Thursday, 24 September 2009

Randall Kennedy - Smith's Room


Randall Kennedy - Smith's Room
(Vox Man Records, France, 1985)



length : 2 min 31'

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Will Powers - Adventures in Success


Will Powers - Adventures in Success
(Island, USA, 1983)

I admit I was amazed when I realised that Will Powers was an alias for the female photographer and video maker Lynn Goldsmith, here helped by Tom Bailey. Topnotch New York funky wave sound !



length : 7 min 59'

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Metropakt - C.T.I.


Metropakt - C.T.I.
(Vox Man Records, France, 1985)



length : 3 min 29'

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R.D. Burman - Pain Is a Many Splendoured Thing


Rahul Dev Burman - Pain Is a Many Splendoured Thing
(EMI, India, 1983)

This rarity comes from a totally obscure Bollywood flick from the early 80's. It is sung by the Indian diva Usha Uthup, and, you would probably admit, RD Burman has never been that far on the electro tip. Notice that Usha's voice is not high pitched as the other Indian singers', she used to sing jazz & soul in clubs during the last decades.



length : 2 min 58'

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Zos Kia - Muggy the Staff


Zos Kia - Muggy the Staff
(In 9, France, 1987)



length : 5 min 42'

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Jean Yanne - Homosexualis discothecus


Jean Yanne & Raymond Alessandrini - Homosexualis discothecus
(RCA, France, 1982)

It is quite funny to see how, over the years, this track has become a gay (and non-gay) disco anthem. Check the cult scene in the movie by Jean Yanne.



length : 4 min 21'

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Human Egg - Love Like This


Human Egg - Love Like This
(Crypto, France, 1978)

Cosmic funk project led by famous engineer from Nice, Jean-Pierre Massiera. Groovy pace and excellent Fender Rhodes !



length : 3 min 50'

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Eko - Kilimandjaro My Home


Eko - Kilimandjaro My Home
(Disc Africana, France, mid 70's)

Cameroonese funky man Eko Roosevelt, also member of the group Dikalo, has released a few albums under his name. This title comes from his first solo effort, and the bass & rhodes game, half African / half westernised, will probably blow your mind.



length : 7 min 29'

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Jean Musy - Danse dans le cabaret


Jean Musy - Danse dans le cabaret
(Riviera LM, France, 1979)

French arranger Jean Musy was in charge of the score for a movie starring Romy & Montand. The track here was used as the background music for the night-club scene. Mindblowing jazzy disco.



length : 4 min 27'

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Monday, 21 September 2009

Calender - Hypertension


Calender - Hypertension
(Pi Kappa, USA, 1976)

Have you never experienced hypertension ? Listen to those words and you'll see that a social depiction can make you move your feet. Calender, an obscure band from NY, had a few success with this track in 1975. They released their only album the year after, and I just can recommend it.



length : 5 min 49'

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Ekambi Brillant - Aboki


Ekambi Brillant - Aboki
(Fiesta, France, 1975)

Produced by Slim Pezin, arranged by Pezin and Bernard Estardy, the albums by Ekambi Brillant have all that French afro sound... White session musicians playing afro, this could be a joke. But here is "Aboki", a repetitive and funkytune taken from his LP "Africa Oumba".



length : 4 min 34'

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Ralph Lundsten - Discophrenia


Ralph Lundsten - Discophrenia
(Harvest, Sweden, 1978)

The Swedish Ralph Lundsten, pioneer in electronic music, had a fondness for "disco" around 77-78. His albums from that period have nothing to do with the new age **** he did in the 80's.



length : 6 min 59'

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Michel Magne - Grand Theme Malko


Michel Magne - Grand Theme Malko
(Barclay, France, 1982)

What a track ! Lovely construction, starting with synth lines that sound like enigmatic chants, then bongos, wah wah guitar, electric piano, then, at last...drumbeat. I am just melting when the beat comes in, more than two minutes after the track has started. The perfect cosmic trip !



length : 5 min 17'

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Eberhard Schoener - Why Don't You Answer


Eberhard Schoener - Why Don't You Answer
(Harvest, Germany, 1978)

Possibly the best track issued from the collaboration between crazy German electronicist Eberhard Schoener and British pop band The Police. Andy Summers is on guitar, Stewart Copeland on drums, Sting on bass and vocals of course, while Schoener plays moog, oberheim and mellotron. I am still asking myself why the hell doesn't she answer.



length : 4 min 29'

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Don Cherry - Brown Rice


Don Cherry - Brown Rice
(EMI, Italy, 1975)

I suggest you to eat "Brown Rice" comme une friandise exotique. Charlie Haden on wah-wah bass, and Verna Gillis on vocals, it sounds so modern. It is no suprise to hear this sometimes in groovy, open-minded clubs.



length : 5 min 12'

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Konk - Your Life (Do What You Want) (dub)


Konk - Your Life (Do What You Want) (dub)
(Fourth & Broadway, USA, 1984)



length : 8 min

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Matti Oiling - Cyclops Dance



Matti Oiling (Oiling Boiling) - Cyclops Dance
(CBS, Finland, 1978)

Coming from the cold Finland, "Cyclops Dance" has something unreal. Matti Oiling, originally a jazz musician, is here responsible of a dark, hard, electro sound by playing the Synare-percussion synthesizer, a rare instrument (?).



length : 2 min 30'

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Alexander Robotnick - Problèmes d'amour (dub)



Alexander Robotnick - Problèmes d'amour (dub)

This is the (very rare) dub version of the famous Robotnick anthem, to me much more efficient than the original track. Italo electroid funk at its best !



length : 6 min 08'

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Release Music Orchestra - Mestaloggo


Release Music Orchestra - Mestaloggo
(Brain, Germany, 1976)

I remember I sold this album to our beloved Madlib a few years ago, as it's filled with a lot of dark and downtempo breaks. This track "Mestaloggo" could be considered as the forgotten track on this LP -as people often miss its potential-, and its kraut funk sounds way ahead of its time.



length : 4 min 09'

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Pierre-Alain Dahan - Cold Coke


Pierre-Alain Dahan - Cold Coke
(Télé Music, France, 1979)

This one was released on the library label Télé Music in the late 70's, on the mythic album "Disco & Co vol. 2" credited to the session musician Pierre-Alain Dahan, probably acompanied with the whole Arpadys crew here. The man delivers a long, very long piece of discoid funk judiciously called "Cold Coke"... Superb Fender Rhodes chorus in the middle of the track. Eerie !



length : 9 min 25'

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Bappi Lahiri - Meri jaisi mehbooba



Bappi Lahiri - Meri jaisi mehbooba
(EMI, India, 1985)

Wow ! Indian copy cat Bappi Lahiri completely lifted Herbie Hancock's planetary hit "Rock It". Sung in Hindi by Bappi himself and the lovely Sharon Prabhakar, the tune has a surprising appeal.



length : 7 min 24'

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Lemuria - Hunk of Heaven



Lemuria - Hunk of Heaven
(Heaven Records, Hawaï, 1978)

A real gem from the Pacific Ocean, performed by the (now) cult Hawaian jazz-funk band Lemuria. Stellar vocals by Azure McCall and Star Williams.



length : 3 min 28'

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Krystyna Pronko - Oto przyczyna




Krystyna Pronko - Oto przyczyna
(Wifon, Poland, 1980)

The title may seem unprounoncable, but that's not the point. Here is a great uptempo funk tune out of Poland, probably the most clubby thing of this country. Nice, powerful, female scats provided by Krystyna Pronko and perfect breaks in the middle of the track...



length : 3 min 43'

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William Onyeabor - Better Change Your Mind



William Onyeabor - Better Change Your Mind

(Wilfilms, Nigeria, 1978)

This is a monster lo-fi afro funk tune, recorded at Wilfilms Studios, Nigeria and released on Onyeabor's own label. Hypnotic rhythm and multiple keyboards !



length : 8 min 18'


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Welcome !

La boîte de nuit. This may sound obsolete, but this is how we called a club when I was a kid. A box where you spend the night. I would rather say "boîte de nuit" than "discotheque", which I think is inappropriate. Today people just say "club"...

But let's come to the point. After years in playing abstract groove and providing samples for hip-hop producers, I intend to satisfy your ears by revealing some of the rarest and "clubbiest" tunes of out my collection. Straight funk, dark, minimalist, electroid or cosmic disco, world groove & exotic things, I will try to explore every fields...

Notice that a special option is here dedicated to DJs. For those for want to play the tracks in clubs and parties, I can provide -for a consideration- the sound in very good quality (256Kpbs).

I will upload new tracks very often, feel free to visit anytime you want. And I am, of course, open to suggestions.

Have a good trip !


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