefly romantically linked to <strong>Micheal Jackson</strong> when she was playing <strong>Dorothy</strong> in the original version of <i>The Wiz</i>.</p><p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Stephanie_Mills_-_The_Medicine_Song.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:54:00 +0100 Joe Solid Crew http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1725 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1725 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1725#comments > dilate, disco, edit, *now offline* > dilate disco edit *now offline* Ashford and Simpson – Bourgie Bourgie (Joe Claussell’s classic remix) Another one from the excellent collection Ashford & Simpson – Hits, Remixes And Rarities: The Warner Brothers Years. This Paradise Garage classic gets teased Ashford and Simpson – Bourgie Bourgie (Joe Claussell’s classic remix) Another one from the excellent collection Ashford & Simpson – Hits, Remixes And Rarities: The Warner Brothers Years. This Paradise Garage classic gets teased out into epic orchestral proportions, packing in shimmering strings, lilting flutes and a rhythm that’s tighter than a gnat’s chaff for almost 12 minutes, without ever getting boring. Absolutely lovely stuff. What I didn’t know till now, which will only be of interest to the disco nerds out there, is that it was Valerie’s brother Jimmy Simpson who editted most of the tracks, and was also responsible for the breathtaking edit of Diana Ross’ No one gets the prize which I am sure I have posted here before a long, long time ago (and if I haven’t, I will). I don’t think I ever posted anything about the Climate Camp aftermath… out of sheer laziness (and coz I have other work I need to be getting on with, here’s a few links to anyone who might be interested in checking out how it all went. This guy has done a really good job of collating mainstream TV coverage on YouTube here. This woman has quite a nice blog story with lots of photos and so on here. There are lots more photos here. And a series of video shorts that were made onsite here. It’s an ongoing thing… if the decision to go ahead with the coal plant is made in March, then the campers have committed to return and physically halt the construction if need be. There is a national gathering in March in Manchester on the weekend of the 26th/27th of September, and also a regional one in London this Saturday at the Synergy Centre in Camberwell. All the info about these meetigns can be found on the website here. And the cops owe me a new pair of glasses. <p><img src="http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/amg/pop_artists/P22112OD1TT.JPG" width="140" height="160" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Ashford and Simpson</strong> – <i>Bourgie Bourgie (Joe Claussell’s classic remix)</i></p> <p>Another one from the excellent collection <a href="http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDetail.lasso?Number=347964">Ashford & Simpson – Hits, Remixes And Rarities: The Warner Brothers Years</a>. This <i>Paradise Garage</i> classic gets teased out into epic orchestral proportions, packing in shimmering strings, lilting flutes and a rhythm that’s tighter than a gnat’s chaff for almost 12 minutes, without ever getting boring. Absolutely lovely stuff.</p> <p>What I didn’t know till now, which will only be of interest to the disco nerds out there, is that it was <strong>Valerie’s</strong> brother <strong>Jimmy Simpson</strong> who editted most of the tracks, and was also responsible for the breathtaking edit of <strong>Diana Ross’</strong> <i>No one gets the prize</i> which I am sure I have posted here before a long, long time ago (and if I haven’t, I will).</p> <p>I don’t think I ever posted anything about the Climate Camp aftermath… out of sheer laziness (and coz I have other work I need to be getting on with, here’s a few links to anyone who might be interested in checking out how it all went.</p> <p>This guy has done a really good job of collating mainstream TV coverage on YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/kingqueen3065">here</a>. </p> <p>This woman has quite a nice blog story with lots of photos and so on <a href="http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/amelias_blog/2008/08/climate_camp_2008_amelias_stor_1.php">here</a>. </p> <p>There are lots more photos <a href="http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/node/442/edit?q=node/61">here</a>. </p> <p>And a series of video shorts that were made onsite <a href="http://www.undercurrents.org/climatecamp/index.htm">here</a>.</p> <p>It’s an ongoing thing… if the decision to go ahead with the coal plant is made in March, then the campers have committed to return and physically halt the construction if need be. There is a national gathering in March in Manchester on the weekend of the 26th/27th of September, and also a regional one in London this Saturday at the <a href="http://www.thesynergycentre.org/">Synergy Centre</a> in Camberwell. All the info about these meetigns can be found on the website <a href="http://climatecamp.org.uk/">here</a>.</p> <p>And the cops owe me a new pair of glasses.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDetail.lasso?Number=347964" title="">buy it here</a> :: </a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/ashford_and_simpson_-_bourgie_bourgie_joe_claussells_classic_remix.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:50:00 +0100 Final crafty hols post http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1719 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1719 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1719#comments > p*soul, disco, reggae, *now offline* > p*soul disco reggae *now offline* Steel An Skin – Afro Punk Reggae (dub) The last in the trio of unlikely bed fellows, as of tomorrow I will be off in the Catalan Pyrenees for a week of not very challenging hiking and lounging around lakes and green spaces. Probably without very Steel An Skin – Afro Punk Reggae (dub) The last in the trio of unlikely bed fellows, as of tomorrow I will be off in the Catalan Pyrenees for a week of not very challenging hiking and lounging around lakes and green spaces. Probably without very good net access. This has been getting a lot of understandable love of late, and has now been re-issued by Honest Jon’s. Five nightclub musicians based in West London in the late 70s turn out a wonderful disco dub number of echoey steel drum goodness… uber-danceable and effortlessly genre-straddling, and well worth picking up a copy of the vinyl while you can. According to the publicity, “coming on like the lost Slits/ESG/Liquid Liquid cut that you never heard.” According to another website (apologies for the lazy cut and paste.. I hear the beach a callin’), “The group were first brought together as something of an educational effort—a way to school kids on the post-colonial scene about the rich heritage of rhythms from the West Indies. But given the 70s London setting of their work, the group quickly picked up other influences too—bits of funk and reggae that really helped change their sound—and which makes the music here from being a simple rehash of older Caribbean modes.” <p><img src="http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/s/steelanskin_reggaeish_101b.jpg" width="258" height="232" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Steel An Skin</strong> – <i>Afro Punk Reggae (dub)</i></p> <p>The last in the trio of unlikely bed fellows, as of tomorrow I will be off in the Catalan Pyrenees for a week of not very challenging hiking and lounging around lakes and green spaces. Probably without very good net access.</p> <p>This has been getting a lot of understandable love of late, and has now been re-issued by <i>Honest Jon’s</i>. Five nightclub musicians based in West London in the late 70s turn out a wonderful disco dub number of echoey steel drum goodness… uber-danceable and effortlessly genre-straddling, and well worth picking up a copy of the vinyl while you can. According to the publicity, “coming on like the lost Slits/ESG/Liquid Liquid cut that you never heard.” According to another website (apologies for the lazy cut and paste.. I hear the beach a callin’), “The group were first brought together as something of an educational effort—a way to school kids on the post-colonial scene about the rich heritage of rhythms from the West Indies. But given the 70s London setting of their work, the group quickly picked up other influences too—bits of funk and reggae that really helped change their sound—and which makes the music here from being a simple rehash of older Caribbean modes.” </p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=95441" title="">Buy the 12" here</a> :: </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=7fgb5z8t5k" title="">Buy the album here</a> :: </a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/04-steel_an_skin--afro_punk_reggae_dub.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:51:00 +0100 Ride it on, baby http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1704 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1704 Tommy Squeaker Tommy Squeaker no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1704#comments > p*soul, funk, disco, *now offline* > p*soul funk disco *now offline* Lenny White – Ride Drummer Lenny White featured on Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew before moving on to work with Chick Corea’s Return to Forever Jazz funk fusion project in the mid to late 70s. Come the 80s, Lenny picked up the electro-funk Lenny White – Ride Drummer Lenny White featured on Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew before moving on to work with Chick Corea’s Return to Forever Jazz funk fusion project in the mid to late 70s. Come the 80s, Lenny picked up the electro-funk baton, forming Twennynine with like minded individuals. Ride (perhaps dedicated to his favoured Ride cymbals?) is on the 1983 Attitude album released on Wounded Bird records under Lenny’s name alone. It appears on Maurice Fulton’s Bubbletease Communications Volume 7 mix which you can find on the RBMA site, where Mr Fulton makes full use of the killer groove that gets going about two and a half minutes in, looping it out to good effect. The fat bass, synth whoops, vocoded chant and those big clanging chords… best listened to LOUD. I made a cameo appearance at the Lambeth Country show this weekend along with DC colleagues. I wasn’t able to stay long, but did manage to grab a quick pint of Chucklehead before I left. Highlight for me was where a gent running things in the small arena asked children in the audience if they wanted to ‘smell his stinky ferret’; grounds for arrest you might think although, to be fair, it was as part of the ferret racing demonstration. <p><img src="http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/590/599432.jpg" width="200" height="200" align="right"/></p> <p>Lenny White – <i>Ride</i></p> <p>Drummer Lenny White featured on Miles Davis’ <strong>Bitches Brew</strong> before moving on to work with Chick Corea’s <strong>Return to Forever</strong> Jazz funk fusion project in the mid to late 70s. Come the 80s, Lenny picked up the electro-funk baton, forming <strong>Twennynine</strong> with like minded individuals. Ride (perhaps dedicated to his favoured Ride cymbals?) is on the 1983 Attitude album released on Wounded Bird records under Lenny’s name alone. It appears on <strong>Maurice Fulton’s Bubbletease Communications Volume 7</strong> mix which you can find on the <a href="http://rbmaradio.com/ARCHIVE.153.0.php">RBMA site</a>, where Mr Fulton makes full use of the killer groove that gets going about two and a half minutes in, looping it out to good effect. The fat bass, synth whoops, vocoded chant and those big clanging chords… best listened to LOUD.</p> <p>I made a cameo appearance at the Lambeth Country show this weekend along with DC colleagues. I wasn’t able to stay long, but did manage to grab a quick pint of <a href="http://www.chuckleheadcider.co.uk/">Chucklehead</a> before I left. Highlight for me was where a gent running things in the small arena asked children in the audience if they wanted to ‘smell his stinky ferret’; grounds for arrest you might think although, to be fair, it was as part of the ferret racing demonstration.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Attitude-Lenny-White/dp/B000AMPZDA" title="On CD. At Amazon. Try harder.">Buy Attitude</a> :: On CD. At Amazon. Try harder.</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.lennywhite.com/" title="...dripping with Flash business">Lenny White's website...</a> :: ...dripping with Flash business</a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/04_Lenny_White_-_The_Ride.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:44:00 +0100 Sultry Sunday Sevs Soul http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1703 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1703 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1703#comments > p*soul, soul, disco, *now offline* > p*soul soul disco *now offline* Ashford & Simpson – It Seems to Hang On The first track of A&S’s 1978 album… wonderful, sultry, 70s soul. Can’t believe how much talent and chemistry these two had going on between them. I never really realised before Ashford & Simpson – It Seems to Hang On The first track of A&S’s 1978 album… wonderful, sultry, 70s soul. Can’t believe how much talent and chemistry these two had going on between them. I never really realised before that they were also the song writing team responsibel for numbers like Let’s go and get stoned, California soul, Ain’t no mountain high enough and You’re all I need to get by. I haven’t got a copy, but there’s a very nice looking compilation of Hits, Remixes And Rarities come out on Rhino records recently… more info here. Had a lovely day drinking cider at the Lambeth country show.. although somehow managed to miss the goose herding. More activist porn courtesy of the climate camp <p><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/amgmusic/artists/pic200/drp200/p221/p22113nc1ni.jpg" width="200" height="254" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Ashford & Simpson</strong> – <i>It Seems to Hang On</i></p> <p>The first track of <strong>A&S’s</strong> 1978 album… wonderful, sultry, 70s soul. Can’t believe how much talent and chemistry these two had going on between them. I never really realised before that they were also the song writing team responsibel for numbers like <i>Let’s go and get stoned</i>, <i>California soul</i>, <i>Ain’t no mountain high enough</i> and <i>You’re all I need to get by</i>.</p> <p>I haven’t got a copy, but there’s a very nice looking compilation of Hits, Remixes And Rarities come out on Rhino records recently… more info <a href="http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDetail.lasso?Number=347964">here</a>.</p> <p>Had a lovely day drinking cider at the Lambeth country show.. although somehow managed to miss the goose herding.</p> <p>More activist porn courtesy of the climate camp<br /> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pVaUYVF-Cfk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pVaUYVF-Cfk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Ashford__Simpson_-_Is_It_Still_Good_to_Ya_-_01_-_It_Seems_to_Hang_On.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:26:00 +0100 Big shot on the East coast http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1692 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1692 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1692#comments > p*soul, disco, edit, *now offline* > p*soul disco edit *now offline* D Train – You’re The One For Me [Ulysses82 Ultramagnetic re-cut] A few weeks back, me and Tommy Squeaker and Innersounds Jez (who, in the recent context of Detroit, has a nice looking mix up on his blog that I haven’t had a chance to D Train – You’re The One For Me [Ulysses82 Ultramagnetic re-cut] A few weeks back, me and Tommy Squeaker and Innersounds Jez (who, in the recent context of Detroit, has a nice looking mix up on his blog that I haven’t had a chance to listen to yet, but that you can check out here) had the pleasure of taking in a set by DJ and production dynamic duo, ULYSSES 82 at Favela Chic, who played a hearty set of synth-fuelled electro-funk, boogie goodness, and all but two of the tracks were their own tweaked and twisted productions and edits. This is one of the ones they played out, which I suggested they might be kind enough to share with DC patrons. It’s a fairly simple, but very effective splice of boogie classic and personal fave, You’re the one for me with some rap vocals courtesy of Ultramagnetic MC Poppa Large. They’re playing again at Ain’t it Black on Wednesday July 16th at Favela Chic, and then they’re doing an afternoon BBQ set for a few hours, starting somewhere around 3pm at a Baile Funk BBQ @ Egg in Kings Cross on Saturday 26th. Well worth checking out if you’re into that sort of thing. Nice Climate Camp is coming article in the Independent yesterday. <p><img src="http://blog.tilos.hu/filter/james-dtrain-williams-miracles-of-the-heart-cd-front%5B1%5D.jpg" width="300" height="300" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>D Train</strong> – <i>You’re The One For Me [Ulysses82 Ultramagnetic re-cut]</i></p> <p>A few weeks back, me and <strong>Tommy Squeaker</strong> and <a href="http://basilikacoop.textdriven.com/inner/">Innersounds</a> <strong>Jez</strong> (who, in the recent context of Detroit, has a nice looking mix up on his blog that I haven’t had a chance to listen to yet, but that you can check out <a href="http://basilikacoop.textdriven.com/inner/4am-in-detroit/ ">here</a>) had the pleasure of taking in a set by DJ and production dynamic duo, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ulysses82">ULYSSES 82 </a> at <i>Favela Chic</i>, who played a hearty set of synth-fuelled electro-funk, boogie goodness, and all but two of the tracks were their own tweaked and twisted productions and edits.</p> <p>This is one of the ones they played out, which I suggested they might be kind enough to share with <i>DC</i> patrons. It’s a fairly simple, but very effective splice of boogie classic and personal fave, <i>You’re the one for me</i> with some rap vocals courtesy of Ultramagnetic MC <strong>Poppa Large</strong>.</p> <p>They’re playing again at <i>Ain’t it Black</i> on Wednesday July 16th at Favela Chic, and then they’re doing an afternoon BBQ set for a few hours, starting somewhere around 3pm at a Baile Funk BBQ @ Egg in Kings Cross on Saturday 26th. Well worth checking out if you’re into that sort of thing.</p> <p>Nice <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-campaigners-threaten-to-invade-and-shut-down-power-plant-865056.html">Climate Camp is coming</a> article in the Independent yesterday.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ulysses82" title="">ULYSSES 82 myspace</a> :: </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://climatecamp.org.uk/" title="Be prepared">Camp for Climate Action</a> :: Be prepared</a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/D_Train_-_Youre_The_One_For_Me_[ULYSSES82_Ultramagnetic_re-cut].mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:49:00 +0100 Jungle, jungle, magical dance http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1686 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1686 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1686#comments > p*soul, italo, disco, *now offline* > p*soul italo disco *now offline* 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 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 <p><img src="http://www.inertia-music.com/files/images/STRUT036CD_200.jpg" width="200" height="200" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Gepy & Gepy</strong> – <em>African Love Song (Kotey Edit)</em></p> <p>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.</p> <p><strong>Steve ‘Fella’ Kotey</strong>, the <a href="http://www.bearfunk.net/">Bear Funk</a> (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.</p> <p>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, <a href="http://www.strut-records.com/discoitalia/">Disco Italia</a> compiled by <strong>Steve Kotey</strong>. 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 <i>Cosmic Disco</i> blog that you can check out <a href="http://www.cosmicdisco.co.uk/2008/05/26/disco-italia-essential-italo-disco-classics-1977-1985-review/">here</a>. The CD comes with a full booklet containing photos, original sleeve artwork and extended notes by <strong>Bill Brewster</strong>.</p> <p>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 <a href="http://warpmart.com/item/Various%20Artists/Disco%20Italia:%20Sampler%2012"%3B/3767">here</a>. The 12” also features a track of <strong>Tullio De Piscopo</strong> of Balearic and DC fave <em>Primavera (Stop Bajon)</em>.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.phonicarecords.com/detail.aspx?ID=30005" title="">Buy Disco Italia on CD</a> :: </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://warpmart.com/item/Various%20Artists/Disco%20Italia:%20Sampler%2012"%3B/3767" title="">Buy the 12" sampler</a> :: </a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Gepy__Gepy_-_African_Love_Song_Kotey_Edit.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:58:00 +0100 Hot chazza action http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1685 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1685 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1685#comments > p*soul, disco, funk, *now offline* > p*soul disco funk *now offline* Stargard – What You Waitin’ For I’ve been on a bit of a roll recently with some real gems nestled amidst the endless copies of Paul Young’s No Parlez in the charity shops. This funky little thing was but a single pound on Stargard – What You Waitin’ For I’ve been on a bit of a roll recently with some real gems nestled amidst the endless copies of Paul Young’s No Parlez in the charity shops. This funky little thing was but a single pound on 12” from the Cowley Road Oxfam in Oxford. Stargard are perhaps better known for their wonderful disco anthem Wear It Out, which provided the sample for one of my guiltier house pleasures, Pete Heller’s Big Love. This is an earlier, less overtly disco offering and there’s lots to love.. jaunty guitars, great horn stabs, some wiggy synth and a few space noises towards the end.. in fact all the second instrumental half of the track is really one to get your groove on. Back to the incessant slog of a bazillion and one things to do at the moment.. and its only going to get worse till after the first week in August. EDIT: BTW, we now have a Dilated Choonz page in the Facebook blog network if anyone wants to add themselves as a reader, although I must admit, I am still wondering myself what the point is. <p><img src="http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/%A5Artist%20GIF%20Images/Stargard-8.jpg" width="306" height="198" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Stargard</strong> – <i>What You Waitin’ For</i></p> <p>I’ve been on a bit of a roll recently with some real gems nestled amidst the endless copies of <strong>Paul Young’s</strong> <i>No Parlez</i> in the charity shops. This funky little thing was but a single pound on 12” from the Cowley Road Oxfam in Oxford.</p> <p><strong>Stargard</strong> are perhaps better known for their wonderful disco anthem <i>Wear It Out</i>, which provided the sample for one of my guiltier house pleasures, <strong>Pete Heller’s</strong> <i>Big Love</i>. This is an earlier, less overtly disco offering and there’s lots to love.. jaunty guitars, great horn stabs, some wiggy synth and a few space noises towards the end.. in fact all the second instrumental half of the track is really one to get your groove on.</p> <p>Back to the incessant slog of a bazillion and one things to do at the moment.. and its only going to get worse till after the first week in August.</p> <p>EDIT: BTW, we now have a <a href="http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blogpage.php?blogid=4116">Dilated Choonz page in the Facebook blog network</a> if anyone wants to add themselves as a reader, although I must admit, I am still wondering myself what the point is.</p><p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Stargard_-_What_You_Waitin_For.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:49:00 +0100 Seven deadly synths (6) http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1673 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1673 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1673#comments > p*soul, disco, other, *now offline* > p*soul disco other *now offline* Harry Thumann – Underwater (Mischief Brew edit) Both a deadly synth, and from a synth-pioneer.. according to Wiki-P, (and I have to quote as I’m nowhere near the synth nerd that Hal is), “Always quick to embrace new technology, Harry Thumann – Underwater (Mischief Brew edit) Both a deadly synth, and from a synth-pioneer.. according to Wiki-P, (and I have to quote as I’m nowhere near the synth nerd that Hal is), “Always quick to embrace new technology, Thumann recognised the potential of MIDI and used Commodore 64 computers with MIDI cards controlling a system that evolved into a huge MIDI-controlled synthesizer installation including a plethora of synths and modules, plus a Fairlight II and Moog 3C modular system. This led to a string of albums of Rondo Veneziano, which married both acoustic instruments and synthesizers. His album Andromeda is still a favorite among synthesizer buffs.” Which, in all honesty, doesn’t mean that much to me. This wonderful, synth-fuelled, space disco opus is from 1979 and has been cropping up a lot on a recent DJ History poll on the best dance records of all time. I think many of you all will have the OG, so I’m posting this tweaked Mischief Brew edit from a couple of years back. <p><img src="http://www.cdport.com/image/thumm.jpg" width="143" height="141" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Harry Thumann</strong> – <i>Underwater (Mischief Brew edit)</i></p> <p>Both a deadly synth, <i>and</i> from a synth-pioneer.. according to Wiki-P, (and I have to quote as I’m nowhere near the synth nerd that Hal is), “Always quick to embrace new technology, Thumann recognised the potential of MIDI and used Commodore 64 computers with MIDI cards controlling a system that evolved into a huge MIDI-controlled synthesizer installation including a plethora of synths and modules, plus a Fairlight II and Moog 3C modular system. This led to a string of albums of Rondo Veneziano, which married both acoustic instruments and synthesizers. His album Andromeda is still a favorite among synthesizer buffs.” Which, in all honesty, doesn’t mean that much to me.</p> <p>This wonderful, synth-fuelled, space disco opus is from 1979 and has been cropping up a lot on a recent <a href="http://djhistory.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35564">DJ History poll</a> on the best dance records of all time. I think many of you all will have the OG, so I’m posting this tweaked <strong>Mischief Brew</strong> edit from a couple of years back.</p><p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/01-harry_thumann--underwater_mischief_brew_edit.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:59:00 +0100 Topical Soul, 1974 style (or 2008 style?) http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1668 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1668 Hal Berstram Hal Berstram no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1668#comments > p*soul, soul, disco, *now offline* > p*soul soul disco *now offline* Executive Suite – When The Fuel Runs Out As the fuel begins to run out (at least until the tanker drivers call off the strike), here is a slice of topical Philly protodiscoplasm that I found on an old K-Tel compilation LP called “Souled Executive Suite – When The Fuel Runs Out As the fuel begins to run out (at least until the tanker drivers call off the strike), here is a slice of topical Philly protodiscoplasm that I found on an old K-Tel compilation LP called “Souled Out” at a boot fair a couple of years back. I know almost nothing about Executive Suite but fortunately some people on the internet know a bit more (see link below). Nice tune though. I’m always a sucker for that Philadelphia sound. This one does seem to suffer from a bit of the old K-Tel truncation policy (so they could fit more tracks onto each side of vinyl); this cut is timed at 2:26 but the 7” version seems to weigh in at 3:35. Still, two thirds of a tune is better than nowt. I don’t have many more soul records on this theme to post if these fuel strikes continue but will keep digging around for more… <p><b>Executive Suite</b> – <i>When The Fuel Runs Out</i></p> <p>As <a href = "http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7455755.stm">the fuel begins to run out</a> (at least until the tanker drivers call off the strike), here is a slice of topical Philly protodiscoplasm that I found on an old K-Tel compilation LP called “Souled Out” at a boot fair a couple of years back. </p> <p>I know almost nothing about Executive Suite but fortunately some people on the internet know a bit more (see link below). Nice tune though. I’m always a sucker for that Philadelphia sound. </p> <p>This one does seem to suffer from a bit of the old K-Tel truncation policy (so they could fit more tracks onto each side of vinyl); this cut is timed at 2:26 but the 7” version seems to weigh in at 3:35. Still, two thirds of a tune is better than nowt. </p> <p>I don’t have many more soul records on this theme to post if these fuel strikes continue but will keep digging around for more…</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://raiderofthelostark.blogspot.com/2007/11/executive-suite-executive-suite-1.html" title="from the (mainly) Spanish-language "Raiders of the Lost Ark" Philly soul blog, including track listing for their album">More info about Executive Suite</a> :: from the (mainly) Spanish-language "Raiders of the Lost Ark" Philly soul blog, including track listing for their album</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.crazybeat.co.uk/more-info/Executive+Suite/When+The+Fuel+Runs+Out++You+Got+It/Cloud+One/6105/" title="on 2nd hand 7" from Essex-based Crazy Beat Records">Available here</a> :: on 2nd hand 7" from Essex-based Crazy Beat Records</a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Executive_Suite_-_When_The_Fuel_Runs_Out.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:35:00 +0100 Seven deadly synths (4) http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1656 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1656 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1656#comments > p*soul, italo, disco, *now offline* > p*soul italo disco *now offline* <p><img src="http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s224507.jpg" alt="Peter Jacques Band - Fire Night Dance" hspace="10 vspace="10" width="280" height="280" align="right" /><strong>Pete Jacques Band</strong> – <i>Fly With The Wind</i></p> <p>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!</p> <p>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. <strong>Jacques Fred Petrus</strong> (who according to wikipedia, was murdered in Guatemala in 1986) and <strong>Mauro Malavasi</strong> who formed the band were also the businessmen who formed <strong>Change</strong>, who we have had on here a few times, and the <strong>BB & Q Band</strong>, and are considered pioneers of the italo sound.</p> <p><strong>Jacques</strong>, inna JR stylee, seems to have given an awful lot of folks motives for his unsolved murder… From the website I link to below…</p> <p>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: </p> <p>“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.” </p> <p>This is more commonly availbale on the excellent <i>Supersound</i> reissue 12”s.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=32198" title="">buy it here</a> :: </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.jacquespetrus.com/petrus.htm" title="A very shady character if ever there was one!">Read all about Jacques Petrus here</a> :: A very shady character if ever there was one!</a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/pete_jacques_ban-fly_with_the_wind.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 02:46:00 +0100 Les synths - c'est magnifique! http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1651 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1651 Tommy Squeaker Tommy Squeaker no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1651#comments > dilate, disco, italo, *now offline* > dilate disco italo *now offline* 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 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! <p><img src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_mV2uR4ay3g0/RwrNppbnc0I/AAAAAAAAAUU/JfpGTiDnu_g/s400/amonn.jpg" width="270" height="195" align="right"/>Magnifique – <i>Magnifique (remix)</i></p> <p>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. <b>Rahaan</b>’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 <b>Automan</b> edit series, at least one or two we’ve had posted here over the last couple of years.</p> <p>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!</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/sell/list?release_id=1233313&ev=r2" title="...although I've read that pressings on the Siamese label are terrible">Buy the original here</a> :: ...although I've read that pressings on the Siamese label are terrible</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/sell/list?release_id=474060&ev=r2" title="">Or fallback on the Automan edit</a> :: </a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Magnifique_remix_-_Automan_8.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Fri, 30 May 2008 17:56:00 +0100 Tryouts for an 80s synth-pop sound http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1649 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1649 Hal Berstram Hal Berstram no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1649#comments > p*soul, disco, other, *now offline* > p*soul disco other *now offline* Sparks – The Number One Song In Heaven Kevvy K’s “7 deadly synths” series got me thinking about some of the pioneers of synth pop – and in particular the ‘synth duo’ format (strictly speaking, usually Sparks – The Number One Song In Heaven Kevvy K’s “7 deadly synths” series got me thinking about some of the pioneers of synth pop – and in particular the ‘synth duo’ format (strictly speaking, usually keyboard guy plus singer) which became so common in the 80s with Soft Cell, Yazoo, Pet Shop Boys, etc. Normally these bands came about because the guy with all the synths (and it usually was a guy, for some reason) couldn’t sing and so had to get a mate to do the vocals for him. Sometimes you’d see variants of the formula: for example two synth men plus singer (early Human League), synth man plus three mates who sing badly but can play one-finger basslines (first Depeche Mode album), synth man who also sings but has to put dancer on stage as he’s too dull (Howard Jones), footballers as synth duo (Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle). But I think the blueprint for the “synth duo” format has to be Sparks, in 1979, with the Giorgio Moroder – produced “Number 1 In Heaven” album. Sparks first came to public attention as a five-piece who enjoyed hits with an operatic take on hard pop-rock: “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For the Both Of Us” and “Amateur Hour” both went top 10 in 1974 in the UK. Following a commercial slide through the mid to late 70s, the American core of the group, brothers Russ Mael (vocals) and Ron Mael (keyboards and Hitler moustache), discarded their British sidemen (including the superbly named Dinky Diamond on drums) and went it alone. Well, not quite alone, as they got Giorgio Moroder in to produce. The result was 3 hits in 1979: “Beat the Clock”, “Tryouts for the Human Race” (great title!) and this little number. I’m not sure whether this is the full album version – my copy of the track is from a compilation album called “This Album’s Big Enough – The Best of Sparks”. I do have the 7” somewhere but couldn’t find it – story of my life. Anyway this sounds like 2 attempts at the same track, with a faster, more insistent version kicking in at about 3:30. I like both of ‘em, anyway. Fairly obvious this is Moroder when you listen to it. In total, Sparks have now released 21 albums of which at least 7 are classics. They are currently playing a run of 21 dates at the Academy in Islington where they are playing their entire back catalogue, album by album. I don’t think any band with this much recorded output has ever done that before. For one thing, the rehearsal time involved must have been crazy – even though the 80s albums are mostly electronic and so probably easier to play (just press ‘start’ on the sequencer I guess.) The run climaxes with the world live premiere of their new album “Exotic Creatures of the Deep” at Shepherds Bush Empire on 13th June. And if I can get my act together I’ll probably be there. Good luck, guys! <p><b>Sparks</b> – <i> The Number One Song In Heaven </i></p> <p>Kevvy K’s “7 deadly synths” series got me thinking about some of the pioneers of synth pop – and in particular the ‘synth duo’ format (strictly speaking, usually keyboard guy plus singer) which became so common in the 80s with Soft Cell, Yazoo, Pet Shop Boys, etc. Normally these bands came about because the guy with all the synths (and it usually was a guy, for some reason) couldn’t sing and so had to get a mate to do the vocals for him. </p> <p>Sometimes you’d see variants of the formula: for example two synth men plus singer (early Human League), synth man plus three mates who sing badly but can play one-finger basslines (first Depeche Mode album), synth man who also sings but has to put dancer on stage as he’s too dull (Howard Jones), footballers as synth duo (Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle). But I think the blueprint for the “synth duo” format has to be Sparks, in 1979, with the Giorgio Moroder – produced “Number 1 In Heaven” album. </p> <p>Sparks first came to public attention as a five-piece who enjoyed hits with an operatic take on hard pop-rock: “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For the Both Of Us” and “Amateur Hour” both went top 10 in 1974 in the UK. Following a commercial slide through the mid to late 70s, the American core of the group, brothers Russ Mael (vocals) and Ron Mael (keyboards and Hitler moustache), discarded their British sidemen (including the superbly named Dinky Diamond on drums) and went it alone. Well, not quite alone, as they got Giorgio Moroder in to produce. The result was 3 hits in 1979: “Beat the Clock”, “Tryouts for the Human Race” (great title!) and this little number. </p> <p>I’m not sure whether this is the full album version – my copy of the track is from a compilation album called “This Album’s Big Enough – The Best of Sparks”. I do have the 7” somewhere but couldn’t find it – story of my life. </p> <p>Anyway this sounds like 2 attempts at the same track, with a faster, more insistent version kicking in at about 3:30. I like both of ‘em, anyway. Fairly obvious this is Moroder when you listen to it. </p> <p>In total, Sparks have now released 21 albums of which at least 7 are classics. They are currently playing a run of 21 dates at the Academy in Islington where they are playing their <b>entire</b> back catalogue, album by album. I don’t think any band with this much recorded output has ever done that before. For one thing, the rehearsal time involved must have been crazy – even though the 80s albums are mostly electronic and so probably easier to play (just press ‘start’ on the sequencer I guess.) The run climaxes with the world live premiere of their new album “Exotic Creatures of the Deep” at Shepherds Bush Empire on 13th June. And if I can get my act together I’ll probably be there. </p> <p>Good luck, guys!</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Number-One-Heaven-Sparks/dp/B000026VL1/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1212168377&sr=1-7" title="sadly only available on import currently...">Buy "Number One In Heaven" here</a> :: sadly only available on import currently...</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.islington-academy.co.uk/gotm.php" title="Book tickets for Sparks's run of 21 albums live">Carling Academy, Islington</a> :: Book tickets for Sparks's run of 21 albums live</a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/Sparks_-_The_Number_One_Song_In_Heaven.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Tue, 27 May 2008 00:17:00 +0100 Hippety-hopscotch http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1644 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1644 Tommy Squeaker Tommy Squeaker no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1644#comments > p*soul, disco, funk, *now offline* > p*soul disco funk *now offline* Gwen Guthrie – Hopscotch (Larry Levan instrumental mix) Twice in the last couple of weeks I’ve heard Gwen Guthrie’s Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On but the Rent playing in shops; once in my local newsagents while charging the Gwen Guthrie – Hopscotch (Larry Levan instrumental mix) Twice in the last couple of weeks I’ve heard Gwen Guthrie’s Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On but the Rent playing in shops; once in my local newsagents while charging the oyster, a pleasant start to another otherwise dreary work day. I’d forgotten how good it was and I thought it might drive me to come out of semi-blog retirement. Instead I’ve opted for something of hers that’s spacier and deeper, verbs I’ve used many times on DC to describe the remixing work of our Larry Levan. Great big fat bass line, ethereal pianos, synths and guitar licks and Gwen giving it the old ‘hippety hop’ business at regular intervals. Storming stuff. The 1983 Padlock mini-album on which this appears featured production and bass/drums from the mighty Sly and Robbie, as well as Mr Levan on remix duty. Sadly Gwen died of cancer in 1999, aged only 48. Was at Kevvy K’s eurovision party on Saturday and I must say I was a little disappointed at the result, even if it did turn out that the Russian guy was an ex porn star. Many might argue that music is never a winner at this event, but it did seem that geography played more than a little part in the voting. El Tel Wogan clearly agrees. <p><img src="http://www.disco-disco.com/images/padlock.jpg" align="right"/>Gwen Guthrie – <i>Hopscotch (Larry Levan instrumental mix)</i></p> <p>Twice in the last couple of weeks I’ve heard Gwen Guthrie’s <b>Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On but the Rent</b> playing in shops; once in my local newsagents while charging the oyster, a pleasant start to another otherwise dreary work day. I’d forgotten how good it was and I thought it might drive me to come out of semi-blog retirement. Instead I’ve opted for something of hers that’s spacier and deeper, verbs I’ve used many times on DC to describe the remixing work of our Larry Levan. Great big fat bass line, ethereal pianos, synths and guitar licks and Gwen giving it the old ‘hippety hop’ business at regular intervals. Storming stuff. The 1983 Padlock mini-album on which this appears featured production and bass/drums from the mighty <b>Sly and Robbie</b>, as well as Mr Levan on remix duty. Sadly Gwen died of cancer in 1999, aged only 48.</p> <p>Was at Kevvy K’s eurovision party on Saturday and I must say I was a little disappointed at the result, even if it did turn out that the Russian guy was an ex porn star. Many might argue that music is never a winner at this event, but it did seem that geography played more than a little part in the voting. El Tel Wogan <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7418940.stm">clearly agrees</a>.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/sell/list?release_id=29296&ev=r2" title="">Pick up Padlock here</a> :: </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.discomuseum.com/GwenGuthrie.html" title="...at discomuseum.com">More about Gwen...</a> :: ...at discomuseum.com</a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/08_Hopscotch_Larry_Levan_instrumental_remix.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00 Thu, 22 May 2008 16:47:00 +0100 A crafty jimmy http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1643 http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1643 Kevvy K Kevvy K no http://dilate.choonz.com/index.php?id=1643#comments > p*soul, disco, edit, *now offline* > p*soul disco edit *now offline* Jimmy Ross – First True Love Affair (Eddie Tour edit) I love the vocal original of this Paradise Garage anthem, but I love what Eddie Tour has done in nipping and tucking this chunky instrumental version. Its a bass-heavy monster that layers up Jimmy Ross – First True Love Affair (Eddie Tour edit) I love the vocal original of this Paradise Garage anthem, but I love what Eddie Tour has done in nipping and tucking this chunky instrumental version. Its a bass-heavy monster that layers up the Chic-inspired jingly guitars before erupting into lovely synth flares. Apparently some of the production team behind Kano were also responsible for Jimmy’s only album, released in the early 80s, which explains the sharpness of the thick-cut funk. This was on the second installment of the Disco Deviance series, which you can still get from Phonica here. The most recent in the series, editted by Pete Herbet came out just last week and you can buy that here. In other exciting edit release news, remember a while back I posted Labelle’s Moonshadow in anticipation of an edit being put out by the gash-froth inducing Mark-E? Well, it’s out now in the Creative Use series and you can get it here. <p><img src="http://www.hotmixradio.fr/pictures/JIMMY%20ROSS%20-%20First%20True%20Love%20Affair.jpg" width="200" height="200" align="right"/></p> <p><strong>Jimmy Ross</strong> – <i>First True Love Affair (Eddie Tour edit)</i></p> <p>I love the vocal original of this Paradise Garage anthem, but I love what <strong>Eddie Tour</strong> has done in nipping and tucking this chunky instrumental version. Its a bass-heavy monster that layers up the Chic-inspired jingly guitars before erupting into lovely synth flares. Apparently some of the production team behind <strong>Kano</strong> were also responsible for <strong>Jimmy’s</strong> only album, released in the early 80s, which explains the sharpness of the thick-cut funk. </p> <p>This was on the second installment of the Disco Deviance series, which you can still get from Phonica <a href="http://www.phonicarecords.co.uk/detail.aspx?ID=25904">here</a>. The most recent in the series, editted by <strong>Pete Herbet</strong> came out just last week and you can buy that <a href="http://www.phonicarecords.co.uk/detail.aspx?ID=29206">here</a>. </p> <p>In other exciting edit release news, remember a while back I posted <strong>Labelle’s</strong> <i>Moonshadow</i> in anticipation of an edit being put out by the gash-froth inducing <strong>Mark-E</strong>? Well, it’s out now in the <i>Creative Use</i> series and you can get it <a href="http://www.phonicarecords.co.uk/detail.aspx?ID=29308">here</a>.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.phonicarecords.co.uk/detail.aspx?ID=25904" title="">buy it from Phonica</a> :: </a> </li> </ul> <p><a href="http://dilate.choonz.com/pod/jimmy_ross-first_true_love_affair_eddie_tour_edit.mp3">File Download (0:00 min / 0 MB)</a></p> 00:00:00